Summary
Farming sims are comfortable games that allow you to unwind and relax with relatively low stakes. Your goal is usually based around the success of your farm and the town you’re in as you build relationships with the people around you. These games are perfect for casual and avid players alike.
Indie developers that work on projects likeCoral IslandandFae Farmunderstand that there’s more to the farming sim genre than just farming. Animal care, community building, and romances are also a big part of the genre that set it apart from your typical RPG, which prompts the question: which game did it better?
10Romances - Coral Island
While both Coral Island and Fae Farm include romances, Coral Island’s romances aremore in-depth and immersive. Each of the dozens of romance candidates has a handful ofheart events and connectionsto the community. Some of the romances are directly tied to the community.
Fae Farm’s romances areshort and sweet, but leave something to be wanted. However, you canreset the relationshipsat any time if you don’t like where one is going. Both games allow you todate regardless of your gender, and you’re able to date as many people as you’d like before committing to one.
9Magic - Fae Farm
When it comes to magic,Coral Island has giants and merfolk, butFae Farm has the Fae Realm. This realm is unlocked as part of the plot and allows the fae to travel between both realms freely, bringing new characters to life. You also have awand you can use to cast spellsas you play.
Coral Island has magic, but it’s not as seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. You don’t directly control magic, and the merfolk and giants are separated from the rest of the community.Fae Farm’s magic is everywhereand makes the experience much more exciting.
8Music - Tie
Both Fae Farm and Coral Island havecalm and beautiful soundtracks. They compliment the worlds that they’re set in and create a sense of tranquility while you play. Seasonal tracks make progressing through the game feel more like time passes, and the themes for each are upbeat and engaging.
Coral Island has more of a tropical feeling based on the island, and Fae Farm has a whimsical forest feel to it. The music for both games will entice you to get lost in the worlds they create, which is why they tie for best.
7Animal Care - Coral Island
When it comes to animal care,Fae Farm has unique animalsthat are reminiscent of the usual farm animals, but Coral Island handles them all better. You’re able to move them around andbuild more barns and coopswhile Fae Farm only gives you one of each, and they cannot be moved.
Coral Island also has variants for the animals, so you have a chance of getting the default color or an alternative. you’re able to attempt to breed animals in Fae Farm to get a specific color, but the chances are low.
6Mining - Fae Farm
Mining in Coral Island is pretty straightforward, but themaps can be large and difficultto navigate (and if luck isn’t with you, you could be there for hours). With Fae Farm, the mines are relatively easy to run through and only need a bit of preparation. You caneasily farm the resourcesyou need in early dungeons to make more money later.
Unlike Coral Island, you canaccess each floorand see the resources individually. You’ll need to craft components to unlock each floor, but you can return to them whenever you’d like.
5Farming - Tie
Both games havefarming as a core mechanic. While it’s essential in Coral Island to make money and thrive, it’s more optional in Fae Farm. However, unlike Coral Island, Fae Farm doesn’t have the traditional method of seasonal crops that rotate. Instead, you canapply fertilizer to change cropsfrom the basic seeds to seasonal and fae variants.
In Fae Farm, you also gettwo farms to manage: one in both realms. This doubles the size of your farm and allows you to live where you please.
4Combat - Fae Farm
With combat,Fae Farm has more mechanics to make use ofthan Coral Island. You get to use your wand and the various spells you learn to deal damage and charm your enemies. This makes combatmore engaging and flavorfulas you progress through mines and dungeons to collect treasure and resources.
Coral Island’s combat is straightforwardand simple: you use your melee weapon to hit the enemies you find. Both games have several enemies for you to fight, and they’re both unique and tailored to the worlds they’re in.
3Role-Playing Elements - Coral Island
When it comes to role-playing elements,Fae Farm has a fun story to it, but there’s a lack of depth that’s noticeable. Everyone is happy to see you improve the town, but it feels like you only ever scratch the surface. With Coral Island,you’re thrown into the heart of a struggling community, and it’s up to you to revitalize it.
Coral Island is best if you’re looking for a more story-driven narrative, though Fae Farm has components of it as well. However, the lore of the world is not elaborated on, so it can be hard to get involved.
2Pacing - Fae Farm
Coral Island has a stronger storyline, but the pacing is slow from the beginning until you reach late-game stages. This is because you’ll spend the first year of the game setting everything up so you can actively participate and contribute in the community. Fae Farm avoids this struggle by throwing you right into things.
The drawback is thatFae Farm’s main story can be completed rather quickly, and some could argue that it goes too fast. However, when there are so many games to play, sometimes it’s better to have a short enjoyable farming sim instead of a time-consuming investment.
1Customization - Coral Island
With character customization, Coral Island succeeds. There aredozens of options right away, and you can change them at the salon and boutique. As you increase your town rank, you unlock even more customization options.
With Fae Farm, while the characters are cute,customization is limited past the initial menu. Fashion options are in short supply unless you have an abundance of resources or complete all the job quests to unlock a new outfit. If fashion isn’t important to you, then this won’t matter, but we can mostly agree that having a nice outfit is important to role-playing your farmer.
Conclusion
Coral island is the game for you if you want to invest in a long playthrough with plenty of activities and depth with the characters and story. Events and festivals are colorful additions that break away from typical gameplay to add minigames, and you’ll feel like part of the community.
Combat
Pacing
However, Fae Farm is a better option if you want something fun to play without a heavy time commitment. Everything is handed to you early, and you may still enjoy the elements of a well-written story, though it will be be shorter and more condensed. If you want to speedrun a romance, this is the place to do it.
