Featured Image Credit: Little Chicken
Topics: Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Steam, PC, Features
I will be honest, it takes a lot for me to sink time into a farming simulator.
As a result, I have tried (and failed) on five separate occasions to get into Stardew Valley.
However, there was something about my short time with Moonlight Peaks that captured my attention and I’m sure it will be the same for fans of farming simulators and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Oh, and fans of vampires and the occult world.
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Set to release in 2028, Moonlight Peaks is an upcoming farming simulation title from Little Chicken.
On the outside, it may look like your standard farming simulator with an Animal Crossing: New Horizons-esque art style. However, by adding the occult to the game, a whole new atmosphere has been achieved.
You play as a vampire, more specifically, the child of Count Dracula himself. Set in the magical town of Moonlight Peaks, you must prove your worth to your skeptical father as well as proving that living a life full of compassion is indeed possible for the undead.
To do this, you set up your very own farm and homestead as well as going out to make friends with the local werewolves, witches and mermaids (and falling in love, of course).
If you are interested then you are in luck as a free demo of Moonlight Peaks has just been added to Steam.
The demo gives you access to five quests, and judging by the amount of upgraded tools you have, I assume this would be something you would need to build up to in the full release.
There are three characters to choose from and customise but I imagine there will be more options in the future.
However, we soon discover that our witch/vampire hybrid lives at home with their Hellkitten who accompanies you as you begin tending to your farm.
As well as the standard farming simulator jobs of planting, digging, chopping etc, you also have access to a magic wand and therefore, spells.
The demo gives us the chance to try out four spells: Aquaflow which summons a watering can to water your plants automatically, Maturiato which instantly matures your crops, Arbor Levitant which allows you to relocate trees and Repletio which refills your watering can.
Casting a spell (and living out the day) will drain your energy, with some spells costing more than others.
For example, Maturiato will drain almost all of your energy so you will need to use it sparingly.
As well as being able to cast spells, your vampiric abilities include being able to turn into a bat and let me tell you, being able to get around faster was a god-send.
The hotbar for the bat form included three other greyed out options so I’m sure there will be other forms in the full release.
I’m sure the demo only gives us access to a small majority of the game but being able to farm, brew potions and go to sleep in my coffin at night just made me happy. (I’m a simple girl who had her very serious vampire phase in my teenage years, ok?)
As with any farming simulation game, you will also be able to catch insects (Animal Crossing style of showing them to the camera like a proud parent), as well as fishing and digging for animals, furniture items and even scrolls which tell us a bit more about the lore of the town.
I also enjoyed having quests, and especially enjoyed delivering any quest items to the haiku-speaking toad who lives by the river. This was one of three NPCs you meet in the short demo but with twelve characters set to appear in the full release, I am excited to meet them all.
Especially as you can romance who you want.
When you are not trying to romance the local villagers, you will be able to decorate your house, both its interior and exterior.
I was able to have a small go at this in the demo and changed the walls and floors in the house as well as the exterior and roof. You can also find furniture around the world and arrange it how you like both inside and outside.
Although I didn’t want to spend too much time decorating in the demo, I was able to make a cute little vegetable patch adorned with flower arches, pots and even a little scarecrow.
Overall, Moonlight Peaks is set to be an exciting twist on the standard farming simulator genre and with two years left until it is set to release, I can only imagine how much more will be added over the course of development.