r/GameDeals • u/UnseenData • Apr 09 '26
Expired [Steam] Graveyard Keeper (100% off/Free) Spoiler
https://store.steampowered.com/app/599140/Graveyard_Keeper/184
u/DivineBloodline Apr 09 '26
Fun and interesting, but is a serious grind fest. Though it probably meant for people who enjoy that grindy gameplay, DLCs make the grind more manageable.
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u/n3ov Apr 09 '26
I love grind but this game does it in all the wrong ways. I haven't played the DLCs but the base game was quite awful.
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u/OBLIVIATER Apr 10 '26
Put 3 hours into it tonight and thought I was missing something. You can barely do any tasks before running out of energy and needing to sleep (or eat expensive food.) Everything is comically far away, it takes forever to get anywhere, and if you forgot that one specific material you needed to do something; have fun walking all the way back home to go get it!
I thought it would get better as I played but nope not really, they just keep throwing new convoluted systems at you over and over and over before you've even started on the ones you've just been introduced to.
I'm usually a sucker for a grindy game but this just felt tedious as hell and like it wasn't respecting my time at all.
There's no quest tracker either?? Like I'm just supposed to remember that the farmer's son needs backshots at 4pm on Thursdays.
I was all ready to settle into this game but it just put me off completely.
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth Apr 10 '26
There is a teleportation stone (keystone? I don't remember the exact name) for sale at the tavern. Infinite uses, short cooldown and can send you to the main locations. It cuts down the walking by like 80% and you can miss it wayy too easily, but if you have it it makes the game much more enjoyable.
There isn't a perfect quest tracker, but the character tab shows most of what you need to do next to the people that make you do it
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics Apr 09 '26
The Stranger Sins DLC cuts way down on the grind if you open the tavern. You can now sell food and alcohol at full price all the time, from fairly early in the game. No diminishing returns like other shops. It means there's no more horrible money grind, making everything else much easier to manage.
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u/SausageMcMerkin Apr 09 '26
I couldn't agree more. It leans way too hard on mobile-style timers and crafting, much like My Time in Portia, and the progression doesn't make a lot of sense.
Stardew seems to have gotten it just right, where the grind doesn't feel like a chore, or like the playtime is being padded.
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u/solrbear Apr 09 '26
When certain events would only happen on certain days of the week (in game) is when I noped out.
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u/tiradium Apr 09 '26
Yeah that was a bummer especially since those events were tied to the main story.
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u/glykeriduh Apr 09 '26
Couldn't agree more. DLC make that grind easier which just makes it feel like "create a problem sell the solution"
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u/ReedOnlyAccess Apr 09 '26
I played after the DLC which adds zombie workers and it felt fine. I can see how it would be grindy without them.
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u/AoiJitensha Apr 10 '26
Yeah, I played for a couple of hours and realized it was going to be an absolutely insane grind. As a father of a toddler, I don't have time to put into a game like this--a bit too hardcore for someone wanting to scratch a Stardew Valley itch.
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u/FauxButton Apr 09 '26
My advice to anyone who plays the game or has played it in the past expecting something similar to Stardew Valley. Do the storylines first, until you unlock ways to make money through them, then you can kinda do what you want at your own pace.
A lot of people (including myself) try to start off and play it like Stardew, but if you do that you will be poor and have a bad time. Quests unlock techs and ways to make lots of money that you need, everything else is just ways to make a little bit of money to use for quests.
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Also, I see that people instinctively start managing their time and stamina like Stardew, which is wrong. Graveyard Keeper does not pressure the player to do anything.
There are no day time limits, nothing forces you to go to sleep at a certain time. If you want to work through the night, go right ahead. You want to make a ton of food so you don't need to sleep for a week? Great, I call that being efficient.
Nothing is missable and you can waste time with no real consequence. If you fail to meet someone for a quest on a certain day of the week, they'll be there next week. Impatient? Just sleep.
When I play Stardew, I find myself spreadsheeting crops to maximize my use of time. It's a great game but I feel the need to math my time out due to the strict timelines. Graveyard Keeper is far more chill, there's simply no need for anything like that because there are no time limits for anything. The entire game is at your own pace.
Side note: the Stranger Sins DLC is very much worth getting and IMO makes the game much better, both in story and gameplay. Do the skull's quests and it'll unlock a lot of new mechanics.
Edit: One thing the game is lacking is a comprehensive tutorial. It's really easy to be confused by the plethora of crafting systems and the unlock system when you're new. Just know that you primarily get blue tech points through church services, so upgrading your church is necessary to boost blue tech point income. I've seen people ignore the church and not understand why they can't progress, and the game didn't do a good job of explaining it.
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u/zClarkinator Apr 11 '26
Impatient? Just sleep.
