Stardew Valley & Coral Island are not on this list because... they did not release in 2024. That being said, I did forget a few games! Everafter Falls - B Critter Crops - D Go-Go Town (does it belong here?) - B Cozy Caravan - C Research Story - B, or C? I have only played it for 90 minutes) I think that's it!
Stardew is D tier. Overhyped. Just turn on the "tool aim" in the menu and you see how badly implemented watering your crops is... and tier 1 sprinklers are such a joke for spending hours to get a few of them... list goes on. romancing is a slow crawl chore... and nobody has anything interesting to say it looks nice. it has no bugs. music is fine... but that doesn't make it fun
Thank you so much Josh, for including and playing Ova Magica in 2024! It's always such an honor to be on your channel - especially with so many amazing games releasing ♥ !
Echoing the other commenter, years of seeing previews for farm games and being disappointed, after it took a while I had basically lost hope because so many projects have died, then it finally released and I absolutely love it. The bones of this game are amazing and knowing you're on your own just blows my mind. Keep up the good work! Josh says A now, I agree, but I see Ova being a high A and possibly an S in the future. ❤️
I'm gonna say, I'm not a farming sim guy. The only game like them I've liked was Rune Factory 5 of all things (not even the other RF games!). But I will *absolutely* spend an hour listening to you talk about them, your passion is an excellent window into the genre.
"there's not too much magic in this game literally and figuratively" :D love your turns of phrase. and this is super helpful with the Steam sale starting!
hearing the magical melody fall theme and being woken up like a sleeper agent lol. Thanks for all your efforts in cataloguing these games, makes it much easier to decide where my money is best spent
A little note on Eastward: Octopia. It doesn't take place after the main game. It takes place in a parallel universe where the events of the main game didn't happen. This doesn't impact the every day gameplay, but at one point there will be a story part with the main game.
Immortal Life deserves to be in S-tier for sure! The gameplay was smooth and the xianxia elements makes the game really stand out! I loved the cooking too, and I usually skip cooking in video games because they're either insanely hectic or too boring. I learned about Immortal Life through your reviews and tips, so thanks a lot!
The face reveal is already 2 years ago?! On that note, thanks for creating this community Josh. You're one of the TH-cam creator I rely on for good games. I was not planning to get Fields of Mistria because I wanted to wait until the Full Release, but after watching several of your streams, you (and the people in the stream chat) convinced me to buy it. And I don't have a single bit of regret. It is so great!
Fields of Mistria has had a chokehold on me lately, I'm so excited for the next updates upcoming!! It's the first farming sim I've tried in a while. Shinehill sounds interesting, I'll definitely wishlist it and keep an eye out for it to develop further.
made some chocolate milk and grabbed some cookies to eat while watching this. i love your tier list videos so freaking much! thank you for your work as always, Josh. your videos give me lots of happiness. sending all the love x
Aint no way Shinehill is in the same tier as Garden Witch Life 😭 I absolutely love Shinehill, but I also competely agree with your assessment. Its greatest appeal is the story, and the controls are a little clunky but my goodness do I love the story so much! So excited for this game to be on full release!
The concern in your voice when you could only repeat "its weird. This game is really weird" 😂😂💀 I was full-fledged cackling I have always and forever will love your videos, thanks for spending the time to make them!
New fan here. Your Story of Seasons:Olive videos have been extremely helpful and i love that you're a big fan of this genre. I will be 32 this year and I mainly play these types of games these days cause I get so much out of them in short gaming bursts. I have a wife and full time career and so i can't play most games for hours at a time consistently. I can play these games for 30 minutes or an hour and feel fulfilled
yayyy i was waiting for this one! i check your yearly reviews to see if i've missed something, and honestly i've kinda grown to trust your opinions on farming games 😂
Excellent job, Josh! I believe Immortal Life is so underrated because most cosy farming sim players prefer the switch or other consoles, same with Echoes of the Plum Grove. If they're only available on PC it's a true shame but I'll definitely keep an eye on them! The dark atmosphere of Mirthwood reminds me a lot of Graveyard keeper, one of my favourite games of all time, so I hope it moves up to A tier eventually. Glad I didn't buy Farmagia, initially I was interested due to the character designs but it's giving mid. Biggest disappointment this year was Orange Season by farrr. Seems like I'm saving for Eastward Octopia for Christmas, thank you for recommending it!🙏🏽
Another year, another tier list! I so wish Fields of Mistria was compatible with my laptop... Although the game itself released last year, but on Switch this year, my game of the year has to be Moonstone Island. I've been so hooked onto the game since it came out!
That makes me so happy that Josh’s favorite Harvest Moon game is Magical Melody. That was my first ever Harvest Moon game I’ve played and owned and it’s probably my second favorite Harvest Moon game next to Tree of Tranquillity. Animal Parade is still my overall favorite out of the 3 though.
Fields of Mistria is gonna be HUGE when it's finished. It's so good, nearly perfect for what's out so far. I haven't gotten so attached to every character in a game since Stardew probably, and I'm even more invested in the Mistria NPCs I think. Very glad to see it in S tier, it's so deserved
No one does a Teir list better than you! Thanks so much! I love all your in depth descriptions! And your passion for gaming shines through. Luna Island especially. You nailed it perfectly and made so many good points. I wish Immortal Life would come to console. It looks amazing and I trust your opinion. Also can’t wait to try Critter Cove, Little Known Galaxy and Echoes of the Plum Grove on console. 😊
I'm not entirely sure if it'd be your cup of tea, but I recently played a bright and colorful 2d post apocalyptic farm sim called Doloc Town. At the time of writing this there's just a demo but I've already put in something like 4 hours. It's got a bit of Spiritfarer building mechanics mixed in as well.
I agree with Little-Known Galaxy in tier A. I played the entire story and got all achievements. It was fun but I like Sun Haven and Roots of Pacha a lot more. The gameplay feels more satisfying there, at least to me
@TorIverWilhelmsen true. But a lot of people are also just there because they like the gameplay. Not everybody is an achievement hunter. I did it in lkg by sleeping through half of the days at the end so I could dump a bunch of meteorites in extractors. I also bought those meteorites, didn't get all of them from excursions. I sure as hell didn't grind out all the planets. That wasn't a lot of fun even with a maxed out gun. So I'd give the game a rating of a very low A rating if you love the gameplay, and a high B rating if you like the gameplay. In any case if say try the demo if it's still available, the demo is looking, a month or so
Roots of Pacha surprised me, I put off getting it for a long time, but it was a lot better than I was expecting. I am looking forward to the update coming in 2025 that is going to add 2 new areas and a bunch of new content.
