Harvestella, the color-coded and color-tested JRPG beta from Square Enix’s farming sim

Looks like the day before yesterday we were writing about another farm simulation. This time, however, the Harvestella, produced by Square Enix In what appears to be a new pilot course for the publisher, where movement and role-playing mechanics are put into the pile as well. We spent some time demoing the Switch just to get an initial idea of ​​what to expect from the recent Nintendo Direct announcement and came up with ideas halfway through.

We’re faced with a more or less convincing landing for Square in a field that’s gotten fairly large over time, the kind that grew into overdrive and the pandemic exploded, thanks to a hurricane like Animal Crossing. Country life simulators have always been around, but so far they’ve never caught the attention of adults: This time Square Enix is ​​trying to have its say by posting its first demo that gives an idea of ​​what to expect.

But let’s get into this in detail I tried Harvestila.

Lethi Village

Square Enix immediately makes it clear that what we’re facing is a file JRPG For all intents and purposes: a protagonist who wakes up in a deserted village, a girl with supernatural colours, a meteor descending from the sky and carrying a strange capsule. The publisher seems to want to make it clear right away that yes, maybe the title is referring to farming and yes, the trailer shown is winking at mixed gameplay but hey, there’s a story, there are mysterious characters and there’s also Inspired character design.

Harvestella comes dressed in a character that is very sensitive, but leans toward maturity, a kind of design evolution taken from Bravely Defaults and a slight increase in personal data. After a short, quick character modification (perhaps the shortest show ever) the demo starts with a small tutorial, some multi-choice dialogue that doesn’t change the progression and a bit of exploration in the village where we actually wake up, Lethe, a plain fun fantasy site, full of joy but surrounded by serenity, a kind of deadly dust emanating from some stones during the change of seasons. So there’s a small twist/element in the setting, which will actually go on with the demo in the first two chapters, between new characters falling from the sky, visible enemies with almost space armor and of course… carrot-planting. All in a well-kept ecosystem, by tradition, even if the resolution and color options appear a bit down, perhaps in favor of frame rate on the Switch.

We meet and fight

Although there are many interlude scenes, the demo, after introducing us to the village, supporting actors and first exploration practices, finally puts us in a position to be self-sufficient. The fun engine that drives the preparation part of our plot, from sowing The collection is organized fairly easily and will make all those who appreciate these elements of farming sim in video games happy. But, as we said, we must not forget that Harvestella is and still is a JRPG: when we are finally free to enter the first monster-inhabited area, we can learn about combat systemwhich, however, still appears to be in dire need of real progress, outside of the demo.

Let’s try to explain: the basic work is there, there are works that allow you to diversify weapons and attacks, there is a system for developing and improving weapons, there are enemies within sight: however, these are all elements at the moment that appear a lot Superficial, they are difficult to put together, and seemingly easy to master, and therefore, perhaps, you can get bored easily. Hopefully, bigger skills, expanding the party, and possibly acquiring spells will be able to make the dungeons diversified.

The days They pass quickly, and the morning habits are those of the simulator: tidying up the field, giving water to the crops, perhaps hunting, going around the shops and two steps to slaying monsters, and the day is already over, perhaps too quickly. In the meantime, the story, perhaps the sexiest part at the moment, reminds us that the world is in danger, the supporting actors are also relatively interesting and the plot impresses with the issues it seems to deal with.