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We can get closer to characters who become our neighbors in Village in the Shade, even though there’s no romance in the title, and giving gifts each character likes every day and on birthdays can help bolster relationships! Likewise, giving them things they dislike isn’t great. Fortunately, it feels like a game where everyone has at least one item that’s fairly easy to find, perhaps via farming, fishing, or mining. Not to mention the game flat out lets you know what everyone likes in the main menu so you never need to guess.
Editor’s note: There will be one Village in the Shade spoiler tied to one of the characters who shows up after the story is in full swing.
First, you don’t really need this guide. With the game open, press the button to access the menu. Tab over until you see the icon shaped like a person’s head atop a pair of shoulders. It is between the pencil and book icons. You’ll immediately see a string of profiles for everyone currently living in the village. This shows if you’ve given the character a gift that day, if you talked to them, what heart level you’re currently at with that village, a short profile, their birthday, and both their likes and dislikes in Village in the Shade. It might also note where they live, though you can see that by checking the map and seeing where their face icon is both in the morning and evening.
Here’s how that will look if you want to check the Village in the Shade characters’ likes, dislikes, and birthday. Once you have a calendar decoration placed in your house, you can also check that to see if a birthday is coming up.
In case you’re doing research and don’t have your copy of Village in the Shade on hand to check yourself, here are the birthdays, likes, and dislikes for all of the characters who appear as villagers. I did also note which is the easiest of their “liked” gift to get too.
- Chinana:
- Birthday: Summer 24
- Likes: Signature Ramen, Hibiscus, Beer, and Rose Quartz. (Unless you grow a ton of Hops in Summer, go with Rose Quartz you get from mining after getting past like level 80.)
- Dislikes: Assorted Chocolates, Horsetail, Dandelion, Small-Game Bones.
- Hasumi
- Birthday: Winter 3
- Likes: Three-Tea Ice Cream, Hojicha Tea Set, Rose, and Amethyst. (Go for Amethysts in the mine.)
- Dislikes: Turnip, Wood Ear, Milk, and Yogurt.
- Kisuke
- Birthday: Spring 18
- Likes: Taro, Wheat Shochu, Sweet Potato Shochu, and Beef Jerky. (Any kind of liquor you brew works well!)
- Dislikes: Honeyed Lemons, Lemon Cake, Lemon, and Wild Raspberry.
- Komako
- Birthday: Autumn 1
- Likes: Potato Gratin, Warm ’n Cozy Hotpot, Sunflower, and Lapis Lazuli. (The Lapis Lazuli is easiest to get and is fairly common in the mines.)
- Dislikes: Tomato, Eight-Barbel Loach, Pickled Plum, and Mayonnaise.
- Konno
- Birthday: Summer 11
- Likes: Kitsune Udon, Small-Game Meat, Sake, and Gold Ore. (Getting Small-Game Meat from shooting squirrels with the bow is so easy, but Gold Ore is common in mines.)
- Dislikes: Rosemary, Small-Game Bones, Big-Game Bones, and Fox Pelt.
- Nago
- Birthday: Autumn 26
- Likes: “Taste of Home” Meal, Pickled Plum, Wine, Tourmaline. (Tourmaline only starts being more common past the 80 and 90 floor levels of the mine, but is the best bet.)
- Dislikes: Rhinoceros Beetle, Stag Beetle, Crucian Carp, and Carp.
- Rin
- Birthday: Spring 4
- Likes: Turnip, Rose Jam, Gold Ore, and Sapphire. (Gold Ore and Sapphire are easiest to mine, but turnips are also super easy in Spring.)
- Dislikes: Dandelion, Water Hyacinth, Pine Cone, and Acorn.
- Rokkaku
- Birthday: Winter 15
- Likes: Blum Ochazuke, Ginger, Truffle, and Umeshu. (Ginger is probably the easiest, if you stock up and grow ‘em in Summer.)
- Dislikes: Margherita Pizza, Caprese Salad, Cheese, and Rose.
- Sazanka
- Birthday: Winter 20
- Likes: Persimmon Compote, Gateau au Chocolat, Chocolate Bananas, and Amber. (Amber is the easiest one to get and is found in the mines.)
- Dislikes: Kashiwa Mochi, Green Peas, Soybeans, and Big-Game Meat
- Shiroji
- Birthday: Summer 7
- Likes: Margherita Pizza, French Fries, Tofu Hamburg Steak, and Cosmos. (Cosmos are easiest to find by growing them.)
- Dislikes: Small-Game Meat, Big-Game Meat, Fox Pelt, and Jerky.
- Sumire
- Birthday: Spring 21
- Likes: Grilled Fish, Salt-Grilled Sweetfish, Sweetfish, and Salmon. (Honestly, any fish is totally fine. He really loves them and even likes smaller ones like Freshwater Goby or common pulls like Catfish.)
- Dislikes: Spicy Lotus Root Saute, Carrot, Lotus Root, and Bracken.
- Tobari
- Birthday: Summer 17
- Likes: Foil-Roasted Garlic, Radish, Oolong Tea Set, and Topaz. (Topaz is easiest to get and is found in the mines.)
- Dislikes: Red Spider Lily, Ginkgo Nut, Small-Game Bones, and Big-Game Bones.
- Yoh
- Birthday: Autumn 12
- Likes: Kids’ Curry, Strawberry Cake, Agar Milk Jelly, and Tulip. (Sadly, Tulip is easiest, but you will need to wait to grow them. I did find she tends to like forageable plants like Dandelions and Lilies too!)
- Dislikes: Eggplant Platter, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Eggplant, and Bell Pepper.
- Yuta
- Birthday: Autumn 8
- Likes: Beef Stew, Summery Watermelon, Spinach, and Rhinoceros Beetle. (The beetle is very common in Summer, and you can grow Spinach. I also give him fish sometimes and he seems okay with that!)
- Dislikes: Garnet, Sapphire, Amethyst, and Tourmaline.
Across the board, I’ve found unless someone specifically mentions wanting Small-Game Bones, Big-Game Bones, Small-Game Meat, Big-Game Meats, or pelts from animals you hunt, it’s generally a bad idea to give anyone those items as gifts.
As for the cats, give them fish to make them like you and let them pet you.
Village in the Shade is available on the Switch, Switch 2, PS5, and PC.