This year felt like quantity over quality. Given time some I am sure can be better but a lot of farming games this year are still just riding on the farming games hype train. Same with cozy games in general.
I was looking for this video just an hour ago, looking for recommendations. Ended up buying sandrock bc I couldn't find the 2024 one. Dang my timing sucks 😂 thank you for making these!!! Look forward to them every year
Good video, Immortal Life is insane good, especially if you like Chinese cultivation stories. Thanks for showing Echoes of the plum grove, looks interesting af
I’m a fan of farming games and Fields of Mistia has everything I could ever want! Adorable animals (with hats!!!), great customization, fun farming combat in mines, lots of decorations, and hot townspeople! One of the bachelors even looks like/reminds me of my fiancé so he can’t be as jealous when I flirt with him 😂
Just posted a big comment recommending Everafter Falls since I didn’t see it here just to immediately find your stream of it 😂 I think Everafter Falls is genuinely A-tier especially after some bugs have been worked through, I would love to see you revisit it! It’s a really cute, fun game that has a super interesting, somewhat existential story and what felt like really unique characters and community dynamics. Would love to see this game get the love it deserves, I’ve seen almost no content about it and it makes me sad that such a gem has gone under the radar!
@@JoshGamingGarden very fair!! I don’t think it’s for everyone, that’s for sure, so maybe A is a bit biased LOL. It was definitely a bit clunky when it first got verified for Steam Deck, I could imagine the switch version might have been even worse. It might also just be one of those games that is for a specific audience and I am exactly that audience, since I imagine a lot of people are just looking for a cute farming sim and Everafter Falls might subvert that niche a little too much for those players
I love Echoes of the Plum Grove. But I do always turn off the fishing mini game, because it's awful, and the tools breaking. There's almost nothing a game can do that is less fun than a tools breaking mechanic. But taxes, food spoiling, all that stuff stays on, because that's kind of the point of the game. But I also am glad those options are there for people.
I loved watching you play Echoes of Plum Grove! I was watching as I was playing so I got double the immersion which made it even more enjoyable for me. It was also my big game of 2024 and I feel like a bar has been set.
I think when I first looked at Immortal Life I might have been put off by some of the "flashier" visuals in some of the screenshots, like the rainbow gradient decorations shown off in the player's house made me think it was going to have a certain vibe to it. But from the way you described it I should give it a second look and give it a chance.
I will always appreciate your game review videos, especially the tier lists. I always feel like I spent my money wisely thanks to them 😆 Thank you very much ~ 🥰
Ooh, I loved Farm Together 1. Totally understand how some people would be put off by it, but there's just something charming about the game, at least for me, hopping on the pc maybe an hour everyday to harvest and replant everything. Can't for the life of me remember what the main purpose of the game was, but many times it felt like I had my own farmlands irl as the area kept getting bigger over time. 😂
I didn't know you can turn off diseases in Plum Grove! Thanks for mentioning that as this was the aspect (people getting ill) that was keeping me from playing it!
sunnyside's ranking breaks my heart but i understand why it's ranked so low. it doesn't help that their publisher screwed them over so badly that they aren't even able to improve the game at all.
I totally understand where you are coming from with your opinions on Luma Island! But in my own opinion, the crafting and professions can *be* shallow because the focus of the game is exploration. All the professions are a means to an end, and that end is new biomes to explore! The game is perfect for people who want heavy exploration, or loot goblins (like me) who want to collect all the shinies! But I think some people go into the game expecting a typical farming sim, and then are disappointed when the crafting isn’t very in-depth. From my point of view, the crafting is simple in the interest of getting you back out in the world as quickly as possible! And that’s what makes it so unique, I think! 😊 Also I don’t mind the names being similar across biomes. If you think about it, it’s really not all that different than other games that have tiered materials and upgrades! They just chose a simpler way of referring to them, and it stands to make things less confusing! If my points above about the game wanting you to “get back out there and explore” as soon as possible are correct, it makes sense to have the materials reflect the zones they come from so people don’t have to go hunting for things or look stuff up externally. I agree that all these things serve to make the game (generally) less brain intensive, but I find the temples and the mines, as well as the overworld puzzles, to be engaging enough that it doesn’t matter! The little things like not having to manage your inventory or your time (never needing to sleep) also allow players more freedom to explore! That’s what it all comes back to! 😅 All that being said, I know it won’t be the best pick for *everyone!* I think the design choices and gameplay are fascinating examples for the Cozy genre at large, and I love seeing all these new ways of doing the same stuff!
Love the love for Immortal Life! It's one of my favorites. Some parts of it can be slow, but I've always had something to do and I love it. Ova Magica has been great too. Also, did you forget Everafter Falls? Or did you just not play enough of it to include it?
I reall yloved Immortal Life. I played it really often and started anew after every content update^^° I really love your rankings. It helps me to figure out, which game I should play next ^^
My top game would definitely have to be Fields of Mistria. I guess next would be Chef RPG and Luma Island from this list. I still want to play the Ova Magica and Little Known Galaxy games.
I agree with you on Chef RPG, I really like the vibe of the game and the world but the restaurant part did feel very hands off which is not really a restaurant management game to me. I was very happy to see in the steam updates that they are working on a new game mode for players who want a more hectic experience. It sucks that it probably won't be out until late 2025 but happy to see them taking that feedback and working on the option while leaving the laid back mode for players who find those chaotic cooking games stressful. I'll have to check out Immortal Life, I've never heard of that game but it looks very very interesting. I 100% agree with Sunnyside, it does feel very heavy and slow to play which sucks. I actually backed the game and have been following it the entire development; as it got closer to release I felt less confident that the things I didn't like were gonna get "fixed" and sure enough they didn't. I saw they did add a sandbox mode so hopefully that will make getting into the game easier and deciding if it's for you. They did announce they are taking a step back from the major updates for the game so who knows what'll happen with this game in the future.
