My favorite thing about this game is that many dialogues are linked between characters. You'll talk to the store lady who tells you to refuse her daughter if she ever asks you to take her with you to the mines, and then if you go talk to the daughter in question, she'll ask you to take her to the mines! It's a small thing but it makes the town and cast feels so much more realistic and charming.
During the summer market her mom told me to absolutely NEVER give her coffee because of the "incident", and I tried to and the game wouldn't let me lol
I was also surprised when people commented on the things I had gifted to the Museum, which really helps make them feel alive. And I enjoy how you can talk to the NPCs in groups sometimes, rather than to just one of them.
One interesting thing about this game that I haven’t seen mentioned much at all: the creators, Andrew Duff and Claire Belton, are also the creators of Pusheen the Cat. It’s not brought up at all on the game’s website (nor are their last names, they’re just credited as “Andrew” and “Claire”), so perhaps they don’t want to publicize that connection for whatever reason, but it’s true!
imo the best part of FoM that sets it apart from other games (namely, sdv) is the community. the villagers are all well integrated w each other, you can talk to all of them *many* times a day, they comment on other villagers (and talk WITH them!), recent story events, friday nights at the inn, quests you fulfilled, and things you’ve donated to the museums.
Yeah, it actually feels like a town. The last time I felt that way was the old GBA Friends of Mineral Town. The original with rivals, not the newer one that just came out.
Another farming sim that does this concept amazingly is Rune Factory 4. Imo FoM seems to be pretty inspired by this game as well. I highly recommend it if you’ve never heard of it!!
If you enjoy the social aspects then I would also highly suggest Rune Factory 4 as well (and probably the earlier ones, but I haven't gotten to those yet). It has a much bigger focus on relationships and exploring/combat with farming being more on the side but still incredibly in-depth. It's overwhelming at first, but just play and you'll get the hang of it. The characters can be spoken to multiple times and will usually have something different to say each day. You can take the marriageable candidates out with you to fight and they'll react to the world and the plot going on. Also, instead of buying animals, you tame the wild creatures you can encounter and fight. If you know what you're doing you can even tame the Bosses and have them join you as you fight like a familiar, it's so cool (Want to ride a fairy? You can do that!)
The friday nights at the Inn are EVERYTHING! The writing is SO good I genuinely go there not just for the social points but because I'm actually interested in how the DnD and Monopoly sessions are coming along!
I love a well-written jerk character. This one kinda reminded me of the one in Rune Factory Frontier that moves in about one season in, who straight up says to your face that his only reason for being there is to make you miserable and run you out of town. Fast forward to winter and he'll tell you, "Hey, do you know why I'm still wearing these short-sleeve shirts even though it's the middle of winter? It's not because I'm used to it, and it's not because I'm trying to show off how tough I am or anything. It's that I thought I would've run you out of town by now. So I didn't bother to pack any warm clothes when I moved here." And then with the biggest grin on his face, he admits, "I'm freaking freezing over here! HA HA HA!" He had my respect from then on.
Rune Factory Frontier was a Perfect game, at least once you cheat out that damned Runey System. Literally the only bad thing in a otherwise 10/10 game.
Honestly so sad they didn't make him a secret romanceable character (yeah different era of gaming so same-sex in Japan would've been frowned upon, but I had such a crush on him haha)
@@Pizza7478 I'd say another problem with Rune Factory Frontier was the fact that you needed to constantly upgrade your crafting stations to be able to craft high level recipes. They got rid of that in the next games because it was so tedious to have the right level, all the materials needed, but my kitchen would be at level 2 instead of level 3, so I need to wait a week until fridays so I can get my level 3 kitchen to craft the damn porridge I want to gift to my favourite character! This made the game much longer than it needed to be because every upgrade also required an absurd amount of wood...
you forgot to mention 1 little thing. NPCS TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!! I LOOOOOOOVEEEEEEE that. I never even notice repetitive dialog (they probably do but they have so many things to talk about that I didn't notice). Also, later you will see that sometimes npcs will remind you of their family birthdays and give u ideas for gift (happened to me 3 days before Dell birthday and with the pink hair guy birthday, their sisters reminded me their bdays and gave gift ideas).
I hated SoS for being a wussy and taking out rival marriages since it was probably the only few times we get to see the NPCs interact, so I lovelovelove loveeee it when they make the world feel more alive and as a result more immersive! It's like their world is not just centered around our character and I love it! Big name farming sim games should take some notes from FoM
one of my biggest gripes with stardew is how disconnected the npcs are from the game progession (in most of my farms i just pick someone to romance, speedrun marriage with them and completely ignore everyone else coz it's such a chore) so seeing this game fix that looks like a very positive start. my other main gripe with stardew is the lack of variety between playthroughs, there's a lot of crops, combat builds, enchantments, farm types, etc, but there's not a lot of difference between the viable strategies and there's a whole lot of unviable things that you either ignore or get forced to interact with by the community centre and perfection tracker, and FoM looks to have sorted that out too from how the perks and recipes look which i'm very happy about. i'll almost certainly be getting it which is surprising since i went into the video thinking "what's the point it's just a stardew clone" lol i'm happy to eat my words
1.6 added some new strategies, plus there's the ton of mods available. But FoM already has some things that are straight-up new (I hadn't thought about jumping over hills/fences till I saw this). I'm more interested in cooking/crafting for whatever buffs they provide, and to what extent you end up really needing them. "Cooked items sell for more", while a nice option, isn't something you *have* to engage with, if you prefer to just plug away at crops/fish/whatever,
@@emurphy42 it did add a lot of content, the mastery system was the main thing which is pretty fun, but the gap between the best strategies and 95% of the content is still huge. artisan is still better than the rest of the professions combined, star/ancient fruit still make more money than everything else combined, the galaxy sword/hammer invalidate most other weapons and play pretty similar, etc. the only real differences between each playthrough are who you romance (speaking of mods marnie best spouse), what rings you use and what your farm looks like
@@aldrichunfaithful3589 I think mushroom logs may get close to AF/starfruit if you really lean into mystic trees? There's at least one video that crunches some numbers on it. Another thing you can do is wait for the Extended Family quest, then fish up as many multiples as you can handle (advanced iridium rod helps here) and then smoke them.
@@emurphy42 i don't know the exact numbers for mystic trees and logs, but in my experience a lot of the information on alternative money makers tends to ignore space efficiency in the calculations which is a huge oversight. just as an example, i remember i did the maths comparing starfruit (with both the fruits and kegs in sheds, with 2 fruit sheds per 1 keg shed) with a lava eel pond (with enough preserve jars around it to keep up) and the g/day/tile value for the starfruit was around ten times the value for the lava eel, which is one of the most popular alternatives that people bring up. you have limited space on your farm so any alternative income source is just lowering your profit, and even if you aren't worried about space they're just a waste of time to collect and you'd be better off spending that time getting further down the skull caverns for more iridium to sell. even pigs are inefficient since on top of the huge barn you have to spend time picking up the truffles (and if you have grass everywhere good luck finding them). so the optimal way to play (by a pretty big margin) is to have nothing on your farm besides ancient/starfruit, sell all your animals once you're done with them and spend all your free time cavern diving when you aren't grinding community centre, walnut door or perfection, with the one exception being to have stuff like coffee, a food source, crafting materials like sap, etc
@@aldrichunfaithful3589 Unless of course you're on beach farm, in which case truffles are probably optimal. (I haven't tried to acquire deluxe speed gro in large quantities, I'm not convinced it's worth waiting.) I've reached 100% in year 4 a few times, so the difference between "lots of money" and "even more money" isn't of much interest to me except in abstract discussions. I have way too many mod sets to play with, instead.
It's the absolute best lollll. I like to imagine that on the day after the farmer just sees March and starts giggling thinking about him being drunk and he's just confused and pissed that we're seemingly laughing at him for no reason LMAO
I will legit walk around in town minding my own business, and then I soon as I come across him I feel like I have invisible dog ears perking up at the mere sight. It's so embarrassing. (his drunk dialogues are so cute tho)
I hate to say it, but every farming game I have played since Stardew Valley has only made me think I would rather be playing Stardew Valley. It just did everything so right that other farming games just feel like pretenders. Mistria looks alright... I will wishlist it and wait and see.
This is something I’ve heard pretty often. A common tagline is “it’s stardew valley but with XYZ.” Which, if that’s the case…. Why not just play stardew?
That's exactly why I'm so strict on other farming games. I do think that this game does enough things better than Stardew to warrant a try. Unfortunately, I don't think the demo is still available
Agreed completely, I've played a ton and didn't find one that clicked. For me, this one is different. It's hitting all of the right notes and is already super fleshed out, with a solid roadmap. Fully recommend.
I genuinely adore this game. What makes me frustrated is people calling it Stardew Valley with XYZ. I love Stardew Valley, but it didn’t invent farming sims- it does a lot of the things that Harvest Moon did, and is very clearly also heavily inspired by that. This game is a farming sim with a pixel artstyle, which does not make it a ripoff of another game. It is another game apart of the same genre. To dismiss it completely because of the way it looks is honestly a shame. I hope this video shows people that it is so standalone in its own right and is fantastically written and absolutely gorgeous.
Agreed, I’m so truly tired of hearing that with every farming sim that comes out. Like, It’s in the farming sim genre, what do people expect from the game??? 🤦🏾♀️ if anything this game feels more like harvest moon with a bit of animal crossing mechanics thrown in, more than it feels like Stardew.
I think this is the bigger conversation. I personally didn’t like Stardew Valley. The characters weren’t my speed and overall the setting just didn’t capture my attention; but FoM does and so I think the bigger question is always if there are new elements in a market should creators be allowed to explore it? My friends and I have all been talking about the Harvest Moon callbacks and references while acknowledging elements like character design, dialogue, and actions that we enjoy- and while it has some similarities in base to Stardew that allows for two groups; people who enjoy farming sims but want a new outlook and people don’t like stardew but want to play a farming sim. In this regard I think the game is worth it for those looking to have options. FoM has a lot of time to grow just as others games in the genre have and I’m excited to learn more. It’s clear that marking with stardew with xyz is misleading as magic is clearly more grounded and treated as piece of history to be uncovered rather than innate skill, something uncovered as you work to archeology but chopping it up as “just with magic” I think gives off the wrong impression to many players. I hope more people who are open to other farming games will at least be willing to see FoM for what it is rather than just trying to ride the ends of another game when I think there simply is a market for both games (^^;;
yesss... as a long time farm sim player it drives me insane. But harvest moon never broke the mainstream like SDV did, so for a lot of people it basically did invent the genre lmao... At least we know the truth. It is a shame though because a lot of the pre SDV games are leagues better than the stuff that came out after, which I think is part of why they're always called SDV clones. Tons of them were just capitalizing on its success, while the OGs stood on their own to serve an existing audience. (generalizing, ofc)
If FoM ever grows bigger than SV (doubtful but one can dream), i'm willing to bet many people would still whine about it and call it a mere "copy". A lot of times it's just the weird parasocial relationship doing the talking. It seems many SV fans genuinely see ConcernedApe as this godly person who can do no wrong, when he himself copied Harvest Moon games. He is not a pioneer. Go take a look at the SV subreddit to see how deep the fanaticism goes. Listen, I love Stardew as much as the next guy. It's an amazing game with a great modding community. BUT there comes a point when it becomes silly to praise the guy to the heavens just because he's still...l updating his game. Not only is it his job, but he also gets money from it. He's not doing it for free and from the kindness of his heart, he DOES get something out of it. I applaud him for working on such a big game ALONE, because wow. But i'm not going to applaud him just because he's still updating his sweet moneymaker.
On their official website, they have a feedback page. I'd highly recommend writing to them there your experience about the lantern moth, and your suggestion about magic spells!
The NPCs are so superior to any other farming sim, including Stardew. They are just so well written, polished, and really feel like they are significant in the world. There is so much dialogue and interaction. They comment on recent and upcoming events, even small things. They are just fantastic. That along with the incredibly cute pixel art has made this a favorite for me and I can't wait for the updates to come!!
