Graveyard Keeper came out a few years before everyone started using the word “cozy” for farm sims, but it still gets brought up as a recommendation for Stardew-enjoyers looking for something new. The klaxons sounded with a Graveyard Keeper 2 announcement and now I’m trying to find out if the original is worth going back for.
Grace Dean
I missed Graveyard Keeper when it first launched back in 2018, which is surprising because my love of sims dates back to the ’90s. Undoubtedly, I was still deep into my Stardew Valley obsession at the time—and there’s a surprising amount of similarities between the two. Playing Graveyard Keeper has reignited my love of 2D sims, though, like my character, I’m still getting my head around living in a strange world between life and death.
Coined as a cemetery management sim, you’ve died and now you’re living in a strange medieval and mythical purgatory where you take on the role of the Graveyard Keeper while trying to figure out how to get back to the world and your love. You’ve got the usual crops to grow and fish to catch, just set in an unusual place, but you’ve also got bodies you have to autopsy and bury (or throw in the river) as well as buckets of blood to collect. If you’re thinking about giving Graveyard Keeper a try ahead of the sequel’s release, here’s the lowdown on what you can expect if you’re a farm sim fan.
Graveyard Keeper features
What kind of life sim is Graveyard Keeper?
Graveyard Keeper is a life sim focused on cemetery management and crafting quests. Yes, you’ll be able to farm crops, but you’re also in charge of an entire graveyard, church and a town of NPCs that want a heck of a lot from you, juggling tons of quests simultaneously while finding no qualms in giving you several each. And they’re not easy quests, ranging from specific defficult-to-retrieve items to gathering piles of crafting materials and more. You’re going to spend more time tending your crafting stations than your plants.
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|
Feature |
Included? |
How it works |
|---|---|---|
|
Farming |
✅ |
Plant seeds, grow crops, and harvest them, but you won’t have to water them |
|
Mining |
✅ |
Mine ore to smelt and craft items for quests or for yourself |
|
Crafting |
✅ |
You build a multitude of crafting stations from blueprints and then craft materials and items |
|
Fishing |
✅ |
In a fishing system akin to Stardew Valley, cast your rod and play the mini-game to reel them in |
|
Combat |
✅ |
Balance your energy system with fighting off enemies in the dungeon levels (or swamp) |
|
Survival |
❌ |
Fortunately, since you’re already kind of dead, if you die (in combat) you come back to life back at your home, but there’s no hunger or thirst to manage |
|
Character customization |
⚠️ |
You can craft armor to equip, which can also be crafted out of harvested skin from body autopsies (gnarly) but your character is always the same guy |
|
Property customization |
⚠️ |
Cosmetic upgrades available, as well as building additional storage for your Sweet Home, but you can also customize and grow the size of the Church |
|
Calendar events |
⚠️ |
Sort of, it runs a six-day system aligned with the seven deadly sins assigned to the appearance of certain NPCs |
|
Friendship |
✅ |
The only way to make friends is by completing NPCs quests, which will earn you Happiness points, unlocking further quests and access, but they remain just names rather than distinct personalities |
|
Multiplayer |
❌ |
There isn’t any multiplayer or co-op |
My favourite feature in Graveyard Keeper is that I can take it as slow as I like. Unlike other farm sims like Stardew Valley, there’s no seasons dictating when I have to get things done. My quests are all accessible in the menu, but no-one’s rushing me to complete them. Sure, I have to wait until a certain day in the 6-day cycle to meet with particular characters, but I can get those lined up on my own schedule. Another feature making my life easier is that there are no seasons to affect my crops and I don’t even have to water them.
What Graveyard Keeper lacks is an easy way to sell my crops or items. There’s a sort of complicated supply-and-demand system that means if you try to sell too much of one thing to certain NPCs, they’ll pay you less for them over time. They’re also very specific in what they want to buy, so you can’t just turn up trying to sell your wares to anyone.
How complex is the crafting?
Graveyard Keeper has some pretty complicated parts, particularly the Technologies tree and the crafting system, which are deeply interconnected. It reminds me a lot of Starsand Island’s multitude of machines, growing in complexity as your quests get harder. In Graveyard Keeper, you’ll also be darting between your stations from anvil to carpenter’s bench to furnace trying to keep track of what you’re crafting and what you need.
Before you can even craft most things, you need to unlock the blueprint for the station in your technology tree, which requires points from completing most tasks, as simple as gathering flowers or cutting down trees. You get the picture. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was even using the notes on my phone at some point to write down exactly what I needed.
Will you like Graveyard Keeper?
Will you like Graveyard Keeper?
If you like dark humor: I love Stardew Valley and fortunately, Graveyard Keeper looks a lot like it… if it was based in a warped Halloween-esque vibe where ruined books and decomposing bodies are a hot commodity. This game is a lot more dark in nature, but fortunately that comes with a whole lot of humor to boot. Take a talking donkey and a skull with an attitude problem as two shining examples.
If you’re in it for the characters: If a great sim for you is about personalities, don’t expect wonderful friendships and meaningful connections in Graveyard Keeper. It’s very much centred on a mutual understanding that you give the NPCs things and they give you something in return. You won’t form any emotional friendships here as it’s based on reputation.
If you’re a sucker to the grind: I’ve played a lot of sims and I think Graveyard Keeper might just be the grindiest one I’ve come across. There’s a lot to do and often, I’ll find myself doing one thing and getting distracted by another. Or, I’ll set out on one task and realize there’s about five other tasks I need to do before I can finish the first one. Not forgetting how complicated the crafting is in the first place. For me, I love the grind. For others, it might be a step too far. But know this, if you’re also a fan of task gratification, you’re really going to enjoy ticking off all those boxes.
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