Monster Harvest vs Virtual Villagers: Origins
Monster Harvest
Monster Harvest is a very promising game that features a refreshing blend of monster-collecting and farming simulation. In this game, you grow various “pocket monsters” called Planimals at your farm and bring them to the local rec center to test your mettle or the dungeon to gather special materials. You'll get to develop both your farm and your skills as a Planimal trainer.If you love farming sims and collecting Pokemon - or any other types of pocket monsters really, then Monster Harvest is the game for you! The game features the very interesting premise of turning your crops into battle pets, and how you “slime” them will result in different kinds of pets with varying power. There’s even a roguelite dungeon and a gym for you to test your mettle at and, in the case of the dungeon, gather special resources for upgrades.
The sad thing is Monster Harvest is woefully early access and a work-in-progress. The game still has some pretty massive bugs and pending content (such as the empty-feeling “festival”), though none of them are completely game-breaking. In the worst case, you’ll just have to restart the game, though some players have reported corrupted saved games where all their planimals stored in the pen went missing.
Due to this, I’d not recommend getting the game right now. If you’re really interested, try the free demo and wishlist the game to keep an eye on it. Once the bugs are squashed to a more manageable level and some more features and content are added, then you might want to splurge and grab the game.
Virtual Villagers: Origins
Virtual Villagers: Origins is the village simulation game that is developed to answer the question of "what if The Sims is set in tribal times" and it did so perfectly. In this game, you'll need to help the fellow members of your tribe to survive in a mysterious new island by getting them to take up important roles, like farmers, builders and scientists. Grow your tribe and send them to explore the island they have now made their home on. There are also plenty of fun and challenging, random events that will spice up the day-to-day routine, allowing you to make use of your excellent problem-solving skills.In many ways, Virtual Villagers: Origins is very similar to other life simulation games like Virtual Families or, as mentioned, The Sims. For fans of such games, you'll find Virtual Villagers: Origins a suitable alternative.