I think the love for jerk characters is that they usually undergo the most growth of all the characters so you feel the relationship develop. Think Haley from SDV, I never marry the jerk character and mostly date bachelors but even I was drawn to her storyline
The thing I especially adore with FoM so far is just how absolutely involved the community members and dialogue is, EVEN this early into early access. It's been the thing I see praised the most with the game so far other than the art style and pixel art, and it's the thing I'm the most enthusiastic about. I was expecting to see significant repeating dialogue even as soon as halfway into Spring, but the way that every character has meaningful dynamics and interactions with characters outside of their general 'group'? I looove it. Balor gets semi roped into playing D&D. He ends up loving it enough he shifts to be the second DM after the original campaign wraps up for every Friday inn meetup. The other NPCs comment on how they saw him having fun, or how he seemed enthusiastic, or how they could see him taking notes. Even this far into early access and I can already see the writers put a lot of thought and time into the community feel of this game, which just makes it all the more investing. For lack of better comparison, it feels like if someone took the style of an RPG's party banter (where your entire group of companions interact with each other) and extended it to the whole town. Which takes a LOT of work, but it absolutely hit the mark with the community of small town members in a happier, peaceful life sim game. Also, this is such a niche ask, but Valen and Juniper have to have a rival marriage system. I NEED to see these two get together, because that tension in all the inn scenes? The blushing? The mage/doctor rivalry growing softer? 🤨🏳️🌈
coming from someone who’s played the game, do you think the npcs have depth? i heard you can romance them (whether that’s in the game yet or not idk), do they have depth in that aspect too?
@meoww5781 With the disclaimer of 'it's still very much in early access, and a lot of the depth will likely be found in later heart events which are announced to be implanted further in Q4 2024', I see loads of potential that the writers are absolutely setting up for! Ranks are currently limited to 4 for every NPC, but in the around 4 scenes I saw (since every character gets a 'quest' or heart event SV style every 2 hearts) all of them were really setting up for a lot of areas to go in! Even then, we have two whole romance options we still know nothing about, the dragon who is shown to have an 'is romance-able' indicator (heart indicator in the dialogue boxes). Balor, March, Juniper, Valen, so many others also have a lot of intriuging aspects to them. So if you're looking for the immediate full story, I'd wait until full release. But IMO, it's already so fun.
I so agree with this! I find the dialogue and writing to be one of the best qualities of this game, and a reason I would actually play this instead of just another playthrough of stardew. I've just finished summer year one, and I've only seen one instance of repeating dialogue, and that is with me talking to every NPC nearly every time I run into them, regardless of whether or not I've already spoken to them that day. I also love how involved the whole community is. We're not playing as an outsider who comes in and singlehandedly upgrades the whole town; everyone contributes where they're able. and the player character has a reason for moving in and immediately helping with big projects (it's the deal we took in exchange for the free housing). and the cutscene that starts with us & two others patching up the cracks in the pavement as a surprise for the other residents, but everyone who comes across us immediately want to help?? I loved that soo much. I just adore all of the characters
After being disappointed with Coral Island and a handful of other indie farming sims, I was scared to try Fields of Mistria, but I absolutely love it. It's the first farming sim since Stardew I've genuinely felt that special spark with and don't find myself wishing I was playing Stardew instead. It has some ideas Rune Factory style, like groups of people having special dialogue when they're together that shows off their relationships. I just finished the first season, and I have only seen one character have repeat dialogue. I genuinely adore every character already.
I had the same experience as u! Coral island was so disappointing yet everyone praise it... Yes, its pretty but damn it got repetitive and the characters gave me nothing.
Its so funny how we all have different taste and i love it. What you described is exactly the opposite for me :D I rly loved fom since the first screenshot i saw buuuut the game in ea is just to boring for me. its beautiful but nothing else hooked me. coral islands ea was extreamly good in my oppinion. diving was my favorite and the updates came quickly and with lots of new gameplay.
Coral island is one of my biggest game purchase regrets. It felt like it wasn’t trying to do anything that Stardew didn’t do, but it was trying (and failing) to do the same things but better. I wish these games would look for other games as inspiration rather than Stardew, it’s really disappointing. Let Stardew stand on its own. Yeah it was inspired by the original harvest moon…. But it is vastly different. Many of the Stardew inspired games are really not that different from Stardew. Yet the fans of those games always point fingers at Stardew saying it’s inspired by harvest moon. Like yes, but it’s fundamentally different too. Rather than doing what harvest moon did but better, it did what harvest moon didn’t do in a lot of aspects.
@@Ollidor i rly think it has lots of different gameplay. Diving, merfolk, underwater farming, different mines, hangouts/Dates with npcs, diversity and more. Its ok to not like a game but saying Coral Island is Not rly different then stardew valley under a Video about fom is just funny... Fom is the definition of not rly different.
Farming games recently have had the misfortune of following after Stardew Valley and the expectations that come along with it. However, this game looks pretty good so far! I think the game has mechanics that seem very fun and interesting, I just hope people give this game a chance instead of casting it off as a Stardew Valley copycat.
Yeah, especially since Stardew Valley got its inspiration from Harvest Moon [Now known as Story of Seasons] and Rune Factory. Wish people would stop saying every farming game is a Stardew clone. It didn't make the genre. I get it's a lot of people's first farming game but people brushing off newer farming sims like that need to stop.
@@Mafonen It's less they are attributing it to creating the genre and more that it is the pinnacle of the genre and no game has yet to come close to standing beside it.
@@Mafonen Taking inspiration is different from being a “clone” and I don’t think it’s unfair to say games like Mistria are inspired by Stardew just as Stardew was inspired by Harvest Moon.
@@cata0403 I get that, maybe I wrote it wrong. I meant more along the lines that not every farming sim is taking inspiration from Stardew. The thing is though a lot of people call farming sims in general Stardew clones now or just say "oh it's Stardew with _". I wasn't trying to imply that inspiration and being a clone are one and the same, it's more so that others tend to imply it with comments like that on farming simulators. Even Fields of Mistria attributes some of the inspiration as being from Harvest Moon.
@@planescaped I get that but calling things Stardew-like when it's just a farming sim is getting grating as someone who has been into the genre for well over 20 years. Imagine if I said Stardew is just a Rune Factory clone and every other game like it was a Rune Factory-like game, you'd get annoyed too, yeah?
To add to the writing. The dialogues feels like the characters are actually talking to each other even though the player isn't around I talked to Hayden and he said something about needing something made, and then I talked to March later in the day and he said something about Hayden needing something made. After that day I didn't come to the town cause I was focused on mining but when I came back the next day, March now talked about how Valen requested another item It genuinely feels like the characters are their own people who interacts with one another even though the player wasn't there to see/hear it
Other things I like; The characters changes clothes every seasons The group interactions during Friday in the inn also changes (per seasons I think idk) The trees outside of your farm regrow the next day so you could farm woods easily The consequences of losing your health in the mines is just the day ending immediately even though it's only noon and then starting late the next day (around 10am I think, and you have less stamina and health). Not one of your items or money are stolen The dragon statue also talk about the town and your progress. It would talk about what his opinions on the other townfolks, talk about the progress you made around town, and even show concerns for you when you passed out in the mines for the first time
I talked with Juniper and Terithia during the friday Inn night and they asked me who would survive living in a desert island and i said Hayden because he is self-sufficient, a few says later I talked with Hayden and he commented on how the girls asked him what would he do in a desert island
I learned from Eiland that different locations has different artifact sets tied to them. This made looking to complete certain artifact sets for the museum much easier. This might seem obvious but I honestly didn't even consider that before learning it from him. And it makes sense for him to know that being an archaeologist and all, so that exposition felt incredibly natural. I'm sure many more moments like that exists.
before the spring event when Celine explains how the event will go down, she mentions briefly that March will be juggling as well and i remember thinking oh that's sort of weird but sure. during the event itself when you overhear him talking about the whole misunderstanding i thought it was sooo cute! there are a few other times that dialogue like that gets misinterpreted from character to character. moments like that, along with quirks and preferences that get emphasized a lot by other characters (like Eiland having a huge sweet tooth), gives suchhhh a nice feeling to all the interactions
I agree there should be more magic present, considering that's part of the entire plot of magic being "unearthed" with the earthquake. Personally I hope there's a Return spell like in Rune Factory. It would add even more strategy since you can stay in the mines or the beach till 1:40 and still make it home before passing out. Especially with how fast time moves in the game, I'd love to have more ways to work with the "resource" than just skills reducing item creation time. Or maybe a spell that slows time for the rest of the day? There are a lot of possibilities and I'd love to have more magic that is more ubiquitous to multiple activities like the stamina/health restoring one
I've binged this game the last two days, and I totally agree with everything you said. I actually really love this game, I can see the thoughts put into every aspect of it. One thing I'd love is for the specific mechanics to be explained better (my chickens sometimes won't produce eggs or won't eat when I hand feed them), but this will probably go away when there's a good wiki. One thing I totally agree is the moth thing. I tried not to be a hoarder and sold everything except for potential gifts, so I sold like 3 moths before I knew I needed one. Then... I just couldn't find any, for a looong time. This happened AGAIN at the lvl 40 gate, with another bug (and also the fish, but the fish I got solved in a day or two). One thing I really like, which you didn't mention, is that the crafting can use materials from your chests back home, which is amazing. Speaking of chests, I'm disappointed you can't place chests at the entrance of the mines. Inventory space is a struggle, especially when there's like 10 different forgeables, which I like to pick up when I pass by them. I got the first upgrade and I'm still consistently struggling when I'm not planning my routes, which I want to avoid, because I tend to stress about "optimally" playing the game, so I need to remind myself to take it easy All in all, this game, depending on how it evolves, has a ton of potential, and I might even like it more than Stardew Valley haha. The sense of community and the interesting story are things I didn't know I lacked in SV
Yeah, I was really surprised that you can't place things outside of your farm. It took me a while to get 3 inventory tabs, and even then, I still struggle to pick up everything I collect in the mines. A chest in the mines would be super helpful.
A mechanic I love is that items on the ground are not lost, so I just tend to pick my forage and leave it on the ground for a casual stroll later on to retrieve my items :)
Fields of Mistria is the first farm/life game that has held my interest since Stardew Valley. It’s important to remember that Mistria is in Alpha. Stardew looked like a completely different game at alpha… I see so much potential if the developers continue to support Mistria. The game could use some QoL improvements on crafting and UI, as well as getting you into the game loop quicker. Once you’re in you’re hooked though. Great characters and combat/mining is amazing. Each enemy has a window of opportunity or punishable attack for counterplay. Caught me off guard- Mistria is thoughtfully designed like this the whole way through
regarding the con of not being told about being able to do house upgrades and other farm builds at the carpenters shop- i believe they do passively mention after you repair the mill. not in any tutorial pop up capacity but i think it was hayden that brings up wanting to teach you how to do that stuff and mentions the carpenters
I'm fine with that, feels more natural than a character just spill everything on your face. First playthroughs in these types of games are never meant to be perfect min-max runs, just enjoying the game.
so many of the things you can do in the game (being able to dig up artifacts with either a shovel or a pickaxe, being able to move furniture with a pickaxe, where to buy stuff) is mentioned in dialogue with other characters. I actually love it, because it really does come across as someone going "oh, btw, I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but ____" which feels very natural to me. I'm also pretty sure that most of the tutorials are offered when another character explains it to your character, which I thought was a good touch. having the tutorial for animal breeding come up after Hayden has invited us over for that explicit purpose feels a bit more fun than it just popping up when it becomes relevant
I don't understand the complaint that its 'just like stardew' cause... I love stardew? And I want more games that fit the same vibe. I've played stardew for hundreds of hours. I want a new game that's just like stardew I can play through ❤ also there's just enough new differences that feel soooo good ❤️ (run speed, jumping, and swimming are fantastic!) This is the first farming game that I like just as much as I did stardew! I'm excited to keep playing!
