Image via Innerfire Studios and Soedesco
With adorable pixel art and a name like Farming Camp, it’s no surprise that the game has attracted a lot of attention ahead of its upcoming release. But despite the name, Farming Camp isn’t a typical farming sim. Instead, it’s more of a narrative-driven, time-management game complete with a variety of unique and engaging mini-games. I had the opportunity to check it out early for review here at Bonus Action, and it was definitely quite different from what I expected.
Farming Camp is certainly a unique game. It’s got an interesting, if slightly unclear, storyline. You’re at a summer camp designed to help pick the next Evertree Farmer, a rare and coveted role. To do so, you have to win a competition that requires careful balancing of time and resources to meet your weekly homework goals. Along the way, you’ll build relationships with fellow campers and encounter a few surprises. Though there’s a lot to like about this one, it’s quite short. In all, it took me around 4 hours to complete the main story, and I don’t see a lot of replay potential in this one due to the amount of dialogue.
Key Details
- Developer: Innerfire Studios
- Publisher: Soedesco
- Platform(s): PC via Steam, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S
- Price: $29.99
- Review Code Provided: Yes
Farming Camp Is a Story-Driven Game That’s Missing Some Key Details
Steam tags describe Farming Camp as “interactive fiction,” and I’d say that’s about right. The game is largely centered on its narrative, with plenty of dialogue between characters and some inner reflection from our main character along the way. The story is charming, with some unexpected twists and turns. But I also felt like we were missing some of the key info that would’ve made it more compelling. We get a quick explanation of the Evertree Farmer and why Alessandra wants the role. However, I felt like a bit more background and detail here would’ve helped me feel a bit more invested in the story as a player. Simiarly, the conclusion did wrap up the story relatively satisfactorily, but we had a few loose ends I would’ve liked to see better explored.
A game like Farming Camp relies heavily on its story to drive players through. And while I appreciated the creativity here, I would’ve liked a bit more depth to the story. As it was, I felt like some characters weren’t really explored, and I didn’t fully understand all of their motivations. This is largely because the game is quite short, with the main story only taking me around 4 hours to complete. That’s likely by design, as Farming Camp takes place over a fixed summer camp period of days. However, it did feel like the game was trying to do a bit too much in this short span of in-game time, particularly given the time management elements of it.
I know I missed some opportunities to interact with characters and learn more about them, but it couldn’t be helped. The game’s time management structure makes you choose how to spend your mornings, afternoons, and evenings. If you want to meet your weekly homework, you need to complete certain tasks during the day. But key interactions with characters also take up that time, so you often have to choose between finishing your requirements for the week or learning more about the story. The time management structure works well for the core gameplay loop, but I do think it required a few too many sacrificed opportunities to interact with teachers and campers to flesh out the story.
A Satisfying and Varied Gameplay Loop Hampered by Aggressive Time Management Mechanics
If there’s one place Farming Camp really shines, it’s variety. You’ve got several daily tasks to divide up between yourself and your teammates: farming, maintenance, fishing, and animal care. Each skill can be leveled up over time, and also comes with an associated mini-game. This makes each day unique, offering a chance to check out a ton of different little mini-games that are all satisfyingly compact. In addition to the daily tasks, other moments offer new mini-games like playing the guitar for your plants or blending up a smoothie to boost your speed.
I really enjoyed the variety of mini-games on offer, and I liked how new ones kept getting introduced as we progress through the game. However, some games came so near the end of the story that you don’t really get to experience them more than once. Plus, the same time management issue comes into play, where you can’t always focus on the mini-games you want due to having to complete tasks for weekly homework.
Overall, though, the gameplay itself was pretty satisfying. The time management makes you think about how to prioritize things, and the mini-games are fun and appropriately challenging. That said, I did notice some issues with controller inputs at times. In particular, getting my character to pick up hay to feed animals or interact with certain NPCs could prove tricky at times. Pressing the right button didn’t always result in anything happening, which led to some frustration.
Final Score: 6/10
In all, Farming Camp is a solid idea that falls just a bit short of its potential. The story could be a bit more fully developed, and the time management feels too punishing, preventing you from fully experience the game. The graphics are cute, and the mini-games are fun, but for a game at this price point, I just wanted a bit more out of it, both in terms of length and depth. If you’re looking for a bite-sized game with a unique story and plenty of fun mini-games, Farming Camp might fit the bill.
**Bonus Action received a PC code for Farming Camp for the purpose of this review**
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