I’m a fairy now
In the ever-growing realm of video games there has been a boom here lately in the genre known as ‘cozy’ games. These, as I understand it are the games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and the soon to be releases MMO Palia. Games that usually involve working on a farm and building relationships in the nearby town and usually dating or marrying someone and basically living a life. My wife and I enjoy playing these games together and the latest one has had us delving into the fairy realm; I am of course talking about Fae Farm.
Fae Farm actually caught my attention because it was being developed by Phoenix Labs whose freshman title is the monster hunting free to play game Dauntless. Anyone who’s a fan of the monster hunting genre should give Dauntless a shot because it’s an extremely solid game that has really grown leaps and bounds since 2019. So, when I saw Fae Farm on a Nintendo direct, everything from the art style to the music had me almost immediately. I can talk about the music in this game all day, luckily with the deluxe edition the soundtrack is included. Fae Farm has some of the best music I have heard this year, especially the rain day music. Oh man, I am telling you it is a whole ass vibe.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Switch
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
In Fae Farm players will create their own character and name their own world, the creator has a nice set of options and allows players the freedom to incorporate not only religious attire but also choose pronouns. I know these things have been controversial but for me, Terrence Johnson I am fine with this. As a black man I am all about inclusion whenever possible, and if making a pronoun an option in a game helps someone feel more immersed in a world then I am not going to ‘yuck someone else’s yum’. Once players have created their avatar, they are treated to a pretty awesome animated cutscene that shows their character leaving for their new home on Azoria but due to some whirlpools their boat is wrecked and they awake on shore.
Fae Farm has a pretty fun narrative that aren’t usually seen in these games, and I am not going to spoil it here but at this point players will meet the mayor and be shown around town and how to use some basic functions before being let loose on their own land. There are vendors in town that will start players off with some seeds and plants to help them get started. One of the best things about Fae Farm is that the various tool like hoes, water cans, axes etc. are all context sensitive. Meaning players won’t have to work a toolbar, but instead if you approach a tree, you will use an axe, walk up to your un-watered plants the water can will automatically be equipped. This is a godsend of a quality-of-life change for these games, and I really hope more developers pick it up. Aside from planting on a farm players will also be able to forage various plants for animal feed, fishing and bug catching. Each of these skills level up the more players use them and will unlock new equipment that can be purchased from vendors.
Another one of the unique things that Fae Farm does is it allows players to have multiple houses, not only that but there is a whole separate land to explore in the Fae realm which can be unlocked via the story. There are also variations in plants, creatures and resources; meaning players will need normal resources as well as fae resources so there is always something to do or something to upgrade. But it’s not all fairies and wishes here, Fae Farm does some really weird things too. For instance, when players crops are ready to be picked, they have to be watered beforehand. So, players have to waste time (and energy which is a precious resource in these games) to waste a step when other games just let you pick the crops in the morning. Then there is the fishing, I will say that overall, the fishing in this game is one of the easier of the genre. But while the game allows players to aim where the hook lands; in order to get the fish hooked players will have to wiggle the line, but the fish a lot of times don’t see it. Which again, means players have to waste precious energy by recasting their line. A lot of these things can be patched out, and honestly these are really minor gripes overall because please believe me when I tell you that Fae Farm does WAY righter than it gets wrong.
I’ve said it on the podcast a few times, I love Fae Farm. Having the 4-player coop is truly icing on the cake as these games are so much more fun with friends, being able to divide and conquer to accomplish tasks is the preferred way to play these cozy games for me. Fae Farm has managed to breach my top 10 list for 2023 which any REAL gamer knows is just an absolutely bananas year for the medium. Not every game has to have realistic graphics, all-star voice casting or even an animal mascot and I think Fae Farm proves that in a year of bangers just being a fun, smart, cozy game can be enough to stand out.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
