Summary
Ever sinceStardew Valleytook off, very few indie farmsims have made as much of an impacton the gaming industry as it has. While that’s understandable given how absolutely adorable and fun the game is, it still overshadows several indie titles that are on par with it, if not better.
Agood indie farming gamedoesn’t need to have a multitude of unnecessarily grand features to be considered one of the best — in fact, less can be more when it comes to a standout title. What truly matters is that it should present charmingly endearing graphics, a fun yet challenging premise, and absolutely gripping gameplay designed to make players lose track of time.
6World’s Dawn
Inspired By Harvest Moon, A Farm Sim In True Essence
World’s Dawnis an utterly charming gamefeaturing tiny, adorable charactersand gameplay totally inspired byHarvest Moon— a sure sign of quality. It doesn’t exactly bring new elements to the table, but it’s precisely thefamiliarity of it that makes it so comfortable to play.
Since it’s a farm sim, it’s bound to feature basic farming mechanics like planting and harvesting. Additionally, it has a dynamic weather system that changes consistently with the changing of the seasons, keeping everything on a cohesive theme. Players can fish, cook, explore, mine, forage, build, and even customize their bases. The game features a number of mini-games and adorable NPCs that keep the entire experience exciting.
5Bit Orchard
Minimalist Graphics With A Black And White Color Palette
Here’s the thing — farm sims are famous for their’whimsical' vibes and colorful graphics, so it’s only natural for them to feature bright and eye-catching visuals that will capture players' interest immediately. This particular aspect of indie farm sims is whereBit Orchardveers off in a different direction.
Inspired by the original Game Boy,Bit Orchardis a pixel-art game that keeps things as simple as possible. Instead of going for bold themes and flashy lighting, it features aminimalist design with a basic color themeconsisting of black, white, and red (for the apples, of course). The premise of the entire game is to complete mini-objectives in order to turn a run-down patch of land into a thriving apple orchard — it’s absolutely adorable!
4Stillness Of The Wind
Soft And Nostalgic Graphics Reminiscent Of Journey
Indie devs push their creativity to new heights, sometimes more so than mainstream developers, when it comes to innovative game ideas.Stillness of the Windis a prime example of indie devs going all out with their game’s vision.
The art style ofStillness of the Windis reminiscent ofJourney,and evokes the same"distantly nostalgic"vibes that come off as mysterious and deep in both games. Despite a major adventure element,Stillness of the Windtries to keep its core gameplay revolving around the concept of ‘slow life.’ Talma’s (the protagonist) entire life purpose is to tend to an isolated patch of land and transform it into a fully functioning farm. She has to grow crops, take care of her cattle, collect eggs, and protect her land from wild animals, all while occasionally interacting with the only other human in this desolate area — a traveling merchant.
3Kynseed
90s Esthetics In A Modern Indie Farm Sim
Kynseedis a perfect game for players who are huge fans of theearly- and late-90s gamingesthetics. The grungey, 2D visuals of the 90s, defined by games likeEcco the DolphinandZombies Ate My Neighbors, make up the inspiration of this game, ultimately givingKynseeda very vintage look.
Unlike some other farm sims,Kynseed’sextensive lore and combat sequencesmake it play like an RPG more than a farm sim. It has a number of dark fantasy elements that really elevate its ambiance in terms of intensity and stakes. Certain features, like the ability to transfer a player’s character stats to their in-game heirs and future generations, are highly innovative and fun to experiment with, making the gameplay more dynamic than an average farm sim.
2Cornucopia
Unique NPC Mechanics And An Extensive Upgrading System
The featuresCornucopiaoffers to its players are nothing short of extraordinary despite still being in Early Access. It’s anadorable 2.5D pixel-artfarm sim that stands out from other similar games because of itsrelatively complex mechanics. While the main core element of the game is farming, certain aspects make its gameplay fresher.
Cornucopiaoffers a number of crops and soil types to choose from, each with its own traits and requirements to grow properly. The pet companions in the game are meant to act as fully-controllable and upgradable NPCs that help the player with their farm work and combat. Players can customize and level up their pets, and bring them on different quests and objectives. Players also get to add skills and buffs to their characters to improve their farming potential.
1Moonstone Island
Fantasy-Themed Farm Sim Set On An Island In The Sky
Moonstone Islandis an open-world fantasy farm sim that offers an extensive world, with 100 different islands for the players to explore. Because thegame is set in a fantasy world, it focuses heavily on the typicalsupernatural elements like alchemy, potions, and taming spiritsplayers expect from the genre. Although it does have a central farming theme, a larger part of the game revolves around exploring and leveling up as a potential alchemy student.
Even the farming mechanics in the game mostly revolve around growing plants and crops in order to brew potions and tame spirits. Players can create, build, and customize their homes according to their preferences, and can interact with a number of NPC characters. Exploring and traveling to other islands is done through brooms, balloons, or gliders, and most biomes have extensive dungeon to explore for loot and combat objectives.
