[SunnySide]A life simulation game set in Japan!

“SunnySide” is a PC game developed by Rainy Games and published by Marge Games, which has been officially distributed on the PC game portal site Steam since June 15, 2024. It is a simulation game title where you can interact with NPCs and experience life while running a lively farm in a world inspired by Japan.

Its main features include a play in which you master farming while creating your ideal house, a life simulator element where you can delve into romantic elements while talking with NPCs who have various conflicts, a game system that allows you to blend into the local area while interacting with others, and 113 types of crops and hundreds of types of cooking and food craft recipes.

Recommended for those who like the idyllic world view and story elements of farming simulators, those who are looking for a game that allows you to deepen your relationships with NPCs, those who want to play a title created by a foreigner inspired by Japanese game culture, and those who are looking for an SLG where you can enjoy life as someone else.

SLG where you can experience life in the Japanese countryside

“SunnySide”, which is currently being officially distributed on the PC game portal site “Steam” store, is a recommended new game that simulates a slow life centered on “agriculture” in a world inspired by the Japanese countryside. This is a must-see simulation game title that has been rebuilt by an overseas indie game developer and has become a hot topic in Japan.

While creating their own avatar, players will purchase land in an old country town (Sunnyside) in the heart of rural Japan and build a farm they can be proud of. The program is packed with content that allows you to discover resources, build your ideal home, take care of animals, and harvest crops, all while interacting with local people.

Rather than an idyllic farm management, this work allows you to explore new forms of farm management while making full use of modern technology, and allows you to experience a feeling similar to how young people in modern Japan are enjoying farming with a different approach. It has a style and worldview that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders, but it is a new work that is especially suitable for people who are familiar with smartphones and tablets.

At the time of writing, there are a total of 48 types of user reviews on the Steam store, with the overall rating being “somewhat positive''. Among the negative opinions, some users cited “defective translation'' of this work, and it cannot be denied that it feels like it was released in a somewhat unfinished state. This will probably be improved in future updates.

As for the graphics, the character designs are inspired by Japanese animation, so even people who are not good at playing foreign games have the advantage of being able to relate to it. It's a very interesting work in terms of how the development team from a foreign country recreates Japan, so it's especially recommended for Japanese users.

The game is for solo play only; there are no local or online multiplayer elements. There are also some parts where the Japanese translation has not been completed, but it is unlikely that it will be left as is, so there is no need to think too deeply about it. However, if you want to fully understand the story, it's best to have a reading comprehension level that is sufficient to read another language.

A new release from a bold publisher

The work was developed by indie game developer Rainy Games, and published by Marge Games. Marge Games is a group of employees who all love video games, and they work with the corporate philosophy of “only releasing video games that we simply think are great.'' This is a developer whose future releases are something to look forward to.

By the way, Marge Games helps talented indie game developers spread their work to the world (publishing), so game developers who find it difficult to promote their work worldwide on their own may want to consider contacting them and asking them to help support their work.

It can be assumed that there are many people who have limited budgets, or spend a huge amount of time on production, and are unable to do promotion. AI translation now exists, but some people may feel limited in introducing their games with the correct nuances in each country's language. Marge Games will be a reliable ally for such developers.

Marge Games doesn't only distribute its games on Steam, but also distributes them on the Epic Games Store, and also provides console versions of their games on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation. He is an indie game developer that can be recommended to those who are aiming to develop multi-platform and worldwide games.

However, since they only release carefully selected games, their “screening eyes'' must be strict, so even if you negotiate, it doesn't necessarily mean that your game will be released on multiple platforms around the world right away. Contacting them, listening to their frank opinions, and pushing forward with game development will ultimately lead to the creation of better games.

In addition, Marge Games is also developing various SNS, so if you are interested in what this developer is doing, be sure to check out official X (formerly Twitter), official website, official Discord server, official YouTube channel (under the name Rainy Games), etc. In particular, if you browse the official website, you will gain a deeper understanding of the members' personalities and the way they think as a group.

Game features

The theme of this game is a slow life in a rural town, but the point is that the content you can touch on is wide-ranging, and you can enjoy it in a kind of life simulator-like way. It also features card battle-like scenes, so even people who like role-playing games can be addicted to this new PC game. It's a must-see title with very greedy content.

