Hello Humans!

Village Monsters has been in development for 5 years and finally releases this Wednesday, March 16th. I figure now is as good a time as any to reveal what you actually do in Village Monsters! ... I'm only sort of joking!
in all seriousness, five years is an awful long time, and the game has changed drastically since the original Kickstarter in 2017 and Early Access release in 2019. You'll hardly recognize it when it releases this Wednesday, so I think a reintroduction is in order!

Our Story Begins

Village Monsters starts out like most games: with the imminent destruction of a once-peaceful village. Eidolon Village is a community of monsters that has recently lost a fight against the most ancient of evils: an apathetic real estate conglomerate. The MTX Corporation own the land the village is on and believe it'd be better served if it was Involuntarily Redeveloped into a casino & resort. Most everyone in the village is resigned to their fate - that is, until you unexpectedly show up in town. A human. The first one this world has seen in centuries.
You're immediately arrested, of course. The many crimes of humanity are too numerous to list, and too obvious to dwell on here. The old laws say that all members of humanity must be exiled into the Glitchwood. Except Judge Ribberts has a different plan for you. You are instead sentenced to two years community service and immediately put into the employ of Eidolon Village. Your job: help the townsfolk restore Eidolon Village. Transform it into a respectable community that no one would dare dream of destroying. Prove that you're both worth saving!

Saving a Village

You'll have your work cut out for you. Eidolon Village is an old frontier village that has seen better days. Buildings are old and weathered, the villagers are demoralized, and nobody outside the village has even heard of the place, let alone cares what happens to it. Your finely honed gamer senses are probably kicking in already. That's right, each of the above problems represents a possible avenue to save the village.

Rally the Community

A unified community can stand up to anything. Unfortunately, this village is far from unified. Everyone is too distracted by their own problems to focus on anything else. If someone could just help them sort their troubles, then perhaps they'd be able to come together and fight. Do you like games where you can complete social links and make friends? Do you like giving gifts and doing odd jobs for villagers? Then focus on Community Morale tasks!
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Become a Tourist Destination!

Out of sight, out of mind: it's hard to build a grassroots campaign for a podunk village most people have never heard of. But not even the MTX Corporation wouldn't have the gall to demolish a beloved tourist destination, especially one with a vibrant economy. Do you enjoy town building, mastering productivity loops, and tinkering with (and eventually demolishing) a game's economy? Take a look at everything under the Tourism & Economy!
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Achieve Heritage Status

You're way out in the frontier which is full of undiscovered mysteries. A comprehensive survey of the flora, fauna, and artifacts of the area is sure to get the Imperial College's attention. They'll lend your their protection if you can prove that the village has historical and ecological importance. Are you a collector? A completionist? Then you'll love tasks marked as Heritage & Culture[
--- These three avenues are represented in-game via Community Service Tasks. Each completed task, regardless of category, awards Village Points. Earn enough points and Eidolon Village will level up, granting additional perks and bonuses. You don't need to reach max village level to save the village, so can pick and choose which tasks you find the most interesting - or the easiest for you to achieve.

Inspiration

This might sound somewhat unusual, but I'm actually basing this system one of my all-time favorites, Baldur's Gate 2 In that game, there's a section in which the party is tasked with accruing 50,000 gold and then set loose upon the city. How you gather that gold - via questing, thievery, monster hunting, etc. - depends entirely on your play style I wanted to bring this system to a life sim game. It allows the game to be open-ended while still providing guidance and direction via tasks.

Wait, hold on, I thought this game was about--

Shh!! If you've followed Village Monsters since the start you may have noticed some things that are missing. These elements are still very much present, but have been moved away from the forefront. You'll see. --- That's all for now! See you on March 16th!

[ 2022-03-14 21:09:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Have you ever wondered what happens inside the world of an abandoned video game? All those NPCs with their artificial lives...what happens to them after the game is powered off for that final time?

Village Monsters is a relaxing life sim game set in one such world.

You play as someone booting up the game for the first time in decades only to discover that it is nothing like you remember.

The monsters that were once enemies have thrown away their weapons and have settled down in a peaceful village of their own making.

Stranger still, they're inviting you to come join them.


At its core, Village Monsters is a lowkey, relaxing village life experience.

There are no farms to manage or meters to monitor, and on an average day you'll have complete freedom to do whatever you want.

This is a game that celebrates leisure, so you'll find no shortage of activities and diversions to discover each day.

• Personalize your very own home with furniture, decorations, and upgrades. Plant a garden! Install a secret room! Sit on a golden throne you found in the woods!
  
• Get to know dozens of whimsical monster neighbors, each with their own personalities, activities, and problems to solve.
  
• Pick up a new hobby, like fishing, critter collecting, botany, archaeology, or cooking, then donate your findings and creations to the Historical Society of Monsters.
  
• Leave your mark on the village by unlocking new buildings and influencing its development over time.
  
• Fill out your daily routine with activities like shopping, talking with villagers, watching TV, hunting for mushrooms, and so much more.

The world of Village Monsters may be digital, but that doesn't stop it from feeling alive.

From sunrise to sunset, you'll find a world that changes all around you. Sparrows fly overhead during the day while owls patrol the night. Villagers hang out at home while it it's raining and go shopping for new furniture after it clears.

There are countless little details for you to discover as you explore the game and its simulated systems. In fact, you'll be frequently encouraged to experiment with these systems to see how they interact with you - and each other.

• An immersive day / night cycle where everything has a schedule to keep - the villagers, the birds, and even the flowers.
  
• Dynamic weather changes including dozens of distinct weather types ranging from clear skies to thundersnow.
  
• The world changes with the seasons, and you can expect activities, items, creatures, and even music unique to each month.
  
• A packed calendar full of holidays ensures that every week brings something new. Enjoy events like the monthly Critter Safari, the springtime Good Egg Day Feast, and the Pumpkin Patch Bash.

The premise of exploring an abandoned video game serves as the jumping off point for creating an interesting and unique story.

The village has always been a peaceful sanctuary, but the world outside has been showing increasing evidence of disarray.

Glitches and faults have become more common, and there are even rumors that entire areas have gone missing.

It's as if the digital foundation itself is collapsing, and as an external force you may be the only one capable of finding out what's going on.

• Explore a digital land that’s been transformed by its abandonment.
  
• Experience a unique story told through unusual methods such as via item descriptions, overheard conversations, and anomoly research.
  
• Help unravel the unknown by investigating and solving Mysteries, a unique type of quest system.
  
• Complete a massive compendium that logs your journey through the game. Use it to track Mysteries, collectibles, secrets, and triumphs.