Tag: Cozy Games

Deductopia – Demo Impressions

A clever, cozy use of a deduction style format.

Deductopia

Developer: Nightwell Games

Release Date: Coming Soon

Explore the scenes, find clues, and sort out people, pets, and belongings in this cozy slice-of-life detective puzzle game. Fans of Duck Detective, Little Problems, and The Case of the Worst Day Ever will enjoy this new deduction game for all ages.

I have tried a lot of demos for Obra Dinn and Golden Idol likes (admittedly I still have yet to play Golden Idol beyond the demo), and Deductopia has been my favourite so far. It is a logic puzzle to its core and it did all of the right things. The UI is intuitive, the clues are just enough, and it pushes you in the deep end, giving that delicious initial overwhelm that unravels through exploration, turning ‘how the heck am I ever going to do this?’, to ‘if this is this then that must be that’, at a satisfying fast pace. It throws you in a scene, provides you with some questions, some clues and some solutions, and says, ‘have fun’.

Something that I really appreciate about Deductopia are the difficulty options. There is the option to experience these levels in two different ways. Easy mode checks your answers as you go, informing you if you are correct or potentially going down the wrong path. Hard mode waits until you have inputted all of your answers and deduced the entire scene to reveal whether you made any mistakes. Hard mode was exactly the kind of challenge that I am after. If you give me a way to brute force a puzzle I will, I just can’t resist it so for me, easy mode would have had me gaming the game rather than playing the game. I only bring this up because, while I am glad it exists for the folk that prefer to play that way, a lot of the reward of a deduction games for me is the dopamine flood I get when I get confirmation of my answers. From my experience so far, this is always 10x better when lots of information that you have been chipping away at all gets approved at once. These options allow me to flex whatever brain muscles that this works, while also providing reassurance that if I get stuck later down the line, I am not hung out to dry, easy mode will be there for me.

The demo offered 3 of 12 scenes to explore and solve. It took me 30 minutes total, so this is not going to be a long game. It does however seem like it is going to be an extremely satisfying version of what it is. Low stakes, sit down with a cuppa and a biscuit, and be the observation hero that everyone needs.

Demo Length – 30 mins
At a glance
+ Difficulty settings
+ Thoughtful UI
+ A good ratio of clues:deduction so far
+/- Trusts that the player doesn’t need handholding
+/- Short

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Wanderstop – Demo Impressions

A lesson in wellness.

Wanderstop

Developer: Ivy Road

Release Date: 11 March 2025

From the creator of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide comes Wanderstop, a narrative-centric cozy game about change and tea.

We live in an era of hustle culture that glorifies work over wellbeing. We are encouraged to put everything we have into everything we do. If we don’t achieve our goals, we must not have worked hard enough. If we managed to take breaks or have fun along the way, did we really work hard enough? Of course, not everyone actually believes this, but we certainly all have met people who do, and based on the reception to this game by both critics and gamers alike, I would say a lot of us have internalised this mindset somewhat, whether we want to have, agree with it, care to admit it, or not.

Wanderstop challenges this mindset in a way that only a game really could.

These are demo impressions only, so I have yet to experience any of the story beyond the intro, but this small taster had a big enough impact that it felt really important to sum up my experience.

So far, Wanderstop is a commentary on passion and obsession. Where is the line between those things and if we are walking it, would we even realise it? Say we do take a step back and recognise, “Yes. I have a passion about something (in our main character Alta’s case, it is fighting). I am so passionate that I am going to chase this dream, idea, goal, or whatever it may be. I am going to chase it so completely that no one could possibly question my passion.” Wanderstop asks the question, “at what cost?”

We meet Boro, the most gentle, content soul, and the game asks another question. “Are you ok?”. Then, gives you all the time you need – probably more time than you would usually give yourself – to ponder it.

As someone who is prone to going all in on things and has burnt myself out multiple times before, every cutscene and conversation in this demo had an impact that I did not anticipate would hit me so hard. Personally, I am at a time in my life, I’d say a little further on than Alta is currently, where I have started to recognise the need for – and desire – balance. The moment I met Boro, his energy felt like the end goal for me. While Alta is wrecking herself, living her life with one goal in mind, desperatly clutching at one potential outcome and tormenting herself for falling short of an almost impossible goal, Boro is living in the moment, enjoying the journey, the here and the now. Alta, and I can confidently say a lot of us too, could do with taking a leaf or two out of Boro’s book (or tea… hehe).

