Persona 5 has been dominating the school-RPG-cum-dungeon-crawler market for ages, and The Sims 5 is maybe one of the most highly anticipated life simulator games ever. However, while they’ve been enjoying the throne, others have been watching and learning. Finally, a new challenger emerges that may dethrone the pair.
SunnySide is a new farming game that also throws in an anime cast and turn-based combat. There has never been a more true fusion of Stardew Valley, Sims, and Persona. In SunnySide, you create your own character who’s just bought an old plot of land in a small town in the Japanese countryside. If you’re sick of city living or just want to sink into the warm, cuddly embrace of nature, this is the game for you.
Like any good farming game, you’ll plant and care for crops, rear animals, build your perfect farmhouse, and bond with the local townsfolk. By bond, we mean date, obviously. It wouldn’t be a good life sim without some romance options. You can get to know your potential partners by supporting their businesses and hanging out around town with them.
You’ll improve your abilities with a literal skill tree, a giant tree growing behind a shrine. You’ll need it to improve your farming and your combat prowess. An ancient drone, Sparky, will rescue you from a cave in, and it’s your job to help them uncover their lost memories and understand modern humans. Within the caves you explore together lay many enemies, and you’ll fight them using a turn-based card battling system.
As well as understanding modern humans, SunnySide comes with modern quality of life perks for farmers. Hoses, raised beds, drip watering systems, and more should prevent the daily grind from getting too tedious.
If this sounds like a slice of life you’d enjoy, SunnySide launched today, Friday June 14, and you can buy it on Steam, right here.
If you want to play some other life games, there are plenty available. You could also try out some anime games if that’s the aesthetic you like.
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