I actually like sunny side quite a bit, but I def experienced some bugs during the time I played. The first round I did, I got a bug where all the wild animals, be it foxes/raccoons and the birds/bugs just would not spawn after a point and once you notice it, it’s hard to unnotice. My pets I adopted would often get stuck in the trees and couldn’t get out unless I hit the trees with my axe, but some of the trees I wanted to keep for aesthetic, but they don’t regenerate, so I need to chose between keeping the trees or my animals starving lol I once got stuck in a tutorial screen and had to reset the game, and another time I was fishing off the treehouse dock during a thunderstorm and my character pulled up nothing and it zoomed in like it was showing what they caught, but they then proceeded to stare at their hands as if questioning their lives until I reset the game. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and the bike was fun to zip around on and then crash and rag doll over fences or into trees 😂
I recently saw your last year's video and you put Coral Island down because it was missing some content. How is it going now? I didn't see it in the vid
I’ve played so many farming/life sims, and I’m always looking for similar games to play! But most of the ones I’m excited for is coming out next year, so I’m gonna use this tier list to see what other farming games I can play while waiting for those to come out! Edit: And replaying old games. Currently playing back to nature :3 although I’m always surprised how cruel Carter becomes in SoS:FoMt since they’ve made everyone else kinder 😭 meanwhile Carter is using the confessional box to tell you you’re the worst piece of trash on earth and should burn in hell
Maybe you could consider a 2md chance list? Looking across early releases AND unfinished, picking a few that have reported updates and improvements, and give a 2nd chance and review for us? Thanks for comprhensive review of 2024 farming games
I didn't see it on the list, but have you played Cozy Caravan? It's in early access, starting in May 2024. Technically, I guess it's not quite a farming game. You can harvest (other) NPCs' crops to use in requests and cooking to sell at market. Your player can be customized by animal type, color, and clothes. They're up to 20 types of animals from the original 11 or 12, i think. It's a very cute game, albeit a bit glitchy at times, but they listen to the players when a bug is reported and they continue to update and add quality of life features. They've recently added fishing and clothes making.
I did! I streamed it once, there was an issue with my save, I lost an hour of progress and gave up. 😭 I'll probably give it another try with the full release, but I totally forgot to include it on the list this year.
Roots of Pacha is better than Little-known Galaxy in my option, because it's deeper. For example, in Pacha u need to harvest certain number of crops to learn about them. Galaxy is fun too though. Your instinct which made u play so much more of Pacha is on point
D for Oriental Valley was generous 🤣 Very good tier list. I agree with just about every placement for the games I've played, even the ones I may like/dislike more than you. I bought Immortal Life at the beginning of the year after seeing you play it and it is definitely in my top 3 for this year.
Thank you for this video, I love farming sims but there are so many out there now that it’s hard to know what’s worth checking out or not. Ova Magic sounds right up my alley. And even if Shinehill is in C I love the sound of the concept and wouldn’t have known about it, thanks!
Fields of Mistria was my most anticipated game this year, and yeah I think it's going to be a contender for my fav game of the year so far, and I did play a lot games this year (mostly demos though). Stardew Valley is still my fav Farming Sim (neither Coral Island nor Sun Haven were able to do that), but Fields of Mistria has the best chance of doing that. I just checked on how many hours I've played (I recently took a break from it again after experiencing the new update). I have over 70 hours now, so yeah PLENTY of content. Of course though I always play casually. I am now in my 2nd Fall. Waiting to see what the next future update will bring. Hoping they'll add a Fall festival. Loved the Summer one, it had me giggling like a school girl lol. S tier for sure Ova Magica is something I WANT. It's like my "Surprise game" of the year. Basically it came out of nowhere and just instantly grabbed my attention. I was surprised on how smoothly it ran on my PC. I think it's because of the simple 3D designs (like even Coral Island lags for me). It's the next Steam game I'll be getting. Just when it came out in Early Access, it was bad timing because I was waiting for Fields of Mistria since I only had enough money in my Steam account for one more game. I do hope it continues to run well on my PC. I fell in love with the game so fast that I already drew an OC for it lol. Called her Amethyst hehe. Oh, I only played the demo. As much as I want to rank it, for me the demo isn't enough for me to rank something properly. These were the only 2 NEW games I've played this year. I did get Sun Haven at the beginning of the year and after completing the main story and getting married, I'd Rank it A tier. Great game, but my only issue was the Romance part. I think Stardew Spoiled me because in Sun Haven, there's only 2 events you get with the LI before marriage. Claude is amazing, but I was also disappointed with the lack of attention he gave to his kid, once you have one. Like even in Stardew at least your spouse talks about the kids. I know the devs keep adding to the game, so I hope they fix that part of it. But I loved everything else. The other game I got this year that's a farm sim, it's a game I eventually dropped sadly because I got bored- Wylde Flowers. I was always on the fence of getting it to begin with, but that was mostly due to the art style. Game plays great and the voice acting was an added bonus and the story is good, but it got tedious at one point, even with the magical elements in play. Plus the char personalities weren't as memorable to me as other games. Heck I had no desire to even romance anyone. I still haven't finished the main story, and I doubt I ever will, which is sad. Decent game, but just not for me.
Sunnyside felt more like they transplanted a bunch of foreigners to Japan's countryside for whatever reason. It didn't make sense to me. Should have left it in the US or wherever the devs come from.
Honestly SunnySide is the biggest disappointment of the year. I was so hyped for it, and backed it after your first video on it. But the lack of taking feedback from the betas and from what I understand they had issues with the publisher they cant really do DLC or really make money of the game. But man it had so much promise
I did forget about it 😭 I'd probably put it in B. It had a fun story at the beginning, some interesting mechanics but it didn't do enough to keep me hooked. I was also not a fan of the graphics. 😅
I don't play nearly as many farming games as you.. and yes Immortal Life is such a great game but the end is grindy. I got past growing the big ancient crop or whatever, but after that.. you have to keep defeating bosses in the biomes... and the monsters start getting REALLY strong... If I pick it back up again, I will have to grind to make potions to fight them... and.... I don't know if I'll ever finish the game. Lololol.
