Ova Magica is a single-player game that combines the farming and monster taming genre with life sim elements. It draws inspiration from games such as Stardew Valley, Slime Rancher, Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, Pokémon, Grandia, Jade Cocoon, and Azure Dream.
The game began as a Kickstarter project on January 27 and in under a week has already raised over €100,000. People have already claimed the top prize, pledging over €2,000 or more.
Ova Magica looks very promising, and the developer has already confirmed a tonne of exciting features.
Farming
If you have ever played Stardew Valley, this will feel similar. Your mother has moved away for work, and you move into your childhood town. There happens to be an overgrown piece of land, and you are given so you can turn it into your dream farm. Lucky you!
You can grow many conventional crops in Ova Magica which you have probably become accustomed to from different farming games; crops, berries, fruit trees, mushrooms from other dimensions. After harvesting, you can cook food with your ingredients or sell them at the local market in Clover Town.
Crafting
Obviously, to build the farm of your dreams, you’re going to need to craft tools and collect resources. You can harvest resources with an axe, shovel or pickaxe to create equipment, machinery and decorations.
In order to create the items you require, you will need a workbench and a way to know how to make the items. You’ll acquire blueprints throughout your adventures, which will help you craft items that can make your life easier, such as a furnace or a juicer.
You can also customise the interior of your home as well as the farm. Using resources, you can build furniture and decorate it the way you want it.
Blobs
Blobs are the key ingredient to differentiate Ova Magica from Stardew Valley. They hatch from eggs, and even though I am not sold on their name, they look incredible.
Blobs come in all different colours, designs, and 3 types; Forest, Storm or Magma. Not long after you arrive in Clover Town, you are awarded one of three starter blobs, and an invitation into the local Blob league.
The food you cook can be given to your Blobs to make them stronger, and some blobs even have the ability to help you with crafting. They also love attention so you will have to play with them often to deepen your bond.
Battling
As previously mentioned, you will join the local Blob league after arriving in Clover Town. This will result in you having to put your Blobs to work and battle. It isn’t your average turn-based battle system either. In Ova Magica, there is an Active Time Battle System that lets you send out between one and three blobs into battle simultaneously. Blobs move forward on the action bar, and when it reaches the end, it is their turn. However, there is a catch. If a Blob takes damage, it is pushed back in the action bar. So you will have to wait longer for that Blob to take their turn.
If you are interested in seeing more of the battle system you can check out the video here.
What else can Blobs do?
Blobs also have abilities that can be used outside of battle. They can help with crafting, farming, mining, catching bugs, fishing and more! Some Blobs can even produce items or help produce special crops.
As your blobs become more powerful, you can ask them to perform scheduled tasks so that you don’t have to do it yourself. But this comes at a cost as overworking your Blobs and not feeding them is a recipe for disaster.
Breeding
You can also breed your own Blobs after you build a Blob Barn. If you keep your Blobs well fed and happy during the process, the child will come out the other side stronger.
You don’t need to breed the same Blobs together, and, in fact, they can be crossbred. This will result in you having a completely unique Blob. By feeding your Blobs specific foods during the process will also result in different genetic traits. There are countless combinations to discover!
Romance
In Clover Town, there are numerous people you can interact with. You can converse with them, give gifts, and battle with them to increase your friendship. Hitting certain milestones will allow you to complete unique events and quests, and hitting the highest level of friendship will open up a new opportunity; stay friends or deepen your relationship.
Completing romantic activities can make characters fall in love with you. Thankfully, same-gender relationships are possible too. The Ova Magica Kickstarter page states, “No matter who takes your fancy, and no matter whether you choose to play as a boy or girl, there are no limits to love in Ova Magica! Whatever your preference, Ova Magica will give you equal importance.”
Activities and Clover Town
There are countless activities in Clover Town, so you’ll never be bored. You can fish, catch bugs, mine some ore or compete in Blob League tournaments. In Clover Town, there will also be several unique festivals to celebrate each season. Rewards will be available for those who help set up so it would be in your best interest to get involved.
Community plays a pivotal role in Clover Town’s society. As you develop your farm, the more you give, the more you will receive. Over time you will unlock new areas, plots of land, and building schematics. Make sure you talk to other residents on how you can help as this will unlock even more things for you, and open up new questlines.
Expedition
Going on Expeditions is a sure-fire way to find rare Blob eggs, legendary items, and rare crafting materials. You can summon portals to reach the Blob worlds by placing a specific item on the altar.
Blobs worlds are procedurally generated, changing every time you enter. So you will never know what will be around the next corner. If you manage to get to the end, it is not all sunshine and rainbows! You’ll have to defeat a strong emperor Blob to reap the treasures of your raid.
Ova Magica Pre Order
Ova Magica will feature a limited physical copy release that you can only receive by pledging on the Kickstarter campaign. The “first Harvest” edition will come with exclusive bonus content and a digital key, so you won’t have to wait for it to be shipped.
If you are interested in Ova Magica, you can check it out on Kickstarter. There are plenty of different tiers to put your money into, while you look forward to the game’s release date of May 2022.