I grew up on a tiny island with a population of 700. It was one of those places where everyone knows everyone. When we moved to the big city I got a GameCube from my grandparents - I would go to school, come home, and play Harvest Moon until my parents would pry the controller from my fingers. This game feels like all of that.

The story so far is good - you don't have amnesia, your grandpa doesn't die and leave you his farm, you are just a little bunny with a big responsibility of helping move your family away from a drought that's been plaguing you. It's simple but that's a positive here because this game has much more important things to deal with. This game also seems to be romance free for the most part which for me is neither a positive or a negative but from the cozy games that I have played I do think it is a fresher take than having a romance driven plot that drives your main story.

The characters are where the game shines. They don't rely on stereotypes and have something to teach even a hardened adult. Each character has relationships, thoughts, things that trouble them, things that they like, other bunnies that they relate to, but it's far more nuanced than that. Some characters struggle with mental illness, some with the weight of expectations, some with being lost in a world that seems all too big for a little bunny, and some with disabilities that have come to affect their lives and as someone who was once-upon-a-time a fairly well known chef in my area but suffered from brain damage through no fault of my own, it was cathartic to see myself realized in a small way. One of the bunnies tells you he doesn't like another but that that's not a bad thing and not everyone is going to like you and you don't have to like everyone either and that if everyone got along perfectly we wouldn't ever have our perspectives challenged. I also really enjoy that the bunnies state when they are done conversing with you, it's not aggressive and each bunny has their own way of setting their boundaries which I found so charming and adds so much tonally to each character. This game directly looks at the negatives that come with being alive and being human (or bunny) and handles them with grace and kindness without delving into anything inappropriate or foreign for a younger audience. Also Bella runs a great little stretching session that I HIGHLY recommend joining in on in real life.

The gameplay is smooth and very simple with a couple bugs that are actively and aggressively being fixed by a very caring developer. A sprint button was added shortly after launch but I find myself not using it and enjoying exploring the town slowly and thoughtfully. I enjoy that everything needs to be actively engaged with and the things that can be automated don't take away from the cozy slow paced gameplay. The day to night cycle is long enough and doesn't leave you feeling rushed to get anything done and I really love having to actually go everywhere to do things, like having to hop to the post office to fund community projects, visiting certain bunnies to engage with certain side features, and really being encouraged to take the time to talk to everybunny. I ADORE the baking mechanics, I love mixing ingredients, I love testing out recipes and getting feedback based on the other bunnies' preferences, and I love that the recipes "progress" as you do. This game also has a phenomenal little quality of life feature where if you were to smash the camera against an object while rotating, instead of zooming in harshly it actually opens up a window on whatever solid object so you can still see what you are doing clearly. Another great quality of life feature is the journal where you can keep track of every bunnies' preferences, it very easy to use and a lot better than having to pull up a wiki or have an actual notebook on standby. Also the confetti and little toot every time you bake something perfectly gives me enough dopamine that I alone could fuel a stadium.

Graphics are really cool here. This game obviously has a very simply cartoonish style which lends itself to the nostalgic feeling of the game but someone tell me why the foliage renders better than any FPS or MMO I've ever played. Tell me why every blade of grass renders clearly from the beach to the mines. The soundtrack and audio are also so perfect for the game and everything is so thoughtfully put together to make a cohesive experience.

My overall thoughts on this game may be biased as someone who's whole life revolves around rescuing special needs bunnies but I genuinely don't think there could not be a more perfect cozy game for me. This game is a breath of fresh air in our overstimulating world where people are expected to do things solely to make money and consume. It forces you to turn off the part of your brain that wants to just keep scrolling and forces you to actively make decisions and engage with the community around you and if you can fully immerse yourself into that you are bound to have a lovely time.

TLDR:
This game is slow paced, quiet, nostalgic, and handles nuanced subjects with care and kindness. The characters, their interactions, and the baking mechanics are the highlight of the game. The story is not romance driven and encourages you to interact with everybunny in the community. It has lovely but simple gameplay and great quality of life features. For me this is a 9.5/10.

If I really wanted to compare this to other games I would say it strikes the same feelings as Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life and Harvest Moon: Magical Melody while being it's own special game that I will no doubt love for years to come.

Marking this "Not Recommended" over the structure of the "couch co-op" to serve as a buyer beware for anyone looking for an actual co-op experience. The split screen featured in the ad and "couch co-op" declared in the product description definitely made us think we were getting one.

Wife and I were excited to have another game we could play together, having logged hundreds of hours on the likes of Stardew Valley. The game is exactly as we hoped---cozy, cute, and scratching the itch of a peaceful farm/craft sort of game. However the co-op mode is excruciating because of a major design flaw: entering or exiting any house or different area transfers both players to that zone. This mean no one gets to play the game because separating from each other at all just results in you being tethered back to where the other is at all times. The game works in day cycles where you go to sleep at night. So say you start the day--you head to the post office to do a mission there, you're almost at the door, but alas! Your co-op partner entered the Tavern, so now you're both in the tavern. The only thing to do there is to talk to an NPC, and as all progress is shared in co-op (resources etc.), you get identical dialogue boxes, so there's absolutely no point for you to be there to talk to that NPC as well. Rinse and repeat with everything you can do.

We loved the vibe and what the game is going for (I'm certain it achieves it in a single player experience), but this tethering mechanic makes it unplayable as a two player experience. We REALLY hope the dev decides to patch in a true co-op experience, as you might as well play single player and pass the controller back and forth as that functionally mimics almost exactly what is going on currently. Kills me to leave a thumbs down as this is exactly the sort of game I want to be made!


Also---Honorable mention to bugs in co-op. The dev seems good natured and I think they'll patch this stuff as fast as they can so I wouldn't mention it save for their decision to release early with a confident statement that the game was fully functional. Purchasing/furniture placement are major parts of the game. They either weren't tested in co-op or deliberately ignored.

1) HUD popup around interactables is bugged in co-op to stay on screen when the tethering mechanic is triggered while displayed.
2) Player 2 cannot see the HUD for purchasing market goods. The pop-up instead appears on player 1's screen, but only if you rotate the camera to a specific angle that it seems to spawn in.
3) Moving furniture in your bakery often goes berserk in co-op. I think it's if player 2 touches the lifted furniture object while being moved. It tweaks out, clips all over the place and you have to spam click accept to try and get it to place in a legal placement area to try again.

I've been looking for a cute, cozy sim game that I could play couch co op with my 8yo daughter and this is finally it! I played with keyboard/mouse and we connected our xbox controller via bluetooth to steam for her. We had zero issues with starting the game together and playing for a couple hours. We had a blast each designing our own bunny and being able to run around and do separate tasks at the same time (yay split screen and shared inventory!). Some might find it annoying that when one person goes through a doorway, you both end up in the new building/area, but it's a plus for us since there were times she would get lost and I'd be able to bring her back to me. I originally expected to only play this game with her, but now I want to start a solo game, too!