I genuinely was not expecting a game labeled "Horror Farming Sim" to end up being one of my favs of the first games I was assigned but damn, they really pull off an incredible combination that couldn't be done otherwise; a complex and lengthy crafting and farming etc experience with a constant background slow-burn of fear whenever you decide to push at the boundaries of your known world. You can stick to the basics and run the upgrade trees how you like, or you can start wandering off the beaten path and who knows where you'll end up, how late at night. It resists the temptation to throw early twists or give in to easy horror game tropes in favour of making you wait and wonder, an incredibly confident slow-burn that isn't afraid to have hours of gameplay with no horror elements at all - because you always know in the back of your mind something could happen at any moment. I've never gotten chills like I did from something that quietly, silently happened in the game, something it didn't even draw attention to at first. The combination lets it explore new facets of both its genres, and in that sense it's like nothing I've ever played.
The game's been out on steam for about 10 days and doesn't seem to be getting much attention, so honestly if this piques your interest I'd seriously recommend going and grabbing it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1292500/Harvest_Island/
