Peachleaf Pirates

Peachleaf Pirates sounds like a name that belongs on a teabag. Or, if you were to consider it a video game, it feels it could be some cutesy browser game designed to occupy young children on their school lunch breaks. Alas, what we have here is a genre clash of RPG, point-and-click, and farming-sim. Not bad for a title that could easily be a branded kids TV show.

Peachleaf Pirates comes across as a bit quirky in its own right. Initially advertised as a tropical paradise for pirates, it's nowhere near what you'd expect from that phrase. You'd think that would be a hedonistic pleasure zone that resembles Tortuga. What you get - an island to build a wholesome new pirate life upon. Honestly, you're not too sure what to even make of it before you've even pressed a button?

Welcome to Fabulous Peachleaf

The pixelated, dated visuals of Peachleaf Pirates sort of lead the idea of what the game's core focus is going to be - the farming element. Many games of this stature tend to follow the same formula of accessibility, wholesomeness, and easy-to-grasp mechanics. Yes, Peachleaf Pirates does follow that formula under the vice of a new life on a tropical island. However, it does offer more than one would expect.

Peachleaf Pirates extends a bit more on the genre-crossover idea by adding the character developments of an RPG and the adventuring prowess of point-and-click. Ultimately, the goal is to raise your island to a high standard. Getting there will require not only farming skills - but real-time combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving to give your little town a boost.

So does it work? Albeit ambitious, yes, you don't get that clunky feel that you get in most genre-crossover games. They've achieved this by offering stripped-down versions of each relevant mechanic set so that everything doesn't get too complicated. Peachleaf Pirates is supposed to be a more relaxing experience after all, right?

It does its job, but there are some arguable issues with the game. The most prominent of which is the colour palette. It tends to rub together sometimes between the UI and the environments, making it frustrating to distinguish. In the bigger picture, you feel Peachleaf Pirates lacks the player encouragement some other farming sims offer.

The Peachleaf Doesn't Fall Too Far From the Tree.

Visually, mechanically, and accessibility all point to heavy influence from the successful Stardew Valley. Peachleaf Pirates definitely has that vibe in nearly every element of gameplay.

Though some new blood is injected into the game with the other genre mechanics, it all points back to the focus as a farming simulator rather than any viable experiment.

Pros:

• Ambitious farming simulator adding mechanics of other genres
• A great, zen-like feel to the gameplay
• Quirky yet wholesome cast that contradicts the idea of a pirate island

Cons:

• The game objectives feel uninspired
• The visuals are not distinguished well
• The narrative doesn't spark any excitement or encouragement