Image credit: NPC Studio

Look, you and I both know the amount of hours you've put into Stardew Valley is enough to make someone think you play it on the toilet, in the shower, and driving on your way to work. But how about something a little different, and a touch more magical and anime-esque than ole ConcernedApe's modern classic? You'll be wanting to look to Fields of Mistria in that case, which after an early access period of a couple of years is now out in 1.0.

Fields of Mistria, for those that have missed it, is a farming sim that generally fulfills what you'd expect from the genre; grow vegetables, raise livestock, get married, the usual kind of thing. What it blends with is the ability to use magical spells to help make your farming life easier. That means helping your plants bud a bit faster, or summon some rain, or restore your health. All of this is wrapped up in some colourful and pretty pixel art, with character portraits that take their cue from '80s anime.

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The 1.0 release brings a lot to the game too. One of the biggest additions is that aforementioned ability to get married, of which there are 12 candidates for you to woo, and if you make it that far you can have kids with them now too! Oh, and it's possible to smooch anyone you're dating now as well. Mistria, the titular town you reside in, is also in need of great repair, and this questline is now fully finished. Those of you that are architecturally inclined will be able to alter the exterior of your house once it's fully upgraded. Plus, the completionist out there will be pleased to hear you can completely finish the museum.

I also want to highlight two other things, the first being that 1.0 does not mean this is the end of updates, as the patch notes note that "1.0 is only the beginning." The other is the delightful 1.0 launch trailer, which you can check out above, that comes complete with some wonderfully rendered, retro anime scenes that paint such a particularly warm vibe you never get from the medium anymore. Good stuff! You can pick up Fields of Mistria on Steam right now.