There's lots of games out there that encourage players to get their hands dirty and plant their own crops. Some games, like Farming Simulator and Stardew Valley, focus very heavily on it, while others like Animal Crossing make it an extra way for fans to turn a profit and decorate the world. No matter how a game handles it, farming is an eternal mainstay of the video game industry, giving countless people the opportunity to assemble their dream farms and gardens. Indie titles sometimes have a particular knack for agricultural life, and one new game that intends to make an impact on the genre is Hundred Days.
Hundred Days, to be brief, is a winemaking simulator coming to Steam in May. The concept of the game is that the player has opened their own winery and is responsible for choosing what grapes to grow, what wines to make, and how to grow their own wine brand. That definitely gives Hundred Days a unique little niche in the farming sim genre. Italian developer and publisher Broken Arms Games might not have an overwhelming amount of notoriety, but Hundred Days might be its ticket to more recognition. It looks like a pretty comprehensive and immersive window into the wine-making industry.
A Hundred Days, A Thousand Wines
A lot of Hundred Days' appeal is its highly detailed approach to simulating agriculture. Broken Arms Games promises that every single little detail of the winemaking process will affect the wine that the player creates in the end. It's up to players to figure out where on their land they want to grow their grapes, what exactly to plant, and how to process the wine after the grapes have been juiced. It's not as on-the-ground as things like Farming Simulator, but the process is still really hands-on. For instance, one screenshot shows that players have liberal choice on how long to ferment their wine, and that they can see all kinds of statistics about the expected results of the wine, like the level of tannin and sweetness.
However, there's also elements of randomness in Hundred Days. Just like in peers like Stardew Valley, weather changes constantly, and weather can have huge effects on the outcome of wine. A player could start two wineries making the exact same wines and randomized weather would probably result in very different products, meaning there's lots of replay value in Hundred Days. Every new playthrough will have new experiences to offer. However, Hundred Days still leans heavily on encouraging players to learn the art of winemaking, mastering every little skill that a good vintner needs.
Making wine alone isn't the only source of winemaking fun, though. Players can customize the labels for their wines and work hard to establish their own image for the brand. Label making doesn't look anywhere as detailed as things like Animal Crossing: New Horizon's customization tools, but there's still ample opportunity for players to put their own touch on every wine they make. Although the game is largely inspired by the real Italian region of Piedmont, which has deep connections to winemaking, non-Italian fans can still feel deeply connected to Hundred Days.
It's worth acknowledging that Broken Arms Games' experience doesn't lie in the area of farming sims. Most of its past works involve motorcycles and motocross, but it also got a bit of attention for a twin-stick shooter called Atomine. Still, that doesn't mean that a new genre isn't worth trying. Broken Arms Games would do well to expand its brand and try new things. If Hundred Days can really stand up to some of Steam's biggest games, particular its fellow agriculture games, then it could be Broken Arms' big break. At the very least, when it comes to winemaking games, Hundred Days sounds like it's beating everyone else to the punch.
Hundred Days releases for PC and Mac on May 13.