Cropdeck is a great, chill farming roguelite

With the prevalence of farming games these days, it's easy to picture a roguelite about tending your own field. But while there are a few games that have that premise, it's hard to imagine one that would seem interesting long-term.

Well, Cropdeck may not be the first farming roguelite, but it’s definitely the one that’s kept my attention the longest. The idea of Cropdeck is extremely simple: You live in a society. Your landlord needs rent and taxes. You’re a farmer. Make some money. 

To do that, you’ll need to select a field from the – say it with me – Slay the Spire-like map. You’ll then get teleported to a grid, which can be vast, cramped, filled with plots, or bisected by a river. All of those things impact what you’ll do next, as will the magical scarecrows (essentially Cropdeck’s versions of Balatro’s Jokers) you bring in with you.

When you arrive at your field, you’ll be given a tax goal – some levels will require you to hit multiple thresholds over time – and a forecast. You’ll then draw your hand from the starter deck you selected and get to work. You need three things to grow crops in Cropdeck: an empty grid on the field, water, and time. Most plots – the individual grid pieces on each map – start with grass on them when you first start a map, so you’ll need to use something like a hoe card to clear it first. Then you’ll be able to plant whatever you want to grow.