Fields of Mistria's town full of well-written characters and charming Game Boy Advance aesthetic immediately make it stand out from other cozy farm sims

GamesLife SimFields of MistriaFields of Mistria’s town full of well-written characters and charming Game Boy Advance aesthetic immediately make it stand out from other cozy farm simsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: NPC Studio)

Fields of Mistria

On day 6 of Fields of Mistria, I had backpack money.

The temptation was too great. I impulsively spent the money I’d been hoarding for a backpack on strawberry-shaped hair clips and a cute gingham rug for my house. It was a financial disaster, but I was happy.

I’ve played so many farming sims since Stardew Valley revitalized the genre, many of them very average, that I’ve stopped expecting them to measure up to that inspiration. Instead I went into Fields of Mistria hoping it would find a way to stand out from the rest of the cozy life sims.

(Image credit: NPC Studio)

Fields of Mistria

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Mistria’s use of familiar life sim bits you’ll know from Stardew or Animal Crossing makes it feel like the newest entry in your favorite old series. It’s an alternate universe Story of Seasons if those games hadn’t leaned into a weird 3D art style. What keeps it feeling distinct is the competence of its writing and character interactions. The dialogue is very good. When multiple characters are in the same room, for example during game night at the tavern, you can listen in on group conversations about playing cards or drinking competitions. It makes it feel like everyone in town genuinely knows each other.

More than this, it feels interesting to talk to everyone on a daily basis. While not every conversation is life-changing, most reveal something new about this collection of weirdos, from the doctor’s secret family wealth to a heist a group of kids are planning on a traveling merchant. Little things that tie into the farming system, like the grocer sending you a recipe in the mail using the crop you just shipped, also underline the sense that the town is alive.

Image1of2(Image credit: NPC Studio)(Image credit: NPC Studio)

Image1of2

(Image credit: NPC Studio)(Image credit: NPC Studio)

(Image credit: NPC Studio)

Fields of Mistria

(Image credit: NPC Studio)

Fields of Mistria

More cozy games(Image credit: Eric Barone)Best cozy games that aren’t farm sims:18 cozy favesStardew Valley mods: Custom farmingGames like Stardew Valley: More life simsBest indie games: Our mixtape to you

More cozy games

(Image credit: Eric Barone)Best cozy games that aren’t farm sims:18 cozy favesStardew Valley mods: Custom farmingGames like Stardew Valley: More life simsBest indie games: Our mixtape to you

(Image credit: Eric Barone)

Best cozy games that aren’t farm sims:18 cozy favesStardew Valley mods: Custom farmingGames like Stardew Valley: More life simsBest indie games: Our mixtape to you

The other thing that helps Mistria stand out is its beautiful visual design, and there are enough cosmetics in here already to fuel a full game. Same with home decor; as someone who loves decorating houses the most out of all life sim activities, I could see myself putting hours into upgrading and designing everything on my farm. Another of my favorite activities in these kinds of game, finding artifacts to donate to the town museum, is expanded to include more items and a bundle system that rewards you for collecting sets. Fields of Mistria wants you to have a good time for a long time. It’s hewing so close to formulas from older games because it knows they work, but seems intent to make the fun moments of discovery last longer.

There are some other moments when it feels too close to Stardew for comfort. There’s the meet everyone quest in the first week, the traveling shop with changing items and the museum with tiered rewards, and as my boyfriend pointed out to me, the coffee mug icon is exactly the same. The longer I played, the more of these similarities I saw.

There’s a few other issues at present too. While crafting is simple, the crafting menus are not, and each one is a copy of the others. The menus could be simplified and also distinguished from each other to make cooking, for example, feel meaningfully different from working at the blacksmith’s anvil. The economy also makes no sense—I paid $1200 for fried rice, while rubies are $45—and similar to Stardew Valley, improvements in other skills feel gatekept behind farming and mining, because those are the activities that make the most money. During my time with it, Mistria froze and crashed several times, though since the game lets you save at-will in your house I never lost more than half of a day of progress.

Even in its current form, though, it’s worth your time.

More about life simMy Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early accessThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsLatestHere’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony shipSee more latest►

More about life sim

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early accessThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

The protagonist of My Summer Car smoking a cigarette outside while a truck in the background pumps out a septic tank.

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

The Sims 4 - a woman with red hair and a purple top exclaims with excitement

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

LatestHere’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony shipSee more latest►

Latest

Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship

A chunky robot stares out a window at a moon

Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship

See more latest►

Most Popular

This bizarre roguelike has a new take on the Vampire Survivors formula: letting you build your own custom weapons out of brains, eyeballs, and chimpanzee spines

18 games the PC Gamer team can’t wait to play in 2025

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals