Pixelshire Dev Talks Farming Sim Influences

Some games approach their genre aiming to reinvent key elements, if not the whole genre. That's not the goal of farming simulator Pixelshire, however. Instead of attempting to upend the cozy farming sim genre, which sounds incredibly unlikely of any game, Pixelshire set out to remix beloved elements of the genre together in its own way.

Pixelshire creator Vasileios Karagiannakis spoke to The Best War Games about the title, shortly before its May 8 release date, and how its influences blend together.

Cozy RPG 'Pixelshire' Shares New Screenshots Ahead of Launch [EXCLUSIVE]

The Best War Games shares an exclusive new look at Pixelshire, a cozy sandbox RPG combining exploration with city-building and life sim elements.

Posts

By Dominik Bošnjak

Pixelshire Doesn’t Reinvent the Wheel

It was Karagiannakis’ intention to make a game that blends his favorite features of the genre with his own spark of creativity. The idea of breaking new ground was never his ambition, which, given the extensive history of the farming sim genre, makes complete sense. Some of his favorites include terrain manipulation and NPC assistance, which he explained:

“Honestly, my goal wasn’t to reinvent the genre or create a specific feature that nobody ever did before, but to bring together proven mechanics I’ve loved in other games and combine them into one cohesive and enjoyable experience–and I think that’s what helps Pixelshire stand out. Some of my favorite features include terrain manipulation, which allows players to terraform the landscape and design a truly personalized town, and ‘Buddy Mode’ where NPC companions can assist with tasks like farming or gathering resources. For example, if you’ve built a friendship with the logger, he might join you in cutting down trees.”

Terrain manipulation and extensive town customization gained a lot of attention as the central mechanic in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it was far from the only cozy game whose influences found themselves in Pixelshire. Those other influences naturally include Stardew Valley, but also a game called Littlewood. Littlewood is a cozy pixel art farming game in the vein of Stardew Valley or Pixelshire that focuses on finding potential residents for a town and recruiting them, another mechanic Pixelshire remixes into its formula.

The terrain manipulation, though, was particularly important to Karagiannakis. The game’s setting, Arcadia, is a largely undefined land, only recently discovered and rich in diverse biomes and opportunities. By allowing players to terraform this environment, Pixelshire allows players to put their unique stamp on Arcadia.

“I’ve always loved games that let players shape their own worlds. Giving players the freedom to customize their environment fosters a stronger emotional connection to the game. Terraforming in Pixelshire allows each player to truly make the world their own…Arcadia is a newly discovered island-continent in a larger world, full of mystery and mostly unexplored. It’s divided into diverse regions, each featuring its own distinct environment–from enchanted forests and deserts to icy plains.”

Rating block community and brand ratings Image