Perhaps, feeling a longing for a Boro to find you and give you this opportunity the way that I did is an indicator that you yourself should take some time to reflect, to have no schedule, and to be. Whether that is through getting out in nature, a duvet day, doing absolutely nothing, or through making tea in Wanderstop, that is up to you – although I’d say Wanderstop is a good place to start.

The action of playing this game forces the player to do the very thing the narrative is encouraging. Slow down. Potter around. Make some tea. No rush. No worries. This is our time. Rather than just telling you that you should do these things in a way that you have likely heard 100 times before, Wanderstop teaches you through showing and doing. This, along with some beautiful artwork, voice work and dialogue, is the reason this game stands out to me among a sea of cozy games, and I am really pleased to have it accompany me during my LudoNarraCon 2025 coverage. I am thrilled by the prospect of taking a break from my other IRL projects to go all in on game content for the month, but I am going to keep Wanderstop going on the side, reminding me to take a break and check in with myself every so often. And I am rooting for Alta to do the same.

Demo Length – 1+ hour
At a glance
+ Writing – both conceptually and dialogue.
+ Beautiful cutscenes.
+ Heavy hitting package, relatable to many.
+ Meta in a way that only a game can be.
+ Voice acting is great.
+ Boro is precious.
+ Alta is imperfect in a very real way
+ Themes of tunnel vision, failure, sacrifice, exhaustion, burnout and the consequences of that have already been explored in the first hour.
+/- I am anxious to see where the story goes and whether it continues to resonate.
+/- I am also anxious to get further into the gameplay, to see whether it is therapeutic, or becomes tedious, boring or repetative.

Watch my playthrough and first impressions of the Wanderstop demo here!

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Townframe – Demo Impressions

Recreating memories one clue at a time.

Townframe

Developer:
norrimo

Release Date:
8 October 2024

A relaxing puzzle game where you recreate towns from people’s memories. These people will give you written puzzles and to solve them you’ll be able to either modify the buildings or use different tools, such as one that makes wind, and many others. Each puzzle will surprise you in a different way.

Townframe is an incredibly lo-fi, chill game that allows you to solve the puzzles of friendly folks hometowns or favourite locations based on the clues that they share with you. You begin with a landscape acting as your canvas. It is your job to recreate their memories by placing the correct buildings or objects in the correct places, allowing a nostalgic glimpse into their past.

The game couldn’t be simpler to pick up, offering a point and click interface. There is no need for any extended tutorials as the game is self explanatory and the UI is as clear as it is pleasing. The soothing music is complemented by the pastel colour palette. It is bright but never harsh maintaining the soft, airy aesthetic throughout.

This not going to be a long game. The demo included 8 puzzles which took 15 minutes to complete, with no indication of how much more complexity to expect. For now, it feels like it is going to be a lovely, short puzzle game for a rainy day or for winding down for bed. I am thoroughly charmed and wish all of the best for the release!

Demo Length – 15 Mins
At a glance
+ The colour palette.
+ The vibes are perfectly relaxing and nostalgic.
+ The UI is clean and clear.
+ Easy to pick up and play.
+/- Total playtime will be 2-3 hours.
+/- Puzzles in demo were very simple.

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Tiny Bookshop – Demo Impressions

Resisting the urge to buy a trailer and a bunch of books irl as we speak.

Tiny Bookshop

Developer: Neoludic games

Release Date: To be announced

Leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea in this cozy narrative management game. Stock your tiny bookshop with different books and items, set up shop in scenic locations, and run your cozy second-hand bookshop while getting to know the locals.

Tiny Bookshop is a cozy management sim about running your own portable bookshop from a trailer on the back of your car. I can’t express how pleased I was that the peaceful atmosphere was complimented by engaging systems, allowing me to live a fantasy that I never knew I had.

The game is not heavy on the management systems, or at least not from my time in the demo. This, in my opinion, is a good choice, allowing the player to fully absorb into the relaxing vibes. I didn’t feel the need to min-max everything, optimising my shelves in an attempt to wring my customers dry. Instead, experimentation felt key in these early stages.

