So I Tried… Sprout Valley

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour to see if this is the game for me, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I decided to go and play Sprout Valley. As someone who regularly still plays Switch games and browses the eShop, I got this game for very cheap because I like exploring other games.

I admit, this is yet another impulse buy because I kept seeing it and that its art style seemed nice. So, what is it?

What I thought it was

I’m going into the game thinking it is just another farming sim that I’ve probably played several times over. Ever since Stardew Valley revitalised the genre, there have been a lot of farming games all about making friends while turning a nice profit. Heck, I even remember that one Nintendo Direct that had way too many as part of its announcements. These types of games can be cosy and nice to play while in bed, which is why I got it on Switch (and because I can’t afford a Steam Deck).

That being said, my JoyCons finally started drifting so I have to use my Pro Controller which makes it less than convenient to play. Still, I want to give it a shot. I haven’t really researched much of Sprout Valley, haven’t done so much as seen a couple of screenshots that were included on the store page. But let’s see what this game has to offer. Okay, the timer is ready… and go!

What it actually is

Sprout Valley is a farming simulator developed by Vadzim Liakhovich and published by RedDeer.Games. Playing the part of the player character is a cute cat, Nico, who tries to find a peaceful place to live as a farmer, away from the humdrum life of the city. Claiming to have a captivating story and a hand-crafted experience, let’s see what it has.

It was… exactly what I was expecting, but in a smaller package. I managed to get at least three in-game days in 30 minutes, and that's only because I decided to sleep early when I ran out of energy.

There was definitely a feeling of not knowing where to really start. The first day entailed trying to figure out how to get all my tools so I could start a quick farm. It took until nearly midnight for me to find everything, but I did manage to plant some veggies and water them before the day was officially over. However, what threw me off a little was being able to take a boat to explore different islands. I thought it was just to visit the town, but I guess you'll only run into NPCs when doing these quick adventures. I did find the controls a little strange, how the inventory was laid out, and I haven't quite got used to everything when the timer ended, but with the little time I spent, I could definitely see myself getting into it.

Will I keep playing?

Probably. Along withBalatro, which finally got an update on Switch, I'm looking forward to laying on my bed playing the game until I need to go to sleep. It's definitely a cosy game to wind down with after a long day. I'll definitely have to keep playing more though to see if I remain interested.

 

Sprout Valley is available now on both Switch and PC via Steam.