Jan 31, 2023Indie Highlight
In Wylde Flowers, you play as Tara as she starts her new life in the town of Fairhaven, located on a small rural island. She may be a city girl turned farmer with little outdoors experience, but she has the can-do attitude needed to help Gramma Wylde take care of the family farm.
Learn how to plant and care for crops, mind animals, and gather materials like mushrooms and wood. You can also learn to fish, craft items, and much more!
Wylde Flowers features a diverse multicultural cast of characters. Get to know each of them through talking, quests, and story moments. Each one has a compelling backstory and even personal mysteries to discover. You may even find romance and love in one of them! Or if you prefer, platonic relationships and friendships are available and equally fruitful.
Rural life isn’t the only new thing for Tara, though. She’s also learning to become a witch! You will learn how to fly your broomstick, craft potions, control the weather and the seasons, and turn into a cat. Join the local coven who will guide you in your lessons.
Wylde Flowers is already available to play on Apple Arcade and is now also available on Nintendo Switch and Steam. There is currently a free demo available on Steam, too.
The game is also getting a huge free content update, take a sneak peak here.
Check out Sun Haven or Super Zoo Story more cute sim games.
Aug 3, 2022Indie Highlight
Palia is a free-to-play open-world MMO game that is still in the early stages of play testing. The game boasts sprawling and beautiful landscapes, as well as numerous avtivities. Players can look forward to an ever-changing adventure with quests and fun NPCs to encounter. However, the fun doesn’t stop there.
Palia will also include all of the fun hallmarks that makes Animal Crossing so entertaining, and more. Players will be able to choose from activities such as fishing, cooking, hunting, foraging, gardening, bug catching, and mining. Building and decorating a home will also be available. So, gather some friends and adventure together, or relax and build your homestead alone in the beautiful world of Palia.
The developers, Singularity 6, recently included a blog post about the update and the opening of the Alpha 2 testing phase, which shed only a little light on new features. What the update did reveal was new color palettes and new customization features for home decorating.
July 28th, 2022 saw the beginning of the Alpha 2 testing phase of play testing. Palia developers announced via their official Twitter and Facebook pages that they invited a new batch of players who signed up as playtesters, and Alpha 1 players are also able to return for Alpha 2. The developers are not only looking to remedy bugs and receive feedback on features, but they’re hoping to create a friendly and welcoming early game experience so players will be ready for what may come in the adventures later in the game.
Palia still does not have an official release date at this time. However, while expected to release first on PC, there is the possibility of console releases at a later date. And while you may have missed your invitation for the Alpha 2 testing phase, sign-ups for future testing phases are still open at http://palia.com.
While you wait for the game to release, scratch that relaxing and cozy sim game itch by checking out Sun Haven.
Apr 19, 2022Indie Highlight
The developers have been hard at work since announcing My Time at Sandrock in 2020 with a new town, new characters, new construction options, new combat system, and even a multiplayer mode!
Before launching into Early Access, many updates have been recently added such as new quests, new monsters, and new NPCs. The biggest one that caught my eye is the advanced workshop customization. Unlike its predecessor, when building your workshop in this game you can place doors and windows, and even the roof yourself! Furthermore, add lights and many other decorations to the interior and exterior.
My Time at Sandrock, developed by Pathea Games, will officially release on May 26th, 2022 in Early Access on Steam here and the Epic Games Store here at $24.99 US. If you’re a Kickstarter backer, you’ll have access to the closed Beta version very soon! There’s no news on the console versions as of yet but we’ll know more after the tests! If you want to try your hands at a demo, My Time at Sandrock will have a booth at the PAX East convention on April 21st-24th, 2022, so check that out here.
Fan of both relaxing farming and engaging combat? If you’re interest in My Time at Sandrock, you should definitely check out Rune Factory 5 now!
Apr 13, 2022News
Rune Factory 5, by Marvelous (XSEED), released on the Nintendo Switch in America on March 22nd, 2022 and in Europe and Australia on March 25th, 2022.
Since hearing the news back in 2020, and waiting such a long time since the release of the previous game in the franchise Rune Factory 4 on the 3DS in 2013 (although now there’s a Special Edition for the Switch), it stands to reason that fans are nervous with exactly what has and what hasn’t changed with this beloved Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon) spin-off series. Well, after playing countless hours of the JRPG/farming sim mash-up, I’m here to tell you what to expect before buying!
