Review: Princess Farmer

Let this adorable puzzle game with surprising aesthetic depth charm you with its magical bunnies! Princess Farmer is a much needed breath of fresh, gay air in the indie gaming world. Take a break from the stresses of daily life, and let Princess Farmer’s charming universe make you fall in love with it, puzzle by puzzle, pixel by pixel, blushing bunny by blushing bunny.

Princess Farmer was released on March 31, 2022, and is currently available on all your favourite platforms (PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Playstation). It is the first project of developers Samobee Games, a wife/wife team, and was published by Whitethorn Games, who are also associated with the wonderful games Teacup, Lake, and Calico, among others. I had the chance to host a Q&A session with Bee and Charlene, the two creators of Princess Farmer, and we had wonderful conversations about their game. If you would like to watch it, it is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ7Cs636xtc.

Be Gay, Do Matches!

Most of your time as a magical bunny will be spent pulling vegetables – and trust me, it’s a lot more fun than it sounds! In a typical match-three fashion, you will need to line vegetables up horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, by pulling them from the ground and placing them in another column. It is quite refreshing for the genre to be controlling a character that physically moves the puzzle, rather than simply moving the tiles themselves Of course, as the game goes on, a lot more variations and twists happen: some veggies are shiny and grant more points, an animal may request that you match one specific vegetable and avoid others, rocks get added into the mix, fragments of ground hide parts of the puzzle, etc. You can also play co-op with a friend, which is a fantastic addition to the game!

My absolute favourite aspect of the gameplay is the option to choose between three modes: Action Bunny, Puzzle Bunny, and Balanced Bunny. Action bunny is for players who prefer to go fast and not have to think too much, the puzzle aspect is easier, but there is a timer to encourage speed. Puzzle Bunny is the opposite: players can take as much time as they want, but try to solve the puzzles as efficiently as possible. And there is Balanced Bunny, which, as the name implies, is halfway between the two. It is important to mention that, even though there are rewards to doing well, you cannot fail, so the player never has to worry about failure, poor performance, or an impending “game over” screen. And none of the modes grant more rewards than others, so it is entirely up to the player’s mood, taste, and abilities! I personally enjoyed going back and forth between them, as I love taking my time with puzzles, but sometimes preferred just mindlessly enjoying the satisfying animations and progressing through the story.

Make bunnies blush!

Between every puzzle, you will be delighted by the textual and visual narrative that unfolds through dialogues and response options. You start off as a bunny who simply finds a lipstick that turns her into a princess farmer, a magical transformation a la Sailor Moon. Speaking of anime, the references are plenty, from Tuxedo Masc (intentional spelling) to the nine-episode format, there are a bunch of subtle and less subtle cultural allusions. You will befriend a variety of cute animals and develop relationships with them. You will get attached to them just like you did (and still do!) to your favourite cartoon characters, and seeing them blush and react to what you tell them is pure joy!

The narrative is also infused with queerness without it being a story about queerness – it effectively shakes up normalcy and creates a world where cute and fat bunnies are queer and do magical things together, because why not? It is never heavy, it is always very lighthearted and wholesome, without compromise. While the dialogue options feel a bit vapid at times for a game that labels itself as a visual novel, it is always to relieve the player of any source of pressure or stress, as the dialogues (and the story itself) are entirely skippable anyways. The game offers a fully malleable experience to the player, and I appreciate that very much, even if it results in a lighter visual novel where the story comes third, after the gameplay and the aesthetics.

Wholesome and Nostalgic Aesthetics to Soothe your Heart

The vivid colours, pixel art, cheerful music, cute characters, and satisfying animations all contribute towards an aesthetics that is very pleasing to the eye and ear. Remember that feeling of inserting a VHS of your favourite Disney movie or animated cartoon, and savouring every second of it with child-like amazement? Princess Farmer emulates that effect for the player very well! Those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s will be delighted to be brought back to nostalgic times, a carefree era where our biggest worry was whether we were going to make it to the next level in Bubble Bobble at the arcade or if the local record store would have a graphic tee of our favourite band.

Princess Farmer perfectly captures that old-school vibe and effectively sucks the player in. It feels retro, but not aged. Princess Farmer is sure to satisfy that itch if you miss games like Dr. Mario and Wario’s Woods, with a resolutely modern and queer twist. I fell in love with the clean pixel art and the sound effects reminiscent of old Disney movies. The soundtrack goes hand in hand with the atmosphere that the game encapsulates, with its relaxing and bubbly lo-fi that sounds like it comes from a remastered SNES game. The inclusion of so many recolours for your character (“hare dyes”) and sparkles is the cherry on top of a flawless sense of aesthetics.

Pulling Veggies by Moonlight, Winning Love by Daylight

Princess Farmer is a relaxing puzzle game with a lighthearted underlying visual novel, and the most charming retro aesthetics. The game exudes a nostalgic and queer aura through its visuals and its narrative. It hits that magical sweet spot of wholesome and childlike but not childish whatsoever. The puzzles are simple but not simplistic, the story is light but not insipid.

If, like me, you have a nostalgic heart that feels weary from everyday stresses that come with adulting, this game is what you need. It is easy to pick up and play, it teleports you to a magical world, and it bathes you in a soothing atmosphere with engaging and vibrant aesthetics. The wholesome vibes and smooth gameplay are guaranteed to heal your heart. Transform into a princess farmer bunny, and just be gay, do matches!