Abandon the country-life for a seaside metropolis in a former Stardew Valley dev's upcoming life-sim
Sunkissed City won't feature any farms, but it has plenty else on offer.
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Those of you who like Stardew Valley but prefer the city life will be happy to hear one of its former devs is putting the two together in a new game.
Earlier this week, former Stardew Valley developer Arthur 'Mr. Podunkian' Lee Sunkissed City, a new life-sim "set in an upbeat, sun-kissed seaside metropolis full of funky vibes and quirky characters." While there's no trailer just yet, the game's Steam page does show off a bunch of screenshots, and right now it's looking like "Stardew Valley but if it was set in a city at the seaside," which certainly isn't the worst concept in the world. Lee is currently aiming to release the game later this year, in Q4 2024, but there's as specific a release window as we're going to get right now - it's also planned for release on PC first, and "hopefully consoles soon thereafter."
According to the game's description on Steam, you will be a "fresh hire for the monolithic Pico corporation's new 'Peco Pioneer' pilot program," which tasks you with "fostering a relationship with Apollo's vibrant community and putting in a good word for Pico's new eco-focused initiatives. But all is not well in these bustling streets. The local wildlife has begun to behave more aggressively, the waters are devoid of life, monsters are pouring out from the sewers, and that's not to mention the constant migraines everyone's been having lately."
Where in Stardew Valley you obviously have your own farm, in Sunkissed City you can tend to "DIY gardens set up by a local band of "plant-punks,'" or you can "spend a quiet afternoon in the park soaking up a good book, or schmooze it up with the locals over coffee at the Weird Dog Cafe." There's fishing too, of course, as well as foraging, and it sounds like its version of the mines will be "monster infested sewers."
Essentially, it sounds like a pretty good alternative to countryside living, if you're somehow sick of the concept of fresh air and veggies you've grown yourself.