From a grand adventure to a laid back one, Everafter Falls has a nice vibe for a life-farm sim. On par with the giants of the genre (which it amusingly references right at the start), developer SquareHusky have poured a lot of love into this one. Thanks to Yogscast Games as part of the Tiny Teams Festival, I’ve been given a code to offer my thoughts on this game.
Greeted to a character customiser, there’s a good few options to make a character how I wanted them to be. Colours for hair, skin, clothing, and the pet cat, there’s a decent number of colours for them all. The same goes for styles, with hair and shirt design. With character created, I’m making sure it’s safe to cross a road in a cutscene. There’s nothing around, but sure enough, as soon as I start, here comes a car and there’s me blasting off again.
Fortunately, this was just a simulation. Awaking in my house, it’s revealed I’ve been in that simulation for an entire year, so my memories of reality will return now I’m back to it. Upon stated that I live on a farm, that’s where the referencing the giants of the life-farm sims happens. Now back in reality, it’s time to start working on the farm again, which has become quite a mess during the year in the simulation.
The first port of call is to collect my cat from Daisy at the animal care shop. This cat is able to till fields and water crops, so it is an essential buddy to have. The pickaxe and axe are still here for dealing with rocks and trees, along with a fishing rod and bug net. The fishing minigame is fun to master, with two spinning sections with an open part. In the middle is the fish. Get the hook into the outer ring, and one fish is mine. Get the hook into the centre, and both are claimed.
Across the first few days, I discovered that and more. Into various shops to see what they offered. Meeting the townsfolk, who are all anthropomorphic animals. Completing a few quests for them, which gives me some rewards and provides more to experience. Those townsfolk are all fun people, with some nice interactions to be had with them. The starting quests are there to introduce different systems of the game, including the crafting menu.
Nearly everything there is to craft is found here. Fences, paths, workstations, and various other things which are far too advanced for me in the early days. Those workstations include the usual things, such as a furnace, spinnery, and a shell crusher to get bricks. Larger scale projects are handled via set workstations at houses. Or via quests. There’s no time limits for any of this, even quests, which helps with the relaxed vibe of Everafter Falls.
A major part of improving skills is through cards. These cards are sometimes given as rewards for completing quests, or bought at the print shop. When offered as a reward, there will be a choice of three. These cards have abilities such as health regeneration, or increased chance to get certain resources. Unique cards can only be applied once, and are not available from the print shop.
There are other ways to improve as a character, with rings and other accessories able to be equipped to provide boosts. Such as improving luck. The sword and other tools can be upgraded. It is a good idea to prepare well, as the portal takes me to a dungeon split into numerous rooms where combat and ores await. Including some boss rooms. I very easily ended up knocked out when wandering into a boss room. Had to be rescued by a ghost who charged a fee for their service.
There is a lot I am ready to explore in Everafter Falls, and I can see there’s going to be a lot. The museum wants one of almost everything in the game, and there’s a lot. If something needs donating to the museum, it will have a star above it. Which makes it easy to know. With four seasons and multiple years to go through, I have also yet to encounter any funny business that the game seems to be hinting at.
Despite only being ten days in, I have been loving Everafter Falls. There’s a simplicity to how it controls, and a simplicity to its looks, that complements the cosy vibe very well. It is easy to get hooked into the daily life of farming, fishing, talking, and questing without any issues showing themselves. I can give Everafter Falls an easy recommendation. I might only be a small way into it, but I know I want to be back for more.
The Tiny Teams Festival is a celebration of games developed by small teams. This year running from 8-15/August, the festival once again is highlighting games both new and old, and even those yet to release. Check it out on Steam, and find yourself a great game from a tiny team.
Images Taken From:
Everafter Falls | Steam
