Build a low-fi turnip farm for two in Reap Together

Got a friend? Got at least one spare gamepad? Do you think this friend will still be your friend after diving deep into the world of real-time survival turnip farming? Well, Reap Together might just be free game to help you while away a lazy weekend afternoon.

Failing that, at least there's the option to sneak around and steal all your friend's turnips when they're not looking.

We first covered Reap in 2015, back when it was fresh off the Ludum Dare game jam block. Our Brendan quite liked it, describing the game as a Minecraft shrunk down to adorable, monochrome, Game Boy-esque proportions. Since then, creator Daniel 'Managore' Linssen has poured a bit more love into this quiet little game of treasure-hunting and hunger. The latest addition is a fun one: full local co-op play.

Interestingly, cooperation isn't an immediate option in this variant of the game. The two players find themselves some distance apart, and due to the lack of any kind of overworld map (at least initially), it's up to the players to explore, identify landmarks, and try and find their way to each other. Once that's done, the more pressing issue is finding a sustainable food source. In short, you've got to farm turnips if you want to live. Each player starts out quite close to one, and if you can resist the urge to immediately devour it, you'll be able to till some soil, plant it, and eventually grow it into two, then four, then eight and so on,

Turnip for every meal doesn't sound very appetizing, I admit, but beggars can't be choosers, and shipwrecked sailors desperately trying to avoid starvation get even less room to grumble. With stomachs full, you can set your sights on fully exploring the world with the aid of a raft or two, uncovering its treasures and perhaps even returning home, rich with gold and bloated with turnips.

Reap and Reap Together are available on Itch.io, where the game is pay-what-you-want (which can be nothing).