Published Jun 17, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT
Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.
You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias.
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Genre and title mashups are thriving on Steam. Many concepts start by combining two disparate ideas, then forming them into something original. Stardew Valley was famously crafted because of creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's love for the Harvest Moon series, after fans had been clamoring for more for years.
However, since then, the farming simulation genre has grown considerably. The hard work of ConcernedApe paid off, as many others like them were inspired in the years since its release back in 2016. Time really flies, as it's been a decade since its release, and hundreds of games have spawned out of its success.
In fact, you can enjoy one of those titles for free on Steam right now, which manages to combine Bloodborne and Stardew Valley in a unique way.
Developed by Chris Cote and published by Kwalee, Elderfield is described as a "cozy horror" game where you explore the titular Elderfield and uncover the horrors within. It features "lofi soundscapes" to set the mood, and offers life-sim RPG elements, as well as a classic farming mechanic with a twist.
Here's the breakdown from the studio: "Welcome to Elderfield, a cozy horror RPG with hand-drawn art and dark lofi music. Manage your farm, befriend or romance the locals, investigate mysteries, decorate your home, fight terrifying creatures, fish, cook, seek the Old Gods, die in your sleep, and more... There's lots to do in Elderfield!."
This time you'll need to grow and harvest crops while staving off tentacles and taking care of "otherworldly livestock." The art style is cute, but also very unsettling, so I'd say they nailed the vibe.
It's slated for "2026," with no release window in sight at the moment, but it does have a free demo available if you want to try it out right now.
The whole "darkside of farming" angle has been getting really popular in recent years. Harvest Shadows manages to mix Resident Evil with farming simulators, asking players to fix up their house while exploring a haunted plot of land. Grave Seasons has been getting a lot of traction (I was able to try out a demo for it at Summer Game Fest last year, and it had a lot of potential), given that it features a narrative involving a serial killer while...you guessed it...managing a farm.
Stardew Valley created an entire literal cottage industry of this genre, and it's great to see developers and studios alike innovating and trying new things. But by the time 2026 comes to a close, we'll have even more entries to choose from, especially on platforms like Steam.
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