Verdant Skies
I don’t know how to put my feelings into words right now. I found this verdant little gem by chance as I browsed YouTube. One immediate bonus I noticed was that it looked like games I love such as Stardew Valley while containing its own unique flair. I’ve adored laid-back little games like this since I was a teenager and got hooked on Harvest Moon: Magical Melody. Beyond the initial premise, one thing reeled me in, making me seriously consider purchasing the game. Rosie. My first reaction was “Wow, a blind mechanical engineer? AWESOME!!!” Finally, a character in a video game of my preferred genre that I can relate to! That’s not because she’s a mechanical engineer, but because she’s blind. Although not completely blind, I do have a moderate visual impairment which can make some games a bit tricky. This ties into the second reason I purchased this game. Everything looked so big and vibrant, easy to do and easy to find. It’s for this reason that I purchased this as my end-of-semester present rather than Kynseed, (though I intend to buy that later). Naturally, I was nervous sinking $20 into a game I’d found on YouTube of all places. However, I am happy to inform whoever is reading this that this game does NOT disappoint!
– Real player with 65.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Casual Simulation Games.
Really, really wish Steam would allow “Neutral” or “Informational” reviews.
Verdant Skies is a really interesting game that’s actually not that good but I put 30 hours into it anyway for a few reasons. The gameplay is really pretty shitty but it has some wonderful ideas and mechanisms and perhaps most importantly for my typical reader, it’s really committed to making a farm sim that goes above and beyond in terms of race and gender. If those things are important to you this is definitely worth checking out, but if you need high polish and deep gameplay first and foremost it’s probably not for you.
– Real player with 31.3 hrs in game
Voodoo Garden
This little title had the potential to be a really good idle game.
Voodoo Garden lures you in with its cute art style and interesting setting that sets it apart from other similar clicker games. The premise is simple; earn gold from the creation of stereotypical voodoo-styled items that uses various ingredients (flowers, leaves, fruit, nuts and animal parts), you then use your resulting income to buy more plants, totems to attract animals and other assorted upgrades. Along the way you can purchase, raise and sacrifice a number of domestic animals to build up a work force of spirits. These spirits then aid you in the growth and collection of more plant based materials. From the outset gameplay seems simple and enjoyable (insofar as idle, clicker games go) until one begins to notice the flaws that slowly creep in. While I’ve tried my best to weigh the pros and cons of Voodoo Garden (see the very end of this review), there are, at least in my opinion three major faults in the game that demand elaboration.
– Real player with 51.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Casual Indie Games.
When I bought Voodoo Garden I didn’t realize it was really a clicker game. That is OK though- I like clicker games. What I don’t like, however, are bad clicker games.
Unfortunately Voodoo Garden just doesn’t work for me. Some parts are ok: the art is nice and consistent, the music and sound effects are very good, and the overall vibe is nice. But the actual game is lacking in some key ways.
The game’s biggest problem is just that it is very shallow. There is very little to customize and the upgrades are few and far between. The mechanics are very simplistic and also, unlike other clicker games I’ve played, unless the game is open it doesn’t continue to collect things for you.
– Real player with 36.5 hrs in game
Farm Frenzy 4
This is NOT a farming game. It is, in fact, a factory game, the use of farm products as widgets notwithstanding.
If that’s fine with you, then great. Personally I want a FARMING game - without the “social” junk imposed by Farmville.
There is no continuity in this game whatsoever. You are not building a farm, you are not planting crops, you are not able to choose for yourself which farm buildings you want or where they will be placed.
It’s a series of hoops you have to jump through with a set goal, imposed by the game, and totally linear. The only thing that is valued is how fast you can do things. They place the buildings at random so at each new “level”, none of which last more than a few minutes, you are starting over with some random initial conditions. Within each level, the initial settings will be the same, but from one level to the next, you are starting with different buildings placed in varying and seemingly random locations, and with a variable number of farm animals and varying amounts of startup cash.
– Real player with 341.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Casual Agriculture Games.
I have never played any of the prior Farm Frenzy games except the demos. FF4 is a surprisingly addictive game. I am used to buying and playing high-budget AAA games and playing a “casual” game like FF4 is a different experience for me.
I was introduced to “time-management” games recently and I am enjoying this genre because it requires a bit of fast-paced thinking, not just clicking. FF4 can get a little hectic and it takes a while to get through the entire campaign. It is very difficult to collect all the Steam Achievements due to how many rounds there are in the entire campaign.
– Real player with 76.6 hrs in game
The Islander
At first I thought this game was a tad bit shit, with zero tutorial and a little character who does nothing but run in a confused manner around on paths you set down. But here I am, currently 33 hours into the game, trying to collect all of the awards. I did not, for one second, think that it would be that difficult to collect 28 achievements, but as the items grow higher in price, it’s suddenly very difficult. At some points you have to pay 234K for a singular chicken who will provide you with 150 coins at most. That being said, taking the price into consideration, it was not a waste of money. There is little content, with about five items in each section being slowly unlocked, yet there is enough to satisfy the small price tag.
– Real player with 51.1 hrs in game
Its a dumbed down version of the farming in stardew valley. If youve played any clicker game, Youll figure out the game in no time. Appears to be easy to ideal play once you get a cocobot or two, and is relaxing. Great for casually passing the time.
