Chelsea
Jul 27, 2023
Create the City of Your Dreams
Heard of the Story? is all about forging your very own medieval town. With the help of your townspeople, you’ll embark on an adventure to transform a few sticks and pebbles into a beautiful, flourishing city. Or, you can sit back and watch as the townspeople live and thrive on their own!
All of the villagers in Heard of the Story? are highly intelligent AI who really feel alive and self-aware. Not only will they help you build your city into the perfect cottagecore village or bustling castle town, but you can watch as they discover their own passions, spread rumors, and even tell some interesting stories to each other. You can even form friendships with them.
In order to build up your dream city, you’ll need to cooperate with your villagers in gathering resources. Explore the mountains and forests beyond the city to find fruits and treasures, as well as other profitable items. Heard of the Story? even lets you discover and nurture your own craft! Discover new recipes through some creative genius or learn from the villagers. Specializing into a role, such as blacksmith, opens up new necessary items for you and your city. Once you’ve mastered the trade, perhaps start your own guild, too!Coming Soon!
Heard of the Story? is coming to Steam and will be available August 17th.
The Wandering Village and Gourdlets are a couple of other great city-builders!
- Jul 27, 2023
Was wandering around your island and traveling to other islands in search of all the different bugs in Animal Crossing your favorite things? Did you take joy in collecting each one to turn into the museum for the living bug display? Then Bug & Seek might be for you!
Catch Bugs and Revitalize the Museum
You’ve just sunk your life savings into buying the rundown, abandoned insectarium with the lofty dream of restoring it and refilling it with varieties of local bugs. The museum in Bug & Seek was once the lifeblood of the town, but someone stole the bugs in the dead of night. Now it’s up to you to hone your bug catching skills and breathe life back into the place.
Bug & Seek has over 175 different real-life bugs for you to capture. Ranging from super common, to some of the most rare bugs to exist, you’ll have a long list of exciting species to look for. You’ll find them throughout the cozy world of Buggburg. Visit the sandy beaches, dark caves, lush forests, saturated wetlands, and even the local university. Each bug comes with a humorous tagline and informational description so you can learn about them, too. Once you’ve captured a bug, take it to your museum to put it on display.
At the museum, you have total control over everything. You can choose from different wallpaper, flooring options, even the tanks you’ll display bugs in come in a variety of options. Expand the museum and build new wings as your collection grows. Bug & Seek even allows you to change your wardrobe and upgrade your tools to make bug catching even easier.
While you’re running around Buggburg, get to know the locals, as well. Bug & Seek has over 17 townspeople for you to meet. They’ll give you missions to complete, and reward you with new gear, items, secrets and gossip, and maybe even haiku. Maybe you can even solve the mystery of the Great Bug Heist!
Coming Soon!
Bug & Seek is coming to Steam sometime this year! There is currently a demo available, and you can add the game to your Wishlist to keep an eye on it.
For more creature collection games, check out Cassette Beasts, Alekon, and Monster Harvest.
- Jul 26, 2023
In Millennials, you’ll create your very own college freshman. Experience the prime of your youth while also experiencing the ups and downs of college life. Attend classes, work, make enemies, and forge friendships. Even chill out and decorate your dorm room!
When you create your college freshman in Millennials, you have control over what type of person you make. Choose qualities and skills to create a hard-working bookworm or an extroverted party animal. Make time to network with those around you, as it can make college life more fun. Or go the lone wolf route and avoid making friends at all. Join a sorority or fraternity and take part in mysterious initiations. Even throw parties or arrange annual events. If that doesn’t appeal to you, though, you can join a club or just forge friendships and maybe even find love.
You’ll even have to find the perfect work-life balance while you’re at it! Partying is fun, but you’ll need to attend classes and study in order to pass exams. Mix in working part time to pay for tuition, and you’ll have to manage your time in Millennials really well! Just don’t forget to have fun, because all work and no play is dull. Oh, and don’t forget about your reputation on campus. Network with influential students, complete goals, and accumulate good grades to become a campus celebrity.
Coming Soon
You can Wislist Millennials on Steam now! There is no current release date listed.
Looking for more life sims? Check out Palia, an upcoming cozy MMO. There’s also the adorable Japanese Rural Life.
- Jul 26, 2023
Have you ever dreamed of owning a gorgeous, stately home with a sprawling garden? Now’s your chance! In Botany Manor, you play as retired botanist Arabella Greene in 19th century England. You get to explore the halls of your beautiful home, walk the lush garden paths, and grow all sorts of wonderful plants!