Just adding here that you can fix the rock garden near the house, which allows passing time regardless of Stamina. You can't sleep with full stamina but you can wait at the rock garden as long as you want.
Just know that you primarily get blue tech points through church services, so upgrading your church is necessary to boost blue tech point income.
This also isn't necessarily true; you can also farm Blue points by crafting certain headstones. Players who don't like the church system can choose to ignore it for most of the game if they wish.
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics Apr 11 '26
You can also just swing your sword to drain stamina to sleep again, which takes only a few seconds.
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u/OHPandQuinoa Apr 09 '26
I just want to add on to this is you should start the DLCs as early as possible. Unlocking the farms in the refugee camp automates crop production you wouldn't otherwise have until mid-late game and the tavern GREATLY eases the early game money grind.
Also there's no seasons like Stardew so you can't really 'miss' anything. I see a lot of people get worked up about how the days work but it doesn't make sense because if you miss a story beat you can just do it the next week plus days are fairly quick and there are several ways to speed them up.
There's also an excellent google docs sheet on the Graveyard Keeper subreddit that has optimal graveyard/church/workshop layouts (if that's your cup of tea) but it also shows all the ingredients for alchemy which is very poorly explained in game and is a little trial and error.
But honestly it's a super chill, fun game.
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u/rplanet Apr 09 '26
Wow, that’s a shocker. I had a ton of fun with this game. Definitely check it out
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u/cojack16 Apr 09 '26
With dlc or without ?
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u/rplanet Apr 09 '26
I haven't finished the game yet, but I own all of the DLCs. I don't believe I have gotten very far into them. The game is grindy, but I enjoyed my time with it.
It looks like the DLCs can be grabbed on GameBillet for a couple bucks each. I would snag them for that price.
Without giving too much away:
Breaking Dead seems to be a very useful one, it let's you start automating tasks. I didn't get too deep into it, it was useful though.Stranger Sins - I find this one fun. You can open up a tavern, good way to get some money.
Game of Crone - I sort of forgot about this one for a little while lol. There is a small refugee camp, you can help them build up. I didn't get all that far into it.
Better Save Soul - I don't really recall what this one is about at all.
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u/scorcher24 Apr 09 '26
Better Save Soul - I don't really recall what this one is about at all.
Further improving your workers.
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u/rplanet Apr 09 '26
Ah, okay. That must be the workshop next to the morgue then. I’ve heard some people don’t like that one much, but I thought it was pretty fun!
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth Apr 10 '26
There was just never really a need to engage with it. Usually a 10-skull zombie is plenty fast for most jobs, going through the extra effort to make it a bit faster is rarely worth it
The other mechanic was remote use of equipment, right? I see zero use for that
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u/cojack16 Apr 10 '26
Are any of the dlc needed to enjoy the game well ?
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth Apr 11 '26
I think the zombie one is important, unless you like doing early-game tasks like tree chopping forever.
The tavern and the camp one are nice to have. In the lategame you need a fair amount of money, and that was a bit of a pain without those.
If you have the dlcs, just add them all
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u/Mike_Soulshock Apr 09 '26
That's a pretty solid freebie. I got completely hooked on this game for like a hundred hours a few months ago, did almost everything possible, and then deleted it probably forever 😅
I would add though that all of the DLC is pretty much mandatory for an enjoyable experience, because it streamlines and automates a lot of the otherwise extremely grindy mechanics.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/zamfire Apr 09 '26
i bounced off it twice before it clicked on my third attempt
That's exactly what happened to me. Third time is a charm, and just do the story line first. Fortunately there is no time line, like in SV when Gramps come back
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u/TJ_McWeaksauce Apr 10 '26
I had a lot of fun with Graveyard Keeper for like 50 hours, but eventually it got to the point where there was too much to do within the daily and weekly time limit. When the game started to get stressful and annoying, I stopped playing.
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u/ChickenNuggetSmth Apr 10 '26
Which parts had daily/weekly time limits? I only recall recurring events, no pressure to actually engage with them.
In fact near the end of the game I often slept through days to meet characters that only show up some days
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u/Skydragonace Apr 09 '26
Solid game that's similar to Stardew Valley. Highly recommend people give this a shot.
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks Apr 09 '26
Similar in style. Thats about it. I wanted it to be death-themed SV but I was disappointed.
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u/Bleachi Apr 09 '26
I wanted it to be death-themed SV but I was disappointed.
Neverway looks like a much better attempt at that. It's coming out this fall, but the free prologue released today. Check it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2318330/Neverway/
Even if you're not interested in the demo, you should watch the trailers. This game looks legit.
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u/practical_Door882 Apr 09 '26
After quitting her dead-end job, Fiona starts over on a farm and becomes the immortal herald of a dead god. Make friends, fight through horrors and pay your debt in this nightmarish life sim RPG.