This game is blowing my mind. Extremely polished out of early access, and I'm loving all of the systems. I'm fine with magic being as subtle and understated as it is. I feel like if it was much more it would be a turn off, but that's my personal preference. My nitpicks are not being able to move structures, which makes updating to higher versions like barn or coop a huge pain as they're brand new structures instead of in place upgrades of the existing structures. Better map icons for villagers would make that QOL item much better. The tutorials are fantastic but could cover more topics as a lot of people including myself find full on mechanics on our own or via the internet. I'm also not sure if you can reference tutorials from the menu but that would be key. I'd also like targeting to be MUCH better and snappier. It's way too easy to not hit your intended target with mining, watering etc. and you have to hover just a bit too long to see what tile is highlighted. All nitpicks, except for maybe the structures. Otherwise, insanely good game, especially given it's early access.
I agree a little with your comment about moving structures - I don't mind too much, but that's just personal preference. for those that don't know: to upgrade a building, like a coop, you would build it from the ground up (purchase blueprint, gather materials, place it on your farm), so if you want to place it where your original coop was you'd have to put your animals into daycare at the neighbouring farm. this is free to do. you'd then demolish/remove the old coop, which you do from your farm (what I appreciate about this is that you get all of your resources back, including what was inside the chest inside the building, so nothing is lost). then you'd place your new coop and get your animals back from daycare (as far as I know there's not a limit to how long they can stay there). it's definitely a bit of a hassle, but so I see why ppl can have an issue with it!
the targeting can be an issue, but honestly its not a huge deal. plus you don't lose any energy unless your tool is actually hitting an object it can interact with.
You can move structures. Just send your animals to daycare, then remove the building. You get the resources you spent on building them and the blueprint back and can place it elsewhere. Also probably a good idea to take all the stuff out of the chest inside it beforehand, Idk if it saves those.
I've been eating this game up, but now I'm in a point that the early access part it's hurting the experience way too much. I wished that I'd control myself and waited the release, but I was missing a cozy game like this, the others weren't hitting the same.
Another I'd recommend that flew under the radar for many is Everafter Falls. No romancables, but it's complete and the characters are great. Very chill farming game.
@leahtranxx I did play it but got tired really quickly in early access, waited for the full release, but it did not feel like a full release, you know? A lot of features promised were missing and TBA :/
i am so obsessed with fields of mistria! i always loved the harvest moon series especially harvest moon grandbazaar! i also enjoyed stardew valley but i didnt liked the character designs that much and i still missed the charm of harvest moon. fields of mistria combines both, the 90s/2000s anime charm and design from harvest moon, the saturday market which reminds me of harvest moon grandbazaar and the gameplay and mechanics of stardew valley, like the mines. on top this game offers magic spells and improved some mechanics from stardew, for example that you can craft items without having the ressources in your inventory! the early access is already so much fun, i am so exited what the future will bring with this amazing game!
The dialogues are so amazing, like this town really feels like it has life in it, it's an issue that I have with all the other farming games (including Stardew Valley) that after a time it is just way too static.
it’s crazy to say but i think i already prefer this game to stardew…. as an og harvest moon and rune factory fan, i enjoy farm sims a lot, but nothing has really scratched that itch since animal parade or RF4. this did. it immediately was such a comfort. the biggest thing that’s making me love this game is the amount of detail and care into the dialogue. characters have unique things to say for every little trinket, fruit, or fish you donate, giving them so much light and character. you can find people talking to each other, talk to them the next day and they’ll be following up on what they talked about the day prior. it encourages you to really get to know these people, which is the core of the farm sim genre imo. the art style is absolutely amazing, the gameplay flow runs so smoothly, everything progresses naturally so you never feel behind. genuinely amazing game so far and im so happy
I am not usually into farming sims because I typically need more structure. I like goals and physically seeing the progress I am making. However, this is something I could get into. I like how in-depth the characters are and the different types of mechanics. I would also love to see some mini-games during the Friday night tavern hangouts. It's a great opportunity to flash some art or some simple animations.
so I've had this game for exactly a week now and have nigh 50 hours of playtime. I think your breakdown was very accurate, and I agree wholeheartedly with many things you've stated. I'm really excited for the full release, as I've maxed out all relationships, and nearly all skills already. I'm still having fun building my own little farming and agriculture empire, and will soon be decorating my farm more. I've been allocating most resources to the major town fix-up quests, which get more and more resource-demanding. My favorite features: -Jumping is really handy -Upgraded farming gear helps with time management so much -NPC interactions are gold -Farming and agriculture are easy, just have to get the timing right -Upgrades to available products and resources as you progress, making every season and development exciting -Being able to craft your own equipment/tools/gear -Overall game mechanics are easy and fun to use -More secret and not so secret areas to unlock in the future Some things I hope to see change before full release: -Magic orbs drop faster so you don't have to return to them nearly every time -Holding furniture doesn't inhibit you from accessing things (as you mentioned) -Animal food drops more readily (I've been having major supply problems and don't want to buy) -Likes are noted as the characters hint (also as you stated) The direction of tool use/attack is changeable mid sequence, i get stuck because I click too much ':) -Outfits for my character early game don't feel lore-friendly, making me feel like I don't belong and come from another world, even after an in-game year. The Caldonian robe thing is the closest so far -Sprinklers
What I love most about Friday Night at the Inn events is that every 4 weeks the activities and which townie does what activities changes. For example the 5th Friday you go to the inn Balor actually becomes the DM and the poker table does a different activity entirely with March present. But let's say you didn't go to the inn the 3rd week of spring, the 4th friday of spring actually has the dialogs you missed on the 3rd week. This way it's not super stressful because it's impossible for you to miss out on anything but at the same time gives you an insentive to go there and relax with the townies. It feels like how fridays in real life would feel like lol Usually in games like this I go to an event once and it's not important for me anymore and it feels like a chore or a timewaste, but with this event that's not the case and I absolutely love it
The lantern moth issue MUST be a bug, I have caught so many of them in my game! Definitely agree on the magic and the character likes aspects, but I am really loving the game. The art style, character design, and the personality of the town are all so charming.
i’ve been following fields of mistria for a couple years on twitter. i’m so happy it’s gotten a positive reception and seems to be living up to the promise of the early character design and screenshot snippets. half the games that seem good from early previews don’t end up as they do in trailers and screenshots. so it’s always nice to see success stories
I can see FoM takes some inspiration from the Rune Factory series which I find really bittersweet. I'm sad that the RF games seem to be fading into history, but I'm happy to see it's bones being used for what looks like a really promising game :')
i downloaded this game a few days ago and im already obsessed with it. i was immediately sold on every single character that got introduced, and i actively go out of my way to speak to anyone i can whenever i see they have a dialogue bubble. also i can't wait to see how we are supposed to romance that dragon. Also, one of the things I don't see a lot of people mention is just how good the sound design is. Everything makes a sound, and it hits the ears deliciously when wearing headphones. the dialogue sound whenever you speak to one of the villagers is practically ASMR, and i love how theres a wide variety of pitches for them too. i also like the ambient nature sounds that amplify in wilderness areas.
I found the lantern moth pretty easily, it was the mushroom I struggled with. When you unlock the summit, there is a pool of magic replenishing water, but until then I think of spells as an analogue for ‘rain totems’ from Stardew. I love this game, there’s a lot of relaxing Animal Crossing-esque quality of life features that had to be modded into Stardew (characters appear on the map, character requests don’t have deadlines, crafting in town from material in chests you have back home) But the characters interacting with eachother without me? *chefs kiss* I can’t believe how good this game already is in alpha
Love the socially rewarding interactions. Hints about things we're looking? Lovely. The map showing where them at? Great! I wish SDV has mobile phone, where people could tell farmer their locations. Like in Sims 2 Game Boy. Or the phone including all businesses (fish shop, oasis, theater) so we could check their random on sale menu.
As someone who is attracted to every character (except the kids, god forbid) im SOOO happy they went for a more character focused approach!! Its something I've also been missing in stardew, I love their stories but after playing through one season/year I... Already dont care about their dialogues bcs its pretty much the same things😅
I love how integrated the game makes you feel with the community. You can talk to them more and they comment on your achievements, it really helps to immerse you into the game. So far i really like it and cant wait to see it grow! :D
I understand the frustration that people will often compare every new farming sim to Stardew Valley, but the truth of the matter is that Stardew set the new standard for what a farming sim should be like. It was a response to frustrations and limitations of previous farming sims. We've got a developer who keeps updating the game and is supportive of mods. Ultimately, most new farming sims are probably inspired by stardew, which i don't think is a bad thing. I think Stardew scratched an itch dor a lot of players, and they want more of that, but many new farming sims fail to do that. I love Stardew, but I'm a little burnt out and i want more games like it. I think this new game might just do that. The characters seem a lot more fleshed out and i like how they interact more with each other.
I also find item management to be a bit of a headache, as there is no add-to-pile sorta button (afaik), so that bothers me a bit. But all in all, I absolutely love the game to bits already
i've been playing this game too and really love it!! i love the way it builds a community by letting you listen to conversations between villagers. btw really appreciate the info about cooking, ive been making so much more money
Loved this review and it got me excited! Especially the way they use cooking to keep the farming interesting, and I really like that there’s more to collect (bugs and stuff). Just a heads up, I skipped the bit about mining progression but in the dislikes you still mentioned how you get spells through mining. I don’t know if that’s all there was to the mining bit or if there’s more, but i thought I’d mention it just in case!
If I wasn't already neglecting three separate farming sims I own (Stardew, Sun Haven, Roots of Pacha) to play FFXIV instead, I'd grab this in a heartbeat. I love the cutesy aesthetics, the involved dialogue mechanics, and multiple things being useful instead of the good ol' "most profitable fruit" wine spam. A few questions about small parts of the game that are important to me: 1. Can you set the day length to be longer than 20 minutes? Sun Haven's 40 min option completely spoiled me. 2. How accessible is the "restore magic" potion you talked about? I do like my magic spells. 3. Can you marry March?
1. You can't change day length as of now 2. I've only found 1 magic potion randomly from the mines in one month. You can also buy them from a store for 500 gold, which in this game's economy is decently expensive, might be more worth it in the late game. 3. You can, marriage isn't implemented yet though EDIT: You can't outright buy a mana potion, my mind imagined it
The day duration is fixed for now but so many players are complaining about time passing way too fast that I'm sure the devs will take care of it. They have been very open and active so far. As for the potions, I'm at mid Summer of year 1 and i've found two of them in the mines. I'd say they're really rare.
as someone who has been playing games in this genre since birth and has gotten kinda burnt out with the amount of games coming out in recent years, this game has felt like a breath of fresh air. as much as i do enjoy enjoy stardew and think it is objectively a good game in terms of mechanics, it always lacked some kind of spark for me. FOM has been the first game since rune factory 4 and the first 2 story of seasons game that i've truly fell in love with, there's a certain charm with how dynamic the characters are and how present they are in the story that i have been missing for so long. i'm very excited to see where this game goes as it develops, i think it has a great shot at being another staple in the genre.
I think “easily” is generous. I’m definitely going to get it and think I’ll love it, but Stardew has sold 19 *million* copies on PC alone. That is an extremely high bar
@@VultureSkins It's not going to replace stardew. But some people might find a new home too. I enjoy this more than SV lately, but it probably is cuz I think stardew is way too stressful.
@@VultureSkins Scarlet and Violet had the most sales out of any Pokémon game, yet is often regarded as one of the worst ones released. Sales isn’t everything. Stardew is amazing and very revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the best farming game ever. Personally, fields is Mistria is more up my alley.
