Spellfarers

44%
Game Brain Score Based on 140 reviews
  • story
  • grinding
  • graphics
Spellfarers Game Cover
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Spellfarers is a fantasy simulation game that allows 2 players to experience a massively multiplayer farming sim in a magical world. As a witch, players investigate the disappearance of a researcher, uncover secrets in a mysterious spellbook, and build relationships with townsfolk while customizing their homestead and exploring with friends. The game features a variety of activities such as farming, crafting, and casting spells, with a heavy emphasis on grinding and cooperation.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

44%
Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews
story14 positive mentions
grinding18 negative mentions
  • The game has a charming art style and a cozy atmosphere, with potential for a lovely world to explore.
  • The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.
  • There are interesting mechanics like farming and a magic system that could enhance gameplay if polished.
  • The game suffers from severe performance issues, including lag, crashes, and clunky controls that hinder the experience.
  • Character customization is limited and poorly designed, leading to dissatisfaction with avatar appearance.
  • Many gameplay mechanics, such as gathering and quest tracking, are tedious and not user-friendly, making progression frustrating.
  • story38 mentions

    The game's story and lore show promise, with an intriguing world and a sense of community, particularly in the quaint town of Wenngrove. However, players have noted that the quest system is confusing due to a lack of auto-tracking and unclear objectives, leading to frustration with fetch quests and limited exploration. While the art style is charming and the initial story hooks are engaging, the overall execution feels underdeveloped, especially in early access.

    • “There's also a great deal of story and lore of the world that you slowly uncover, which is really enjoyable, with the feeling of community and the air of a lingering mystery hanging constantly over the quaint little town of Wenngrove.”
    • “Great storyline and amazing customer service on the Discord.”
    • “The game has a charming cartoon art style and starts with a story introduction, teaching you the controls and mechanics.”
    • “Story-3/10 - you walk around with a wizard's hat and meet some guy who wears a helmet. He shows you to a house where you look for a carrot, and another NPC shows up wearing a blue shirt. There's something about casting spells... not quite sure... hmmmm.”
    • “No quest markers for anything, so figuring out where you need to go is an ordeal.”
    • “After two hours of gameplay, I had only summoned a dog and found myself with no more quests and limited areas to explore.”
  • grinding18 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be a mixed experience; while farming feels open and free, logging and mining are often described as tedious, especially without a supportive player base. The repetitive nature of resource gathering and the lack of detail in the world contribute to a sense of boredom, leading some players to lose interest in continuing the game. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant hurdle that detracts from the enjoyment of crafting and life-sim features.

    • “The logging and mining feel tedious without a player base to assist one another in the process.”
    • “With a game like this focused on crafting/professions, any small tedious element that gets repeated often will lead to people not continuing to play.”
    • “Didn't like: resource grinding is a huge hurdle.”
  • graphics18 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming cartoon art style reminiscent of early PS2 games, while others criticize the lack of polish and stability, particularly on higher-end hardware like the 3070ti. Despite initial graphic errors, developers have made significant improvements since launch, addressing technical issues and enhancing visual elements. Overall, while the art style is loved by many, there are ongoing concerns about performance and clarity.

    • “Pros: love the art style and the animation reminds me of early PS2 games and I find that charming; the premise is promising as well.”
    • “Loving the graphics & most aspects of the gameplay.”
    • “The game has a charming cartoon art style and starts with a story introduction, teaching you the controls and mechanics.”
    • “Plus the performance is not stable no matter how much I drop the graphics down on a 3070 Ti.”
    • “Graphics need work; there's just no polish to any of it. Even the spell effects look sort of tired, and I honestly expected something more elaborate.”
    • “I registered successfully and then tried logging in, and it won't log in. The graphics are so blurry right now I can't even change them at all.”
  • optimization16 mentions

    The game's optimization is currently lacking, with users reporting frequent stuttering, low frame rates, and performance instability even on high-end hardware like the 3070ti. While areas load seamlessly without screens, issues such as pop-in and general jankiness persist, particularly in towns. Additionally, the resolution is poorly optimized for ultra-wide screens, indicating a need for significant improvements in future updates.

    • “For me personally, to come back to this game, the mechanics need to be fleshed out and some optimization needs to happen.”
    • “The performance is not stable no matter how much I drop the graphics down on a 3070 Ti.”
    • “Constant stuttering and low FPS, especially in the town, which is weird given how the game looks like a PS3 game.”
    • “The resolution is poorly optimized for ultra wide screens.”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent lag and crashes, with users reporting delays of 5-10 seconds during gameplay. However, the developer is actively addressing these bugs through consistent updates, and many players appreciate the transparency regarding its early access status. Overall, while the game is described as clunky and glitchy, there is optimism about its ongoing improvement.

    • “Lag is often 5-10 seconds, for example, when the video of the spellbook opens, it freezes for 5-10 seconds, then there is a brief video change, text, and it freezes again for 5-10 seconds until you can press 'A' to continue.”
    • “This game is so clunky and buggy.”
    • “No, it's buggy; it crashes at times, and the controls, in my opinion, are a little too complex; they could be simpler.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of charm and frustration; while the cartoon art style and initial story introduction are well-received, players find the tutorials cumbersome and the mechanics, such as fishing and placing items, unclear. Many express a need for better optimization and more fleshed-out mechanics, as they encounter limitations in quests and exploration after a short playtime. Overall, while the graphics are praised, the gameplay experience requires significant improvements to enhance player engagement.

    • “Loving the graphics & most aspects of the gameplay.”
    • “The game has a charming cartoon art style and starts with a story introduction, teaching you the controls and mechanics.”
    • “There are still a few things I would like to see implemented, such as mouse use for main mechanics.”
    • “Tutorials on how to do things will lock the game until you close and reopen; learning things with the help menu doesn't make up for that—fishing mechanics, for example, are still unclear.”
    • “The placing mechanics are not very clear, in my opinion.”
    • “After two hours of gameplay, I had only summoned a dog and found myself with no more quests and limited areas to explore.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game has been criticized for its poor looping, leading some players to mute it during character creation. Additionally, the title screen features a repetitive and generic soundtrack that fails to impress. Overall, the music lacks originality and quality, detracting from the gaming experience.

    • “The title screen music is a short loop of very generic game music.”
    • “Music doesn't loop correctly; I ended up muting it during character creation.”
    • “The title screen music is a short loop of very generic game music.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization model of the game has been heavily criticized for its predatory practices, resembling that of a mobile game with a cash shop featuring pay-to-win items such as friendship buffs and speed-ups. Many players express disappointment, feeling that the aggressive monetization undermines the overall experience and raises concerns about the developers' intentions, especially given their history with casino games.

    • “Less than a week of early access and it's already got a cash shop up with pay-to-win items like friendship buffs, plant growing speed ups, etc. I'm not interested anymore since they decided their monetization model was like a mobile game.”
    • “I've also got some red flags about how they've arranged their monetization.”
    • “Literally the entire game is just so on-the-nose predatory monetization it almost feels like satire, and when you see that the developers' only other game is a casino game, it’s like the joke writes itself.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is primarily derived from its clunky animations, which users find amusing and entertaining despite their lack of polish. This quirky charm adds a lighthearted element to the overall experience.

    • “Though the animations are clunky, they are kind of funny and entertaining to look at, to be honest.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the character designs are perceived as uncanny, suggesting a disconnect or discomfort in their portrayal, which may impact the overall character development experience.

    • “The character designs are very uncanny.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
    • “I found the characters to be one-dimensional and unrelatable.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

22hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
5-27hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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