While 20 minutes wasn’t quite enough time to fully grasp Grave Seasons, I’m already intrigued. And I didn’t expect to be. The repeatable loop of farming sims like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing and the rest never really hooked me. However, chasing down a mysterious killer? While harvesting carrots? With a possible supernatural threat? I’d sink time in that loop.

The game starts with you taking ownership of a rundown farm (and homestead) where it’s up to you to get the farm running again while befriending the neighboring residents. A few days into your farming ‘journey’ (clearing land, tilling soil, planting seeds, etc.), the mayor is gruesomely killed and your character decides to figure out who’s responsible. There’s also a sinister-looking machine in your basement, but one thing at a time.

While you don’t see who killed the mayor (or how), I was told that subsequent killings are more graphic, gruesome and, well, shown on-screen. There is a limit to the gore when it’s in this cozy pixel style, however. Players can expect to see more victims if they fail to get closer to finding the culprit.

One of the more intriguing parts of Grave Seasons is that there’s no single, predetermined murderer. That doesn’t mean it’s procedurally generated: Developer Perfect Garbage created many “bespoke written campaigns,” which each end with a different resident as the killer. While not every single character can be a murderer, whoever you are romancing (of course, there’s a romance mechanic) could turn out to be the murderer, which is a risky twist on finding love.

In-game characters run the gamut from tried-and-tested tropes (Hari the beefy farm-hand) to the more esoteric and mystical — hey, there’s Dante, the village fortune teller! Each character has their own likes and dislikes, which should help your investigation into finding the truth.

As you’d expect from a game that’s part farming sim, the protagonist comes equipped with a shovel and other agrarian tools, including a crowbar. This can be used to break into your cozy village’s homes and facilities, but there are repercussions if caught. That’s both if you’re spotted committing the act or if someone is inside the building when you step into it. It’s an easy way to destroy a friendship, and may even get someone killed.

Grave Seasons will launch on Xbox Series X/S, Steam, PS5 and Switch 2 on August 14.