Video Game Mini-Review: Farmagia

A few games combine RPG mechanics with cozy farming, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that Farmagia adds monster farming to the genre. The story-heavy farming JRPG has a nice combination of genres that should theoretically entice both, but it falls short with all the genres it pursues.

Farmagia takes place in Felicidad, a sprawling land split into five continents, each governed by generals who maintain balance against monstrous threats. Players follow Ten, an amateur Farmagia who uses the power of monsters to fight back against tyranny. While the story leans on familiar anime tropes, its world-building and character arcs are surprisingly engaging.

The gameplay in Farmagia splits between farming and combat, each feeding into the other to create a loop. On the farm, players grow monsters by planting seeds obtained from defeated enemies, tending to them, and managing resources like stamina. These little guys are crucial for dungeon exploration, where the strategic deployment of different buddy types—melee, ranged, support, and formation—is essential.

However, Farmagia is weighed down by bloated features that just don’t make the game more fun. The result is a system that can feel underwhelming and inconsistent, especially during boss battles. The farming mechanics also tie too rigidly to dungeon crawling, disrupting the flow and limiting the freedom to focus on one aspect at a time. Additionally, the farm itself feels disconnected from the world, with lifeless visuals that fail to bring the space to life. The lack of clarity in certain mechanics, such as inconsistent counters, further detracts from the experience. While Farmagia has bright spots, its execution sometimes undermines the potential for seamless gameplay, making this a game that’s as frustrating as it is interesting.

Farmagia has colorful art and expressive character designs by Hiro Mashima giving the game a distinct look that will be familiar to those who enjoy Fairy Tail. The game’s environments, while vibrant, often lack detail and can feel repetitive. Unfortunately, technical issues on the Switch, such as frequent loading screens and minor performance hiccups, interrupt the otherwise solid presentation.

Farmagia has a nice mix of farming, monster-battling, and RPG mechanics, but its dull combat systems and inconsistent pacing make it hard to fully recommend.