Developer: RainyGames
Publisher: Merge Games
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
SunnySide – Review
SunnySide is one of those games where you don’t want to be too harsh when reviewing it since it’s so obvious how much love and effort the devs poured into it. As this is also the first game by indie studio RainyGames, we can’t expect triple-A quality. The idea behind this farming sim is pretty fun. But it’s just the execution that leaves something to be desired. We’ll break down exactly why we think this particular game might have done well from staying in Early Access for a while longer.
Story
In SunnySide you play a character of your own creation. At the start of the game, after making your avatar, your character calls their sibling Akira and explains their intention of attending an auction out in the countryside. The auction is for a plot of land that’s perfect for farming. Akira seems a little surprised, since this is a rather strange thing to do in our modern era, but is nonetheless encouraging. Obviously, your character wins the bidding war and the farm is theirs! Or the land the farm will be built on, at least. It’s up to you to plant, fish, cook, and otherwise collect the cash needed to construct buildings and keep animals.
The game has some RPG elements with quests and a plot you can follow, centered around the town called Sunnyside and the various NPCs that live there. But you can tackle this story at your own pace, and decide by yourself what your day-to-day schedule will be.
Graphics
SunnySide has pretty nice graphics on a surface level, taking clear inspiration from anime to create a pleasant-looking world to explore. Realism takes a backseat to an art style that looks more simple but nice. The character portraits are anime-styled too and cute. The game takes place in Japan, and it’s clear the devs did their research in crafting a world that takes this into account, with the true Japanese mountains, forests, temples, and even architecture you would find in real life. And gosh, are those animals adorable. Sadly, we found the game has significant issues loading in the textures at times and even the cutscenes would bug out a lot.
Sound
This game has a lovely, relaxing soundtrack that we really enjoyed. It honestly might be our favorite thing about this game. The music is varied and really reflects the casual nature of SunnySide, though it’s sure to pick up when you hit combat. Charming might be the best way to describe it. We liked how the sound effects would add life to the town, but were a little sad at the complete lack of any voice acting.
Gameplay
SunnySide is a farming simulator with a heavy dose of RPG elements mixed in. The gameplay is very casual and you can further customize the type of experience you want at the very start by picking either ‘cozy mode’ or ‘RPG mode’. You can even pick and choose from either, so you’ll have more combat but still get the increased rare loot and profits from cozy mode. As you’re dropped into the map, you start with your plot of land, a tent, and a shed with some basic tools. You buy your first seeds and plant them, and just like that you’re on the road to riches.
Aside from farming and selling crops, you can earn money by foraging the forest around Sunnyside for valuables, or by getting a fishing rod and catching fish. As you continue, you’ll also have the opportunity to buy and take care of animals. These animals, ranging from chickens to cows to goats, will provide eggs, milk, and more for you to sell. You can buy most things from your phone, though if you prefer to walk (or bike) around town you can always visit stores too. Just be careful you don’t get caught in combat. The various animals and creatures around town will engage you in turn-based combat, where your drone sidekick Sparky will fight them almost like it’s a Pokémon battle.
It’s not all fun and games though. While you play, make sure to eat enough food to manage your hunger and energy levels. The day only lasts as many real-life minutes as you want, though by the end you can go to bed to progress to the next day. Cooking is another essential part of the game once you unlock those features. Things also get easier as you earn XP, which you can use to unlock perks and level up your skills. Want a break from all that grinding? Consider talking to the villagers of Sunnyside. There are over 25 love interests, though you should know that a lot of them will be unavailable depending on what gender you make your avatar. However, it was nice to see that the options aren’t just guy or girl. Various nonbinary options were also available. And if you get bored of making friends, consider pursuing the hundreds of blueprints you can buy to furnish your house with. You can really customize to a ridiculous extent.
All of this might sound pretty great, but it’s also where SunnySide‘s problems lie. The game is extremely ambitious with the amount of features it wants to add, but all of them are executed in a very shallow way. The farming is extremely simple, the romance options can’t actually move in with you or start a family, the map is huge but feels sparsely populated full of empty buildings, and there’s very little direction on what to do. Making money is easy and you can buy almost anything from your phone, giving you no incentive to leave your plot of land. What sounds exciting at first, quickly slips into monotony and aimless gameplay, with the game not offering you real rewards or anything fun to do aside from grind for little gain. Combined with the performance issues, it’s just not a good combo, and we would have liked to see that resolved first.
Conclusion
We can’t call SunnySide a bad game, but we can be honest and say it feels very incomplete and lackluster for a game that’s not in Early Access. Especially at a hefty price (this game costs double as much as Stardew Valley, for comparison), what’s there isn’t great. Hopefully, the devs will continue to work on it, since it does have potential!
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