Wylde Flowers

Wylde Flowers is a pleasant place to exist, the kind of game you can simply relax with and appreciate its colour and let the stress of the real world slip away. Come on by for its cast of inclusive and engaging characters, stay for its simpler take on the lifestyle genre with a clever, magical spin. Some might prefer a little more detail or options to really make it your own, but it’s an island worth visiting if Tom Nook’s insistence on spending more nook miles has become an annoyance.

It's not that Wylde Flowers is a wild departure from the genre's norms. But it has thoroughly impressed me – and utterly rejuvenated my wife's interest in virtual chores – in the way it delivers on every standard genre tropes with a high degree of polish, generous design and considerable charm. It's very much one of these games, if you know what I mean. It's just a really good one of these games.

In Wylde Flowers, the days clip past at speed, revealing more with every sunrise. For anyone who’s dreamed of moving to the country, starting their own farm, or just having more time in every day, it’s a balm for the soul; a game where you can live out your dreams in a sandbox of colour, mystery, and wholesomeness. One day, you just might end up in the countryside, breathing the smells of overturned soil and manure – but until then, there’s always Wylde Flowers.

As the farming life sim genre continues to flourish, it becomes harder and harder for such games to stand out—but Wylde Flowers manages to do so, and does it brilliantly. Magic puts a clever twist on farming to bring fun new layers to the familiar, and the heartfelt story of acceptance and finding a place to call home to ties everything together beautifully. Wylde Flowers is an utter delight.

Players are free to talk to whoever they choose and can complete tasks in just about any order, giving the game an open world feel, despite the relatively small map. Wylde Flowers has a simplicity that allows gamers of all ages to play and has a visual style that would appeal to most. The bright cartoon visuals are akin to a more realistic Dora the Explorer, whilst the diverse characters are equally adorable, each with their own personality. Wylde Flowers starts out as a farming simulation along the lines of Animal Crossing but ends up being more of a life sim that encourages exploration and communication...oh, and witchcraft.