This Stardew Valley rival comes with a free Steam sample, but it's dark secret kept me up at night

Steam is currently housing a hidden gem you can try for free; it’s a cosy game akin to Stardew Valley, but the farm isn’t all it seems…

I’ve been getting back into my Steam Deck as of late (mainly because my plans to get a Steam Machine were shattered once I saw the price) and as such, I’ve been trawling the store for fun little freebies to occupy my time.

Whilst picking out some fun stuff to play over the weekend, I stumbled across a game called Happy Little Farm, a demo of which is available now.

It looked pretty unassuming. Stardew Valley-like farming sims are a dime-a-dozen nowadays, but something about the simplistic art style spoke to me, so I downloaded the demo. What slowly unravelled next was a mesmerising mystery that rattled me to the core, though not as badly as when I almost went vegetarian last month thanks to Join Us.

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Happy Little Farm starts off small, but that’s how it gets you

Throughout the game, you’ll slowly build up your farm with new animals, crops and even workers hired to help you maintain your land.

Every animal contributes to a debt you’re trying to pay off; it's a large sum of money that you’re always trying to whittle down, at the expense of the animals under your care.

Enter the Game

You’re given some simple instructions to help you out and one of them is to ensure you always head home at night, though it’s never really explained why.

If you’re dying to know the reason keep reading, otherwise you should head over to Steam and download the demo for yourself before it’s spoiled below.

When the sun sets, the farm becomes much more dangerous. Something lurks on your property and while it’ll occasionally try to snatch one of your animals (or the money you’re slaving away earning), it’d much rather snack on you instead.

With each passing day, the dangers get more and more intense, turning your cosy grounds-keeping experience into a terrifying fight for survival (and cash).

After going in moderately blind, the game seriously surprised me. I love a good unassuming title that lures you in with the promise of relaxation, only to pull the rug from under your feet and turn into a survival horror. I’m clearly not the only person who likes it either as it’s got good ratings and reviews.

The lore is also pretty deep and rich too, so if that’s your cup of tea, Happy Little Farm is definitely one to check out.

While the demo is available now, the full-game page has no release date attached to it. All it says is “coming soon” so hopefully we get an update soon. Regardless, the demo alone has plenty of content in it for a short play session.

Everyone’s favourite spooky month is right around the corner, so if you’re looking for games to get you in the mood, Happy Little Farm will do nicely, but there are plenty of others still lurking on Steam.

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