Available now with Native Linux support, APICO from TNgineers and Whitethorn Games might be one of my new favourite was just to chill-out. Note: key provided for me by their PR team.
With a sprinkle of facts and plenty of exploration, APICO filled me up with a sense of pride in what I was doing. Bees are awesome, the world revolves around them and in APICO it's your job to protect them all — and breed them. You've left the bright lights of the big city to go out in the sticks to help your poor old grandmother. Honestly this is one of the most wholesome games I've played so far this year. Cozy would be a really good way to describe it.
Direct Link
Game Features:
- Live out your wildest beekeeping fantasies – sting free!
- Unique crafting & beekeeping minigames that drive gameplay progression
- Cross-breed different bees to discover over 30 new species
- Make and sell honey, Apicola, and other beekeeping products
- Repopulate lost species and release them back into the wild
- Multiple biomes to explore, each with their own unique bee species
- Uncover the forgotten secrets of the APICO islands
- Play together with friends in 4 player online co-op!
Note: if it fails to run for you on Linux, simply set it to the Steam Linux Runtime in the Steam Compatibility settings. Game Maker still has a few issues with dependencies on Linux but the developer has most of them bundled with it so it works fine on Steam Deck and Ubuntu out of the box.
It gives off the same kind of zen feeling I got from the likes of Stardew Valley and Littlewood, it has that wonderful blend of exploration and building that allows you to just take a deep breath and smile while the hours tick away. An easy recommendation, great for any age.
From the press release:
“There was no better time to release APICO than on World Bee Day,” said Dr. Matthew White, CEO of Whitethorn Games. “We hope that everyone who plays the game will take its message about bee conservation to heart, and help bring more awareness to this important issue.”
“Our thanks goes out to Whitethorn Games and all the players who tried the demo and wishlisted the game for supporting our efforts,” said Ell, co-founder of TNgineers. “APICO is finally out, and we hope that its message spreads far and wide.”
Bee happy and pick up a copy from itch.io and Steam. A portion of sales will also go towards national and international bee, beekeeping and wild bee conservation charities.
EDIT: Announcement here.
Last edited by Cybolic on 21 May 2022 at 9:57 am UTC
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