Indie Highlight
Sep 21, 2023
Tiny Life is an isometric pixelart style simulation game that seeks to capture the essence of The Sims. Like The Sims or the upcoming Little Sim World, you control a group of people and take care of their needs, build their skills, forge new relationships, or whatever you want to do. Have them lead perfectly normal lives, or cause chaos and totally upend their lives. It’s up to you, really!
You get to create your own characters using a number of different options. Tiny Life lets you choose personality traits and skills. Plus, there are over 100 clothing items and thousands of colors for you to pick from. There’s even age groups that you can pick, each with its own unique interactions and gameplay possibilities. Craft each of your Tinies exactly how you want them.
Then, build houses and community spaces like parks and cafes for your Tinies to explore. Tiny Life has hundreds of furniture, wallpaper, tiles, roofs, and more so you can create a beautiful town. You’ll even be able to share all of your creations with the community, as well as use mods to add additional content to the game!
Available Now
You can find this fun simulation game on Steam now!
- Sep 21, 2023
Fantastic Haven takes place in a world where magic has been gradually fading while technological advances take over. These advances threaten the balance, and your role as the Elders means it’s up to you to help rebalance the world. You need to save the magical creatures people like to hunt. Use diplomacy and teach people how to live in harmony with these fantastic creatures!
You’ll start by choosing the perfect starting spot. Pick from a number of different areas in Fantastic Haven, each coming with their own challenges, and begin building basic infrastructure. Unlock new research and buildings as you play to be able to welcome the magical creatures to this new haven you’re creating. Even send your mages out into the world to find new creatures, negotiate with hostile populations, and more. Every choice you make can impact how your future turns out, so choose wisely.
As you find the magical creatures of Fantastic Haven and bring them back to your refuge, you’ll place them in the quarantine facility. Then, you can place them in an existing biotope (enclosure) or create a new one. Either way, you’ll need to respect its needs, as well as its compatibility with other creatures to find it the perfect home. Your goal is to take great care of these creatures before returning them to the wilds, so meeting their demands is important for restoring magic into the world!
Coming Soon
You’ll find Fantastic Haven on Steam and GOG next year! There are plans for releases on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox sometime after that, too.
Planet Zoo is another great zoo game!
- Sep 20, 2023
Veil of Dust: A Homestead Game is a farming simulator seeking to turn the genre on its head. Inspired by the likes of Stardew Valley and Don’t Starve, this game is a historically-grounded fantasy homesteading and survival game with a more adult-oriented gameplay. You’ll play as the Callahan siblings, Shane and Áine, as they learn to cope with loss and learn how to survive life in the desert of eastern Oregon.
With a more task-centric focus, and less grinding, Veil of Dust sets you on an adventure to explore magic, intrigue, small town politics, and more. You’ll farm, forage, and hunt to scrape together the resources and food necessary to survive. Overcome challenges with tools you craft, and fill bellies with different recipes you’ve scraped together, as well as forge relationships. Survival isn’t just about finding food and shelter, after all. Life needs to be worth living, too! Experience deep characterizations and explore realistic, relatable scenarios that touch on heavier topics.
Veil of Dust isn’t devoid of humor and fun, though! Guide Shane and Áine as they search for answers as to why mysterious monsters attack their town and livelihoods. While defense wasn’t always a priority, you might need to protect your homestead from them. The homestead you’ve carefully made your very own by lovingly choosing the perfect colors, turning your inhospitable dirt patch into a comfortable home.
Where will your adventure lead you?
Available Now
You can find Veil of Dust on Steam now!
Want more farm sims that are just a little bit different? Checkout Moondrop.
- Sep 14, 2023
Remember those adorable desktop pets and helpers you used to be able to have? I touched on them a bit when I talked about Werydlets, a cute desktop pet game that’s coming to Steam. Well, it appears developer 3DM Live Wallpapers has jumped on the cozy game train to bring us Desktop Farm.
As the name suggests, it’s a farm that you play on your desktop! Your farm becomes your very own live, interactive wallpaper. There’s no rushing necessary in Desktop Farm. Develop your farm in your own good time. And since it sits in the background, it’s perfect for playing when you have an idle few minutes to spare. It starts when you start your computer, and pauses when you open other applications, so you aren’t missing anything. No need to spend all your time and energy on your farm. Just visit it when you have a moment and wish to relax!
