New Message from the Fields of Mistria

I’ve been playing this game called Fields of Mistria, and it's about to be your new number one farming sim! It’s a classic cozy farming sim, but it feels different in a really good way.

It came out in early access at the end of 2024, and it’s made by a small team called NPC Studio. The whole vibe is nostalgic, think of late '90s and early 2000s cartoons and games. It reminds me of things like Harvest Moon and Sailor Moon. Just noticing those both end in moon…

The farming mechanics are really relaxing. One thing I love is that you don’t have to keep refilling your watering can. Realistic? No. Time saving? Yes. Instead of upgrading to hold more water your tools just expand their range of effect, which feels way more intuitive. And there’s this breeding mechanic for animals where mixing different patterns and colors can get you rare ones. It's a fun reason to breed animals (next to the classic reason, it's the cheap way to expand livestock).

But the thing that seals the deal on this being my top favorite farming sim is the way the villagers are written. You know I’m a sucker for the NPCs in a game and they actually feel like an aspect of the game that has been heavily considered. You can talk to them multiple times a day and they’ll say different things depending on where they are or what they’re doing. It makes the NPCs feel ingrained in the world. There aren’t a ton of town events yet, but since it’s still in early access, those will come with time. Even now, something like Friday Night at the Inn gives it a lot of heart.

The art style is gorgeous. Pixelated but modern, and full of pastel colors. Definitely leans into that nostalgic cartoon style. You can tell it’s inspired by Stardew Valley, among others, it pays a beautiful homage to the predecessors that laid the groundwork for farming sims to be what they are today.

Now I’m going to say something controversial, I like it better than Stardew. I think it’s because it feels more story-driven and character-focused, and that’s what I tend to look for in games. It reminds me of how I felt reading as a kid, getting totally absorbed in a world.

Anyway, it’s quickly become one of my comfort games and I thought I’d pass it along. I think you’ll get hooked pretty fast! Let me know if you check it out and if you want to see more check out the video I did here.