Let’s farm with Orchard

Last January 19, 2009, Boomzap announced that their PC casual game Orchard has just been released on Big Fish Games. Orchard is Boomzap’s first farming sim game, and their publisher Majesco Entertainment’s first PC casual title. You can download a free trial of Orchard from Big Fish Games; the full version costs $19.99

I was able to play the full copy of the game and was, in general, happy with it.

Basically, you play as an office girl who received a letter from your grand uncle stating that you just inherited an orchard and that he would like to train you on the daily grind of being a farm girl.

Your grand uncle

So your granduncle would instruct you on how to build a farm and sell different products. Note that your granduncle is a Caucasian. I’ll show you the importance of that information later.

Aunt Ella

You will also get help from your Aunt Ella, who seems to be too willing to help, but basing on her looks and fake smile, you know that there is an ill-will. Don’t you find it odd that you’re the heir for the orchard of your granduncle, and not his son or daughter?

Uncle Charles

There is also Uncle Charles, the family lawyer, who seems to be too concerned on the daily earnings of ‘your’ orchard. You may also notice how he looks at you. He’s either a dirty old man or he has some devious plans on how to take the orchard from you. He is also in charge of helping you in advertising.

Uncle Jesse

Uncle Jesse, an African-American, is the one that provides supplies for a price. As you buy supplies from him, you will notice his overpriced products. $1 for a piece of wood? $10 for a bag of sugar? $50 for a bag of flour?

Uncle Oscar

In charge of upgrading your equipment is Uncle Oscar, who is of Asian descent. He would be the one to improve the speed of production in your orchard.

Notice that your granduncle has 2 Caucasian offspring, 1 African-American, and 1 Asian. Boy, your Granduncle sure was a playboy.

Start plowing!

At first you’re alone in your farm and you would have to do everything from cultivating the land, planting seeds, harvesting, chopping of wood, and building houses. But don’t worry; you’ll have help soon enough.

Blonde builders

Meet the three helpers that you can hire. The African-American girl has 4 sisters who can also help you. They specialize in farming. The blond chick specializes in buildings and also has 4 sisters who look like her. And the dude is a woodcutter, who, as you guess, has 4 brothers. I’m not sure why the designers picked the African-American girl to be the best in farming. And the blond is a Civil Engineer!

Woodcutters

So Orchard, the supposed farm simulation game, turns out to be something more. I suppose we can expect Orchard 2 would start with the murder of the previous character and you must find out who is the culprit? Is it the gold-digging Aunt Ella, who got tired of minding the store? Is it the Lawyer/Accountant/Advertiser Uncle Charles who got tired of reporting to you Granduncle on how business is slow with you at the reins? Or is it Uncle Oscar, finally succeeding in sabotaging your equipment with his supposed ‘upgrades’? Well, I suggest you play the game and tell us who you think would most likely murder our heroine.