Rune Factory 5 starts you off with the same amnesiac trope as usual as you’re brought to a small, quiet town called Rigbarth. Rather then issuing “Orders” as a prince or princess in Rune Factory 4, you’ll become a ranger for the organization, SEED, by protecting the town from monsters. In the same way, you’ll be able to spend these reward “points” toward town festivals, storage upgrades, and more! Moreover, you’ll be farming on the backs of a total of 5 Farm Dragons! See below for other such changes that might interest you!
Although Rune Factory 5 suffers from some rather extreme lagging and loading issues and minor quality-of-life inconveniences, it’s still a welcome step in the right direction for future iterations of the series! Let’s us know what you think of the game so far! If you haven’t already, get Rune Factory 5 on the Nintendo Switch here!
Jul 18, 2020Feature
Garden Story is an upcoming social sim adventure RPG. With an emphasis on helping the residents of a broken island, this game is undoubtedly wholesome. The game is being developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games and VIZ Media.
The planned release window for the game is currently Spring 2020, although no official date has been given. The game will be released for Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Macintosh operating systems. An official price is yet to be announced.
Players assume the role of Concord, who is a recently appointed village guardian. However, you will definitely be kept on your toes. Whether it be neighbours requiring assistance, or the sudden appearance of a strange rot that has seeped into the foundations of the once thriving island, Concord has his work cut out. Fortunately, he is not alone.
If you help friends with their problems, they’ll help you with yours. Care for the environment, explore new regions, solve puzzles, make new friends, and ultimately, help restore the grove to its former glory.
You can visit the game’s website here. Alternatively, you can check out their Twitter account here.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an upcoming social simulation game where you play as a human character living on a deserted island amongst anthropomorphic animals. Players can shop, socialise with the animals, and participate in activites such as fishing, catching bugs, gardening and decorating. Nintendo are both the developers and publishers of the game. Therefore it’s understandable that the game will only be released on Nintendo Switch. The game is set to release on March 20th 2020, and will retail for $59.99
Tom Nook is ‘switching’ things up with a new business venture. This business venture is his exclusive Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package. Naturally, the Tanuki isn’t offering this for free. When you have landed on the island, you also find yourself landed with debt (yet again) by the tiresome tanuki.
Like in previous games of the franchise, players can participate in activities such as gardening, fishing, decorating, and interacting with a variety of NPCs (both old and new), etc. However, the game will also offer some new features. Examples include, collecting resources, crafting furniture and tools, new ways to interact with trees and flowers, more diversity in skin tones, outdoor stair, more multiplayer options, the handy ability to pole vault rivers etc.
Then of course there’s the tiny details that Animal Crossing fans quickly picked up on. These include, shirts with sleeves for villagers, overally realistic kneecaps for players’ characters, toe beans, and even shoelaces..
Mineko’s Night Market is an upcoming cat-themed crafting adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture. The game is essentially about friendship, choices, and of course, cats. The indie game is being developed by Meowza Games, and being published by Humble Bundle. The game will be released on a multitude of different platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Macintosh operating systems.The exact release date for the game is yet to be determined. However, the game’s official Steam page says that the game will be release in 2020. Fingers (and paws) crossed! ?
Playing as Mineko, a girl who has moved to a superstitious fishing town inundated with cats, you will uncover secrets whilst assisting Mineko in becoming a successful young entrepreneur. This can be done by completing tasks, undertaking quests and gathering resources in preparation for the weekly night market.
Players can craft a variety of odd items, toys, and trinkets, which can then be sold to townsfolk (who are now your customers) at Mineko’s night market stall. After you’ve finished selling your items, you can explore the Night Market yourself, where you can play mini-games, eat unusual foods, and purchase collectibles.
The game allows you to explore distant lands by unlocking different types of transport (which include buses, bullet trains and cat carts). Each land offers new people to meet and unique things to do, dependent on the time of day and season.
There are 16 uniquely themed markets every year which all feature a stage event that you can partake in. Examples of events include Taiko drumming, karaoke competitions, sumo suit wrestling, and more!
