Ancient Farm is a cosy farming and building game available on Steam, where you begin with very little and slowly start creating your own peaceful farm life. I received access to Ancient Farm through Keymailer, and this guide is based on my first tutorial playthrough and early impressions.
From the opening tutorial, Ancient Farm feels gentle, pretty, and beginner-friendly. You gather materials, craft tools, grow crops, construct buildings, and slowly build up your farm. It does not feel like a stressful survival game. There is no obvious food bar, no enemy threat, and nothing trying to ruin your peaceful farming day. Instead, the focus is on gathering, crafting, farming, trading, and expanding your little homestead at your own pace.
Starting Out in Ancient Farm
The beginning of Ancient Farm introduces you to the basic controls and quest system.
Your current quests appear on the side of the screen, which helps guide you through the tutorial. This is useful because the game gives you clear instructions on what to do next, especially when you are learning where everything is and how the crafting system works.
The basic controls are straightforward:
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| W, A, S, D | Move your character |
| I | Open inventory |
| Esc | Exit menus |
| Right mouse button | Move or adjust items |
| Number keys | Select items from the hotbar |
| E | Interact or add resources |
| F3 | Slow down time |
| F4 | Speed up time |
The tutorial does quite a bit of hand-holding, but honestly, that is not always a bad thing. For a new farming game, especially one with crafting, building, crops, merchants, and resources, a clear tutorial makes it much easier to settle in.
Building Your First Workshop
One of the first major tasks is building your workshop.
To start building, you need to equip your hammer. Once you have the hammer selected, you can place the foundation for your workshop in the marked location. The game shows you where to build, which makes the early tutorial simple to follow.
After placing the workshop foundation, you need to gather basic resources from the ground.
| Resource | Where to Find It |
|---|---|
| Sticks | Pick them up from the ground |
| Stones | Pick them up from the ground |
Once you have collected enough resources, take them to the front of the building foundation and press E. This adds your resources to the structure. You can keep adding materials until the building is complete.
The workshop is important because it unlocks the ability to craft your early tools.
Watch Your Carry Weight
One thing to be aware of early on is your carry weight.
Your inventory has a weight limit, and you can see this in the bottom corner of the inventory screen. In the tutorial, the carry weight limit is 1500, and collected items add to that total.
This becomes especially important when collecting water. The water bucket can add weight quickly, and if you keep gathering more and more water, you can end up over-encumbered. If that happens, your movement becomes restricted.
Beginner tip:
Do not collect too much water or too many heavy resources at once. Keep an eye on your inventory weight so you do not accidentally slow yourself down.
Crafting Your First Tools
Once your workshop is built, you can start crafting tools.
The workshop contains the tools you need to progress through the tutorial. As you unlock more tasks, you will need to craft different tools for farming, gathering, and building.
Some of the early tools include:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Sickle | Clears grass |
| Hoe | Prepares farming ground |
| Water bucket | Collects water |
| Clay scoop | Collects and transports clay |
| Water jug | Waters crops |
| Axe | Chops trees and gathers wood |
| Pickaxe | Breaks stone |
One nice feature is that once you craft a tool, you do not have to stay inside the workshop. You can craft it and then head straight back out to continue your task.
Clearing Your First Field
After building the workshop, the tutorial sends you to a marked field area.
This is where you begin preparing your first farming plot. You will need to clear the area by removing grass and gathering useful resources. The sickle is used to clear grass, and the hoe is then used to prepare the soil.
The farming process in the tutorial is simple:
- Go to the marked field.
- Clear the grass.
- Craft a hoe.
- Prepare the ground.
- Collect water.
- Craft the correct watering item.
- Water your crops.
- Wait for them to grow.
- Harvest them.
The tutorial does a good job of gradually introducing these steps, even if some parts feel a little slow.
Watering Crops
Watering is slightly more involved than just filling a bucket.
At first, you collect water with a bucket, but the tutorial then asks you to craft a clay scoop and later a water jug. Once you have the water jug, you can finally water your crops properly.
It is a little funny because you may find yourself wondering why the bucket alone was not enough. However, this does introduce the crafting chain and shows how Ancient Farm uses different tools for different tasks.
When waiting for crops to grow, you can use the time controls:
| Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| F3 | Slows time down |
| F4 | Speeds time up |
This is useful because crop growth can take a while during the tutorial. Speeding up time helps move things along without just standing around waiting.
How to Find Quest Locations
If you are struggling to find where the game wants you to go, look for the beams of light in the sky.
These beams mark important quest locations. This is very helpful because some tutorial areas are not immediately obvious when you are first learning the map.
Beginner tip:
If you feel lost, stop running around and look up. The light beams are your best friend during the tutorial.
Building the Carpentry Station
After harvesting your first crops, the tutorial introduces more building.
You will need to craft an axe and gather wood. Then you can use the builder’s hammer to place the foundation for the carpentry station.
The carpentry station allows you to make planks, which are needed for future buildings.
To make planks:
- Gather wood.
- Go to the carpentry station.
- Press E to use it.
- The planks are added to your inventory.
This part of the tutorial introduces one of Ancient Farm’s main progression loops: gather raw materials, process them into useful building materials, and then use those materials to expand your farm.
Building With Stone
After learning how to make planks, the tutorial moves on to stone.
You will need to craft a pickaxe and use it to gather stone. This then feeds into building and crafting systems, including stone blocks and larger structures.
This creates a nice sense of progression because you start with simple resources like sticks and stones, then gradually move into crafted materials like planks and stone blocks.
The Merchant in Ancient Farm
The merchant is one of the more interesting early systems.
The merchant arrives at the dock at the beginning of each season and stays for four cycles before leaving. You can buy and sell items through the merchant panel, and there are seasonal promotions where three products are highlighted.