On a daily basis you are able to manage your inventory, decor and location in order to sell as many books as you can in the most aethetically pleasing way posible. The books that you place on your shelves determine the chance that a customer will find a book that they like in the given genre they are looking for. If they successfully find one, they will continue looking, picking up books until they find no more that they like. While this is of course RNG, it feels so clever and realistic to the shopping experience. Sometimes you will go into a shop with something in mind and nothing speaks to you, or sometimes, you will find way more than you expected. Throughout the day as your shelves get depleted, it will naturally be less likely that your customer will find the book that they are after, but there is still always a chance.

Although it is RNG, we can affect the outcome somewhat with the choices we make and it still feels very nice when you succeed. In my case, one lady picked up 10 books. That was 10 coin flips in a row, except luckier as the 50% chance got lower every single purchase.

If the pleasing aethetic and breezy management wasn’t enough, there are more mechanics to the game. Visiting different locations is essential to build up your knowledge of the area. Meeting people will give you leads on new areas and events in the town. Reading the paper will allow you to buy more books as your stock runs dry, as well as decorations. I love the inclusion of the paper, not only as it narratively makes a lot of sense but it is also, on purpose or not, makes the game even more ‘feel good’ by being an eco-friendly business. 

Finally, every book you have on your shelf is an actual book, written in real life. Chances are, you have read some of them. One fun way that the game plays with this is that throughout the day, customers will ask you for recommendations. They will tell you a genre, mood, preference, or specific things that they want or don’t want from a book. Then, it is up to you to scour your shelves, reading the descriptions to find a good match. Of course once you sell the book it is gone, so if you think that you have the perfect match for some one, you ought to hope no one has snatched it up in the meantime.

I went into the Tiny Bookshop demo expecting a pleasant way to pass half an hour but I got a lot more than I expected. It is an instant wishlist from me while I look up the price of trailers and have a peak at Facebook Market Place for book bundles, contemplating a pivot to a travelling librarian.

Demo Length – 30 mins
At a glance
+ More to this game than I expected, while not being too complicated.
+ Aesthetically pleasing.
+ Lo-fi vibes.
+ Especially fun for book lovers.
+ Recycling.
+ Bookshop fashion.

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Times & Galaxy – Demo Impressions

It is a pleasure to report that this game is stellar.

Times & Galaxy

Developer: Copychaser Games

Release Date: 2024

Embark on an interplanetary adventure as the first robo reporter for the Times & Galaxy, the solar system’s most trusted holopaper. You’re just an intern, but if you can get the scoop, write great stories, and impress your colleagues, maybe you’ll get to keep your job!

I am having a blast with all of the new ideas on display at LudoNarraCon 2024 and Times & Galaxy is no exception. In this demo we are an intern robo reporter, given the opportunity to take on 2 very different cases and explore our central hub.

I am not a stranger to adventure style games, particularly enjoying the detective type. In those games you generally hunt for clues, trying to get to the bottom of a mystery in order to deliver justice. Times & Galaxy takes that general concept but adds its own entirely new spin on it. We do get to inspect scenes, snooping around as we see fit and interviewing witnesses, professionals and suspects alike, but delivering justice isn’t necesserily the end goal, unless you want it to be.

Our actual goal is storytelling. Just because we have figured out the culprit of a crime it doesn’t mean we actually have to tell anyone, especially if it aligns with our own morals or interests (how morally right or wrong that is is a whole other discussion). It is up to us to choose the angle of the story that we present to our readers based on the information that we have collected. Writing about a spaceship crash.. Do we implicate the police, do we play it down due to the fact that it is not an infrequent occurrence in this area, or do we expose a huge scandal that we may or may not have discovered based on how much digging we did. Do we respect a persons wishes for anonymity at the cost of our reputability, or do we break their trust and tell everyone exactly who the are for our gain. We get to shape the identity of our cosmic newspaper one story at a time.

I already applauded the whole twist on the detective genre, but there was a second stroke of genius here – setting the game in space. I would have been happy enough trekking around our world reporting on global events, but the extra terrestrial setting allows for anything to happen. Anything. What a choice this was. You can give me the most mundane scoop to chase and there will be fun in it due to this funky universe we are scrutinizing. Of course, the cases available so far are anything but mundane. When my colleague scoffs at me for being delegated menial cases like the intergalactic cat show, all I can do is scoff back about the things I saw.