Wow... I couldn't agree more with you, especially when it comes to Fields of Mistria, Everholm & Mirthwood. Got the very same feelings, and even used the same words in my video while playing Mirthwood that you can make a good impression only once. And Mirthwood didn't make a good impression, sadly. I love Mistria, and I hope that in time both Everholm and Mirthwood will level up, so I will change my mind. But as for now I would place them exactly on the same spot on my tier list. Gladly there's Mistria and Plum Grove, which are great and made this year of farming games not as sad as it could be without them.
Unless i dont see it on screen/in the description, you should try littlewood! I really liked the customization of the town and the card game feature. Maybe its not your thing since the farming isnt the main feature, but id love to hear your thoughts on it.
I'm a little surprised about Little Known because I didn't like it very much. I have to say that I tried it a little, but I gave it up because it was too heavy for me. The first missions was to use a tool to fix holes (if I'm not mistaken) and it took a long time for the tool to fix the hole (several times), to go to each floor is a small loading screen and being so many areas where you have to move around made the game heavy. The farlands speak well (I have not played it but it gives me better feelings than the little), but as you say it still has little content to value it. The sunny side for my part I was looking forward to it, but apart from the problems you mentioned, it was poorly optimized. My pc looked like it was going to explode and it met the requirements. It makes me quite angry because that game promised something different and reminded me a bit of harvest moon/story season innocent life on psp. The immortal life I have it in pending to play, the theme of Chinese culture I like, but I never end up cheering me up. I would like to add the typical of marrying and raising a family (which I think it does not have and there are no plans) and the ova magica is also pending for sometime before I die. Finally as a farm game this year I will definitely choose field of mistria. I love the pixel art style and the characters have a lot of personality. I'm looking forward to adding more content.
Orange Season is another hot mess that deserved so much better. It was supposed to include magic, combat, races, marriage etc. Tropical Puppy was the OG dev, Hudell's vision of the game was so good but after they left the game it went downhill with the new team Innerfire Studios and Soedesco. OS is sadly another story of a game being taken over by different devs and them driving it into the ground. Same with A New Leaf: Memories, OG devs (Ironheart studios) sold or gave it to Crytivo- Crytivo gave it to Hidden Tower Studios and it went downhill. Has been no news on the game since June.
@@Stormo21 I don't know, it sucks and it's also my fav genre. I've been learning to stay away from certain publishers. So hoping for better games next year. 🥹
Hey Josh! I’ve been binging your channel like crazy lately. I was wondering, have you played Coral Island? If so, what did you think of it? If not then I’d love to see you play it. I’m planning on buying it soon simply due to the love interests being so attractive 😂😂 I recently bought Fields of Mistria as a bday present to myself lmao and it’s easily one of my favorites that I’ve played in a long time!! I can’t wait til it’s completed! It’s so full of personality and you can tell the devs are passionate about it, and the aesthetic is RIGHT up my alley.
Stardew Valley & Coral Island are not on this list because... they did not release in 2024. That being said, I did forget a few games!
Everafter Falls - B
Critter Crops - D
Go-Go Town (does it belong here?) - B
Cozy Caravan - C
Research Story - B, or C? I have only played it for 90 minutes)
I think that's it!
Stardew is D tier. Overhyped.
Just turn on the "tool aim" in the menu and you see how badly implemented watering your crops is...
and tier 1 sprinklers are such a joke for spending hours to get a few of them...
list goes on. romancing is a slow crawl chore... and nobody has anything interesting to say
it looks nice. it has no bugs. music is fine... but that doesn't make it fun
oh well
@@FizzleFX never cook again xD
@@FizzleFX the creator really should hire workers lol, it will easily become S tier
and about Palia??
"actually, this game is not gonna be for ANYONE" you're so funny 🤣🤣
I know right😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Chill Town is in D town 😂
I literally choked on my coffee at work 🤣🤣 love this comment so much 😂
@@kiwi310343 haha your comment made me happy 😂
Thank you so much Josh, for including and playing Ova Magica in 2024! It's always such an honor to be on your channel - especially with so many amazing games releasing ♥ !
Your game is AMAZING!
Echoing the other commenter, years of seeing previews for farm games and being disappointed, after it took a while I had basically lost hope because so many projects have died, then it finally released and I absolutely love it. The bones of this game are amazing and knowing you're on your own just blows my mind. Keep up the good work! Josh says A now, I agree, but I see Ova being a high A and possibly an S in the future. ❤️
I hadn't heard of Ova Magica before, but thanks to this video I'm buying it. Looks awesome and I can't wait to dig in!
I'm gonna say, I'm not a farming sim guy. The only game like them I've liked was Rune Factory 5 of all things (not even the other RF games!). But I will *absolutely* spend an hour listening to you talk about them, your passion is an excellent window into the genre.
I discovered Josh recently and love all his videos even if I’m not interested in the game. His voice is so soothing too I fall asleep sometimes lol.
Woohoo fellow RF5 enjoyer :D
When I see the video is 1 hour long: "Yes, that is what I'm talking about" 🦇
This joke makes me laugh every single time
I can’t remember which game this from 😂 what was it again I need to rewatch
@@Bananachan289I believe it was the video with Brocula in it
@Bananachan289 The game is called "Brocula" and it's in the video "I played more of the WORST reviewed farming games on Steam!" :D
I agree with you - Fields of Mistria and Immortal Life are amazing!
This here is the true game awards for me this year. Thank you for your dedication to the genre and helping us all find those hidden gems~
"there's not too much magic in this game literally and figuratively" :D love your turns of phrase. and this is super helpful with the Steam sale starting!
hearing the magical melody fall theme and being woken up like a sleeper agent lol. Thanks for all your efforts in cataloguing these games, makes it much easier to decide where my money is best spent
A little note on Eastward: Octopia. It doesn't take place after the main game. It takes place in a parallel universe where the events of the main game didn't happen. This doesn't impact the every day gameplay, but at one point there will be a story part with the main game.
Immortal Life deserves to be in S-tier for sure! The gameplay was smooth and the xianxia elements makes the game really stand out! I loved the cooking too, and I usually skip cooking in video games because they're either insanely hectic or too boring. I learned about Immortal Life through your reviews and tips, so thanks a lot!
is it on switch?
Immortal Life is fun to play at first but the end game is kind of rushed.