I enjoyed playing the demo of this game but I think it's a shame how many of these types of games always focus on farming. I've always thought of them more as 'life sim' games since I think the most important aspect is the community... moving to a small town and progressing from being an outsider to an important member of the community. there are so many other jobs you could put with that. instead of inheriting a farm you could get a mine, and have the mining part of the game be like Motherload or Steamworld Dig. you could get a fishing shop on a beach and go from only being able to fish off the coast from lacking a boat to progressively bigger ships that let you go further out into the ocean. you could be a carpenter and have a bunch of gameplay puzzles and minigames focused on building and repairing houses and furniture. Potion Permit didn't really hit the mark but at least they tried to do something other than farming crops. you could even just have multiple jobs you can take like being a courier or waiter, like what was in the GBA version of The Sims Bustin' Out. fortunately To Pixelia seems like it'll be able to scratch that itch for me.
I mean, you don't have to farm at all. You're given the land in exchange for helping the town out by doing all the handy jobs that others can't or don't have time to do. Most of it is stuff like collecting materials to help fix things that got destroyed during the earthquake. You can absolutely make a living off crafting items and selling them (whilst decorating your land), doing only ranching instead of crop farming, or making an orchard only. You could also just leave the land fallow and use it as a place to harvest wood, stone and fiber as they all come back over time. You can fish your life away, spend time foraging or digging in the mines, etc. That said, you'll probably want to check out Fantasy Life i, coming in October - it's a life sim where you can change classes as you will, doing jobs like cooking, woodcrafting, island design, monster hunting, sewing, etc. There was an earlier game just called Fantasy Life on 3DS, which it is a sequel of.
That's the thing though, despite the label, I don't think those games have ever really been about farming. Players don't play these games excited to grow carrots and make jam. Sure you plant stuff and take care of livestock, but only as a way to get items for quests and to offer gifts to NPCs. More often than not you can easily skip those chores! Just check the many mods for Stardew Valley, most are dialogue expansions and aesthetic things. More often than not (at least for games like SV, RoP and SH) it's about bonding with characters and seeing the town grow. The farming mechanic is very secondary. (let's be honest, most people who play such games are in it for the romance).
I do agree that farming is overdone. I was also excited for potion permit for the same reason but I guess farming is the safest option as the dev already knows what is and isn't well recieved and as you said it isn't the main focus so why reinvent the wheel? I also agree that the main thing is community, and that's where most of these sims fall short. I want people to acknowledge that my character exists and integrate with them. I want the characters to have a lot to say to me AND to others. And bring back love rivals because what makes characters feel more alive than that?
@@georgiascarlett9679 I'd argue against rivals, personally, because I'm a slow-burn romancer who takes my time figuring out who I want to marry by getting to know all the characters very well before making a choice. I feel like rivals push you to marry faster and do the whole "just pick one and get it done" mentality, as well as make the game go too fast (after you marry most farming sims don't have much on the relationship side left - maybe you can have kids but they never really grow up (bar that one HM game) and then your spouse just says the same lines over and over, etc). I would prefer that if a game did add in rivals, you could have the option to turn that on or off.
This review made me try the game, it's installing as I'm writing this. It seems to be checking all the boxes for me, so hopefully I'll like it, too. Thanks!
I love so much about this game (I went on and on in my review lol), and among so many worthwhile QoL perks and incredible NPC interactions and great mechanics and chill vibes, I adore how much permanent change there can be to the map and world. The idea that youre HELPING the town, not just "helping", feels so real. Fixing stuff up and unlocking new parts of the town for yourself and others isn't a never-before-seen mechanic, but it feels concrete and I appreciate that. Even aside from disaster recovery map changes, small changes can be found after character cutscenes, and the characters will talk to you about them! Everything is so well thought out, like the game was built around characters rather than characters built around what buildings people nees to be in. I'm absolutely smitten with this game so far.
Stardew’s lacklustre “characters” and lack of content made me lose interest in it a while ago. Burned through a couple mods, but now that Coral Island and Fields of Mistria are out I may actually become a certified cozy gamer
Ive tried playing many other farming games and most disapoint me but field of mistria was so fun! I only got it yesterday and even now i cant wait to go home and play again lol the cut scenes are great it makes the players look so alive along with being able to interact with them with new dialouge anywhere?? You really can tell the creator has a passion for this types of games as theres little details that are added that i always found missing in other ones which were just annoyingly not imputed. Its still only early access but it looks very promising got me hooked since the beginning, ill continue to play and hopefully they add it to other devices such as switch and mobile as i dont really like pc games but im doing it for fields of mistria
What really hooked me was the towns people as well. I honestly think with Stardew Valley you could play the game without interacting with anyone and you never have a reason to. Here you need to talk to them and you want to. I find myslef always walking up to someone i meet on the street because i never feel like its a waste of time like it is in Stardew Valley, other than the person im marrying that playthrough.
yes! I've been playing too, and I'm loving it. Also, surprised by how few bugs and crashes there are for a few days old early access game. I crashed three times in 22h I think. Loving the game so far. And I absolutely agree, if people tell you someone like something, there needs to be a record of it lol I've kept things aside in "I'll give them the thing later", and to no one's surprise, I have not given them the thing because I don't remember what the thing was and for whom lol
This game has so much mundane stuff i missed in other farming games, like jumping, being able to have acess to your chest at home no matter where you are - instead of carrying everything around if you want to forge something or such, we get to do most of the stuff in our own time - the request not being bound to a specific time. I'm absolutley pumed to see what else this game will have to offer in the future
Thanks for an excellent, well-reasoned video! You hit on a lot of things I wondered and worried about. I bought the game but after an hour, I was still on the fence about keeping it. Now I’ll definitely hang onto it and play more
I didnt had this game on my watch, yet. Thank you Sal for your little (yet amazing) showcast from the game and bringing to my farm sim addiction! Love your content
I just started playing but I would love love love there to be rival marriages! And I hope there are same sex rivals because there is definitely some enemies-to-lovers drama going on between Valen and Juniper. Also, looking forward to the explanation of why Olric isn’t marriageable. Is he already married? Ace? What’s going on!
Yeah, I hate how none of these indie farm sims have rivals, felt so natural everyone else also marrying when I played Harvest Moon 64. Specially Stardew Valley, where there's clear pairings.
This game has massive, MASSIVE potential. I’m very pleased with it already and it’s only in early access. With some issues I have ironed out, I could absolutely see myself pouring hours into this just like Stardew.
As someone who grew up playing Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, I’ve been eagerly watching FoMs development since its initial announcement. Stardew is nice, but it never gave me the story and characters that a HM game would’ve given me, it felt very lacklustre. With the most recent SoS games being also pretty bad and clunky, I was immediately excited for FoM. So far, the basic grid they built is absolutely amazing, and I’m sure the coming updates and fixes will make this game a new staple for the Harvest Moon crowd. PS: Kind of annoyed with people calling this another Stardew Valley. Stardew is based on Harvest Moon, without the eastern/japanese game elements and themes that many people coming from Harvest Moon, Rune Factory and JRPGs like. Playing this game, I can tell who the intended audience is, and I’ve seen eastern gamers eagerly request JP/CN/KR localisation, because many of them find Stardew not enjoyable without certain mods. (Meaning, it’s ugly as hell.) I find this take incredibly western centric, too. Stardew might have drawn in a lot of western players into farming sims, but the roots lie in the “icky anime sh*t”, and that should be acknowledged.
This video came at the perfect time, I’ve been trying to find a game to play and I’d been looking for reviews of this one. One of the RUclipsrs I enjoy posting a video within hours of me searching for a review? Perfect.
Hey there, I just wanted to say I really appreciate the question and answer style of your video. I really like this sort of guided review. Thank you for the video!
I've never been an early access type of person, so I'm really happy that you posted this. I was already interested in this game, but now I'm excited! I agree though, I really hope there's more magic :)
you get some letters later in summer that tell you about house upgrades and such (at least I did. But I also didn't hand out gifts to ... most people) :3 it's tied to a character and your relationship with them I think. Or maybe your town progression.
The best, most informative, to-the-point review of this game I've seen thus far, and I've watched a few trying to decide whether to buy it or not. Salmence does not disappoint. Many thanks!
honestly im not a farmer game person but i felt like watching this and somehow you sold me on it haha - both because you did a good job explaining the games pros cons and mechanics, and ALSO because of March
FoM is the one you suggest keep an eye probably a year ago? And i definitely still feel, im sold. There's so nice looking older woman too so im even more sold. Totally normal behavior. I think FoM alongside Chef RPG gonna have my support in early access
This is the best review I've seen (the first one to review the dialog depths and character depth, which I also find very important in such games) and the hardest push for me to get the game! I'm a new loyal subscriber of yours starting from today, really enjoyed this review. Thanks for your effort and looking forward to watch your other videos! 🌞
The 90's anime art style is what drew me in. How well made the game is, that's what kept me around.
i was asked for feedback on your comment i gave very positive 🫶🏻
Same, I love the art style!
The art style is so pretty but seeing as it's incomplete I think a thorough review cannot be made. I can't wait to play the final version.
My favorite thing about this game is that many dialogues are linked between characters. You'll talk to the store lady who tells you to refuse her daughter if she ever asks you to take her with you to the mines, and then if you go talk to the daughter in question, she'll ask you to take her to the mines! It's a small thing but it makes the town and cast feels so much more realistic and charming.
During the summer market her mom told me to absolutely NEVER give her coffee because of the "incident", and I tried to and the game wouldn't let me lol
@@salmence100 the game doesn't even *let* you? That's really funny. Gonna be honest I thought about doing it too.
@@salmence100 pretty sure the game won't let you gift liquor (or something similar) to the kids lmao
@@yohanfye You also can't gift alcohol or chocolate to the dog.
I was also surprised when people commented on the things I had gifted to the Museum, which really helps make them feel alive. And I enjoy how you can talk to the NPCs in groups sometimes, rather than to just one of them.
One interesting thing about this game that I haven’t seen mentioned much at all: the creators, Andrew Duff and Claire Belton, are also the creators of Pusheen the Cat. It’s not brought up at all on the game’s website (nor are their last names, they’re just credited as “Andrew” and “Claire”), so perhaps they don’t want to publicize that connection for whatever reason, but it’s true!
Well now my fate is sealed. I must obtain and platinum this game!
I played this game on my laptob while my pusheen pillow was holding it
Everything's weirdly connected
I think it's because that kind of connection would downplay how "indie" the game is in the public eye, since Pusheen is a big brand.
Oh. Well at least we know their pockets are deep enough to support the game.
Really!? SOLD. I was gonna skip it but if this vid didn’t convince me this totally did
imo the best part of FoM that sets it apart from other games (namely, sdv) is the community. the villagers are all well integrated w each other, you can talk to all of them *many* times a day, they comment on other villagers (and talk WITH them!), recent story events, friday nights at the inn, quests you fulfilled, and things you’ve donated to the museums.
Yeah, it actually feels like a town. The last time I felt that way was the old GBA Friends of Mineral Town. The original with rivals, not the newer one that just came out.
Yup, it’s exactly why stardew is such a soulless game. That town is dead, the NPCs have no life.
Another farming sim that does this concept amazingly is Rune Factory 4. Imo FoM seems to be pretty inspired by this game as well. I highly recommend it if you’ve never heard of it!!
If you enjoy the social aspects then I would also highly suggest Rune Factory 4 as well (and probably the earlier ones, but I haven't gotten to those yet). It has a much bigger focus on relationships and exploring/combat with farming being more on the side but still incredibly in-depth. It's overwhelming at first, but just play and you'll get the hang of it. The characters can be spoken to multiple times and will usually have something different to say each day. You can take the marriageable candidates out with you to fight and they'll react to the world and the plot going on.
Also, instead of buying animals, you tame the wild creatures you can encounter and fight. If you know what you're doing you can even tame the Bosses and have them join you as you fight like a familiar, it's so cool (Want to ride a fairy? You can do that!)
The friday nights at the Inn are EVERYTHING! The writing is SO good I genuinely go there not just for the social points but because I'm actually interested in how the DnD and Monopoly sessions are coming along!
I love a well-written jerk character. This one kinda reminded me of the one in Rune Factory Frontier that moves in about one season in, who straight up says to your face that his only reason for being there is to make you miserable and run you out of town.
