Anytime a new cozy farm life sim surfaces, I can’t help myself—I just have to see what it’s all about. I know the genre is incredibly stacked these days (and it doesn’t look like that will slow down anytime soon), but I don’t care. I love games like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and now, Pokemon Pokopia, as they are what I would consider the genuine downtime I frequently require. After all, who always wants to spend their evening grinding a Soulslike at the end of a long day? Well, Oxalis Games’ Moonfrost is the latest game in that vein I’ve had my eye on, and even though it hasn’t been released yet, I’m already obsessed with what I’ve seen.
Moonfrost has been around backstage for a while, but its Steam page actually only just launched not too long ago. Nevertheless, it looks like it has everything a cozy game lover like myself could want, from the standard activities associated with the genre—like farming, fishing, cooking, and crafting—to a relationship system that includes romance. However, it seems to take things to the next level by featuring a Sims-style build mode that allows players to construct their own house, as well as an Animal Crossing-like village restoration system. Needless to say, I’m hyped for this one, and I’ve already wishlisted it on Steam as a result.
New Farm Life Sim on Steam Comes Straight From a Former Stardew Valley Dev
Built by a former Stardew Valley developer, this upcoming Steam farm life sim takes familiar ideas and plants them in an urban sandbox.
Moonfrost Takes the Best of Three Cozy Sim Greats
Moonfrost is set in a fantasy world that changed forever a century ago when a mysterious second moon suddenly appeared in the sky, triggering relentless meteor storms that devastated entire civilizations. The icy fragments that fell from these storms became known as Moonfrost, a strange substance capable of both destruction and creation. Over time, survivors learned to harness its power, forging structures and tools from its shards in an effort to rebuild what had been lost. Players take on the role of a Frost Hunter, one of the few individuals capable of wielding Moonfrost, tasked with restoring a ruined village, helping its inhabitants confront their struggles, and uncovering the truth behind the ominous Second Moon that continues to loom over the world.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Moonfrost’s Core Features
- FARMING, FISHING, COOKING – Grow crops, catch fish, cook meals, and gather resources as part of the game’s life sim gameplay loop.
- SIMS-STYLE BUILD MODE – Design and decorate a home wall-by-wall, choosing styles ranging from cozy cottages to castles and villas.
- VILLAGE RESTORATION SYSTEM – Rebuild a ruined settlement by cleaning streets, restoring buildings, and creating homes for villagers.
- FRIENDSHIPS AND ROMANCE – Form relationships with villagers, helping them confront personal struggles while deepening friendships or romantic bonds.
- EXPLORATION AND TEMPLES – Venture beyond the village to explore mysterious areas and dangerous temples while expanding your Frost Hunter abilities.
- CRAFTING AND CUSTOMIZATION – Unlock crafting recipes for tools, decorations, outfits, hairstyles, and more to shape both your gameplay style and character look.
- NEXT-GEN PIXEL WORLD – Experience a stylized pixel-art world with dynamic lighting, weather systems, wildlife behavior, and a fully original soundtrack.
- MYSTERY-DRIVEN STORY – Uncover the truth behind Moonfrost meteor storms and the ominous Second Moon while piecing together your character’s forgotten past.
Moonfrost tells the story of a broken world and the broken people who live within it.
Clearly, Moonfrost‘s narrative and world-building are there, and they’re even deeper than your average “take over your grandpa’s farm and do it well or else” trope. However, the game still incorporates classic farm life sim mechanics into the mix to ensure fans’ appetite for the genre is satiated. Players can grow a variety of crops, catch fish, use them to cook meals, but with some added Moonfrost flair to keep things interesting. As a Frost Hunter, players can utilize unique Frost Hunting abilities to harvest materials, like a giant hammer that can break up all rocks in the area or a vacuum that can gather a bunch of crops at once. But these abilities don’t just come into play at the player’s home, though, as there is plenty to explore beyond the farm.
There is also plenty to craft in Moonfrost with its sizable collection of blueprints. Once they’ve gathered the necessary resources, players can create things like tools, decorations, outfits, new hairstyles, and more. Based on what has been shown so far, the variety of Moonfrost‘s craftable items is more akin to a game like The Sims than even Stardew Valley, as everything from shower heads and bird houses to umbrellas and streetlights are available.
Moonfrost Incorporates Sims-Like Building and Animal Crossing-Like Village Restoration
And speaking of The Sims, Moonfrost really distinguishes itself when it comes to home construction, as it takes the well-worn idea of a nearby builder upgrading the player’s home and puts the freedom to customize it as they see fit right into their hands. Rather than purchasing home upgrades as they would in a game like Stardew Valley, players can build their house block by block in a Build Mode similar to the one made iconic by The Sims. It doesn’t stop there, however, as that extends into the surrounding village as well.
Animal Crossing was no doubt one of the forerunners of settlement restoration in the cozy genre, and Moonfrost is now walking that path alongside it. Throughout the game, players play a core role in restoring the village by cleaning the streets and even building unique homes for its inhabitants using Build Mode. This is the Frost Hunter’s primary mission: “to rebuild the world, one shard at a time.” It’s not clear yet whether the villagers will be there from the beginning, or whether they will arrive as the town is built up. But it’s likely that there will at least be a handful of villagers present near the start of the game, with the village growing as players improve its condition.
Players can also build relationships with the villagers and even romance some of them, and from what Moonfrost‘s Steam page mentions, each of them have compelling stories players will see unravel as their relationships with them deepen.
Even with the cozy genre becoming increasingly crowded, Moonfrost feels like the kind of game that will manage to stand out by taking the best ideas of several different games and putting them into one place. Between its Stardew Valley-inspired farm life loop, Animal Crossing-style village restoration, and the deep home construction tools that echo The Sims, it already looks like a promising hybrid for players who enjoy settling into a world and shaping it over time. Plus, with its mystery surrounding the Second Moon on top of all those systems, Moonfrost has the potential to offer more than just another relaxing routine, and it may end up being one of the more interesting cozy life sims to watch as its release gets closer. I know I will be.
Moonfrost is currently available to wishlist on Steam.
