Fields of Mistria has been one of my most-loved games this year despite still being a relatively humble early access offering. It's set to be a genuinely fantastic contender in the Stardew-like space, even more so now that developer NPC Studio has released its first major patch.
Arguably the most important thing here is that I can schmooze a little more with Mistria's most eligible [[link]] bachelors and bachelorettes. Levelling up friendship has been relatively basic until now, with only four out of ten hearts achievable and a distinct lack of any romance. This update bumps the cap up to six hearts, along with a much-needed heart event for dateable NPCs. Still no marriage yet—that's coming in a future update—but it's a nice step forward in growing closer to characters I've already become mighty fond of.
When I'm not trying to woo half of the town, there are other new additions to be found elsewhere. The mines have gotten new enemies and cosmetic drops from monsters, though unfortunately the 40-floor cap hasn't increased this time round. That's also on NPC Studio's roadmap, mind, and it seems like the developer's been more focused on other aspects for this patch. Like general town goings-on, with Mistria getting a new festival, new requests to take on, and new museum rewards. Both the town renown level cap and the skill level caps are going up—town renown is raising 20 levels, while all skills are going up 15 levels—with extra rewards and perks up for grabs as a result.
I'm thanking my past self for still leaving my farm a blank slate, too, since the patch has introduced new home upgrades along with furniture and decor. I haven't had a chance to pop into the game and see what's what yet, but [[link]] I'm hoping for a wider variety of themes than what we had prior to this patch. You can peep the full patch notes along with NPC Studio's rough roadmap over . I'm particularly jazzed about the possibility of Steam achievements and mounts in the future.
I'm super excited to dive back in with this new patch, especially with my need for a cosy game growing as the temperature drops and the days become shorter. It's the perfect Steam Deck game for curling up on the sofa or in bed—it barely takes up any storage and works wonderfully on the system, with the game being the entire reason I ended up dusting off my handheld earlier this year.