I really want to recommend this game. It is incredibly well-made, it runs smooth like butter, the characters are fun to interact, the story is engaging, the sprites are cute, the backgrounds are gorgeous, the music is good and satisfying, and above all else, it just scratches that itch that Stardew Valley scratches and most other farming games don't.
However, the gameplay feels all-over the place and halting at times.
Once you're done getting to know what you need to do, you realize that you have a lot on your plate. Upgrades, unlocks, equipment, and tasks, so many tasks. Certain items can only be bought if you bring certain materials, and certain features can only be unlocked once you've submitted an assortment of diverse materials. You have a lot to gather and farm and produce, and you need to know what material goes where and who and when. All of that, and the game expects you to memorize everything yourself. There's in-game encyclopedia that tells you certain recipes, but not all the recipes for some reason. It doesn't tell you what equipment to process what crops. And it doesn't tell you which NPC needs what material assortment to unlock or buy what features. That's my biggest gripe: [b] You have to write down everything yourself, with pen and paper.[/b]
Some things are far too expensive to buy and/or create, yet some other things are just so cheap the materials for it just sit in your chest idly. There's even one material that turns completely obsolete once you've unlocked an equipment that makes its end product for far cheaper resources. Certain items either get too expensive to make in bulk, or require a technology that far surpasses your current skill level that, most of the time, you either have nothing to do but wait for the farm and equipment to produce what you need, or lose entire days trying to make five wood barrels. And that's my second biggest gripe: [b] the economy of everything less than optimal.[/b]
And lastly, [b] the game punishes you for trial and error.[/b] The game doesn't tell you explicitly what you need to do. You kind of have to figure things out yourself. What is the best farm layout, where should you put your buildings, what's the recipe for dishes, which item goes what equipment to make a more expensive produce, etc. This would be fine, if not for the fact that, as mentioned before, the economy of everything is less than optimal. You don't want to waste a single potato since even unlocking the potato seed itself takes time, and yet the only recipe you've unlocked with a potato so far is either grilled veggies (that doesn't even need potato) or trash. At least it powers the generator, which coal also does, and does better. The potato doesn't go to the pickling jar, even though cabbage does. It doesn't go to the brewing cask, even though rice does. It doesn't go to the grinder, even though wheat does. And it doesn't go to the oven, even though flour does. I wouldn't mind trial and error, and some loss of resources are expected, except, going back to the first point, the game doesn't even tell you where things go, you have to write down everything yourself, with pen and paper. You're not rewarded for trial and error, you're actively getting punished for it.
Honestly, if what you're looking for is "Good Vibes, the Game" then Doloc Town is right up your alley. In fact, buy it right now and you wouldn't regret it. However, trying to optimize the best possible output for your farm proves to be incredibly difficult.
I really, really want to recommend this game. But until the gameplay stops dragging you down the moment you try to do anything, I have to give this game a negative review.
[h2]TL;DR[/h2]
Good game, not optimized enough.
