What Did We Play Yesterday?

While waiting for Farm Together 2 to leave early access, I embarked on the Great Farming Game Binge of 2024 and got this trash-picking-upping game believing it was a farming game. It's not really a farming game. It's a post-apocalyptic kinda-farming but mostly clean up the pollution game. The citizens of Earth abandoned our beloved planet for Mars, and those who remain are struggling with the trash they left behind.

The trash picking uping is generally satisfying, as is clearing out the areas. People compare it to Powerwash Simulator, which I actually didn't like. I like this a lot better because cleaning up the trash (by drilling down trash heaps and vacuuming up loose trash) does something. It opens up areas, reveals chests, uncovers passages, and so on. After you clear away trash, you can build structures and plant trees and crops almost anywhere. There are also robots, which you stun with water and tear apart with your drill.

Recipes must be purchased before things can be crafted, so you need to explore to find seeds so you can grow vegetables for upgrades. The game gives you craptons of seeds, so there's always plenty to sow about. You rescue animals and befriend them to convince them to live in the pens you've built for them. Animals can be named and given hats. If you put balloons on a pig, it floats away.

The farming is basic. You put seeds in turned plots and water them until they sprout. There are no seasonal restrictions or anything like that. You water crops with a big fire hose thing which is pretty satisfying.

There are some good QOL features. One thing I particularly enjoy is there is no need to sleep, and if you die you simply respawn at home. This adds to the overall chill vibe of the game, where you simply take your time and do whatever you feel like doing. The game has fast travel, which is unlocked through exploration.

There is a fair bit of jank, a constant reminder this is a thoroughly indie endeavor, but I think the QOL truly offsets these and manages expectations. This just a chill, quirky game with a ton of achievements that lets you decide how you want to spend your time.

Unfortunately, since the progression and crafting is somewhat structured, it sometimes feels like "a thing to do" rather than a fun game to get lost in, and the garbage vacuuming aspect can compound that. The dialogue and story is also boring IMO. But gradually cleaning up the world is satisfying and a good way to vibe.

Finally, the Great Farming Binge of 2024 hits paydirt with a charming wuxia farming sim. Immortal Life does a great job of scratching the Stardew Valley-like itch while having enough different things going on to feel unique. The game is primarily focused on community-building and cultivation--your sect has been destroyed, and you help your brothers and sisters rebuild. The farming and fishing components are pretty shallow, but there's an interesting cooking mechanic. The game does a very good job of rolling out QOL improvements timely, so you unlock things like essentially unlimited storage relatively early. The paper crane postage system means you can carry on conversations with your fellows at any time and really adds to the sense of community.

The developers indicated there would be romances during Early Access, but that never came to be. Which is too bad because the fisherman is HOTT.

Farm Keeper is a very cute and chill puzzle game where you have to earn enough money to pay your landlord, until you have enough money to buy your own house. You earn money by placing tiles, including crops and lifestop, and harvesting them in stages.

This game strikes a good balance between chill and requiring just enough brainpower to keep it engaging. As you progress (and after you win) you unlock additional buildings that either help remove steps (for instance, water tiles eliminate the need to water adjacent squares) or buff your crops/animals (flowers grown adjacent to flower shops can be turned into bouquets for more money).

I picked this up during the Great Farming Binge of 2024 and wasn't sure how much I'd get into it, but it's one of the more enjoyable puzzle games I've played in a while.

The folks over at r/survivorlikes take this genre quite seriously, and while I was perusing their cheat sheet of games I decided to try this one out. It's a really enjoyable space survivorlike in the vein of Time Wasters, but in this one there's a lot more evasion and fleeing, as I have yet to reach the point where I can steamroll enemies a la VS.