Sometimes we need relief from all those bloody, violent, high-octane explosions from FPS games. Take a break from those head-pumping rhythms of fighting games and fancy a quieter approach. At times, we want to play something chill that will soothe us in our cozy gaming thrones to help us forget our stresses and strains. Let’s see if Moonfrost – a life-simulation and role-playing game with earning features can calm the most insidious tinnitus.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

Moonfrost is developed by Oxalis Games which is led by veterans like Gina Nelson and Ric Moore.  Some of their team members have years of game development experience under their belts since they were from industry leading studios including Epic Games, Mediatonic, Unity, Natural Motion, Sumo, Ubisoft and several others. Their pioneer game is Moonfrost, a free-to-play-and-earn, multiplayer life-simulation role-playing game.

As of now, there are no guild partnerships that are posted on the project’s website but heavy hitting companies such as Supercell and animoca brands are seen to be a couple of the project’s many investors. Moonfrost is built in Solana blockchain and the team behind the project is planning to release the semi-playable version of the game sometime in September 2022 which aims to make the players visualize what will be the gameplay and then hopefully will hype the game prior to the official launch which is planned to be in Q4 of 2023.

GAMEPLAY SUMMARY

Moonfrost is a social simulation role-playing game that draws inspiration from games like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. Featuring classic pixel graphics and pastel hues. Moonfrost is a 2D metaverse where users may engage in narratives by interacting with other users and non-user characters. Players can connect with each other, make friends, raise animals, embark on adventures, fall in love, and earn money.

Just like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, Moonfrost initially functions as an animal sanctuary and farming simulator. Each player has access to a plot of land where they can build their dream farm and home in any design they like. For the game’s initial release, players will be tasked to farm crops, gather, and collect supplies in order to build up and customize their avatar and farm by earning NFTs to do so. As everything improves, it will attract new NPCs who offer stories to unravel and rewards to receive.

EARNING POTENTIAL

Moonfrost doesn’t require any purchase to start playing so spending is optional. There will also be 1 token for the game which is called FROST, the governance and utility token. It will be awarded to  players that contribute to the ecosystem. The token could also be earned through yield generating NFTs and staking pools. With the use of FROST, players can purchase game NFTs that are tradable and have real monetary value. But as of the time of writing, there is only limited information about the perks of having NFTs in the game. The premium animal NFTs that the player can have can make a real world difference because the accumulated funds from these premium animal NFTs will go to charity that helps rescue animals.  If a token will not be spent for NFTs, FROST can just be cashed out.

OVERALL IMPRESSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS

First of all, I am absolutely in love with Harvest Moon since I grew up playing it. So, I am kind of biased with games that remind me of it aesthetically like Moonfrost. If this project will continue to grow and lean on that Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley vibes then it will surely be one of those games that will make you feel like you are home, away from the stress that life can give.

Though the current build of the game is still early in the development, I am able to see a bit of how it will play out and I like what I see so far. The art style is not pixel art like that of Stardew Valley but not also the super-slick lines of AAA 2D. It is somewhere between the two. I like the combination of drawn backgrounds and soft-edged characters and animal models; it is quite charming. I just hope that the developers will take their time developing this project so it will not feel like it’s rushed and just a poor imitation of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. This game will be about completing chores around the farm so I hope that the game will develop in a way that it will not feel like a chore to play. I’m certainly excited and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and see how it shapes up when it finally sprouts.