The face reveal is already 2 years ago?! On that note, thanks for creating this community Josh. You're one of the TH-cam creator I rely on for good games. I was not planning to get Fields of Mistria because I wanted to wait until the Full Release, but after watching several of your streams, you (and the people in the stream chat) convinced me to buy it. And I don't have a single bit of regret. It is so great!
Fields of Mistria has had a chokehold on me lately, I'm so excited for the next updates upcoming!! It's the first farming sim I've tried in a while.
Shinehill sounds interesting, I'll definitely wishlist it and keep an eye out for it to develop further.
made some chocolate milk and grabbed some cookies to eat while watching this.
i love your tier list videos so freaking much! thank you for your work as always, Josh.
your videos give me lots of happiness.
sending all the love x
In my heart, this is the game awards
Much better than the actual game awards! Dude also knows what he's talking about
Aint no way Shinehill is in the same tier as Garden Witch Life 😭
I absolutely love Shinehill, but I also competely agree with your assessment. Its greatest appeal is the story, and the controls are a little clunky but my goodness do I love the story so much! So excited for this game to be on full release!
It's definitely much better than Garden Witch Life! Maybe next year I'll add an E or F tier to separate some of these games better. 😅
@@JoshGamingGarden i think an F tier for “absolutely not” type of games would be nice and also pretty funny :>
The concern in your voice when you could only repeat "its weird. This game is really weird"
😂😂💀 I was full-fledged cackling
I have always and forever will love your videos, thanks for spending the time to make them!
Woah I hadn’t heard of Immortal Life before. Never thought I’d see a Wuxia themed farming sim!! So cool! I’ll have to check it out :D
vouch for fields of mistria. I played it for a week long streak when i bought it lol. Every character feels incredibly alive :^)
New fan here. Your Story of Seasons:Olive videos have been extremely helpful and i love that you're a big fan of this genre. I will be 32 this year and I mainly play these types of games these days cause I get so much out of them in short gaming bursts. I have a wife and full time career and so i can't play most games for hours at a time consistently. I can play these games for 30 minutes or an hour and feel fulfilled
yayyy i was waiting for this one! i check your yearly reviews to see if i've missed something, and honestly i've kinda grown to trust your opinions on farming games 😂
Excellent job, Josh! I believe Immortal Life is so underrated because most cosy farming sim players prefer the switch or other consoles, same with Echoes of the Plum Grove. If they're only available on PC it's a true shame but I'll definitely keep an eye on them!
The dark atmosphere of Mirthwood reminds me a lot of Graveyard keeper, one of my favourite games of all time, so I hope it moves up to A tier eventually.
Glad I didn't buy Farmagia, initially I was interested due to the character designs but it's giving mid. Biggest disappointment this year was Orange Season by farrr.
Seems like I'm saving for Eastward Octopia for Christmas, thank you for recommending it!🙏🏽
Farmagia really reminds me of a obscure PS2 game in presentation and gameplay, for better and for worse.
Another year, another tier list! I so wish Fields of Mistria was compatible with my laptop...
Although the game itself released last year, but on Switch this year, my game of the year has to be Moonstone Island. I've been so hooked onto the game since it came out!
Yes, Moonstone Island is amazing! So glad it's on Switch now!
I hope Fields of Mistria gets optimized and can run on your laptop later!
MoonStone is so cozy
I can't believe Orange Season wasn't put on S tier!! Did your family threaten you with hammers? Haha!
That makes me so happy that Josh’s favorite Harvest Moon game is Magical Melody. That was my first ever Harvest Moon game I’ve played and owned and it’s probably my second favorite Harvest Moon game next to Tree of Tranquillity. Animal Parade is still my overall favorite out of the 3 though.
I haven’t heard of Immortal Life but now I’m excited for it. Thanks for doing this video, it was helpful.
So glad you give Immortal Life the rank it deserves! This game is amazing and different and I love it so much ❤
I went and bought some of your recommended games and I'm having a blast! Love your channel ^^
Fields of Mistria is gonna be HUGE when it's finished. It's so good, nearly perfect for what's out so far. I haven't gotten so attached to every character in a game since Stardew probably, and I'm even more invested in the Mistria NPCs I think. Very glad to see it in S tier, it's so deserved
No one does a Teir list better than you! Thanks so much! I love all your in depth descriptions! And your passion for gaming shines through. Luna Island especially. You nailed it perfectly and made so many good points. I wish Immortal Life would come to console. It looks amazing and I trust your opinion. Also can’t wait to try Critter Cove, Little Known Galaxy and Echoes of the Plum Grove on console. 😊
I'm not entirely sure if it'd be your cup of tea, but I recently played a bright and colorful 2d post apocalyptic farm sim called Doloc Town. At the time of writing this there's just a demo but I've already put in something like 4 hours. It's got a bit of Spiritfarer building mechanics mixed in as well.
I've been looking forward to Doloc Town, I had no idea there was a demo already. I will check it out!
Thanks for the tier list Josh so informative. Might need to check out little known galaxy now. Fields of mistria is definitely an S-tier game
I agree with Little-Known Galaxy in tier A. I played the entire story and got all achievements. It was fun but I like Sun Haven and Roots of Pacha a lot more. The gameplay feels more satisfying there, at least to me
Yes, but once you complete the main story, there is little incentive to grind on for the achievements.
@TorIverWilhelmsen true. But a lot of people are also just there because they like the gameplay. Not everybody is an achievement hunter. I did it in lkg by sleeping through half of the days at the end so I could dump a bunch of meteorites in extractors. I also bought those meteorites, didn't get all of them from excursions.
I sure as hell didn't grind out all the planets. That wasn't a lot of fun even with a maxed out gun.
So I'd give the game a rating of a very low A rating if you love the gameplay, and a high B rating if you like the gameplay.
In any case if say try the demo if it's still available, the demo is looking, a month or so
Roots of Pacha surprised me, I put off getting it for a long time, but it was a lot better than I was expecting.
I am looking forward to the update coming in 2025 that is going to add 2 new areas and a bunch of new content.
@planescaped I'm looking forward to that too
This year felt like quantity over quality. Given time some I am sure can be better but a lot of farming games this year are still just riding on the farming games hype train. Same with cozy games in general.
