Homestead Arcana

About

Homestead Arcana is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Serenity Forge and was released on April 21, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "Homestead Arcana," build and customize your own farm while growing magical plants to heal the land and uncover the secrets of the Miasma, a corrupted area filled with dangerous creatures. Gather new plants and spells to expand your garden and increase your power as a farming Witch. Accompanied by your trusty cat familiar, Huckleberry, venture into the Miasma and use nature's magic to restore the world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 112 reviews

story28 positive mentions

grinding64 negative mentions

The game is charming and offers a wholesome, relaxing experience with a fun exploration-based storyline.
The farming mechanics are unique and engaging, allowing for a satisfying connection between farming and magic.
The voice acting, especially for the cat companion, adds a delightful touch to the overall experience.

The game suffers from various bugs and technical issues, including clunky controls and a confusing UI.
Many players feel the game lacks depth and can become repetitive, with a slow start that may deter some players.
There are significant quality of life issues, such as poor inventory management and a lack of meaningful NPC interactions.

story
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The game's story is generally well-received, described as fun, touching, and engaging, with a focus on exploration and character progression. While some players find the pacing slow and the main quests repetitive, the rich lore and numerous side quests keep them intrigued and motivated to continue. Overall, the narrative is seen as a strong aspect of the game, offering a unique blend of farming, magic, and adventure that captivates players despite some minor flaws in quest clarity and character depth.
- “The story and world really drew me in, and I'm intrigued to find out more about the miasma.”
- “Fantastically story-driven game, fun farming elements, and makes you want to keep coming back to see what happens next.”
- “I find the story so far to be curious enough to drive me to continue exploring, and even without beating the game, I find myself hoping for an indirect sequel - something that'll further expand on the wider world that we only get glimpses of through letters and dialogue.”
- “The fact that the game floods you with all the side quests at the beginning without pacing can be confusing and overwhelming.”
- “Definitely not a riveting story, but there is an end goal and some lore to find.”
- “The main story quests are a bit repetitive, but there are enough side missions, recipes to craft, and plenty of space to decorate your farm to keep you busy if you need a break from the main stuff.”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the unique farming mechanics and the integration of crafting and magic, others find the repetitive tasks and slow progression tedious. The farming loop is generally quick and engaging, but the overall gameplay can become monotonous, especially in later stages where navigation and resource gathering can feel cumbersome. Despite its flaws, many players enjoy the blend of farming and storytelling, making it a charming experience for those who appreciate a more relaxed gaming style.
- “So...some things are interesting at first, but become majorly tedious.”
- “I wanted to enjoy this game, really I did. I went in hopeful so I put up with the clunky movement, the bare bones tutorial, and lackluster gameplay loop. There's only so many times you can do the 'set cauldron/workbench/grill/enchanting table/mill to make stuff then loop through every area I've opened to get resources until the timers on the crafts hit zero' before it becomes tedious, boring, and maddening. The later miasma areas are a nightmare to navigate that you become lost incredibly easily, die, respawn at your home, and have to trudge through it again.”
- “There are far better farming games out there to spend your time dealing with a game that really doesn't give direction.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
64%
12%
Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, featuring some unique mechanics like broom riding and individual crop harvesting, but marred by clunky movement, a lack of clear instructions, and repetitive tasks that can lead to frustration. While some players appreciate the intriguing story elements and hidden secrets, many criticize the confusing mechanics and tedious gameplay loop, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers potential but suffers from execution issues that hinder enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is the right amount of challenging with a few spots where I got stuck and had to revisit once I puzzled through things a bit.”
- “The farming aspect of it is really unique and I love the mechanic where you harvest the crops individually; it makes it feel a lot more realistic.”
- “I encountered creatures with unique and surprising mechanics, and uncovered hidden secrets that kept me on the edge of my seat.”
- “The mechanics make no sense, and the only way to proceed further into the game is to either cheat or to make nothing but mana potions your entire gameplay... I sadly cannot refund this game or I would.”
