Fae Farm review: "A low-stakes, inclusive, and supremely cozy farming sim"

Imagine a fantastic world of exploration and frivolity, one that feels more like a magic-infused working holiday than a simple farming sim. That's what Fae Farm delivers, and it does so with inclusivity and empowerment at its heart. Not only is Fae Farm an enchanting life sim – with RPG elements, to boot – the devs over at Phoenix Labs have managed to learn from all the mistakes previous farming sims have made, and iterate on them with enormous grace.

Aside from the MySims chibi aesthetic, and comprehensive Stardew Valley style mechanics, there's a sprinkling of that wide-eyed Disney Dreamlight Valley magic here, topped with a touch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque collectors' charm. There are more unlocks, upgrades, and craftables than you could shake a magic staff at, and heaps of heartfelt, cutesy story to uncover as the seasons pass. It's a game marked by easy-to-understand systems that lighten the cerebral load, so you can get on with being the intensely unique, somewhat ethereal farmer you've always wanted to be. And multiplayer mode means you can enjoy the quiet life with friends, too!

Variety is the spice of life

As is to be expected from a game with Fae in the title, Phoenix Labs has added they/them pronouns, androgynous voices, and allows you to pick any style of hair or clothing that you like, regardless of your character's gender. There's a good range of body shapes to choose from, and both Hijab and Turban headdresses, as well as dreadlocks and cornrows all make an appearance in the character creator – always a good sign.

Customization is a big focus in Fae Farm, and you'll have a chance to express your individuality in countless ways. Throughout the game, you're encouraged to craft furniture for your house. Doing so changes your cozy rating, and will improve your maximum health, energy, and mana – it's a really interesting mechanic, and makes decorating more of a strategic endeavor. 

While it doesn't affect your cozy rating, you can recolor clothing, furniture, and decor to suit your personal style. There's an entire spectrum of color swatches to unlock, and the ability to change different color regions of an item, for maximum tailoring freedom. It's nowhere near as comprehensive as something like The Sims 3's create-a-style, but I appreciate the leeway the game offers for different tastes; sometimes I want to go full goth, and other times I want to recreate the Barbie Dream House. And Fae Farm doesn't stop there in cutting us slack for our differences. 

Fight, or flight

Beginning with a message in a bottle, a shipwreck, and a warm welcome from the "responsible Mayor" Merritt, Fae Farm works quickly to highlight its layers. While the game's overall vibe is cozy and heartwarming, the isle of Azoria is not without its dangers. From the Plains of Plenty, to the Spooky Woods and beyond, there's perils enough to keep you on your toes. 

With the island surrounded by whirlpools, an active volcano threatening to pop off, and wild magic having turned quite literally "a bunch of junk" into monsters called Jumbles, it's a wonder anyone around here can eke out a peaceful life. And yet, there is placidity at the center of every undertaking in the game, or at least the potential to play avoiding potential stresses through a different strategy. 

When in combat, down in one of three multi-level dungeons located around Azoria, the troublesome Jumbles will announce their next attack with a helpful area of effect marker so you always know when you're about to get thwacked. Not only that, there are potions of protection, and even invisibility, so those who'd rather avoid battle altogether can remain unseen. 

There's no need to clear a dungeon before the next level will open, either. Just find the switch and move along; after that, the door stays open so there's no need to find the switch again. And if you want to jump straight to where you left off, you can craft seals from the materials gathered throughout the mines that let you teleport instantly to each floor, and automatically open the next door. 

All of this combines to make dungeon crawling much less stress-inducing, as you know you can take it bit by bit and pick up where you left off. And it’s quite empowering knowing where your enemy is about to strike. 

The easy life

Teleporting between dungeon's isn't the half of it. Certain crafted seals will unlock Wayshrines, so you can zip about between all corners of the map. Not that travel is a pain in the first place. Phoenix Labs has made moving around a pleasure with the simple ability to jump – something not many farming sims have made use of. Uh, bunnyhopping is in this season. 

