Everbloom is a whimsical farming sim with adorable animal villagers

When life gets stressful, I like watching videos of cute animals and playing cozy casual games, like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Coral Island. That’s what drew me to Everbloom, an upcoming farming sim by developer Torbie where players can plant crops and mine ore as a cute animal person in a town full of more cute animal people. I had the opportunity to try a pre-alpha demo of the game at the Day of the Devs event during GDC 2025, and while it was clearly still in progress, I can already see myself spending hours lost in Everbloom’s town of Brambleton.

A different kind of farm animal

Everbloom doesn’t deviate too far from the tropes of a modern farming sim. The player’s created character, which can look like a fox, cat, dog, or wolf in the demo, is invited to Brambleton by its mayor, a bear named Herbert, who immediately gives you the deed to Shady Glade Farm. He mourns the overgrown state of the farm and pines over the lack of Heirloom crops for the Grand Heirloom Festival. But given the protagonist’s apparent expertise in growing whimsically-named Heirloom fruits and vegetables, like honeycorn, cornberries, and Diablo peppers, he hopes the coming festival will go without a hitch.

From there, the game follows the familiar path laid down by Stardew Valley. The new farmer is expected to use a hoe to till the soil, plant seeds, and water them daily, while clearing the land of rocks, logs, and weeds. All of these actions require stamina, which is restored by eating wild fruit or meals cooked at a campfire. The basic set of tools, from the axe to the watering can, need to be upgraded using specific types of ore found in the mines — sometimes an entrance appears on the farm after breaking a rock — before they can clear certain obstacles, such as hardwood and boulders.

Selling crops will earn currency that can be spent in shops at the nearby town, where most of the other villagers can be found ready for a quick chat or a gift that will improve their relationship with the newcomer. For other long-term goals on top of the Grand Heirloom Festival, the town hall has special rewards for players that can complete various objectives, like donating gold, providing a variety of fish, and delivering goods made from animal husbandry. Furthermore, the arboretum asks for aid in documenting all of the plants and animals around town. They're functionally similar to the community center in Stardew Valley and the museum in Animal Crossing. 

Specialty crops

Where Everbloom separates itself most from its farming counterparts is in the ability to impact how plants grow, which is one of the main ways to farm Heirloom produce. For instance, placing a stick of butter on corn crops will create popcorn plants, while setting corn on fire will produce Diablo corn. Putting pepper seeds down when the clock tower strikes at noon makes bell peppers. Livestock can be affected by what they’re fed as well; for instance, a cow that eats a lot of chocolate will produce, well, chocolate milk of course. Indeed, the playful absurdities in the game are everywhere, and I’m all down for it.

In addition, this fantasy farming sim is built to support online multiplayer with up to four players. The developer on site said that it will work similar to how Minecraft servers operate, with players able to drop in and drop out of each other’s worlds. To facilitate trading, certain worlds might have unique fauna and flora that are specific to their environment, like the Wooly Cow that has a higher chance of spawning in The Highlands or an animal that has a specific trait that players want to have for crossbreeding. If friends don’t want to trade items in person, they can send them to each other’s mailboxes too.

Everbloom is expected to release on PC via Steam, though it does not yet have an official release date. Playtests for the game are scheduled later in 2025.

This preview is based on a pre-alpha demo provided by the publisher at the Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition event during GDC 2025.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.