I wanted to be nice here but I cannot. This needs to stop and now. Why am I pissed? Because this remake is taking all of the player choices away. Let me back up.
I found "Farmer's Dreams RPGM" something like 18 months ago and I tell you it is one of my favorite games. Not joking it sets easily in my top 5 and the only reason it doesn't get higher is the long window between updates. But the game makes sense and the mechanics are great. So when this remake first came out, I gave it a look, nothing of note in 0.1 as it was just setting up a story that I had played quite a few times but with the bonfire being in the wrong time spot. When 0.2 came and gave a new version of the cave scene, I was on board. It made more sense for Alex (MC's real name) and Nina to have sex in the cave than it did in the RPGM version and that goblin fight was cool. But I let it go for a few updates, as again, I know this story very well.
So here I come to 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 all in one go. We get some backstory, find out where Amanda, Vincent, and I assume Sam are (sad story), and finally find out the in-story reason that Nova lives with the protagonist. I mean the real reason is incest sells and who can blame MuseX for wanting to make some money but I digress. But 0.3 set up the trip to Goblin mountain that I knew was coming so again we are hitting familiar terrority. EXCEPT, no Sam! Who is Sam? Alex's best friend from the RPGM version who goes on to be Mia's boyfriend but we will get to that fucking part believe me.
So no Sam, that means his replacement character of Nova is coming. Fair enough, Redd is basically her father. Wait Mia is coming too? The FUCK? Why? Oh, she has a crush on Alex. SO? Oh, you like Mia. SO? I'll come back to this point but do not believe I am done. Next, is Trevor coming along. Well, that was par for the course as was my groan and want to stab him in his sleep but that hasn't and will never change. No seriously, fuck that guy. But while I am here, fuck his dad Darius too.
In the RPGM version, Darius wants you to give him a girl for him to train you. Your options are Mia or Heather. Now Mia can already be your best friend's girl so that is a no-go. But you don't HAVE to give him Heather either as he will just take some Rum that you find as payment. But who was Heather you are asking. Heather was honestly the closest character to an actual girlfriend that Alex could get without breaking up Nina and Trevor. Sure there was a possible route with Laura but trust me you do not want to go down that road because that leads to a friendship with Trevor and did I mention fuck that guy? Anyway, Nova comments on some rumors about Darius and Heather and I am just going to stop right there. Kill this man if he did what is implied and burn his house to the ground, nuff said.
Back on Goblin Mountain, we find our heroes bewitched in the Fairy's trap. So far so normal, just no Vincent to rescue this time. Vincent was the original leader of the Militia and his character being gone does not affect much yet but it will in the future, trust me. But this trap makes our heroes go all "Midsummer's Night Dream" and leads to a scene that try as I might was not avoidable with Mia and Nova.....See this is where I started to get upset. I don't like Mia as a love interest, at all. I purposefully choose what I know to be the wrong option to piss her off and I am still lead down a path her character that I DO NOT want to follow.
Remember how I said I would come back to this? In the original, at the bonfire, you can push Sam to pursue her and it works in the story. Mia is not a girl that Alex the character ever thought about and even if the player likes her, it is not much of a sacrifice to let your best friend have a girl is it? But no, my biggest problem starts right here with this scene that I did not want. So if I am mistaken and there is a way to avoid it, please tell me.
Back to the story, find the Fairy, she doesn't get brought back home, get the flower, go home, rescue Dad. So far so good. A different scene plays out when we get home but that made more sense and gave a better laugh when Trevor started crying about his girlfriend treating him like he is not the most important man in her like (because he isn't, but he's slow). A love scene with Nova....well I highlighted earlier that it sells so no one is going to listen to that complaint. Then it is time for the second celebration of this story that at best is less than two weeks before the time skip after getting home, but first more Mia! Oh and look at that, no option in sight to say "no".
That might sound like a dead horse at this point but seriously, the point is choice, and taking that away and then shoving a character I dislike already in my face just made it go from annoying to infuriating. But here is a repurposed Mia scene, hooray blowjobs. Where the hell is Sammy when I need him? Skip ahead and we are at the tavern to tell the tale of what happened on the mountain. "Hey want a drink?" This was a choice originally. Sure it didn't have much impact on the story except if you got too drunk then you got to sleep in Evelyn's bed but that didn't make sense the first time and doesn't make sense now.
Actually, it makes less sense now. First, to gain affection with Evelyn you have to explain that you don't like to lose control so you don't drink. Cue the "wait a minute" meme kid. But and even if I dislike the fact but the protag is supposed to be something with Mia and while she probably wouldn't mind sharing with Nova, I'm betting Evelyn is not someone she would appreciate sleeping in the same bed as her whatever he is.
But the main reason I am hating this removal of choice? Because I feel like the devs are forcing us down the route that I said to avoid earlier. That being a two couple sex scene with the protag, ????, Trevor and Nina. I say question marks as it is Laura in the original but I doubt it would in this one. At least it doesn't feel like the groundwork was laid for that one at least. But back to the douche of the hour. Fuck that guy. No seriously, I have hated this character since the first time I met him and that was even before I found out that he was dating my favorite girl.
Trevor has one moment where I don't want to castrate him with a rusty carving knife and that is while under the Fairy's enchantment he admits that he is only in the militia because he is trying to make up for his insecurities. I mean with an asshole of a father who tells him to kiss his girlfriend to establish dominance, I can understand where he would get some problems. But understanding doesn't mean I have to like him. Furthermore, without Vincent who was a war veteran leading the militia, it's not a fighting force. Just a bunch of kids playing with sharp toys and not realizing that they are not prepared for what is coming.
Did I just write an entire essay to say "NO LIKE THIS"? Yes, I did. But it doesn't come from only a negative place. I genuinely enjoyed the changes early on but I am seeing more and more problems as this side of the project keeps getting more updates than the main story. Sure, they are still playing catch up but the difference is closing fast. Here is hoping that the main game doesn't get forgotten about because I promise you it is a much more rewarding experience. Thanks for reading.
