September 2023

[Kikki]

Okay, gang...I've gotten confused.

So nothing new, lol.

But what is new is that we have at least SIX games in the simulation (or 'cozy') genre releasing in this one month alone...September 2023. These are the ones I can remember:

• Rune Factory 3 Special: September 5
• Fae Farm: September 8
• My Time at Sandrock: September 26
• Mineko's Night Market: September 26
• Harvest Moon: Winds of Anthos: September 26
• Paleo Pines: September 26th

What makes this extra confusing is that some of these games are releasing in multiple regions and on different consoles, on different dates. For example, Anthos is releasing September 26 in NA, but on October 6th, I think, in Europe. And Mineko is coming out on the on October 8th on Xbox, PS4/5, etc, which is different from the September release for Switch/PC. I think, lol. I honestly can't keep it straight. It's going to be easy to entirely miss releases in that month, and most of us are going to have to prioritize our purchases. Which is hard to do if you can't even remember what's releasing!

Do you know of any September games that aren't on this list? Which are you planning to get, and which first if you have to choose between them? Have you found any good reviews or articles on any of these games that is helping you choose between them?

Personally, I was leaning toward NOT getting Fae Farm, but then I watched this review, from a channel I'm not familiar with, which wasn't at all gushy but more factual, describing features and so on, and then praising things I didn't expect, like the sound effects. I was impressed by the options in all the various different areas of gameplay, and the beautiful menus. I'm always really struck by gorgeous menus and item icons. I still think the characters look almost as derpy as the ones in Life in Willowdale, which everyone makes so much fun of (not sure why Willowdale character design gets slammed while Fae Farm characters are called 'adorable', they both look really stupid to me, lol.) but my concern that the game might be low-quality is growing more distant. I do still hope to learn more before release, but right now I think this puts Fae Farm as my second priority in September, after Sandrock. (Then Anthos. I'll probably skip all the others entirely, but I'll keep them on my wishlist in case of major sales some day.)

[Bluie]

To answer your question I'd have to actually get around to updating the Farming Sim sticky, which I AM gonna do once I have more than a moment of free time. Maybe Sunday if I manage to have the energy. There's probably more, they're just not as promoted as the ones you listed. It is nice to see all these ambitious cozy games finally coming out and I hope they were worth the wait. I'll probably only get Sandrock for the time being. I'm kinda 'cozied' out atm and they only upcoming release I'm really, REALLY excited for is Fields of Mistria which isn't until 2024. I'll get the RF3 remaster once it gets it's inevitable PS5 port.

[Kikki]

I'm not fond of 'cozy' as a genre name, as it doesn't have a proper definition and people just throw in whatever makes them, personally, feel cozy, even if it in no way appears to fit with most other games in the genre. I will never agree to Breath of the Wild as a cozy game, let alone TotK, which can be downright horrifying. To me, a truly cozy game has to have no risk of death or failure, on top of, as much as possible, letting you do everything your own way, in your own time.

Everyone keeps saying that they think they/we've forgotten some of the September games, so I tried wracking my brain to think of all I'd heard of...but I think I'm forgetting one or two, as well, and so many of these September dates were announced very recently, just in the last week or two. The different region and console dates have really been messing up the schedule in my head, too.

I need to figure it out so I can make the right decision when September comes, lol. I'll probably only be able to get one game (unless they're inexpensive) and others will have to wait for later months. Sandrock is definitely number one, at this point. I sure hope that Fantasy Life i doesn't turn out to be a September release, as then I'd have to decide between them, though we haven't heard a peep more about it yet, that I know of, so perhaps it's going to end up pushed to 2024.

I'm not sure if Mineko is a farming game at all. I don't know if you can grow anything in that game. I don't know much about that game at all, beyond 'catting cats', as I'm not at all interested in getting it, personally. And I know you can grow stuff in Sandrock, but it's really more of a builder game than a farming game. But I wasn't meaning to make a farming game list or anything...it's just all the September games in this very broad 'cozy' genre that tends to appeal to Ushinites. Foguans. Whatever we are, here.

