After a long exclusivity in the Epic Games Store, Steam is finally getting an entertaining, cozy farming simulation

Quirky indie farming sim-slash-dance fighter Ooblets is offering a “hefty” 40% discount on Steam this week to celebrate its store launch after the game’s Epic Games Store exclusivity on PC expired .

Ooblets plays like a cross between Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons and Pokémon and lets you grow the titular animals in your garden before taking them on in battle. However, since this is the definition of a leisurely game, these battles are clearly non-violent, non-contact affairs with friendly, card-based dance-offs.

“Ooblets” is, frankly, a ridiculously cheesy game that derives its appeal from the fact that its tongue is firmly in its cheek on the subject of its own oddity. The Steam launch coincides with the return of the game’s annual Halloween event, which runs until November 15 and includes both new and returning seasonal content this year.

While Ooblets was technically only available exclusively on the Epic Games Store for just over a year, it might feel like it’s been a lot longer. Before the full release last September, Ooblets spent more than two years in Epic’s Early Access, meaning it has been functional since mid-2020. Still, some potential players will have waited until the game was released on Steam to play it, with the 40% launch discount presumably intended to serve as a lure for anyone who has since forgotten their interest.

Ooblets experienced a somewhat unfortunate rise to fame in 2019 when developers Glumberland announced their deal with Epic for timed exclusivity on PC. Ooblets quickly became a lightning rod for the debate surrounding Epic exclusives, which were still a fairly new concept at the time and also represented the biggest gaming controversy of the time. Glumberland was inundated with hateful and even threatening messages after the deal was announced, and unfortunately that’s still the main reason Ooblets ever made the headlines.

However, the game itself was received positively by critics and gamers alike, and in fact, it received a very positive review just one day after its release on Steam. If you’ve ever wanted to have fantasy animals fight each other in a world that’s still so bright and beautiful it’ll make your teeth hurt, this might be the game for you.

Ooblets is available on the Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and – now – on Steam, where it is available at a discount until October 12th.