Graveyard Keeper

This is a slightly tough one to recommend. I can't deny playing it somewhat obsessively, but I don't know that I can say I have a ton of fond memories for playing it. Short of the very end of the game, when some automation starts taking off, there is just always so, so, so much that needs to be getting done at any moment. And it's not in the Stardew Valley way, where you'll get to it tomorrow. It's just always piling up, more and more to do, and some of it has to happen on certain days of the in game week, and it's just a lot to keep track of and do. It doesn't encourage healthy gameplay.

The game is also very bleak. From helping burn witches, to helping neighbors do bad things to each other because they hate each other, you'll be forced into doing a lot of bad things if you want to progress the plot. Not even bad for the greater good, but just being rotten.

It's not the break I was looking for from a sometimes bleak and overworked life. I hoped it would paid off, but it really didn't.

But the gameplay is fairly solid, so I'm sure it's the right game for some people. Complements to the devs for making your basic tools not take up valuable inventory slots, and for using the E and F keys to "do" rather than endlessly having to switch between the right tools.

The depth of the trees for upgrading what you can do is really good, and the barriers to getting to the next part of it seem really well thought out. It's a pain to work around, but one that's pushes that Fun button every time you figure out how to get the points you need.

Crafting is really neat, and the ability to automate it later is a huge boon.

The fact that they block you from getting too rich too fast could be annoying, but I think is a good mechanic in the end. It keeps prices from having to ascend into the millions of gold pieces to keep up with what you're bringing in.

While I complain about the schedule with some people only being available once a week, it does keep the town fresh, with specific things that you can only do that day.

It's a good game, with solid design and a lot of plot in it. It wasn't really for me, but I think it's worth a try.

The biggest rabbit hole I have ever played. ADHD on max, even Zelda can't compare with amount of distraction you get while playing this game, you collect the farm, boom corpse arrived, you done with corpse, damn it's a day when you can buy stuff from Astro guy, you do that oh hell nah it's church day need to pray. 12/10 Surgeon's Mistake would recommend 110%

So i must caveat this review by saying I absolutely - and had to for my own sanity - add some mods.
In general I thoroughly enjoyed the game, the macabre farming was pretty fun, the characters were cute and an army of automated zombie slaves was epic. I even enjoyed the day "system" which for me having a colour coded calendar like system was super helpful rather than trying to remember on "Mondays" or the "first day of the month" even if it was a massive pain in the butt if you missed it.
But 10 hours in, what I could absolutely could not stand was walking at snails pace, teleport cooldowns and the most ridic inventory limitations when you've got to walk from one side of the map to the other to pick up/ drop off the one item you almost definitely forgot.
So I got:
A sprint mod
No teleport cool down
Bigger inventory
..and a fishing mod - coz that shit was annoying af too.
I would still say start the game at the intended pace, but when its so painful you could harvest your own organs on an anatomy table... check out some mods for your own sanity :-)

I like the crafty aspect of this game, it certainly has a learning curve in the end. It is certainly rough around the edges, and the developers left a few bits that should have been removed from the build, but hey, I played it for over 130 hours, so it was entertaining enough.

Don't forget that when the game character shows that he's sleepy, it's not about your energy level, it's the way the game tells you to sleep (save) before it crashes, and, considering the amount of work you put in in the beginning, you'll want to do that often to avoid having to do the whole day over.

If you're a new player, get the teleportation stone from the tavern as soon as you can to avoid walking between the graveyard and the village.

The best source of energy is honey in the early game, so it's worth it to get the bees from the beekeeper, some sticks, and paper early on to build the hives. When you need more points, don't forget to use the honey, fruits, and pastry dough to make the cake, it will be useful to get those precious extra tech points when you begin.

Collect blood, skulls, and skin often in the early game, store them somewhere, you'll thank me later.

When you have coins, speed potions from the witch, after you start walking faster, you won't wan't to come back.

In the mid game, try your best to write a gold quality book to make a split prayer, that will give you tons of faith points.

Anyway, lots of small details I could go on and on. The ending of the game is underwhelming, and you'll play this feeling like it could be so much more. But it is certainly fun.

It looks simple but is actually an incredibly complex game. It's terrible at explaining what you need to do to advance so you will be spending a lot of time googling for answers. But even with that it's still a very fun game if you're willing to put some time in.

Recommended but...:

>1. Be aware it's one of those games you need a wiki open to your side, because the game does a poor job (deliberately? I don't know) of explaining its mechanics or telling you what you need to do most of the time.
>2. You have a list of NPCs and their related quests (fetch quests all of them). But you have to figure out how to find everything they want by yourself, as they are vert vague usually.
>3. You have dozens of quests active at the same time, and it get overwhelming even after 50 hours.

This is not a farming sim, it's a crafting game, or a resources administration game. You need to enjoy task solving to enjoy this game. There's nothing chill (or cozy, as the cringe community prefer to call it) about Graveyard Keeper.

If your favorite part of Stardew Valley was the community center, and you wish there were five community centers scattered around Pelican Town and Calico Desert, you might like this.

I like it but it makes me mad.

Graveyard Keeper, a game that's less about tending to the dearly departed and more about embracing the futility of existence. You're thrust into the rotting boots of a medieval cemetery manager, tasked with the Sisyphean challenge of keeping the dead... organized. But don't let the cute pixel art fool you, this game is a digital representation of your inevitable descent into nihilism.

The gameplay is a grim, relentless slog through the mundane. Plant crops, craft goods, cut down trees, and bury bodies with the same enthusiasm you'd reserve for brushing your teeth before bed - because you know tomorrow will bring more of the same. The days blur into a never-ending cycle of decay and commerce, a metaphor for the repetitive nature of life itself.

As you toil away, the villagers, who are as charming as a plague-ridden rat, demand your services with the kindness of a tax collector. They're all too eager to offer you quests that feel as meaningless as the lives they lead. The dialogue is darkly humorous, but it only serves to highlight the bleakness of your existence as you juggle the morbid economy and their petty desires.

The crafting system is a labyrinth of despair, with recipes that seem to mock your very existence. Combine a skull with some flowers? Sure, why not add a dash of irony to your crafting concoction. The only thing growing here is your sense of dread as you realize that no matter how many bodies you bury or how many potions you brew, you're just delaying the inevitable decay of everything around you.

The game's story is a macabre tapestry of choices that lead to the same dour conclusion. It's like playing a game of chess with Death, where every move you make is met with a knowing smirk from the Grim Reaper, who's already planning his victory dance. You'll uncover secrets that make you question the very fabric of your digital being, but in the end, you're just rearranging the headstones in a graveyard that's destined to swallow you whole.

In a world where the only constants are death and taxes, "Graveyard Keeper" captures the essence of an existential crisis with unsettling accuracy. It's a game that whispers sweet nothings of despair into your ear while you play, making you wonder if you're truly in control of anything at all. Or if you're just a pawn in a cosmic game of corpse Tetris.

So, if you're in the mood to feel small, insignificant, and utterly consumed by the void, pick up your shovel and dive into Graveyard Keeper. Just remember, every day is a good day to dig your own grave and fucking die.