Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Steam, Epic Store
Princess Farmer is a match-three puzzle game meets visual novel. As things begin, we find our cute bunny protagonist doing what they thought was some normal farming. As they harvest some vegetables, they stumble upon a tube of lipstick. This is no ordinary tube of lipstick though, as Mother Gaia quickly appears and informs our protagonist. This is The Royal Lipstick of Strength, and it is one of the Royal Guardian charms that was crafted long ago. Once applied, our character takes on the role of the titular Princess Farmer and Mother Gaia entrusts her with solving the mysteries that have been plaguing the surrounding woods. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say it’s a cute story with an important message. It’s all about learning who you truly are and being true to yourself.
The game is broken down into nine different episodes. Each episode will feature a combination of chatting with characters, as well as a number of puzzle boards to play through. During the dialogue portions, Princess Farmer will meet a variety of characters that they can get to know, befriend, or even become “frenemies” with, depending on the dialogue options you choose. Making friends will also reward you with a variety of gifts, mostly in the form of cosmetics, like new outfits.
The gameplay of these puzzle board sections comes in the form of the match-three style, where you’ll be trying to form horizontal, vertical, or diagonal matches using a variety of vegetables. You’ll be able to move Princess Farmer from left to right and both pull up or throw down vegetables. They can also hold up to five vegetables at a time in order to help with stack management.
Each puzzle board will have a different clear condition. These include things like doing only horizon matches, matching certain types of vegetables, scoring as many points as possible in a set amount of time, among a variety of others. There will also be times where you’ll have to battle other characters in versus matches. Sometimes you’ll also have an AI partner “helping” you. These sections were the only parts of the gameplay that I felt faltered. More often than not, it felt like these partners just got in the way and messed up my strategies. Other than that small issue, the gameplay is a lot of fun, and there’s nothing more satisfying than creating a string of matches leading to super combos.
After you finish each puzzle board, you’ll be graded with one of four marks: clear, good, great, or perfect. There are no fail states in Princess Farmer, so as long as you at least attempt the level you’ll be able to make progress. However, these grades will award you with heart coins. The higher the grade, the more coins you’ll receive. These coins can then be used in the shop to buy Hare Dyes and Sparkles, each of which change the way your character looks. Some of these cosmetic items are pretty steep in price, so if you’re looking to collect them all, you’re looking at quite a bit of grinding.
Princess Farmer took me between five and six hours to get through its nine episodes, so you’re not looking at a super long experience. I will say that I did all the episodes in basically one sitting because I really did enjoy the game that much. Outside of these episodes, there is also a quick play mode where you can play a number of puzzle boards from the story mode. In this mode, there aren’t any clear conditions. It’s all about surviving as long as possible before Grumpy Block pushes up from the bottom of the board and ends your run.
Everything about Princess Farmer is chill. From the cute, retro visuals to the chiptunes meets lo-fi soundtrack to the laid-back gameplay, it all combines for an experience that I can’t help but describe as anything other than cozy. This really is the perfect game to just sit back, relax, and zone out while playing. Princess Farmer was an absolute delight to play through. With a cute story, fun gameplay, and just an overall wholesome feel, I’d say this is a must play for anyone that enjoys these kinds of experiences.