Fast forward to winter and he'll tell you, "Hey, do you know why I'm still wearing these short-sleeve shirts even though it's the middle of winter? It's not because I'm used to it, and it's not because I'm trying to show off how tough I am or anything. It's that I thought I would've run you out of town by now. So I didn't bother to pack any warm clothes when I moved here." And then with the biggest grin on his face, he admits, "I'm freaking freezing over here! HA HA HA!"
He had my respect from then on.
Rune Factory Frontier was a Perfect game, at least once you cheat out that damned Runey System. Literally the only bad thing in a otherwise 10/10 game.
It's fitting that his name is Brodik
Honestly so sad they didn't make him a secret romanceable character (yeah different era of gaming so same-sex in Japan would've been frowned upon, but I had such a crush on him haha)
@@Pizza7478 HAHAHAHAHAAH xD I have a wii and I only played RNF on emulator. xD I feel so related to cheating the runey system xD
@@Pizza7478 I'd say another problem with Rune Factory Frontier was the fact that you needed to constantly upgrade your crafting stations to be able to craft high level recipes. They got rid of that in the next games because it was so tedious to have the right level, all the materials needed, but my kitchen would be at level 2 instead of level 3, so I need to wait a week until fridays so I can get my level 3 kitchen to craft the damn porridge I want to gift to my favourite character! This made the game much longer than it needed to be because every upgrade also required an absurd amount of wood...
So glad im not the only one with a completely normal relationship with March
you forgot to mention 1 little thing. NPCS TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!! I LOOOOOOOVEEEEEEE that. I never even notice repetitive dialog (they probably do but they have so many things to talk about that I didn't notice). Also, later you will see that sometimes npcs will remind you of their family birthdays and give u ideas for gift (happened to me 3 days before Dell birthday and with the pink hair guy birthday, their sisters reminded me their bdays and gave gift ideas).
I hated SoS for being a wussy and taking out rival marriages since it was probably the only few times we get to see the NPCs interact, so I lovelovelove loveeee it when they make the world feel more alive and as a result more immersive! It's like their world is not just centered around our character and I love it! Big name farming sim games should take some notes from FoM
yesssssssss
I saw a mudcrab the other day
That's huge imo lol
@@kalythai big if true
one of my biggest gripes with stardew is how disconnected the npcs are from the game progession (in most of my farms i just pick someone to romance, speedrun marriage with them and completely ignore everyone else coz it's such a chore) so seeing this game fix that looks like a very positive start. my other main gripe with stardew is the lack of variety between playthroughs, there's a lot of crops, combat builds, enchantments, farm types, etc, but there's not a lot of difference between the viable strategies and there's a whole lot of unviable things that you either ignore or get forced to interact with by the community centre and perfection tracker, and FoM looks to have sorted that out too from how the perks and recipes look which i'm very happy about. i'll almost certainly be getting it which is surprising since i went into the video thinking "what's the point it's just a stardew clone" lol i'm happy to eat my words
1.6 added some new strategies, plus there's the ton of mods available. But FoM already has some things that are straight-up new (I hadn't thought about jumping over hills/fences till I saw this).
I'm more interested in cooking/crafting for whatever buffs they provide, and to what extent you end up really needing them. "Cooked items sell for more", while a nice option, isn't something you *have* to engage with, if you prefer to just plug away at crops/fish/whatever,
@@emurphy42 it did add a lot of content, the mastery system was the main thing which is pretty fun, but the gap between the best strategies and 95% of the content is still huge. artisan is still better than the rest of the professions combined, star/ancient fruit still make more money than everything else combined, the galaxy sword/hammer invalidate most other weapons and play pretty similar, etc. the only real differences between each playthrough are who you romance (speaking of mods marnie best spouse), what rings you use and what your farm looks like
@@aldrichunfaithful3589 I think mushroom logs may get close to AF/starfruit if you really lean into mystic trees? There's at least one video that crunches some numbers on it. Another thing you can do is wait for the Extended Family quest, then fish up as many multiples as you can handle (advanced iridium rod helps here) and then smoke them.
@@emurphy42 i don't know the exact numbers for mystic trees and logs, but in my experience a lot of the information on alternative money makers tends to ignore space efficiency in the calculations which is a huge oversight. just as an example, i remember i did the maths comparing starfruit (with both the fruits and kegs in sheds, with 2 fruit sheds per 1 keg shed) with a lava eel pond (with enough preserve jars around it to keep up) and the g/day/tile value for the starfruit was around ten times the value for the lava eel, which is one of the most popular alternatives that people bring up. you have limited space on your farm so any alternative income source is just lowering your profit, and even if you aren't worried about space they're just a waste of time to collect and you'd be better off spending that time getting further down the skull caverns for more iridium to sell. even pigs are inefficient since on top of the huge barn you have to spend time picking up the truffles (and if you have grass everywhere good luck finding them). so the optimal way to play (by a pretty big margin) is to have nothing on your farm besides ancient/starfruit, sell all your animals once you're done with them and spend all your free time cavern diving when you aren't grinding community centre, walnut door or perfection, with the one exception being to have stuff like coffee, a food source, crafting materials like sap, etc
@@aldrichunfaithful3589 Unless of course you're on beach farm, in which case truffles are probably optimal. (I haven't tried to acquire deluxe speed gro in large quantities, I'm not convinced it's worth waiting.)
I've reached 100% in year 4 a few times, so the difference between "lots of money" and "even more money" isn't of much interest to me except in abstract discussions. I have way too many mod sets to play with, instead.
I'm also around March a completely normal amount (it's worse when he's nice to you when he's drunk, Friday night it's really the best...)
RIGHTTT 😂 HE'S SO NICE WHEN HE'S DRUNK I WAS SUPRISED LOL
It's the absolute best lollll. I like to imagine that on the day after the farmer just sees March and starts giggling thinking about him being drunk and he's just confused and pissed that we're seemingly laughing at him for no reason LMAO
I will legit walk around in town minding my own business, and then I soon as I come across him I feel like I have invisible dog ears perking up at the mere sight. It's so embarrassing. (his drunk dialogues are so cute tho)
@@catscanhavelittleasalami it's adorable
March is such a delight, everytime he talks I start to giggle and kick my feet
I hate to say it, but every farming game I have played since Stardew Valley has only made me think I would rather be playing Stardew Valley. It just did everything so right that other farming games just feel like pretenders.
Mistria looks alright... I will wishlist it and wait and see.
This is something I’ve heard pretty often. A common tagline is “it’s stardew valley but with XYZ.” Which, if that’s the case…. Why not just play stardew?
That's exactly why I'm so strict on other farming games. I do think that this game does enough things better than Stardew to warrant a try. Unfortunately, I don't think the demo is still available
@@presidentbolbi1401because it doesn’t have XYZ!
Agreed completely, I've played a ton and didn't find one that clicked.
For me, this one is different. It's hitting all of the right notes and is already super fleshed out, with a solid roadmap. Fully recommend.
@@phillyredsox damn. Good point
I genuinely adore this game. What makes me frustrated is people calling it Stardew Valley with XYZ. I love Stardew Valley, but it didn’t invent farming sims- it does a lot of the things that Harvest Moon did, and is very clearly also heavily inspired by that. This game is a farming sim with a pixel artstyle, which does not make it a ripoff of another game. It is another game apart of the same genre. To dismiss it completely because of the way it looks is honestly a shame. I hope this video shows people that it is so standalone in its own right and is fantastically written and absolutely gorgeous.
This does actually look good. I tried Sun Haven and Fae Farm but they didn't hit for me
Agreed, I’m so truly tired of hearing that with every farming sim that comes out. Like, It’s in the farming sim genre, what do people expect from the game??? 🤦🏾♀️ if anything this game feels more like harvest moon with a bit of animal crossing mechanics thrown in, more than it feels like Stardew.
I think this is the bigger conversation. I personally didn’t like Stardew Valley. The characters weren’t my speed and overall the setting just didn’t capture my attention; but FoM does and so I think the bigger question is always if there are new elements in a market should creators be allowed to explore it? My friends and I have all been talking about the Harvest Moon callbacks and references while acknowledging elements like character design, dialogue, and actions that we enjoy- and while it has some similarities in base to Stardew that allows for two groups; people who enjoy farming sims but want a new outlook and people don’t like stardew but want to play a farming sim. In this regard I think the game is worth it for those looking to have options.
FoM has a lot of time to grow just as others games in the genre have and I’m excited to learn more. It’s clear that marking with stardew with xyz is misleading as magic is clearly more grounded and treated as piece of history to be uncovered rather than innate skill, something uncovered as you work to archeology but chopping it up as “just with magic” I think gives off the wrong impression to many players.
I hope more people who are open to other farming games will at least be willing to see FoM for what it is rather than just trying to ride the ends of another game when I think there simply is a market for both games (^^;;
yesss... as a long time farm sim player it drives me insane. But harvest moon never broke the mainstream like SDV did, so for a lot of people it basically did invent the genre lmao... At least we know the truth. It is a shame though because a lot of the pre SDV games are leagues better than the stuff that came out after, which I think is part of why they're always called SDV clones. Tons of them were just capitalizing on its success, while the OGs stood on their own to serve an existing audience. (generalizing, ofc)
If FoM ever grows bigger than SV (doubtful but one can dream), i'm willing to bet many people would still whine about it and call it a mere "copy". A lot of times it's just the weird parasocial relationship doing the talking. It seems many SV fans genuinely see ConcernedApe as this godly person who can do no wrong, when he himself copied Harvest Moon games. He is not a pioneer. Go take a look at the SV subreddit to see how deep the fanaticism goes.
Listen, I love Stardew as much as the next guy. It's an amazing game with a great modding community. BUT there comes a point when it becomes silly to praise the guy to the heavens just because he's still...l updating his game. Not only is it his job, but he also gets money from it. He's not doing it for free and from the kindness of his heart, he DOES get something out of it. I applaud him for working on such a big game ALONE, because wow. But i'm not going to applaud him just because he's still updating his sweet moneymaker.
On their official website, they have a feedback page. I'd highly recommend writing to them there your experience about the lantern moth, and your suggestion about magic spells!
The NPCs are so superior to any other farming sim, including Stardew. They are just so well written, polished, and really feel like they are significant in the world. There is so much dialogue and interaction. They comment on recent and upcoming events, even small things. They are just fantastic. That along with the incredibly cute pixel art has made this a favorite for me and I can't wait for the updates to come!!
Also I totally agree on the lantern moth. It took me AGES
Did we all find ourselves after March? Thought it was just me but I see him in everyone's videos lmao
Hes a loveable jerk, what more do you need? Lol
the Steam reviews is full of it, it's so funny! i loved him since they first revealed the game pre-demo
nope, im after the white haired milf doctor, valen
I think the love for jerk characters is that they usually undergo the most growth of all the characters so you feel the relationship develop. Think Haley from SDV, I never marry the jerk character and mostly date bachelors but even I was drawn to her storyline
@@TheKeybladeKeeper Also, the very first Friday March is being a sweetie pie happy drunk and that's rather refreshing in its own way.
The thing I especially adore with FoM so far is just how absolutely involved the community members and dialogue is, EVEN this early into early access. It's been the thing I see praised the most with the game so far other than the art style and pixel art, and it's the thing I'm the most enthusiastic about. I was expecting to see significant repeating dialogue even as soon as halfway into Spring, but the way that every character has meaningful dynamics and interactions with characters outside of their general 'group'? I looove it.
Balor gets semi roped into playing D&D. He ends up loving it enough he shifts to be the second DM after the original campaign wraps up for every Friday inn meetup. The other NPCs comment on how they saw him having fun, or how he seemed enthusiastic, or how they could see him taking notes. Even this far into early access and I can already see the writers put a lot of thought and time into the community feel of this game, which just makes it all the more investing.
For lack of better comparison, it feels like if someone took the style of an RPG's party banter (where your entire group of companions interact with each other) and extended it to the whole town. Which takes a LOT of work, but it absolutely hit the mark with the community of small town members in a happier, peaceful life sim game.
