Tales of Seikyu is a casual 3D farming sim where players are entrusted to protect and develop the lost land of Seikyu. Read on to know what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if its early access demo is worth wishlisting.

Tales of Seikyu Story Plot

Tales of Seikyu immerses players in a fantastical story unfolding on the island of Seikyu. In this distinctive realm, diverse cultures thrive in seclusion. Tasked with revitalizing a countryside inn to its former splendor, players forge bonds with the local yokai and unravel the mysteries of their fox ancestors, all in the land entrusted to them by the god Inari.

Tales of Seikyu Gameplay

Tales of Seikyu is a fantasy life simulation RPG, offering a fantasy farming experience that allows players to engage in crafting, cooking, farming, and assisting in the restoration of the inn, tavern, and other structures in the town of Seikyu. Drawing inspiration from Japanese farming practices, the farming system incorporates elements of traditional agriculture. Players have the ability to transform into various yokai to explore the world, gather ingredients, and aid other yokai. The protagonist can transform into a Wild Boar to till the soil or break through obstacles; the slime to water the soil or dive underwater, or the Karasu Tengu to soar into the skies and explore the island.

Players also establish a homestead on the farm that allows them to develop relationships and potentially date other yokai.

Tales of Seikyu Release Date and Time

Releasing in Spring 2025 Under Early Access

Tales of Seikyu will be coming to the PC around Spring 2025, where it will launch in early access. Eventually, it will find its way to the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch, due to the Kickstarter reaching a milestone to port the game to the aforementioned consoles.

This section of the article will be updated accordingly as more information comes out.

Steam
Price		Wishlist only
PlayStation		Xbox		Switch
TBA

Tales of Seikyu Review [Early Access Demo]

Everything A Farming Sim Needs to Be

Farming sims are so common these days that calling them a dime a dozen feels too generous—more like a penny for two dozen. Steam alone is overflowing with cheaply made Stardew Valley knockoffs that, while occasionally charming, lack the nuance or narrative weight needed to capture the same magic as ConcernedApe’s magnum opus. A few games, like Chef RPG and Fields of Mistria, have come close to earning that prestige, but beyond them, I struggle to think of any real contenders.

But as the saying goes, sometimes happiness finds you—and that’s exactly how I stumbled upon Tales of Seikyu. I was lucky enough to try it early, and despite my long-standing skepticism toward 3D farming sims (a feeling only reinforced by games like SunnySide), I can say with absolute confidence that Tales of Seikyu is different. It’s everything I want in a farming sim, and everything a farming sim needs to be.

Charming, Cozy Fun in Stardew…Ghibli?

If you’ve played Stardew Valley or any of its countless imitators, you already have a solid idea of what Tales of Seikyu offers at its core. I’d love to jump straight into what sets it apart, but it’s worth highlighting what the game does well within the genre first—because understanding that makes its unique elements all the more impressive.

At its heart, Tales of Seikyu is a 3D casual farming sim that whisks players away to the titular island of Seikyu, where they build a life among a close-knit community of Yokai. You’ll plant crops, gather resources, craft furniture, clothes, and items, forge relationships with your supernatural neighbors, and generally soak in the charm of island life. There’s even a Breath of the Wild-inspired open-world combat system to explore, adding another layer of adventure to the experience. But on paper, that’s more or less the full extent of the game’s offerings.

I may have downplayed it a bit, but that’s because the real magic—much like the Yokai themselves—lurks in the details. Or, put more simply, these familiar mechanics feel anything but basic once you see how uniquely they’re woven into the game’s world.

Casual Farming Sim Staples Spun Anew

Let’s start with the game’s core mechanic: farming and farm life. Surprisingly, farming isn’t the main focus of Tales of Seikyu—and I love it for that. It’s simple, unobtrusive, and creatively implemented without sacrificing its accessibility. You plant seeds, water them daily, harvest the crops, and either sell them for profit or use them in cooking. That’s it. And if you ask any Stardew Valley fan, they’ll tell you that about 80% of the game’s appeal doesn’t actually come from farming. Tales of Seikyu understands this balance and executes it beautifully.

What really sets it apart is how you farm. Instead of relying on traditional tools, your character can transform into various Yokai forms—boars, slimes, birds—each with abilities that streamline farmwork while also enhancing exploration and combat. The boar form lets you till soil and charge into enemies, the slime form waters plants and allows you to swim, and the bird form gives you the freedom to soar across the island for faster travel.

The demo currently only features the boar form, but promos have showcased the other two and teased even more to come. And honestly? It’s fascinating to see how being a Yokai yourself changes the way you interact with such a familiar gameplay loop.

Beyond farming, Tales of Seikyu elevates its core systems with its unique setting. Cooking isn’t about hunting down static recipes—it’s about experimenting. You throw ingredients together, see what works (and what doesn’t), and then refine your creations to impress the locals.

