Farm-sims have looked and played pretty much the same for the last 10 years. That's not entirely surprising. When you find a winning formula that keeps your studio's lights on, you follow that formula. However, there are promising signs that a fresh crop of farm games is pushing the boundaries and heralding a new, more diverse era.
It was always going to be a strange year. There was a presumptive winner before the year even began: Grand Theft Auto 6. That remains the case, although, given Rockstar's apparent reticence to let anybody play it, we may be waiting until the eleventh hour for its assumed coronation to be confirmed.
The Blood of Dawnwalker revolves around its semi-vampiric lead Coen, and while he takes a little while to establish some character, I really grew to care about his journey by the end. It leans heavily into the themes of what makes us human, along with the 'curse' that eternal life can become - something I [...]
