Lazy Bear Games recently released a new game to add to their portfolio, Graveyard Keeper. With many associated tags, this game tackles a sandbox, simulation and RPG game style while maintaining the indie label. Jumping in to a graveyard has never been more fun.
From a first appearance standpoint, Graveyard Keeper is a lot like Stardew Valley, which is good! This game could easily be put on to the Switch since there are at least 30 hours of play time. Luckily, players can take their time at their own pace. Those that choose to play as fast as possible may become somewhat frustrated however, due to the constant crafting and progression that the game demands.
In this world, you are a business owner. That is, in the sense that, you have a graveyard business and want to do well at it. And the fact you might have been forced to do it. Because you might already be dead. Moral dilemmas will be put in the way with almost every choice. For example, why put in so much effort to help out the local villagers with getting burger meat for their event versus using what you already have laying around (people)?
Through the entire game, there will be a lot of crafting. In the general sense, you must craft one item to get to the next one and so forth. The mechanics are actually quite easy to follow. Inventory and everything else is presented like a progression tree too and easy to follow. Conversation between characters can be funny and ridiculous which provides a much needed break after plowing the fields and working all day. Plus, as a business owner of the dead variety, you are obligated to explore dungeons too! That’s always a fun bonus.
Overall, the game is easy to follow and not scary to me. There is however a cautionary statement before purchasing the game for $19.99 USD. The plot itself could have been a little deeper, but the game looks great, patches are fixing the small errors in the game and it’s a management game that will keep you busy for quite a while. So that’s a win for me.
8/10
Available on: PC and Xbox