Crafting is equally flexible. While you can craft directly from your inventory, the game also lets you build specialized crafting stations—much like a certain blocky indie juggernaut that’s so well-known it doesn’t even need to be named. Whether you’re making tools, advanced resources, weapons, or furniture, there’s a satisfying sense of progression to how you develop your homestead.

And speaking of weapons, the combat system is nothing like Stardew Valley’s. Instead, it channels the adventurous energy of modern Zelda titles, with mechanics like weapon durability, jump and dash attacks, and an overall sense of fluidity that keeps combat dynamic when you’re out and about—not just tending crops.

With all these fresh takes on classic farming sim mechanics, it’s easy to see why Tales of Seikyu immediately grabbed my attention. But there are a couple of things that truly tie the whole experience together: story and setting.

Spirited Away to a World of Yokai

I know, I know, another Stardew Valley comparison—but hear me out. While Stardew puts most of its emphasis on what you do once you get there, its world-building often takes a backseat, though that’s not a jab at its story. The setting is simply far too familiar to be worth mentioning past a dull narrative pulse to accompany your day-to-day.

Tales of Seikyu, on the other hand, excels at expressing both the background lore of this island of Yokai and maintaining that grand lore through your daily tasks and interaction. This isn’t just a farming game with a supernatural twist—it’s a fully realized world of Yokai, brought to life through rich storytelling and a striking visual identity. Every detail, from the characters to the landscapes, embraces the folklore-inspired setting, making it feel like so much more than just another farming sim.

The main story is engaging while still giving players the freedom to explore Seikyu at their own pace. Instead of simply carving out a new life for yourself, the narrative revolves around uncovering the fate of the Fox Clan—why you and your sibling are the only ones left. It’s a compelling mystery, but it never feels urgent, allowing you to farm, socialize, craft, and cook as much as you want before diving into it (if you ever do).

And speaking of the story, the characters are a major highlight. They feel like actual people (or, well, Yokai) rather than just dating fodder (a term I coined for characters whose only depth lies in their romance potential). The game doesn’t skimp on Yokai representation, either. While humanoid Yokai are expected, Tales of Seikyu goes further, featuring animal Yokai, object-based Yokai—like the island’s three main concession vendors—and everything in between. There’s even a living Daruma you can spar with right at the start! It's like a certain Studio Ghibli movie come to life, except everyone's a lot less weird and mystical and much more hospitable.

My favorite character from the early access demo has to be the main character’s bratty yet endearing little fox sister, Kon. She spends just as much time messing with you as she does complaining, and I can’t help but love her for it.

Kon also serves as the best example of the game’s superb dialogue writing, which stands out for this kind of game. It’s casual, believable, and does wonders for each Yokai’s characterization, making the world of Tales of Seikyu feel all the more alive.

If you’re looking for a farming sim with a solid narrative, Tales of Seikyu delivers in spades. It’s not a grand epic, but it’s a captivating adventure—one that’s well worth experiencing when it’s complete, or even now while it’s still building itself out.

Bugged to the Spirit World and Back

Great story, fun and creative mechanics, and memorable characters are all well and good, but it wouldn’t be a fair review if I didn’t address the game’s early access pitfalls. There’s nothing to be ashamed of—this stage of development comes with its share of rough edges—but Tales of Seikyu is bugged to the spirit world and back, and that’s something I just can’t overlook.

Honestly, I’d take a minor visual glitch over some of the issues I actually encountered. Dialogue boxes have a habit of selecting random choices when using mouse and keyboard—when they’re not throwing coding phrases at me, that is. Combat has some noticeable clipping problems, too; during one fight with a wild boar, I got dragged halfway across the map and nearly flung off a cliff. Not exactly the kind of adventure I signed up for.

Then there’s the character creation—or rather, the lack of it. Right now, you can pick between Generic Anime Protagonist A (male-presenting) or Generic Anime Protagonist B (female-presenting), with a handful of clothing options to tweak your look. Compared to other farming sims, even SunnySide had more customization in early access, but I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions on that as I’m sure I’ve made mine abundantly clear.

Not Bad for Yet Another Farming Sim

As far as farming sims go, Tales of Seikyu knocks it out of the park—though it does stumble a bit along the way with its bugs and limited customization. Nothing unexpected for an early access title, of course, which only makes me more excited for its full release.

That said, I’d love to see more ways to pass the time, especially since farming isn’t as central here as it is in many of its genre peers. Dedicated dungeons, perhaps? Or something akin to what the My Time series by Pathea Games does with crafting and processing.

Still, I wouldn’t mind if it simply doubled down on refining what it already has—because, honestly, if a farming sim is already visually stunning, well-written, engaging gameplay-wise, and not at all derivative, then that's already everything a farming sim needs to be.

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Tales of Seikyu Product Information

Title	Tales of Seikyu
Release Date	Spring 2025
Developer	ACE Entertainment
Publisher	Fireshine Studios
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam) PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X|S Xbox One Nintendo Switch
Genre	RPG, Simulation, Indie
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	RP
Official Website	Tails of Seikyu Website

Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.