I played some of the games you mentioned and out of all the ones I played this year I really only liked Chef RPG. Thanks for the video, Josh! :)
I was looking for this video just an hour ago, looking for recommendations. Ended up buying sandrock bc I couldn't find the 2024 one. Dang my timing sucks 😂 thank you for making these!!! Look forward to them every year
Sandrock is my favourite. You made a good choice.
Sandrock is still worth it! I hope you enjoy the game :D
Yeah I love Sandrock, it’s fun and I’ve played over 500 hours on it with multiple saves
Sandrock was my favorite game this year! I really hope you like it haha
I’ve been thinking about buying Sandrock- what’s the best part about it?
Thank you! You are one of the few content creators I really trust with these lists. ❤
Love this video Josh! 💕 It’s always so fun to watch these recaps at the end of the year!!
Min!! I was just watching yours earlier! You played SO MANY GAMES!! 😂
@@JoshGamingGarden Yeah it's ridiculous! Def gonna be pickier next year... lol!
agree with Fields of Mistria & Echoes of plum grove being S tier!! such a good games!!!
So glad to see Immortal Life in S tier! It's honestly in my top 5 of all-time favorite games.
Good video, Immortal Life is insane good, especially if you like Chinese cultivation stories. Thanks for showing Echoes of the plum grove, looks interesting af
I started playing Echoes bc of Josh and I’m obsessed
I’m a fan of farming games and Fields of Mistia has everything I could ever want! Adorable animals (with hats!!!), great customization, fun farming combat in mines, lots of decorations, and hot townspeople! One of the bachelors even looks like/reminds me of my fiancé so he can’t be as jealous when I flirt with him 😂
Just posted a big comment recommending Everafter Falls since I didn’t see it here just to immediately find your stream of it 😂
I think Everafter Falls is genuinely A-tier especially after some bugs have been worked through, I would love to see you revisit it! It’s a really cute, fun game that has a super interesting, somewhat existential story and what felt like really unique characters and community dynamics. Would love to see this game get the love it deserves, I’ve seen almost no content about it and it makes me sad that such a gem has gone under the radar!
I completely forgot about Everafter Falls 😭 I only played a bit, I would give it a B but maybe I should revisit it!
@@JoshGamingGarden very fair!! I don’t think it’s for everyone, that’s for sure, so maybe A is a bit biased LOL. It was definitely a bit clunky when it first got verified for Steam Deck, I could imagine the switch version might have been even worse.
It might also just be one of those games that is for a specific audience and I am exactly that audience, since I imagine a lot of people are just looking for a cute farming sim and Everafter Falls might subvert that niche a little too much for those players
I love Echoes of the Plum Grove. But I do always turn off the fishing mini game, because it's awful, and the tools breaking. There's almost nothing a game can do that is less fun than a tools breaking mechanic. But taxes, food spoiling, all that stuff stays on, because that's kind of the point of the game. But I also am glad those options are there for people.
I also turn off the fishing! It's just soooo tedious, and doesn't feel like fishing. 😅 It's definitely good that these options exist!
I loved watching you play Echoes of Plum Grove! I was watching as I was playing so I got double the immersion which made it even more enjoyable for me. It was also my big game of 2024 and I feel like a bar has been set.
I think when I first looked at Immortal Life I might have been put off by some of the "flashier" visuals in some of the screenshots, like the rainbow gradient decorations shown off in the player's house made me think it was going to have a certain vibe to it. But from the way you described it I should give it a second look and give it a chance.
I am not a fan of the wuxia/cultivation tropes personally.
Loved Water Margin and ROTK and didn't care for Journey to the West either...
Fields of mistra is a beautiful game however i really hate the craft a chair and just stare at it as it's got no use😢
The only Harvest Moon I can enjoy is Back to Nature, everything else hits me off
I had never heard of Ova Magica. I will pick that up when it goes on sale.
I will always appreciate your game review videos, especially the tier lists. I always feel like I spent my money wisely thanks to them 😆 Thank you very much ~ 🥰
Ooh, I loved Farm Together 1. Totally understand how some people would be put off by it, but there's just something charming about the game, at least for me, hopping on the pc maybe an hour everyday to harvest and replant everything. Can't for the life of me remember what the main purpose of the game was, but many times it felt like I had my own farmlands irl as the area kept getting bigger over time. 😂
Immortal Life and Fields of Mistria are the only ones, I own and have Played, I fell in love with them at first sight.
I didn't know you can turn off diseases in Plum Grove! Thanks for mentioning that as this was the aspect (people getting ill) that was keeping me from playing it!
sunnyside's ranking breaks my heart but i understand why it's ranked so low. it doesn't help that their publisher screwed them over so badly that they aren't even able to improve the game at all.
I totally understand where you are coming from with your opinions on Luma Island! But in my own opinion, the crafting and professions can *be* shallow because the focus of the game is exploration. All the professions are a means to an end, and that end is new biomes to explore! The game is perfect for people who want heavy exploration, or loot goblins (like me) who want to collect all the shinies! But I think some people go into the game expecting a typical farming sim, and then are disappointed when the crafting isn’t very in-depth. From my point of view, the crafting is simple in the interest of getting you back out in the world as quickly as possible! And that’s what makes it so unique, I think! 😊
Also I don’t mind the names being similar across biomes. If you think about it, it’s really not all that different than other games that have tiered materials and upgrades! They just chose a simpler way of referring to them, and it stands to make things less confusing! If my points above about the game wanting you to “get back out there and explore” as soon as possible are correct, it makes sense to have the materials reflect the zones they come from so people don’t have to go hunting for things or look stuff up externally.
I agree that all these things serve to make the game (generally) less brain intensive, but I find the temples and the mines, as well as the overworld puzzles, to be engaging enough that it doesn’t matter! The little things like not having to manage your inventory or your time (never needing to sleep) also allow players more freedom to explore! That’s what it all comes back to! 😅
All that being said, I know it won’t be the best pick for *everyone!* I think the design choices and gameplay are fascinating examples for the Cozy genre at large, and I love seeing all these new ways of doing the same stuff!
I like the look of Immortal Life, but not without romance options. That kills it for me.
Josh, do One Lonely Outpost, they just post a major updates, ACT 2 of the game
I was confused at first, because the best category is red, like "stop, don't play" and the worst is green, like "go ahead, it's good" 😁
I didn't even notice that! It makes sense though.