[greensara]

It is a little weird so many decided to release in that same time frame. There are several in the collective genre that I might be interested in, but probably won't preorder or get on release.

1. My Time at Sandrock
Definitely getting it, but with as often as Portia goes on sale (and as glitchy as the switch version was/is), I am going to wait for some kind of sale.

2. Winds of Anthos
Also going to get it eventually, but no rush.

Everything else is a maybe. I was interested in Fae Farm, but don't like the high price tag for an indie that I am still not sure what the point of the game is. Maybe if I found out something more descriptive and a steep sale. Paleo Pines is an interesting concept. I don't remember if they gave a date for the new Fantasy Life, but the first was fun, so yes to that whenever it is.

Also have my eye on Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island, which releases next week I think, but I will probably wait on it too. My daughter is enamored with the "princess Animal Crossing with a farm"and I am interested in how that works.

[Kikki]

I don't remember if they gave a date for the new Fantasy Life, but the first was fun, so yes to that whenever it is.

Nope, no date for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. It only received a very loose release window of '2023', and as far as I know, we haven't heard a peep more about the game since the initial reveal in early February.

Fantasy Life isn't a farming sim at all, come to think of it, though it certainly fits this broad genre we're currently calling 'cozy'. However, we know 'i' is going to have a new life or two over the original, and I'm almost willing to bet that 'farmer' or 'gardener' is going to be in there, so perhaps this Fantasy Life will qualify as a farming sim after all.

I'm hoping it doesn't release in September (or late August or early October.) November/December would be nice, if it doesn't end up delayed to 2024. Because I think Sandrock would still take priority over Fantasy Life, for me, but it'd be a tough decision that I don't want to have to make.

[BerryBea]

Yes, September is packed! And so many of those are even on the same day. I'm most interested in Sandrock. I've already picked it up, but have been waiting to play it until the full release. I had a really good time with Portia (apart from some pretty shocking events based on who I married), and apart from this being set in the desert (I much, much prefer green lush environments to play in), it looks set to be even better. A close second for me as well is Fae Farm. The very first preview/announcement we saw for it (last year?) looked ok, but not like something I'd necessarily need to play, but the more info that comes out (plus a handful of previews I've watched) have me really interested in it. I was pretty turned off by the price at first, too, but it seems to have a lot of content and polish, so I'm cautiously optimistic. I could change my mind on it as more info comes out, but as things are now, this is a definite purchase.

I'm pretty interested in Mineko (which has been on my wishlist since 2017!) and Rune Factory 3, but I won't necessarily pick them up right away. I'm going to be busy with other games, so I might end up waiting for sales on these.

I'm keeping an eye on Harvest Moon and Paleo Pines, but I'm not sure whether I'll be playing these ones. The Harvest Moon games seem to be getting better, but I haven't been too impressed with the last several. So, this one will depend on reviews and gameplay footage after it comes out. Paleo Pines looks absolutely adorable and I've seen some people play the demo, but I'm not sure if it's for me yet. I'm not sure there's a real goal/purpose other than to collect as many dinos as possible, and I don't think that alone will hold my attention.

[Kikki]

Here's one I didn't have on, and it's a life-sim (dunno about farming but I think it can have gardening...seems kind of Sims-like) called Life By You, on September 12. PC only, I think? It also is to have no illness or any kind of violence, which apparently makes some people unhappy, but I prefer it that way. I've had enough illness in my life and the life of my family...so ridiculously much of it the last five years in particular...the last thing I need is to have it in my games as well. And violence is dime-a-dozen in most video games in any other genre so I'm happier without that, too. It doesn't mention early access but I suppose that could be what's releasing, rather than a full game release...I'm not sure.

I don't particularly want the game, though. I'm not into The Sims-style of gameplay.

There's also Rainbow High: Runaway Rush, which is some kind of dress-up high-school-life game, I think, that looks sort of Bratz-like? That probably qualifies as a sim or a cozy game so I'll mention it, anyway. It's releasing September 22. For all consoles, I believe.