In terms of genre, it has a style that is a mixture of “farming simulator,” “life SLG,” “romance SLG,” and “RPG,” and the keyword “Japan” is embedded in its roots. Although it is a foreign game, it contains scenes that are similar to those seen in domestic games, so it is a work that has a high affinity with Japanese people, and we have taken this point into consideration when featuring the game on this site.

113 types of crops appear in the work, and a total of 27 NPCs also appear. With hundreds of dishes and recipes for food crafting, you're sure to be able to keep yourself occupied for hours. It is a simulation game that will entertain players with extremely rich content, and you will be able to enjoy your free time in a different world.

The main character avatar, which acts as the player's alter ego in the game, can be customized in detail. It is possible to adjust details such as gender, physical characteristics, and even the clothes worn, including coloring, so it is an indie game that will appeal to people who like creating their own characters in MMORPGs.

In terms of the degree of freedom in customization, there are customization elements such as interior layout, selection of agricultural products, and even smartphones and drones that can be used as gadgets, so the ability to change everything to your liking is also a high point. The game progresses by having the protagonist simulate his life as a unique person, so it's sure to keep you hooked for a long time.

The play point of view is basically a third-person view where the avatar is seen from a camera behind the player, and the appeal of the game is that it allows you to objectively experience the challenge of various contents while moving through a world arranged with a pop flair typical of the latest games. The game's graphics, which are not too realistic and have a reasonable resolution, should appeal to both genders.

Interaction elements with NPCs

As in the real world, blending into the local area and community is an important element in this game, and you can also fully experience interacting with resident NPCs. You can learn about the problems they are having during conversations, and you can develop romance elements with specific NPCs, so you should be able to play while feeling as if you are actually living in the game.

This game, which also features complex themes such as family trauma, broken relationships, guilt, blame, and aging, does not depict NPCs as symbols, but instead treats them as individuals, allowing you to build deeper relationships with the people living in the area as you progress through the play, which is also rewarding. Let's fully experience the deep depiction of characters.

In many farming simulator games, people are generally “cheerful'' and you rarely see depictions of people having deep troubles, but in this game, which also has aspects of a life simulator, players deepen their interactions while experiencing emotional and mental aspects, creating a profound play experience. This new work has a deeper style than it appears.

For this reason, it is a work that is not suitable for people who are exhausted by human relationships in the real world and play games as a way to heal themselves, and it may evoke specific traumas and emotions. If you think that the real world is enough for complicated human relationships, we strongly recommend that you leave this page now and look for a more upper-class, casual game.

On the other hand, this game is suitable for people who empathize with the characters in the game and can make their own decisions as they would in the real world. This is a must-see indie game created as an immersive simulation game.

farm simulation elements

The main appeal of this game, which has a world view of “living a life in the countryside'' as its premise, is the play element where you can successfully manage your own farm while experiencing a wealth of content. While taking on the challenge of creating various things, let's get back on track with a “self-sufficient” life and enjoy a slow life that is 180 degrees different from city life.

The game features “food crafting machines'' that are divided into dehydrators, milk separators, cheese kettles, fermentation barrels, canners, and more. By using these tools, you will be able to turn your crops into products and display and sell them at local stores, allowing you to move beyond the position of a farmer who simply produces raw materials to the level of a product processor.

In this game, you can make beer, soy sauce, oil, tea, etc. You can enjoy the process of selling products while bottling or bagging them, and you can sell the products at local shops, businesses, and farmers markets held on weekends. It's a lot of fun to play because you can become a person who “provides food to people” while finding your own identity in a new world.

JRPG-like elements too

What makes “SunnySide'' unique is the presence of battle scenes that are rarely seen in works of the genre to which this work belongs. This is a new PC game with an “experimental spirit'' that boldly challenges the fusion of different genres, and that attitude is typical of an indie game developer. It is a title created by free thinking that is not bound by anything.

The battle scene unfolds using a “card battle” style system. It has a Japanese-inspired style in which you attack enemies while cutting “picture cards,” allowing you to enjoy a completely different style of play from the main story. It's also interesting content to explore the “original material” that the developers were influenced by, and it has a high level of challenge and brain play.

Behind this card battle is the rather cheeky research drone “Sparky”, which has been operating for 1000 years. The protagonist is rescued by Sparky from the collapsed site and helps Sparky and his friends complete their mission, “Learn more about humans,'' and encounters a battle scene in the process.

