Rusty’s Retirement is a cute farming idle game that sits at the bottom, or vertically on the side, of your computer screen. It’s a farming sim, so you plant crops, raise animals, and decorate. But instead of requiring your full attention at all times, it chugs away at whatever tasks it needs to while you do other things. You start out with just Rusty running the show, but as you progress, you can automate by building robots who will plant, water, and harvest crops for you. It’s perfect for the busy person looking to take short breaks playing a little something cozy! 

It’s The Perfect Idle Game

I really don’t generally enjoy idle games, honestly. They don’t hold my attention and the progression never feels good. Nevermind that most idle games I come across are combat-based and require repetition of levels to get good enough to advance. I’ve found myself trying different ones before, but always forgetting they exist after a while. I just can’t get into them. 

Rusty’s Retirement, though? It’s perfect in my eyes. Perhaps it’s because I already enjoy farming sims, but I think it really is more than just that. The game uses some lovely pixel art that I’ve grown to love over the years as it represents a sense of nostalgia for me. Plus, the color palette used for everything works well. The grass, farm plots, and buildings aren’t overwhelmingly bright. They’re actually a fairly subdued color, which helps things like the different decorative flowers pop when they’re placed. It makes for a really pleasant look overall. 

Which brings me to the different options. You initially start with just Rusty’s house, a biofuel converter, and water well. The rest is an empty plot of grass, much of which you need to unlock to expand. Place down farm plots where you want them to begin growing crops. There are 42 different crops to grow in Rusty’s Retirement, and 7 different houses to build. Each house serves a different purpose in unlocking new options for you. Decorative flowers and other natural decor, berry bushes and bees, bot upgrades, farm animals, and farm statistics all come in handy at some point. The bees provide honey and the animals produce fertilizer that help crops grow. Everything has its place and works together with everything else to create a balanced game. Of course, the decorations are just for fun and to make your farm a creative outlet. 

Easy to Play and Perfectly Cozy

I really appreciate that Rusty’s Retirement is easy and casual. There’s no huge learning curve. There isn’t some big, hidden challenge. What you see is what you get, which is exactly what I want from it. It’s easy to come back to. And your little helpers are fairly intelligent when moving buildings and plots. The ones performing the move will grab a box, move it to the new area, then head back. They focus on finishing that one task before moving on to something else. No one is performing tasks like I do when I’ve had too much coffee: a little bit of everything here and there so nothing really gets done well or in a timely manner. Plus, the unlock progression feels appropriate. It doesn’t feel like an overwhelming grind. It also doesn’t feel too quickly achieved. There is a balance that’s been struck that feels just right. 

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t tried Rusty’s Retirement, please do. It’s so relaxing and chill. You can play while completing important homework tasks or answering work emails. Or you could even let it run while you play other games. Your options really are nearly endless. It’s a great bite-sized game that deserves every bit of love and attention it gets from the gaming community. 

I give it:

You can find Rusty’s Retirement on Steam now!