The excitement of space shines through the entire style of the game. Colourful, cute and creative, it is almost comic like which makes sense in this world because we are literally making holopapers. This runs through everything from the UI to the environments we are scouring. It is all so bold, smooth, and it just fits. The puzzle isn’t only about finding as much information as possible, but asking the right questions to get responses that fit your narrative.

If you are looking for a new take on the adventure genre where you value being learning about and being within a world as much as the play, then I do recommend checking this one out. It is charming, it is cosy as heck and it gave me a good laugh.

Demo Length – 1 hour 30mins+
At a glance
+ New take on detective genre.
+ Player has a lot of agency.
+ The reward for exploring is getting more data for you to decide how to use.
+ Creative cases.
+ The reveal in Chapter 2 got me good.
+ I really appreciate the commitment to the jokes.
+ Feels it will be easy to pick up and play a story at a time.
+ The bold and colourful aesthetic is energizing.
+ Only being able to ask a limited amount of questions makes you think about which questions are worth asking.
+/- Has a familiar, comfortable structure of hub, story, hub, story.

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Hauntii – Demo Impressions

A pleasant journey through Eternity.

Hauntii

Developer: Moonloop Games LLC

Release Date: 23 May 2024

A beguiling adventure in which you uncover the secrets of an expansive and mysterious world – haunting both the environment and its denizens to craft ingenious solutions to the many challenges that await.

When I read ‘twin-stick shooter’ and ‘action’ as tags on steam I was a little hesitant, but felt drawn in by the art style on display. Thankfully for me, there was a lot less action than I expected. The demo showed off a game of exploration, collection and puzzles where navigating the dangerous dark land of Eternity is our goal, guided by the welcoming lights around us and the friendly locals.

While our character moves quite slowly, shooting feels great and is used for many more purposes than just shooting enemies. We are Hauntii, a ghost that has the ability to posses objects and other things, influencing them to do as we please. This could be lighting up a previously unlit path, growing to allow us to reach other places, becoming a turret to shoot heavier objects or even allowing more traversal to find all of the secrets. Our goal is to collect fragments of our past, bringing them together to paint a clearer picture of who we were and how to free our self from the tether this land has on us.

Hauntii reminded me of some other indies that I have played or seen in the last couple of years, and while it isn’t exactly like any one of these games, I will mention why they prompted memories in me. My first touchpoint was Gris, a very artful, intentional experience promising emotions through imagery and sound. Chicory is the second game I was reminded of, due to the way that we can change the world as we interact with it, as well as having a sweet vibe underlined by a threat. Finally, The Wild at Heart was my third reference point, not at all through gameplay, just very vague aesthetics, exploration, an interesting forest family, a hub area and the use of the dark. If you like any of those games for any of those reasons then there is a potential that there will be something here for you too!

This feels like a one for the couch, to play on a cozy night in with the lights low, candles on, a blanket and a nice cup of hot chocolate in hand.

Demo Length – 1 hour
At a glance
+ Art.
+ Music.
+ The animation.
+ The use of colour.
+ The distortion in the dark.
+ Shooting feels very smooth.
+ Finding secrets.
+ The whimsy.
+/- The puzzles were quite simple, but I also didn’t feel like my hand was being held.
– Not sure why I was collecting things other than my memories.
– Movement speed is a little slow.

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Rusty’s Retirement – Demo Impressions

Not so rusty after all.

Rusty’s Retirement

Developer: Mister Morris Games

Release Date: Q2 2024

Plant crops, produce biofuel, and automate! A relaxing idle-farming simulator that sits at the bottom of your screen while you do other things.

Rusty’s Retirement is an innovative idle game that I imagine we will see inspiring other games of its kind in the years to come.

What makes Rusty’s Retirement stand out from the rest is that it is designed to be accessible when you are doing other things on your PC, whether that is watching YouTube or Twitch, working, or even playing another game. This game sits at the bottom of your screen taking up maybe a quarter of your monitor, allowing you to flick your eyes down to check on your little working farm at any time you please.

