A new farming life game, Fields of Mistria, has been making a bit of a splash with its Early Access launch. It’s currently sitting in the top sellers side of Steam, and early adopters seem to be vibing with its rural-life activities and ’80s anime aesthetic. One note, though: it seems like at least a few would really, really like to date Olric.
Some context: I’ve yet to actually play Fields of Mistria myself. As one of the editors here, I was doing some digging through Google Trends, looking at what the several thousands of people playing the game were looking for online. Lo and behold, in the “breakout” category, Olric. Now, I’m certainly no stranger to Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, or Stardew Valley; I know if people are searching for a character name, there’s a high probability they’re looking for info on an eligible romance.
Yet a little more looking around revealed the truth: people want to date Olric, but can’t. The hunky older brother of March (an eligible romance candidate) just hangs out around the forge, being sweet, doing hunky things. But no amount of gifts, presumably protein powder and high-fives, will forge a love connection with this beefcake.
This pixelated assemblage of good, vacuous intentions will not be receptive to your pursuits. That hasn’t stopped Fields of Mistria players from pining after him, though.
A brief jaunt through the Steam forums for Fields of Mistria reveals several threads, all calling for Olric’s hand in marriage. It’s a rare instance of the Steam forums united on something other than toxicity, a beautiful sight to behold. A chorus of “+1s” fill this thread, petitioning for developer NPC Studio to let them marry Olric.
Responses to a tweet from NPC Studio, highlighting Olric’s proclivity for rocks, can be summed up as a unanimous “please let me date him.” Head to Reddit, and you’ll see much of the same. Two of my favorite responses: this artist, who painted a little smooch onto a locket holding Olric’s portrait in a collection of romance candidates, and this player, who is essentially cozying up to Olric in his pixelated bed.
The thirst level is off the charts for this rock-loving, forge-tending, sweet himbo of a lad, and outside-looking-in, I’m also pretty curious why Olric isn’t receptive to our love. It’s possible that there’s a character beat or trait, a reason why Olric might abstain from dating. There’s certainly the March factor to consider, though a Vampire Diaries-esque triangle doesn’t seem infeasible. There are two marriage candidates yet to be unveiled, though neither of the silhouettes on the store page resemble Olric, in my opinion.
But amid this investigation, the sleuths here at Destructoid uncovered a new aspect, a potential Olric deal-breaker. According to his brother, this hunk likes butter in his coffee.
This revelation quickly divided the Destructoid Slack; some found it an egregious infraction, and others thought it was perfectly fine. In the name of editorial transparency, I will say, I’ve definitely heard of butter coffee before, but I also take my morning java as dark as the void, so I can’t really see a benefit to dumping a stick of Land O’Lakes in your pot. A speedy track to heartburn, I guess?
Butter coffee or no, it does seem like the thirst for Olric is strong. There is some precedent for farming games adding love interests later on, in response to audience demand. Maybe a day comes where players can share a…. buttery cup of joe with this lovable lug.
Until then, Fields of Mistria has a bunch of other romanceable characters, and seems to have a pretty positive reception so far. For Stardew fans looking to try something fresh-yet-familiar, it might tide you over. Or inflict you with unrequited adoration for a pixel NPC. Either way, it seems like a good time.