Also, this is such a niche ask, but Valen and Juniper have to have a rival marriage system. I NEED to see these two get together, because that tension in all the inn scenes? The blushing? The mage/doctor rivalry growing softer? 🤨🏳️🌈
coming from someone who’s played the game, do you think the npcs have depth? i heard you can romance them (whether that’s in the game yet or not idk), do they have depth in that aspect too?
@meoww5781 With the disclaimer of 'it's still very much in early access, and a lot of the depth will likely be found in later heart events which are announced to be implanted further in Q4 2024', I see loads of potential that the writers are absolutely setting up for! Ranks are currently limited to 4 for every NPC, but in the around 4 scenes I saw (since every character gets a 'quest' or heart event SV style every 2 hearts) all of them were really setting up for a lot of areas to go in!
Even then, we have two whole romance options we still know nothing about, the dragon who is shown to have an 'is romance-able' indicator (heart indicator in the dialogue boxes). Balor, March, Juniper, Valen, so many others also have a lot of intriuging aspects to them. So if you're looking for the immediate full story, I'd wait until full release. But IMO, it's already so fun.
I need to be poly with Valen and Juniper 🙏🙏
I so agree with this! I find the dialogue and writing to be one of the best qualities of this game, and a reason I would actually play this instead of just another playthrough of stardew.
I've just finished summer year one, and I've only seen one instance of repeating dialogue, and that is with me talking to every NPC nearly every time I run into them, regardless of whether or not I've already spoken to them that day.
I also love how involved the whole community is. We're not playing as an outsider who comes in and singlehandedly upgrades the whole town; everyone contributes where they're able. and the player character has a reason for moving in and immediately helping with big projects (it's the deal we took in exchange for the free housing). and the cutscene that starts with us & two others patching up the cracks in the pavement as a surprise for the other residents, but everyone who comes across us immediately want to help?? I loved that soo much.
I just adore all of the characters
I just spoiled myself reading this
There's a heart next to the dragon's name
I was sold immediately
After being disappointed with Coral Island and a handful of other indie farming sims, I was scared to try Fields of Mistria, but I absolutely love it. It's the first farming sim since Stardew I've genuinely felt that special spark with and don't find myself wishing I was playing Stardew instead. It has some ideas Rune Factory style, like groups of people having special dialogue when they're together that shows off their relationships. I just finished the first season, and I have only seen one character have repeat dialogue. I genuinely adore every character already.
I had the same experience as u! Coral island was so disappointing yet everyone praise it... Yes, its pretty but damn it got repetitive and the characters gave me nothing.
Its so funny how we all have different taste and i love it.
What you described is exactly the opposite for me :D
I rly loved fom since the first screenshot i saw buuuut the game in ea is just to boring for me. its beautiful but nothing else hooked me.
coral islands ea was extreamly good in my oppinion. diving was my favorite and the updates came quickly and with lots of new gameplay.
@@neoo9795same I’m obsessed with coral island right now!
Coral island is one of my biggest game purchase regrets. It felt like it wasn’t trying to do anything that Stardew didn’t do, but it was trying (and failing) to do the same things but better. I wish these games would look for other games as inspiration rather than Stardew, it’s really disappointing.
Let Stardew stand on its own. Yeah it was inspired by the original harvest moon…. But it is vastly different. Many of the Stardew inspired games are really not that different from Stardew. Yet the fans of those games always point fingers at Stardew saying it’s inspired by harvest moon. Like yes, but it’s fundamentally different too. Rather than doing what harvest moon did but better, it did what harvest moon didn’t do in a lot of aspects.
@@Ollidor i rly think it has lots of different gameplay. Diving, merfolk, underwater farming, different mines, hangouts/Dates with npcs, diversity and more.
Its ok to not like a game but saying Coral Island is Not rly different then stardew valley under a Video about fom is just funny... Fom is the definition of not rly different.
Farming games recently have had the misfortune of following after Stardew Valley and the expectations that come along with it. However, this game looks pretty good so far! I think the game has mechanics that seem very fun and interesting, I just hope people give this game a chance instead of casting it off as a Stardew Valley copycat.
Yeah, especially since Stardew Valley got its inspiration from Harvest Moon [Now known as Story of Seasons] and Rune Factory.
Wish people would stop saying every farming game is a Stardew clone. It didn't make the genre. I get it's a lot of people's first farming game but people brushing off newer farming sims like that need to stop.
@@Mafonen It's less they are attributing it to creating the genre and more that it is the pinnacle of the genre and no game has yet to come close to standing beside it.
@@Mafonen Taking inspiration is different from being a “clone” and I don’t think it’s unfair to say games like Mistria are inspired by Stardew just as Stardew was inspired by Harvest Moon.
@@cata0403 I get that, maybe I wrote it wrong. I meant more along the lines that not every farming sim is taking inspiration from Stardew. The thing is though a lot of people call farming sims in general Stardew clones now or just say "oh it's Stardew with _". I wasn't trying to imply that inspiration and being a clone are one and the same, it's more so that others tend to imply it with comments like that on farming simulators. Even Fields of Mistria attributes some of the inspiration as being from Harvest Moon.
@@planescaped I get that but calling things Stardew-like when it's just a farming sim is getting grating as someone who has been into the genre for well over 20 years.
Imagine if I said Stardew is just a Rune Factory clone and every other game like it was a Rune Factory-like game, you'd get annoyed too, yeah?
To add to the writing. The dialogues feels like the characters are actually talking to each other even though the player isn't around
I talked to Hayden and he said something about needing something made, and then I talked to March later in the day and he said something about Hayden needing something made. After that day I didn't come to the town cause I was focused on mining but when I came back the next day, March now talked about how Valen requested another item
It genuinely feels like the characters are their own people who interacts with one another even though the player wasn't there to see/hear it
Other things I like;
The characters changes clothes every seasons
The group interactions during Friday in the inn also changes (per seasons I think idk)
The trees outside of your farm regrow the next day so you could farm woods easily
The consequences of losing your health in the mines is just the day ending immediately even though it's only noon and then starting late the next day (around 10am I think, and you have less stamina and health). Not one of your items or money are stolen
The dragon statue also talk about the town and your progress. It would talk about what his opinions on the other townfolks, talk about the progress you made around town, and even show concerns for you when you passed out in the mines for the first time
I talked with Juniper and Terithia during the friday Inn night and they asked me who would survive living in a desert island and i said Hayden because he is self-sufficient, a few says later I talked with Hayden and he commented on how the girls asked him what would he do in a desert island
This game gives me those Harvest Moon and Runefactory vibes I’ve been missing since the old games. So looking forward to playing this.
YES! exactly!!
I learned from Eiland that different locations has different artifact sets tied to them. This made looking to complete certain artifact sets for the museum much easier. This might seem obvious but I honestly didn't even consider that before learning it from him. And it makes sense for him to know that being an archaeologist and all, so that exposition felt incredibly natural. I'm sure many more moments like that exists.
before the spring event when Celine explains how the event will go down, she mentions briefly that March will be juggling as well and i remember thinking oh that's sort of weird but sure. during the event itself when you overhear him talking about the whole misunderstanding i thought it was sooo cute! there are a few other times that dialogue like that gets misinterpreted from character to character. moments like that, along with quirks and preferences that get emphasized a lot by other characters (like Eiland having a huge sweet tooth), gives suchhhh a nice feeling to all the interactions
I agree there should be more magic present, considering that's part of the entire plot of magic being "unearthed" with the earthquake. Personally I hope there's a Return spell like in Rune Factory. It would add even more strategy since you can stay in the mines or the beach till 1:40 and still make it home before passing out. Especially with how fast time moves in the game, I'd love to have more ways to work with the "resource" than just skills reducing item creation time. Or maybe a spell that slows time for the rest of the day? There are a lot of possibilities and I'd love to have more magic that is more ubiquitous to multiple activities like the stamina/health restoring one
I've binged this game the last two days, and I totally agree with everything you said. I actually really love this game, I can see the thoughts put into every aspect of it. One thing I'd love is for the specific mechanics to be explained better (my chickens sometimes won't produce eggs or won't eat when I hand feed them), but this will probably go away when there's a good wiki.
One thing I totally agree is the moth thing. I tried not to be a hoarder and sold everything except for potential gifts, so I sold like 3 moths before I knew I needed one. Then... I just couldn't find any, for a looong time. This happened AGAIN at the lvl 40 gate, with another bug (and also the fish, but the fish I got solved in a day or two).
One thing I really like, which you didn't mention, is that the crafting can use materials from your chests back home, which is amazing. Speaking of chests, I'm disappointed you can't place chests at the entrance of the mines. Inventory space is a struggle, especially when there's like 10 different forgeables, which I like to pick up when I pass by them. I got the first upgrade and I'm still consistently struggling when I'm not planning my routes, which I want to avoid, because I tend to stress about "optimally" playing the game, so I need to remind myself to take it easy
All in all, this game, depending on how it evolves, has a ton of potential, and I might even like it more than Stardew Valley haha. The sense of community and the interesting story are things I didn't know I lacked in SV
Yeah, I was really surprised that you can't place things outside of your farm. It took me a while to get 3 inventory tabs, and even then, I still struggle to pick up everything I collect in the mines. A chest in the mines would be super helpful.
Wait... I don't need to be carrying all my copper on me when I visit the blacksmiths?!?!?
A mechanic I love is that items on the ground are not lost, so I just tend to pick my forage and leave it on the ground for a casual stroll later on to retrieve my items :)
Fields of Mistria is the first farm/life game that has held my interest since Stardew Valley. It’s important to remember that Mistria is in Alpha. Stardew looked like a completely different game at alpha… I see so much potential if the developers continue to support Mistria.
The game could use some QoL improvements on crafting and UI, as well as getting you into the game loop quicker. Once you’re in you’re hooked though. Great characters and combat/mining is amazing. Each enemy has a window of opportunity or punishable attack for counterplay. Caught me off guard- Mistria is thoughtfully designed like this the whole way through
regarding the con of not being told about being able to do house upgrades and other farm builds at the carpenters shop- i believe they do passively mention after you repair the mill. not in any tutorial pop up capacity but i think it was hayden that brings up wanting to teach you how to do that stuff and mentions the carpenters
Yup that's how i learned!
I'm fine with that, feels more natural than a character just spill everything on your face.
First playthroughs in these types of games are never meant to be perfect min-max runs, just enjoying the game.
so many of the things you can do in the game (being able to dig up artifacts with either a shovel or a pickaxe, being able to move furniture with a pickaxe, where to buy stuff) is mentioned in dialogue with other characters. I actually love it, because it really does come across as someone going "oh, btw, I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but ____" which feels very natural to me.
I'm also pretty sure that most of the tutorials are offered when another character explains it to your character, which I thought was a good touch. having the tutorial for animal breeding come up after Hayden has invited us over for that explicit purpose feels a bit more fun than it just popping up when it becomes relevant
@miranda5656 T_T I haven't been able to figure out how to move the furniture yet only how to remove a fence. Haha thank you for that
Yes, I remember Ryis randomly telling me how I should come to the workshop to build barns and coops.
I don't understand the complaint that its 'just like stardew' cause... I love stardew? And I want more games that fit the same vibe. I've played stardew for hundreds of hours. I want a new game that's just like stardew I can play through ❤ also there's just enough new differences that feel soooo good ❤️ (run speed, jumping, and swimming are fantastic!)
This is the first farming game that I like just as much as I did stardew! I'm excited to keep playing!
This game is blowing my mind. Extremely polished out of early access, and I'm loving all of the systems. I'm fine with magic being as subtle and understated as it is. I feel like if it was much more it would be a turn off, but that's my personal preference.
My nitpicks are not being able to move structures, which makes updating to higher versions like barn or coop a huge pain as they're brand new structures instead of in place upgrades of the existing structures.
Better map icons for villagers would make that QOL item much better.
The tutorials are fantastic but could cover more topics as a lot of people including myself find full on mechanics on our own or via the internet. I'm also not sure if you can reference tutorials from the menu but that would be key.