Farming and automation feel like a perfect fit for the idle genre, I am surprised I haven’t played this mixture before but I am glad that this one was my first. Growing crops in this game is simultaneously faster and slower than in a regular farming sim. Faster in the sense that you don’t have to wait for in-game days to pass, but slower in the sense that all you have to do is wait, at least early on. As you progress though you can turn your attention to other things such as upgrading your machines for better productivity and decorating your little slice of agricultural heaven.

I had the game running in the background for quite a lot of time during the Steam Next Fest. It is very refreshing to have it sat at the bottom of a second monitor, just checking in every now and again to plant new seeds and checking what I needed to produce in order to unlock the next type of vegetable. The progression doesn’t require a lot of focus but I personally found it nice to take a minute whenever there was a halt in my work and be distracted, ready to focus again once I had planted my seeds.

One thing to note – I wouldn’t really recommend Rusty’s Retirement as a first Idle Game, or at least the version of the demo that I played. This is simply due to the lack of tutorial. I have played a couple of idle games and various automation games but I still wasn’t 100% certain what to do at first glance. Of course, some of the fun for some folk may be figuring that out, but I feel previous familiarity would be very beneficial.

Overall, I honestly think Mister Morris Games are onto something here. I would not at all be surprised to see this concept take off with all sorts of other ideas that I can’t even imagine yet. It is a companion game that doesn’t demand your constant attention all of the time, just being there for you when you have a moment. The way that the larger games industry leans more and more towards live service and monetization every passing year, demanding full attention, daily logins or thousands of hours, Rusty’s Retirement feels humble, elegant and for the player. I wish them all of the success.

Demo Length – 8+ hours
At a glance
+ A genius innovative idea.
+ Cozy vibes.
+ ‘Always on top’ option allows me to interact with other windows without hiding or affecting the game.
+/- Only as engaging as it needs to be (allowing you to get back to work between planting sessions)
– Could use a small tutorial

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Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure – Demo Impressions

A spark of great potential.

Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

Developer: Massive Miniteam

Release Date: 24 April 2024 (Early Access)

Design automated workshops for your odd and adorable Sparks to carry and craft everything, including more of themselves! Lead your squad of Sparks into combat. Explore a strange fantasy world, in single player or online co-op. Unearth the ancient mystery of the Sparks!

Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure combines the automation and optimisation process of games like Satisfactory or Factorio, with the crafting and creature collecting of games like The Wild at Heart into an expansive yet cozy package. The generous demo provides a lengthy look at what the game aims to be ready for its Early Access release in April.

After a slow start, Oddsparks begins to shine as it reveals the star of the show – Sparks. Sparks are mysterious little forest friends that seemingly exist to serve you. Whether moving ever forward on a predefined route carrying anything in their path as they go, or following you around ready to harvest resources or even fight, these valuable little critters are the heart of the game.

In any automation game, the freedom to be able to relocate your buildings and constructs, make changes to your set up and alter and rebuild paths without penalty is crucial in encouraging creativity. This game allows for that perfectly. As I unlocked new things and discovered new areas I was free to experiment with my set up which, in my opinion, is half of the fun of the game.

The game (at least as far as I got) is set in two areas. The village, and what I will call the wilderness. The village is where the NPCs live, giving you tasks in order to help you learn the game while drip feeding story and flavour. The wilderness is where you will do your building. It is large, full of resources, and potentially more dangerous the further that you go.

The village itself is the weakest point of the game for me. I was never excited to return, only going back because I had to hand in my quests but never looking forward to it. There was a disconnect between me and the dialogue that didn’t allow me to connect with the characters, making it feel less like a home base and more like a chore to return.

I am looking forward to following the development of Oddsparks and very interested to see what changes – if any – are made throughout Early Access. While it wasn’t a home run for me, I did stop playing the demo early as I was sold on the full game. That is a sign of a demo doing its job!

Demo Length – Long
At a glance
+ Simple rules.
+ Encourages creativity.
+ A great mixture of game genres.
+ Glad it is going into Early Access rather than full release.
– A little too talky for me as I was not invested in the dialogue.
– I never wanted to go to the village.

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Horticular – Demo Impressions

Gnome and behold.

Horticular

Developer: inDirection Games

Release Date: Coming Soon

You have been magically summoned by mysterious gnomes to restore a long-lost garden. Attract adorable animals, build a lush environment, and immerse yourself in this relaxing garden-builder. Will you manage to reclaim the wasteland or succumb to a looming corruption?

