We all have that one thing that we love to do to unwind and relax. Some like to read, some like to run, and some – like myself – like to game. As a cozy gamer, I am always escaping into my little virtual worlds to relax. I play a variety games for fun, but there is one game that always has me coming back for that relaxation and escapism that can only come from the deep level of immersiveness from that particular game. That game is Animal Crossing: New Horizons… Well, at least it was…
Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Animal Crossing: New Horizons and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I started playing ACNH when it released in March 2020 and it very quickly became a source of comfort and joy during a time that was anything but comforting and joyful. It was the cozy game that the world needed at that time as it was that perfect point of escapism and connection that we all needed, and for the past 3 years it has continued to be that source of comfort and joy and escape for so many people. For me, however, after 3 years of appeasing my favourite tycoon raccoon – aka, Tom Nook – it became a little… stale. So to say I was ready for something new to captivate me in such a way that ACNH did would be an understatement.
Fast forward to September 2023, and the world was given Fae Farm. Fae Farm is a farm life sim game with RPG (role playing game) elements. It is set in the magical world of Azoria, and you are able to build, grow and manage your very own homestead on the island. It was developed by Phoenix Labs and is available to play on Nintendo Switch and PC.
I had been really excited about this release after seeing all the promotions for it, and I picked it up on release day. When I started playing I immediately fell in love with it. It’s going on almost 2 months now since its release and I am still loving it as much as the day that I started playing, and it has been an immense source of stress relief and relaxation for me in a similar way that ACNH was.
So, what is it about this game that makes it so great? Honestly, there is just so much about Fae Farm that I love, it’s hard to know where to begin. I love the cute animation style. I love the relaxing music. I love the way that time passes quickly instead of in real time so that I can progress my game quicker and also not have to stress about if I miss a day or two or miss something at a particular time, and I can just come back to my farm and pick things up right where I left off. I love that I can play solo or join my friends. I love the customisation of my character. I love that there is a story element, and there are quests, side quests, and relationships to build. I love that there are achievements and a record of everything you discover. I love the fishing mechanics. I love that there is mining, farming, farming, cooking, and all sorts of creating. There is just so much to love about this game, but the thing that I love most is the sense of calm that it brings me. There is just something about it that helps me to clear my mind and escape all the stress and anxiety that I may be experiencing and helps put me in a better mindset to deal with what is getting me so anxious.
Not all games are perfect though. I have experienced some clipping issues, freezing, items getting stuck, my character getting stuck in a fence (yes, IN a fence), and one instance of the entire game crashing (thank goodness for auto-save); but other than that I have had an overall positive experience with this game. However, there have been patches that have helped resolve a lot of issues wit the game, so game play is always improving.
Fae Farm may just be my cozy game of the year; it absolutely was the cozy game that I didn’t know that I needed this year. It has provided me such immense levels of comfort and relaxation, taken away some really heavy feelings of stress and anxiety when nothing else was helping, and just brought be a great level of joy that a game of this style hasn’t in a while. It’s like the developers too all the best aspects of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and The Sims, put them in a blender and mixed together the most magical smoothie of a game that just hits all the right spots.
Rating: 8/10
Until next time,
my neuro diaries 
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