Pay up then. Sorry, I’ve been sent on behalf of The Yolf, a giant horned cat creature who sits on a branch demanding payment in Mandrake. This folklore-infused gardening sim from Sunless Sea and Fallen London devs Failbetter games has just had a fresh outing at today’s Wholesome Snack showcase, putting centre-stage the The Yolf’s need for you to get your affairs in order.
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You play a farmer keen to do some gardening, despite curses and weird folkloric beings making that a bit harder. The Yolf, Failbetter say, lives next door. He’s a “furry, friendly neighbour who nonetheless demands payment for debts owed to him by your ancestors”. He’ll only take cash for this sum of 962 gold crowns, as well.
To make that up, you’ll have to get your sorcerer bottom in gear and plant some stuff. The game has goose trees, they sound like a good bet, especially if they turn out to be golden. You can also go foraging, fishing, and mining in “a world of old, wild powers, of uncanny spirits that reside in those places mortals dare not go; of deep histories, and deeper mysteries”. It seems the more dangerous uncanny beings only come out at night, with the game warning you about going out once the sun sets.
The thing that’s most intrigued me, aside from the gorgeously vibrant art style, is the chance to run around the sleepy rural hollow of Chandley having chats with people, spirits, gods, and bogles via dialogue boxes that remind me of a laid-back version of Disco Elysium’s portrait-side word scrawls. Then again, Failbetter also say you can do the following, all of which sounds rad: “Befriend a river. Eavesdrop on the dead. Spend a haunted night at the Butcher’s Oak. Drink tea with the god who lives in your chimney.”
Anyway, your job is to grow produce and redecorate the old mandrake lodge you’ll be calling home. There’s no cannibalism involved, or so the devs say.
Mandrake’s still release-dateless as of right now, but you can wishlist it on Steam. If you’re keen for a long read outlining how it came to be and the path it’s been on to this point, I’ll point you to this piece former RPSer Alice B penned for Perfectly Cylindical Gamer upon its reveal this summer.
