Stardew Valley's Monster-Mash Cousin Sets New Release Date

Indie studio Perfect Garbage delayed its upcoming horror-themed farm-sim Grave Seasons from its original August release date to an indefinite one, but things are back on track now. During the Cozy After Dark showcase on Monday, Perfect Garbage announced Grave Seasons' new release date and gave a little look at what autumn looks like and how progression works.

Grave Seasons, now coming out March 9, 2027, is story-driven, rather than goal-driven. Each of its main tales centers on a single supernatural serial killer in the small village that you, a recently released convict, quietly relocate to after leaving prison. Your quest to stop them (if you want to) unfolds across one in-game year. When year's end rolls around, that's it — for the story of that particular monster, anyway. You can come back to town for another round of murders (yay?), and, thankfully, all your farm and decoration progress carries over.

Which is nice, as narrative director Emmett Nahil showed off a complete set of gothic farmhouse furniture. It's all plush red cushions, deep purple wallpaper, heavy lampshades — very atmospheric. Lestat de Lioncourt would approve. The exterior was suitably moody as well, with its wine-red paint and dark wooden detailing, and the inclusion of a few well-placed trailing plants is a nice touch. The customization extends to any building you put your hand. Nahil showed a brief look at a light and airy chicken coop bedecked with draping vines and strands of lights.

With each story segment lasting just one in-game year, Nahil said they wanted to make every season feel distinct. It looks like Perfect Garbage succeeded, judging from how autumn looks. The trees celebrate the year's closure with their finest foliage, rendered in rich earthy tones, while mushrooms sprout up in the woods, and your fields are full of autumnal bounties. And detached eyeballs, apparently. Nahil's farmer dug up a rogue eyeball while tilling the field, presumably placed there by someone else. The radishes look appetizing, at least.

Anyway, there's a selection of deadly herbs to pick during fall — for only the purest and noblest reasons, surely — and the Nocturne Faire, a special festival to honor the declining year. It's got mulled wine and cider stalls, and a kiosk selling an unsettling type of straw doll.

Nahil and Perfect Garbage co-founder Son M previously told Polygon all this is in aid of pushing cozy gaming's boundaries, turning accepted norms upside down and making the darker side of life a bit less intimidating in the process.

When Grave Seasons launches on March 9, it'll be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.