Everholm, a 'cosy' farming game where not all is as it seems, is out now

Everholm has been described as many things since first appearing on our radars: open-ended roleplaying game, non-linear adventure, 'cosy… but not too cosy.' It's that last phrase that really pops out. With cosy games having grown into a lucrative genre unto themselves—usually comprised of a mishmash of farming, building, cutesy graphics, twinkling soundtracks, friendly NPCs, and maybe a smidge of combat—it's interesting that developer Chonky Loaf would decide to put a caveat on the popular label.

Looking at the game, with its old-school isometric perspective and gorgeous pixel-art graphics, it's hard to see anything not cosy about it, but as Chonky Loaf co-founder and developer Pavle Miljkovic told me in a recent interview, looks can be a little bit deceiving.

You play Lilly, a young woman in search of her long-lost sister. During her search, a magical encounter causes Lilly to wake up in a mysterious land where, for reasons unknown, everyone seems to know who she is. On the surface, it's all rolling hills, quaint countryside, and twee artisanal shops in Everholm, but there are dangers lurking beneath the surface. "Not everything is as it seems at the beginning," begins Miljkovic. "While each character seems unaware of the potential dangers, we'll find out some of their mysteries and why they're on the island in the first place, and discover that many things are somewhat of an illusion."

How deeply you engage with the mystery is up to you, because you can play Everholm much like you would other farming sims. There are crops to plant, homes to furnish, and local denizens to meet, all presented in gorgeous pixel-art form. Day-night and seasonal cycles diversify the already eye-catching aesthetic, as well as shake up the challenges and mechanics available to you. If you don't want to burrow into the heart of the mystery, that's up to you.

But for those who enjoy a bit of combat (as Pavle does), it's out there awaiting those who brave the game's underworld. "I usually enjoy combat more than farming, so I'd spend more time in the dungeons," he tells me. "There are weapons, staffs, and spells you can use in different ways, and we are especially proud of some of the magical stuff we've put into the game." He was keen to stress that 'combat is not the focus,' and you're free to explore, craft, and farm to your heart's content, but you'll need to swing that sword just a little if you plan on pursuing the main story.

Each character has their own story to tell too, and many of them are fleshed out by the fact that they're based on the game's developers. Pavle himself, for example, has been cast as Everholm's lighthouse keeper. "I'm a business developer, so the devs tell me that I just switch the lights in the office on and off," he says. "So in the game I'm the lighthouse keeper, and spend all my days just switching the lamp at the top on and off." As well as offering a lighthearted outlet for in-jokes at the studio, basing NPCs on caricatures of work colleagues is a nice touch, imbuing the game with eccentric personality.

A lot of care has gone into every aspect of Everholm, and what may seem like an economical creative choice in opting for an isometric pixel-art style was actually one of the bigger design challenges. "Isometric isn't easy," Pavle begins. "First, they created primitive versions of the buildings in 3D, then simulated lighting in order to find out how the shadows fall and how the light hits different buildings." That aesthetic challenge is in part why the devs opted to let players build pre-built buildings rather than fully construct them from scratch, though there'll be plenty of decorations, fencing, props, and other tidbits to make your rural farmstead feel like your own.

Everholm is out now on Steam, and while Pavle is wary of 'promising too much,' there are already plans for a year-long free DLC rollout, with new characters, events, and seasonal props expected to be added down the line. The game certainly has an easygoing play-your-way ethos, but the added hook of 'not all is as it seems' bubbling just beneath the pretty surface should satiate those who like a little side of intrigue with their main course of cosiness.