I was going to play The Crush House this week but I got sidetracked and ended up playing a super cozy game. I love cozy games. I love them because I introduce them to my wife who really doesn’t play video games and she runs with them. It’s fun to watch people who don’t play games play a game that they enjoy. This week’s super cozy game is Gourdlets.

Gourdlets is a cozy sandbox city-builder from AuntyGames and published under Future Friends Games and AuntyGames. The game was released on Steam in August and retails for $5.

Gourdlets has no story, it is all about creating a community for little vegetable folk to work and live in. Gourdlets are lazy and don’t want or need much; they just want to live in paradise. Build your community to your liking and watch as the Gourdlets make themselves at home.

“There are no points, or real objectives, just good vibes” – Aunty Games

The best way to look at Gourdlet’s design is, “If you build it, then they will come and help you maintain it.” The UI has been simplified with enjoyers of cozy games and new gamers in mind. Menus are divided into nine clickable icons: Building, two erase tools, ledger, weather (time of day), camera, Gourdlet customization, a Gourdlet train, and a package drop off.

There is a plethora of stuff to build, from homes to accents like bushes and trees to lighthouses and hedges and even farms. There is a load of small single items that can combine to make larger, more complex structures. If you can think of it, I am pretty sure there is a way to build it in this game.

When you thought that the building was done, you were wrong, the player can enter the buildings and there will be randomly generated boxes that will be the theme of the building but it is up to you to create the rest of the building. From the sheer amount of buildings that can be built in the overworld, to have hundreds of options for the inside of the buildings is just staggering. You have tables, couches, chairs, espresso machines, books, shelves, rugs, gym stuff, and pretty much anything you can think of. It may be intimidating at first but once you understand how each menu functions, you will be switching through each in a breeze.

As you build Gourdlets show up (one will be present and most times other Gourdlets can be requested ) and they take in the space, helping with whatever project they can. As they help with doing laundry, trimming the hedges, harvesting this year’s crop, and working out, flowers will bloom over their heads for you to take as a form of currency. These flowers build up the gift meter and when the meter is full a gift is dropped off at the train station. The more Gourdlets in your community, the faster the drip.

Though a little slow, the drip of new stuff is welcome.

The weather icon allows the player to choose a time of day and a season. Cozy building games that utilize the time of day so I can see the nice little ambiance that my tiny park has is INCREDIBLE for the genre. The lighting is just another thing that the player can customize to really appreciate the look of their community and the game’s overall look.

There is an insane amount of customization options for the looks of your little veggie-folk. If you want a witch hat-only community then you can set a dress code and Gourdlets will only show up with a witch hat so you can fulfill your dreams of a spooky-themed community. No dress code? No problem you can name and fully customize your community members.

Everything about Gourdlet’s is beautiful. You have the pixel art style with probably the best color palette in any video game that I have ever played. Many building options contain a color option and the colors are so vibrant and I like that there are pastel color options.

Gourdlets has very little audio, and the audio comes from the nice little tune in the background while you play and the “oof” like sound that the Gourdlets make when you obtain the flower from them.

Gourdlets is the perfect cozy game. It is an easily approachable game with mechanics and a UI geared toward making the game as accessible as possible. Everything is easy to get to, easy to place, and easy to play. There are so many options for building that I don’t think that I or my wife ever got bored with customizing our islands and the interiors of the houses. The game is absolutely gorgeous from the overworld to the building options.

There is just so much love put into this game and it really shows. With accessibility as a main design, Gourdlets is a game that everyone can enjoy.

8/10