- “Now, mechanically, blight is supposed to wear off over time, except it doesn't, and if the time passes that would let it dissipate, the plant is now 100% unable to be used or removed by any means, permanently eating a potentially sizable chunk of your only available starting 'planter' zone.”
- “I wanted to enjoy this game, really I did. I went in hopeful, so I put up with the clunky movement, the bare-bones tutorial, and lackluster gameplay loop. There's only so many times you can do the 'set cauldron/workbench/grill/enchanting table/mill to make stuff then loop through every area I've opened to get resources until the timers on the crafts hit zero' before it becomes tedious, boring, and maddening. The later miasma areas are a nightmare to navigate, and you become lost incredibly easily, die, respawn at your home, and have to trudge through it again, picking up all the miasma-touched items you lost from the locked positions they are in and hoping to find the next progression point to get out fast enough before your filter runs out.”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
37%
19%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them charming and cute, while others criticize them for being rudimentary and experiencing performance issues like stuttering and lag. The art style is generally appreciated for its quirky design and character customization options, though it may not impress everyone and can feel basic at times. Overall, while the visuals have their flaws, they contribute to a fun and immersive experience in the game's world.
- “The character customization is really good and the art style is beautiful.”
- “Visually, it's a very cute game with a fine art style that goes hand in hand with the genre.”
- “It runs smoothly, it has good graphics, great voice actors, a compelling story, and it immerses you into the game.”
- “But the graphics are so bad, stuttering all over the place and having a huge lag as if I was playing an MMO game during a raid party.”
- “The graphics are pretty bad, the UI is confusing, and the quests are not very intuitive.”
- “I hate playing inventory tetris haha. Anyway, the character creator and some of the graphics are a bit lacking.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
The game's stability has been a mixed bag, with some users reporting minor glitches and bugs, particularly during gameplay and menu navigation. While many bugs have been addressed through patches, some players still experience game-breaking issues that require restarting saves, leading to frustration over perceived inadequate developer support. Overall, the game is considered enjoyable, but stability remains a concern for some users.
- “Most of the bugs have been fixed by now, so it's not that buggy anymore, and bricking your save is even harder to do than ever before.”
- “+ runs great on Steam Deck”
- “However, it does seem somewhat buggy still.”
- “Buggy, game breaking issues that force you to restart the save, absolutely horrible support for issues, unresponsive dev team, tons of forum outcry about game breaking bugs with no solution.”
- “While this game is currently slightly buggy, the game is really fun and really enjoyable, and the devs are working really hard to send out bug fixes, as they have already done many patches that have gotten rid of most bugs over time.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its wholesome and touching narrative, particularly the bond between the player and their buddy, which resonates emotionally with players. Many found the experience rewarding and felt a strong connection through elements like letters from home, though it may not appeal to all tastes. Overall, it delivers a fun and heartfelt experience.
- “I am happy I played this and got all the achievements. Well worth the money I paid for it, and the story with your buddy is just fun and touching.”
- “The letters from home made me feel very connected to that place!”
- “The whole game is just wholesome and fun.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant stuttering and lag issues, even after adjusting settings for better performance. Conversely, others report a smooth experience with good graphics and immersive storytelling, indicating that optimization may vary across different systems.
- “It runs smoothly, it has good graphics, great voice actors, a compelling story, and it immerses you into the game.”
- “But the graphics are so bad, stuttering all over the place and having huge lag as if I was playing an MMO game during a raid party.”
- “That's how bad the stuttering was; I even went in and lowered everything possible to help, but it barely made a difference.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game draws comparisons to "Grow: Song of the Evertree," suggesting a similar style or thematic resonance that may evoke nostalgia for players familiar with that title. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its evocative quality, reminiscent of a Ghibli film, which enhances the narrative themes while the absence of direct combat further complements this immersive experience.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is well-integrated into the story, enhancing worldbuilding and maintaining a steady pace for both exploration and player growth. Players find the narrative engaging, contributing positively to their overall experience.
- “The story seems to be interesting enough so far and adds worldbuilding and character development, which progresses the exploration and player development at a good pace.”