Fields of Mistria

wow. i had been looking at this game for months now after fully immersing myself into gaming, and i have obviously tried plenty of farming sims which always left me feeling like i was clocking into a job after leaving my real life job lol. i often looked at this game and honestly believed “oh great it’s just stardew valley with a re-skin to make it look more cute” OH BOY WAS I WRONG. what attracted me the most to farming sims was definitely the townie feeling of being around the same people all the time and building relationships. i dare say this game met my expectations and beyond for this. dialog feels so fresh and it adapts to time passing which makes the game feel like your neighbors are ACTUALLY involved in what you’re doing unlike them being around and just living so that you can talk to them once and continue on. farming not being REQUIRED but encouraged was the biggest selling point for me. YOU CAN BE ANYTHING. you can literally be a rancher, fisherman, miner, chef, carpenter, etc. i HATED farming in other sims because i am very relationship oriented in this type of games, and it often being pretty much a big necessity for a good chunk of the first year in other games can get boring for me. this game gave me the exact opposite feeling. the mechanics and animations are beautiful. character customization is so sweet and i am hoping they add more as time goes on and id be lying if i were to say after 17 hours i am unsatisfied with the cosmetics in any way. i am just greedy. the fact that you can have different outfits on the go is INSANE. I change my outfit anytime i go mining, when it rains, to go chop wood, to go meet characters at the inn for a night at the bar. i even sometimes have a PJ outfit to GO TO BED. fantastic addition and so RP friendly. my only complaint and i hope the devs see this: ADD SITTING ANIMATIONS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEE LET ME SIT PLEASEEEEE I WANT TO SIT SO BAD GOTY

I played a lot of Mistria, maxed most things out, and took some time afterwards to really cement my thoughts. I feel like in the end, I can't say I enjoyed myself more than I was frustrated by odd or short-sighted decisions, and can't recommend it. There's a lot it does right, but I think putting sunglasses on a cow is probably the biggest highlight. Despite not being pixel perfect, it does much better job of pixel alignment than some of its contemporaries, especially Mina the Hollower. It tries to invoke a very SNES sort of visual atmosphere and it sticks to it pretty well for the most part. For the negatives, I think one of the biggest double-edged sword the game has is the Early Access. As other reviews mention there are a lot of crashes, and I'm sure they'll get ironed out, but the frequency of the crashes is odd when this has been in an abnormally long Early Access period of two years. Early Access is a risky trade-off where you get free QA testing from paying customers in exchange for lower goodwill from those players for a few months or a year. One of the other main benefits of Early Access is you can get the sense of what works and what doesn't from the community and change them even if they're core gameplay aspects. After so much time, most players consider this game's core loop set in stone and there'd most likely be backlash if they were redone or corrected. If the bugs aren't fixable and the main gameplay issues can't be refined, it's clear the Early Access wasn't worth it. Some of these issues (both subjective and objective) include: - Animal raising is not profitable, is tedious, and not even necessary since you can largely just buy all the items. - Days are far too short, and the map is far too big, which allows you to do only one thing in a day. There's an option to make them slightly longer, but it recommends you don't, and it still feels too short. - The game is full of the bad kind of RNG and double RNG. It's almost entirely non-deterministic and there's tons of situations where you have a 1 in 5 chance to have a 1 in 40 chance to get something you need, and if you don't get it you need to wait 3-7 days to try again. This means either you're encouraged to work out strats for grinding for days on end (of real time), or ignore these quests and parts of the story entirely. - In contrast to other games in the space, there's a ton more things to level up, but most aren't related or mesh in any way without meaningful rewards, so you're not encouraged to explore them and end up with some stat at level 60 while another is at level 4. The other thing is that leveling them up usually only has a single minor reward and no other use. Ex: Maxing out blacksmithing lets you get armor that is worse than what the game automatically provides you. - The characters are inconsistently designed and all have a similar personality. Some look like they're an 80's anime inspired design and others are closer to Dream Daddy inspired. - The character events don't really reveal much about them or provide anything to make you more invested, and everyone's a little too flirty without any provocation. Along with most of the characters drawn in a thirsty design, it makes me feel like I'm maybe not horny enough to enjoy this game the way it's meant to be played? - Everyone is already happy and no one has any real problems except that there was an earthquake (though all the buildings look fine), but no one is really bothered by it. There's no real motivation for you to get to know or involve yourself with the town, because everyone's already fine without you. At one point you have to literally [i]convince[/i] some of the characters to let you pay to upgrade their shop. - You have to max out friendship with two specific characters to progress the game. I personally thought they were both pretty boring characters so when I found this out I had only one heart with each. There's no restriction to how many gifts you can give in a week, which means each one makes less of a difference, so you have to obsessively give them loved gifts every day for 3+ months just to continue. - The music sounds like it was composed by multiple composers where one was largely using the Earthbound sound set, and the other using a Sega Genesis sound set and (while this is a personal preference) they tend to clash a lot. There are a few tracks that stand out really well (like the Spring Festival, though it reminds me more of a shopping mall), but many just straight up don't fit the theme. The songs for Fall is a good example of this, where one sounds like a western highway and another a carnival. Other songs sound like they belong in a racing game like Out Run. - There's really no late game things to do, and majority of rewards in the game are clothes and things, which I guess didn't interest me, because once I got an outfit I liked, I was pretty set. But that's just me. There are other positives and other negatives, but these were the ones that stood out to me. While this game isn't for me and I can't recommend it, there's a lot to learn from these missteps and I'd be interested to see what they cook up with their next game, because I imagine if they had some more time in the oven before going Early Access this would have been a real winner.

