Farming simulators are an incredibly popular genre, but that does not mean they are all created equal. The years after Stardew Valley have seen dozens of farming sims crop up in the industry, with many of them essentially being clones. The best farming simulator games seek to introduce something new to the genre. The upcoming Grave Seasons introduces a serial killer who is randomly decided in each playthrough (and they can be romanced), so it’s been a standout ever since it was announced. Roots of Pacha is another standout because of its unique prehistoric setting, and a new standout farming sim on Steam calls itself a “dark farming simulator.”
Of course, farming simulators are typically cozy games and those who flirt with “dark” elements are usually more cute than fully dark, such is the case with the highly anticipated Grave Seasons. This new Steam title, VeilWood, is not that. It’s not dark in the cozy sense, but in a horror sense. It builds on the farming simulator setup immortalized by Stardew Valley and its predecessor, but in many ways, it’s a bona fide horror game for Steam users too.
VeilWood is a Dark Farming Simulator
As described on the Steam page, VeilWood is a town that has been isolated for the last 3 decades. This is due to a strange blue fog called the Azure Haze that corrupts anyone or anything exposed to the fog. Not only is the environment threatening to the VeilWood protagonist, but so is the local wildlife that’s been corrupted. As players attempt to grow crops to survive, they’ll also be tasked with solving the mysteries of the town and investigating the Azure Haze. In other words, it’s like Stephen King’s The Mist is taking place in Stardew Valley, making this game an evil twin companion to it.
Of course, that’s not to say VeilWood is just a ripoff or clone of Stardew Valley. It’s similar enough to the genre’s greats to warrant the comparison, but it is its own thing, too. It takes place in a first-person POV, for one, and it features more constant real-time strategy elements than Stardew Valley. Similarly, Stardew Valley does not have traditional difficulty modes, instead requiring players to adjust manually via the Advanced Settings, whereas VeilWood has two.
- Arcade Mode: Players must meet a constantly increasing money threshold with emphasis on fast-paced decision-making and strict time management
- Relaxed Mode: A more forgiving difficulty option
VeilWood’s Dark Farming Sim Feature List
- GROW CROPS: 40+ with unique growing conditions and effects
- DEFEND YOURSELF: 15+ creatures, each with unique variants
- DEFEND YOUR ESTATE: Protect your harvest through combat and structure placement.
- SOLVE PUZZLES: Discover the secrets of the Azure Haze in the town’s underground labyrinth and catacombs
- DECORATE YOUR ESTATE: Players can decorate their farm, bond with pets, and otherwise make their own home in VeilWood.
- FARMING SIM ACTIVITIES: Catching bugs, caring for animals (those not trying to kill you), and otherwise building the farm you want
- FARM SIZE MATTERS: The bigger your farm, the more difficult VeilWood becomes.
- CLASSIC VIDEO GAME ART STYLE AND GRAPHICS
VeilWood is Not a Cozy Game
See how many crops you can grow in one night without your farm being reduced to rubble and flames.
While there is an option for a more casual experience, it’s worth noting that VeilWood does not really belong in the cozy game genre. With its crops, pets, farm animals, and bugs, it’s clearly firmly in the farming sim genre. But whereas many farm sims have players sleep the night away peacefully, VeilWood players have to be prepared for attacks on the estate. They also have several harder challenges available in the labyrinth, which features “complex puzzles and secrets” to uncover about the Azure Haze. Similarly, The Catacombs (perhaps comparable to Stardew Valley‘s mines) will be sure to test players.
However, its most interesting feature is in how it encourages plot growth and challenges players on that frontier. VeilWood‘s general difficulty scales with farm size. The more players expand and grow, the more dangerous the game becomes. In fact, developers even issued players a challenge: “See how many crops you can grow in one night without your farm being reduced to rubble and flames.”
For many fans, of course, the cozy nature is what draws them to farming simulators. The best ones are arguably the coziest, but that’s what makes VeilWood stand out. It is directly challenging the notion that the genre must be cozy and simple to be fun, and it’s giving something to fans who love more action/horror-driven experiences and farming simulators. It’s the best of both worlds approach that, while it remains to be seen how effective it is, is appreciated in a saturated genre.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Play a Dark Farming Sim Soon
VeilWood is currently only slated for a Steam release, but depending on how it performs, perhaps developer Chaos Cabin will consider bringing the game to other platforms. The Nintendo Switch (and Switch 2) is perhaps the best place to play farming sims, but it’s not the only platform and this is not a traditional farming simulator. Still, players can play it soon. It is currently slated to release on March 19—less than a full month away as of this writing.
If VeilWood sticks the landing, it could show that not every farming simulator needs to be a cozy game. There’s a clear appetite for genre mashups across the industry right now, especially as classic formulas can be found anywhere. VeilWood is a combination of genuine horror and farming simulators, and that arguably shouldn’t stand out as much as it does. It channels the best of both worlds.
Ultimately, that release date means players won’t have to wait and see if the bold idea pays off. For farming sim veterans craving higher stakes—and horror fans looking for something mechanically deeper—this could be one of Steam’s most surprising genre experiments of the year.
