Before the Green Moon Review

Game: Before the Green Moon
Genre: Simulation, RPG, Indie, Casual
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Turnfollow
Age Rating: US E | EU E
Price: US $ TBC | UK £ TBC | EU € TBC
Release Date: March 14, 2023

Review code used, with many thanks to Turnfollow.

Before the Green Moon is a farming life sim that takes place in a science-fiction world developed by Turnfollow.

A Cozy Sci-Fi Life

You play as a farmer who moves to a small community situated around the base of a space elevator that goes to the moon. You can customize your character by choosing your facial features, skin colour, hairstyle, body shape, and clothing colour. In this futuristic community, you get to farm a variety of moon crops while making friends with the residents and exploring the area around you. Eventually, you will depart to the moon.

The weather changes daily, as well as the seasons. There is also a day/night cycle which passes rather quickly.

Small Town Vibes

The futuristic society has a small-town vibe, and each of the residents has their own little quirks and personalities. You first meet Carol, a kind gentleman who shows you the ropes of farming life.

However, the other residents aren’t nearly as kind and charming. When I first talked to some of the residents, they seemed rather abrasive and rude. One of them said that farmers brought bad luck to the community and didn’t explain why. Another one said I was intruding in their house and that they don’t do group houses even though I have my own living quarters! But their brusque way of talking does ease off over time as they warm up to you. Unfortunately, none of the characters appeals to me.

Gameplay

You start off with several cheap tools at your disposal, such as a hoe, waterpot, and sickle. Eventually, you can get a fishing rod from one of the residents. If you want fancier tools and equipment, you must make enough money to buy them from a digitized vending machine. Some of this equipment sound very interesting such as the drone.

Each day gives you a daily seed that you can plant on your farm. You have to keep your crops watered daily, but when it rains, you don’t have to water them. When your crops are harvested, you can sell them for profit. Other ways to make money are by collecting snail shells littered around the town, picking up apples, and selling fish.

Monitoring your stamina is important if you want to prevent yourself from passing out. You lose a little stamina whenever you pick something up or do farm work. Stamina can be replenished through eating food. Elvis, the local bar owner and cook, will give you a meal a day when you take a seat at the bar’s counter.

Visuals and Sound

I don’t find the character designs to be that visually appealing and they look rather choppy to me. However, the background environment is done pretty well. The environment gives off a post-apocalyptic feel as the buildings are sparsely populated. You can also see the green moon off in the distance in certain spots. I also like the layout of the residents’ homes as you can explore every nook and cranny and interact with the objects.

The music is slow and calming, with a lo-fi kind of sound. You can also hear the rain and the footsteps of people walking.

Conclusion

If you like slow-paced farming sims that take place in a futuristic community, you might enjoy this game. However, the gameplay in this game is rather repetitive, and there isn’t a whole lot you can do. There are so many other farming/ life sims that offer more in terms of content, so this isn’t a game I would normally pick up.

Final Verdict: I’m Not Sure.