Farlands is a satisfying space farming sim once it gets going, but reaching that point takes too much grinding and guesswork
Farlands is basically Stardew Valley in space. You buy a neglected planet, clean up the farm, plant seasonal crops, meet the locals, and slowly expand into fishing, mining, relationships, and animal care. The sci-fi setting gives this familiar formula some personality, and I did enjoy settling into its cozy routine. The problem is that the early hours feel like work without enough reward.
At first, money is tight, energy is limited, and nearly every farming action must be performed one tile at a time. You plow a small patch, plant what little you can afford, manually water everything, then go to sleep. You may even immediately sleep through several more days while waiting for the crops to grow. Once harvest arrives, you pick every crop individually, sell the lot, and repeat.
Tool upgrades eventually let you plow, water, and harvest several tiles at once, but getting there creates a frustrating cycle. The required materials are found on other planets, reaching those planets requires ship upgrades, and those upgrades require more money and resources. For roughly my first five hours, I felt trapped in the same basic routine, grinding toward the tools that would finally make that routine enjoyable.
Seasonal farming adds some welcome planning, with each season lasting around 28 days. Certain crops keep producing after their first harvest, which makes them much better investments. Farlands does not clearly identify which seeds work this way, though, so buying crops involves unnecessary guesswork. It is a small example of the game's larger problem: useful information often arrives only after you have already stumbled into a system.
I spent around 15 hours without realizing that raising alien cattle was an entire mechanic. I had seen the relevant shopkeeper and what looked like a pen, but assumed it was cosmetic and ignored it. Nothing prompted me to investigate. I only understood what I had missed after reading a developer diary. The same obscurity affects smaller details, such as learning that tree seeds can be planted directly into unplowed ground.
Farlands does not need long tutorial boxes explaining everything. It needs its world and characters to teach naturally. An NPC visiting the farm to introduce animal care, or another demonstrating how tree planting works, would make these systems discoverable without killing the cozy pace. Hiding major mechanics until the player happens to engage with the correct object is not satisfying exploration.
There is a story, but it never develops much urgency. A baron is buying entire planets and destroying them, while tall aliens running a museum hope to preserve the solar system. Progress mostly comes from donating crops, minerals, fish, artifacts, and alien creatures to their collection. Occasional events move things along, but rarely feel meaningful. You can also befriend, gift, romance, and marry NPCs, although those relationships never completely overcome the thin narrative.
Once I upgraded my ship and tools and built a healthy bank balance, Farlands became far more satisfying. I could travel freely, gather materials efficiently, and speed through chores that had previously consumed entire days. This is where its pleasant mechanical rhythm finally shines. The pixel art looks lovely on the ROG Xbox Ally X screen, performance is excellent, and controller support feels natural throughout.
There is a good game here, especially for players who enjoy methodical cozy work and familiar farming progression. It is simply buried beneath a slow economy and too many poorly communicated systems. Better onboarding and a less restrictive opening would let Farlands reach the fun much sooner. As it stands, patience eventually pays off, but the journey asks for more grinding and guesswork than it should. Thanks for reading!
