Scratching that Itch

Every once in awhile you just feel that urge to start yet another Stardew Valley farm.  Sure, it's like your 10th farm, but there's just something deeply satisfying about the entire process of rehabbing a derelict piece of land, befriending all the friendly townsfolk, and rebuilding a struggling town (I need to do the whole corporate takeover side of things...but it just feels evil).  If you're feeling a little burned out on Stardew, there's a new farm in town and it's called Fields of Mistria.  I've been playing it for awhile now (but haven't finished...and am likely far from "finishing"), but thought I would share my experiences thus far.

I stumbled across Fields of Mistria while perusing the offerings in the recent "wholseome" games sale on Steam.  It had not crossed my feed prior to the sale at all and wasn't on my radar.  If you haven't heard of it either, here's the lowdown--it's very, very much a game made in the image of Stardew.  It actually made me feel a little...weirdly icky, at first, because it felt so similar to the granddaddy of all farming games.  Basically, you play the role of a farmer who is recruited to help re-build a town that has been struggling after the effects of a powerful earthquake.  (Sorry, no sad grandpa to inherit the farm from) Yes, they want you to grow food, but you also wind up in the wider mission to rebuild and improve the town.

My Mistrian farm on an average winter day.

The game mechanics are basically identical to Stardew--there's a 24 hour clock, you have your farm with a small patch of tillable soil to grow crops, and you can choose how you spend your time each day.  That's not where the similarities end though--there's a mine to explore (with the exact same mechanics--break rocks, fight monsters, gather materials, descend), there are townspeople who you can befriend (same mechanics--gaining hearts for friendship, giving gifts), there's a museum where you can make themed donations (and get rewards for completing sets), and there are seasonal holidays/events.  Yep, it's that identical.

There are some differences though that make Fields of Mistria feel just different enough.  A new activity is collecting insects--like fish, they appear in certain locations (and can be dependent on time of day, weather, etc.).  Insects vary in rarity and can be donated to the museum as part of their collection.  There's also archaeology--this basically means digging up any bumpy areas of soil you come across or identifying items you fish (or dive--you can dive in certain special spots) up.  Artifacts are another museum collectible item.  It also feels like the cast of characters is larger in Mistria.  There are a few features that I very much wish were in Stardew--one of them is the map.  The map doesn't just show you the layout of a location, but it shows you exactly where the townsfolk are at any given moment.  This is very nice as it doesn't rely on you having to remember the schedule for every character (that also varies seasonally...).  I don't know how much time I have wasted in Stardew trying to track down a specific character.  There seems to be much more focus on cosmetics in Mistria.  There are a ton of different furniture items to either craft, buy, or earn as rewards--there are different themed sets too!  The clothing options for your character are also very diverse, so you can dress them in a multitude of styles (including hairstyles).  One fun feature that I noticed was that the outfits that the townsfolk wear change seasonally (and are very stylish).  It's kind of fun to see what they're wearing as you roll into the next season.  If you want to raise animals on your farm there are also a stunning variety of critters that you can choose from--this includes fun exotics like llamas and capybaras (I'm not sure what kind of food products you get from capybaras...).  Plus, there's a breeding element to raising animals that allows you to breed different colored critters to try to get rare color varieties.

If you're feeling that hankering for some farming action (while we wait for the someday release of The Haunted Chocolatier), you'll feel oddly at home with Fields of Mistria.  I'm enjoying my new farm, some new townsfolk (in snazzy outfits), and that heartwarming feeling of helping others.  If you're the type who just wants to decorate and design, you'll love the multitude of cosmetic options in Mistria.