Screenshot by Bonus Action
May is turning out to be a busy month for cozy gamers, with a ton of exciting, highly anticipated releases headed our way. One such game is Pixelshire, a pixel-art farming sim that many cozy fans have had their eyes on for a while. The game combines farming sim staples with the novelty of terraforming to give players more control over how they shape and grow the village of Pixelshire.
Pixelshire was a highly anticipated release for me, as I can never get enough of new spins on chopping wood, growing crops, and cooking up new pixel-art recipes. Before we dive into my review, I want to offer up a few notes about the game’s reception thus far. Pixelshire has seen a good number of negative reviews since its launch, including players expressing frustration about bugs and glitches.
Despite playing on PC with both a DualSense Controller and mouse and keyboard, I didn’t run into most of these issues. I didn’t encounter a major glitch until several hours in, by which point I was already really enjoying the game. I want to be transparent about the issues other players have reported while still offering my honest, personal experience with Pixelshire as it’s worked for me so far. Which is, for the most part, pretty well.
Key Details
- Developer: Kappa Bits
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Price: $19.99
- Review Code Received: Yes
Clear Tutorials Integrated Into the Story
As someone who often plays games before guides exist, I love a clear, well-crafted in-game tutorial. Although there are a few things with the UI and controls that can take some figuring out, the overall tutorial for Pixelshire is super helpful.
Your early quests will guide you through everything you need to know about how farming, fishing, cooking, and fighting work in Pixelshire. This even includes the terraforming element, one of the things that sets Pixelshire apart from other farming sims.
Though I needed an occasional reminder for tricky things like finding the one spot where you can refill your watering can, overall, I felt like Pixelshire gently introduced me to its whole deal. Similar to how you build the town up over time, the game builds you up to learning all its available offerings, as well.
A Farming Sim With Light Survival Elements
When jumping into Pixelshire, I expected a fairly straightforward farming sim. And the game does indeed offer your standard set of tasks, with farming, fishing, cooking, and crafting on the table. However, it’s got its own blend of unique elements from other genres, as well.
In Pixelshire, players will encounter a few mechanics that feel familiar to those who’ve played Minecraft or LEGO Fortnite. Namely, your tools will wear down and break over time. This means you have to either craft or buy new ones to keep chugging along with tasks.
Similarly, you don’t inherit your house or luck into a spare one the moment you arrive in town. Instead, you have to build it, starting with a glamping-style tent and working your way up with upgrades over time.
I enjoyed these differences in Pixelshire, though the breaking tools can take some getting used to. It adds a layer of challenge that means you have to keep an eye on your weapon stamina before delving into the mines. For me, that’s a fun bonus, but it could be less-than-cozy for some players.
Another element I appreciated about Pixelshire is that the different trees you cut down offer a variety of wood types. I like this extra element of collecting and crafting, as it makes it a bit more robust.
Terraform Your Way to a New Landscape
I’ll be honest. As someone who doesn’t love trying to make things look pretty, I wasn’t sure if having terraforming would matter to me. But you know what? It does. Because Pixelshire integrates terraforming into early quests, every player has to try the mechanic.
Turns out, I like being able to get rid of ponds or create them whenever and wherever I need. It may not lead to a masterpiece, but it does help me have more control over the paths I take to complete various quests in Pixelshire. Figuring out the tool wheel in Pixelshire is one of the least intuitive things about the game, so it did take some time to get used to toggling between the different terraforming options for the shovel. Once I got the hang of it, though, I found it to be a solid addition to the farming sim.
For those who do enjoy spending a lot of time in their space, I can see the terraforming leading to some great landscaping opportunities for your home. And the homes of your friends and community, because you build new houses for each new resident, much as you do in Disney Dreamlight Valley, but with a more involved, crafting approach.
Characters with Room to Grow
One of the biggest complaints I’ve seen from other cozy gamers is that they don’t love the character portraits in Pixelshire. While I admit none of the characters are calling out to me as romance options, I don’t mind the art style overall. That said, I’m still waiting for a bit more personality from the townsfolk.
The characters are fine, but they don’t necessarily stand out a ton throughout the early story. I’d like to see a bit more of them as the story goes on and with future updates, to really bring Pixelshire to life.
I do love that you build homes for new community members as they move to Pixelshire, and I look forward to seeing who I meet and what kind of home they request. But I’d also like to get to know the few longstanding residents better, as well. Some of this could come through raising relationships over time, but as it stands, not much in the early game encourages me to want to do that.
Final Score – 6.5/10
Overall, Pixelshire has a few kinks to work out, but it is mostly an enjoyable, cozy gaming experience. Some of the glitches can get in the way of enjoying gameplay, especially with certain items hopping out of your inventory to fulfill quests automatically. Even so, with some updates to smooth out UI and possibly add a bit more character to early-game NPC interactions, this could become a fun entry in the pixel art farming sim space.
The cute pixel art style and unique spins on farming sim mechanics make this a fun experience for Stardew Valley fans, without feeling like an attempt to make the same game over again.
**Bonus Action was provided with a PC code for Pixelshire for the purpose of this review.**
About the Author
Discover more from Bonus Action
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
