Developer: AuntyGames
Platforms: Linux, macOS, PC (Reviewed)
Genre: Casual, Simulation
Publisher: AuntyGames, Future Friends Games
Gourdlets is an easygoing sandbox game. This game was developed by AuntyGames and published by AuntyGames and Future Friends Games. The game is somewhat similar to Coffee Caravan and Minami Lane. This review was done on the PC (Windows), but the game is also available for Linux and macOS.
Gourdlets is a single-player game where you let your creativity run wild through building a city for cute vegetable folk named Gourdlets! The game is a stress-free gaming environment where it lacks objectives, points or any pressure on needing to perform to a certain level. Gourdlets invites players to create a town to their liking and watch their Gourdlets thrive in the town you have built for them. Gourdlets is a charming, relaxing game that anyone can play.
The controls for Gourdlets are extremely simple, where you mainly just need to point and click to arrange items into certain areas. There are additional keybinds that allow for building rotation and camera rotation, which are listed in the bottom right corner for accessibility. The game also has other accessibility options like changing the daytime, customizable weather, taking a photo, deleting stuff… etc. The game does a good job of going through an in-depth tutorial that tells you how mechanics and controls work for the game. Honestly, the game requires no worries about the controls.
In Gourdlets, you start by getting to choose from three different maps: basic (grassy area), beach oasis, and a maze. At first, the maps seem relatively small, but with an endless amount of expansion, they can be as big as the screen. Each town is unique to you, allowing you to name it as well. The game starts with a gourdlet making its way off a train that comes chooing through a body of water. The gourdlet settles into the tranquil space that you will start to build up. The game is filled with so many options that in no way limits the player to design their town to their liking. I love how the game does not require you to worry about resources or money, as the gourdlets are not too into capitalism. As you start to build up your town, you can call in more gourdlets so they can explore the wonders you have built for them. Gourdlets themselves have no special upkeep requirement like hunger or thirst but rather let the player observe their peaceful interactions. For instance, animations include gourdlets sitting on a bench, them grilling something on a barbeque stand that starts to liven up your town. Besides being able to decorate the exterior of the town, the game lets you decorate the interior of the houses, which went beyond my surprise for the game.
The Gourdlets live an easy life where they have no complaints whatsoever and will indulge happily in the town you have built for them. The extensive creativity and options in this game are everything. A few other features in the game make Good Pets such a calming game. For instance, when a song switches in the game, you can see a pop-up that shows you the name of the song. Each song that plays has a mellow and relaxing melody that fits so well with the environment the game puts the player in. Music is upbeat and jingly filled with guitar strumming and piano, which makes you want to waddle left and right. Accompanied by the sound effects of birds chirping, wind whistling, and waves crashing, it adds a calming charm to the game. The second feature I liked was that each Gourdlet has its own unique name, which is adorable and can be displayed through the UI settings. The third feature in the game I loved a lot was the half-screen option, where you would have the game playing on the bottom half of your screen. This was great mainly because it meant I could be doing something else whilst still attending to my gourdlets and building my town up.
Gourdlets is the perfect game for anyone who is looking to wind down and let their creativity run free, with an endless catalogue that you can continue to unlock through building and decorating your town more and more. The charm of this game lies in its simplicity and the freedom that it offers to players. If you’re looking for a stress-free game that lets you play at your own relaxing pace, then be sure to check out Gourdlets!
Overall: 9/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
