I often associate farming simulation titles with cozy vibes, most notably with titles like Stardew Valley and the Harvest Moon series. Those games tend to give the player boundless opportunities to build a sprawling farm and cultivate meaningful relationships with people in the area. Grave Seasons, on the other hand, seeks to put a murder mystery spin on the cozy farming genre while maintaining an emphasis on character relationships.
During PAX East, I was given the opportunity to sit down and play through a demo of Grave Seasons and talk with Emmett Nahil, the game’s Narrative Director. While the demo was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I absolutely came away with positive impressions of this title ahead of its August release. Grave Seasons takes the tried and true relationship building and farming elements of the genre and adds a new layer of narrative-driven complexity to keep players invested in the world around them.
Grave Seasons takes plenty of visual cues from its farming simulator predecessors, with gorgeous pixel art. In the words of Nahil, the art team was absolutely “OP” in crafting the town while keeping the tense pressure of terror lurking in the background. During the day, the lighting felt so bright and vibrant, while the evening was visually in line with the dark atmosphere surrounding the events. I definitely had my fair share of chills when encountering… situations that took place in the town.
When you’re not walking around trying to figure out who is trying to make everyone disappear, you’ve got a variety of tools at your disposal to make the days go by. Naturally, as this game is also a farming sim, you’re able to grow crops at home. As you explore the town, you’re also able to encounter resources that can be sold or used to craft new recipes for side quests and the like. Just like similar titles, crafted items can also be given to characters meandering around town to build relationships, and you can spend money you get from crops in shops. One small change that is unlike similar farming sims is that your character does not sleep, so there is less of a worry about maintaining stamina throughout the day. I found this change helpful for exploring the town throughout the day, rather than rationing my stamina with every activity.
One such tool that you have at your disposal is a crowbar, of all things! Most games usually allow players to visit random people’s houses as a means of exploration, but Grave Seasons puts an entertaining twist on this by incorporating what I can only describe as “realistic reactions” to such instances. Rather than talking to NPC’s on your journey, you can instead break into people’s houses and freak them out. Generally the crowbar comes more in handy when investigating the aftermath of certain occurrences in town, but using it to break and enter into your friends’ homes is infinitely funnier.
Speaking of characters and relationships, Grave Seasons has a lovely cast of characters to get to know. The demo didn’t really give me time to dive deep into what everyone’s stories were, but there is certainly depth to be found with everyone you interact with in the town. With tragedies striking around seemingly every corner and the perpetrator being unknown, it makes the relationships between the player and other characters that much more impactful.
The narrative is clearly where Grave Seasons excels, as there are branching paths for the story surrounding who or what is behind the mysterious disappearances around town. There are also opportunities for the player to change the path of the story, but Nahil couldn’t quite tell me how this all plays out in the full game.
When asked about how this blend of farming sim and narrative-driven horror came about, Nahil told me, “we truly were thinking about ‘how can we make this game something that has a little bit more narrative and story?'” He added that “[Perfect Garbage] wanted to put [their] own spin on it,” and that the team are “true fans of murder mystery.”
From what I played, I had overall positive impressions of Grave Seasons. However, I think the demo would have benefited from being longer than just one in-game day, as I did not have enough time to fully understand the game’s scope. There are strong, narrative-driven elements embedded in character relationships and player decisions, along with some fun farming elements, but the demo didn’t give me the chance to explore everything further. That said, I still came away from this experience excited for the full release, and I think Grave Seasons will be a must-play for anyone interested in games like Stardew Valley but desire that one twist to keep things engaging.
During PAX East, I was given the opportunity to sit down and play through a demo of Grave Seasons and talk with Emmett Nahil, the game’s Narrative Director. While the demo was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I absolutely came away with positive impressions of this title ahead of its August release. Grave Seasons takes the tried and true relationship building and farming elements of the genre and adds a new layer of narrative-driven complexity to keep players invested in the world around them.
I often associate farming simulation titles with cozy vibes, most notably with titles like Stardew Valley and the Harvest Moon series. Those games tend to give the player boundless opportunities to build a sprawling farm and cultivate meaningful relationships with people in the area. Grave Seasons, on the other hand, seeks to put a murder mystery spin on the cozy farming genre while maintaining an emphasis on character relationships.
During PAX East, I was given the opportunity to sit down and play through a demo of Grave Seasons and talk with Emmett Nahil, the game’s Narrative Director. While the demo was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I absolutely came away with positive impressions of this title ahead of its August release. Grave Seasons takes the tried and true relationship building and farming elements of the genre and adds a new layer of narrative-driven complexity to keep players invested in the world around them.
Grave Seasons takes plenty of visual cues from its farming simulator predecessors, with gorgeous pixel art. In the words of Nahil, the art team was absolutely “OP” in crafting the town while keeping the tense pressure of terror lurking in the background. During the day, the lighting felt so bright and vibrant, while the evening was visually in line with the dark atmosphere surrounding the events. I definitely had my fair share of chills when encountering… situations that took place in the town.
When you’re not walking around trying to figure out who is trying to make everyone disappear, you’ve got a variety of tools at your disposal to make the days go by. Naturally, as this game is also a farming sim, you’re able to grow crops at home. As you explore the town, you’re also able to encounter resources that can be sold or used to craft new recipes for side quests and the like. Just like similar titles, crafted items can also be given to characters meandering around town to build relationships, and you can spend money you get from crops in shops. One small change that is unlike similar farming sims is that your character does not sleep, so there is less of a worry about maintaining stamina throughout the day. I found this change helpful for exploring the town throughout the day, rather than rationing my stamina with every activity.
One such tool that you have at your disposal is a crowbar, of all things! Most games usually allow players to visit random people’s houses as a means of exploration, but Grave Seasons puts an entertaining twist on this by incorporating what I can only describe as “realistic reactions” to such instances. Rather than talking to NPC’s on your journey, you can instead break into people’s houses and freak them out. Generally the crowbar comes more in handy when investigating the aftermath of certain occurrences in town, but using it to break and enter into your friends’ homes is infinitely funnier.
Speaking of characters and relationships, Grave Seasons has a lovely cast of characters to get to know. The demo didn’t really give me time to dive deep into what everyone’s stories were, but there is certainly depth to be found with everyone you interact with in the town. With tragedies striking around seemingly every corner and the perpetrator being unknown, it makes the relationships between the player and other characters that much more impactful.
The narrative is clearly where Grave Seasons excels, as there are branching paths for the story surrounding who or what is behind the mysterious disappearances around town. There are also opportunities for the player to change the path of the story, but Nahil couldn’t quite tell me how this all plays out in the full game.
When asked about how this blend of farming sim and narrative-driven horror came about, Nahil told me, “we truly were thinking about ‘how can we make this game something that has a little bit more narrative and story?'” He added that “[Perfect Garbage] wanted to put [their] own spin on it,” and that the team are “true fans of murder mystery.”
From what I played, I had overall positive impressions of Grave Seasons. However, I think the demo would have benefited from being longer than just one in-game day, as I did not have enough time to fully understand the game’s scope. There are strong, narrative-driven elements embedded in character relationships and player decisions, along with some fun farming elements, but the demo didn’t give me the chance to explore everything further. That said, I still came away from this experience excited for the full release, and I think Grave Seasons will be a must-play for anyone interested in games like Stardew Valley but desire that one twist to keep things engaging.
by Michael Fertitta
