Honogurashi no Niwa, a cozy but spooky new farming sim announced for launch in Japan back in July 2025, is coming to the west this Fall as Village in the Shade, developer Nippon Ichi has revealed.
The western announcement trailer for Village in the Shade explores a hand-painted and exceptionally cozy Japanese mountain settlement called Kagatsu with fields ripe for the sowing. Nippon Ichi says you'll plant crops, customize your pad, and get to know a variety of "intriguing characters."
"Relax by the brook, watch the cherry blossoms with your neighbours, or take a stroll through town," reads the official description. "With so many ways to relax, you're sure to feel right at home."
Sounds great... but is it too good to be true? That seems to be the case, as at the very end of the trailer things take a seemingly dark turn when a character wanders outside at night and encounters some sort of evil-looking entity.
The press release warns players to "discover the truth about Kagatsu at your own risk, or follow the rules and keep from seeing a part of the village you don't want to."
I am attracted to these intersections of cozy and spooky like moths to a flame, and I've no doubt I'll be enticed to uncover Kagatsu's dark secrets and then immediately regret it. Still, that's exactly why Dredge is one of my favorite indie games of all time; it presents such a massive spectrum of experiences in an aesthetically irresistible environment, and I'm looking forward to experiencing that contrast in Village in the Shade.
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