I sit down at my Summer season Sport Fest Fae Farm hands-on anticipating simply one other Stardew Valley clone, one other cozy recreation that may briefly seize the eye of Disney adults and kids. However inside minutes, I notice I’m very incorrect. Certain, Fae Farm has crops you’ll be able to farm, and cutesy little NPCs you’ll be able to romance, and a house you’ll be able to adorn, all of the stuff you’d count on. However there’s extra occurring beneath the hood.
My Fae Farm hands-on demo
It has dungeons, for one factor, full of sources you’ll must craft the numerous obligatory gadgets to develop and enhance your home, your pets’ stables, your potion stations, and your crops. You’ll be able to go into these dungeons together with your weapon swinging and bash the baddies till they provide you their sources, or you’ll be able to study spells to forged at them, or you’ll be able to brew a potion that may make you invisible and allow you to sneak previous to seek out the treasures that lie previous them.
Your own home has a coziness system that gives buffs in your power, stamina, and mana, all of which you’ll must discover Fae Farm’s world. There’s seasons and dynamic climate programs that may negatively have an effect on your stamina or power, however you’ll be able to fight them by brewing a particular tea that may assist maintain you heat or cool in additional excessive temps.
Fae Farm enables you to maintain animals, as nicely, and collect sources from them whereas additionally constructing a bond between you. And the dozen or so NPCs on the earth will train you tips on how to develop your skills, whether or not it’s constructing issues that let you prepare dinner extra concerned meals, or train you spells that allow you to water all of your crops in a single go, or ship you on quests that may get you cash and goodies galore.
After I ask Phoenix Labs PR Supervisor Andy Burt how he’d describe Fae Farm, since so many individuals will assume it’s only a farming sim, he tells me that it’s the magical parts that make this recreation so totally different, and the truth that there are such a lot of totally different approaches you’ll be able to take to the sport that may dictate your expertise. If you wish to go whacking your means by way of dungeons, you’ll be able to, however if you wish to play it as a farming sim for 300 hours, you are able to do that, too.
Add a stunning character customization system that features they/them pronouns, varied physique varieties and pores and skin tones, and cutesy magical parts, and Fae Farm is, to this point, my massive Summer season Sport Fest shock.
Fae Farm is out later this 12 months for Nintendo Change and PC.
Kotaku is masking the whole lot Summer season Sport Fest, from the primary present on Thursday to different occasions taking place all through the subsequent week. Whether or not you’re into larger-than-life triple-A video games or intimate, offbeat indies, you’ll be able to sustain with all issues SGF right here.