The Eula for this game is insane. Some tidbits but not all are. You must be a legal adult which is 22 in some countries to play this game You agree to data collection without consent (Illegal in some countries and states. Is this malware?) No modding in any way shape of form The game is a subscription not a product (WTF, for a single player farm sim) The game is licensed not sold (to skirt common game preservation laws I imagine) You can be banned for playing single player (WTF, Why? what I do in my own home by myself is only my business) You can't make fan art of the game (I guess they want to avoid rule 34 or something, IDK still crazy) Downloading the product counts as agreeing to Eula (Excuse me, no it doesn't) There is no way to revoke consent I hit 9 hours so I can't a refund but holy. At least I didn't have to sell my organs and first born child to play this game. If I had known. It is a must not buy. Please read the EULA before you buy.

I was having a good time and really enjoyed the game initially until I got to the later part of the game. Overall its a good game, I really had fun playing it last few months. [hr][/hr] [b]First of all the positive comments:[/b] - overall gameplay is fine, its simple yet interesting enough. - a lot of QoL feature that really makes sense. - character designs are fantastic, they look awesome. Although I sure hope all of them goes beyond just looking fantastic. [hr][/hr] [b]Now the negative:[/b] - The RPG side, a lot of skill perks are unbalanced. Either it doesn't provide enough to make the gameplay anything different (for example most buff on armor), not worth it (likeable food buff is useless when there's a lovable food buff with the same drop rate, unlocking both makes the drop rate of useful buff lower even), or simply useless (revival food unlocked last, where you would also have all highest armor level and makes it useless). [hr][/hr] [b]Characters[/b] - I love that all the characters are very lively, they have so many unique dialogues that almost never repeat. However, they are too friendly. All of them are friendly. By saying this I don't mean that I want disrespectful town folks, I just want to see some variation. Lots of them feels like the same person with different occupation. Realistically people will be kind of awkward and not really know what to talk about until you befriend them and reach higher hearts. I know Mistria is a very welcoming and friendly town, but characters like this will truly make the world feel alive. - [b]Most character story are quite flat, they are just doing something with you. You are not really learning more about the character personality.[/b] Maybe that's enough for a 1/2 heart story, but the same format until 8 heart? And suddenly you are confessing to each other?? [hr][/hr] [b]Friendship and Dating mechanism (early access)[/b] - I don't see anyone talking about this, but this is the one thing I hated the most about the game: Since becoming best friend = automatically loses every other thing, its forcing you to choose to date multiple people to enjoy more content from the game. It should be the player that initiate relationship, not in an inevitable cutscene, not brushing it off with "dating multiple people is fine I don't judge". It makes the game breaks out of my control. I don't want to do that. I wish I know this sooner so I don't gift everyone everything every time. - I don't judge dating multiple character at the same time, its the way I found out that it's forced to my throat and I have no other choice. Combining it with the fact that some character story is so flat, I don't feel like I'm closed enough to the character to confess with them. Yet I had to because if I choose to be best friend I'll miss out and never have the chance to change it back within one save file (without mod) - Either have a separate best friend storyline or add the ability to make them your partner again, or else it feels like there is no real gameplay for choosing other option. It's easy! Just make an item player can purchase so you can ask them to be your partner again! Now you are just missing out the option to make them your partner for free. - Dates having no dialogue and only able to obtain photocard one time is pretty dissapointing. You already prepared so many dialogues for all other things, how is making dialogue for dating any different? It's like one of the most unique and important feature you provide, yet it's so lacking. [hr][/hr] [b]Main quest progression[/b] - I see a lot of people voices out their frustration already but I will say it again. Locking quest progression behind two marriage candidate storyline is super weird? Combining with the point I mentioned above about friendship and dating mechanism, it feels very forced and out of players control. [hr][/hr] Overall, as a farming sim, its alright. As a dating sim, it is very lacking in storyline and character personalities.

