It Isn’t Full-On Farming Simulator-Style Realism
Within the farming sim genre, there exists a variety of games that have you “farming” but don’t all play similarly to each other. Stardew Valley very much falls into the old-school camp of top-down, grid-based farming sims that were popularized by Harvest Moon and then taken to a new level in recent years by Stardew Valley itself. Lightyear Frontier doesn’t fall into that camp exactly but isn’t trying to be something radically different either.
An interview that was released by IGN alongside the announcement of Lightyear Frontier shed a lot of light on what developers Frame Break and Amplifier Game Invest are looking to accomplish with their game.
Lightyear Frontier won’t be grid-based like Stardew Valley and, very obviously, features more realistic-looking visuals. That said, it’s not trying to be something tied to real-life farming like Farming Simulator. According to the developers, they are trying to go for something in between the old-school top-down farming games and the hardcore sims.
So if you’re a fan of games like Stardew Valley, don’t stress that Lightyear Frontier doesn’t look like what you’re used to.
It Has Lots of Stardew Valley-Like Features, And Builds On Them
Lightyear Frontier definitely has lots of elements that will be familiar to Stardew Valley fans. For starters, yes, there is farming. You’re going to need to plant crops on a faraway planet and learn about what kinds of things grow there and what they need to survive. There’s also weather, just like Stardew Valley, which impacts the types of things you can grow.
What’s interesting, though, is that it seems like the weather is going to be quite impactful in Lightyear Frontier. Things like storms can threaten your farm. According to the IGN interview, there are survival elements at play, but not for your character, this isn’t No Man’s Sky. However, your crops can die if you don’t properly shield them from the elements, wildlife you encounter and give them what they need.
There’s Online Co-op
Lightyear Frontier takes place on a faraway and unexplored planet. It’s meant to be peaceful, quiet, and zen. But on the flip side, there isn’t this communal aspect to it like there is in Stardew Valley.
Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you have to play Lightyear Frontier all by yourself. The developers confirmed that there will be an online co-op mode so you and up to three friends can work together to build up your farms and bases together. The entire story of Lightyear Frontier can be played co-op if you want.
Animals Are a Big Part of Lightyear Frontier Too
While most of what we’ve seen and read about Lightyear Frontier is focused on the farming and crop aspect of the game, it appears that wildlife and animals that you come across are going to be important too.
It has been confirmed that you can tame wild animals that you come across while exploring your planet. In fact, they may be attracted to the crops that you grow and could become a threat to what you’re growing.
Certain animals will be attracted to certain crops, and it’s up to you to find the right balance, which leads us to one other thing about Lightyear Frontier that at least some Stardew Valley fans may enjoy.
Lightyear Frontier is About Achieving Harmony With Nature, Not Exploiting It
The developers stressed in the IGN interview that this is a game about being at peace with nature, not bulldozing it down and exploiting it
Hedström [Frame Break CEO] says that he wanted to cultivate a sense of wonder in exploration but wanted to avoid playing into some of the harmful narratives that tend to come with that. For example, the choices you make in how you interact with your planet’s environment might have adverse effects, but the game wants you to experience that in an effort to achieve balance. Lightyear Frontier isn’t a game about strip-mining a planet — it’s about living in harmony with it.
IGN
While some Stardew Valley fans quickly turn their farms into Truffle Oil and Starfruit Wine factories, many fans just enjoy the chill, low-stress gameplay that it provides. It seems like, based on what the Lightyear Frontier devs are saying and showing so far, that they are going for a similar vibe.
It doesn’t appear like the game is going to be about how much profit you can squeeze out but rather how you can create a cozy home base that’s sustainable for your goals and not at odds with the foreign world around you.
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