Farlands
- July 24, 2024
- JanduSoft
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Farlands is a single-player Role Playing game with delightful graphics and good music, but be prepared for lots of grinding. The roadmap includes calendar updates for seasonal events, core system development, and bug-fixing patches. The initial version provides a sandbox experience while the game continually adds content and improvements throughout Early Access."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming art style and engaging animations that enhance the overall experience.
- There is a solid foundation for gameplay with potential for future updates, including unique mechanics like interplanetary travel.
- Many players find the game enjoyable and relaxing, with a promising roadmap that suggests more content and features will be added.
- The game is currently very bare-bones, lacking essential features and content, making it feel more like a demo than a complete game.
- Controller support is inadequate, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially on devices like the Steam Deck.
- Players have reported various bugs and issues, including unclear mechanics and a lack of guidance, which can make the game feel confusing and incomplete.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of traditional farming mechanics and innovative features, such as space travel and ship upgrades, which add depth and variety to the experience. Players appreciate the fast-paced nature of the game, which respects their time compared to other farming sims, though some mechanics, like fishing, could use refinement. Overall, the game shows promise with its engaging core loop, charming pixel art, and potential for future development, despite some early access limitations and a lack of tutorials for new players.
“The gameplay loop is pretty solid and fun.”
“While other farming sim games take a slow approach for gameplay mechanics, Farlands takes away that and respects your time.”
“The game has the typical gameplay mechanics that you might expect from a farming game, but the ship adds something special to the gameplay loop and keeps the rest of the gameplay elements fresh.”
“There's a mechanic where you have to fly to other planets (rather than walking into town) but you only have two fuel cells, which is just one round trip.”
“It has the things you would expect from an early access game: incomplete parts, microlag on some occasions, and lack of explanation in some mechanics.”
“For now, there's no tutorial explaining the basics of farming games like Stardew Valley; familiarity with these mechanics is assumed for alpha players.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the engaging farming mechanics and the unique twist of exploring other planets for resources. However, some users note that the tools can be tedious to use and that the game lacks variety in crops and equipment. Overall, while it follows familiar farming sim tropes, it offers a refreshing experience with solid foundations for future content.
“On that scale, I didn't encounter anything to significantly set this apart from other farming sims, and it's nowhere near as complete.”
“Currently, it's a fairly crude but promising interpretation of the farming game trope.”
“For now, there's no tutorial explaining the basics of farming games like Stardew Valley; familiarity with these mechanics is assumed for alpha players.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their appealing art style and charming pixel art, showcasing a unique twist on the farm/life sim genre. Reviewers appreciate the attention to detail in animations and visuals, which contribute to an enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing experience. While some find certain design choices outdated, the overall consensus is that the graphics enhance the game's potential and charm.
“Plus the art style is just great, and it shows the love for the game in every little detail, critter, and description.”
“I must say, this game has an incredible art style.”
“Graphically, it's a delightful homage to pixel art games, with gameplay mechanics reminiscent of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing.”
“The developer's sense of aesthetics seems outdated, to the point of putting a Minnie Mouse bow on an animal in a bikini.”
“However, the roadmap shows promise; the pixel art and art style are charming, but the graphics leave much to be desired.”
“Overall, I think there is content at least for a few hours, probably many if you like the design of your own planet, but the graphics could use significant improvement.”
- story13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story of the game shows potential, with an engaging setting and humor, but many players feel it lacks uniqueness and depth, often drawing comparisons to other titles like Stardew Valley. While some find the premise promising and intriguing, they express a desire for more complexity and mystery beyond the simplistic "company bad, you good" narrative. Overall, the story is seen as a work in progress, with hopes for further development as the game evolves.
“So far, the story seems like it could be promising, and I like the direction it's being taken. However, I would like to see more than just 'company bad, you good,' and I hope there's much more mystery to the story overall.”
“The farming mechanics are engaging, and the background and story, while still missing some development, are enticing enough to keep you digging in.”
“The setting of the game is quite interesting, and the story feels engaging. The game manages to add a little bit of well-placed comedy in its dialogues.”
“Right now it seems too close to the plot of Stardew.”
“So far the story seems like it could be promising and I like the direction it's being taken, however I would like to see more than just 'company bad, you good' and I hope there's much more mystery to the story overall.”
“It's so early access it doesn't have any story, plot, direction, indicators, descriptors, and I could keep going.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its catchy and relaxing soundtrack, which complements the charming pixel art and animations. Players appreciate the attention to detail, noting how the music adapts to different environments, enhancing the overall atmosphere. Despite being in early access, the quality of the music contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“I love the little details it has despite being in early access, like the character animations and how the music continues inside buildings with different tones and instruments.”
“The pixel graphics are very cute, the music is on point, and being able to space travel hits that special geek spot.”
“Love the music, it's really catchy and lovely.”
“The music is very relaxing, it has some details but it's fine.”
“You can really see these influences in the music, tool design, and the way actions are performed.”
“The overall atmosphere is great, visually excellent with animations and music made with care.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humorous animations and interesting characters, with players finding the encounters in blocked areas particularly hilarious. The humor adds a unique charm to the overall experience, making it a recommended choice for fans of the genre and those new to it, especially if they enjoy space-themed and cozy games.
“The fun detail of encountering them in the still blocked areas is hilarious.”
“The touch of humor is what gives it the spark it needs.”
“I've had the chance to explore two of them and meet the main NPCs, who are incredibly funny and entertaining.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits stability issues, including occasional freezes during transitions and menu navigation, particularly noted after day 5. Despite these bugs, players see potential for the game to excel within its genre.
“My game froze twice while passing from one day to another, and I also experienced some minor freezes while switching menus on the fabricator.”
“There seems to be a bug after day 5 where when I wake up for a new day, I cannot move; the game freezes.”
“Still a little buggy, but it is a game with great potential to become one of the representatives of the genre.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game generally performs well without major issues, though some players have noted occasional performance hiccups and repetitive gameplay elements. As it is still in early access, there is potential for further optimization and enhancements.
“The game doesn't have major performance issues (at least on what I've experienced).”
“It's in early access, so you might experience some performance issues and occasionally feel like you're in a loop, but there is room for improvement.”
