Moonlight In Garland

I played Moonlight in Garland and participated on the Discord back before 1.0 launched, and even as a very much 'in-progress' game it was absolutely delightful. I've been watching as things progressed and was honestly just waiting to be able to sink some hours into it, you know? So I'm still early into gameplay as I finally get started in earnest, only halfway into the first season. I'm really excited for everything that's to come!

Sure, we all like games where we move to the countryside to start over or save your family farm, but Moonlight in Garland presents another version many of us experience: moving from the country/small town to the city to start anew.

The NPCs, neighbourhoods, economy, resources, tasks, apartments, etc. in Garland are really creative, fun, and totally unique. I love being able to do urban foraging, collect CDs, collect recycling ($), pet squirrels and sparrows, and find NPCs unique recipes around town over time. I like that there is no rushing or combat, and no consequences to not completing daily errands/tasks. The visuals and the MUSIC (<3) are fitting for the game and really relaxing. If you like whimsy and chill, this is it.

Extra positive notes:
> The solo dev, Violet, is really engaged, responsive, creative, and hardworking.
> A lot of the mechanics are similar to other chill life sims or RPGs so the learning curve isn't huge
> The game wiki has an app .
> There are good accessibility modifications available, including adjusting text formats, skipping mini-games, and changing colour contrasts in the UI

Extra friction notes:
> Toggling in and out of your phone in-game can get a bit clunky -- def recommend setting up your key map for your preferences
> Toggling between actions when you're holding something can get a bit clunky (I need to adjust my key map!)
> I loathe having to get and use a spade or hammer to dig/repot plants or move anything. To be fair, it's realistic, but it's annoying to stop and make inventory space and get the tool from the fridge (household storage). I say this in early game time with starter backpack, and with a tiny apartment lol... just a little quirk for me!

I'm so surprised that this game is not getting the attention that it deserves. It is so fun and addicting! Like the city version of stardew! It is the type of game that I'd rather buy full price instead of buying on sale, because I want to support the dev this much! (That being said it is on sale now so GO GRAB IT NOW IF YOU HAVENT)

I grow up in a big city and I have a very urban lifestyle, so I'm really excited to play a life sim where it is set in a city! It does not disappoint! I love exploring different areas of the city (by walking or taking the subway!) and there's so much to do everyday - gigs refreshing daily, condo building stories/events, fishing, garbage picking, tree cleaning, foraging for tea making, rock collecting... I barely have time to do it all in one day! There are always some types of goals you'll want to achieve - making more money to upgrade your backpack, buy that expensive furniture or tea recipe, move to a bigger apartment or different building, raising relationship points with the other residents in the city... Not to mention the arts are just beautiful! By the end of spring, the trees all turn pink and the city looks incredibly gorgeous. The pedal festival is so beautifully done (and I regret not buying all festive furniture).

Some tips:

I think the quickest way to make money is through fishing, especially after you buy a better fishing rod to catch bigger or rarer fish. You only need to purchase the medium rod imo, because the city will reward you a golden fishing rod after you've completed the 5 stamps on fishing (number or rarity? I forgot) which is fairly easy. Tea making is also lucrative, however I find the ROI a bit low considering the amount of time you need to wait for the herbs to dry and the amount of money you need to spend on recipes. I haven't tried cooking much yet.

Priority wise, upgrade your backpack first, otherwise it'd be really annoying with only 8 slots when you have so much to pick up/purchase throughout the day. You will have to unlock the fashion boutique in the mall to do that (took me so long to figure this out). Buy the medium fishing rod early so you can catch more fish to make quick money.

I chose to live in East Garland because it is close to a large body of water and super convenient to fish. The museum is right next to it so donating new fish is easy, lol. This is more of a cultural area with library, museum and pubs, but I do find the building manager really obnoxious. Garland CBD would be my second choice because it is close to the mall, bank and private detective office. Also close to Garland North where the tea shop is. Garland West is kind of meh because it is just a college town? Not too much going on in this area.

It's sooooo freaking creepy and annoying that sage is EVERYWHERE doing EVERYTHING! Hell no! Change it PLEASE 🙏

Amazing Game from the Solo Dev Violet.

Its a city life sim, where you can go at your own pace, make friends, fish, grow plants, pick up rubbish to recycle and more.

I can't wait for more updates :3

didnt enjoy this game at all unfortunately. it's just not for me. it's not complicated exactly but it's extremely scattered and disorganized