Recent reviews by Jesianna

~ Please note that as of writing this, this game is barely a week old in release and is still in early access and that this review may contain a few very minor spoilers

The Home County is a beautiful little cosy game during which you're chosen, quite randomly, to become the leader of a new village in this peaceful Edwardian inspired world with a cast of charming characters (and witty endearing dialogue) and quite possibly the world's nicest Duchess (who definitely isn't in love with her butler or anything).
Starting a village is no easy feat and so you're tasked with recruiting villagers and decorating their cabins and cottages to help them settle in as you decorate and develop your little hamlet to your hearts desire.
Your villagers aren't the only ones who are busy though, there are a range of things to keep you occupied.

There are activities like fishing, painting, mining (which includes combat), WizWoz (my years of Wizard101 are finally bearing fruit) with many others to come in future updates and when you first arrive you're introduced to the Crystal Garden which very much functions as a museum/community centre feature where you have to fill out various collections to earn rewards that will help you.

The art style for this game is so so charming and it reminds me of these dress-up paper dolls that my Nana used to give me and my sister as children! It's a really beautiful style and I think it's quite unique, which perfectly matches the Edwardian era which has been used as inspiration for the game.
The music is also divine (I'd love a soundtrack release) and there's a good variety in the game already. I do wish it played more frequently and consistently but this is definitely a personal preference..!

There's a fishing minigame which is surprisingly fun and it can be challenging at the beginning, which I enjoy, with a decent variety of fish to catch. The developer has also taken a refreshing approach to mining as it's definitely different to what I've experienced in other games of this genre and I love the nods to ancient history there with the Vikings, Romans and Saxon themed ghosts and levels!

Speaking of the developer, they're absolutely lovely and a very constant presence in the community. Bug fixes are deployed frequently and Swanworth (the developer) is always on the forum to answer questions, listen to feedback and help players with the game which is really encouraging to see!

The game is very early access so there are some teething problems here and there, I've ran into a few bugs but nothing game breaking (and as mentioned the developer is super responsive in squashing bugs).
I do think the game could benefit from some balance tweaking in a few areas as farming, paintings, artisan goods, jewels from the mines etc sell for very little in comparison to fish.

It can sometimes be a little confusing trying to figure out how things work and what is needed for what, so some in-game clarity would probably be handy for players.

It's pretty easy to get started and get going, which is fantastic as some games can be a little tedious in the beginning, however, I think it's a little too easy at times and in some areas at the moment but again that's a personal preference and this isn't supposed to be unnecessarily challenging.

Combat in the mines is a little unreliable as there's not any way to see the enemies health or a noticeable hitbox and range, especially vertically, so I sometimes find myself taking hits or not landing a hit.

I'd love to see whether or not we do get seasons in the game (there are weather events currently but no seasons as of right now) and if festivals will make an appearance in the future, it'd be so cute to have something like an Edwardian equivalent of the Great British Bake Off!
I'd absolutely love to see if pets (possibly even mounts & horses) will be added, a cat or dog curled up by the fireplace? Please! (Speaking of which, keeping my fingers crossed for the ability to name our farm animals, even though they're looked after by the Dr.)

With all that being said, I'm already really excited to see where this beauty heads in the future and how it develops. There's already a future update planned and a roadmap so there's lots to look forward to.

As a Brit who adores the countryside and loves history I had a gut feeling that this would very quickly become one of my favourites of this year and I'm so glad it's been released and it definitely does not disappoint. It truly is a wonderful little game (that has definitely already captured my heart and I've sunk many hours into it, I love it!) with so much promise and potential for the future so please give it a go if you're interested in cosy games that are nestled in a historical inspired world!