The merchant system also seems to include price changes. If you do not sell a certain product for several seasons, its price can increase. Selling larger quantities of products can also affect prices. This is a nice touch because it makes the economy feel more active and less static.
What to Buy First
During the tutorial, you receive a good amount of starting money. It is very tempting to buy exciting things straight away.
For example, animals may appear in the merchant’s shop. And yes, buying a pig is very tempting.
However, I would not recommend buying animals too early unless the tutorial specifically asks you to. In my playthrough, I bought a pig too soon and then realised I needed money for an important house blueprint. I had to sell items back to afford what I actually needed.
Beginner tip:
Do not spend all your money at the merchant too early. Prioritise seeds, blueprints, and tutorial-required items before buying animals.
Buying Seeds
Seeds are a useful early purchase from the merchant.
Wheat is one of the crops introduced early, but you may also be able to buy other seeds depending on what the merchant has available. Buying a few different seeds can help you start building up your farm production.
However, because the tutorial may require specific purchases later, it is sensible to keep some money aside.
Building Your First House
One of the larger early buildings is your house.
To build some larger structures, you need blueprints. These can be found in the merchant’s Other tab. Once you have the correct blueprint, you can place the house foundation and add the required resources.
The house itself is lovely. One thing I really liked is that it already has furniture inside. For players who enjoy building and decorating, this may feel simple, but for a farming game, I actually liked that the house was already furnished. It gives you a cosy space without making you decorate everything from scratch.
Inside the house, you can find things like:
| Item | Possible Use |
|---|---|
| Bread maker | Cooking bread |
| Cooking area | Preparing food or meat |
| Furnishings | Makes the house feel lived in |
This helps the game feel more homely, even in the early stages.
What I Liked About Ancient Farm
There were several things I enjoyed during my first playthrough.
The World Is Pretty
Ancient Farm has a really attractive world. There are birds in the sky, moving scenery, and a peaceful countryside feel. It is the sort of game where you can stop for a moment and just look around.
It Runs Smoothly
The game ran smoothly during my playthrough. For a farming and building game, that matters because gathering, crafting, and moving around need to feel comfortable.
The Tutorial Is Clear
The tutorial is detailed and easy to follow. It does spoon-feed you a little, but for a first playthrough, that can be helpful. You are not thrown into the world with no idea what to do.
It Feels Relaxed
This does not feel like a stressful survival game. There are no enemies attacking you, no hunger meter looming over your head, and no immediate danger. It feels more like a slow, cosy farming experience.
The Farming Loop Is Easy to Understand
Gather resources, craft tools, build structures, grow crops, and unlock more things. The gameplay loop is familiar but satisfying.
What Could Be Improved
Although I enjoyed Ancient Farm, there are a few areas I would like to see developed further.
The World Feels a Bit Empty Early On
The biggest thing I noticed is that the world can feel slightly lonely at the start. There are merchants and signs of life, but I would love to see more people living nearby or eventually joining the settlement.
It would be lovely if the farm slowly developed into more of a village or community. That may already happen later in the game, but from the early tutorial, I wanted a little more life around me.
Some Tutorial Steps Feel Slow
The tutorial is helpful, but some steps take a while. Crop growing, resource gathering, and crafting chains can feel a little slow during the opening section. Being able to speed up time helps, but some players may find the early pace quite gentle.
The Music Can Feel Dramatic
Most of the soundtrack fits the cosy farming atmosphere, but there was one moment where the music became surprisingly dramatic. It made it feel like something intense was about to happen, even though I was just farming and gathering resources.
Not a major issue, but it did make me laugh.
Ancient Farm Beginner Tips
Here are my biggest beginner tips after playing through the opening tutorial.
| Tip | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Watch your carry weight | Too many heavy items can slow you down |
| Look for beams of light | These show quest locations |
| Do not buy animals too early | You may need money for blueprints |
| Keep money aside | Tutorial buildings may require important purchases |
| Use F4 to speed up time | Helpful when waiting for crops |
| Build the workshop first | It unlocks early tools |
| Gather sticks and stones often | These are needed for building |
| Follow the quest list | It keeps the tutorial moving |
| Check the merchant’s Other tab | Blueprints can be found there |
| Do not panic if you make a mistake | You can sell items back if needed |
Is Ancient Farm Worth Playing?
Based on my first playthrough, I would say Ancient Farm is worth trying if you enjoy relaxed farming games with crafting and building.
It is not a chaotic survival game. It is not trying to overwhelm you. Instead, it gives you a peaceful world, a clear tutorial, and a slow build-up from basic tools to larger buildings.
I would especially recommend it for players who enjoy:
| You May Like Ancient Farm If You Enjoy… |
|---|
| Cosy farming games |
| Crafting and gathering |
| Building up a farm from scratch |
| Simple tutorial progression |
| Peaceful gameplay |
| Seasonal merchants and trading |
| Games without constant danger or survival pressure |
At the moment, my early score is 7 out of 10. That may change as I play more, but from the opening tutorial, Ancient Farm feels promising, pretty, and easy to settle into.
Final Thoughts
Ancient Farm makes a good first impression as a cosy farming and building game. The tutorial is clear, the world is pretty, and the gameplay is easy to understand. I enjoyed gathering resources, crafting tools, building my first workshop, growing crops, and slowly expanding the farm.
There are a few things I would like to see more of, especially more characters or signs of community, because the world can feel a little empty early on. However, the core farming and crafting loop is enjoyable, and the relaxed pace makes it a nice choice for cosy game fans.
If you are looking for a calm farming game where you can gather, craft, build, and grow your farm at your own pace, Ancient Farm is one to watch.
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