The better you perform at the market, the bigger and better the market will become, which may well attract new townsfolk and even celebrity guests!
For more information regarding the game, check out this interview with one of the lead creators of the game here. You can also visit the game’s website here.
To bag some awesome game merchandise, click here.
Ooblets is now out on Xbox One and PC – more info right here.
Ooblets is an upcoming indie game that combines features of popular game franchises such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon. Initially, the game was going to be published by Double Fine. Ooblets will now however be developed and self-published by the game’s two main devs, who created a tiny game studio called Glumberland in order to do this.
According to the game’s latest Devlog, Ooblets will release this year, although no definitive date has been specified. It has also been confirmed that the game will release on PC and Xbox One. The price of the game has not yet been revealed.
Ooblets is essentially a game where players have to balance farm life, town life, and the unexpected pressure of having to deal with numerous different Ooblets. On the plus side, you get the experience of helping to grow and train your ooblets, explore strange lands, and have dance-offs!
Lots of awesome Ooblets merchandise can be grabbed here.
For more information about Ooblets, you can visit the Ooblets website here where developers regularly post updates in their devlogs. You can also follow Ooblets on Twitter and Facebook.
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where players run their own sushi restaurant in a town filled with anthropomorphic animals. The game is being both developed and published by Catch & Release, LLC. No definitive release date has been given, but developers are pushing for a 2020 release. It willl initially only be released on PC via Steam, but there is the possibility of the game being released on other consoles also.
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where you get given your very own sushi restauraunt in a small village. This restaurant has been offered for free by inhabitants of the village. The only catch is that you help to rebuild their town. Players will have their work cut out. When not occupied with the sushi shop, you also need to rebuild the town as promised and improve the lives of your neighbours. On the plus side, you’ll make friends along the way. If you’re lucky, you’ll also attract some new villagers.
Make your restaurant successful by collecting different recipes and buying ingredients. You can then use your profits to profit the town. Watch your town improve and better the lives of townsfolk, customers and yourself through the actions you make.
You can follow the progress of Rolling hills on Twitter here.
Hokko Life is an upcoming cute and cozy village life simulation game. The game is being both developed and published by indie game developer Robert Tatnell. Hokko life will be released for PC via Steam at some point this year. The cost of the game is not yet known.
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your expertise. Help tocreate an endearing town for those who live there. Armed with paint and tools, design, build and decorate new homes for your new friends.
Players are able to craft materials and combine them however they wish. This allows you to create new and amazing furniture and items for the town. By collecting flowers and mixing paints, you can then use them to design wallpapers, flooring and even clothing.
With plenty of choice, you could design a bright flowery wallpaper set, or instead opt to create an urban-industrial furniture collection. Whatever your taste, with a workshop at hand, you have complete freedom when designing a town for the villagers.
Click here to check out an exclusive interview with the game’s solo developer.
You can visit the game’s website here.
Developed by Peachy Keen Games and published by Whitethorn Digital. Calico is a magical, relaxed and family-friendly simulation game where players are given an opportunity to run their very own cat cafe. The game is expected to be released on Steam at some point during Summer 2020. The game will most likely release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and MacOS shortly afterwards.
Calico came about due to the game developer’s obsession with cats, magical girls and fluffy animals. However, wanting to create a game that would appeal to everyone, she also included creatures such as lizards, birds, deer, raccoons, dogs, turtles, red pandas, foxes, etc.
She then shares about how she wanted to publish a game that would make players feel ‘soft, happy, cuddly and cozy’. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, she has said in an interview that she just wanted to create a game where the only goal is to have the best time possble.
However, simply running the cat cafe is not the only things that players can do. The game also incorporates enjoyable aspects from other popular gaming franchises such as Animal Crossing. Similarities between Calico and Animal Crossing include the simulation aspects of both games, and the ability to place furnitire and decorations in your buildings. A perk about Calico however, is that the animals will not leave, the shop never closes, and crops never die.
Little Witch in The Woods is an upcoming life simulation RPG. The game is currently in development by Sunny Side Up Games. No official release date has been given, but the developers are aiming for fall of 2020. They plan to release the game on Steam, and are hoping to release the game on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
Little Witch in the Woods is an adorable fantasy RPG. You play as a super cute witch named Ellie. Close to graduating from witch school and becoming true witch, Ellie must experience the life of a witch as an apprentice. This involves moving to a new town and living in a witch’s house in a forest. Upon arriving to the town however, she is inevitably disappointed to find the in a state of disrepair, and a town which is virtually empty.
