Indie dev thought his horror game that turns Stardew Valley on its head would earn 100k Steam wishlists in a year, but cleared it in 22 days: "I'm absolutely floored"

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We Harvest Shadows is "a first-person farming horror allegory"

We Harvest Shadows screenshot showing a first-person view of someone watering their crops out on a farm's fields
(Image credit: David Wehle)

We Harvest Shadows is a farming sim of sorts, but it's nothing like Stardew Valley - and its unique dip into horror has already netted thousands of fans, much to developer David Wehle's delight.

The game boasts over 100 thousand wishlists already, and it hit the impressive milestone less than a month after its debut on Steam. In a recent post, solo dev Wehle celebrates We Harvest Shadows' growing community while explaining that it took him completely by surprise: "My pie-in-the-sky goal was 100k wishlists for We Harvest Shadows over the course of a year, and it happened in 22 days."

Wehle thanks fans, saying that he's "absolutely floored by the excitement and love." It isn't all that hard to see why We Harvest Shadows is so popular though - there are plenty of farming games like Stardew Valley to play around right now, but there's nothing quite like Wehle's upcoming title just yet. Described by the dev as a "first-person farming horror allegory," We Harvest Shadows features more than the cozy gameplay loop typical of the farm sim genre.

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Players do indeed have an abandoned farm to build up and oversee, with crops and livestock to tend to, but that's not all - they also have to wrangle with the night. While most farming games enforce a strict bedtime, We Harvest Shadows opts to instead pit its protagonist against lonely nights - and what might be lurking after dark. There aren't any jump scares, however, as the game opts for a more slow-burn, psychological approach to horror.

Wehle details "taking inspiration both from slow-burn P.T.-style psychological horror games and Edith Finch-style personal first-person titles" during development, making for a more atmospheric and story-heavy take on the horror genre. While I don't usually dabble in spooky games myself, We Harvest Shadows' one-of-a-kind blend of the relaxing farming sim loop I do love with something a little different has convinced me to join the other 100 thousand wishlisters. 

Can't get enough of virtual rural life? Check out the best farming games around.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.