One of the great pleasures of Fae Farm is that if it looks like you can get somewhere, you can. Or at least you will be able to once you clear away the thorns or ominous fog. This feeds into the somewhat friendly approach to wider progression. When you're out hopping between your daily errands, the game's quest, dungeon, and NPC trackers make it all too easy to find who and what you're looking for. Phoenix Labs has removed a layer of friction from the grind that's typically associated with this style of game, and it's great to see. 

This extends to what happens when you get those resources home too, as crafting has been stripped back to its simplest form. Using a crafting bench such as the loom, food prep table, or gem polisher automatically takes items from your storage shed. And with unlimited space you can just dump your haul and get on with your day.

Importantly, there's an entire layer of stress removed in that there's no need to rush home every night. Stay out until midnight, or run out of stamina? There'll be no passing out, or losing half your cash to a thieving mayor. Dirty-stop-outs just wake up in their bed at 6am sharp, and the overworked just… cease to work. Orbs scattered about the map can also help you replenish your energy, in case you run out of snacks.

Still, gathering food is a doddle, and amazingly that includes the fishing system. With a gentle reel-when-white, rest-when-red system, it doesn't stress me out nearly as much as the awkward keepy-uppy minigame Stardew Valley subjects its players to. If that's still too difficult, there's an easy fishing mode in the accessibility menu, as well.

Tool switching errs on the approachable side, too. While there's no hotbar for your items, the quick switch tool menu simplifies everything to a simple left/right scroll, and Fae Farm auto-selects the work tool depending on the resource you approach, too. There'll be no more accidentally hitting your crops with your ax, then. The cherry on the UX cake for me comes in the form of a quicktip popup when you hit a low stamina, health, or mana level. It's a simple, accessible tooltip that suggests a consumable in your inventory to rectify said deficit. There is a danger that it will encourage you to slurp up your quest items, though, so you have to stay alert to that.

A hurdle here and there

While the fighting is light, and the stress is low, there are of course hurdles that keep your character struggling on. Life isn't all fairy dust and frivolity here in Azoria. Daily life may be gentle and unassuming, but the summers and frozen areas of the map add hot and cold mechanics that prevent your character from working as hard as they could be. The effects can be waived by cooling and warming drinks or potions, which are easy to craft or buy. So while it adds a little stress into the mix, even the danger of freezing doesn't weigh too heavily when the game simply transports you back to safety in an ice block when you get too cold.

My biggest gripe is when it comes to Fae Farm's inventory UI. While you can sort your home inventory by item type or value, you can't do so in your backpack. Consolidating stacks is also a little awkward. There is a handy shortcut to stack all your items from your backpack into existing home storage stacks, but no button to merge stacks in your backpack without removing and adding things again. 

It's a minor thing, though it's exacerbated somewhat by the fact there's no way to split a stack by half, or change the number of items selected in increments. Nor can you click and hold to increase the number of items faster. You're also limited to one item per slot (no stacking) on each of your four market stalls—that's how you sell your goods overnight. It means you have to be selective about what items you sell on what day, and with only eight slots per table it makes me glad you can unlock your own craftable market stall later down the line. It's another thing to work towards, I suppose.

A learned experience

From farming, to foraging, to swimming in the sea, Fae Farm has blessed me with a universal calmness. Thanks to its accessible and forgiving mechanics, the game never feels like a grind. You're always just shy of the number of resources needed for the next upgrade or unlock, and just following the main mission will see you leveling up your RPG style fishing, farming, and cooking skills in good time. With plenty of items, mysteries, and areas to unlock – including other towns and potential second homes – there's always something pushing you to keep up the super-chill momentum.

I have to applaud the devs for the simplicity of Fae Farm, and that they have had the courage to challenge and do away with features that aren't conducive to a calming atmosphere. It may be simply too relaxing for some, but this is a game aimed at anyone averse to feeling rushed, pressured, or otherwise stressed. And it'll still have you lapping up the joys of adventure and invention, without it feeling like hard work.