Summary
- We Harvest Shadows reexamines cozy games like Animal Crossing with its horror twist.
- The game combines typical farming gameplay with ghostly elements, breaking the cozy sim mold.
- We Harvest Shadows mirrors the appeal of cozy games with its dark undertones and the protagonist's isolation.
The genre of 'cozy games', a moniker that includes titles like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Spiritfarer, has reached new heights in recent years. However, Gamescom 2024 revealed one sim game called We Harvest Shadows that promises to satirize the likes of Animal Crossing by approaching the genre with a horror lense.
Gamescom had a big opening night with a litany of star-studded reveals and trailer materials. Big games like Dune: Awakening and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle received expanded trailers, while projects like Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast were newly revealed. After E3 officially shut down for good, fans of major gaming events and trade shows can at least find reassurance in the success Gamescom has found thus far in 2024.
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We Harvest Shadows May Just Be Gamescom's Standout Genre Fusion
One of the more interesting reveals at Gamescom thus far has been We Harvest Shadows, a horror farming sim developed by The First Tree creator David Wehle. This curious blend of genres, combining typical farm-management gameplay with ghostly happenings and a sorrowful protagonist, stands out among its genre peers as being specifically 'anti-cozy'. While other Gamescom showings embrace the friendly atmosphere of Animal Crossing, Wehle's We Harvest Shadows already looks to quite effectively play on the unsettling undercurrents lurking beneath cozy sims.
We Harvest Shadows Uses The Liminality of Cozy Games To Horror's Advantage
For the most part, We Harvest Shadows starts just like any relaxing, cozy farming simulator (at least in the current demo); the player has a farm to work on, and can attend to menial tasks while a gorgeous soundtrack plays in the background. However, the player will soon find small 'hauntings' around their abode, with paintings warping into faces and doors opening on their own. The breaks in music and clever use of sound effects play on the moments in games like Stardew Valley and Minecraft where the same thing happens. The liminality of isolating, quiet moments within otherwise joyous games is given a refined form here; We Harvest Shadows grants reality to Minecraft's Herobrine creepypasta, making the idea of 'something else' hiding in a game manifest.
The isolation of We Harvest Shadows' protagonist also parallels how cozy games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons soared in popularity as of recent. Titles like these with calming vibes, engaging gameplay loops, and hours upon hours of content, were a popular escape during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contradiction between whimsical sims and the global isolation that proliferated them is on full display with the protagonist of We Harvest Shadows. Even in moments of daytime levity, the protagonist is always brooding on their self-imposed isolation, one that frames the loop of menial tasks as a distraction from their grim circumstances.
The Infamous 'Evil Farming Game' Could Be Made Reality With We Harvest Shadows
Back in 2016, a five-year-long search began on the r/tipofmyjoystick subreddit for an 'Evil Farming Game', a title that purportedly featured gameplay akin to Stardew Valley but with a horror twist—a main protagonist that had murdered their wife and has to constantly evade police suspicion. It turned out to never have existed in the first place, but the creepypasta intrigue of such a game can't be ignored.
We Harvest Shadows is primed to scratch that itch for something that unearths the dirty laundry of games that seem a bit too cheerful, using the cozy exterior of a Minecraft or Stardew Valley and embracing the liminal stretches within. The game even features a story about an estranged lover, the fate of which looms large in the mind of protagonist Garret, further mirroring that gaming urban legend.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Expansions
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
WHERE TO PLAY
Escape to a deserted island and create your own paradise as you explore, create, and customize in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. Your island getaway has a wealth of natural resources that can be used to craft everything from tools to creature comforts. You can hunt down insects at the crack of dawn, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean. The time of day and season match real life, so each day on your island is a chance to check in and find new surprises all year round.
Show off your island utopia to family and friends—or pack your bags and visit theirs. Whether playing online** or with others beside you***, island living is even better when you can share it. Even without hopping on a flight, you’ll meet a cast of charming animal residents bursting with personality. Friendly faces like Tom Nook and Isabelle will lend their services and happily help you grow your budding community. Escape to your island getaway—however, whenever, and wherever you want.
- Franchise
- Animal Crossing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- How Long To Beat
- 100 Hours
