Tiny Pixel Farm vs Verdant Skies
Tiny Pixel Farm
Tiny Pixel Farm is an idle farming game that is unlike any other. Backed with a heartfelt story about an elderly farmer whose farmland is slowly being claimed by greedy corporate goons, in this game, you play as the grandchild of the said farmer and you are determined to reclaim what was rightfully your family's.Although the gameplay is generally idle in nature, the idle part of the game isn't exactly textbook-styled. As opposed to fully automating everything, you still need to put in some "work" for instance, by swiping and tapping on your animals to collect produce, on your hay-producing farms to collect hay, on your pets to collect exp gems, and others. Aside from the well-design and satisfying progression system in this game, there is an insane number of animals you can keep at the farm too.
The game is also very "video ad-heavy" mainly because you will always be given an option to watch video ads in exchange for instantly completing something, be it a construction process or selling all the goods in your shop. However, what I really like about the game is how it gives you a heads-up whenever a full-screen ad is coming up and it also thanks you after you've watched a video ad. More games should seriously take a page out of this game's book and do this!
All in all, although this game does require a good (middle range to high-end) mobile device to run, Tiny Pixel Farm brings a ton of innovation to the idle gaming genre and the game does it so brilliantly well. If you enjoy idle games, farm games or both, you might want to give this game a try.
Verdant Skies
Verdant Skies is an indie farm simulation/RPG combined with a pretty unique art style and visual novel-like dialogue choices. In this game, you play as the latest pioneer who was sent from Earth to a habitable alien planet whose main job is to set up and manage the farms at the colony, but of course, you are often asked to help out other characters with their tasks. You can also interact with the characters to increase your relationship level and eventually unlock new options such as being able to date them and start a family.Verdant Skies also features a straightforward gathering and crafting where every almost every action you take in this game will cost you time and/or energy. There's no need to restore the time you lost, but energy can be easily restored by consuming food. As a game that's very similar to Harvest Moon in essence, the game's farming aspect can be impressively in-depth, allowing you to splice the genes of your crops and your livestock to produce much more superior versions.
Verdant Skies is definitely the sort of game you'd want to check out if you've loved playing games like Harvest Moon, Staxel and even My Time at Portia. The game isn't too expensive either, considering the hours you can get out of it.