Song of the Prairie is one of many games like Stardew Valley, but it stands out as one of my personal top favorites - and it just released out of early access today.
Once in a while, an indie gem drops and steals my cozy game-loving heart for hours on end - Song of the Prairie is one of those. The Droplet Studio's stunning farming sim first surfaced as an early access title last spring, featuring all of the Stardew Valley-esque essentials like harvesting, mining, and of course, romance. Since then, Song of the Prairie has come a long way before blossoming into its current 1.0 state.
The premise of the game is certainly unique when compared to others of the genre - you don't play as a grandson or a granddaughter tending to their deceased grandparent's long-forgotten farm. Instead, you're a hardy hero famed for defeating the formidable demon king himself. In Song of the Prairie, you've moved on from being an impressive adventurer to beginning a more peaceful, rural chapter of your life.
There are animals to breed, crops to tend to, decorations to place, flowers to farm, fish to catch, mini-games to play, mines to explore, and bachelors to befriend in Song of the Prairie - plenty to do and to see, all in a town that's as vibrant as those in the Rune Factory series. The farm area you get is entirely customizable, too, with different sizes or styles of houses to place and all sorts of buildings to construct - not to mention that the actual town itself is also upgradeable.
If it sounds like it's up your alley as much as it is mine, you can snag it on Steam right now for 30% off. Reviews for the 1.0 version thus far look promising - they became "Overwhelmingly Positive" rather than "Very Positive." Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hop back into the game myself to see how much it's changed since I last played in 2023.
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