Cozy Gaming
I’ve spent most of the last week feeling like I was in the first ten minutes of a Hayao Miyazaki movie, right before a witch turns my parents into pigs or ages me 60 years. Instead, I’m just calmly enjoying an idyllic rural landscape while a Joe Hisaishi soundtrack adds a strangely emotional tinge to the background. However, instead of Joe Hisaishi, the music is made by Pyu Hina, and I’m not in Spirited Away (2001) or Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). I’m playing Game Start’s Japanese Rural Life Adventure, a cozy farming simulator.
Even among its peers, such as Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, Japanese Rural Life Adventure offers a cozy, heartwarming vibe that is perfect for mobile gaming. While Animal Crossing has the crushing debt forced on you by Tom Nook and Stardew Valley has the mines and the intricate HOA politics of the townspeople, Japanese Rural Life Adventure has nothing to motivate you besides yourself. You’re free to take this game at your speed. The time you spend fixing up your house mainly operates as the tutorial; after that, you spend your time how you want. There are even spaces around the map that allow you to relax and soak up the scenery. While the gameplay is engaging, the aesthetic is the strongest aspect of Japanese Rural Life Adventure.
Simple Doesn’t Mean Boring
A common downside to iPhone games is some titles need help finding a way around the limitations of the touchscreen being the only tool a user has to interact with the game. However, this is where Japanese Rural Life Adventure thrives. While the mechanics themselves are relatively simplistic, there are so many different utilizations for these mechanics that nothing feels repetitive. I can spend real-life hours fishing and, if I feel bored, switch to catching bugs, harvesting crops, or building my relationship with the townspeople.
While this is a farming sim, you will likely finish your farm work in the first few days. This leaves a lot of time to explore different gaming mechanics. I spent a better part of a weekend catching bugs which involves a timing mini-game . However, there are plenty of other options, such as assisting the townspeople with restoring their towns and shrines. Almost all of them are elderly, and all of them need your help. What struck me was the distinct personality of the townspeople. There isn’t much dialogue in this game, yet each character’s personality shines through more and more as you give them gifts or help out with any chores they have. None of the villagers have distinct names, and Japanese Rural Life Adventure refers to each as Town Head, Shopkeeper, or, my favorite, Stubborn Man. Each character interaction feels unique in the first few hours of gameplay.
The Downside of Cozy Gaming
While Japanese Rural Life Adventure proves that farming sims can cut out their niche in mobile gaming, this game also exemplifies the genre’s pitfalls. Outside of any future updates, I can only see a few reasons to return to this game after your first two in-game years. By the end of the second year, you’ve seen much of what the game has to offer, and the novelty of the admittedly majestic pixelated Mt. Fuji has lost some of its luster. That said, the game is still something I will return to on a rainy day. Think of it like a comfort food; it’s chicken noodle soup. After the first few gameplay sessions, it may lose its novelty, but now and again, you will get a craving and return for another dose of that cozy feeling.
