It was first announced last April, but we finally have a release date for Wylde Flowers on PC and Nintendo Switch – this September! I cannot tell you how many hours I put into this game; I went full on Animal Crossing and had spreadsheets of things to remember and things to complete and achievements to get. I played through it fully once, and as that 40 hours or so wasn’t enough, I then did the entire thing over again. It is an absolute gem that fans of life/farming sims shouldn’t miss out on.
Wydle Flowers follows Tara as she heads to the island of Fairhaven, where her grandmother lives on a farm that no longer really functions. Grandma is sick, and Tara needs to stay on the island to help her grandmother as well as bring the farm back to live. There’s more to the town than meets the eye, though: there’s a smattering of witches hidden amongst the villagers. Tara, it turns out, is one of those witches; it’s in her blood, as her grandmother is also a witch. The story blends farming with magic and personal discovery.
There are multiple elements to the game. The base is arguably farming, especially at first; you’ll need produce for witchy uses as some point! The farm is large but only a small amount can be used at the beginning, and the farm grows along with Tara’s experience. The townsfolk are generally friendly and chatty, and relationships can be built with all of them (there are also seven characters to woo). There’s fishing, there’s foraging, there’s crafting: all the usuals for a farming sim. But on top of that, there’s caring for the coven, making spells/potions, and uncovering secrets.
Wylde Flowers is incredibly LGBTQ+ friendly. Pronouns are important; the Steam page for the game mentions pronouns anytime someone is named. There is a lovely gay couple that are engaged. Finally, Tara can date anyone from women to men to something… well, hairier. There’s room for all in beautiful Fairhaven!
Developed and published by Studio Drydock (Aussie shoutout! It is centred in Melbourne, according to its Twitter account) Wylde Flowers will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on September 20. It first launched for Apple Arcade earlier this year, and is still playable via subscription.
