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I made the witchy cottage of my dreams in Tiny GladeI could listen to these clicky clacks all day
I could listen to these clicky clacks all day
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Pounce Light
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Pounce Light
If you love cosy games where the biggest challenge is choosing between which farm utensil to place next to your barn doors, thenTiny Glademay be just the game for you. It’s a creative building game likeThe Sims 4but with none of the fuss of actually controlling lives - and no quests, combat or arbitrary challenges of any kind.
Instead, Tiny Glade simply offers a meadow and tools with which to build. The vibe of the game is cottage-core at its finest, with enough whimsigoth finery that you’ll soon lament that you can’t actually live inside your glorious creations. I’ve played the charming demo as part ofSteam Next Fest, and you’ll find some thoughts from my time with it below.
Tiny Glade - Gameplay Trailer | Wholesome Snack: The Game Awards EditionWatch on YouTube
Tiny Glade - Gameplay Trailer | Wholesome Snack: The Game Awards Edition
As a first look into the game, the Tiny Glade demo is somewhat limited. There is a small patch of land you can build on and only the summer season glade (with more autumnal and winter biomes to come with full release). There went my plans to recreate a ‘cheery’ Winterfell with less snow and somber Sean Bean dialogue. Instead, I opted to make a cosy cottage where perhaps a witch growing herbs could live.
What the demo does include, is a range of architectural mechanics like terrain adjustment, pathways, walls, windows, building prefabs, lanterns, flowers and more. Also included is a fantastic photo mode and timelapse feature, which enables you to see your designs come to life over time whilst listening to a soundtrack that is both calming and delightful.
I moved a few walls around and saw an adorable wood pile decoration. I then designed a whole house around it because I stubbornly determined that my witchneededa pile of logs for the winter. How else is she meant to heat her home in this economy?
The woodpile in question. As you can see, it is adorable. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Pounce Light
I then moved onto the roof, deciding that she needed a turret next to the regular house. This would be her little reading space, full of books about horticulture and occult studies. After placing the roof, out popped out a bird’s nest.
These little surprises were both delightful and quickly determined which direction I was going to be building. Without a clear vision in my mind, I ended up spending 2 and a half hours in the demo rearranging walls, creating balconies out of prefab foundations and testing the game’s abilities to my imagination’s limit.
The surpirse bird’s nest that once discovered,hadto stay.Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Pounce Light
All the while, you’re treated to some truly divine sound design. The music plods along with a mixture of flutes and horns that feel like they’ve come straight out of a colourful afterschool TV program. That’s to say, everything is bright and cheerful. The Lego-like click-clacks and the pops of the various building features are intensely satisfying and managed to quieten my brain for a few precious hours.
The builds really come to life at night. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Pounce Light
It’s a simple thing, but I also admire the way the buildings deconstruct when you undo a move instead of disappearing instantly. I could gush about Tiny Glade all day, but I’d like to leave some of the game’s surprises for you all to discover for yourself. You can pick up the demo for free via theSteam store page, until June 17th.
The game isn’t due for release until later this year and promises to have extra features currently unavailable in the demo, such as gothic-style windows, pond tools and a five glades to build in with different dynamic weather. Personally, I’d love to see more animals. Perhaps a squashy little frog for my cottage inhabitants to care for.