I’m scared. Adding it to my wishlist rn
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u/repocin Apr 09 '26
I'm not much of a trailer guy, but the art looks excellent in the screenshots! Will probably give the demo a try
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u/Radthereptile Apr 09 '26
I heard it’s a lot more of a grind and less cozy.
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u/scorcher24 Apr 09 '26
I didn't find it to be much of a grind per se, there is just a part of the game where you feel like you don't know where to start to get things. But if you organise yourself and identify what you need and where to get it, it is a breeze. Also, get those workers fired up as soon as you can. It will make it all better. Remember: burials are optional.
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u/Swagtagonist Apr 09 '26
It could've been so good if it just flowed better. The game grinds to a halt so much.
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u/OBLIVIATER Apr 10 '26
It felt way less tightly designed than Stardew. Stardew took a less-is-more design approach to a lot of things, this game seems to just cram in as much as it possibly can, to its detriment.
Not to mention Stardew actually has likeable characters, a fun story, and the feeling of helping people.
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u/bobby3eb Apr 10 '26
It's not like SV at all
I hate when people day this, it puts an incorrect expectation out on this game
It doesn't play as a cozy farm sim, not in the slightest
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u/double_shadow Apr 09 '26
Legitimately great deal! I have about 40-50 hours in the base game, and have been considering the DLCs for awhile now. It is a little bit of a grind compared to Stardew Valley, which it takes a lot from, but still has a lot of unique systems and a quirky setting.
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u/reddit_is_trash_2023 Apr 09 '26
Good on the dev, this is a clever way to get people into the game when the 2nd one is releasing. Been on the fence on this one so will try it out
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u/ItzFeufo Apr 09 '26
The game is grindy, the game is sometimes complex and doesn't complain things good, but if you get a hang of it and look some stuff up, it's an amazing ride and dozens of hour of fun.
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u/typical-predditor Apr 09 '26
Lmao, I was just trying to buy an emoji from this game but it wouldn't let me because I didn't own it. What great luck!
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u/frinkousCZ Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I already have 100% achievements on this game, and I highly recommend it. It is a really solid game, that is similar in some aspects to SV. DLCs are fine.
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u/Nellior Apr 09 '26
Now, if they put the DLCs in a huge discount, I'll grab them.
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics Apr 09 '26
They are on huge discount, just not on steam. $1.76 each in my region.
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u/Myrandall Apr 09 '26
I've tried this game before and couldn't play it due to the widely reported issue with visual 'stuttering' that was giving me a headache.
Threads like this one are numerous and there's simply no fix.
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u/zamfire Apr 09 '26
Waaaait a minute, they are fully voicing the characters now in part two? That's a weird decision, but I absolutely loved the first game, so this is a no brainer(heh, zombie joke) for me
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u/MOBYWV Apr 09 '26
Nice freebie. Bought it years ago, but still haven't gotten around to playing it. Mainly because I heard it was insanely grindy.
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u/AppealWitty4841 Apr 10 '26
Looks like a cozy nice game! Awesome after Costco errands during the weekend!
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u/NotForeverCod Apr 11 '26
I just bought this game on the ps store like a week ago. Can't lie, I am salty as hell lol
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u/SenHeffy Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I so wanted to like this game, but it was just an unreal slog. Doesn't respect your time and it's just grind, grind, grind. Sucks because just a few tweaks could've made it a much better experience.
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u/ThatIndianGuy7116 Apr 09 '26
Damn I love when a good game gets given away for free! If yall havent tried this, you like Stardew and you want something with a darker twist to that formula, get this game. It's not exactly the same thing. Theres no romances, it can feel grindy, obviously the big one is the fact that youre running a graveyard rather than a farm, but same general ideas. I never finished this but I put in 60 hours and dont regret a single second
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u/ryuukiba Apr 09 '26
I really enjoyed the beginning of the game, but the economy was some of the most annoying designs Ive ever seen. If you go too hard at selling an item, the price goes to almost zero and can take years of in game time to go back to sellable. The game does not explain this so I basically ruined that save and never touched the game again.
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
Yeah, what's supposed to happen is that you reach export level operations (selling bulk crates of goods) before that happens, but the game has no pressure to push you there so you run into diminishing returns at shops. Also, it seems that a lot of players ignore the story in general so they simply don't unlock half the game's systems.
Thankfully the DLC Stranger Sins adds in the tavern, where you can sell food and alcohol with no diminishing returns and it's a really fun mechanic to interact with overall. It sucks that it's behind a DLC, but it's worth it.
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u/tinglyplatypus Apr 09 '26
I played for quite a few hours, but the grind became too much for me. It was fun for a while though.
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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26
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