''Sun Haven'' is a 2023

farm life sim Farm life sims (also called farming sim or farm sim) are a subgenre of life simulation games which fuse social simulation, dating sim and farm simulation elements. The games generally feature a protagonist going out to a rural setting and taking ...

action role-playing An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat wh ...

game developed and published by American indie studio Pixel Sprout Studios. The video game was released on March 11, 2023 for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. The game was also ported to the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

in North and South America on November 29, 2024 and in Europe on December 16, 2024. It has often been compared with similar games such as ''

Stardew Valley ''Stardew Valley'' is a 2016 farm life simulation game developed by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone. Players take the role of a character who inherits their deceased grandfather's dilapidated farm in a place known as "Stardew Valley". ''Stardew Valle ...

'' and ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

''.

Gameplay

''Sun Haven'' is a pixel art farm sim video game where players can farm, fish, mine and romance NPCs, similar to ''

'' and '' My Time at Sandrock''. Players start off with a cutscene with Lynn, and then move on to the train. A blackout then occurs on board the train with all the lights going out. Once the player arrives in the town of Sun Haven, they would have the option of placing their house anywhere on their farm. Unlike many other farm sims, this one does not have stamina. In addition to Sun Haven, this game features three other towns that the player will discover. Combat is available, with characters available to choose classes similar to ''Dungeons & Dragons''; combat occurs in real time and provides characters with tools and

experience points An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...

, which can be used to upgrade the skills for characters. Alternative

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

options to avoid combat against boss characters and story moments are available. Players even have the option to marry Lucia, the leader of Sun Haven.

Development

''Sun Haven'' was developed and published by Pixel Sprout Studios, an American video game developer based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. This game was initially on

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

at June 25, 2021, following a successful 2020

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

, before fully releasing on March 11, 2023. It was initially due to release six months after entering early access and did not gain much traction until then. The game was also released on the Nintendo Switch on November 29, 2024 in North and South America. It was then released on the European market on December 16, 2024. However,

cross-platform play In video games with online gaming functionality, also called cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, crossplay, or cross-play describes the ability of Gamer, players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously. ...

was initially not available, alongside multiplayer. There are also further plans to release this game onto other consoles in the foreseeable future.Sun Haven is coming to the Nintendo Switch! : r/SunHaven
Reddit. retrieved 19 November 2024. In mid-2024, the game released version 1.4, its largest update to date. This added several features, including new marriage candidates and a new underwater region known as the "Brinestone Deeps".

Reception

''Sun Haven'' has received favorable reviews from critics and has often been compared to ''

''. An

review from ''

PCGamesN ''PCGamesN'' is a British website with articles about PC gaming and hardware. History Parent company Network N was founded by James Binns (formerly of Future Publishing) in late May 2012. ''PCGamesN'' launched the following month. PCGamesN ...

'' that "the world has awoken to the charm of this particular hybrid between RPG games and farming games". Another early access review from ''RPGFan'' stated that the game is a "mystical world" which is "inviting, endearing, and quite original". Meanwhile, after full release, Anna Koselke on ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' states that this game is pretty much like Stardew Valley, but more magical and fantastic. ''

WIRED Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

'' states that the game is 'cozy' and that "the storyline is rich". ''TheGamer'' states that it is one of the few games to combine farming RPG and various other mechanics.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

*{{Official website, pixelsproutstudios.com category:2023 video games category:Windows games category:cozy games category:Nintendo Switch games Cooperative video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Indie games Farm life sim video games Life simulation games Video games developed in the United States Action role-playing video games category:role-playing video games category:social simulation video games category:Kickstarter-funded video games category:fantasy video games