Player Menu
| Player Menu | |
|---|---|
| Type | Mechanic |
The player menu is the pause screen, and it is where almost all the bookkeeping in the game lives. One button opens it, the clock stops while it is open in a single-player save, and a row of tabs down the side covers the backpack, the five skills, friendships, the map, crafting, animals, special powers, collections, settings and the way out. Several of those tabs quietly answer questions that would otherwise need a walk into town, such as which villagers have already had their gifts this week, what a shop's opening hours are and how deep the Mines have been explored. Learning where each piece of information sits turns the menu from a pause screen into the farm's filing cabinet.
Overview
Opening it takes the Escape or E key on a computer, the plus or B button on a Switch, Start or Menu on an Xbox, Options or circle on a PlayStation, or the three-line icon on a phone. Controllers can flick between the tabs with the shoulder triggers. In a multiplayer save the world keeps running while the menu is open, which is the one situation where browsing it has a cost.
The Inventory tab shows the backpack and, in the lower left, the slots for what is worn: boots, rings, a hat, a shirt, trousers and whatever else is equipped. The lower right corner is a small status panel with the farm's name, current funds, total earnings across the whole save and the date.
The Skills tab is the most crowded. The five skill rows show progress towards the next level, and hovering over the large yellow boxes spells out exactly what each profession does, which is the easiest way to compare the two choices before a level-up forces the decision. Underneath the portrait sits the title earned from the total of all skill levels, along with the count of Golden Walnuts and Qi Gems. Once the Wizard has been met, the corner tracks which rooms of the Community Center are finished, or the Joja development form instead for a farm that bought a membership. When every skill is maxed, a green Mastery gauge appears and fills from any experience at all, with each full gauge releasing another reward from the Mastery Cave. A row of small icons along the bottom records the farmhouse upgrade level, the deepest floor reached in the Mines or the Skull Cavern, and the number of Stardrops found. In the run-up to the Feast Of The Winter Star, the same area names the villager to buy a secret gift for.
The Social tab is the gift-giving tool. It lists every villager with their heart level, marks how many gifts they have had that week and whether they have been spoken to that day, and opening a villager brings up their Gift Log, a record of every preference that has actually been discovered rather than the full list. That makes the tab the practical answer to the question of who is still worth visiting before bed.
The Map tab places the farmer's face on a map of the valley and names anywhere the cursor rests. Several of those places also report who lives there and when they are open, which saves a wasted journey. The map changes with the season and with the farm layout chosen at the start, and standing on Ginger Island swaps it for a map of the island.
The remaining tabs are narrower. Crafting lists every learned recipe and makes things on the spot. Animals lists pets, the horse and every farm animal with their friendship, whether they have been petted that day and which of them have eaten a Golden Animal Cracker, which is far quicker than walking round the barns. Special Items And Powers gathers the one-off items, the permanent book effects and the mastery powers in one place. Collections records what has been found and what has been shipped, and in what quantity, which is the checklist behind several of the game's long-term goals. Options holds the settings, and Exit Game offers a return to the title screen or straight to the desktop.
Notes
Leaving through the exit tab partway through a day throws that day away on every platform except mobile, because the game only writes a save overnight. Anything earned, caught or built since waking up is lost, so the exit tab is best treated as a thing to use after going to bed.
The Gift Log is a record of discovery rather than a reference table. A villager's favourite item only appears there once it has been handed over and the reaction seen, which means the tab doubles as a reminder of which preferences are still unknown.
The Animals tab is the fastest way to spot a neglected animal. Friendship and mood decide the quality of what an animal produces, so a quick scan of the list before bed catches the one cow that has been missed on the morning round.
All Mechanics
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
