Beloved Mistria! Post-update, it's even better. I've poured hours into it and I just. keep. PLAYING.
After thoroughly enjoying Stardew Valley I was hunting for more games with a similar vibe and this absolutely delivers.
It's got your standard farming and dating sim activities: combat, cooking, excavating, farming, fishing, mining, raising animals, smithing and woodworking. [spoiler] BUT ALSO MAGIC. [/spoiler] It's all here and romance is the cherry on top.
There are even achievements now. If you're a completionist, it'll keep you busy. There's a LOT to do!
Character customization is fantastic. You start the game with solid options and there are a lot more that you can unlock. This is also the first game that's ever let me use he/she pronouns and for me that's a pretty big deal.
The art is charming. Cozy cottagecore meets retro 90s anime aesthetic and it totally works. I'm here for it.
There are plenty of people you can date and all of them are gorgeous. I started the game thinking I'd go for Juniper because just [b] look [/b] at her, oh my [b] GOD [/b] but I ended up [spoiler] shipping her with Valen because of some saucy in-game dialogue [/spoiler] dating one of the two extra unlockable love interests. It was unexpected and adorable and I regret nothing.
Dating is a lot more enjoyable now that heart events up to level 10 are available. You can kiss your partner. You can go on actual dates. Marriage and babies have been added too but I haven't gotten there yet, probably won't for a long time.
I'm still playing.
Closing Statements:
You can pet the cat/dog. You can pick it up. It will eat from its food dish and sleep in its little bed. This fills my heart with joy. There are monster skins that drop that you can give your pet to wear. No better reason to throw myself enthusiastically into combat. Watching my Lava Cat ooze across the floor of my house is hilarious.
AND Dozy is the best boy. My favorite character.
