Harvestella

Harvestella is the most exciting and interesting farming/life sim style of game that I have seen in a very long time. Brought to us by Square-Enix this has their signature style all over it and when I saw the first trailer, I must admit I mistakenly thought that this was a game that was part of another popular series of theirs. I want to share my thoughts on this today as this is a game that I have a feeling may appear on my game of the year list for 2022.

The Season Of Death

Like most other farming and life sim style of games, Harvestella features a season system where the seasons will change as the game progresses. However, in this game, there is a season of death that is referred to as Quietus, and each year this season of death causes crops to die and people to get sick and be forced to stay inside. The world this game is set in is very mysterious and the plot sees us trying to get to the bottom of this season of death and hopefully stop it.

A World Full Of Wonder

One thing that is really neat about Harvestella is just how diverse the world is. From the plot to the different locations, they could have slapped Final Fantasy in front of the title and I would have accepted it. Anyway, there are many different locations that make up this world we have a more rural area, a seaside town a snow covered area, and a bunch of dungeons too! Exploring this world and making connections is a huge part of what you will be doing in this game and that is something I think is very cool.

Farming And Fighting!

Now, the farming aspect of Harvestella sees you planting, tending, and harvesting your crops on a daily basis. You can take the stuff that you have grown and sell it and trade it. However, you can also craft with it. The stuff that you make can give you various buffs related to stuff like HP and magic as you get involved in the combat aspect of the game. The combat system is a great deal of fun and while not super deep, it is far more involved than what we get with most other games that fit into this genre. It in many ways feels more like an RPG than your standard farming or life sim game.

A Fantasy By Any Other Name Would Still Be A Fantasy

The first trailer I saw for this, I missed the Square-Enix logo at the start and as the trailer progressed, I kept saying to myself, “this has to be some kind of Final Fantasy game”. Well, that is something I am standing by as this game has a very Final Fantasy kind of vibe to the way it looks. I am actually surprised that they did not put Final Fantasy in the title as I think they could have gotten away with it.

Pros:

• I like the world that the game is set in
• The way it looks like a Final Fantasy game is cool
• It has some fun combat and dungeons for you to explore
• I like the farming mechanics the game has

Cons:

• Some may not like how it does not have a cutesy look to it
• While fun, I am not sure how deep the gameplay mechanics will be