Available Now
This fun little desktop game is available now on Steam!
- Sep 13, 2023
In Fossil Corner, you’re a retired paleontologist who enjoys the calm environment of their garage. There, you’ve created a peaceful sanctuary to hang out in and build your fossil collection. Then take some time emailing old friends to stave off the loneliness, or stare out the window at the beautiful fall leaves swirling in the wind.
To really pass the time in your retirement, you’ll focus on building your fossil collection. Fossil Corner features a variety of randomly generated fossils, trilobites, and crinoids for you to collect. You’ll work through a number of puzzles, too. Each puzzle is a box of procedurally generated fossils that form a whole family tree. It’s your job to unscramble that family tree by observing how the species changed over the generations. Once you complete a puzzle box, you receive a fossil to display!
Available Now
You can find this cute fossil collector on Steam now!
For another cozy puzzle game, try A Little to the Left. - Sep 6, 2023
Tavern Keeper is a charming business simulation where you get to build and run your very own tavern! You’ll start out with the shell of a tavern out somewhere in the backwater remote area of the kingdom. It’s up to you to build a thriving business by meeting the demands of your customers. And as your profits increase, you can decorate the place, expand your tavern, add new dishes, hire staff, and more!
You’ll play your way through a single player campaign that takes place in a fantasy world full of unique characters. Encounter shape-shifters, skeletons, and more as each day brings you new surprises. Tavern Keeper is also full of simulated details for you to enjoy. You might have days where your staff is sick, or the personality traits of others present an obstacle to your day-to-day. There are dozens of other systems in the game that will keep you on your toes and keep the game play interesting. Don’t worry, though, you’ll have the tools to deal with everything that comes your way!
What’s really promising is the design mode in Tavern Keeper. If you love building and decorating, this might be the game for you. Design mode gives you the creative power to design the perfect tavern. Place a single candle on a table to create a cozy atmosphere, or even make an extravagant pile of pillows in the corner, perfect for relaxing in. You can even share your designs with others with the click of a button!
Coming Next Year
This fun little management sim is expected to release in quarter 3 of 2024! You can find Tavern Keeper on Steam, where you can Wishlist it.
Have you ever tried running your own b&b in the woods? Check out Bear and Breakfast!
- Aug 31, 2023
If you loved Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, then this might be perfect for you! Tavern Talk is another pretty visual novel full of unique characters, fun drinks, and good times!
In Tavern Talk, you walk into a tavern and find yourself the owner of Wayfarer’s Inn. It appears to be a normal inn in the middle of the world, but looks can be deceiving. And you have a special gift! You can infuse beverages with magic that can influence someone’s fate. You’re known for helping the people of the realm via these magical drinks.
You’ll listen to the stories of the unique cast of beautifully designed adventurers that come in. From boasting about their glory or commiserating about failures, you’ll experience a variety of different personalities and tales. Help them find a place that feels like home by building relationships and creating an inviting environment inside the inn. Craft different interesting drinks, while you’re at it, but be careful what you serve. Your drink choices will alter their fate and the path their quests will take. Your choices shape the story of Tavern Talk!
Coming Soon
Tavern Talk has no release date listed, but you can find it on Steam. There is a demo available too!
If you haven’t already, check out Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2!
- Aug 31, 2023
Lost Nova is the perfect cozy game for those of you looking for something without time limits or enemies. You play as the adorable Mia. She lost her way during a vacation and crash landed in some mysterious place. Take your time exploring the world and repairing your ship, plus more!
Discover hints of a bigger mystery in Lost Nova as you wander the world. Why is everyone ending up in this world, and why is it so hard to leave? Make friends with the locals and help them find their way. Teach a ghost how to be spooky, help a single parent with his children, and help a robot work through his artistic burnout. Create a hub for your friends to gather, and watch as the world and people change based on the actions you take.
In Lost Nova, you’re equipped with your trusty salvaging laser which you can use to gather all the resources you could need. Earn money by mining, farming, fishing, and resource gathering. Use that wealth to revitalize the local pet store, where you can buy useful items for your spectral cat pet. Whatever you choose to spend your days doing, do it at your own pace!
Available Now
You can find Lost Nova on Steam now!
Also check out Songs of Glimmerwick and Lushfoil Photography Sim for more fun adventure games!
