Sprout Valley
by Aethyna
Oct 18, 2023 |
1
Votes |
69
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0
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10
rate
Genres:
SimulationGraphics:
2DLabels:
Pixel Art , FarmPlatforms:
Publishers:
Red Deer Games Sprout Valley is a cozy, idle-style farming simulation where not only you get to grow a variety of crops and craft various items, but you’ll also get to explore randomly generated islands and gather all the resources there. The game comes with crafting as well, and the more you sell, the more you’ll get to progress and, hence, unlock. Play Now Similar Games Played
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Summary
Sprout Valley is a cozy, idle-style farming simulation where not only you get to grow a variety of crops and craft various items, but you’ll also get to explore randomly generated islands and gather all the resources there. The game comes with crafting as well, and the more you sell, the more you’ll get to progress and, hence, unlock.
Plotline
Nico, the cat, has always been fascinated with nature because of how idyllic it can be. However, he lives in the bustling city of Lemontop and works at Big Company Inc. – not really the recipe for a relaxing life.
However, one day, Nico found an opportunity of a lifetime when he spotted an ad in a nature magazine, advertising a property on a remote island called Ostara. He managed to snag the property with all his savings and moved to the island to start his life anew.
With the help from Ozlo of Pascal City, the very property agent who sold Nico the Ostara property, Nico will be able to hone his skills and develop Ostara into the thriving farming paradise that it can be!
Gameplay
Before you start playing, you’re given three different maps to choose from – The standard world, small forest, and harbor. The layout of the island is different for each map, for instance, the Small Forest map will naturally have more trees than, say, the Standard World map.
As you might expect, gathering resources in this game is kind of the bread-and-butter of the game. There’s a nice variety of resources you can gather, from stones to wood, to even plant materials. All of these can then be used to craft a variety of items. There are even trees and bushes where you can gather some fruits from. That said, you won’t be able to craft anything at the start, but once you start selling the raw materials to Ozlo via the mailbox, you’ll unlock the option to craft more valuable items to then sell.
Unlocking new crafting recipes is simple enough here, but it can take quite a bit of grinding. Basically, how this works is that the more you sell of an item, the faster you’ll unlock new recipes that use that very item to craft. So, you’d want to make sure you don’t just hoard resources but sell them to Ozlo as much as you can! Plus, having money is great since you can buy stuff from Ozlo’s shop catalog, including a bigger house or supplies that you don’t want to farm for.
Farming is also another important aspect of the game in Sprout Valley. The process is pretty much what you’d expect from a farming sim – you plow the ground, plant the seeds, water the plants daily, and once they mature, you’ll be able to harvest them to either sell or consume using your hoe.
However, you won’t get seeds from harvesting crops. Instead, you’ll need to spend the money you gained from selling your harvest and other items to purchase more seeds from Ozlo’s shop catalog. Note that you’ll also be able to buy special seeds from special shops that you may sometimes encounter while exploring other islands (more on this in a bit).
Of course, as an island-themed game, Sprout Valley would be missing a pretty critical part of its gameplay had it not included a fishing mini-game! To fish, you simply need to throw the bobble close to the shadow of a fish in the water and wait for the fish to take the bait. Once the fish is hooked, a yellow exclamation mark will then pop up, indicating that it’s time to pull.
Instead of having to play tug-of-war with the fish in question to reel it in, you just need to press and hold the left mouse button, but there’s a catch – you need to react quickly! This is especially true for rare fishes you may have caught since the window to reel them in can be even narrower. Naturally, there are plenty of fish for you to discover, along with a variety of sea creatures and junk.
One of the highlights of the game is all the island-hopping you’ll be expected to do. You see, Ostara isn’t a very big island, and eventually, you’ll run out of stuff to forage and gather. Crops don’t grow as quickly, too, so you’ll be left with plenty of energy and nothing to spend them on. This is where island-hopping comes in!
The game provides you with a simple wooden boat that you can use to travel to other randomly generated islands within the archipelago to explore and forage to your heart’s content... However, I’d say foraging is likely the main emphasis here since exploration doesn’t really yield much in this game. To travel, you’ll need to have at least one travel supply in your inventory.
It’s all grind really – you have a limited inventory, and you’ll need to decide which resources you’d want to harvest from said island to bring back to Ostara. Mostly, I’d focus on crafting materials like stone, wood, and the like, but of course, if I encounter a rare fish, I’d bring it back, too.
Everything you gather and collect in this game will gradually level up the corresponding skill, and the game helpfully tracks all of this via the skill badge screen. Leveling up these skills will unlock new crafting recipes as well.
As it is the case with most cozy farming sim or life sim, almost every action you take in this game will cost you energy. Thankfully, you can regain energy by consuming the fruits, crops, or other edibles that you’ve gathered. At the end of the day, you’ll also need to go to sleep. By heading to bed, Nico can regain his energy bar fully, which is always a useful thing to have for the chores you’ll need to do the next day.
That being said, sleeping is compulsory in Sprout Valley, and there’s really no way to “cheese” it since Nico will faint if he’s still not in bed by midnight. If he faints, you’ll be forced to start the next day with reduced energy.
Sprout Valley is a cozy game that feels very much idle in nature, much like Forager. The game is heavy on the resource-grinding aspect, and you’re expected to persevere through it to achieve any sort of progression. This might not be the kind of gameplay mechanics that some players would enjoy. The inventory available can also be a bit restrictive, but this might be intentional as the game really wants you to sell whatever you collect just so you can do it all again the next day.
However, as fun as the game is, I couldn’t, for the life of me, find the button/key I need to split stacks of items - for instance, travel supplies. Maybe this isn’t a feature in this game, but I think it should be. Imagine just bringing along one travel supply on your boat trip and having a free inventory space for even more loot to bring back! Inventory is also a restricting factor in this game, especially for a hoarder-style player like me.
Graphics/ Sound
Featuring adorable pixel art and vibrant colors, Sprout Valley looks the part as a cozy game. The atmosphere in the game feels lively even though you’re the only one on the island, aside from the occasional special shop’s shopkeeper. The animations are all very well done here. It’s just that sometimes, when watering crops, the game watered the wrong plot and not the one your cursor is pointing at.
In terms of sound, the game contains a relaxing soundtrack that you can enjoy while grinding away, gathering resources, and tending to your farm. There are plenty of sound effects to accompany your actions in the game as well, whether it is chopping down trees or chipping away at rocks.
Conclusion
All in all, Sprout Valley is a simple, cozy, and idle-like, albeit grindy, farming simulation game that has a strong Forager-vibe. There is definitely plenty to do and gather here, and with every item you collect, you’re making progress towards various new unlocks. So, if you’re looking for a cozy and fun experience and cute pixel art, Sprout Valley is one game you’ll want to check out!
Sprout Valley Blog
New Game Added: Sprout Valley
by Aethyna
Oct 18, 2023
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