It may be said that this is a new game that can be recommended for those who are good at creating the most effective attack style while building a deck. It will also leave a good impression on people who are familiar with battle scenes in JRPGs. However, this work is not primarily about battles, so it is better to think of this content as an “extra”. This is service content.

Supports Japanese interface

The selling price on the Steam store is 3,400 yen, and you can currently purchase it for 2,720 yen, which is a release commemorative sale price (20% off) (limited time price until June 29, 2024). The original price is quite reasonable, but if you want to buy the product as cheaply as possible, be sure to visit the Steam store and purchase the product before the deadline.

The game supports a Japanese interface and subtitles as standard, so the barrier to entry is low. It is a work that shines with localization that the development members were conscious of, with the Japanese version in mind, but as mentioned above, there are unfortunately some parts that are missing translations, so if you want to enjoy the game in its complete state, you may want to postpone the introduction until later.

In addition, a “demo version'' that allows you to try out part of the game for free is currently available on the Steam store. If you are unsure about the content or whether it is different from what you had in mind, you may want to download the free trial version first, play a little bit, and then consider purchasing. It's a new game that shines with its kind mechanics.

As mentioned above, this work is completely for solo play and does not support local or online multiplayer. As for operation, in addition to the general style of using a keyboard and mouse, it also partially supports operation with an Xbox controller, so even those who usually play games with a controller can feel at ease.

By the way, at this time there has been no announcement regarding the game's compatibility with Valve's portable game console “Steam Deck'', and details are expected to be made public once Valve's review has passed. Due to the fact that many new games are announced on Steam every day, there is a high possibility that the Valve team's investigation is delayed. Deck users should wait patiently for the compatibility certification announcement.

There are a total of 50 different Steam achievements that can be unlocked. This is a work that can be recommended for those who are “achievement hunters” who have unlocked all the achievements of the games they own, and you will be able to enjoy the farming and life simulator elements while deepening your interactions with NPCs and making great progress as you unlock all the achievements included. It's a PC game with lots of fun elements.

For those considering purchasing the game, the developer warns that the game contains “adult content.” Before making a purchase decision, keep in mind that this is not a game for all ages, but rather a simulation game for users who have reached a certain age. However, this content is not explicit or extreme.

System requirements

SunnySide has medium system requirements. The graphics board presented in the recommended requirements is an NVIDIA RTX 2060 class or AMD RX 5600 XT class part, so if you have a gaming PC in the current mid-spec range, you should not have any problems playing. The recommended amount of main memory installed is 8GB, which is lightweight.

The recommended CPU model is Intel's i7-3770K or AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 class processor, and in this respect it can be said that the entry barrier is low. By the way, the minimum operating model is i5-2300 or Ryze 3 1200, so there should be many people who can meet these required specifications. It can be said that it is a new simulation game that can be played by a wide range of PC gamers.

There is no mention of the install size, and this may be a mistake on the part of the publisher, but there are no plans to introduce any downloadable content that will affect the game's capacity in the future, so once you install it, you should be able to continue playing without worrying about free storage space. Overall, this is a game that shines in its lightness.

In addition, if you are thinking of live streaming while playing the game, it is safe to prepare a CPU with higher performance than the required specifications. Also, if you are thinking of using a full HD or higher, WQHD or 4K resolution monitor at its native resolution, consider replacing your graphics board with one that is slightly higher than the recommended requirements.

Generally speaking, as the resolution of a PC monitor increases, the load on the graphics board increases, and the task of uploading video while recording and shooting it also puts a strain on the CPU. The required specifications listed on the Steam store are only general descriptions, so it is essential to choose parts with some thought on your part.

“SunnySide'' is a simulation game where you can interact with NPCs and experience life while running a lively farm in a world inspired by Japan, and is currently available on the Steam Store. Since it is set on a stage, it has received a lot of attention from Japanese users, and it can be said that it is a new PC game that has the potential to become a hot topic in Japan in the future.

If you are interested, please visit the Steam store now and check out detailed game information.

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General review: Japanese gaming culture being rediscovered by people overseas

I get the impression that more and more games from overseas are featuring Japan, not just SunnySide. One of the reasons may be that some of the developers are “Japanophiles,'' but another factor that accounts for a significant amount of this is also the cultural influence of Japanese game titles that have spread overseas.