Doesnt tell you anything in terms of what to do, but like i said if youve played a clicker game, its that concept. The option menus has symbols but no text to tell you what the symbols mean. so I had to take a hopeful guess at which one was save.
The game works smooth in windowed mode, but when I put it into full screen, it because slow and choppy. And steam achievements arent progressing or popping at the moment. This may be a bug
– Real player with 23.8 hrs in game
24 Solar Terms
Introduction
24 Solar Terms is a puzzle-finding game based on the traditional Chinese twenty-four solar terms. Our game connects the climate and farming of solar terms through farming proverbs, myths and fables. Use sharp eyes and quick wit to help local farmers solve various problems. You will be guided through your journey with proverbial prompts and cultural clues. Let’s experience the story of 24 solar terms together!
Features
Learn Agriculture and Proverbs in the Story
- Use traditional agricultural proverbs, and principles of farming and climate to solve puzzles. Discover the tranquility and calm of Chinese farming life through a gentle learning experience.
Search and Use Key Items
- Observe and find out what the farmers need. When you are stuck, try to think outside of the box - 24 Solar Terms rewards creativity.
Remove Obstacles and Solve Puzzles
- As you solve puzzles, see the world around you change. Enjoy subtle references to traditional Chinese myths as your actions affect the lives of your people.
Mini Games and Multiple Branches
- Play mini games to relax your mind and eyes. Moreover, hidden objects and side quests are waiting for you. Don’t miss them!
Quiet and Leisurely Art Style
- Our illustration shows the changing of the four seasons in detail. Find relaxation in our small, peaceful villages, and their gentle passage of time.
Farm Frenzy 2
the second outing of this casual gameplay favourite is bigger and better than ever. The perfect game to kill short pockets of time
89/100
– Real player with 39.1 hrs in game
Great game and doable with each level. Very informative on how to play the game too which is added bonus. So addictive to play it
– Real player with 23.5 hrs in game
Farm Frenzy
[EN]
No matter how old you are – this game is for everybody. It’s quite old hence very low system requirements. Nice music and quite good graphics, though in 4:3 format. Forty-eight levels, of which at least a few is really hard to complete in the best time. Sixteen awards, some of which are quite difficult to accomplish so the best way is to find some clues on the internet. If you want to get all awards and beat all levels in the best time you must plan most of them very well and prepare for many frustrating repetitions. Highly recommended especially on sale.
– Real player with 66.0 hrs in game
I used to love this game when I was younger and I am so happy that it got converted to steam. I completed every level within a week of when I got this because I was so excited.
– Real player with 49.3 hrs in game
Farmer’s Defence
Start off as a simple Farmer: plow, plant, water, and harvest your plants.
Slowly weeds start creeping and spreading threatening to destroy your plants and take over your farm.
Armed with your bare hands you will have to pull out all those weeds before they get out of control.
As time progresses it will become increasingly difficult to fend off those weeds. There are upgrades and tools in the shop to help you push back.
How long will you last before the weeds take over your farm? How much money will you have by then?
Features
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Pay attention to your plants’ condition. To get the most money for a plant you will have to harvest it just in time. Sell your plant while it’s still fresh otherwise it will begin to rot.
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Keep a vigilant eye on the creeping weeds. Once the weeds grow out of control and start becoming thick, it will be much more difficult to get rid of them.
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Invest your hard earned cash on Fertilizers, Herbicides, upgrades and better tools.
Farmers Co-op: Out of This World
The soils have become infertile for your home world, and you have found new hope on these distant planets with the help of the generous inhabitants living on them. At last, fresh food can be grown/produced again on these beautiful but alien lands.
In Farmers Co-op: Out of This World, your job is to work together as a farming team to produce as much crop/food as possible within the time limit and beam them back home. In a particular order from tillilng, sowing, watering, harvesting to shipping, its co-op farming fun at its best! It won’t be that easy though, environmental hazards, human errors, crop pests and more will be in your way to test the chemistry and collaboration between you and three others.
Flora’s Fruit Farm
Massive Problems. Riddicilous.
I love this kind of games, and even though I am 26, I still play these. But this game is DISRESPECTFUL towards customers. There are HUGE visual bugs, game-play bugs, it’s just impossible to play for me. Trees are just growing by themselves when I alt-tab’d the game, my user profile just dissapperaed with all my progress, etc etc etc, it’s just… argh… I don’t even have words for my frustration. I would demand refund if it was possible, it is THAT bad of an experience for me.
– Real player with 10.3 hrs in game
While the first impression is that this is a child game, this game is actually as fun as Plant vs Zombies.
It isn’t tower defense style, it is more of a timing management game (ie. store management, flight controller, etc), you have to keep an eye on your customer queue and your “factory” (tree) and make sure your products (fruit) will be available on time, or at least so that you don’t lose too much money if you fail.
The game is easy at the beginning and if you rush starts getting hard after world 3, you are allowed to grind for upgrades on the previous levels, although with diminishing returns. You are also given a lot of bonus items to make your life easier on the later levels, or whenever you want extra help. The UI is excellent because it doesn’t force you to give each command on time, you can queue comands and just watch the level unfold (and this has its own mechanic as you can’t cancel them, so you may screw yourself up if some future event doesn’t unfold as expected).
– Real player with 10.0 hrs in game