Another absolute banger from Heiden!
I found the atmosphere in this game especially enjoyable - I love the blend of sci fi, western, and horror that somehow turned out feeling so effortless and natural! The soundtrack really backs this up, it's kind of a spooky farmcore spaghetti western feeling that I was vibing to the whole time and it really set the tone for the story!
I had a lot of fun figuring the puzzles of how to solve everyone's problems, and farming, and I adored Fanny's cold shriveled little heart and her unrepentant vicious greed, she's so interesting and gaslight gatekeept girlbossed her way into my affection <3
But Peyton and Phebe were the stars of the show for me - both their individual journeys as characters, and the slow and tender development of their relationship and the themes of them both being societal outsiders who learn how to deal with and ultimately support each other. I got Peyton's ending and it made me tear up with the combination of hope, sadness, healing trauma, and happiness. Loved them both so much!! There's a delicate examination of difficult feelings in this game, which I adored.
Play this game if you want a blend of farm simulator, creeping sense of tense horror every time it turns to 4 PM and you're not home yet (very effective at getting me to turn in on time and made me feel like such a rebel for sticking around to pick up a few more flowers), generational trauma, an examination of identity and sense of self, and sweet romance. :D loved it!