Sleep? Shower? Shave? No. Wholesome community farming sim will provide. Seriously, I’ve had this for two weeks and am 50 hours deep. Now I have to plan a detox. But I ain’t stopping. There are so many things to do. I’ll be doubling that playtime easy but in a more measured way from here on. Maybe.
The appeal of these games for me is cobbling together an attractive and well functioning farm. I’ve gotta have both. Attractive for me is quite understated with a dose of intentional imperfections and I generally start with a long term plan for lots of easy income. Right now I’m into sheep, hives, kegs, nets, and passive gold on the skill tree. Also need to exploit fishing more. Maybe check out the sushi station.
Of course this is ignoring one of Sun Haven’s biggest selling points. It has an RPG style plot and bosses to fight. Some bosses are easy, some will go away after a few days, others are harder. It’s still a more casual type of game where everything is optional. You can challenge yourself with a speedrun or take it easy, level up, gear up, and take stacks of potions with you. Or ignore the bits not for you. I’m mostly taking my time with the main story. Which is about a looming darkness and evil. You are chosen by the dragon guardian to sort it out, so far mostly involving exploration, combat, and fetch quests. Including travelling to other towns where you can run more farms. Up to three total.
There are a lot of resources available. Loads of forage-able items. There has to be otherwise it would take too long to make progress. Some logic has been thrown out the window. Such as a few crops and all flowers will grow in any season. That way it doesn’t interrupt a valuable honey supply. The design means it’s possible to focus on a couple of specific activities for all your needs rather than having to do it all. There’s a lot of choice and a lot of potential to be overwhelmed. I like to try a bit of everything before focusing in on what’s most fun and most efficient.
Compared to other popular games in the genre, yeah that one, Sun Haven has pretty much everything you would expect and more. Not everything functions exactly the same way. For instance when farming tools are upgraded to the next metal it increases the speed. However, relying on tools is for noobs. Work on increasing the mana bar and unlock earthquake and rain spells. Eventually it will be a breeze to manage a few large crop patches.
While some tasks are made easier; no stamina bar. Other problems are introduced; seasonal pests with their own scarecrows and seasonal problems like crop fires and brambles than need to be dealt with each day. The fires and brambles will make full automation impossible because totems are only 80% effective against them. There will always be something to do by hand before harvest. Unless I’ve missed something in all the items.
I’ve not browsed all the items as thoroughly as I might because the game only pauses in certain menus. When at the crafting stations or looking in a chest time keeps ticking. So better to get that info elsewhere (if possible), or waste an in game day reading it all. That’s one reason why I opted for longer days in the options. A day can be between 15 and 40 minutes. I’ve gone for 40 mins. For me that makes the days feel full and rewarding. While harvests and season changes take much longer, there is time to plant more and run lots of community requests for XP and money. I’ve done enough community stuff that I’m getting repetition; I mean how many looms does Giuseppe need? Anyhow, I like that pace. Being able to save at anytime is also handy for longer days.
One area I’ve neglected as usual is cooking. There is a huge number of things you can make. Perhaps too much. I’ve not really needed the recipes other than a handful to boost profit. Prepared food is mainly for stat boosts; the most useful is jam that increases XP and thus skills. The recipe system is elaborate but I’m not sure most of it is worth the time unless you enjoy it for it’s own sake.
Something that brings the town to life is the wide variety of characters. Specifically the large number of periphery NPCs that change with the seasons. Swimming in the summer ocean, drinking hot coco on a park bench, playing in stacks of leaves. All these little interactions grow the world. You get about a dozen romance-able people, a good mix including elves and demons. I guess it’s possible to annoy them but you’d have to make a real effort to. I’m cutthroat about relationships and will string someone along for the hearts and stats bonus. No shame here. It’s all about as twee and cutesy as anyone could stomach and that suits my escapism fine. A nice touch for main characters is that their outfits change. Even the killer monkeys get little beanie hats in fall.
Be warned. There are still some bugs. I’ve only experienced a few. During summer on a rainy day some of the ground still needs watering. I think it’s got something to do with the crop fires. The most significant bug is one of the optional bosses guarding a dungeon is not working. The boss always comes back after being defeated. Ultimately these issues have not been enough to bother me and I expect patches on the way as the devs are apparently still planning more content updates.
I don’t do much multi-player but Sun Haven has an eight player option. Can’t vouch for it but with so much to do I’m guessing 8 players is almost enough, lol.
Having spent a lot of time fancifying my farm, I will push on with the story. So far it’s been good fun. I’m not expecting too much from it. Chosen one, naughty creatures, etc. The game is so wholesome it may end with a friendly conversation and then we have a barbecue. Good enough for me. I’ve got farms to manage and there’s still the spinning boss in the mines to take care of. Gonna need some potions for that.
Skip to the end. I think Sun Haven is a good addition to the genre. Looks great, nails the mood, and has content for many many hours. Even if you never do everything.
Available from Steam.
mishmash 