If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you may already know of my hateship with Canadian Winter (which I may or may not have just typed with a giant stink face, it’s up to your imagination). The moment it starts getting somewhere below the 18-degree mark or mid-September rolls around, I start preparing for hibernation like I’m a small, grumpy woodland bear. Part of that is bringing out the winter wardrobe way too early. The other is an attempt to get the most out of reasonably livable weather any way I can, whether it’s going on a run, a much less intense walk, or sitting outside and cursing the sun for deigning to set before 6 PM (which it always inevitably does). When all else fails, as it never fails to do, I lumber my grumbly self inside and hunker down with the only way I can bring the outside in during the long, cold, grey months of winter (my beloathed): farming simulators.

If you’re not familiar with what I mean by farming simulators, let me give you the rundown. These video games are pretty much what they say on the tin: they’re (for the most part) an easy, go-at-your-own-pace experience where you design, manage, and care for your own little plot of farmland (plus a few adorably round and chunky animal friends). They’ve existed since the 90s and have had multiple takes on the genre, with their own niche mechanics and new additions. For the beginner or less intense gamer they’re great hours of fun, and if you hate the outdoors come mid-fall like me, they’re perfect. They’re characteristically colorful (unless you’re playing one of the more gothic takes like Graveyard Keeper) which means you get to completely ignore the lovely array of browns and greys outside your window while you game. Plus, many of the newer iterations of farming sims have a multiplayer function, so you don’t even need to brave the cold to hang out with your friends (and that’s a win in my book). Farming simulators are all the rage in the independent gaming sphere too, so if you want to support a small, start-up gaming developer look no further than games like Coral Island, Dinkum, or PuffPals Island Skies (which I’m looking forward to simply for the frog named Bean).

Since there are so many choices to choose from and only so much gaming time (unless you’re an indoorswoman like me), let me give you some of my top picks that you can pick up here at the library.

I couldn’t make this blog post without mentioning the quintessential farming simulator game and the series that kicked off the whole genre in 1996. While we don’t have the original Harvest Moon (known as Farm Story in Japan and rebranded as Story of Seasons in 2014) on our shelves, we have several of the later sequels available to check out. I’m probably dating myself saying that I’m a little sad I can’t find the GameCube version I grew up with, but for those who want the updated graphics and don’t have an ancient gaming system from the early 2000s at home, you can try the remastered PS5 version from our library shelves. It has the same cast of familiar characters, even cuter animals, and the tried-and-true plotline of “clueless youngster disillusioned with city life inherits land from deceased father/grandfather/other relative”. I also give Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life bonus points for having the simplest of fishing mechanics that keeps the rage-quitting at bay.

But if you want a little action and adventure injected into your farming sims, give Rune Factory a spin. It takes the best of Story of Seasons (which it’s a spinoff of) and adds the widely popular parts of fantasy-action RPGs (roleplaying games). The cast of characters are a little more fleshed out and there’s dungeon crawling with an array of weird creatures and monsters to slay if your hands aren’t already full with watering, pulling weeds, or milking cows (or some other fantastical version of a cow). If you’re trying your hardest to escape Canadian Winter (bleh), then traveling to another world where you’ve forgotten your identity, then been declared a prince or princess after being unceremoniously kicked from an airship (at least in Rune Factory 4’s story) is one way to do it. Though it is still beyond me how royal duties include tilling soil and other farm grunt work… but hey, I’m not complaining.

Keeping on theme with farming and fantasy elements, Fae Farm is an equally charming adventure I’ll be passing countless winter months with. If you’re a fan of classic storybooks full of cute rhymes, then you’ll be easily drawn into the aesthetic of the magical world of Azoria. It’s a place full of fae creatures and villagers to meet, crops to grow, and living furniture-infested caves to spelunk. You’ll be so enamored with your fairy farm that you might almost forget that the reason you have it is that you’re shipwrecked and stranded like the rest of the islanders, trapped by an ocean filled with whirlpools. There’s enough content in the game to keep your hands full though, and of all the farming simulators I’ve played, it’s somewhere at the top for those with an eye for design. There’s an almost endless amount of crafting options to fill your cozy little cottage with, but word to the wise: this is a game that definitely benefits from having some friends to play with. There’s so much to do and only so little time in a game’s day that dividing and conquering is going to make earlier gameplay go that much faster so you can get to the good stuff (and if you happen to hate fishing, the good news is you won’t have to do it if you “delegate” right). If you’ve played before and haven’t picked up the game in a bit, developer Phoenix Labs has also added plenty of free DLC (downloadable content) for the Switch version of the game we have at VPL, with new storylines, craftables, challenging puzzles, and dungeons to delve. I have spent way too much time in the kingdom of critters looking for a pet frog I can name Bean. Maybe that’s why there’s so much to do and still so little time…

That brings me to my top farming simulator pick (and probably to the surprise of no one), Stardew Valley. It has all the classic notes of what made me fall in love with Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and the genre overall, with a dash of snark for the evil mega-corporation of your choice. Stardew Valley also gets bonus points from me for having the most frustratingly difficult fishing mechanic I’ve ever seen in farming sims (so difficult in fact that in a later update, it had to be made easier and is still rage-quitting worthy hard!). You arrive in small, cozy, 8-bit Pelican Town after having quit your dull 9 to 5 job pushing pencils for JojaMart (which I type with as much disdain as Canadian Winter), looking to claim your inheritance which your beloved grandfather left for you upon his passing. Unfortunately, said inheritance is a rundown farm that you have to clean and build from the ground up. But never fear, a self-proclaimed professional indoorswoman is on the case (with some friends). The multiplayer function in Stardew Valley is, in my opinion, second to none, if only for the fact I have mastered the craft of in-game shenanigans. I have several PhDs in strategic furniture placement and an undergrad in Stardew Valley: Stealth Mode. All to say, if you’re playing with me and ever have the unfortunate circumstance of me obtaining one too many chicken statues (there’s never enough chicken statues), prepare to be blocked from entering your homey log cabin or from getting out of bed the next day while I cackle a laugh worthy of a mustache-twirling villain (did I mention I can and will be a menace in multiplayer games?).

Besides letting me give in to my chaotic urges, Stardew Valley has a ton to offer. You can choose between several different farm layouts and environments that have varying levels of difficulty to make things interesting for veteran players like me. There are a handful of mines to explore and weird creatures to hack and slash for the adventurous types. There are alternate story paths (but who wants to go back to working for JojaMart anyway?) with some of the more in-depth villager storylines I’ve come across in the farming simulator genre. There’s even some new, surprising content that comes with the latest update to the game, but I don’t want to spoil that here. If you haven’t gotten your Stardew Valley fill yet and the array of pixelated recipes in-game has you hungry, you can also take a peek inside the official cookbook created by Eric Barone (the independent developer of Stardew Valley) and avid gamer Ryan Novak.  

Hopefully, these picks have inspired you to join the Great Indoors Club. If you’re picking up your controller to join me, I’ll leave the door open. Until next time, I wish you a bountiful digital harvest and some very happy gaming!