Echoes of the Plum Grove
A new life awaits in Honeywood! Build a thriving community that will last generations in this cozy farm simulator. Farm, socialize, make friends, cook, craft, forage and uncover the secrets of the island! If someone doesn’t want to be friends? There are always other means.
Echoes of the Plum Grove is a casual, farming sim and life sim game
developed by Unwound Games
and published by indie.io.
Released on April 29th 2024 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 7 languages: English, Simplified Chinese, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese - Brazil.
It has received 2,179 reviews of which 1,933 were positive and 246 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 12.94€ on Steam and has a 30% discount.
The Steam community has classified Echoes of the Plum Grove into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Echoes of the Plum Grove through various videos and screenshots.
Requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
- Processor: 2.0 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 3 GB available space
MacOS
- OS: macOS 12 Monterey
- Processor: 2.0 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Radeon Pro 555
- Storage: 3 GB available space
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
I've enjoyed this game greatly, I dove into it while I had COVID and it was a good distraction. I've tired of most farming sims due to the repetitive nature of them and how they all feel like Stardewvalley wanna-be's. Many aspects of this game set it apart from the crowd. Not to say its with out its flaws, but we'll get to that. The game isn't spared from repetitive parts, but no game is. What sets it apart: Disease: I enjoy the emanate threat of the entire village being wiped out by one tourist ship. Maybe I'm a masochist, but it certainty adds a level of realism and spice to the game that other farm sims are lacking. I especially appreciate that there are ways to deal with the sickness (to a degree) so that its never a death sentence, just a challenge. (Unless you're in year one and haven't raised enough money to get inoculated for small pocks and a spotty little miscreant waddles off of the ship and infects your town, but hey soo la voo or what ever the French say.) Courting: I like that finding a spouse isn't just "throw gifts at them and have babies". Once you establish that you're courting someone, they ask you to reach X friendship level with the villager they're closest with (usually a family member) and I feel like that's pretty realistic. Bartering: I really really like the fact that you can trade goods for goods. Given the time period its incredibly appropriate. I know a lot of people complain that shops don't have a reliable set of goods every singe day, but I feel that too is realistic. In the real life 1700's supply would depend directly on available trade, seasonality, and availability. It also makes you have to plan in advance, and I enjoy that too. Fishing: I really appreciate the fact that you can turn the fishing mini game off. A lot. Mining: Mining in this game isn't how it is in a lot of others in the genera. There is no combat, (at all in this game, the closest you get is combating germs. Lol.) no spending all day in the mines. Just a couple of veins that you can mine daily that supply you with enough to get by, and nothing more. Farming: Though it is annoying to a degree, I appreciate that there isn't any automation for watering your crops. The 1700's (to my knowledge, I'm no scholar) didn't have sprinklers. Irrigation trenches, maybe, but the realistic nature of having to walk around with a watering can and watering each crop is nice. Arduous. But realistic. I also like the fact that you aren't running a farming operation. You aren't planting your entire plot of land and trying to run off a super market chain or what have you. You're just a simple person trying to provide for their family and make a little cash. Compost: I know a lot of people have complained about the fact that your food rots, but I enjoy realism (pretty obviously at this point in the review) and while I did appreciate being able to store and stash everything for ever to my hearts content in Stardew, having to deal with and plan for rot in this game has been fine to me. It adds a layer of urgency to tasks, and is fixable later in the game. Additionally the fact that you can turn it into compost and fertilize your crops with it is ace in my book. I would like if later in the game something was implemented to where you could add manure from your animals, but I also understand how that would absolutely not be attractive to a lot of other people. The Plumb Grove: With out spoiling too much for those that haven't played the game, I like the magic/ghost part of the game a lot. It gives you a set goal to work towards as quickly or slowly as you desire. And the witches and their sheep/goats are just fun. Children: I appreciate that your children grow. Legacy is an entire aspect on its own of the game, but other games where you have kids and they just stay the same for ever the end has always bothered me. I like that their personalities depend on your nurturing and interaction. It makes me a little sad for all of the