You’ll find all sorts of interactive items scattered about throughout the house, which you’ll use to figure out how best to care for your plants. Each plant in Botany Manor is fussy, requiring very specific needs, which you’ll need to figure out. Start by gathering information about each plant from posters, newspapers, letters, paintings, and more. Then, take that knowledge and plant the seeds, place them in the appropriate environments, and watch them grow. Fill the many rooms of manor with plants, and cultivate incredible gardens outside!
Botany Manor is coming to Steam, where you can Wishlist it, and Nintendo Switch!For more gardening fun, check out Horticular and Garden Life!
- Jul 20, 2023
Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island is the sequel to Pretty Princess Party, and just as cutesy, magical, and pretty as the other. Only this time, you play as a princess who’s trying to revitalize a once flourishing island. You have full control over designing the island, as well.
Raise livestock to receive animal products to use in recipes. Grow crops and flowers. Manufacture other necessary items to craft beautiful dresses, hair styles, makeup, and decorations. Complete requests from visitors to earn money and points that level you up. You’ll unlock new buildings, decorations, and wearables as you level.
Decorate and Garden and Decorate Some More!
Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island looks a lot like Animal Crossing, honestly. You’re on an island that you get to design and decorate. You’re in charge of fixing it up without help, and there’s fruit picking and fishing to be done. Even the look of the map is Animal Crossing-esque. However, Garden Island successfully set itself apart, I think.
There’s mining, farming, even animals to look after, and you have functional craft houses and restaurants that produce different kinds of food. There’s a functional element to the game that gives me a reason to play beyond just decorating. Garden Island’s livestock aren’t needy, they’re simply a building you place, you feed them, then they produce items. Farming is easy, too. You buy seeds, plant them, and wait! There’s a cute little chime that plays when a crop grows to maturity, too. So don’t go into this thinking you’ll have a Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon experience. You won’t. It’s just what ACNH should have done with crops.
There is a timer to making items, however. The base time is five minutes, though they can be up to ten minutes. These timers apply to crops, the animals, crafting buildings, and restaurants. When I first encountered this mechanic, I thought it would get annoying fast. That wasn’t the case, though. I found that there’s enough to do around Garden Island that I’d get swept up in something else and not even realize five or ten minutes had passed.
The best aspect, and probably the main aspect of Garden Island, though, is the decorating. Decorate yourself, change your hair, slap on some makeup and hair bows, then go pretty up the island. It’s almost overwhelming how many incredible options for decorating there are. From pretty and cutesy to gothic, to normal garden and cottagecore styles, you shouldn’t have trouble picking out the perfect pieces to use. The excitement of this is a little offset by the need to craft dyes and other materials to use to buy the decor. However, you can place multiple of one building to have a whole crafting set-up going so it’s really not a huge issue.
Final Thoughts
Despite the minor gripes, I really, really enjoy Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island. It’s fun and simple and forgiving. I can pick it up for a little while to fill some time, or I can marathon it all day. I can create beautiful water themed areas or spooky gothic and Halloween displays. Or, if I’m feeling in the mood, deck the whole place out in bright pinks befitting a pretty princess. The purposeful crafting and fulfilling order really gives me a sense of accomplishment, too. It makes me want to play because I have to earn levels to unlock more stuff, and craft items to get that stuff.
Overall, I give this one:
You can find Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island on Nintendo Switch!
- Jul 20, 2023
Remember Neopets?
This beloved browser-based pet game was established in 1999. You cared for a creature, played mini-games, completed quests, plus other fun things. It played a huge part in my childhood, and that of many others’ childhoods. It was the best free game I had access to, and I’d spend hours a day playing it. Meerca Chase was my jam.
Unfortunately, the game didn’t quite age well. It didn’t receive the updates it deserved. Looking at it now, there is one new type of Neopet since I played over a decade ago. Plus, with the death of Flash, most of the games we knew and loved are gone. I mean, there were tons of games, but now there’s 14 games to play because they’re the only ones that got converted.
There have been some updates to the website, of course, and they did publish Neopets: Island Builder and Neopets Faerie’s Hope on mobile. They’re lackluster, to say the least. And remember when there were rumors about Neopets coming to the Switch? That seems to have fallen apart, too.
Neopets’ New Era
There were clearly attempts over the years to make Neopets fresh and revive it, but it all seemed to fall flat. Earlier this week, though, The Neopets Team made a huge announcement that promises the resurrection of this beloved game. Neopets now has a brand new leadership team who are eager to make the game what it deserves to be.
There will be a relaunch of Island Builders, as well as a new World of Neopets life sim game where you live as a Neopet. The Neopets Team promises even more to come, too. I hope to see the return of all of the mini-games as they’re changed over from Flash games. And I’m super excited to see what else the team adds to the game. They’re clearly passionate about the game, which offers hope to us players!
