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Southfield, a silly farming simulator featuring chaotic crops and wobbly physics, is set to release on June 24 as announced in a new trailer shown at the PC Gaming show. And, for fans of the sandbox farming simulator genre, it’s definitely a game worth checking out.
Rather than being another traditional farming simulator added to the wholesome gaming space, Southfield promises a lot of quirks to help separate it from the rest of the crowd—and going off its most recent trailer shown at the PC Gaming Show, we’ve got a lot to digest. As a self-proclaimed farming sim aficionado, this game feels like a must-play. Especially given how it leans more on learning from your mistakes and having fun while doing so on the side of farming simulators rather than the need to make as much money as possible to progress. Plus, its adorable cast of characters helps make the experience even sillier.
You take on the role of a bud, which is sort of globular, bouncy character with no definitive features besides two bright eyes and a little sprout shooting out the top of your head. Gone are the days of a humanoid farmer, and we’re embracing this new appearance which you can still customise with your favourite colours. But, since you’re an entirely new species, you’ve got a lot to learn the second you’re plucked from the earth. Southfield will be all about navigating the new world and building a life with up to three additional players through farming, crafting, and maximising resources.
As you’d expect from a farming simulator, you’ll spend a significant amount of time cultivating crops and harvesting resources. But, what sets Southfield apart from your standard Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley-esque experience is the strange effects these crops will have on your character. Rather than just being a quick cash grab or a consumable item, the crops you’re responsible for can have adverse effects, completely flipping your experience on its head and keeping you on your toes.
The crops you grow could explode, sing a tune, bounce along, or even change shape. Essentially, it’s best to expect the unexpected when it comes to all things farming. If you’re particularly curious about how far you can push the capabilities of these plants, you can even combine and cross-pollinate to curate monstrosities of your own. All of which can be crossed off in your Almanac—the one-stop shop to log your findings in your new farm life.
You’ll also be able to build home bases and set up machines to streamline your farming experience (or create a bit of fun, like life-size pinball machines as advertised on the Steam page). But this comes with time—because no one immediately hatches into a new world and knows how to operate heavy machinery. As you grow and learn, you will be able to implement new technologies into your farm, giving you more drive to keep building your new civilization. I find this to be more fulfilling than a standard farming simulator which limits your progress to a derelict barnyard in an already-established town, that makes Southfield seem like the kind of game that consumes hours at a time without you realising.
It’s like there are no wrong or right answers or approaches in Southfield, which is reassuring for someone who is constantly filling notebooks with optimal crop rotations for maximum profits in farming simulators. There’s so much that is set to make Southfield unique, even going off what we’ve seen in its most recent trailer. So if goofy physics, quirky characters, and farming elements sound like your gig, mark your calendars for June 24 and start counting down the days.