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I never used to trudge too deep into eShop sales; my wife taught me the skill. She sometimes plays games but has little to no interest in any major releases. Aside from the odd heavy hitter like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, she prefers the weird and unexpected side of video games, and she prefers it to be cheap. I’ll have to thank her for passing that on after I write this LTTP.
While I was taking a look through the latest sale a few days ago, Bit Orchard: Animal Valley stood out. The game’s initial release was last year on Steam, but came to Switch just last month. Dekudeals shows that it launched 70% off — around $2.50 CDN — and will remain on sale for another week or so. If the idea of a hyper-condensed version of a game like Stardew Valley appeals to you, Bit Orchard takes you on that journey in a fraction of the time. It feels breezy and noncommittal while having just enough going on to keep things engaging and the days on the farm ticking.
The game has a single item to grow: apple trees. They’ll grow apples every couple of in-game days, and they come in three varieties — regular, large and golden. You begin the game unable to leave your small orchard property. You’ve got a scythe, a bottomless watering can and a phone in your house you can use to buy things, like seeds. For the first stretch, it’s all about planting as many trees and harvesting as many apples as you can and maybe scrounging enough grassy fibre to build some scarecrows.
Initially things feel overly simple. After playing for a half an hour I wondered if my time with Bit Orchard had already come to an end, but this is where the game began to feel a little bigger and bolder than I first gave it credit for.
Like the farm/life sims its inspired by, things have a way of unfurling in intriguing fashion. Take the ghost who appears just outside the initial reaches of your orchard, for example. Obviously, you’re gonna want to meet that ghost once you first see them. Your phone lets you purchase construction upgrades. You can buy a land extension for your property, which allows you to meet that ghost. If you help them out, you’ll be able to leave the confines of your farm and into a wider world.
It was around this point I realized that I was picking up what Bit Orchard was putting down, big time. The large field around your orchard lets you rack up lots of fibre easily, and of course you can expand your tree growing there, but more discoveries await. A broken bridge over a stream can be mended, and you’ll start to meet people who need your help.
For as simple a game as Bit Orchard is, it feels filled in around the margins in a satisfying way. There is a fishing minigame! You can corner and pet a rabbit a bunch of times and then it becomes your pal, trailing behind you on the farm. A very tricky to catch frog roams the big field and can be caught for items. You can buy furniture and deck out your little house. The game has a short, small collection of chip tune bangers to go along with its Gameboy-ish look. Everything just feels considered and confident, despite the humble vibes.
It’s an impressive effort and feels welcome in a year that’s already had games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Elden Ring: mammoth, absorbing titles that may well take up 100 hours of your time when all’s said and done. If you’re looking for a quick play to change things up, Bit Orchard did me well.
While I was taking a look through the latest sale a few days ago, Bit Orchard: Animal Valley stood out. The game’s initial release was last year on Steam, but came to Switch just last month. Dekudeals shows that it launched 70% off — around $2.50 CDN — and will remain on sale for another week or so. If the idea of a hyper-condensed version of a game like Stardew Valley appeals to you, Bit Orchard takes you on that journey in a fraction of the time. It feels breezy and noncommittal while having just enough going on to keep things engaging and the days on the farm ticking.
The game has a single item to grow: apple trees. They’ll grow apples every couple of in-game days, and they come in three varieties — regular, large and golden. You begin the game unable to leave your small orchard property. You’ve got a scythe, a bottomless watering can and a phone in your house you can use to buy things, like seeds. For the first stretch, it’s all about planting as many trees and harvesting as many apples as you can and maybe scrounging enough grassy fibre to build some scarecrows.
Initially things feel overly simple. After playing for a half an hour I wondered if my time with Bit Orchard had already come to an end, but this is where the game began to feel a little bigger and bolder than I first gave it credit for.
Like the farm/life sims its inspired by, things have a way of unfurling in intriguing fashion. Take the ghost who appears just outside the initial reaches of your orchard, for example. Obviously, you’re gonna want to meet that ghost once you first see them. Your phone lets you purchase construction upgrades. You can buy a land extension for your property, which allows you to meet that ghost. If you help them out, you’ll be able to leave the confines of your farm and into a wider world.
It was around this point I realized that I was picking up what Bit Orchard was putting down, big time. The large field around your orchard lets you rack up lots of fibre easily, and of course you can expand your tree growing there, but more discoveries await. A broken bridge over a stream can be mended, and you’ll start to meet people who need your help.
For as simple a game as Bit Orchard is, it feels filled in around the margins in a satisfying way. There is a fishing minigame! You can corner and pet a rabbit a bunch of times and then it becomes your pal, trailing behind you on the farm. A very tricky to catch frog roams the big field and can be caught for items. You can buy furniture and deck out your little house. The game has a short, small collection of chip tune bangers to go along with its Gameboy-ish look. Everything just feels considered and confident, despite the humble vibes.
It’s an impressive effort and feels welcome in a year that’s already had games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Elden Ring: mammoth, absorbing titles that may well take up 100 hours of your time when all’s said and done. If you’re looking for a quick play to change things up, Bit Orchard did me well.