grumpy villagers. But I like it. Things that I feel could be improved: Quests: I would absolutely love it if I could submit quests to the board and have people bring me stuff I'm looking for how you do for everyone else in the town. Additionally, I feel like you should be able to mail just about anything to other villagers. If you can get gifts in the mail and items from the blacksmith after they're repaired, I feel like there should be some kind of post system or maybe somewhere in the court house you can drop off quest items and then your reward could be sent to you the next day or picked up at where ever the depot is. Item Descriptions: One challenge in the game that I don't appreciate, is trying to figure out how all of the different items work. I'm not sure if I'm just not observant enough, or have over looked it, but a guide or short description in the crafting menu would be helpful. Housemates: I'm sure (or at least I greatly hope) that there is a plan in the future for the NPC's in your house to do more than just stand on the stairs in the way. Same for pets. There are items to place in your house that I feel should be interactive for them, toys for kids, pet beds for pets, bookshelves, etc. And I'm sure its just a matter of time for them to program it, but I look forwards to the change. Legacy System: Getting married and having kids is such an integral and important part of the game, that I hope there is a plan to be able to hand the farm over to your kids prior to your death. Having to wait for your character to die to make sure that the heir marries and has kids feels like a huge waste of very valuable time. Heir Relationships: Given that your children live in the town for their whole life before you use them as your playable character, I would hope for established relationships in the future. Having no friends or enemies until you take over is a little bland, and just unrealistic. I have a lot more I could say about both categories, but this review is already way too long. Over all (tldr) its a very enjoyable game with realistic elements, but its very clear that its an indie game, and as a result there's a few things that could use some work. I have faith that improvements will come in the future, its just a mater of being patient with the devs.
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THIS IS A SURVIVAL GAME, NOT ANOTHER FARMING GAME. At the time I reviewed this, the top review was pretty misleading, in my opinion. I bought the game anyway after watching a let's play and was so happy I did! So I left this review to help folks. I went into Echoes of the Plum Grove as a 1700's survival simulator, which is exactly what this game is - complete with diseases and struggling for food. It does this wonderfully and I highly recommend giving it a shot. As a perfect example of the struggle: my character got influenza, the doctor (who was also sick) diagnosed me but didn't have medicine. I was able to receive it from a random child, survived, got pregnant over night and the following the day my spouse died. I'm now trying to survive a village wide plague. If you love Oregon Trail and want to experience it differently, you'll love this game. Make no mistake that this game is another "farming sim Stardew clone." Farming is your character's occupation, and due to the "survival" nature, it is not as detailed. There's no "perfect starfruit crop to make you a millionaire". There is no "general store" - instead you'll find yourself struggling to find seeds, asking other farmers and villagers. I bought the elusive cucumber seeds from a child picking grapes in the woods. The mine is not deep, it's utilitarian and exactly what you need to get your resources and get out. It works great with the main goal of the game - not to get to the millionth floor - to survive. You are not a miner, you're a farmer. Instead, you'll trade for these items. Trade is heavily emphasized in this game. When you die, you choose someone else in your family to start playing - your spouse, your child. They have separate skill sets and each person is a different experience. It's also a great opportunity to take a new path if you don't like the skills you previously took. I look forward to playing this for many generations - an unlimited amount s well from what I understand. My only gripe about this game in the current state is that dialog & relationships could be a little better, but that's an issue I find in almost every game. Its hard to write deep characters, and probably nearly impossible with randomly generated ones. I find myself getting attached nonetheless, almost like Sims. So this is pretty alright in it's current state. In summation, this game is wonderful if you're thinking about this correctly. It is first and foremost a survival game. Yes, you can turn options off to make it easier. But turn enough off and the game is incredibly boring. As any game would be if you took the soul out of it. I'll wrap this up by saying some things could be better (economy balancing for one), and development is still being made on this game. It is, after all, being made by 2 people. As I say this, Stardew 1.6 has been out for at least 4 months and hasn't been updated for console yet. These things take time.
