The official X account for Village in the Shade, Nippon Ichi Software’s upcoming farming simulator, announced on April 2 that the game has finally received an age rating from CERO, Japan’s primary rating body for console games. However, the rating itself (ages 15 and up) has prompted much amusement from Japanese fans, who are collectively going, “Wait a minute, I thought you said this was a cozy game?”
It’s likely this is exactly the kind of reaction NIS was going for, as the announcement uses an image displaying a huge “ CERO 15+” against a backdrop of blood splatters and ominous bits of cut off dialogue like “Hasn’t the village felt a bit off lately…? It’s too quiet, disturbingly so…” and “Those mysterious disappearances they were talking about… don’t tell me they’re really…?”
In Village in the Shade, you’ll settle down in the remote Japanese mountain village Kagatsu, where you’ll cultivate crops, fish, hunt, customize your home and garden, and build relationships with locals. The game promises relaxing activities like cherry blossom viewing parties and festivals, but also hints at the village having “secrets” and “rules that must not be broken.” At the same time, developers Yuu Mizokami and Mio Katsumata have stuck to claiming that Village in the Shade is a lighthearted game without horror, unlike their previous title Yomawari.
Naturally, fans have been suspicious of this from the start, especially since Village in the Shade’s Nintendo Direct announcement and subsequent trailer both dedicated their last few seconds to hinting at sinister things happening in the village after night falls. It seems that both claims are true though, as Village in the Shade will come with two modes, as the official website explains: “This village has a code, a series of rules that have been passed down through generations. If you break the code, you may find that something terrifying will happen…But don’t worry!
By selecting Peaceful Life Mode at the start of the game, you can enjoy your life in Kagatsu Village safely and securely, without being able to break the code! Follow all the rules and enjoy a fun life in the countryside!”
Village in the Shade is set to release in fall 2026 for PC (Steam), PS5 and Nintendo Switch systems. The PC version will support English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Korean, while the console versions will support English, French and Spanish.
