Shoujo-inspired farming simulator Fields of Mistria has officially launched its 1.0 version, concluding a two-year stint in early access. The full release brings a host of new features, including marriage, children, and expanded NPC relationships, alongside significant quality-of-life updates and new merchants.
Completing the Town Story and NPC Bonds
The 1.0 update allows players to finally complete the town's repair questline, a task that required extensive material gathering. This culminates in the full repair and upgrade of Mistria after an earthquake. Friendship progression has also been expanded, with the cap on NPC heart levels raised to 10, unlocking new cutscenes and proposal events. Players can now marry their chosen partners and even start a family, with children and associated events now part of the game.
New Merchants and Market Additions
Two new merchants, Stillwell and Zorel, have been added to the Saturday Market. Stillwell offers a Mission Board for players to undertake new quests, while Zorel provides Crystal Resonators and Song Crystals, which allow for customization of the in-game music played on the farm and within the player's home. The Saturday Market Plaza quest has also been introduced.
Achievements and Retroactive Progression
Fields of Mistria 1.0 introduces a Steam Achievements system, designed to reward players retroactively. Upon loading an existing save file, players will automatically receive achievements based on their past in-game actions. This means players do not need to start a new save file to unlock these achievements, though a fresh start is an option for those who prefer it.
Expanded Gameplay and Quality-of-Life Features
Beyond the major additions, the 1.0 update incorporates numerous gameplay enhancements. Players can now customize their house exteriors after fully upgrading their home. New perks have been added across various skills like Cooking and Ranching. The wedding system allows for customization of elements such as flower color and cake flavor. A "Mystical Feather" item becomes available post-marriage, enabling discussions about starting a family. Other quality-of-life changes include improved drop rates from mine treasure chests, adjustments to Ritual Chamber and Treasure room spawn rates, and the ability to disable breakup notifications when dating multiple NPCs. The game also sees a new Big Chicken mount and additional storylines.
New furniture sets and cosmetic items have been added, including Monster, Ornate, Bonsai, and Dragon sets for furniture, and Barrel Hats, Wedding Outfits, and Dragonfly Wings for cosmetics.
Technical Improvements and Bug Fixes
The update includes substantial performance improvements, with VRAM usage reduced by over 50%, aiming to aid older machines. Several bug fixes have been implemented, addressing issues such as players walking on water, crashes related to pet AI, incorrect festival placings, and various graphical and animation glitches. New graphics settings, including brightness and saturation sliders, have been added to allow for better customization of the game's performance. Beta localizations for seven languages have also been added: Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish.