Super Farming Boy Early Access Impressions
Super Farming Boy adds action to the farming sim formula.
Super Farming Boy. Credit: LemonChili
Super Farming Boy from developer LemonChili is an action-puzzle farming sim that tries to shake up the genre with chain-reaction mechanics and a vibrant cartoon aesthetic. The evil corporation Korpo has captured your mom and friends, forcing you to work your own farm in this hostile takeover. Your goal is to harvest crops and earn enough to buy them back from Korpo, who appears in your dreams to take your crops and sell things back to you.
The farming mechanics are simplified, with no tool selection required. Based on context and assuming you bought the ability, Super can shapeshift into a shovel, pickaxe, watering can, etc., with a button press based on context. The central mechanic revolves around building combos that you trigger when you harvest. Plant crops strategically, then harvest one to trigger a domino-style chain reaction that automatically harvests connected plants. Each crop type has unique combo patterns; corn harvests everything to its right, while other vegetables have more complex layouts. When executed well, you can clear an entire field with a few button presses, which feels genuinely satisfying.
Super Farming Boy. Credit: LemonChili
It wasn’t without frustration for me. I wish more crops weren’t single-harvest and would grow back. Rocks and tree stumps would also sprout back up way too quickly, distracting me from setting up my combos effectively. It also felt like the balance was a bit off, with some crops being way too expensive to experiment with easily. Perhaps it would have been fairer if the game let me move crops after they’d grown. It doesn’t help that the difficulty spikes significantly after the first season.
Like other games in the genre, a stamina system forces you to plan your daily activities carefully. Run out of energy and you'll pass out, losing money. Different seasons, like Volcanic and Radioactive, add variety, though seasonal transitions can feel punishing as garbage to clear overtakes the farm, compounding my issue with them coming back too quickly, even in the middle of a season.
Super Farming Boy. Credit: LemonChili
The vibrant, rubber-hose animation style nails that vintage cartoon look, with seeds coming alive as cute creatures that follow you around. Even your house is alive, which I thought was great. I love the look of this game. As well as the characters and world, fun touches to the UI, such as your abilities appearing in the shop as vintage trading cards, add a lot of charm.
The problem is depth. Super Farming Boy has a solid foundation and gorgeous presentation, but it desperately needs more content and systems to sustain interest beyond the first few hours. The combo mechanics work well enough, but they're not substantial enough to carry an entire farming sim. I’ll keep on eye on it as the Early Access period continues.
Super Farming Boy is available in Early Access on Steam.
Played on: Steam Deck
