By Fletcher Wilkinson 
The cozy farming sim genre is getting rather crowded inn 2026 and trying to get yourself known within the same space as games like Stardew Valley as it requires more than just charming sprites. Farlands has been on my radar for a very long time and to give you a rough idea, this is a sci-fi spin on agricultural restoration that trades quaint rural valleys for a neglected and abandoned rock in space.
Whilst it does bring some genuinely fantastic ideas to the table, I do have to say it has some very rough edges, missing
conveniences and sometimes its just very lacklustre within the Gameplay department.
Yeah this was a very mixed one for me but today I want to give you the good and the bad so lets just delve right into it!
Upon delving into Farlands for the first time, it actually introduces mechanics that make its interplanetary restoration premise feel distinct but at the end of the day, the core loop is plagued by awkward design choices and missing quality-of-life features.
In a very competitive genre that is all built around relaxation and progression, the total lack of automation creates
unnecessary friction and it makes the daily routines feel tedious rather than satisfying. Even worse is the absence of basic visual feedback as the game rarely offers pop-ups, directional cues or clear feedback loops and this ultimately leaves you completely clueless about where to track down specific essential resources.
It is also worth noting that you will also run into beautifully detailed buildings that serve zero interactive purpose and it basically turns what should be exciting landmarks into static scenery and that was a real disappointment. The seasonal festivals feel barren and boring and they offer very little incentive to take a break from chores.
On the platform side, I do have to say it is commendable that the developers made sure Farlands remains accessible on Xbox One alongside current-gen consoles and it is a welcome move that is becoming increasingly rare even for indie titles. I suspect we may see this number drop even lower into 2027 and 2028 but at least Farlands is thinking of those on the previosu generation#
Personally, I think the presentation is where Farlands shines brightest and its ultimately why I gave it probably a higher score than it deserved. The pixel art is detailed, expressive and packed with charm and you can tell the devs poured their heart and soul into this project. The vibrant color palettes pop off everything from a handheld screen to a high-end display and it makes each planetary biome visually engaging to explore. Its very impressive on the Xbox Ally Handhelds, so if you have one of those you are in for a treat!
The audio design is also very decent as it delivers a pleasant, relaxed sci-fi vibe that matches the low-stress tone the
game aims for. It doesn’t break new ground or offer standout earworms but it provides a clean, cozy auditory backdrop while tending to your cosmic plot.
I will briefly touch on it but the narrative setup starts with a ton of promise as it centres around you buying a rundown planet at the edge of the galaxy and then slowly restoring its ecosystem. Unfortunately, I do have some bad news and the execution as a whole just falls flat.
The overarching plot and character interactions feel quite unfinished and undercooked especially for a game in 2026 and it almost leaves the world feeling somewhat hollow rather than lived-in. Like I said, for a game going into this very competitive farming sim cosy space, you need to be at the top of your game and this one sadly is not that.
On the technical side I do have to say that Farlands is remarkably well-optimized. The game runs effortlessly across
PC, handhelds and all the Xbox Consoles without a stutter. I found it quite remarkable on the ROG Xbox Ally X as I mentioned earlier as it runs at a high frame rate and the resolution will easily hit that 1080p mark.
On the other hands, I did speak to one of our members of our discord server especially regarding Accesiblity and this seems to be is a major blind spot. It lacks all the robust settings and gameplay assists that modern cozy sims typically offer and its a very glaring omission.
The silver lining is that none of these missing options are fundamentally broken beyond repair but they will require developer focus that unfortunately has not yet arrived. I know most of the post-launch support mainly consisted of minor bug fixes before the team shifted attention elsewhere and its kind of left it abandoned for all those users who require options to play their games.
Pros
- Gorgeous and expressive pixel art
- Fantastic sci-fi farming premise
- Excellent performance across Xbox and handhelds
Cons
- Lacks important quality-of-life features
- Story and characters feel underdeveloped
- Accessibility options are extremely limited
Overall, Farlands has a fantastic premise and gorgeous visual art but it ultimately gets held back by incomplete story threads, absent quality-of-life features and frustrating game design.
It is an average farming sim that could have achieved true greatness with dedicated post-launch support but has since been neglected which is a real shame. I will say, if you are looking for a breezy and lightweight title across the Xbox ecosystem I would only recommend Farlands when it goes on sale for 50% or more but in the meantime you have games like Stardew Valley and Lightyear Frontier to tide you over. We also have a couple due to come to Xbox Game Pass later on in 2026 and its like i said, this is a very competitive genre and this one just doesnt do it justice.
Jordan Campbell