Recent reviews by michelle!!

as of writing this, when i'm not playing, i'm thinking about playing. it's super addicting and the endless gameplay loop makes it easy to lose track of time. if you're looking for a toned down version of something like overcooked, this could be it! the game is simple and not too challenging. you can scale the difficulty by picking the recipes you're comfortable with completing.

that being said, i wish there was a harder/extreme gamemode with an increased chance for negative rougelike procs. i've been running an ALL-RECIPES coffee caravan and i haven't really broken a sweat. not a deal breaker though, because the game is still fun as it is!

i love my dragon quest tamagotchi!!!

fae farm is so addicting, i love it. ~75 hours, 28/35 achievements.
another game in a similar realm that i really love playing is dinkum.

first, to address some annoyances:

• there are quite a few bugs. devs have acknowledged them and are working on fixes. that said none of them have stopped my ability to progress the main story or play my save file. there are workarounds or saving and reloading fixes most issues.
  
• multiplayer can be real finnicky. i've played ~40 hours as a guest of another world and the bugs were frustrating, but a lot were fixed by asking the host to save and me relogging.
  
• when entering a multiplayer world for the first time you have to create a new character. not really sure why this bothers people so much... a lot of multiplayer games work this way... minecraft is a big one.
  
• the farm animals have really weird hitboxes which makes it hard to target them. when interacting with them you also get animation locked and it doesn't feel great at all. hopefully they'll fix this soon, because it does take some time to manage your animals if they're all bunched up together. fortunately, you don't need to pet them everyday, you can use the wave emote to pull them away, or interact with them as they come outside in the morning.
  
• a weekly quest, called "contracts" sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. super annoying, but it's not gamebreaking. the reward for completing one is only gold, so kind of like, 'oh well, next week then'.
  
• villager personalities. dialogue and villager interactions are not a strong point for this game. i know this is a huge deal breaker for a lot of people, but if you're like me and you don't care about dating or romancing npcs then you might be ok.

there are a lot of things that need work, but all the issues and grievances i have do not outweigh the positive experiences i've had with this game. now onto what i love about this game! wooo!

i'm almost done with spring year 2 and have my fav skills maxed at 20. even though i've finished the main story quest there's still so much i want to do. i've become obsessed with breeding hybrid flowers, there are outfits and items i want work on collecting, job quests i can finish, and i can work on decorating my homesteads!!

art and graphics are so stinking cute. the style reminds me of "my sims" on the wii. i also get chibi dauntless vibes from the town. i wonder if the two games take place in the same world?

the animations are fun and bouncy. i love jumping around because my character looks like she has jelly bones.

the soundtrack is wonderful! none of the tracks are out of place or annoying.

player movement is so fluid. running around town is not tedious at all. the terrain has practically no boundaries. if you ever played other games and wondered why you couldn't jump over a fence into the river, this game lets you.

a lot of classic mechanics have a refreshing and fun spin to them.

• an early example is the seasonal crop and fertilizer mechanic. you get a handful of base crops and need to use magic fertilizer to change their type. then you can input these new crops in the "seed maker" and get seasonal seeds.
  
• crops are processed into a simple secondary material that's used in crafting. for example, with this mechanic you never run out of "chopped vegetables" to use in recipes. unless the recipe specifically states that you need a potato (there are only a small few), any root vegetable will work.
  
• unless you want to maximize your exp, you don't even need to pet your animals everyday. if they're fed and happy their happiness doesn't deplete.
  
• your house has a "cozy" meter. adding specific furniture items increases your coziness and rewards you with max health, energy and mana. nice challenge and a neat way to make use of your resources
  
• most clothing items have different dyeable parts. you can buy more color palettes/dyes from various vendors throughout the game. i'm excited to collect all the palettes.
  
• upgrading tools is exciting. the tool abilities are awesome to use.
  
• you are limited to selling 32 items a day, this limit is able to increase as you progress. i like this because you need to be deliberate in what you choose to sell, cooked meals, potions or processed goods. throwing all your crops in a box is boring.

really neat quality of life features that games of this genre lack.

• one thing that i really like is the automatic tool switching. if looking at a tree, your main tool is automatically switched to the axe. if you turn around and look at a rock, your axe will switch to the pickaxe.
  
• the almanac lists all the items in the game and some entries give you a hint on how to obtain the item if you haven't found it yet. definitely a handy tool to have and i find myself referencing it often.
  
• there's a dungeon guide that can be accessed in your main menu or in the dungeon (mine). it tells you which floor and how often you can find specific loot.

progression feels balanced.

• i never ran into issues with energy management early on. in the later game i had a lot of different options for better food.
  
• materials are abundant. if i don't have something it's easy to go get it.
  
• items bought with gold are not expensive. crafting costs are not expensive. inventory upgrades are affordable. throughout my playthrough i never felt like i was getting ripped off when buying something.

"time moves too fast!!"
your character isn't locked out of important content (item upgrades, farm upgrades, etc) by season. most of it is tied to main story progress, some depend on your skill level (new seeds). so i recommend just taking it easy and playing at your own pace. there are even ways to grow seasonal crops at any time of the year.
you can't even buy all the festival items in year 1, so just enjoy the ride cause spring comes again.

"is it worth it?"
this question is so lame, but to put it plainly i paid $50 cad for this game. at the time of writing this i've played ~75 hrs and will play more until i'm ready to move onto my next game. that's 66 cents per hour of entertainment. yeah, i'd say it's been worth it.

anyways, feel free to ask question, i'd be happy to answer them!