As the school is grading how well Ellie completes various tasks, she must explore the mysterious and magical region to gather the ingredients necessary for her potions. These potions can be used in other ways in the game too. Many of the ingredients can be acquired from obliging plants and creatures. The more rare ingredients can be obtained in the nearby village, where a curious bunch of NPC’s reside. By helping them out, they will reward you with ingredients, and some useful items as well.
Additionally, lending these characters a hand improves your relationship with them, and allows you to upgrade the small village. The game’s NPC’s, each with their own stories can sometimes move in or out of the village. It is possible to date these NPC’s, but they may not be human..
Check out an interview with the game’s developers here. You can follow the developers on Twitter here.
For more witch-y games, check out these ones.
You can also check out these upcoming magic school games and add them to your calendar.
Alchemic Cutie is a wholesome pixel-art-stylised RPG set on a colourful Island named Wimba, where you players can tame wild jellies. The game is in development by Vakio and Viridian Software, and will be published by CIRCLE Entertainment this summer. Alchemic Cutie will be released on itch.io. and Steam. A price has not yet been announced.
Set on Wimba island, players get to tame slime-like creatures called Jellies. There are over 4,000 visual styles for jellies, each with unique traits and statistics. Players will have to meet the needs of their Jellies, which inlcude hunger, energy and happiness. Raise the perfect jelly companions and you may be in with a chance of claiming the top prize in one of the game’s eight competitions. In order to improve your jelly’s abilities, you can use alchemy in order to create special items with various powerful affects or to change items into something more rare and powerful. When you’re all jellied out, you can explore the island and uncover its secrets. In the village you can chat with its inhabitants and choose whether to form friends, or if you’re so inclined, rivals.
If you would like to receive updates regarding the gaem, or share your modding creations after the game’s release, you can do so by signing up to the game’s ‘Cutie Club’ here.
Peaceful Days is a farming RPG simulation game reminiscent of Harvest Moon games. The indie game is being developed by Nhat Nguyen and published by Nhat Nguyen and Huiyin Studio. According to the game’s Steam page, Peaceful days is set to release for Microsoft Windows on August 31st 2020. It is currently priced at £7.19.
Heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series, Peaceful Days is a farming simulation set in the attractive Aurora Town, which is located by the sea. Living up to its title, the game appears to be peaceful and wholesome. Players have the freedom of character customisation and farm customisation too! Players can build friendships with the town’s inhabitants, become an important addition to the small seaside town, and participate in a variety of interesting festivals. Additionally you are able to build your very own farm from scratch. In your spare time, you are free to discover fish that you have not yet caught, spend time in the mine to discover ores necessary to upgrade your tools, play minigames, solve puzzles plus more.
As of February 3rd, an early access version of Peaceful Days became available on Steam.
May 17, 2020Indie Highlight
Hokko Life is desribed as a ‘cosy, creativity filled community sim game’. The game is being developed by Robert Tatnell who runs his own indie game dev company, Wonderscope. Initially Wonderscope intended to both develop and publish Hokko Life. However, this is an understandably big feat for one person. Therefore in April 2020, it was revealed that Wonderscope had ‘teamed’ up with Team 17, who will now publish the game. Team 17 are notorious for publishing games such as My Time at Portia, Overcooked, and Yooka-Laylee. Hokko Life will hopefully release for PC via Steam at some point this year. The price of the game is not yet known.
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your design expertise. Help create an endearing town for its inhabitants. Armed with paint and tools, you can design, build and decorate new homes for your new furry friends.
Players can craft materials and combine them how they wish. This allows you to create a variety of cool new furniture and items for the town. By collecting flowers and mixing paints, you can use them to design wallpapers, flooring and even clothing!
Given plenty of design choices, you could design a bright flowery wallpaper set, or instead create an urban-industrial furniture collection. Whatever your taste, with a workshop at hand, you have complete freedom in designing a beautiful town for the townsfolk.
