I'm betting Coral Island is going to score high, as for some reason, it's caught the attention of the masses more than anything else, though I personally don't have it at the top of my list...it's hanging more around the middle, as I've been a bit disappointed by a few things about it.
Personally, Sun Haven is very high on my list due to having so many fantasy characters and a fantasy setting and a gorgeous jewel-toned palette. Sunny Side is well up there, too, as they're putting insane levels of detail into every feature and it's interesting that they're going really deep on characters and events...I'm interested to see if a whopping 24 candidates, each with their own set orientation so that they have strong backstories specific to them alone, will work out, as well as the more-realistic farming. Kynseed looks really unique in gameplay with the generation mechanics and other things (though their specific type of pixel art is very fussy and eye-stressy for me), and I definitely want My Time at Sandrock, though I didn't back it and will be waiting for full release (and it's not really a farming sim, imo, any more than Portia was...it has a little farming in it, but it's all about being the best crafter/builder, NOT a farmer. Not sure if Sandrock puts any more of an emphasis on it than Portia, but I figure probably not, as it's just not their brand. Though what they have is good and makes it distinct from the flood...they're probably doing well to stick with it.)
So...I think those four get my top spots. They're each very unique within the genre, putting their own spin on it, but seem to have enough that is familiar to make them inviting. (I love the genre, so I don't want it completely reinvented.) Honorable mentions go to:
- No Place Like Home
- Immortal Life
- One Lonely Outpost
and maybe... - Witchbrook
- Coral Island
- Farm Folks
- Song of the Prairie
- Lightyear Frontier
- Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire
What games in the Fogu-favourite genre are you guys most looking forward to? I'm wondering if I've missed any especially notable games in the flood.