If you’d like to see Neopets succeed, the team requests everyone to come back and play. Take a look around the new website. Even enter the giveaway that’s going on now. And don’t forget to share with your friends!
If you’d like to read the full statement from the team, you can check it out on their website here. - Jul 20, 2023
Humble Bundle is a great resource for the thrifty gamer with their bundle offers. Pick a bundle, then choose what you wish to pay. It’s a great way to grab a bunch of games for cheap. Right now, Humble Bundle has a Cozy Games bundle perfect for trying out a bunch of games you may have had your eye on! And these are all worthy of playing. They’re cute, cozy, and wholesome. Some feature powerful stories, while some are just perfect for kicking back and relaxing with.
This offer ends in 20 days, so take your time to decide, but don’t let it pass by!
Cat Cafe Manager
Cat Cafe Manager has you taking over your grandmother’s derelict cafe in the sleepy town of Caterwaul Way. Restore the cafe, renovate it, and decorate it as you wish, turning it into an inviting home for the plethora of cats that call Caterwaul Way home. Hire employees to help manage the cafe, and explore the village to befriend the inhabitants and learn new recipes.
Witchy Life Story
In Witchy Life Story you’re the youngest member of the magical von Teasel family, but you’re not exactly their pride and joy. In fact, you have one more chance to prove yourself or your witch training is over. So, you arrive in the village of Flora to try and save their harvest festival. You have two weeks to make it a success. So, gather herbs, brew potions, get to know the townspeople, and even cast some spells. Maybe cause a little chaos, even.
Here Comes Niko
Play as the adorable Niko, who’s just become a professional friend for Tadpole Inc. in Here Comes Niko! You’ll explore different scenic islands while making friends with people you come across. Complete requests for them by catching fish and bugs, solving puzzles, and even just listening to them. If you’re lucky, they’ll pay you and you can then invest in a train system to get to new islands!
Garden Story
Welcome to the Grove! You’re its new guardian, and it’s your duty to rebuild the village and uncover the story of its past. Garden Story is a chill wholesome game where you’ll complete quests to defend against encroaching Rot, gather resources, restore, and improve the town. There’s even a way to turn off combat to make it even cozier to play!
Lemon Cake
Lemon Cake is an adorable little game about restoring a run-down, haunted bakery. Grow fruit and care for animals, who provide ingredients for your bakery. Repair, furnish, and decorate every room to create an inviting little business. Mix and bake up some fantastic recipes, and maybe even convince the ghost to help you out!
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Join Alba as she visits her grandparents on a once-beautiful Mediterranean island in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. She’s ready to explore the island with her friend Ines, but when she sees an animal in trouble, she realizes she needs to help it. As Alba, you’ll start a whole campaign to clean up the island! Convince the townspeople to help out and gather volunteers to restore the island and help the wildlife.
A Short Hike
A Short Hike is about exactly that, hiking! Spend time in the peaceful mountainside of Hawk Peak Park simply exploring. Hike the marked trails or explore the wild back country. Climb some rocky cliffs. Glide over lush landscapes. Take your time to absorb the beautiful surroundings and meet other hikers. Perhaps you can help each other out. Even discover some treasures!
Assemble With Care
Assemble with Care features a meaningful, evocative story line about Maria, a globe-trotting antique restorer as she arrives in Bellariva. She wants to help the inhabitants fix their personal items, but discovers it’s their personal lives that are starting to fracture. It’s harder to fix those, but she’s determined to help. You’ll solve puzzles by fixing items brought to her, meet the townsfolk, and tune into a lovely soundtrack inspired by the 80s.
65% off Coupon for Haven Park
Unfortunately, Haven Park isn’t included in this bundle, just a lovely 65% off coupon! It’s a great discount for such a cute game where you play as Flint, who has just taken over his grandmother’s beloved park. He wants to make it a park campers will love, so it’s up to you to help him out. Fulfill each camper’s wishes and build whatever their hearts desire. Happy campers will attract more business, which means more quirky characters for you to talk to and enjoy!
Like lists? Want more game recommendations? Check out 5 of My Favorite Cozy Steam Next Fest Demos!
- Jul 19, 2023
Welcome to Fabledom, where you are the king or queen! A vast, beautiful land is waiting for you to colonize it. In this laid back city builder, there’s no need for optimizing. Simply build and shape the city of your dreams, and watch the settlers’ lives. Experience a fairy tale world filled with flying pigs, witches, and more. Watch the rise and fall of their relationships as you build a prosperous economy to create a flourishing society. Even find yourself a king or queen and fall in love. Build an army, then select a champion to provide your city with defense against vile neighbors and minions.
Fabledom is available now on Steam!