Fields of Mistria looks amazing!! But I'm gonna wait until full release to play it ^^
"The next day there's a guy called simp." 😂😂😂
The way I watched your video about Oriental Valley, but the way you explain it is still so funny.
Love the love for Immortal Life! It's one of my favorites. Some parts of it can be slow, but I've always had something to do and I love it.
Ova Magica has been great too. Also, did you forget Everafter Falls? Or did you just not play enough of it to include it?
I reall yloved Immortal Life. I played it really often and started anew after every content update^^°
I really love your rankings. It helps me to figure out, which game I should play next ^^
Start playing RF5 last week. Your videos really helps me. thanks a lot, josh!
My top game would definitely have to be Fields of Mistria. I guess next would be Chef RPG and Luma Island from this list. I still want to play the Ova Magica and Little Known Galaxy games.
I agree with you on Chef RPG, I really like the vibe of the game and the world but the restaurant part did feel very hands off which is not really a restaurant management game to me. I was very happy to see in the steam updates that they are working on a new game mode for players who want a more hectic experience. It sucks that it probably won't be out until late 2025 but happy to see them taking that feedback and working on the option while leaving the laid back mode for players who find those chaotic cooking games stressful.
I'll have to check out Immortal Life, I've never heard of that game but it looks very very interesting. I 100% agree with Sunnyside, it does feel very heavy and slow to play which sucks. I actually backed the game and have been following it the entire development; as it got closer to release I felt less confident that the things I didn't like were gonna get "fixed" and sure enough they didn't. I saw they did add a sandbox mode so hopefully that will make getting into the game easier and deciding if it's for you. They did announce they are taking a step back from the major updates for the game so who knows what'll happen with this game in the future.
I actually like sunny side quite a bit, but I def experienced some bugs during the time I played. The first round I did, I got a bug where all the wild animals, be it foxes/raccoons and the birds/bugs just would not spawn after a point and once you notice it, it’s hard to unnotice.
My pets I adopted would often get stuck in the trees and couldn’t get out unless I hit the trees with my axe, but some of the trees I wanted to keep for aesthetic, but they don’t regenerate, so I need to chose between keeping the trees or my animals starving lol
I once got stuck in a tutorial screen and had to reset the game, and another time I was fishing off the treehouse dock during a thunderstorm and my character pulled up nothing and it zoomed in like it was showing what they caught, but they then proceeded to stare at their hands as if questioning their lives until I reset the game.
I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and the bike was fun to zip around on and then crash and rag doll over fences or into trees 😂
Me: I need a long content video to listen to while working
This video suddenly appearing:
Me: PERFECT
I recently saw your last year's video and you put Coral Island down because it was missing some content. How is it going now? I didn't see it in the vid
Coral Island is definitely worth it now that all of the content is there!
@JoshGamingGarden so would you put it in S tier now?
I’ve played so many farming/life sims, and I’m always looking for similar games to play!
But most of the ones I’m excited for is coming out next year, so I’m gonna use this tier list to see what other farming games I can play while waiting for those to come out!
Edit: And replaying old games. Currently playing back to nature :3 although I’m always surprised how cruel Carter becomes in SoS:FoMt since they’ve made everyone else kinder 😭 meanwhile Carter is using the confessional box to tell you you’re the worst piece of trash on earth and should burn in hell
Maybe you could consider a 2md chance list? Looking across early releases AND unfinished, picking a few that have reported updates and improvements, and give a 2nd chance and review for us? Thanks for comprhensive review of 2024 farming games
Such a well put list! Can't wait to see what 2025 brings for us. I have a good feeling that next year will bring lots of fun to us!
Loved it! I added a few new games to my wishlist.
I didn't see it on the list, but have you played Cozy Caravan?
It's in early access, starting in May 2024. Technically, I guess it's not quite a farming game. You can harvest (other) NPCs' crops to use in requests and cooking to sell at market.
Your player can be customized by animal type, color, and clothes. They're up to 20 types of animals from the original 11 or 12, i think. It's a very cute game, albeit a bit glitchy at times, but they listen to the players when a bug is reported and they continue to update and add quality of life features. They've recently added fishing and clothes making.
I did! I streamed it once, there was an issue with my save, I lost an hour of progress and gave up. 😭 I'll probably give it another try with the full release, but I totally forgot to include it on the list this year.
Roots of Pacha is better than Little-known Galaxy in my option, because it's deeper. For example, in Pacha u need to harvest certain number of crops to learn about them. Galaxy is fun too though. Your instinct which made u play so much more of Pacha is on point
D for Oriental Valley was generous 🤣
Very good tier list. I agree with just about every placement for the games I've played, even the ones I may like/dislike more than you. I bought Immortal Life at the beginning of the year after seeing you play it and it is definitely in my top 3 for this year.
Thank you for this video, I love farming sims but there are so many out there now that it’s hard to know what’s worth checking out or not. Ova Magic sounds right up my alley. And even if Shinehill is in C I love the sound of the concept and wouldn’t have known about it, thanks!
I remember u saying that Immortal Life would probably be one of the best 2024 farming game in ur opinion back in January and low and behold, it did! 😆
Fields of Mistria was my most anticipated game this year, and yeah I think it's going to be a contender for my fav game of the year so far, and I did play a lot games this year (mostly demos though). Stardew Valley is still my fav Farming Sim (neither Coral Island nor Sun Haven were able to do that), but Fields of Mistria has the best chance of doing that. I just checked on how many hours I've played (I recently took a break from it again after experiencing the new update). I have over 70 hours now, so yeah PLENTY of content. Of course though I always play casually. I am now in my 2nd Fall. Waiting to see what the next future update will bring. Hoping they'll add a Fall festival. Loved the Summer one, it had me giggling like a school girl lol. S tier for sure
Ova Magica is something I WANT. It's like my "Surprise game" of the year. Basically it came out of nowhere and just instantly grabbed my attention. I was surprised on how smoothly it ran on my PC. I think it's because of the simple 3D designs (like even Coral Island lags for me). It's the next Steam game I'll be getting. Just when it came out in Early Access, it was bad timing because I was waiting for Fields of Mistria since I only had enough money in my Steam account for one more game. I do hope it continues to run well on my PC. I fell in love with the game so fast that I already drew an OC for it lol. Called her Amethyst hehe. Oh, I only played the demo. As much as I want to rank it, for me the demo isn't enough for me to rank something properly.
