In the world of farming simulators, MeinMMO editor Jasmin feels most at home. It’s no wonder that the colorful Fae Farm immediately caught her attention on Steam. After eight chapters and just over 25 hours of gameplay, she can share why she was convinced by the fairy world and what weaknesses it has.
For several years now, farming simulators have been experiencing a real boom. With pioneers like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, and Story of Seasons, newcomers find it hard to compete against the giants of the genre.
Fae Farm is one of those games that stands out from the masses. With its first trailers, the title immediately captivated me: instead of a dusty farming routine, there is magic, fairy creatures, and friendship.
Especially in terms of visuals, Fae Farm immediately caught my interest. So I couldn’t help but test the game. I had a lot of fun immersing myself in the game world, but there were some weaknesses that pulled me out of the immersion of the fairy world.
See for yourself in the trailer for Fae Farm:
Cute, cuter, Fae Farm
At the start of Fae Farm, we are warmly welcomed in Azoria. Immediately upon our arrival, we receive a patch of land and can do what we can do in other farming simulations.
With our character, we create fields and plant vegetables, fruits, and flowers. From resources we find in nature and in the dungeon at the beach, we craft various furniture or produce resources that allow us to unlock fast travel points.
The first third of the game proceeds pretty much as we know it from many other farming simulators. But as soon as we reach the fourth chapter, a whole new world opens up for us: the realm of fairies.
The realm of fairies can be entered through a magical portal that emits dangerous miasma. It is up to us to free the world from the toxic gas. Once we succeed, the inhabitants of the fairy world return.
And this is where the real start of the game begins for me. I was completely fascinated by the fairy world and couldn’t get enough of the colorful colors. Picture a beautiful fairy tale kingdom with mythical creatures and enchanting plants — that’s exactly how the fairy realm in Fae Farm looks.
Instead of the mundane rabbits and cows as barn animals, there are two other cute fairy creatures that we can keep in the barn. Even the “bugs” that we can hunt here are not ordinary insects. In the fairy world, blobs, primitive fairy beings, and other cute figures roam.
Instead of normal firs and oaks, there are trees with purple trunks and crazy mushrooms that could come from a foreign planet. Entering the fairy world is an overkill for the eyes, which I completely loved.
It’s no wonder that I quickly relocated my headquarters to the realm of fairies. The game allows us to occupy three different buildings, of which I have developed the house in the fairy realm the most. Because here I felt most comfortable.
Even the inhabitants look as I imagined them in a magical world. They all have pointy ears and wear fairy wings on their backs. The characters seem much more complex and interesting than the people waiting in the rest of Azoria.
The big twist comes later: with the unlocking of the fairy world, we also receive our own wings and can perform a double jump. This allows for even freer exploration of the world.
And as if that weren’t enough magic, there is even a magic wand with which we can cast four different spells. These help us not only in combat but even support us on the farm.
And that’s exactly the kind of world I’ve wished for in other farming simulations for a while. It brings a certain freshness to the dusty genre and showcases some innovations that other genre representatives could take note of.
The work doesn’t have to be done alone
Another big plus that not all farming simulations offer is the multiplayer aspect of Fae Farm. There is both a coop mode and an online mode, where up to three other players can assist us with farm work.
In this case, one player is the host and provides their world to the other players. Progress is only saved for the host.
However, even though multiplayer is a special feature, it falls short of modes from other games.
When my colleague wanted to join my game world, he couldn’t use his character but ended up back in the character editor. He wasn’t allowed to use his own character to visit me.
What was retained, however, was the status of his equipment. I actually intended for my colleague to act as a slave and mine ores in the dungeons for me. But he wasn’t as far along as I was and could only mine the cheapest ores. Annoying.
In Stardew Valley, for example, each player has their own cabin and is counted as a full-fledged individual. This means that each player can marry an NPC and have children with them. Players can even marry each other.
Unfortunately, a guest player in Fae Farm lacks such a status. From the trailer, I hoped that each player would be counted equally and could decide whether to take their loot back to their own world.
But despite all the criticism, I could be glad that there is a multiplayer mode at all. The farming genre is perfect for multiple players to gather resources together and tackle the daily farm life. Still, only a fraction offers this option.
With these three features, Fae Farm becomes the perfect fairy holiday:
Love is one-sided
The biggest point that disappointed me in Fae Farm is the relationship system. The love life is similar to many other games: to win the heart of our great love, we must talk to her daily and give her gifts.
Sometimes a little date comes out of it, but it runs very lovelessly. Our date holds a monologue and either tells us what they like and why they are interested in us. There are no events that offer multiple response options, giving us the feeling that we have won over our beloved.
Even the daily dialogues are rather loveless. The characters often say the same thing, even after we have married them.
The curious part comes next: after the wedding, our sweetheart doesn’t sleep in a double bed with us but spends the night outside in a hammock in front of the house. Even dusty titles like Harvest Moon do better, where our partner at least doesn’t have to sleep outside in wind and weather.
In general, I noticed that the characters are only casually introduced and do not have as strong a personality as in other titles. Need an example? One of the candidates we can choose as our great love is Argyle. He is a nerd with a fascination for frogs. He hardly has any other unique features, making him directly uninteresting to me.
In games like Rune Factory, I enjoy that the characters have their own intro when introduced and sprites in dialogue windows. Many of the characters I get to know better in their own quests and find out what problems they face in their daily lives and what backgrounds they come from.
I don’t get that feeling in Fae Farm. All candidates lack character depth and are just figures meant to populate the game world.
By the way, during my playthrough, I chose the fairy Pyria, who enjoys reading books and makes depressive comments. With that, she at least touched my heart a little.
Fae Farm is a charming game that lacks charm in love
I really enjoyed my time in the fairy world at the end of Fae Farm. Even after 25 hours, I couldn’t get enough of the world that looks like it’s out of a picture book.
The fairy world and its introduction into the game are the biggest positives of Fae Farm for me. Anyone looking for some variety in the farming genre and has a fondness for fairies is likely to find great pleasure in this.
I was somewhat disappointed by the multiplayer mode. The first trailers suggested to me that multiple players could have fun together in one world. But in the end, we found that each player must be at the same point in the story for the campaign to be played together.
Otherwise, the collaboration boils down to one player farming resources for the other. Instead of shared adventures, there is only mining in caves. At least it’s possible to play together.
The biggest disappointment hit me when looking for a suitable marriage candidate. All characters had little personality to offer. Even after we entered into the marriage bond, my spouse remained a stranger to me and preferred to sleep outside rather than in the warm bed with me.
By the end of the game, I left my partner behind and went on adventure trips in the fairy world every day. Here, I truly wished for more love for detail.
Jasmin Beverungen
MeinMMO freelancer, hobby farmer, and dating expert