Dolphin Spirit: Ocean Mission is releasing September 28th for all consoles. I know little about it, but it says it's a life sim, mostly about ocean exploration, it seems, and life on the island where your grandparents live, if I'm understanding right.

EDIT: (Solarpunk is coming out at an unnamed date in September too, but I don't think it counts, as I believe it's only entering into Early Access then...not sure why it's being included in release date lists, but I don't know much about it. Looks good, though.)

Also, The Ranchers, Mail Time, House Flipper 2, Critter Crops, and A New Leaf: Memories are all due out in Q3, which should mean between July 1 and September 30, though no date has yet been given for any of them, that I know of. They all call themselves some type of sim or cozy game. Only about 3 or so of all of these games contain farming or gardening, though, as far as I know.

[JustABeautifulGuy]

As of now, I've pinned it down to Anthos and Sandrock. At the moment I might be leaning more into Sandrock because it seems more engaging comparatively. From what I've heard so far from the people playing in the early access, it's shaping to be a really good game and improves on lots of aspects that Portia didn't do well. And art style wise, it does appeal to me more as well. But I guess it's slightly unfair we've had a chance to properly look at Sandrock in action whereas we only have stills for Anthos..

Winds of Anthos looks really interesting but we really know so little about it. We don't even know how they've changed the stuff from One World. The only thing that's clear is the graphics upgrade but what about the gameplay??

[Code_Name_Geek]

I'm most interested in Rune Factory 3 Special out of those games, but undecided whether I'll get it on release since I haven't finished RF4S yet. The special edition with the OST CD is kind of tempting me, but that price tag is not. I'm also interested in Paleo Pines, since I've always loved dinosaurs. Oh and Sandrock of course, but similar to RF3S I still have to finish Portia so I'll probably wait for an inevitable sale on that one.

[StormFire]

Didn’t realize there were so many releasing in September. My backlog of games I need to finish is huge, but I know for a fact I’ll be getting Anthos, and potentially Fae Farm. I’m also wanting My Time at Sandrock, but like greensara said, I played Portia on switch and it was so glitchy. I still got far in it and got married but from my understanding we didn’t even have all the updates as the PC version did. So I’ll probably wait on Sandrock. I’m lucky enough to have the original Rune Factory 3, so I think I’m good there.

[Chaos_44]

Rune Factory 3 S is a day-one purchase for me. Just the standard edition though. I loved the original and haven't played it in a long time, so it'd be great to have the remastered version for Switch. It helps that it comes out first from the games on the list!

My Time at Sandrock, I'm 90% sure I'm going to get it too. I never played Portia, but I did like what I saw from PC playthroughs online and it seems like Sandrock is getting good reviews from folks who are playing EA. I'd just like to see some Switch-specific reviews of the game before getting it and will probably still be enthralled with RF3S when it comes out. Maybe that'll be an October purchase.

Fae Farm, I want to get it... I think. Not sure about the $60 price tag and since multiplayer is highly emphasized I think I'll try to round up some friends to buy and play it with me. Maybe a November/December/2024 play if it gets good reviews.

I don't see myself getting Winds of Anthos. Good on Natsume for making a graphical overhaul compared to their previous games, but the combination of not liking the look of their post-split games and them showing VERY little about the game leads me to believe I wouldn't like it.

I don't know enough about Mineko or Paleo quite yet to decide if I'd want. But if I do, it'd probably be relegated to 2024 or so. Hopefully Roots of Pacha's Switch port comes out in like November or December if it comes this year at all!

[Kikki]

I noticed a lot of people are still unsure about Fae Farm. Interested, but not confident in the quality or content. I don't trust most reviews, especially from streamers in the 'cozy' genre, as I find they gush about everything that looks cute to them and my opinions often don't mesh with theirs, so I haven't found most reviews particularly useful. The Nintendo Everything review (you can read it or watch the video...the text content of the article appears to be exactly the same as the audio content of the video) is pretty good; like the other review link I posted, I liked hearing about some of the details they specifically focused on.

I'm so pleased that they have tea-making! I'm becoming increasingly closer to certain I do want it, though I know nothing about their previous game, Dauntless.

