We’re in the golden era of farming simulators
The role-playing, farm simulation community is thriving after Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct. The Nintendo Direct presentation featured four major games for the genre: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, a remake of the GameCube classic; Fae Farm, a fairytale farmsteading game from Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs; Rune Factory3 Special, a rework of the Nintendo DS game; and Harvestella, which combines farming and fighting.
Nintendo is making it absolutely clear that it’s time to leave the city and tend to our crops. The truth is, life simulation and farming games have been on the rise for quite some time — well before the likes of 2020’s smash hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Before we turned to tending-and-befriending in New Horizons as the pandemic separated us, people were enjoying the chill repetition of everyday farm life in Stardew Valley and others.
New Horizons’ popularity may be part of the life sim and farming boom, but it’s games like Story of Seasons and earlier Animal Crossing iterations that built the foundation. Stardew Valley built on that, and now we’re entering a new era — farming sims appear to be taking over once again, and the genre’s fans are thrilled.
couldn't watch the full direct so i was given a summary pic.twitter.com/Aj9ZeykqBQ
«In Legend of Zelda Tears Of the Kingdom, you'll grow your own crops, befriend the locals, and wait… fight demons? Enjoy a relaxing life in this new Zelda farming sim!» pic.twitter.com/X23YfsjyKL
farm sim bitches won today's nintendo direct it's me i'm farm sim bitches pic.twitter.com/fAJnhfUCnu
Beyond Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct, we’re already living in the golden age of farming simulators. In 2022 alone, Immortal Life, a Chinese fantasy RPG inspired by Stardew Valley,
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