I'd also like targeting to be MUCH better and snappier. It's way too easy to not hit your intended target with mining, watering etc. and you have to hover just a bit too long to see what tile is highlighted.
All nitpicks, except for maybe the structures. Otherwise, insanely good game, especially given it's early access.
I agree a little with your comment about moving structures - I don't mind too much, but that's just personal preference.
for those that don't know: to upgrade a building, like a coop, you would build it from the ground up (purchase blueprint, gather materials, place it on your farm), so if you want to place it where your original coop was you'd have to put your animals into daycare at the neighbouring farm. this is free to do. you'd then demolish/remove the old coop, which you do from your farm (what I appreciate about this is that you get all of your resources back, including what was inside the chest inside the building, so nothing is lost). then you'd place your new coop and get your animals back from daycare (as far as I know there's not a limit to how long they can stay there). it's definitely a bit of a hassle, but so I see why ppl can have an issue with it!
the targeting can be an issue, but honestly its not a huge deal. plus you don't lose any energy unless your tool is actually hitting an object it can interact with.
@@superguyoffa7428 that part is nice, at least there's that.
You can move structures. Just send your animals to daycare, then remove the building. You get the resources you spent on building them and the blueprint back and can place it elsewhere. Also probably a good idea to take all the stuff out of the chest inside it beforehand, Idk if it saves those.
Yeah but if it's too subtle, it feels pointless to even have
I've been eating this game up, but now I'm in a point that the early access part it's hurting the experience way too much. I wished that I'd control myself and waited the release, but I was missing a cozy game like this, the others weren't hitting the same.
have you tried coral island? its very fun and cozy too!
Another I'd recommend that flew under the radar for many is Everafter Falls. No romancables, but it's complete and the characters are great. Very chill farming game.
I tried Fae Farm and Sun Haven but.. eh? They just don't really hold up imo
@leahtranxx I did play it but got tired really quickly in early access, waited for the full release, but it did not feel like a full release, you know? A lot of features promised were missing and TBA :/
@@7thlittleleopard7 Did not know this one, I'm going to put on the list!
i am so obsessed with fields of mistria! i always loved the harvest moon series especially harvest moon grandbazaar! i also enjoyed stardew valley but i didnt liked the character designs that much and i still missed the charm of harvest moon. fields of mistria combines both, the 90s/2000s anime charm and design from harvest moon, the saturday market which reminds me of harvest moon grandbazaar and the gameplay and mechanics of stardew valley, like the mines. on top this game offers magic spells and improved some mechanics from stardew, for example that you can craft items without having the ressources in your inventory!
the early access is already so much fun, i am so exited what the future will bring with this amazing game!
I’m glad to see harvest moon grandbazaar enjoyer💖 I’m excited to try fields of mistria now!
The dialogues are so amazing, like this town really feels like it has life in it, it's an issue that I have with all the other farming games (including Stardew Valley) that after a time it is just way too static.
it’s crazy to say but i think i already prefer this game to stardew…. as an og harvest moon and rune factory fan, i enjoy farm sims a lot, but nothing has really scratched that itch since animal parade or RF4. this did. it immediately was such a comfort. the biggest thing that’s making me love this game is the amount of detail and care into the dialogue. characters have unique things to say for every little trinket, fruit, or fish you donate, giving them so much light and character. you can find people talking to each other, talk to them the next day and they’ll be following up on what they talked about the day prior. it encourages you to really get to know these people, which is the core of the farm sim genre imo. the art style is absolutely amazing, the gameplay flow runs so smoothly, everything progresses naturally so you never feel behind. genuinely amazing game so far and im so happy
"Every enemy is kind of a puzzle to solve" It's crazy how many dedicated action games can't even get that one down.
I am not usually into farming sims because I typically need more structure. I like goals and physically seeing the progress I am making. However, this is something I could get into. I like how in-depth the characters are and the different types of mechanics. I would also love to see some mini-games during the Friday night tavern hangouts. It's a great opportunity to flash some art or some simple animations.
Friday Night at the Inn is my favorite thing in any farming game. The fact that their stories progress through the season is so charming
so I've had this game for exactly a week now and have nigh 50 hours of playtime. I think your breakdown was very accurate, and I agree wholeheartedly with many things you've stated. I'm really excited for the full release, as I've maxed out all relationships, and nearly all skills already. I'm still having fun building my own little farming and agriculture empire, and will soon be decorating my farm more. I've been allocating most resources to the major town fix-up quests, which get more and more resource-demanding.
My favorite features:
-Jumping is really handy
-Upgraded farming gear helps with time management so much
-NPC interactions are gold
-Farming and agriculture are easy, just have to get the timing right
-Upgrades to available products and resources as you progress, making every season and development exciting
-Being able to craft your own equipment/tools/gear
-Overall game mechanics are easy and fun to use
-More secret and not so secret areas to unlock in the future
Some things I hope to see change before full release:
-Magic orbs drop faster so you don't have to return to them nearly every time
-Holding furniture doesn't inhibit you from accessing things (as you mentioned)
-Animal food drops more readily (I've been having major supply problems and don't want to buy)
-Likes are noted as the characters hint (also as you stated)
The direction of tool use/attack is changeable mid sequence, i get stuck because I click too much ':)
-Outfits for my character early game don't feel lore-friendly, making me feel like I don't belong and come from another world, even after an in-game year. The Caldonian robe thing is the closest so far
-Sprinklers
What I love most about Friday Night at the Inn events is that every 4 weeks the activities and which townie does what activities changes. For example the 5th Friday you go to the inn Balor actually becomes the DM and the poker table does a different activity entirely with March present. But let's say you didn't go to the inn the 3rd week of spring, the 4th friday of spring actually has the dialogs you missed on the 3rd week. This way it's not super stressful because it's impossible for you to miss out on anything but at the same time gives you an insentive to go there and relax with the townies. It feels like how fridays in real life would feel like lol
Usually in games like this I go to an event once and it's not important for me anymore and it feels like a chore or a timewaste, but with this event that's not the case and I absolutely love it
The lantern moth issue MUST be a bug, I have caught so many of them in my game! Definitely agree on the magic and the character likes aspects, but I am really loving the game. The art style, character design, and the personality of the town are all so charming.
I think it’s HILARIOUS that we’ve all been after March
i’ve been following fields of mistria for a couple years on twitter. i’m so happy it’s gotten a positive reception and seems to be living up to the promise of the early character design and screenshot snippets. half the games that seem good from early previews don’t end up as they do in trailers and screenshots. so it’s always nice to see success stories
This game looks so fun! Developers, please port it to Switch ❤❤❤❤
The amount of variety in the dialogue made me forget that it was early access. Its so good.
March looks like Ryouga from Ranma! Love the 90s style
I can see FoM takes some inspiration from the Rune Factory series which I find really bittersweet. I'm sad that the RF games seem to be fading into history, but I'm happy to see it's bones being used for what looks like a really promising game :')
i downloaded this game a few days ago and im already obsessed with it. i was immediately sold on every single character that got introduced, and i actively go out of my way to speak to anyone i can whenever i see they have a dialogue bubble. also i can't wait to see how we are supposed to romance that dragon.
Also, one of the things I don't see a lot of people mention is just how good the sound design is. Everything makes a sound, and it hits the ears deliciously when wearing headphones. the dialogue sound whenever you speak to one of the villagers is practically ASMR, and i love how theres a wide variety of pitches for them too. i also like the ambient nature sounds that amplify in wilderness areas.
"I just find myself around him a lot, it's not a problem-" SAL. I UNDERSTAND YOU. YOU'RE JUST LIKE US FR 😭👆 tsundere love solidarity...
I found the lantern moth pretty easily, it was the mushroom I struggled with. When you unlock the summit, there is a pool of magic replenishing water, but until then I think of spells as an analogue for ‘rain totems’ from Stardew. I love this game, there’s a lot of relaxing Animal Crossing-esque quality of life features that had to be modded into Stardew (characters appear on the map, character requests don’t have deadlines, crafting in town from material in chests you have back home) But the characters interacting with eachother without me? *chefs kiss* I can’t believe how good this game already is in alpha
same. found the moth almost instantly, but i'm still looking for that mushroom...
I also struggled with the mushroom! I found so many lanturn moths but had to spend over a week hunting for a single brown mushroom!
Love the socially rewarding interactions. Hints about things we're looking? Lovely. The map showing where them at? Great!
I wish SDV has mobile phone, where people could tell farmer their locations. Like in Sims 2 Game Boy.
Or the phone including all businesses (fish shop, oasis, theater) so we could check their random on sale menu.
Thanks for showcasing this, I really can't wait to check it out when it has a full release!
As someone who is attracted to every character (except the kids, god forbid) im SOOO happy they went for a more character focused approach!! Its something I've also been missing in stardew, I love their stories but after playing through one season/year I... Already dont care about their dialogues bcs its pretty much the same things😅
Character designs look really good, im tempted
I love how integrated the game makes you feel with the community. You can talk to them more and they comment on your achievements, it really helps to immerse you into the game. So far i really like it and cant wait to see it grow! :D
I understand the frustration that people will often compare every new farming sim to Stardew Valley, but the truth of the matter is that Stardew set the new standard for what a farming sim should be like. It was a response to frustrations and limitations of previous farming sims. We've got a developer who keeps updating the game and is supportive of mods.
Ultimately, most new farming sims are probably inspired by stardew, which i don't think is a bad thing.
I think Stardew scratched an itch dor a lot of players, and they want more of that, but many new farming sims fail to do that. I love Stardew, but I'm a little burnt out and i want more games like it.
I think this new game might just do that. The characters seem a lot more fleshed out and i like how they interact more with each other.
I also find item management to be a bit of a headache, as there is no add-to-pile sorta button (afaik), so that bothers me a bit. But all in all, I absolutely love the game to bits already
agreeed
i've been playing this game too and really love it!! i love the way it builds a community by letting you listen to conversations between villagers.
btw really appreciate the info about cooking, ive been making so much more money
I love that your player character is luffy with the wano cape!!! :3
Loved this review and it got me excited! Especially the way they use cooking to keep the farming interesting, and I really like that there’s more to collect (bugs and stuff).
Just a heads up, I skipped the bit about mining progression but in the dislikes you still mentioned how you get spells through mining. I don’t know if that’s all there was to the mining bit or if there’s more, but i thought I’d mention it just in case!
oh man I've been fully obsessed with Coral Island recently. Maybe I'll need to pick this up next......
If I wasn't already neglecting three separate farming sims I own (Stardew, Sun Haven, Roots of Pacha) to play FFXIV instead, I'd grab this in a heartbeat. I love the cutesy aesthetics, the involved dialogue mechanics, and multiple things being useful instead of the good ol' "most profitable fruit" wine spam.
A few questions about small parts of the game that are important to me:
1. Can you set the day length to be longer than 20 minutes? Sun Haven's 40 min option completely spoiled me.
2. How accessible is the "restore magic" potion you talked about? I do like my magic spells.
3. Can you marry March?
1. You can't change day length as of now
2. I've only found 1 magic potion randomly from the mines in one month. You can also buy them from a store for 500 gold, which in this game's economy is decently expensive, might be more worth it in the late game.
3. You can, marriage isn't implemented yet though
EDIT: You can't outright buy a mana potion, my mind imagined it
Currently, you can only get mana potions from the mines. So magic use can be really restrictive right now.
@@salmence100 Thanks a lot! I'll be following the game's development, but not quite buy it just yet.
@@salmence100500 is expensive? I got my budget up to the thousands in the first fortnight.