[simside]

As excited as I am to play All The Stuff, and I still can’t believe there are so many coming out, Rune Factory 3S is the one I will play closest to launch. I’m excited to go back to an older RF, and it is already preordered!

Realistically, I’ll probably be finishing a couple other games on my plate before I start anything on this list. I’m working on finishing My Time at Portia, and I want to play the SoS Doraemon game next.

Anthos is the other game I’m very excited about, and I also preordered that. I may play it a bit at launch, but it’s a game I like to play with a guide for mutations, so I will likely wait a bit before diving in 100%.

Also excited about Sandrock, as I love Portia to pieces. But as others mentioned… I may wait a minute on the Switch port.

I’m interested in Mineko’s Night Market, which looks cute, and Paleo Pines, but they are “maybe, once I finish these other games.” Fae Farm doesn’t really look like it’s for me, but tea making is tempting.

[Kikki]

It's cool that they're reviving it for play by a new crop of people, but I am not at all interested in RF3S, in spite of overall loving the RF formula and hearing over and over that RF3 might be the best game of all. I'd have been interested if they'd added a feMC to play as, but the marriage-and-family part of any of these sims is a really big deal for me...it's sort of a late game or post-game goalpost that really extends playtime, ime, and I have zero interest in wooing girls, and even without romance as a component, I don't want to live my simulated life as a boy, whether he looks gender-neutral or not.

The original Rune Factory was my introduction to farming-life sims, iirc. I was fascinated by the gameplay balance and loved the home and community aspects, but even back then, when I had no frame of reference, I felt weird pretending to be romantically interested in one girl over another. (I think I just went with Mist because she felt like the default.) Harvest Moon: A New Beginning was when I really fell in love with the genre, and RF4 helped a lot, as well, and I was never able to play another life simulation where I could only make decisions as a male character.

I actually PREFER male leads in RPGs. Games where you can choose, like Tales of Xillia or Divine Force...I always end up choosing the guy. (I tend to dislike the high-pitched sound effects the female makes, as well as her running animations and often impractically skimpy outfits, though that's probably not the main reason why I prefer to play as a guy in those.) But sims are a different thing. If I'm playing a life sim, having a female character to play as is 100% non-negotiable for me. (I also won't play as a child or an animal...must be a humanoid woman.) I simply won't have any fun with the game if I can't. I don't know why my feelings on that matter are so intractable, but there they are.

So I wish they'd made...Micah?...a split character whose gender you can choose. They can remain as Mica or Micah, maybe change the spelling to Mika if the female option were chosen...and just add events and so on for some of the male NPCs, since Rune Factory is always rotten with attractive and appealing unmarriagable NPCs anyway, that could be repurposed. (Even RF4, with lots of good existing options, had Porcoline and Bado and Barrett, and they would all have been great additions to the roster.) I'd definitely have bought RF3S if they'd added a female MC option, even if you couldn't adjust or customize her at all. (I don't really need character customization in Rune Factory. I was happy to play as Frey, going through her story, I didn't need to make my own character.) Even if she was just Micah with the pronouns switched, since Micah's cute enough to pass for a girl anyway.

[Kikki]

Palia releases 'Holiday 2023'. That's going on US terms, right? So it means...from Thanksgiving to New Years? I'm not American, so holiday-season doesn't mean quite the same to me as it does south of the border (our Thanksgiving is early-to-mid October, while the US's is in late November) but I figure that must be what they're going by. So Palia's intended to release between November 23 and January 1? Nowhere near to September, at least, unless I'm misunderstanding when 'Holiday 2023' is. And it's free (unless you want to buy optional cosmetic customizations) so it doesn't really conflict with anything anyway...no need to budget for it.

Doesn't seem like it needs to be included in this list, at least. I really wish they'd reveal something more abut Fantasy Life i, though. Just watch them suddenly announce that it's coming out September 26th...

Silent Hope is coming out October 3, though, so thats kind of stuck in there with September releases, especially since so many of them are at the end of September. It's on my wishlist but I need to know more.