11 bit studios has announced that it’s taking up publishing duties on Crop, a three-person indie dev project from Norway.

In development by Carbonara Games, Crop flips the familiar farming simulator formula on its head, transforming the everyday rhythm of digging holes, planting seeds, and nurturing crops – typically a relaxing, if somewhat mundane routine – into something far stranger, pushing it into the surreal territory of Lynch and Lovecraft, with plenty of dirt, blood, and pesticides along the way. 

Gameplay pairs methodical high-stakes farming with the slow-burning dread of an investigative thriller. Bound to a fading homestead, players must feed a village on the brink of starvation. Why were you brought here? Why is the town cut off from the world? And who is watching from the shadows as dusk falls? Investigation is as vital as irrigation.

Before long, the land has claimed you. Now, the farm is your reality, and how you organise it is your only remaining freedom. With a desperate need for your yield, you must organise your crops wisely; dig trenches, install pumps, and repair crumbling equipment to squeeze every drop of life from the dirt. Cut through waist-high grass to prevent pests, produce compost to improve the quality of crops, and meticulously prepare your plots.

Master the routine, or surrender to the rot. But the only way out leads through the harvest.