Farm, Marry, Kill? – Atomicrops Review

When a game is described as a bullet-hell, Roguelite, Stardew Valley on GMOs how could I pass it up? From Epic Games, developed by Bird Bath games, published by Raw Fury, comes an intense game like I haven’t encountered before. The adorable pixel art and the promise of a farming sim is just one small part of this game…there is much, much more.

Atomicrops is split up into seasons (four in total, each containing three playthroughs) where you try to balance farming, exploring, and most importantly killing. Besides your section of land there are conjoining properties on all sides containing monsters galore. Each day goes by rather quickly, trying to find seeds, animals to help you, and other farming perks, which are a must to keep alive. Any game that lets you befriend chickens and pigs is on my good list, and having these cute little critters on your farm is a blast. During the day, your time is spent farming and harvesting weeds for a chance to earn seeds, but at night that’s when it gets interesting. When the sun goes down monsters come out to play, leaving no time to lollygag. Fight your best to stay alive and you’ll live to farm another day.

Once the day is over you will be flown by helicopter back to town where you can use your “cashews” (form of currency) and your “rose petals” to heal yourself or even find love. In this game you are given the opportunity to meet NPC characters, flirt, earn goodies from them, and even marry…so ya know a little like Stardew. Upgrades, available only in town, are very important to continue the game due to the fact the game gets harder and more intense with each playthrough. If all these aspects didn’t make you anxious enough, there is no save button, there is no second life, so once you die you start all the way over, losing all your current progress. Even with me screaming and rage quitting, the game had me enthralled to pick up and try again and again.

Now I’m a person who likes having the resources of tutorials and hints; if you are like me, I’m sorry to say you won’t find that here. Other than a sweet old man who meets his untimely death in the very beginning of this game, you have no help or direction on how to play. The art, bosses, and wacky soundtrack are big pluses, as they give those good retro vibes and never feel outdated. Overall, Atomicrops isn’t for everyone, but for people who are fans of the genre they’ll definitely find a lot to enjoy.

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