Earthbound vs Verdant Skies
Earthbound
Earthbound is a rather unique RPG featuring a group of four kids with amazing superpowers, namely Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo, and a nefarious alien race that is hellbent on causing unspeakable destruction on Earth. Help them battle the swarm of monsters, aliens and even dinosaurs that are unleashed upon the by the powerful Giygas. Travel through various landscapes in hopes of finding and confronting the ultimate manifestation of evil to save the world from certain apocalyptic event. Learn more about each of these kids as they own personal stories, as well as funny quirks, gradually unfold as you progress in the game.In addition to its story-driven gameplay, Earthbound is an adventure-themed RPG that manages to evoke a feeling that is a mixture of dread, mainly due to the gravity of the situation these kids are in; and hilarity - these kids can be quite amusing. It'll give you a game experience like no other, that's for sure!
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.