It’s very common for farm sims to cite Stardew Valley as inspiration, which Mirthwood definitely does, but it’s less common to see them name drop Fable, The Sims, and RimWorld. This upcoming sandbox-y farm sim RPG is definitely trying to tick a lot of boxes to give us farmlife sim lovers as much freedom as […]
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Haunted Chocolatier
Haunted Chocolatier is the next game from the creator of Stardew Valley, which is fairly obvious from a quick glance at the screenshots and first gameplay trailer we’ve seen. But even though there’s a solid resemblance between the well-loved farm sim and ConcernedApe’s next community sim, there’s a lot that is going to separate Haunted […]
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Beautiful upcoming Sims competitor Inzoi reveals tons of weird features like sleepwalking, custom crime rates, and relationship hard mode
After so many years of Sims series dominance, we’re about to have tons of Sims competitors in the life simulation space. The prettiest one of the bunch, announced late last year, is called “inZOI,” and it’s being made by PUBG publisher Krafton of all places. Inzoi is expected to launch at some point this year […]
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5 beginner’s tips for Echoes of the Plum Grove to help you survive your first season in Honeywood
Although it looks just as cute as other farm sims, you’re going to need some beginner’s tips for Echoes of the Plum Grove if you want to live through your first season in Honeywood. In this historically inspired farm sim you’ll focus on the typical routine of foraging, cooking, and crafting while also befriending the […]
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‘Cozy game with consequences’ Echoes of the Plum Grove is constantly threatening me with death, taxes, and mean neighbors
Echoes of the Plum Grove may be an adorable-looking farm sim, but it’s not so much like Stardew Valley as it is like the weird community simulations in Fable and Kynseed. Its two-person development team calls it a “cozy game with consequences,” and, sure enough, the only things certain in Honeywood are death and taxes. […]
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A new Stardew Valley patch is here, and we can all rest easy: it fixes Mr. Raccoon
Yet another Stardew Valley patch has arrived, this one “mostly bug fixes and translation changes” according to creator Eric Barone. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important: This one keeps Mr. Raccoon from disappearing during the raccoon cutscene in multiplayer. I think we can all agree that’s vital stuff. I don’t play Stardew Valley, but […]
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My quest to find one of Stardew Valley’s rarest items left me as a social outcast, but that won’t stop my early-morning rummages
I pride myself on having a well-kept and cute Stardew Valley farm. With cobblestone paths, plants from the Flower Dance, and all the mods my PC can handle, maintaining Grove Farm takes a lot of effort. But after hearing about a way to ruin all of that, my heart was set on securing one of […]
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Dark Roast Cafè is an adorably satanic, cozy game where you employ quirky demons to help run your business
I am a sucker when it comes to cosy cafe games. I find there’s no better way to unwind than setting up a small nook and serving some loyal customers coffee and cute little snacks. Usually, I have a type: cute, pastel, and calm—think An Average Day at the Cat Cafè. But this time, I’ve […]
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Tales of the Shire is Stardew Valley but with happy little hobbits
Lord of the Rings games tend to be full of conflict, whether you’re a band of dwarves delving deep into Moria and fighting off orcs, or Gollum sneaking through Mordor and trying not to become dinner for its denizens. Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game eschews all the grim stuff, though, […]
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Stardew Valley’s latest patch ‘adds two inappropriate names to the list to exclude from the name generator’ and I am dying to know what they are
The Stardew Valley 1.6.4 update is now live on PC and it is surprisingly beefy, including new content, balance changes, visual improvements, fixes, and gameplay tweaks. The 1.6.4 update was announced on April 10 with virtually no detail, as is the Eric Barone way, except that it would include “a new fishing thing, and some […]
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Life By You director says modders are welcome to monetize creations however they want: ‘Go for it—you don’t need our permission’
If you think your folder of Sims 4 custom content is stuffed, its upcoming competition Life By You wants to attract even more mods to clog your downloads folder. Life By You envisions itself as a highly customizable modder’s paradise, and unlike the tension that can exist between The Sims 4 and Patreon-funded modders, Life […]
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Life sims are ‘the most complex RPGs ever written,’ says Life by You director
The Sims isn’t the only PC life simulation game in town anymore. Dozens of smaller, more focused life sims have appeared in the years since Stardew Valley took off, and now upcoming Sims competitors like Paralives and Life by You are aiming for the same kind of broad home, relationship, family, and career simulation that […]
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People who don’t play life sims might not understand that they’re ‘the most complex RPGs ever written,’ says Life by You director
The Sims isn’t the only PC life simulation game in town anymore. Dozens of smaller, more focused life sims have appeared in the years since Stardew Valley took off, and now upcoming Sims competitors like Paralives and Life by You are aiming for the same kind of broad home, relationship, family, and career simulation that […]
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Another Stardew Valley patch is on the way, with ‘a new fishing thing, and some new mining-related stuff’
Will Eric Barone ever stop working on Stardew Valley? Someday, perhaps, but as Viggo Mortensen famously said, it is not this day: Because this day, Barone announced that another new patch is in the works that’s expected to be out this week. Stardew Valley’s long-awaited 1.6 update was a massive undertaking, adding a new farm […]
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I wrote this article in record time thanks to a gamified focus tool that turned me into my own lofi girl
Most days I feel like my brain is constantly in overdrive. I struggle to happily exist in silence, everything is vying for my attention, and I have a severe case of Magpie Syndrome that leads me astray down hours-long rabbit holes when I should be focusing on an important task. I’ve been doing a lot […]
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Stardew Valley modder challenges players with an ‘everything bagel’ recipe that requires 134 ingredients
In honor of the day of fools, the latest in extremely niche Stardew Valley modding brings us one player’s vision of a more sensible world: an everything bagel that actually requires everything as an ingredient. How does it all fit into one bagel? I can only assume a blender is involved. Stardew Valley modder SiTheGreat […]
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