Whether to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life or to retire quietly, many people dream of one day owning a farm. Ever wanted to settle down with the love of your life and spend your days watching crops grow? However, life on the farm can take a lot of money, time, resources, and more. Instead of owning a real farm, why not experience it virtually? In this list are my top 4 farm game recommendations to play when you just want to relax.
4. Potions Permit
Release date: September 22, 2022
Developed By: MassHive Media
Posted By: PQube
Potion permit will come out on September 22, 2022, on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. While this game is not yet available, a demo is already available for interested people to try. Disclaimer though, this is not a farming game in the way that the rest of the games on this list are farming games. The player does not have a large plot of land on which he will develop and plant crops to cultivate. Instead, it shows the lifestyle of living off the land.
In Potions Leave, you play as a novice chemist, sent to a distant town to cure the mayor’s daughter. You become the town’s resident chemist and concoct potions, salves, and other medicines that the townspeople might need. In a way, this game is half potion making and half gathering materials. Their materials come in all forms, from plants to fungi to minerals. The player can even fish in the various bodies of water found in and around the city. It’s this lifestyle of foraging and living off the bounty of the land that makes it similar enough to a normal farming game to make this list.
Also, did I mention that you are able to start a relationship with any of the single men and women in town?
3. Rune Factory 5
Release date: May 20, 2021
Developed By: Hakama Inc.
Posted By: XSEED Games
Rune Factory 5 is a farming game with action RPG elements. It is available on Nintendo Switch and PC. Rune Factory 5 is the latest game in the franchise, nine years after the last. In previous games, the game was played from a top-down perspective. Rune Factory 5, however, has a third person perspective. While this isn’t new to farming games, it’s a big change for the franchise. The player takes control of an amnesiac turned ranger. After nearly dying to save one of the townspeople, they end up living in the town, both as thanks and to help them regain their memories. Little does he know of the many dangers he will experience during his stay.
The game plays the same as other farming games, in that the player has plots of land where he must farm and sell them for money. However, there are two things that I think set Rune Factory 5 apart from other farming games with a similar theme and brand. First of all, importance is given to hunting monsters. Whenever the player roams the areas around the city, he will encounter monsters that threaten to knock the player out. These monsters drop valuable items and level up the player’s stats. Farming is not enough to prosper in Rune Factory 5. The player has to go out and fight in order to gain experience and the necessary materials to upgrade their equipment.
The second feature that sets it apart is its soil condition system. While in other games the player has some control over their ground, this game makes the player manage the ground conditions in a realistic way. The health of the ground decreases if the ground is used continuously. This forces the player to juggle farming plots and help the soil recover so they can continue to produce crops.
By the way, did you know that this game has several beautiful and handsome people that you can get into a relationship with and marry?
2. STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town
Release date: October 17, 2019
Developed By: Bullets Co., Ltd., Marvelous
Published By: XSEED Games, Marvelous
STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town is a farming simulation game for Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch and PC. This game is a remake of the 2003 game Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town for the Gameboy Advance. The game follows the life of a normal city boy. During a trip to the countryside, they get separated from his family and are found by an old man. The old man helps them reunite with his family and even offered to let them stay on the farm. A few years later, the boy finds out that he inherited the old man’s estate. This new version is different in that unlike the original game, where you only play as a man, you can decide whether to play as a man or a woman.
The Harvest Moon line of games is the model from which most, if not all, farming games are inspired. In this game, the player is given a plot of land on which he can plant crops to sell. They are also given various tools to clear their farm of debris. The player can also have animals that give them products to sell. There’s also a fishing mechanic in the game for those times when you don’t have to, or can’t, harvest anything. This can be considered a farming game in its simplest form, allowing the player the freedom to do as he pleases.
Like the other games on this list, you can improve your relationship with the townspeople by giving them gifts. Who knows, maybe you can even marry one of them.
1. Stardew Valley
Release date: February 26, 2016
Developed By: Concerned Ape
Posted By: Chucklefish
Stardew Valley is a farming game available for PC, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile phones. In it, the player takes control of a blue-collar office worker. Tired of the repetitive nature of their work and city life, they move to the farm left to them by their grandfather. There, they start their lives anew, building the farm from scratch and discovering secrets about their grandfather they didn’t know.
This game has everything that the previous games on this list have. It has general agriculture that is present in all of them. The player can also take care of animals that give them milk, eggs and other products. They can also fish in the various rivers, lakes and oceans that they can access. They can even fight monsters in the various caves and dungeons available to explore. All of these features combine to create one of the most memorable recent farming games on the market. This game also has multiplayer, in case the player feels that he needs help on the farm.
However, what sets it apart from the other games on this list is the very active modding community. Anything in the game is modifiable, from available clothing to available crops. Modders have also changed the look of the characters, with some mods giving the game an even more anime-like feel. There are also larger mods that add new sections to the already large map that Stardew Valley has, drastically changing its gameplay loop. While playing Stardew Valley unmodded is fun in its own right, nothing beats a modded game.
You are probably tired of hearing this, but did you know that in this game you can improve your relationship with various single men and women? You can even marry them if you play your cards right.
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