This farming life sim is set around the base of a space elevator

Upcoming farm-o-life sim game Before The Green Moon has an interesting setting: a small community round the base of a space elevator, set in the lead-up to you leaving for the moon. Even more interesting is that it’s coming from Turnfollow, an indie team best known for wonderful little story games like Little Party and Wide Ocean Big Jacket. Huh! Life sims are not my genre but I really like Turnfollow’s games, so I’m in. Check out the announcement trailer below for a small taste of this sci-fi life.

In ye olde farm-o-life sim tradition, you’ll farm across simulated days and seasons, explore where you life, meet your neighbours, and so on. And then, supposedly, launch to the moon. I do like the contrast between the big sci-fi setting (a community huddled round a space elevator) and that cosy colourful art style.

It’s a new look for Turnfollow too. They’ve mostly made games which combine lots of 2D sprites with barely textured 3D models, to great effect. This here has all sorts of texture and complexity and everything, and a big kick of the 1990s. Broad detail, exaggerated depth to textures, bit plasticky, touch of the handmade.

Before The Green Moon is coming to Windows via Steam and Itch.io sometime this year. Hit its website for more.

Turnfollow have made a gardening game before, 2015’s A Good Gardener. That has a very different vibe, about growing weapons for an ongoing war as a prisoner. Good. Grim. Good. If you’re interested, you can grab it pay-what-you-want (with no minimum) from Itch. But yes, do also check out Little Party and Wide Ocean Big Jacket (which you might already have got without realising through Itch’s giant Bundle For Racial Justice And Equality in 2020).