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Been addicted to this game since it came out. It's basically Paper Mario + Stardew Valley. But with death, and taxes. Spoilers ahead! Pros: - Fairly easy and quick to get into. - Fun and addictive. It has so much to offer for such a low price. - Absolutely beautiful artwork. - Generational game where your children take over as the main player after you die. - Can be challenging, but you can change the settings (death, taxes, item degradation, etc.) in the menu at any time. - The npcs can have dialogue that gets repetitive, however I found it better and more interesting than in Stardew and I actually got quite attached to some npcs. Which made me feel sad when they passed. - Don't like that one guy's face? Death cake. Random dude stole the mayor's daughter that you had your eyes on and wanted to marry? Death cake that mf, ask her on a date and marry her on the same day as his funeral. - Can get helpers (your family members) to aid you in farm work if it gets too overwhelming/you have too many crops to water. - Friending villagers gets you gifts quite often (several times a day). - You can join a witch coven and buy a gay (rainbow) farm animal or Black Peter from the VVitch. - I personally found the pillars (like Stardew's community centre) easier and faster to finish. - Cool village witch teaches you to make potions. - When villagers aren't working their jobs, they're up and about all around the island interacting with each other, the environment, or randomly dancing. - Getting to see the npcs go through different life stages is really unique and makes the game feel very alive. - The eating and disease mechanics are nicely done. For example, each food/drink item has their own animation and each disease will visually impact your body in different ways. - You can actually attend wedding and funeral ceremonies. - There are festivals, farmer's markers, and competitions you can attend (cook off, fishing, crafting). - Despite it being a single player game where other players don't see you, they added animations, different walking types, and facial expressions your character can choose from. - Good variety of items with daily rotations (such as furniture and hairstyles). - Inclusive game: you can choose your pronouns and they have a lot of poc and queer characters. Whoever the npcs marry is random, but a lot of them have been same-sex couples (at least in my playthrough). - To add to this point: any character can get pregnant regardless of gender. - You can insult npcs and be a douche if you choose so. - Fun fishing mini game (at least for me it was). Don't like it? You can completely turn it off and auto-fish. - Unsure/haven't done yet: You can write a novel or paint?? There are items for them in the game but I haven't crafted them myself yet, so I can't comment on whether they're just decorative or you can do those things with these items. Cons: - The mining and fishing are very bare-bones. I wish there was more fish variety and the rate to catch them would be better (can be improved with food items). You barely have anything to mine. I didn't get a steel pickaxe yet, so I have no idea if there is more to mine after you clear a boulder that requires it. You literally only get this small cave with 2 nodes to mine per day. Also why is the corridor to these nodes so long to walk through? - Time goes by waaaay too fast. - The wedding and funeral ceremonies could have been done better. You basically just go to the town hall/church, watch characters gather and the mayor speak for like a minute and then everyone leaves. - Dialogue is irrelevant to events. For example, an npc's family member could've just died or something important in their life could've just happened, but they will just talk about random things, like the weather. It's not a big deal but kind of ruins immersion a bit. - Winter feels pretty meh (despite it looking gorgeous). Since you can't farm anything then, you're left with gathering/foraging, mining and fishing (explained the issues with them already) or crafting/cooking. Which go by really quickly and you're left wandering what else to do all day. - Your goddamn family will just sit in the doorway/staircase for the entire game when they're home!! They will rarely ever do something else (like dust the floor or read a book). Extremely immersion breaking and it makes me wander what the point of having a family even is (other than procreating). They're treated just like any other npc. Except other npcs will actually do more in their own homes than just stand around for hours all day. It drives me mad. Your pet does the same thing too. Why do we have pet beds if they won't use them and just sleep on the stairs/in the doorway? - Can't sit/lay down on furniture. Also can't rotate some items or rotate them facing away from you. And if your family doesn't use it either (the furniture) it's literally just there to look pretty. Some furniture items are also indoor/outdoor only. The crafting items are obviously intractable, but nothing else is. - Limited clothing options. Lots of hairstyles