As a fan of the farming genre, I feel like it’s a setting that is ripe (pardon my pun) for new ideas. Sure, the idea of moving to a new town and starting a cozy, relaxed farming life in a charming, quaint rural setting is tried and true for a reason. It’s soothing and comforting for people exhausted by a fast paced life. But what about other genres and settings? In 2016, a search for a nonexistent “Evil farming game” took Reddit by storm, where the concept of a farming game where you’re hiding a dark secret was super appealing to a large number of people. I think it’s in that vein that something like Village in the Shade is so interesting. It has the comfort of a standard farming sim but with a certain darkness lurking underneath.

In Village in the Shade, you play a young child who mysteriously winds up in Kagatsu Village, a small Japanese mountain town. At first, things seem somewhat normal - you are allowed to sleep in a home on a farm in exchange for working the land and cleaning it up. However, things quickly unfold differently. Initially, the villagers won’t talk to you until you ritually become a member of Kagatsu. This is because of eight binding rules of life in Kagatsu, which include things as tame as “cooperate for the sake of the village” and as menacing as “do not respond to voices from the mountains.” The first rule of Kagatsu Village: “do not be outside past 11 PM,” but what happens when you start to hear voices at your door in the middle of the night?

Village in the Shade is a compelling horror/mystery/farming game hybrid that manages to be successful at all of these elements in similar ways. The farming component will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time with a Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, where you operate on a season by season basis, buy seeds, tend crops until you can sell them, look after animals and fish, mine for resources, etc. This is a well worn genre but one that works, and Village in the Shade is an especially fun version. The farming gameplay feels polished and, even among horror elements, there is a part of me that’s focusing on how many resources I need so I can have a barn and finally have cows and sheep on my farm. It does the “just one more day” gameplay hook very well.

On the other hand, Village in the Shade excels at playing with these genre expectations. Early on the villagers are hostile until you are one of them. Your first crops, rather than being sold or eaten, need to be thrown down a well in a ritual to the god of the village. And every so often there will be a comment that shows that yeah, it is a bit weird that this child was forced to do backbreaking labor in this town. There is also a hunting element that adds a new angle, where you can both hunt wildlife with a bow and arrow and set traps to collect meat. Even though you can keep animals in most farming games, it rarely gets this bloody.

The story itself is also really compelling, as there are neat narrative elements that weave in. Why are you here? Why are these rigid rules so unbreakable? What is happening in the village after 11 PM? The reason this is a review in progress is because this is a much bigger story than I anticipated when taking on this game, and I haven’t been able to see it through yet. Don’t hop in thinking you can just mainline the horror elements if you aren’t a farming game fan. These things are very much intertwined and do take their time. As of writing, I am about halfway through the first summer season in-game and feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of that story. The story plays out by addressing each one of the eight rules of the town, and I am only partway into the 3rd rule. This is a big game. I recently got access to Village in the Shade version of the Stardew Valley community center, where your crops and items can be submitted, and there are several aspects I didn’t even know existed. Perhaps this is why there is also a “Village in the Sunshine” mode that removes all horror aspects and instead is just a cozy experience - there’s a lot here!

Ultimately, I’m really enjoying my time with Village in the Shade. I expected the scares and mystery to drive my enjoyment, and while that is still one of the big things keeping me playing, I was impressed by how much the entire experience appeals to me. This game looks great, the music is perfectly atmospheric, and the cast is a really fun bunch of characters. This isn’t just a bare bones game made so horror can be placed on it; this is a great farming game that also often filled me with dread or gave me actual scares. It might not be for everyone, though; if the farming aspect doesn’t appeal to you, you probably won’t like this. But if “horror farming game” sounds like a good time, you’ll definitely love Village in the Shade.