One of my favorite genres of video games is sim games. Something about the ability to detach and jump into a fantasy world that allows you to have control over a cute character experiencing cute adventures (or really depressing scenes of a certain sad man going through certain sad things) is super endearing to me. With that being said Everdream Valley scratches that itch for a whimsical and comfortable new sim game!
What Is Everdream Valley?
Everdream Valley is the newest game from publishers Mooneaters, Untold Tales, and VARSAV Game Studio that lets you jump into a farm for your summer vacation. The game begins with a character creator, which is simple and easy to navigate. There are a few different options that you can choose from for hair, hair color, and facial features. Though your clothes aren’t customizable at this moment, once you start exploring the world that will change.
At first, your character isn’t too thrilled to join their grandparents on their farm. Your character is worried about not being with their parents, but slowly they start to warm up to the idea. Once you go through a small story quest you start to get the hang of the game really quickly. I played on the PC and the buttons are as intuitive as they come. Of course, there is remapping for those who might want things reconfigured. The menus are very easy to navigate and everything gives you pointers the first time you experience it.
A Farmer’s Life For You
My first two hours in Everdream Valley were extremely pleasant. During that time, I fixed up a few of the buildings on the farm, like the chicken coop, workbench, and stove area, and also trained my animals. You immediately have a chunky orange cat on your farm, and as the owner of a chunky orange cat in real life, it made me so happy! The best part? You can not only pet the cat, but you can play with the cat! The farm has an area that lets players take their cat through a timed obstacle course while holding a cat toy and it’s honestly the cutest thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this. You also get a dog after proving yourself to your grandpa and you can choose the breed! I picked out a Shiba Inu and his name is Poke. The dog is also trainable and gains levels as you teach it, which you can see in the screenshot below.
Poke the Shiba
Mini-Games
Another great thing about this game is all of the mini-games! Like I mentioned earlier, there is a timed obstacle course that you can run with your cat, but there are a few others I found in the short time playing. On the saw horse, you’re tasked with cutting wood into planks, and to do so you have to move your mouse back and forth with the green marker which is SO much fun and satisfying. There was also a cow milking mini-game which I was not expecting. I loved every single one of the ones I came across and I can’t wait to find more!
Customization
There is a really decent amount of customization of your (grandparents) farm too. You can move everything around, with the exception of the main house and barn, and really make your farm what you want to. As you explore the area you find recipes for food, clothing items, and build items. Each of these can be built in the workbench. There’s also a cool feature where your grandpa gathers items overnight and gives you new supplies each morning. It’s useful when you need items to build a bunch of things. I’m really excited to see what other features I haven’t come across yet! There’s mention of dreams at night that I haven’t even experienced!
Our Verdict on Everdream Valley
If you’re a fan of games like Stardew Valley and My Time At Portia I highly recommend Everdream Valley! This game has the right amount of simplicity and coziness that any gamer could appreciate. I also think that it’s worth the $25 price tag because of how much there is to do in-game! I did receive a review copy, but I would happily pay full price!
This is such a cute game and I can definitely see myself spending a lot more hours on it, especially when I just want something to wind down with. It’s currently available on Steam, PS4, and PS5, and if you’re interested you can check out the launch trailer here.
Have you played Everdream Valley yet? Let us know in the comments below!
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