These were the only 2 NEW games I've played this year. I did get Sun Haven at the beginning of the year and after completing the main story and getting married, I'd Rank it A tier. Great game, but my only issue was the Romance part. I think Stardew Spoiled me because in Sun Haven, there's only 2 events you get with the LI before marriage. Claude is amazing, but I was also disappointed with the lack of attention he gave to his kid, once you have one. Like even in Stardew at least your spouse talks about the kids. I know the devs keep adding to the game, so I hope they fix that part of it. But I loved everything else.
The other game I got this year that's a farm sim, it's a game I eventually dropped sadly because I got bored- Wylde Flowers. I was always on the fence of getting it to begin with, but that was mostly due to the art style. Game plays great and the voice acting was an added bonus and the story is good, but it got tedious at one point, even with the magical elements in play. Plus the char personalities weren't as memorable to me as other games. Heck I had no desire to even romance anyone. I still haven't finished the main story, and I doubt I ever will, which is sad. Decent game, but just not for me.
"so we have dreamland... Nightmareland farm"
Josh you slay me hahahah
I would love to know where you’d rank Go-Go Town! It’s easily my favorite cozy/farming game of the year.
"Actually, this is not gonna be a game for ANYone." - Josh 🤣
I couldn't agree with you more on Echoes of the Plum Grove and Fields of Mistria. Truly masterpieces.
Sunnyside felt more like they transplanted a bunch of foreigners to Japan's countryside for whatever reason. It didn't make sense to me. Should have left it in the US or wherever the devs come from.
Honestly SunnySide is the biggest disappointment of the year. I was so hyped for it, and backed it after your first video on it. But the lack of taking feedback from the betas and from what I understand they had issues with the publisher they cant really do DLC or really make money of the game. But man it had so much promise
the orange season review has me crying😭 also i have to play immortal life now
Luma Island my beloveddd! So happy we have similar experiences with many games this year hahaha 🥰
Luma island was fun but the ending felt like a lazy slap in the face.
I think you may have forgotten Everafter falls. Where would you put it on your list?
I did forget about it 😭 I'd probably put it in B. It had a fun story at the beginning, some interesting mechanics but it didn't do enough to keep me hooked. I was also not a fan of the graphics. 😅
Great video!! LOOOOVE OVA MAGICA, can't wait for the full release
I really need to play more Little Known Galaxy as well, it's such a great game but I just got side tracked.
I watched the entire thing! Thanks Josh for the great year!
Disney dreamlight valley. What dont you play this anymore josh. Its so good with all of the updates.
Great video! Your reviews are dangerous for my wallet lol😂. I purchased a few in this video.
I don't play nearly as many farming games as you.. and yes Immortal Life is such a great game but the end is grindy. I got past growing the big ancient crop or whatever, but after that.. you have to keep defeating bosses in the biomes... and the monsters start getting REALLY strong... If I pick it back up again, I will have to grind to make potions to fight them... and.... I don't know if I'll ever finish the game. Lololol.
Wow... I couldn't agree more with you, especially when it comes to Fields of Mistria, Everholm & Mirthwood. Got the very same feelings, and even used the same words in my video while playing Mirthwood that you can make a good impression only once. And Mirthwood didn't make a good impression, sadly. I love Mistria, and I hope that in time both Everholm and Mirthwood will level up, so I will change my mind. But as for now I would place them exactly on the same spot on my tier list. Gladly there's Mistria and Plum Grove, which are great and made this year of farming games not as sad as it could be without them.
8:00 bro took a bite out of that oven
Ooh, what about moonstone island?
Unless i dont see it on screen/in the description, you should try littlewood! I really liked the customization of the town and the card game feature. Maybe its not your thing since the farming isnt the main feature, but id love to hear your thoughts on it.
I'm a little surprised about Little Known because I didn't like it very much.
I have to say that I tried it a little, but I gave it up because it was too heavy for me. The first missions was to use a tool to fix holes (if I'm not mistaken) and it took a long time for the tool to fix the hole (several times), to go to each floor is a small loading screen and being so many areas where you have to move around made the game heavy. The farlands speak well (I have not played it but it gives me better feelings than the little), but as you say it still has little content to value it.
The sunny side for my part I was looking forward to it, but apart from the problems you mentioned, it was poorly optimized. My pc looked like it was going to explode and it met the requirements. It makes me quite angry because that game promised something different and reminded me a bit of harvest moon/story season innocent life on psp.
The immortal life I have it in pending to play, the theme of Chinese culture I like, but I never end up cheering me up. I would like to add the typical of marrying and raising a family (which I think it does not have and there are no plans) and the ova magica is also pending for sometime before I die.
Finally as a farm game this year I will definitely choose field of mistria. I love the pixel art style and the characters have a lot of personality. I'm looking forward to adding more content.
Orange Season is another hot mess that deserved so much better. It was supposed to include magic, combat, races, marriage etc.
Tropical Puppy was the OG dev, Hudell's vision of the game was so good but after they left the game it went downhill with the new team Innerfire Studios and Soedesco.
OS is sadly another story of a game being taken over by different devs and them driving it into the ground.
Same with A New Leaf: Memories, OG devs (Ironheart studios) sold or gave it to Crytivo- Crytivo gave it to Hidden Tower Studios and it went downhill. Has been no news on the game since June.
Why is this happening to so many games 😭 this year was horrible for farming sims. Hopefully next year is better since it’s my fave genre
@@Stormo21 I don't know, it sucks and it's also my fav genre. I've been learning to stay away from certain publishers.
So hoping for better games next year. 🥹
Hey Josh! I’ve been binging your channel like crazy lately. I was wondering, have you played Coral Island? If so, what did you think of it? If not then I’d love to see you play it. I’m planning on buying it soon simply due to the love interests being so attractive 😂😂
I recently bought Fields of Mistria as a bday present to myself lmao and it’s easily one of my favorites that I’ve played in a long time!! I can’t wait til it’s completed! It’s so full of personality and you can tell the devs are passionate about it, and the aesthetic is RIGHT up my alley.
I can definetly recommend Coral Island! Fields of Mistria and Coral Island are now my favourite Farming Sims and they keep getting better