We Harvest Shadows: A creepy farm sim meets story-based horror gem that will be worth the wait

I’m a sucker for a farm sim; there’s something ultimately relaxing about vicariously living out the life of a recluse starting over on a run-down farm. I’m also a sucker for a good horror game, one that has me on the edge of my seat and keeps me guessing. Sadly, games that combine the two genres are not as common as you might think, but We Harvest Shadows is an upcoming game that does just that. 

I can’t remember when or where I first saw a trailer for We Harvest Shadows (I think it was Gamescom 2024), but I can remember the way I forced myself to temper my excitement at the idea of mashing together the juxtaposed genres that make up the game. Developer David Wehle had some huge ideas for his ‘first-person farming allegory’, and while I wanted it to work, I wanted to wait until I could play at least a demo before I truly allowed myself to invest my excitement. 

Thankfully, there is a demo to play now, and it seems that Wehle is performing something of a miracle with We Harvest Shadows.

We are, once again, buying a farm

The demo of We Harvest Shadows starts with you driving along a road through the sun-blocking trees of a forest. You have no control of the car, so you’re literally just along for the ride, and you end up gaining control once you come across a sign for a farm that’s for sale.

You’re seemingly intent on becoming a hermit for one reason or another, and as soon as you’ve bought the farm and locked the gate behind you, you literally throw the key into the woods, and now you’re trapped on a farm in what I can only assume is somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains. 

Still, things don’t start off too badly. You water some tomatoes, you start cleaning up the house, and you even build a chicken coop and get your first animal companions. The sun rises, you tick items off your to-do list, and then you head to bed safely knowing you’ve had a productive day. The cozy farming element is strong, and We Harvest Shadows genuinely manages to feel like stepping into a 3D and incredibly immersive version of Stardew Valley, minus the hardship of trying to build friendships with people you’d rather avoid.

But this is also a horror game, so of course, things start to go wrong. One of the first things you’re told is about the painting at the bottom of the stairs, which changes each day. The creepier the painting looks, the more danger you’re in on that day, and I quickly found myself obsessively checking the painting first thing every morning to see what kind of day I’d be having.

On particularly creepy days, I was stalked by a shadow creature that hid behind a tree, explored the barn only to find a ghostly woman watching me from above, and got attacked by both dogs and birds within minutes of each other.   

The list of genres is long

While the focus of We Harvest Shadows is on combining those cozy farming elements and the creepy horror vibes, the game also borrows features from other genres. Each day feels like a seamless blend of up to four completely different games, whether because of what you’re doing or your surroundings at the time, and you’d think that would feel disjointed to an extent, but it somehow doesn’t. 

One moment you could be harvesting tomatoes while you gaze at the sun rising over the horizon, and the next you could be armed with a gun as you explore an abandoned and industrial factory. You can jog over to the barn to investigate its suitability for cattle, then climb a fire tower to truly appreciate the view in all directions.

Pulling out your rifle turns the game into a first-person shooter, and the massive swathe of land that you now apparently own makes you feel as though you’re in the middle of a story-based exploration game with countless possibilities.

There’s something really impressive about how seamlessly these elements from different genres blend to create something like We Harvest Shadows, which stands out in my mind as truly unique. Rather than feeling like there’s an emphasis on one genre with others playing a bit part, all of them are equally important and expertly implemented to become something that I’ve never seen done before, at least not this well. 

Stop and smell the flowers

Okay, so maybe smelling the flowers is a bit too romantic, but if you do dive in and play the We Harvest Shadows demo, I can guarantee that you end up distracted by the scenery at least once. In truth, We Harvest Shadows is absolutely gorgeous from close up or afar, and so much detail has been packed into every inch that it’s almost impossible not to get sidetracked from what you’re supposed to be doing. 

It didn’t take long for me to get distracted from my to-do list and just go off exploring places far away from the farm. The factory and fire tower that I mentioned earlier are both within running distance of the farm, and while there isn’t much to really do in either location, there are a couple of secrets to be found within the buildings. Even in the barn, where you’re instructed to go during the demo, I got distracted looking for things to pick up and little corners to explore. 

But, if I’m being entirely honest, the thing that distracted me most wasn’t my immediate surroundings or the details; it was the far-off scenery that had me stopping and staring. Every sunrise and sunset is utterly gorgeous, the mountains that surround the farm are breathtaking, and even though you can’t really get to it, the sense of how massive this piece of land is is enough to leave you feeling slightly awestruck (and anxious) as you think about what could be out there. 

Things I’d like to see

As much as I’ve fallen entirely in love with We Harvest Shadows and fully intend to pour hours into it once the game gets a full release, I would never wish to label anything as perfection when I can see room for improvement, and there are tiny parts of We Harvest Shadows that could be made better by implementing small changes. 

I really do mean small changes; those little quality-of-life features that just make things nicer. For instance, when chopping trees, there is no keymapping option to hold down the mouse button or controller button and continuously chop. It’s not the end of the world that you need to repeatedly click, but having the option is nice not only for those who want it, but for those who need it to aid with accessibility. 

The screen in We Harvest Shadows is mostly free of UI elements aside from the stamina bar at the bottom (and even that disappears when you stay still long enough), which is both a blessing and a curse; the former because it allows you to become fully immersed, but the latter because it means you’re left guessing a lot of the time.

When you’re being attacked by dogs or birds (or whatever else happens to be on the farm and wants to kill you), there’s no way of knowing how much health you have left, and there are no toolbars, so you’re left to figure out for yourself which number button brings out which tool. 

Still, I find it hard to really hold either of these things against We Harvest Shadows when it is so utterly enjoyable to play. While they would be solid QoL updates to add in time for the full release, the game as it stands right now is one that I could see myself getting entirely distracted by, to the detriment of the things I need to do in real life.

There is no release date for the full game of We Harvest Shadows just yet, although this update from Wehle in June 2025 suggests it might be a while before we get to experience the story as he dreamed of telling it, which is absolutely understandable when given his reasoning. Still, there’s a demo to play in the meantime that’s truly gorgeous and will leave you wanting more when you finish.