The day duration is fixed for now but so many players are complaining about time passing way too fast that I'm sure the devs will take care of it. They have been very open and active so far. As for the potions, I'm at mid Summer of year 1 and i've found two of them in the mines. I'd say they're really rare.
as someone who has been playing games in this genre since birth and has gotten kinda burnt out with the amount of games coming out in recent years, this game has felt like a breath of fresh air. as much as i do enjoy enjoy stardew and think it is objectively a good game in terms of mechanics, it always lacked some kind of spark for me. FOM has been the first game since rune factory 4 and the first 2 story of seasons game that i've truly fell in love with, there's a certain charm with how dynamic the characters are and how present they are in the story that i have been missing for so long. i'm very excited to see where this game goes as it develops, i think it has a great shot at being another staple in the genre.
This game has insane potential. This could easily be the best farming game on the market IF they add more depth to a lot of the mechanics.
I think “easily” is generous. I’m definitely going to get it and think I’ll love it, but Stardew has sold 19 *million* copies on PC alone. That is an extremely high bar
@@VultureSkins While Stardew Valley is really the top of the farming sims, selling better doesn't always mean it's a better game.
@@VultureSkins It's not going to replace stardew. But some people might find a new home too. I enjoy this more than SV lately, but it probably is cuz I think stardew is way too stressful.
@@VultureSkins Scarlet and Violet had the most sales out of any Pokémon game, yet is often regarded as one of the worst ones released. Sales isn’t everything. Stardew is amazing and very revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the best farming game ever. Personally, fields is Mistria is more up my alley.
It's basically a Stardew Valley with QoL and some interesting twists. I can see this game being successful. I'm definitely going to enjoy both games.
I enjoyed playing the demo of this game but I think it's a shame how many of these types of games always focus on farming. I've always thought of them more as 'life sim' games since I think the most important aspect is the community... moving to a small town and progressing from being an outsider to an important member of the community. there are so many other jobs you could put with that. instead of inheriting a farm you could get a mine, and have the mining part of the game be like Motherload or Steamworld Dig. you could get a fishing shop on a beach and go from only being able to fish off the coast from lacking a boat to progressively bigger ships that let you go further out into the ocean. you could be a carpenter and have a bunch of gameplay puzzles and minigames focused on building and repairing houses and furniture. Potion Permit didn't really hit the mark but at least they tried to do something other than farming crops.
you could even just have multiple jobs you can take like being a courier or waiter, like what was in the GBA version of The Sims Bustin' Out. fortunately To Pixelia seems like it'll be able to scratch that itch for me.
I mean, you don't have to farm at all. You're given the land in exchange for helping the town out by doing all the handy jobs that others can't or don't have time to do. Most of it is stuff like collecting materials to help fix things that got destroyed during the earthquake. You can absolutely make a living off crafting items and selling them (whilst decorating your land), doing only ranching instead of crop farming, or making an orchard only. You could also just leave the land fallow and use it as a place to harvest wood, stone and fiber as they all come back over time. You can fish your life away, spend time foraging or digging in the mines, etc.
That said, you'll probably want to check out Fantasy Life i, coming in October - it's a life sim where you can change classes as you will, doing jobs like cooking, woodcrafting, island design, monster hunting, sewing, etc. There was an earlier game just called Fantasy Life on 3DS, which it is a sequel of.
That's the thing though, despite the label, I don't think those games have ever really been about farming. Players don't play these games excited to grow carrots and make jam. Sure you plant stuff and take care of livestock, but only as a way to get items for quests and to offer gifts to NPCs. More often than not you can easily skip those chores! Just check the many mods for Stardew Valley, most are dialogue expansions and aesthetic things.
More often than not (at least for games like SV, RoP and SH) it's about bonding with characters and seeing the town grow. The farming mechanic is very secondary. (let's be honest, most people who play such games are in it for the romance).
Check out fantasy life on 3DS and the game that will come out on switch this year, it's exactly like this
I do agree that farming is overdone. I was also excited for potion permit for the same reason but I guess farming is the safest option as the dev already knows what is and isn't well recieved and as you said it isn't the main focus so why reinvent the wheel?
I also agree that the main thing is community, and that's where most of these sims fall short. I want people to acknowledge that my character exists and integrate with them. I want the characters to have a lot to say to me AND to others. And bring back love rivals because what makes characters feel more alive than that?
@@georgiascarlett9679 I'd argue against rivals, personally, because I'm a slow-burn romancer who takes my time figuring out who I want to marry by getting to know all the characters very well before making a choice.
I feel like rivals push you to marry faster and do the whole "just pick one and get it done" mentality, as well as make the game go too fast (after you marry most farming sims don't have much on the relationship side left - maybe you can have kids but they never really grow up (bar that one HM game) and then your spouse just says the same lines over and over, etc).
I would prefer that if a game did add in rivals, you could have the option to turn that on or off.
This review made me try the game, it's installing as I'm writing this. It seems to be checking all the boxes for me, so hopefully I'll like it, too. Thanks!
Looks a bit like a old school Harvest Moon game crossed with one of those mini story focused indie games crossed with Stardew, I'm sold 👀
I'm soooo excited for this game! I love the character designs, the soft pastels, the characters feeling unique and different
I love so much about this game (I went on and on in my review lol), and among so many worthwhile QoL perks and incredible NPC interactions and great mechanics and chill vibes, I adore how much permanent change there can be to the map and world. The idea that youre HELPING the town, not just "helping", feels so real. Fixing stuff up and unlocking new parts of the town for yourself and others isn't a never-before-seen mechanic, but it feels concrete and I appreciate that.
Even aside from disaster recovery map changes, small changes can be found after character cutscenes, and the characters will talk to you about them! Everything is so well thought out, like the game was built around characters rather than characters built around what buildings people nees to be in. I'm absolutely smitten with this game so far.
Stardew’s lacklustre “characters” and lack of content made me lose interest in it a while ago. Burned through a couple mods, but now that Coral Island and Fields of Mistria are out I may actually become a certified cozy gamer
7:50 I'm glad Stardew made cooked food far less op. I find it super weird that a guy on a farm is shipping home cooked meals to be sold at a store.
9:42 uh huh, sure Sal 😉
Ive tried playing many other farming games and most disapoint me but field of mistria was so fun! I only got it yesterday and even now i cant wait to go home and play again lol the cut scenes are great it makes the players look so alive along with being able to interact with them with new dialouge anywhere?? You really can tell the creator has a passion for this types of games as theres little details that are added that i always found missing in other ones which were just annoyingly not imputed. Its still only early access but it looks very promising got me hooked since the beginning, ill continue to play and hopefully they add it to other devices such as switch and mobile as i dont really like pc games but im doing it for fields of mistria
As I got into the farming sim from Rune Factory, this seems to be the perfect blend of the things I come to Rune Factory and Stardew for.
March... I fell in love at first sight when he was first announced...
What really hooked me was the towns people as well. I honestly think with Stardew Valley you could play the game without interacting with anyone and you never have a reason to. Here you need to talk to them and you want to. I find myslef always walking up to someone i meet on the street because i never feel like its a waste of time like it is in Stardew Valley, other than the person im marrying that playthrough.
yes! I've been playing too, and I'm loving it. Also, surprised by how few bugs and crashes there are for a few days old early access game. I crashed three times in 22h I think. Loving the game so far.
And I absolutely agree, if people tell you someone like something, there needs to be a record of it lol I've kept things aside in "I'll give them the thing later", and to no one's surprise, I have not given them the thing because I don't remember what the thing was and for whom lol
This game has so much mundane stuff i missed in other farming games, like jumping, being able to have acess to your chest at home no matter where you are - instead of carrying everything around if you want to forge something or such, we get to do most of the stuff in our own time - the request not being bound to a specific time.
I'm absolutley pumed to see what else this game will have to offer in the future
I feel like I don’t trust anyone else’s opinion but yours! Thank you! I’m very excited to try this out!!
Thanks for an excellent, well-reasoned video! You hit on a lot of things I wondered and worried about. I bought the game but after an hour, I was still on the fence about keeping it. Now I’ll definitely hang onto it and play more
3:50 that's all I need to know. instant buy.
Oh, I am gonna be SO obsessed with this game.
I didnt had this game on my watch, yet. Thank you Sal for your little (yet amazing) showcast from the game and bringing to my farm sim addiction! Love your content
I just started playing but I would love love love there to be rival marriages! And I hope there are same sex rivals because there is definitely some enemies-to-lovers drama going on between Valen and Juniper. Also, looking forward to the explanation of why Olric isn’t marriageable. Is he already married? Ace? What’s going on!
Yeah, I hate how none of these indie farm sims have rivals, felt so natural everyone else also marrying when I played Harvest Moon 64.
Specially Stardew Valley, where there's clear pairings.
I am SO rooting for Valen and Juniper, glad im not alone lol
I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing something budding between the home-grown doctor and the sloppy city-girl sorceress.
This game has massive, MASSIVE potential. I’m very pleased with it already and it’s only in early access. With some issues I have ironed out, I could absolutely see myself pouring hours into this just like Stardew.
As someone who grew up playing Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, I’ve been eagerly watching FoMs development since its initial announcement. Stardew is nice, but it never gave me the story and characters that a HM game would’ve given me, it felt very lacklustre. With the most recent SoS games being also pretty bad and clunky, I was immediately excited for FoM. So far, the basic grid they built is absolutely amazing, and I’m sure the coming updates and fixes will make this game a new staple for the Harvest Moon crowd.
PS: Kind of annoyed with people calling this another Stardew Valley. Stardew is based on Harvest Moon, without the eastern/japanese game elements and themes that many people coming from Harvest Moon, Rune Factory and JRPGs like. Playing this game, I can tell who the intended audience is, and I’ve seen eastern gamers eagerly request JP/CN/KR localisation, because many of them find Stardew not enjoyable without certain mods. (Meaning, it’s ugly as hell.) I find this take incredibly western centric, too. Stardew might have drawn in a lot of western players into farming sims, but the roots lie in the “icky anime sh*t”, and that should be acknowledged.
This video came at the perfect time, I’ve been trying to find a game to play and I’d been looking for reviews of this one. One of the RUclipsrs I enjoy posting a video within hours of me searching for a review? Perfect.
Hey there, I just wanted to say I really appreciate the question and answer style of your video. I really like this sort of guided review. Thank you for the video!
Thanks for this video! I went from 'maybe I'll check this out when it releases' to 'Can't wait to buy this'
Wonderfully organized and thorough review that answered all my questions, thank you!!
I've never been an early access type of person, so I'm really happy that you posted this. I was already interested in this game, but now I'm excited! I agree though, I really hope there's more magic :)
you get some letters later in summer that tell you about house upgrades and such (at least I did. But I also didn't hand out gifts to ... most people) :3 it's tied to a character and your relationship with them I think. Or maybe your town progression.
The best, most informative, to-the-point review of this game I've seen thus far, and I've watched a few trying to decide whether to buy it or not. Salmence does not disappoint. Many thanks!
Thank you for mentioning the lantern moth! It took me forever to be able to find it and get past that level in the mines!
honestly im not a farmer game person but i felt like watching this and somehow you sold me on it haha - both because you did a good job explaining the games pros cons and mechanics, and ALSO because of March
FoM is the one you suggest keep an eye probably a year ago? And i definitely still feel, im sold. There's so nice looking older woman too so im even more sold. Totally normal behavior.
I think FoM alongside Chef RPG gonna have my support in early access
What is FoM?
And chef rpg is in early access this September
@@cinarynroll Fields of Mistria, the game that is being talked about in the video.
Thanks for the video! Just bought the game partly because of it. :)
This is the best review I've seen (the first one to review the dialog depths and character depth, which I also find very important in such games) and the hardest push for me to get the game! I'm a new loyal subscriber of yours starting from today, really enjoyed this review. Thanks for your effort and looking forward to watch your other videos! 🌞
I'm in love with this game. I really having a LOT of fun but we all need more! The cave stops at lvl 60
Cozy Farming Sim and Quirky Earthbound Inspired RPG were spotted sitting together at the local bar.
More at 11
the dialogue surely had me the most impressed! i'm sooo here for it
i was on the fence after just seeing the gameplay trailer but this has convinced me. i'm excited!!!!!!!!!
I'm not much of a decorater in these games, but for those who are, how do you feel about this style of gated progression at 4:04?