Inspired in parts by both Viva Pinata and Rollercoaster Tycoon, inDirection Games and Slug Disco just released Horticular and it's as sweet as they come. Note: key provided by publisher.
For cozy game fans, this is absolutely the one for you. Especially if you're a bit of a green finger. I myself am not, I kill every plant that's ever given to me, but at least now I can do it total safety and not have to feel bad about killing yet another cactus.
Here you've been magically summoned by mysterious gnomes to restore a long-lost garden. In some ways, it actually reminds me of Terra Nil, which is about restoring a wasteland but here it's gardening. Similar idea, very different in design overall though. If you enjoyed Terra Nil, I think you would enjoy this a bit too. Less of a puzzle game though, more of a sandbox to beautify the land.
Direct Link
Horticular is all about taking your time, and just making everything look sweet. It has a day / night cycle, and a weather system too. You can't even speed things up during the day, so you can just sit back and make the most of it. You do have a real sense of purpose here though, it's not just idle building. As you progress you unlock more and more, eventually you can get some animals to arrive if you ensure they have everything they need.
Even if you're not particularly creative, there's plenty there to keep you going through the quests and challenges where the progress nicely drip-feeds more into the game for you. Especially with the gold and upgrade system, you can go for hours and hours at a time. And for those who are creative, the sandbox mode is for you where you don't have to follow the story along.
It has Native Linux support that worked without issues and well worth a purchase if you love more casual games. Really does allow you to just zone-out and get fixing up the place.
Check it out on Steam now.
See more from me