izigame.me

I've had this game in my wishlist for awhile, and when it went on sale at the new content update, I finally bought it. Now that I'm halfway through winter of year 1, I can say it absolutely is worth it's full price and then some.
I am playing on steam deck.
Tldr: This is definitely a harvest moon/stardew like, but stands alone in its own right. Comparisons are natural due to being a member of the farming Sim genre, but it is anything but stale. Fans of the harvest moon style farming Sim will likely enjoy this title, and there are a variety of qol features and unique game mechanics that set this title above others for me.
Positives:
This game keeps new content coming at a remarkable clip without being overwhelming, as the npcs regularly make cosmetic and fictional updates to the hub. I love that the fields are part of the village rather than set apart form it, and I love that you can place decorations and machines pretty much anywhere. It allows a level of immersion and customizablity that I find impressive. I feel like I really have an impact on the world as a player, and it's delightful to watch the environment evolve. I feel like I still have a lot to look forward to.
This game is extremely accommodating. A spreadsheet simulator this is not. You can complete quests on your own schedule in any season. A vast field means you will never run out of animal feed, and the exploration mechanics ensure you will always have a steady (if not smaller) stream of seeds and new animals, so you'll never be locked out of progressing due to lack of currency. The map and journal are an incredible qol feature as they allow you to view active quests easily as well as easily locate the quest giver on a vast map.
The game is also very inclusive from an lgbtq standpoint. Character creation features and romance options are not gender locked, same sex couples are shown in game. You can make yourself unromamcable, which is also a thoughtful feature for the ace/aro folks among us. The fact that polyamory is on the table is a nice bonus too! Overall, there's a lovely diversity of people and family structures.
The character arcs are decent, and while there are some tropes that some of the characters fall back on, every npc has something about them that sets them apart from the others. The child npcs in particular are really well done imo. They completely swerve away from being generic video game kids.
While there is no combat, this game doesn't need it. The caves function like a loose puzzle dungeon and the challenges are a nice change of pace. Progression through the caves also serves as a great carrot to make you engage with each of the games mechanics and to keep your tools upgrading. The reward for completing the caves is really fun and worth the effort, imo.
The festivals feel really interactive due to the (mostly optional) mini games that you play during them. In fact, mini games also serve a role in fishing, trapping, and animal taming. None of the mini games are too challenging, and they are brief enough to feel like a break from regular gameplay without overstaying their welcome.
The music is relaxing, and does not get grating or repetitive. The pixel graphics are easy to read, and all the characters have TONS of animations that keep the world feeling lively.
I have no problem with load times, and can play for ages on my steam deck without charging.
Negatives:
This game is extremely accommodating. It is definitely not the most challenging title of its ilk.
This may be a steam deck specific issue, but I took quite a bit of time to get used to the controls.
Despite the game being rather inclusive, it would have been nice to see more same sex couples or polyamorous relationships. In particular, it is stated that the clan is okay with polyamory, but as far as I can tell, you can only marry one person, and there are no polyamorous npcs. Also, the npcs are very diverse, but the mixed race children of npc couples have a slight "each child is a clone of one parent" thing going on.
The writing can be a little shallow. the dialogue borders on saccharine at times. You will hear a lot about the values of kindness and community.
Character names take awhile to remember since the cast is large and very few names are rooted in English.
Stakes in general are non existent. You are never really punished by the game, and while it is comforting to know that you're never gonna freeze to death in winter or get Merced by a cave lion, it's a little dissonant to the setting.
Not every seasons environment is equally lovely to look at in every biome, though they are all serviceable.
Switching tools to clear the (initially overwhelming) amount of farmland is a bit of a pain until you get a powerful tool.
None of these are game breaking issues! They are nitpicks that come down to personal preference or things I just found a little odd.
All in all, this game is familiar in a really comforting way. From mechanics to character dynamics this game leans on genre tropes just enough to invite you into its world without being fully reliant on them. If you want a top tier cozy game to add to your collection, this one is for you!