Horticular feels like a mixture of two genres that I individually want to love, but together may be a winning recipe. The two genres that I refer to are cute sandbox builders, and zoo management games. While neither of those things are entirely what this game is about, it takes – in my opinion – the best part of both and merges them together in an ultimate, zen experience. But the kind zen that requires some planning and thought… but not too much!

In Horticular, we are recruited by a council of gnomes to restore a wasteland, reviving the ecosystem and attracting more wildlife into our custom made, picturesque environments. There is an impressive amount of beautifully crafted pixel flowers, terrains, items, decorations and so on, allowing for maximum creativity. Of course they aren’t all available to you from the start. The more that you restore, the more money you can make to continue restoring and unlock new options.

All of these items impact the environment in different ways, mostly being the deciding factor of whether an area is habitable for certain creatures. The more creatures you attract, the more you will learn about their needs, which helps you to invite more creatures. The more creatures you have the more resources you will gain, and the more pride you can have that your environment is thriving. It is a cycle of absolute pleasantness to the highest degree.

Even from the demo I feel like this is a game that I have been looking and hoping for for a long time. The developers are doing an outstanding job and I wish them every success. I hope this game can get the attention that it deserves.

Demo Length – I played for 2 hours and got the impression there was quite a while to go.

At a glance
+ Beautiful.
+ Peaceful.
+ Loads of options to make your garden your own.
+ Ground types only cost time which allows you to be creative.
+ It is exciting when a new animal arrives.
+ I enjoy the gnome theming.
+/- It has management game elements without going really far in that direction. Perfect for people like me who fall off those games when it starts getting too complicated. Maybe not so if you are looking for something extremely complex.
+/- I am not sure how keen I am on the corrupted gnome attacks. Difficulty options make this a none issue though, and I can’t judge it this early as there is an entire progression route to it.
– I had trouble seeing nectar that had been dropped.

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Europa – Demo Impressions

Melancholic yet magical meandering.

Europa

Developer: Helder Pinto

Release Date: 2024

On the moon Europa, a lush terraformed paradise in Jupiter’s shadow, an android named Zee sets out in search of answers. Run, glide and fly across the landscape, solve mysteries in the ruins of a fallen utopia, and discover the story of the last human alive.

Playing the demo of Europa without context, I felt like I was exploring a beautiful land full of whimsy. There was a tinge of sadness but that was continually overridden by the joy of movement. There is a heavy sense of a thriving ecosystem that bustles in every biome, making the place feel alive, allowing an extremely important – and potentially disturbing thought – to hide in the back of your mind, buried but niggling. That question – where are the people?

Fast forward to writing my impressions which allows me to read the Steam description (see above). I did read it some time before but I also read about 40 others so I unfortunately don’t tend to remember the specific details. Upon a reread knowing what I know now, my reaction was one of confusion, shock and sadness. This additional context changes a lot of the mulling and theorising I was doing while playing. It takes away a lot of the hope that I had and makes me approach the story in a whole new way. The rug has been pulled, a plot twist without even being within the game.

Playing Europa felt reminiscent of Journey. It has more means of storytelling, for example the excellent journal that pages you pick up, but it is largely a game of cinematic exploration through kinetic means, soaring your way through seperate levels, taking in the environment and solving a puzzle to move onto the next one.

The game is full of neat little details. The way it guides you to areas of interest with the use of wildlife is lovely, along with being able to interact with mysterious creatures, which you will seemingly learn more about as you go. The use of particles and so many other wonders filling the air makes Europa feel like a slightly alien yet magical place. Surfing across water is always fun and methods of movement are introduced at a great pace, making exploring these areas much more of a pleasure than a chore.

I am definitely interested in playing the rest of Europa, although I wonder whether it will be one of those games that I need to be adequately emotionally prepared for, as under the colourful, perfect aesthetic, dark themes are being explored.

Demo Length – 35 mins.

At a glance
+ Movement is fun.
+ The abundance of nature (and evolution of it?).
+ Areas felt the perfect size to do a little exploring and then move on.
+ The colours, particles, effects and general art direction.
+ The book pages.
+ The teaser at the end showed lots more to come.

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