First impressions: Welcome to Elderfield - Demo

Hello to all fans of cozy games and classic horror! I bring you a new game!

Welcome to Elderfield blends classic farming mechanics, RPG elements, and Lovecraftian monsters in a style typical of 90s horror manga, and more people need to know about it!

Nothing is normal in the isolated town of Elderfield. The inhabitants are eccentric, strange beings move in the darkness, and the local news seems increasingly mysterious. This is where you were born, and those born here rarely leave.

But there’s work to be done. Now that you’ve finished your studies, you have an abundance of free time and little direction to follow. Explore, earn money, make friends, solve mysteries, start a farm, cook, fish, plead with the Ancient Gods, talk to the dead, protect yourself from the Moon, and try not to die in your sleep.

I'm seeing the Cozy Horror subgenre gaining more and more prominence, and that makes me extremely happy, since it combines two styles I love: Cozy Games and Horror.

In my search for more games that fit these styles, I came across the Welcome to Elderfield demo on Steam, which captivated me with its art style that blends pixels with 90s horror manga, especially those of manga artist Junji Ito.

Here in Elderfield, the farm isn't yours, but belongs to old Hans, a huge skull that never stopped growing until it got stuck and unable to do its chores… And so you become a farmer.

But fear not, the appearance of farmer Hans is the least of your worries! Everything in Elderfield is rather bizarre for outsiders like you and me. Which reminds me a lot of works like Kirlian Frequency, Welcome to Night Vale, or Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Taking care of a farm is what you expect from farming games, but nothing here is what you expect.

The plants you take care of can try to kill you, cutting grass or breaking rocks can start fights, and the animals you care for are peculiar to say the least - like a cow with tentacles.

The fishing system, in particular, is usually the part I like least in these games, but here I found it quite easy. You just need to get the timing of the cursor right a certain number of times to catch your fish.

You can use fish and other ingredients to cook food that can heal you, bless you, or curse you.

Speaking of blessings and curses, these statuses aren't limited to combat. Like in a tabletop RPG, all your actions will have consequences, and they come through the dice!

Most interactions involve rolling a 6-sided die that will determine your luck. After all, you never know when opening a trash can will bring you a useful weapon left behind or a two-headed rat.

With so many effects and things trying to kill you all the time, taking a bath regenerates you in exchange for the return of monsters to the map. Sleeping can end curses or start new ones. But keep in mind that not sleeping can be even worse for your health!

You can also go to the mines to collect materials and ores to build or improve tools and equipment, but if what you're looking for is combat, there's the shopping mall for that…

Yes, the shopping mall! This is the most dangerous and useful place in Elderfield, as you might stumble upon very good shops, items, and equipment, but also extremely bizarre monsters that can attack you.

When attacked, a turn-based battle begins. At the start of your turn, you gain a number of Action Points (green beam) that can be used to deal damage, heal, curse, or bless, just like in classic RPGs. As a last resort, you can run desperately back home.

All these interactions and tasks are sewn into the history of the town of Elderfield, a place of bizarre and frightening events, which you can further develop through explorations of the neighborhood, recordings of radio programs, interactions with local residents, and even romantic relationships with some of them, and watching TV reports on the latest incidents - and if you're brave enough, going to investigate for yourself.

Even with your life constantly threatened, Welcome to Elderfield still manages to be cozy.

The choice of pixel art and manga amidst an autumnal color palette is wrapped in a lo-fi feel that is calm, dark, and melancholic at the same time, as if we were eternally in Halloween.

All this on a rainy day accompanied by hot chocolate is a perfect combination for the horror fan who wants some time to relax… or almost.

The demo has no time limitations, but it also doesn't make all the features present in the game or shown in the trailer available. I, for example, took 22 hours to complete most of the available tasks.

The game doesn't have a release date yet, but if my first impressions picked your interest, the Alpha Demo is available on Steam for anyone who wants to give it a try.

Bye bye, kupo!