Today saw the announcement of a new farming simulator, “Crop” which is being developed by Carbonara Games, a studio based out of Oslo, Norway which is currently manned by a team of three people. The game is set in a small town that is “severed from the world“, and the player must help the small village it’s a part of survive. The game will have players engage in a variety of farming-related tasks, such as organizing one’s crops, digging trenches, installing water pumps, and repairing any damaged or deteriorating equipment. However, the previous owner has left the farm in a state of ruin, leaving you as the new caretaker to clean up and renovate it; you will have to “Cut through waist-high grass to prevent pests, produce compost to improve the quality of crops, and meticulously prepare your plots”. 

However, there is more to this farmland than what your expected duties entail. You have questions- why the farm is so isolated from the rest of the world, why you were brought here, and who is watching you “from the shadows as dusk falls?” There is more to this place than what meets the eye, and it is your job to find out the truth behind everything happening around you, as well as keeping the townsfolk alive. 

According to a Polygon interview with 11 Bit Studios, who are helping publish the game, “There is a familiarity here for this gameplay loop, and it gives you this sense of comfort and safety almost,” says Gabriella Siemienkowicz, communications lead at 11 Bit Studios. “But we really shouldn’t forget how we ended up on this farm”. 

While all the elements of a typical farming game are there, Crop also functions as a survival horror, with the player needing to equip the right tools and gear within certain weather conditions (say a raincoat when it’s raining outside), crops going bad due to pests, certain farm enhancements end up failing, etc. It is much more demanding and back-breaking than your typical farming sim, and combined with its ominous atmosphere and story, leads to a rather interesting and unique spin on the genre.