The Farming One

This review is for the IGMC 2014 version.

The Farming One is a well crafted, fast paced farming/resource management game. The basic premise is for a farming game, but once it gets into full swing the focus can shift away from the cropping, harvesting and animal husbandry that make up an actual farming experience fairly quickly.

This game has its roots firmly set in the Harvest Moon arena, but it's taken that dynamic to a different level with the speed in which events play out. Harvest Moon is bucolic and gentle, reflecting the slowly turning seasons; the Farming one is anything but.


Oh, bad puns...

You start the game with a simple gender choice, and can play as either male or female protagonist with the default name of Tracy which is a lovely epicene name, and indeed I chose to keep it for my play through. There are a number of possible marriage candidates presented as the game progresses and same gender marriages are possible, though it appears that separation and divorce are not, no break-ups and vengeful ex-spouses in this game.

The town next door to your recently purchased farm is almost empty of inhabitants due to some bandit activity in the area, and it's your job as the newest esquire to rebuild the economy, bring people back into the area, some of which are newly hired assistants on your farm, whilst also finding a way to fend off the bandit threat and keep the expanding town safe.

The tile sets and sprites are all sourced from the resources made available in the Humble Bundle, with some mix from various packs. I like the usage of the RTP sprites in the game, as though they do clash a little with the proportions of the tile-sets used the cute feel of them has a charm all of its own and is very much in keeping with the mood of the game itself. If I could add a suggestion, they are a little dull, colour wise, in relation to the bright landscapes, so perhaps a little more saturation to blend them better is in order.

Whilst the sprites are the default, the face and character images are not, all of them have been created specifically for this game and they are lovely. A lot of work has gone into making them individual and distinctive, and as most communication is non-verbal they go a long way to fleshing out the characters. At times to their detriment, as the Mayor really has a creepy vibe.


Creepy, just creepy.

The NPC's make this game, most of them have multiple dialogue choices dependant on outside influences and game events, and they really drive the narrative at play. It's a good idea to engage in conversation with most of the inhabitants frequently, especially the newer arrivals. If a person has a specific request or information to impart that is indicated by the music note graphic above their head, but normal conversations without the indicator still have merit and can advance the game play.


Your name wouldn't happen to be Jason would it?

Mini games abound in this game and include chasing a run-away sheep across a beach at the beach festival, trying to catch fish (and possibly something else) for gold, a lucky dip in the gratitude festival to name just a few. You'll find you can spend a bit of time playing these and they are a fun little diversion, though the fishing game feels more hit and miss than the others, and for some reason a little slow, which is more noticeable that it would be in a more sedately paced game.

There are a few minor spelling and grammatical errors in the game, and some odd dialogue pacing, but nothing that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the experience. However if this game is going on to bigger and better things a quick spell check wouldn't go amiss.

One of the normal manners of wooing a potential mate is usually the purchase and presentation of gifts to increase interest. This aspect, like all others in the game has been sped up, and rather than having to ascertain your object of affection's preferences you simply purchase the items recommended to you for them by the shop-keeper. I must admit I did find this aspect somewhat disappointing, as spending the time to get to know your potential life-partner is one of the fun aspects of this type of game. Still it has been sacrificed on the altar of alacrity this time around.


Yes, I've got a Yenta shop-keeper

Each of the multitudes of activities within the game nets you money, which is the ultimate indicator of success, but it also has the dual purpose of unlocking more features inside the game. Chopping wood will eventually lead to the opening of a furniture store where you can purchase upgrades for your home. Engaging in a festival can give you the keys that open the lower levels of the mines and mining allows you to discover copper ore early on, and then as you progress you will discover golden ore and finally the elusive harvestium ore. The golden ore can be used to improve your fishing skills, as the Kappa will teach you if you bring him gold.

Gold is the major indicator of success in the game, and if you play with a little bit of strategy it can pile up exceedingly fast, the only downside is that after a while you simply have nothing left to spend it on, so it becomes almost unimportant. This does need a little balancing to ensure that you always have goals to strive for and accomplishments to achieve.

The game has multiple possible endings, dependant on choices you make, I'm not going to list the one I ended up with, but once the contest is over I'm fully intending to go back and see what other ones I can find.

By the end of the game, or at least when I reached the goals that bring about the credits, there were 35 inhabitants in my small town, I'd married and furnished a home, earned a prodigious amount of money and had a great deal of fun. One thing to note, you can continue the game post-credits as well if there were personal goals you hadn't reached (like a pirate hat).

Due to the constraints imposed by the contest, there were a number of features that the developers could not include in this release, and I believe once they can return to this world and incorporate them this game will be an exceptionally fine one to spend some time in. I look forward to seeing how well this game is received and the improvements that are sure to be included once the game is fleshed out fully.



Nice try...also 'grow automatically'.