Developer: NPC Studio
Available on: Steam PC
Ten years ago, Stardew Valley was an inflection point for an entire genre. An engrossing, deeply engaging, but also completely accessible farm sim that celebrated everything about the genre, while also moving it forward into a new generation.
And, in many ways, Fields of Mistria is even better.
Read on for our review of Fields of Mistria!
Fields of Stardew Valley
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: you’re a wide-eyed newcomer arriving at a quaint small town on its collective back foot. You take over an old, overgrown family farm that’s seen better days. The town is full of friendly, helpful people. The mines are full of cute monsters. And crops always produce yields, provided you water them every day. Oh, and time is always ticking; you only have so much health and stamina to get stuff done each day, and each season.
I just described most games in the farm sim genre, but especially the juggernaut that is Stardew Valley, which, thanks to its similar art style and layout, Fields of Mistria so closely resembles.
As a veteran of many of those games, I quickly picked up Fields of Mistria, yet still appreciated its gradual tutorial and cozy story progression. With my sizable plot of soil, starter tools, and handful of seeds, I diligently start my farming empire. I turn meager profits into more seeds, and expand my crop variety. I save up to buy my first big inventory expansion (an early pain point for the game), and make sure to get those multi-harvesting strawberry plants planted by mid-Spring.
The town of Mistria is laid out smartly, with a clearly labeled general store for buying speeds, and a large inn for group meet-ups and cooking. Once I unlock the mines, I can smelt ingots and improve my tools at the blacksmith, while woodworking can be done in town, or at the carpenter’s shop to the east (where I also purchase farm upgrades and plot expansions). There’s also some nooks and crannies to explore, and rare seasonal foragables to find.
And all the while, I’m constantly donating each new item I find to the museum just west of town, which in turn offers fun and cute cosmetic rewards and treasures. It all works in concert toward a magnificently paced farm sim.
But the real secret sauce to Fields of Mistria lie with its characters.
Friday Nights at the Sleeping Dragon
Every Friday night, a group of townsfolk get together at the inn to play a legally distinct parody of tabletop RPG, Dungeons & Dragons. I’m terribly invested in their adventures. One of the player’s character names is Bad Brad the Bearded Bard!
Townsfolk are often found doing group meetups together, whether playing cards in the inn, working at the blacksmith, or having tea together in a gazeebo. Hearing their discussions about recent events, or seasons, or ongoing drama really makes me feel part of the world (even though I haven’t been invited to weekly game night, yet).
The writing and storylines for these characters is absolutely fantastic, and I’ve only scratched the surface. There are over 20 characters in town (about half of who are romanceable), and even more that arrive for the weekly Saturday Vendor’s Market (once unlocked). Junior blacksmith March is surly, and a bit jealous of me being the hotshot new arrival. Juniper is a sassy witch, but she cares about the town (and runs the bathhouse!). Balor looks like a heroic JRPG mage, and well-traveled.
My heart will surely belong to Adeline, the pink-haired manager of the town, alongside her brother, Eiland. Burdened with extra responsibility while their parents are away, the siblings are nonetheless fully capable of helping restore the town to before the devastating earthquake. With my help, of course!
The townsfolk are a needy bunch, but that benefits the player in the form of requests. Almost every single a day, a new request (or three) pops up on the town board. Anything from a cooked meal or crafted piece of furniture, to a literal rock. Completing these requests increases my relationship, rewards money, and improves the town renown, which in turn unlocks more goodies, money, and major story events.
Completing requests and progressing town renown is an excellent way to pace a farm sim. Even though I’m bound by the clock every day, I never feel overtly pressured to get too many things done. Even just selling my usual crops or meals or scavenged artifacts yields a bit of renown.
Plus, doing any activity rewards skill points that be exchanged for helpful perks, such as reducing crafting time, getting more yields, stamina improvements, or a jump-attack. And that’s to say nothing of the incredibly powerful magic spells I can earn, such as instantly watering all my crops, which operate on lengthy cooldowns.
Fields of Mistria isn’t quite perfect, however. The pixel art can make identifying characters on the map, or items in my bag, annoyingly challenging. And too many main quests and big farm upgrades require an absolutely ridiculous amount of wood, creating an annoying and repetitive bottleneck of doing nothing but chopping trees for days on end — or simply spending loads of money at the carpenter’s store.
The Rating
Fields of Mistria has not been rated by the ESRB. It’s similar in tone to Stardew Valley, which earned a T rating, but Fields of Mistria lacks blood wit its cute object-based monsters, making it a bit more kid-friendly. In our database, we suggest an age rating of 10+.
The Takeaway
If you at all enjoyed (or still enjoy!) Stardew Valley, you will absolutely adore Fields of Mistria. If you like playing cozy farm sims, you will love Fields of Mistria. If you like chill music, good writing, intuitive gameplay, and perfect pacing, you owe it to yourself to play one of the best games of the year.
Fields of Mistria is available on Steam.
