New Open-World Game on Steam Channels Stardew Valley Energy Into a Massive, Living Farm Paradise

Stardew Valley has become something of a touchstone for the cozy/casual game genre, especially as it pertains to farm-based experiences. Of course, Stardew Valley itself learned from Rune Factory and Harvest Moon, but ConcernedApe’s 2017 retro throwback is still an undeniable guiding light for the farming sim and cozy genres in the modern age.

And it would seem that not even photorealism and a first-person perspective can fully hide the Stardew Valley influence, as evidenced by the upcoming farming simulation Hillshade Farm. The game, which is the debut title from solo developer New Acre, drops the player on a scrap of land and tasks them with developing it into something special. The farm, or what’s left of it, has been left in utter disrepair, and it’s up to the player to not only fix it up but turn it into a profitable, thriving homestead and business. It’s a fairly standard and well-trodden premise, to be sure.

Will Hillshade Farm Be Able to Hang with Cozy and Farming Greats?

It’s always quite interesting to see a fresh face in a genre space as bustling as the farming sim. That said, the saturation level of a given genre also makes it considerably harder for newcomers to break through the noise. The onus is on genre newcomers like Hillshade to innovate and experiment to stay abreast of trends and competition.

In Hillshade Farm‘s case, innovation and experimentation are most obvious in its presentation and realism-based design philosophy. Of course, the game’s attempt at photorealism, along with its first-person perspective, is its most immediately noticeable difference from games like Stardew Valley, which generally opt for a more simplified art style. The result, in Hillshade, is a more true-to-life moment-to-moment experience, as mundane actions like walking or looking at objects are more immersive.

Despite this radical shift in presentation compared to conventional cozy games, Hillshade Farm retains the pillars of the farming sim genre. Its gameplay loop, essentially, is about the process of creating produce (plant or animal), selling that produce, and then using the money from those sales to bolster production of more produce. Along the way, players can invest in more superficial or indirect upgrades as well, such as upgrades to the player’s house and various customization options.

Image Credits: New Acre

It’s worth noting that farming really is the name of the game here—figuratively and literally. Hillshade Farm doesn’t feature the various alternate activities of Stardew Valley, Fields of Mistria, or Disney Dreamlight Valley, such as mining, combat, or social simulation aspects. This could be seen as a positive or negative quality, as I could imagine a die-hard Harvest Moon fan feeling annoyed by the wide mechanical spreads of other cozy games, but gameplay variety is also so important for longevity.

Perhaps this more focused gameplay loop, coupled with photorealism and a first-person perspective, will be what makes Hillshade special when all is said and done. There’s certainly something to be said about moving throughout a farming simulation world as you would through real life—something that countless simulation games, such as House Flipper and My Summer Car, have already proven. Yes, something like Stardew Valley, with its overhead perspective and simple art design, is easier to navigate and interact with, but that’s the point: Hillshade‘s perspective makes for slower, more purposeful farming-sim gameplay.

Will Hillshade Farms’ Realistic Graphics Be a Boon or a Bane?

The choice to present Hillshade Farms from a first-person point of view will most likely have a significant impact on moment-to-moment gameplay, but what about its shiny 3D visuals? Like many indie games of the past few years, Hillshade Farm is able to leverage newer gaming tech to reach beyond its indie expectations, using high-fidelity assets, advanced VFX, and the like to create greater verisimilitude. This means that Hillshade Farms can often look incredible, especially when moving through natural environments, but it struggles with more granular or nuanced details. For instance, human characters don’t look nearly as good as the rest of the game, animations are rough and choppy, and UI elements can be inconsistent and unappealing.

Having said all that, Hillshade Farms still has a strange charm about it, despite, or perhaps because of, its more amateurish aspects. At the end of the day, these sorts of games don’t succeed because of their realism, cutting-edge graphics, or even polish—they succeed through strong, engaging game mechanics. If Hillshade Farms can leverage its realism, hardcore farm focus, and first-person perspective correctly, then it could very well cross the finish line as a unique and compelling entry in the farming sim genre.

Released

February 26, 2016

ESRB

E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Publisher(s)

ConcernedApe