August/September: The Great Backlog Harvest
August and September are the primary months for harvesting crops. In the gaming world, this translates to reaping the rewards of your efforts. This theme encourages playing games where you gather, craft, or build something substantial. On a meta-level, every completed game is a "crop" harvested from the "field" of your backlog.
Game Suggestions:
- Farming/Life Sims: Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, Terraria, Slime Rancher.
- Survival & Crafting: Valheim, The Forest, Subnautica, No Man’s Sky.
- RPGs with Deep Crafting: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Alchemy & Gear), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy), Fallout 4 (Settlement Building).
- Broad Interpretation: Any game where you reap what you sow – finally defeating that boss you were stuck on, completing a long-running questline, or simply finishing a game to “harvest” the achievement.
You can use the following format to track your progress in the comments, and/or add your own thoughts about the played game(s) to your post!
name of game 1 | achievements obtained | playtime this month | unfinished/finished
name of game 2 | achievements obtained | playtime this month | unfinished/finished
name of game 3 | achievements obtained | playtime this month | unfinished/finished
total: | achievements obtained | playtime this month | Number of games finished
Theme Song
Stardew Valley OST - Stardew Valley OvertureFAQ
Do I have to participate in this month’s theme?
No, as with every theme, these are merely suggestions for anyone who is unsure about what to play next. If you already have a battle plan for your backlog and/or don’t like this month’s theme, you’re free to ignore it.
What happens if I don’t participate in the theme?
Nothing.
What happens if I play all of my unfinished games before the theme is over?
Your backlog will be a much smaller place.
I don’t have any unfinished games - I’ve beaten everything I’ve started.
Really? well that makes one of us… I salute you.
I already finished my entry can I play another?
Go ahead - the goal is to reduce your unfinished games list. The more you can play the better.
Oh it’s no more nellynekko ? Hello and thank you for this new theme ! ^^
Not sure i’ll manage to do that but ideally here whas i choose for this month :
| The wandering village | farming | 25/32 | HLTB : 12-18h | Time played : 23h | Beaten (14/05/25) |
| Hundred Days (dlc) | winemaking | 21/31 | HLTB : 3-12h | Time played : 22h (1,5h on dlc) | Main story beaten (2021), endless DLC tried (10/08/25) |
| Terroir | winemaking | 21/26 | HLTB : 5h | Time played : 13h | Beaten (09/08/2025) |
edit : After some hesitation, i prefer to wait before playing Laysara as it’s still in early-access and i fear achievements will be reset at release (soon)
09/08/2025 : Terroir beaten, it was interesting to discover vineyard work and grape varieties but it’s really grindy, like in reality
10/08/2025 : Hundred days Napa Valley dlc : i consider it done as i had already beaten the base game and just tried this new dlc in endless mode. Disappointing and misleading dlc, as a new scenario is advertised on the dlc store page and there is none.
14/08/2025 : The wandering village story mode finished. The animal is really cute and it’s much better than Airborne Kingdom. However it’s still grindy with the same environments that quickly end to repeat. And i liked that there was a story but it’s more a red wire like a long tuto than something really exciting. Also i didn’t notice much improvements since early. So in the end a relaxing experience, good for early-access price (15€) but really steep for 30€.
For september 2025 :
| Pharaoh™: A New Era | farming | 26/47 | HLTB : 97h | Time played : 112h (21h this month) | Base game finished, now playing Cleopatra dlc |
| Dawnfolk | farming | 60/99 | HLTB : 7-11h | Time played : 12h | Beaten (12/09/2025) |
12/09/2025 : Dawnfolk story and puzzles beaten, story is charming but in reality quite short (6h), i don’t regret playing it but better get it on sale
11/09/2025 : Just finished new empire, last part of Pharaoh base game. But i noticed Cleopatra dlc is also included (not sure dlc will be finished this month though) - 16/09/2025 Finished Valley of the kings (part 1/4 of the dlc)
Thank you, Daerphen! 🥳
I love the “extrerodinirar” on the banner. 😂
| Name | Category | Achievements obtained | Playtime | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subnautica | Survival & Crafting | 8/17 (initially 8) | 0h (initially 26.9) | playing |
| Last Train Home | Survival & Crafting | 7/69 (initially 7) | 0h (initially 10.3h) | playing |
| Tropico 2: Pirate Cove | Farming | none | 0h (initially 32h) | playing |
| The Stillness of the Wind | Farming | none | 4.4h | Completed |
| TOTAL: | 0 | 4.4h | 1 |
Hmm… okay.
| Name | Tag | Achievements | Playtime | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flower Shop: Summer in Fairbrook | Farming Sim | 0/4 | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| Hokko Life | Farming (Sim), Life Sim, Crafting | 0/31 | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| Little Farm | Farming (Sim) | N/A | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| My Little Universe | Survival, Crafting | 0/76 | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| Nova Lands: Emilia’s Mission | Farming Sim, Survival, Crafting | 0/6 | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| Talk to Strangers | Life Sim, Survival | 0/18 | playtime this month | unfinished/finished |
| TOTAL: | Farming (2), Farming Sim (4), Life Sim (2), Survival (3), Crafting (3) | 0/135 | playtime this month | Number of games finished |
Love it! This makes for good ‘Deep work’ music. Yet to play Stardew, but might as well listen to the soundtracks for now.
For the theme, i just beat Wandersong. And i think it qualify.
The premise is that You are a bard, who is trying to save the world by singing something called the Earth song. For the Earth song, you need to gather each of its verses. Together it will form the Song to save the world. I know …sounds pretty crazy, but it was actually a great game