I played Fields of Mistria on day 1 of its EA, and even that early, you could tell it was going to be one of the best games in the genre. It's been a true joy to see how far it's come. The devs have really nailed it with this game. It's put together so well, and you can tell it was made with a lot of love by people who know the genre and understand what players want to see. I know my reviews are very long, but if you've waited until full release and you're still on the fence, hopefully some of the info below can help you. [b]♦ NPCS:[/b] The NPCs are one of the, if not [i]the[/i], most well developed set of characters you will find in any farming game. They all are distinct with different passions, dreams, and hobbies. They talk to each other, react to events, actually respect the work your character is putting into the town, gather to hang out, etc. The town feels lived in. A common criticism I’ve seen for this game is that the NPCs are flawless, too nice, boring, etc. To each their own, but I strongly disagree. They are not dark and messy. You won’t find alcoholics, bad parents, traumatized children, etc. But they absolutely have flaws. If you [i]need[/i] high octane drama, these NPCs will not work for you. But I think Mistria really thrives by providing an experience that is primarily wholesome but still has depth. This helps set the game apart. [b]♦ ROMANCE:[/b] Setting aside how awesome the romanceables are themselves and just focusing on the mechanics of romance, Mistria honestly isn’t doing anything groundbreaking here. I don’t mean that as a criticism, just as an observation. You get heart events, and you can kiss characters you’re dating. You can go on dates, but although they’re cute, they’re just a very brief cut scene. There’s no jealousy, and even though you can marry only one, you can date however many you want. After marriage, they don’t help on the farm, which is fine. Personally, I’ve never wanted my in-game spouse to give up their passions and careers to farm with me. It’s really cute that the spouse will carry your baby around. I married Eiland, and all the dialogue is very sweet and cute. One nice thing that’s different is that you have some choice in setting your wedding day, and your spouse will ask you questions such as what color flowers you want. On the day of, you get a cut scene that unlocks wedding outfits but you can wear whatever you want; you don’t have to worry about outfits in advance. [b]♦ FESTIVALS AND EVENTS:[/b] Honestly, I think the seasonal festivals are a weaker point in the game. Don’t get me wrong, they are not [i]bad[/i]. But they aren’t as full of activities as you might find in some other games in the genre. I do think the falling stars event is adorable and unique, especially since it has a romantic twist. But most are just a couple stalls to buy minimal things at, and some sort of contest that finishes very quickly. HOWEVER, the weekly events are where Mistria shines. Every Friday, the town gathers at the tavern and you get to see various activities unfold. Every Saturday, vendors show up in the town square for a market. Later on, you’ll unlock more festival vendors and a couple of them will give you tasks to complete to unlock new items. So the monthly festivals? Meh. But the weekly events? They really help the game stand out and are fantastic. [b]♦ MINING AND COMBAT:[/b] If you hate combat and try to avoid it in farm sims, this game might not work for you. There is combat everywhere in the mines and you will need to complete the mines to progress the story and unlock important things like cosmetics, furniture, recipes, and even the engagement ring. If you do like combat in your farm sims, you’ll probably enjoy it here. There’s a large variety of monsters and variations in how they will attack you. This game will require you to spend a lot of time in the mines, but they make sure it stays interesting with complex combat and light puzzles, as well as lots of loot to discover. [b]♦ FARMING:[/b] The farming here is pretty simple. There’s a good variety of crops to choose from, but they will only ever produce one level of quality (they aren’t tiered). You have a shovel, which will help you dig out dirt, and