The latest Devlog from the creator of Hokko Life appeared on Steam on May 6th BST. In it, featured some exciting little updates about the game’s progress.
Now working with Team 17, Wonderscope have stated that ‘epic updates to Hokko Life’ have apparently already been made! The ones mentioned in the Devlog include:
In April, Robert started work on allowing players to edit the design of objects in the world, by simply interacting with them. Until that point, players had to return all the way to their workshop in order to edit a design. They would also need that object in their backpack to do this. (Sound familiar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons crafting and customization peeves? 😂). Now, however, if players spot something that they want to edit, they can do so from anywhere in the world.
Robert says in the Devlog that he will continue to think of ways to make the game more convenient and fun to play. He wishes to remove anything that might be a hassle to players in order to improve their gaming exprience. (Take notes, Nintendo 😂).
Another small change could possibly be the ability to evolve your players avatar. The information about this is in a recent Hokko Life Patreon post from May 15th. However the post is only accessible to the game’s Patreon supporters (which is totally fair btw!). If you are a supporter of the game on Patreon though, and know what this post is about, feel free to enlighten us! We’re curious!
You can check out an exclusive interview with the game’s solo developer, Robert Tatnell here.
And to get a more in-depth insight into the game, you should check out this article here.
You can visit the game’s website for info here and visit their Steam page and read their Devlogs here. Additionally, you can follow them on Twitter, and/or join their Discord server here.
May 12, 2020Indie Highlight
Picontier is an upcoming pixel art-stylized miniscape RPG. The game’s 2D art style, alongside its life simulation elements, make it comparable to the likes of Stardew Valley and the original Harvest Moon games.
Picontier is currently in development by game developers Kan Kikuchi, and indie game dev company SKIPMORE, who are best known for their Fairune and Drancia series titles.
The game is being published by Flyhigh Works Co., a company established in 2011 that specializes in localizing Japanese, English, and Chinese titles. They have published numerous notorious and successful titles such as Cat Quest, Cat Quest II, Celeste, Subara City, and more.
It was originally hoped the game would release for a variety of platforms including PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and surprisingly, Nintendo 3DS. However, it will now release solely on PC and the Nintendo Switch eShop.
Picontier is a slow living miniscape RPG game allowing players to enjoy life on a whimsical island after they are washed ashore. Its life simulation elements include farming, crafting, fishing, and mining. Like Stardew Valley, the game also appeals to the more adventurous of gamers by offering excitement. Players can journey to the game’s dungeons to fight monsters.
Additionally, the game contains a charming story and a variety of strange island creatures to communicate with. Some examples include a giant blue water beaver and an enormous cow snoozing on a ranch. The game therefore seems to tick all the boxes where depth is concerned.
The following Switch announcement trailer gives an exciting insight into what to look forward to in Picontier
There is currently no set release date for Picontier. However the following tweet posted by Picontier’s Twitter account suggests it could be playable as soon as this year.
Nov 25, 2019News
Life and village simulation games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley have always been my favorite kinda games. Meet all sort of new characters, participate in seasonal events, decorate a home and create relationships with the villagers are simply fun actives in video games. Circadian City is all of that and so much more!
Circadian City is a life simulation RPG game where you control and jump into the role of your own character in a procedurally generated dream world. As you live the daily life you will need to attend to all sort of different activities, make breakfast in the morning, head out to work, meet new people and even catch a movie at night.
The developers clearly state that you should not expect to make friends overnight by simply being overly nice and spending an evening with a villager. The relationship system in the game is complex and you will need to spend a lot of attention and care to build a new friendship. There are many different interests and even memories come into play.
Interestingly enough the game is also allowing for same sex marriages and anything in between. Developer Nowhere Studios is a big supporter of hetero and LGBTQ romantic options within the game.
You can already wishlist Circadian City on Steam right now. The release date is currently slated for Q1, 2020. Publisher Way Down Deep will also be brining the game to Nintendo Switch, however players on the hybrid console will have to wait until Q4, 2020.
I will definitely keep an eye on this one!
If you are looking for more life simulation and RPG games make sure you check out Hokko Life a village simulation game heavily inspired by Animal Crossing.
Take a look at this adorable Animal Crossing themed Tiny Garden Pals Gardening Kit!