So I’ve been playing Wylde Flowers over this past weekend on my iPad, and have found that the Aussie-made magical farming sim has a setting that I’ve never seen in a farming game before: a day-length setting.
Now, forgive me if I’m a doo-doo dummy and this has actually been done in a farming game before, but it’s definitely the first time that I’ve seen it anywhere. For those unaware, Wylde Flowers is an award-winning farming sim for Apple Arcade, PC, and Nintendo Switch made by Aussie team Studio Drydock. You’re tasked with running a farm on a mysterious island where there’s more than meets the eye… in a magical way. There’s magic. You’re a witch. Yadda yadda.
So the great thing about being a witch and a farmer is that magic helps a whole lot when you’re running a farm. You can do all kinds of spells to make life a little easier, and it’s all very hunky dory. I actually have been really enjoying my time with Wylde Flowers, and I genuinely think it’s a very well-made and lovingly-crafted farming game with a neat twist.
But the most magical thing of all has to be the day-length setting, which gives you three options: Relaxed, Normal, and Challenging. When in Relaxed mode, time goes by slower with every 10 minutes lasting roughly 20 seconds. When in Normal mode, every 10 minutes lasts around 7 seconds. When in Challenging mode, every 10 minutes lasts around 5 seconds. Does that make sense?
Basically, you can choose how long a day lasts in real-time, and I think that is such a great fuckin’ idea. When it comes to farming games, and there are many of them, the in-game clock is such a huge aspect of the game. It is part of your responsibility as the new farmer to not only get everything done in the season you’ve got but to plan your days very wisely due to time leaving you. As somebody that’s played a fair few farming games in my time on this Earth, the day length is everything.
In fact, that’s something that completely turned me off some farming simulators. My Time At Portia for the Nintendo Switch had its issues, but a glaring one for me was just how quickly the day went by. It felt like I had absolutely no time to do anything and the bugs made it that much harder. I’d argue that having the option to slow down or speed up the day should exist in every farming game.
And the best part? You can jump between them whenever you want. If I need to do a big day of mining, I’ll go down to Relaxed mode and break some stones for a while to get what I need. If something needs a few more hours to grow and I don’t want to waste a spell on it, I’ll chuck on Challenging mode and watch the time fly by. It rules! It’s really good!
This is honestly just one of the many things I’m really loving about Wylde Flowers, though. The magical aspect works in a lot of ways, including the changing of the seasons being entirely up to you and your coven. Need a few more days to grow the rest of your cotton in Summer? Don’t worry! There is nothing stopping you from letting it grow! Also, your energy bar and magic bar getting bigger over the course of the game is a huge plus for me as well.
All that being said, I think a day-length setting is such a good idea for farming games. Not everyone is going to like ‘the challenge’ of a day that runs away from you, and not everybody is going to like a day that goes on for far too long. Giving people the option to choose how long it lasts is a Very Good Idea. That is my opinion. Thank you.
Also, if you’re a farming sim kinda person, play Wylde Flowers. It’s so good.
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