Fae Farm Review – A Farming Dream Come True

Fae Farm Review

The trouble with farming simulators is they can get repetitive. You wake up in the morning, water some crops, feed some animals, and then half the day is gone. Maybe you go fishing or catch some bugs in the afternoon. Or, if you’re into dating, find someone to go out with. But by the end of the day, you’ll have accomplished the same thing as yesterday. There’s nothing wrong with this tried and true formula – I’m still a sucker for these types of games. In fact, that’s what I was hoping for when I picked up Fae Farm. Little did I know, Fae Farm had a lot more to offer than just chopping down trees and dating the locals. So much more!

Fae Farm, like many cozy farming simulator games, begins with you randomly joining a small community. Our new home, Azoria, is already quite established but it can be better. The mayor greets you on your first day and shows you your house, which is predictably a fixer-upper that you can customize. Part of your new role is to establish a place in the village and run a successful farm. Of course, if you’d like, you could make friends and flirt with villagers too. The world is colorful, the soundtrack is whimsical, and the characters are cute. There’s always something going on in the world of Fae Farm, and you’re welcome to spend as long as you like here. 

Always a Magical Day

One of Fae Farm’s greatest strengths is the environment and content. It is a cozy farming game where you never run out of things to do. Every day can be a different day if you want it to be. One day you could be focused on foraging and taking care of your farm, and the next day you could be building furniture and decorating your home. If you’re up for it, you can find a romantic partner to go on dates with. There are plenty of fish in the sea (literally and figuratively), animals to take care of, and recipes to discover. 

As implied in the name, there’s magic in Fae Farm. Your ability to use a magical staff is critical to the plot and to make your life easier in Azoria. You, with a limited store of mana, are able to cut thorns that are blocking paths and cast magic to disperse the shadows. There’s also a potions shop, battles in the dungeons, and shortcuts you learn to increase your farming efficiency. It’s also important to the plot, which is surprisingly coherent and logical to the gaming environment. 

Although most of the cozy elements of the game are spot on, the controls weren’t always perfect. When performing an action, the object you’re interacting with will light up. Sometimes even when it’s lit up, you could end up interacting with something else nearby instead. For instance, I was going to water a plot of land but ended up petting a nearby animal. Another time, I was going to mine for copper and ended up hitting the stone next to it. However, these are just minor issues that don’t affect your progress too much. Yes, it’s noticeable, but it’s also easy to forgive. 

Tried and True, but Better

Although the formula is familiar, the gameplay was refreshing and it was nice to do more than farming for a change. Newcomers to farming simulators could struggle at the beginning. I relied on my previous knowledge of games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and Animal Crossing, so I knew roughly what to expect, Without this experience, it could be hard to succeed early on in the game. Fortunately, there’s no strict timeline and you can move the plot along whenever you’re comfortable. Fae Farm was also very intuitive and forgiving, so it never felt like a wasted day even if all I did was collect snails.

This might sound strange, but I really enjoyed the tedious foraging in Fae Farm. Usually, I get tired quickly and have to switch tasks to not get bored. However, with Fae Farm, gathering materials and doing “boring” farming stuff was actually pretty enjoyable. A huge aspect of it for me was the audio. I loved the little popping sounds when I picked blueberries, the intense music that played when I was in the mines, and the swishing of my scythe when I was gathering sugarcane. These sound effects added to the gaming atmosphere and I really enjoyed these special touches. 

Players also have the option to play online and local multiplayer with friends. At the time of writing, my friends did not have the game so I was unable to share this experience with them. There’s plenty to accomplish on your own, so I wouldn’t worry about finding someone to play with if that is a concern. Think of it as an added bonus – I had a lot of fun by myself and I know you will too. Of course, I plan to make my friend play Fae Farm with me once she’s able to because this game is so much fun.

All in all, I found Fae Farm to be full of fun content and it was incredibly entertaining. There was so much to do and nothing felt repetitive (even though you’re technically farming and gathering every day). I was able to play for hours without realizing it, and slowly I was able to improve my home while making a fortune. Of course, it took a while for me to get there, and there’s no rush at all. There aren’t any quick wins in Fae Farm, so just relax and enjoy the experience in your own way. 

***A Nintendo Switch Code was provided by the publisher***