Rating: ★★★★★

Week Notes 022:

I bought Fields of Mistria and have been playing that. Joe and I have kept up with Mistria Mondays on Friends at the Table, and he started playing it a few weeks ago. I’m still very early on in it. I like it, but it has yet to fill me with the same joy and wonder that Stardew Valley did. I do think it’s a little unfair that it is constantly compared to Stardew — it should be allowed to exist and be discussed on its own merits, and Stardew is far from the first to do a lot of what it does — but the comparison is sort of inevitable. Stardew saw me through a pretty intense period of depression years ago, so I think I sought out Mistria for the same reasons.

Week Notes 023:

I’m continuing to enjoy Fields of Mistria. I’ve reached mid-fall and the bottom of the mines (for now). It might become a game I check in on when new updates come out, but I think what’s here is really, really amazing.

Week Notes 025:

I’m big into Fields of Mistria lately. The developers just put out another update — I’m really impressed with how the game is coming along. I love Stardew Valley and have sunk hundreds of hours into it, but lately, I don’t know how I could go back — Mistria has so many convenience and quality of life features that make Stardew feel old and clunky by comparison.

Week Notes 026:

I haven’t gotten to play Mistria at all this week because we’ve been in and out of town, but it is very much on my mind. I don’t use my Switch much, but I would play the hell out of this game in handheld — or perhaps on a Steam Deck…

Week Notes 027:

I’m back on my Fields of Mistria bullshit. At this point, I’ve exhausted a lot of the content currently available, which isn’t a bad place to be — I’ve seen just about everything (except heart events, which I really don’t interact with in these types of games) and now can focus on 100%ing things and beautifying my farm. There’s still a few things that will unlock at higher town ranks, and I can keep looking forward to the regular updates.

Week Notes 029:

I’m still playing Fields of Mistria, although I have had a few mid-day game crashes this week. The game is in early access, so I can’t complain too much, but it’s the first time it’s happened to me. It’s frustrating to lose progress, but I suppose I should get into the habit of saving a few times throughout the day. I looked around the game’s subreddit and it seems to be an issue for a lot of folks after the latest update, so maybe I just need to wait until they roll out a patch.