About the Game
Mystic Valley is a 2D farming simulation game with a deep magic system at its core. Inspired by the cozy gameplay of Stardew Valley, the magical farming of Rune Factory, and the moral choices of Fable, this game lets your magical decisions fundamentally change how the world develops around you.
You awaken in a crystal cave with no memory except a vague sense that magic is missing from everything. As the only person capable of channeling magic in a dying world, will you use your powers to nurture life back into the valley, or will you bend it to your will?
🔮 The Four Schools of Magic
🌿 Growth Magic
Nurture plants, accelerate crop growth, and bring life to barren soil. Master spells from Bloom to Eden's Garden.
💎 Crystal Magic
Manipulate minerals, create magical constructs, and harness the power of gems. Progress from Spring to Reality Anchor.
🔥 Fire Magic
Command heat and flame for clearing land, crafting, and combat. Begin with Flair and master Phoenix Rebirth.
🌙 Shadow Magic
Control darkness, move unseen, and influence minds. Start with Crumble and ascend to Eternal Night.
✅ Completed Features
💚 Health & Mana
Professional UI with animated bars, regeneration, and event system
📅 6-Day Calendar
Unique Sun-Fri weeks, 30-day seasons, day/night cycle
🎒 Inventory System
21 items + 9 equipment + 13 body slots (UI in progress)
🚪 Scene System
Smooth transitions, spawn points, camera persistence
🤖 NPC Design
Complex characters with hidden storylines
🌅 Day/Night Cycle
Visual tinting system that actually works
🚧 Current Development Status
Development Started: July 21, 2025
Current Week: Week 7 of development
Active Work: Fixing inventory sprite display, implementing Crumble spell visuals
Known Issues Being Fixed
- 🐛 Inventory sprites not displaying properly
- 🐛 Item stacking bugs
- 🐛 Crops disappearing when harvested
- 🐛 Crumble spell needs visual effects
Development Timeline
Week 7 of ~32 weeks to alpha
Target Alpha Release: March 2026
Expected Alpha Features: Basic farming with magic, 4-6 crops, 2-3 NPCs, save/load system, 30-60 minutes of gameplay
Development Approach: Part-time development (~20 hours/week) while working full-time as a cloud engineer
Release Platform: To be determined
🎮 What Makes Mystic Valley Special
🪄 Everything is Magic
No tools, no weapons - every action from tilling soil to fighting monsters is performed through spellcasting. Your mana is your most precious resource.
⚖️ Choices Matter
Your magical alignment affects NPC relationships, available quests, town development, and even the visual appearance of your surroundings.
📖 Memory-Driven Story
Discover memory crystals to unlock new spells and piece together why magic disappeared from the world - and your role in its return.
🏛️ Living World
NPCs with hidden dark storylines, a unique 6-day week calendar, seasons that affect gameplay, and a village that evolves based on your choices.
🚀 Development Roadmap
September-October 2025
- ✨ Fix current bugs and get inventory working
- 🌱 Complete basic farming loop
- 🎯 Implement Crumble and Bloom spells with visuals
- 💾 Basic save/load system
November-December 2025
- 👤 Add 2-3 functional NPCs with dialogue
- 🏪 Basic shop system
- ⚔️ Simple combat with slimes
- 🌾 Expand to 6-8 crop types
January-February 2026
- 🎮 Tutorial and onboarding
- 🐛 Comprehensive bug fixing
- ⚡ Performance optimization
- 📝 Prepare for alpha testing
March 2026 - Alpha Release
Alpha release with core farming gameplay, basic NPCs, and 30-60 minutes of content. Post-alpha development will continue based on player feedback.
👨💻 About the Developer
My journey to game development has been anything but traditional. I started as an oil painter at 16, creating hybrid works with digital painting and traditional oils layered on top. By 24, I was managing an entire datacenter as the sole administrator – a far cry from the art studio, but the problem-solving appealed to the same creative part of my brain.
After years as a systems and cloud engineer, I found myself at 29 missing the artistic side of my life. When I shared a game story idea with coworkers – what would become Mystic Valley – they encouraged me to pursue game development as a hobby. That was July 21st, 2025.
By day, I work as a cloud network engineer. By night and weekends, I pour everything into Mystic Valley. No tutorials, no practice projects – I jumped straight into building the game I've always wanted to play. Growing up with Harvest Moon and losing countless college hours to Skyrim's endless storylines, then discovering Stardew Valley as an adult, I knew exactly what kind of experience I wanted to create.
I'm dyslexic, which makes me rely heavily on technology to express my thoughts clearly. Being behind a screen gives me confidence I don't always feel in person. This is a solo project because Mystic Valley is fundamentally the game I've always wanted – if others enjoy it too, that's wonderful, but I'm building this world for myself first.
Development Started: July 21, 2025
Current Status: Week 7 - Core systems built, working on content
Target Alpha: March 2026
Development Style: Part-time, learning as I go, avoiding burnout
Follow development updates on itch.io