‘Fields of Mistria’ is the cosy gamer’s dream come true

Yes, Fields of Mistria follows the same generic premise as most other games of its genre. You farm the land, care for animals and occasionally delve into the mines until the early hours of the morning. Of course, there are romanceable bachelors and bachelorettes for you to romance. Same old, same old. What’s new? It’s a safe way to get fans of the genre interested, but not enough to get them to stay. This is a fact that its developer, NPC Studio, must have been well aware of.

What Fields of Mistria has done impeccably well, above all else, is how it has written its villagers. They feel alive and part of the world, rather than being beholden to the player character’s actions. They gather weekly at the inn to play Dungeons & Dragons, huddle together at the Saturday market and lead lives that are in no way tied to yours. Rather than generic comments about something you donated to the museum or a request you’ve done for them, villagers will add context and react accordingly based on their personalities and interests. Interactions between the villagers are also delightful to read, as you learn that they can be as whimsical (or sarcastic) as you.

In similar titles, speaking to villagers often felt like a chore, done only to raise your relationship points. In Fields of Mistria, it is the opposite. Talking to them is the fun. The dialogue is dynamic to an almost baffling (affectionately) degree, as though the writers have accounted for every possible time, place and circumstance that you interact with a character. Villagers give you just as much reason to get out of your house as watering your crops or petting your animals.

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Gameplay-wise, Fields of Mistria has fortunately included several quality-of-life features that would have taken similar games years to implement. Character customisation (there’s a lot of customisation) is now done easily via the in-game menu, the perk system makes skill progression smoother and villager locations are tracked on the map. There are also enough in-game prompts to gently check if you’d like a tutorial, making it easy to pick up even if this is your first farm simulation game. The rest is up to you to discover.

Farming has been relatively trimmed and streamlined. There are no pests threatening your crops, so scarecrows are purely cosmetic. Animals also automatically drop their produce, without having to use milk buckets or shears (thus freeing up two more inventory slots). There are caveats: calling them outside must be done manually by ringing a bell, and you are also required to pet them daily for them to produce anything.

The combat aspect has also been spruced up a bit, with monsters having unique mechanics that require you, at times, to move and use your surroundings to your advantage. Did I also mention that you can jump?

Fields of Mistria is not without its faults, but given that it is fresh out of early access and in the infancy of its full release, these are certain to be remedied over time. If criticism must be directed somewhere, it is to the museum. There were some expectations that it would be similar to the functional displays in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with fish swimming in their natural environments and fossils properly built on their stands. Instead, that trout you fished up is lying on a bleak operating table, as are heaps of rocks, vegetables and precious artefacts. With how much love was poured everywhere else, it was rather disappointing.

Fields of Mistria has nonetheless captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of players on the back of its incredible writing, gorgeous spritework, memorable music and near-endless potential for customisation. It is sure to consume and overpower your daily routine, and will have you playing in their magical world for hours on end.

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