Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has influenced a wide variety of modern games, from last year’s wildly successful Baldur’s Gate 3 to the more recent (and loosely connected) South Park: Snow Day.
Similarly, Stardew Valley is considered a pioneer in its own genre, continuing to revolutionize farming and life sims with the addition of new and exciting content. So, what happens when you blend the best of both worlds? You get a game that looks a whole lot like the upcoming fantasy RPG Mirthwood.
A Child of D&D and Stardew Valley – Mirthwood
From Bad Ridge Games and V Publishing, the indie title combines traditional role-playing elements with farming and life sim staples. This opens the door to endless paths to take as you craft a story all your own. You’ll also endure a handful of survival-lite features along the way, such as storms, seasons, and disease.
Set within a hand-drawn medieval world, every choice you make matters moving forward. I’m floored by the effort that’s gone into crafting the game’s landscape. Suffice it to say, I’m excited to explore the nooks and crannies throughout.
A Medieval RPG
Just as you’d start off by creating your own character, complete with a class, skills, and personal quirks in a D&D campaign, you’ll likewise decide your character’s look, background, combat class, and trade in Mirthwood. From there on out, you can further customize your character with various armor sets, weapons, and specializations.
Ultimately, your background and abilities will allow you to learn new skills and means to survive. And this goes doubly so in the face of danger. You’ll encounter all manner of creatures and other enemies throughout the open world, from run-of-the-mill bandits to werewolves.
Choose Your Own Path
While exploration plays a key role in Mirthwood, there’s more to the story than living as a lone adventurer. Devs describe the game’s ecosystem as a “living world” in which organic stories are made possible. As such, you can also choose to live a peaceful life at your homestead, tending to orchards rather than slaying beasts for a living.
The cozy gamer will have ample opportunities to interact with townsfolk, pick up quests, and solve mysteries. With elements like romance and renown added to the mix, I’d liken the intricacies of Mirthwood’s relationships to those of Stardew Valley. That said, I can’t wait to spam the jest and romance conversational directives.
We don’t have an official release date for Mirthwood just yet. However, it’s planned to be released sometime in Q3 2024. As we await launch details, you can wishlist the game now on Steam and stay tuned for updates here at GameSkinny. In the meantime, those in search of more upcoming fantasy titles might also be interested in the witchy RPG, REKA.
