From Cottagecore Actualisation to Frolicking in the Fields
Ship's Logs | We have ourself a grand old time with some more gaming!
Hello again, what are the odds weād keep seeing each other like this?
Since last I wrote, I celebrated my anniversary with my girlfriend who gifted me a copy of the Early Access game Fields of Mistria. I had already bought this game for my older brother who proceeded to binge play it for 40 hours in the span of 3 daysā¦ Not sure how much he slept in that time, but he gave it a stellar recommendation.
Well, now it was my time to give it a go and itās been a pretty addictive bit of entertainment, let me tell you. I already have well over 50 hours on it and Iām enjoying the content that it offers.
Fields of Mistria is a very cosy 80ās anime aesthetic farming game. And with farming game you usually also get cottagecore! And, my, how much of it I feel! Itās a lot like someone peeking on the homeworks of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, tweaking what they did, and making a whole package that just brims with life. At least as far as NPCs can have them.
The townspeople travel around town, make visits to each other, hang out, have conversations, and generally feel like their lives are going on even when youāre not around.
The fact that not every conversation involves you just adds that extra bit of life. Youāre just listening in on conversations some of the time. I know how these people know each other, who they are friends with, who they like to hang out with, and what they like talking about to each other. I wouldnāt be entirely surprised if they ended up marrying each other while I was busy in the mines or going fishing for days on end.
That is to say, where Stardew Valley walked, Fields of Mistria is running. Pretty high praise for an Early Access game. I know. I have a few stories to share about the fun moments Iāve had in this game. They may not all fit into this ship log, but I can paint a picture of my general experience.
Frolicking in the Fields
Fields of Mistria begins in the small town Mistria that just experienced an earthquake, which left the place worse for wear. Unfortunately they neither have the funds nor the manpower to restore the town back to its former glory. Thatās when the acting mayor has the idea to invite the help from people outside with the promise of land in return for their servicea. This is where you, the player comes in.
You are quickly introduced to a colourful cast who show you around town and help you get settled. As with any game, the beginning is slow, but the calendar tells me there are weekly meet up events on Fridays at the local Inn. And I can see where everyone is at any given time on the map by just looking at it. Wow! Quality of Life additions I sorely missed in Stardew Valley!
I get to work setting myself up, slowly being introduced to more mechanics as I progress the gameās built-in progress ladder. When Friday suddenly comes around, I check the Inn out and expect it to be something like Stardew Valley, each one to a table of their own, minding their own business. But, no! They are hanging out and socialising with each other!
One group is playing cards, the other is playing an in-universe version of DnD, and another group are being wine snobs, and the kids upstairs and planning a heist! Everything feels alive and I can feel the sense of community! A feeling Iāve felt from time to time in the small fishing village Iāve called home many summers and winters back in the day. Games, songs, food, and fun. Family, friends, and everyone in-between.
I expected a repeat the next week, but the conversations were all brand new! The DnD game had progressed in the story, the card game dynamics had changed, the heist plans was coming along and about to be executed, and the wine snobs had brought in new drinks from out of town now that we had repaired the bridge.
But thatās not all! Because I repaired the bridge, the second Saturday of the game now hosted a Saturday Market! 4 new characters from out of town came in to sell their stock and everyone in town had gathered to shop. The town felt positively bustling with life!
The next week was their Spring Festival and I was challenged to collect flowers for the event. And I did so with gusto! Breaking the historical record, I was the champion of the Spring Festival, rewarded with a flower crown that forever adorned my head for the rest of the game. I went from adventure from out of time, beginner farmer, to the prince of all faeries!
And so went my days in the town of Mistria. Weeks passed by, every time I spoke to an NPC felt like a new conversation because I barely saw any repeats. Seasons passed, more festivals to celebrate, and just when I started thinking running around was taking a little too much time, I suddenly find myself randomly coming upon a magical horse that will carry me around even faster!
Now Iām positively frolicking through the fields of Mistria getting my chores done, chatting up the townsfolk, and upgrading my farmstead! I was quite late to the adoption of animals to my farm, which ended up biting me in the back when a sudden Animal Festival came to show. Which is kind of funny as it was foreshadowed back in spring. But I think Iāll have my revenge next time, because Iāve been breeding special gold and silver livestock to take that medal! (Oh, yeah, you can breed your livestock in this game and unlock new and unique coats and plumages on the cute little critters.)
Iāve thoroughly enjoyed this game so far, and am eagerly looking forward to itās 1.0 release.
Shilling for a Killingā¦
This week we have a special offer involving Klƶver the green spring cat and his friends from the Ćppelpaj Seasons collection. If you follow the captain on Instagram, you might have seen her monthly goal bingo cards. Well, we have made a whole seasonās worth of them and they are now available in our Ko-Fi shop. For FREE! But only until the end of this month.
The idea is simple: turn your to-do list into a game. Fill the squares with your goals or chores and tick them off as you complete them. Plan some treats for each bingo and celebrate them in style.
This first set of cards are digital och designed for social media and digital planners, but we have print-at-home versions in A4 and US Letter coming to in case youād like to stick them to the fridge or keep them in your physical planner.
Weāre starting out small, but itās the beginning of a rather ambitious plan. Klƶver is the spring cat. Solana will bring summer, then we have Rƶnn arriving in autumn and Lumi just in time for winter. Each season comes with its own colour palette, its own bingo cards, and a few more vignettes from the Ćppelpaj Orchard.
Whatās Next for Me
Well the flat is getting emptier and emptier. Iāve recently started taking driving lessons again to finally get my driverās license. And Iām both anxious and excited to put that to practice when it comes time to go back to Sweden.
Before Iāve maintained I do not much enjoy driving, but during my last lesson I ended up actually enjoying it a bit. So thatās a good sign! Though I doubt Iāll ever be the one to go for joy rides. Iām still a hermit at heart.
-Sten
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