Fields of Mistria

[h1]SPOILER WARNING![/h1] Just like Caldarus's speech at the Shooting Star Festival, this whole story is soaked in fatalism. And the main story, like the character stories, gets SO close. It just never takes the last step. Maybe they held back because it's a cozy farming game. Such a shame. First, something you might have missed: the real dragon priestess is actually Celine, and the MC is the reincarnation of the Dragonsworn from back then. So in this life, two people and one dragon get reunited, just like the priestess promised in her parting words. But something this huge is only hinted at, through the two dragons' talks with Celine and Celine's heart events with the MC... Meanwhile, Celine's role in the main story is weirdly close to zero. She briefly helps translate one stone tablet, and that's it 😂 Seridia probably used Celine's look as her avatar because of the MC and Celine's partnership in their past lives. That would also explain why the MC trusts this super sketchy underground big sis, no questions asked... but sadly, that's never spelled out either 😂 So I honestly don't know if I'm right! Also, fun fact: the dragon statue in the mines is actually Seridia's. As she puts it, Caldarus's horns grow backwards, so they're kinda wimpy 😂 And yes, the priestesses were all Seridia's people. That's why they're all girls 😂 Past-life Celine basically betrayed her, but Seridia doesn't seem to mind that much... Even after the ending, a lot of questions are left hanging. If Caldarus was sealed at the same time, why did nobles later go looking for him and worship him? Wasn't magic already gone by then? Can he change back? Looking at Seridia, it seems like he could. But going by what he says, it sounds like he can't. Or maybe only after his physical body dies? And the other dragons were just fine with what Caldarus did? No clear answer anywhere... And on a second playthrough, you get to watch Caldarus trying so hard to remember who closed the Gate between the worlds. [me trying to keep a straight face.jpg] As for who's to blame, the writer doesn't seem to want to pin it on either dragon. It ends up kind of awkward. Caldarus did the best he possibly could, and he still keeps taking the blame. Meanwhile Seridia knows she messed up, but makes it very clear it's not on her anyway 😂 [h2]The character stories have the same problem: the heavy stuff gets deliberately skipped.[/h2] Take March's 8-heart event. He probably did almost exactly what one of his parents did: put two people in danger at once, for the sake of a job. The writer quietly sets up that parallel, then for some reason looks away from it. Caldarus losing his immortality is really heavy too. His fatalistic speech at the Shooting Star Festival is honestly scary. Then the story turns it into a nice consolation prize: he gets to experience human life! But what he traded eternity for wasn't food or cooking or romance. It was one person's life. That's a real loss. I wanted the story to sit with it: him confused, insecure before anything else, and the MC actually having to matter. Instead, he learns to cook 😂 Okay, fine. If he can turn back after he dies, I guess I can accept that. Balor's route is really well written up to the end. But in the proposal, his past gets brushed off in a few lines. He literally says "It's not an excuse, but—" and just moves on, and you never get to respond. And "stealing and cheating" doesn't tell us much. Scamming a poor family out of their savings and scamming a noble out of a fortune are two very different things. Which one he was IS his character. Then there's Eiland, our resident sweet tooth. His dialogue after you start dating hints that he threw himself into archaeology (aka the past) so he wouldn't have to fight over the inheritance. I don't get why the writer neutered all of this. It feels like it was written and then cut at the end. No idea why. Maybe the writer felt it didn't fit the theme. Or maybe the studio cut it, so no love interest would come off as "too" traumatized or morally sketchy. The instincts are clearly there. The MC just never gets the option to say the thing out loud. Either way, it's such a shame. It's like a sneeze that never comes. So uncomfortable. Also, merging the "let's date" moment with the "best friends" moment was not a great call. It doesn't even make sense. If the feelings are strong enough for a confession, they're not gonna flip to "just friends" because of one line 😂 So the scenes end up either way too intense, like Caldarus's (think about it: telling him it's "just friendship" is basically lying to him), or way too breezy and buddy-buddy... Caldarus literally asks you to name what he's feeling, and he has nothing to compare it to. If you say "friendship," he'll just believe you. That's what makes it cruel. And every proposal scene runs on the exact same beats, with everyone suddenly talking super formally. That works for Caldarus, since he always talks like that. On everyone else it's weird. The gifts are the best part, though. Balor gives you sea glass he polished until it shines like a sapphire. A former con artist handing you a fake gem and telling you exactly how he made it? That's the most honest thing he could do. Caldarus carves a statue of you to stand next to his, so "a part of us will remain there together." He just gave up immortality, and now he's carving something in stone that'll outlast you both. That's way darker than the game seems to realize. The writer had the right instinct with both gifts. But the scenes around them play like neat, well-timed confessions, when they should hurt a little. I was planning to marry everyone to see all the dialogue, but I got way too tired. So I read everyone's lines on the wiki and married Caldarus 😂 Good news: the kid is also a dragon! 😂 The mithril floors in the mines are fun, and the combat feels great. But honestly... the story's over... so... I doubt anyone goes back down for anything besides quests and materials. I'm out of steam for fighting, and for decorating too. Shelving it for now. Will there be more updates?

its gonna consume your life so play with caution

I wish there was a neutral review option on Steam. I can't really recommend this game, despite giving it a good try with 17 hours. I think, for me, the central gameplay loop just isn't particularly fun. Stardew nailed this type of game, and while Mistria adds lots of QoL changes, it also seems to miss the point? The farming bit just isn't particularly interesting, and it's not really clear what I'm supposed to do to progress in it beyond making bigger fields and cooking. Items don't have quality, and there doesn't seem to be much processing available beyond a couple of things in town. Doesn't really scratch the itch. The only bit of the game I've engaged with really is the mining. But even that is spoiled by the main problem with the game: the story. The game really seems over written, with too many cut scenes that are just tedious text dialogues. I've really just started skipping them because they just break the flow too much. Stardew has a story but it's simpler, and each cut scene is short and personal exposition. In Mistria, it's like the story is shoved down your throat whether you want it or not. Whenever you progress you hit a barrier that forces you do go over and over sections of the mines for example, just to get specific items to progress. It feels like your reward for progressing down the mines is punishment. I'm not going to spoil the story, but I'd say I didn't really feel emotionally invested in it or the characters. The game has a diverse cast which is great, but then they are misserviced by cookie-cutter archetypes without much depth. I really didn't bother with friendship system or the characters. I found it to be almost universally cheerful people leading happy lives; I get they're trying to make it cosy but it feels childish as a result. Stardew embued it's characters with actual struggles. In fairness, maybe they're there - it's just I can't get past the weak initial characterisation to want to explore it further. So overall, I'm done with it. I know this is a very negative review - but it's really not a terrible game. I'm sure if what you want is a cosy cute game, with lots of dialogue and cut scenes, and this fan-fiction style characterisation then maybe you'll love this. For me, it lacks in the other elements that makes Stardew such a great game, and it really feels like a grind / chore to play rather than fun. I can't in all conscience recommend this game - I was drawn to it because it has overwhelming positive reviews and feel I have to be honest in my review rather than falsely recommend this game.

i wish i had more hands so i could hold everyones hand

inferior to options like Rune Factory and Stardew. Its just another indie farming game derivative of them that does nothing new to make up for the genre monoliths those games are.

2 found this helpful