then you use a hoe to make a spot to plant in. This is a pretty cool system, because your farm is actually super green and grassy, and the shovel will help you carve out natural paths, and they won’t automatically disappear after a set time. [b]♦ OTHER ACTIVITIES:[/b] The fishing and bug catching is super simple, which I appreciate. I dislike most fishing mini games, and this one is just a simple click to catch. I also really appreciate that this game takes it easy on the crafting. You won’t need five trillion machines to craft with. There’s one for cooking, one for ores/weapons, one for crafting furniture, and you use the wind mill to process food stuff. There’s not a big emphasis on processing crops here. Like yeah you can cook, but there’s no drying/jamming/preserving anything. I actually really enjoy having a limited amount of crafting machines, and while there’s still a part of me what wishes I could make juices and jams and all that, it’s not a big deal. I can find that in plenty of other games. [b]♦ MAGIC:[/b] There are a handful of useful spells you’ll unlock as the story progresses, that will help you with things on the farm, or in the mines. Honestly, it’s not a super deep or unique magic system. There’s not a ton of spells, you’re not brewing potions or anything, and you just have an average mana bar. The biggest aspect of the magic system is essence, which is something you gather from doing everyday activities. This can be used to get skill perks, most of which are actually really good, and it can be used to fuel things like sprinklers once those are unlocked. [b]♦ CUSTOMIZATION AND DECORATING:[/b] Character customization in this game is fantastic. You can set pronouns, and change your name at any time. There’s only one body type, but on a pixel character I don’t think that matters much. There are a lot of hair styles and clothing to unlock through a lot of different methods. And one of the best parts is that you can have several saved outfits. You can change your outfit at any time in the menu. Decorating is also decent, and there’s a lot of cute stuff. There are also a lot of ways to unlock new decor, and the crafting menu is easy to navigate and find items but type or sets. I really do wish there was more, because I'm greedy, but I also think that in time, modding will catch up and offer more options. [b]♦ RANCHING:[/b] I think ranching is the only big gripe I have with this game. It drives me up the wall. And it all comes down to a couple things: slow relationship gain, and relationship decay. I hate relationship decay in any game, but it’s particularly annoying with farm animals, especially since upkeep can be so time consuming. I finally caved and installed a mod to let me turn off the relationship decay, because it was really frustrating. It’s literally the only mod I’ve bothered with, because I love everything else. All that being said, the animal designs here are my favorite in any farm sim I’ve played, and I love that you can breed for so many color options, and use bigger animals as mounts. [b]♦ QUALITY OF LIFE:[/b] The QoL in this game is PHENOMINAL. Endless watering can, unlockable progression to turn off debris spawning on your farm (eventually, anyway), jumping and swimming, crafting from storage, day length options, etc. I really think you’d be hard pressed to find a farming sim with better QoL that doesn’t require modding to make it good. I do wish there was better fast travel, but I really can’t think of many other ways QoL is lacking here. If you made it all the way through that, congrats. Please accept this gold star: ⭐

опять гоняю туда сюда ради того чтобы заромансить пиксельного мужчину годы идут а жизнь не меняется лайк за стабильность

买了一年多了，好不容易等到后续剧情真的被恶到了，还没有以前汉化组翻译的好，机翻就算了第一天很多对话就是英文，重新开了一档玩的我一头雾水，还我汉化组翻译啊啊啊啊啊

The art is beautiful with a Harvest Moon type vibe with gameplay with a similar feel to newer titles like Stardew. Not to mention the characters are so unique and charming. I want to marry just about everyone in this game (definitely going to be doing multiple runs through) I can't wait for the full release of the game, also really hoping there will be a coop mode I'd love to play this with friends!