Immortal Life
Since it’s still in Early Access, Immortal Life isn’t the most polished game on the list. It’s janky. Some of the flavor text was still in Chinese when I played it. But it’s by far the most charming farming RPG I’ve played this year. Neither Rune Factory 5 nor Harvestella come close to Immortal Life’s romantic atmosphere. The gorgeously bespoke environments feel like a callback to Rune Factory 3, the characters are genuinely likable, and it has some of the most beautiful video game music I’ve heard this year. I rarely return to farming sims after reviewing them, but the world of Immortal Life kept calling me back during the most stressful periods of time this year. — Sisi Jiang
