I've had my eye on this pixel-perfect blend of Stardew Valley and Sailor Moon for over a year, and it's getting a Steam Next Fest demo to keep the cozy vibes coming

Fields of Mistria screenshot showing a smiling girl with long blonde hair and a pale blue wintery dress coat — (Image credit: NPC Studio)

Fantasy life sim Fields of Mistria is getting a Steam Next Fest demo tomorrow, allowing us to try our hands at exploring, farming, fishing, magic, and more early.

With hundreds of hours in Stardew Valley and a love for all things magical girl-related, I've had my eye on Fields of Mistria since its debut during last year's Wholesome Direct. The whimsical indie gem blends all of the core cozy game mechanics familiar to veterans of the genre with a magical witchy world - you can craft, farm, fish, mine, raise animals, and romance one of 12 quirky marriage candidates, all while practicing magic. Developer NPC Studio calls the upcoming sim a "spiritual successor" to games like Harvest Moon from the 90s, and it's not hard to see why.

Fields of Mistria is set to release in early access on August 5, but we won't have to wait that long to experience its charming pixel-perfect village. In a post on Twitter earlier today, NPC Studio revealed that an hour-long free Steam Next Fest demo is underway - available from June 5 to June 17. The demo includes the first three in-game days of the sim, albeit "with some alterations" that the dev says are in place so that "you can experience more of what Mistria has to offer." Unfortunately, these alterations also come with a caveat.

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Following a fan's question regarding demo save files and whether or not progress will carry over to the full early access release come August, NPC Studio clarifies that caveat: "Due to the alterations made to the demo that will allow players to experience more content in the first three days, save data will not be carried over to EA." In other words, make the most of the Steam Next Fest demo while you can - but expect to start fresh later this summer. It's a fair trade-off in my opinion if it means that I get to traverse Fields of Mistria's idyllic world as early as tomorrow.

Can't wait for the cozy game to drop? Check out the best farming games around right now.

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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.