After the Famicom started a boom, games created in Japan began to be released overseas. Many of the developers who are now in the position of developing games were exposed to these works in their childhood, and as a result of honestly reflecting their own influences on games, there is a tendency for game works with Japanese systems and worldviews to be created.

In other words, games that are now well-known around the world, such as the Super Mario Bros. series and JRPGs, often serve as the “original experience'' for overseas developers, and this leads to the fact that they accept Japanese game titles as “things that shaped who they are.'' It's an interesting mixed culture element that occurred in a different cultural area.

However, games created in Japan and games made overseas are influenced by different cultures, and the content tends not to be the same or similar, resulting in subtle chemical changes. Although the game's appearance and system are similar to those of Japanese-made games, we suspect that this is the reason why Japanese people feel a sense of discomfort when they actually play the game.

That said, in recent years, a wide variety of videos have been posted on YouTube, and the opportunities for people overseas to learn more about Japan are greatly increasing. From now on, there is a high possibility that games will be created that make you wonder, “Was this made in a foreign country?'' Personally, I'm looking forward to that. Of course, works with the idea of ​​“redefining Japanese games'' are also acceptable.

There are many subcultures that have been nurtured by foreign countries, not just games. Particularly notable are the worlds of music and movies, where these subcultures have developed in cultural areas with different races and beliefs, and are so intricate that they are extremely difficult to systematize. Unless a country is closed to diplomacy, cultural fusion and reinterpretation can always occur.

Recently, attention has been focused on “Japan being rediscovered by foreigners.'' Architect Karl Benks is reminding Japanese people of the splendor of old folk houses built using traditional Japanese construction methods by adding his own unique interpretation to them, and he is also sounding a warning about the value of the currently mainstream condominiums that are being built using short-term construction methods. I personally agree with Mr. Benks.

Returning to the game industry, I get the feeling that the current Japanese game companies that once had a huge impact overseas are in a creative predicament. Many of the people who developed the games that created fans around the world during the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Nintendo 64 eras have left, and their successors have not produced results.

This may be a very harsh opinion, but I feel that many young people currently working in the major game industries have not had “real experience'' with games when they were at the peak of their popularity as a subculture, and they also do not understand the history of how companies competed with each other back then. In other words, they don't know what “really interesting games'' are.

It is difficult to explain at what point this trend started, but one reason is that they were late to the transition to online games, and the other reason is that they are unable to reproduce the overwhelming degree of freedom that foreign game titles have due to “restrictions that only exist within Japan.'' Of course, we're talking about people who make games for “adults.”

At the time when gaming culture was at its peak, the playing population was young, and it would have been better to put effort into creating “games that kids would enjoy.'' However, when online games were born, the age of the player base rose, and games tailored to their tastes began to gain popularity. I think many Japanese game companies have squandered this opportunity.

The reason why Nintendo continues to be respected by players around the world today is largely due to the fact that they continue to make “games that children can play.'' On the other hand, Japan's major game companies, which have lagged behind global trends, may have found themselves in the dilemma of continuing to produce games without being able to narrow down the age group of players.

Currently, marketing methods are changing, such as using influencers and celebrities with fans of a specific age group to promote games, but many of these works are “short-lived'' and have not reached the point where they have left a cultural impact. It's a tragedy that even though he's Japanese, he can't create the golden games that once came out of Japan.

Under these circumstances, there is a growing tendency for overseas game developers to “spiritually” inherit the gaming heritage that Japan was once proud of, and they are gaining great support from Japanese game fans. While the major Japanese game companies are heading into a dead end, foreign developers who correctly understand the essence of culture are embodying the “best of Japan'' in their games.

I believe that the games that will be created in the future are destined to have a short lifespan unless they clarify the question, “Who is this game made for?'' It is also important to approach production while understanding the “essence'' of how Japanese games have come to have such a global impact, and only companies that can implement this philosophy will survive.

This work “SunnySide'' is truly “a work created by a developer who loves Japanese game culture,'' but whether or not this work will grow in the future will depend on the judgment of the players who have actually played the game. What exactly did they find appealing about Japanese games, and what made them want to recreate it with their own hands?

“SunnySide'' is a simulation game where you can interact with NPCs and experience life while running a lively farm in a world inspired by Japan, and is currently available on the Steam store. The movement of developers who have become familiar with Japanese game culture to “give something back to Japan” is likely to continue to gain momentum.

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