though. - Would be cute and more immersive if you could physically interact with villagers. Such as kissing your spouse like in Stardew Valley. You can pet animals though. Farm animals and wild ones. And you can hold/bottle feed your baby. - Not being able to vaccinate/give medication to your family members or villagers if they're sick. Would be nice to prevent them from dying, lol. - Having to open the entire inventory every time I need to use an item that does not fit on my action bar and having to remove an item (or multiple) from my action bar to make room for the items I want to use. It would be so great to have a button you can click on that switches between action bars (like in mmos) instead of having to do so much inventory management all the time. Bugs: - Sometimes (no idea why, if bug or otherwise?) shops won't be open during the days/hours they mention. Might be tied to world events, Unsure. - Sometimes you need to click on an item multiple times to have it register an action. - Depending on which vsync level you choose, some textures can have problems loading (flicker) and the mouse pointer sometimes flickers as well. Can also be laggy (only lagged for me on higher vsync levels). I experienced this issue the most in winter when the snow starts building up. - Grammar error or intended? When using they/them pronouns they can be used in a singular as well as plural way. One kid was talking about his parents (who went by they/them) and it was worded poorly. I forgot the actual dialogue, but it was something like "they is" instead of "they are". Like "they is my parent" instead of "they are my parent". So not sure if it was a grammatical error in the text, or the devs didn't quite understand how to use they/them pronouns properly. Very happy and grateful for having this option in the game though!! - You can pet farm/wild animals. However when my farm animals grew to adulthood, I could no longer pet/interact with them. Which made me sad :(. You can still pet npc's adult farm animals but not yours for some reason. - Are all the farm animals supposed to be male? Not sure if bug or feature. Just confused, lol. Yes, I know there's trans folk in this game, but they're people, It wouldn't be relevant or possible for animals. It's pretty funny, just wandering if it was intended or not. Overall this game is amazing and it's taken over my life currently. I highly recommend it to any fan of simulator games, such as Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. I think it's only 2 people working on this game, if I'm not mistaken? So it's quite a feat they managed to achieve and with such few bugs. I really hope they keep working on it and add more features.
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First Impressions The Pro's [*]It's not EA but a fully released game [*]Lovely art style (Paper Mario vibes) [*]You can change settings in-game on the fly (stamina, endurance of tools etc) [*]Large inventory/backpack from the get go [*]Large area to explore [*]Good variety of people (didn't experience any copy pasting happening) [*]Cozy vibe, and it really feels like you're living in a tiny town (separate stores instead of 1 store for all) [*]Save game any time and anywhere [*]Fast travel is available to you from the get go The Con's [*]There is only 1 ''song'' and its very repetitive. No variety in background tunes [*]No option for changing keybindings [*]Time passes way too quickly, and no option to alter this [*]Not able to see how long it will take till your crop is done growing (indication by hoovering over it would be nice) [*]Not able to close up ground that you hit by accident with your hoe (just a tiny annoyance but nothing game breaking) [*]You're not able to sprint. There is fast travel. But walking is just a tad bit too slow. Would be nice to be able to jog a bit faster with SHIFT [*]Insult action misses the mark. Your character doesn't say anything! If the option is there, at least have the character say something insulting [*]Interactions miss impact. This ties in with the above point. When you go into the menu > residents overview, you will see a meter underneath their portrait. Which indicated the type of relationship you have with them. But if you don't look there, you won't know. If you talk to them, or if you help them with a quest, it would be nice to see a positive indication on the screen that the meter has moved. Perhaps a thumb up icon or something that pops up next to them. And a thumb down or angry emoticon when you insult them or gift them something they don't like.
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Only one hour in and I've run out of food, the boy I'm trying to marry hates me, and I think my carpenter's sick. 10/10
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 23 December 2024 16:35 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 19 December 2024 17:35 |
| Steam price | 23 December 2024 12:50 |
| Steam reviews | 23 December 2024 17:54 |
Online players
171
Developer
Unwound Games
Publisher
indie.io
Release
29 Apr 2024
Platforms
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