A whimsical screenshot of Cozy Caravan. We see a caravan drawn by a bee, travelling a colourful and cosy world

Cozy Caravan Early Access Impressions

An Early Access code was used, with many thanks to Plan of Attack.

In Cozy Caravan, you journey through picturesque landscapes with Bubba, your best friend, in a caravan drawn by Rigby the Bee. Australian developer 5 Lives Studio have made a beautifully crafted world for us to travel in.

In-game scene from Cozy Caravan showing a caravan moving along a dirt road in a pastoral setting. The caravan, pulled by a large, fluffy bee, is seen by three small, cartoonish characters in a lush, green environment with oversized beehives and hills in the background. Published on: LadiesGamers.
When travelling between villages, the camera pans out, showing the world through a slight haze.

The Newest Guild Rookies

After customizing your animal character in Cozy Caravan, you find yourself in Fellowood Acres, where a letter from Aunty Madeline tells you they have an urgent Guild Request. Could you and your best friend Bubba help as the newest Guild Rookies? She’s equipped a caravan for you that you can use to travel around and asks to spread happiness all around the region of Harvestvale. A world that, according to representative Arthur, revolves around the Guild Hall in Basslebrook.

In-game map screenshot from Cozy Caravan, showing a detailed, hand-drawn style map of the game world with named locations such as 'Croakers' Gully' and 'Basslebrook.' Icons and paths are illustrated, and a character icon indicates the player's current location on the map. Published on: LadiesGamers.
A part of the overworld map

The caravan in Cozy Caravan has multiple functions. Together with Bubba you lead Rigby on the road from your carriage seat, in the back there’s sleeping space and storage space. You can get new upgrades by gathering enough happiness and getting tokens from Arthur. This, in turn, can lead to the upgrades that are shown below, like the cooking bench that popped up in the caravan after exchanging tokens.

Image from Cozy Caravan displaying a book-themed user interface titled "UPGRADES" with different icons for in-game tools and stations, such as a cooking bench. The right side shows a detailed description and image of the cooking bench upgrade, emphasizing gameplay elements like mixing and chopping. Published on: LadiesGamers.
You can get upgrades from Arthur at the Guild Hall.

At weekends, it’s market day for you: you ring the outside bell, and a little shop pops up. Now is the time to sell the produce you have acquired while helping out the characters you met on the road. This makes the shoppers happy and nets you more hearts. Later on, once you have been able to buy some upgrades, you can also sell dishes and items you have crafted.

Screenshot from Cozy Caravan during a lively scene at the player's campsite. Various animal characters interact around a caravan, some with speech bubbles indicating needs or thoughts, set against a rustic outdoor backdrop with pots, pans, and a camp bed. The scene conveys a bustling afternoon rush with a timer and activities highlighted. Published on: LadiesGamers.
It’s the weekend, so it’s time to open the shop!

Travelling the World in Cozy Caravan

The world in Cozy Caravan is big from the start, though I understand the developers are working on adding new regions. During your travels, you help out local farmers by harvesting some of their crops, and you are rewarded with produce. You also meet Luca, who wants to play hide and seek. Bogart has to do some Bee-walking, and the little bees just won’t stay on the leash. And you find several little frogs who have lost their way to their favourite pond. Of course, you help them out, though it’s not yet clear where the pond of their destination is. It’s such a fun sight, however, to see them ride along on the caravan.

Screenshot from Cozy Caravan showing a character interaction scene with Francesca Fortuna, a mystically themed cat character with a crystal ball, engaging in a dialogue with the player character, offering to provide information. The setting includes vibrant colors and whimsical designs typical of the game's aesthetic. Published on: LadiesGamers.
Do you think Francesca is Katharina’s sister?

All these things show clearly that Cozy Caravan is striving for a cosy and quirky feeling with a good dose of humour; a lot of the requests and talks brought a smile to my face. I did notice there is no task list; instead, the characters you talk to remind you of the things that you could pick up. I understand that the developers don’t want to turn the quests into a sort of shopping list you check off, interfering with the laid-back feeling. However, I noticed that I was searching for the most efficient ways to do the errands anyway. I guess you’ll have to experience how you would feel about that.

That’s the premise of Cozy Caravan, but does it work? I’m happy to tell you that it does, even in this early access stage. Sure, the game does need a bit of spit and polish here and there. Sometimes speech bubbles linger, the promised cooking table didn’t show until I quit and started the game again. Little things, but they didn’t interfere with my feeling of immersion in the game. I have played the entire game on my Steam Deck, which is great news. I did struggle with inputting my character’s name, turns out the combo Steam button pressed with X does the trick.

Screenshot from the video game Cozy Caravan featuring an outfit customization menu. The menu displays various clothing items in a book-style interface with tabs and icons for different categories. A cute, cow-like character is shown on the right, dressed in a red button dress with a white shirt underneath, standing in a vibrant, grassy landscape. Published on: LadiesGamers.
A lot of outfits to choose from

A Nice Dose of Bubba

Cozy Caravan is shaping up to be a great addition to the cosy genre of games. Even in this stage of very early access, it’s already a lovely and immersive game. What stands out to me is the humour in the game. Bubba is a special character who only says “Bubba Bubba” but somehow makes perfect sense for my little game character.

Nighttime scene from Cozy Caravan showing characters gathered around a campfire. One character is playing a guitar while another watches on, near a cozy caravan and amidst a beautifully lit landscape with a moonlit sky and floating lanterns. The scene exudes a calm and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for winding down. Published on: LadiesGamers.
The last scene is just before closing for the night. Bubba is sitting at the campfire with its lilypad hat on.

There are some bugs to be repaired, but nothing game-breaking. The developers are working behind the scenes to fix them, and to expand the game with even more regions and characters to meet.

You can find Cozy Caravan here in the Steam shop, and I wanted to end with this screenshot. Even the way the developers approach the need for further development has a good dose of humour!

Screenshot from Cozy Caravan, featuring two animal characters in a dialogue scene. One character, named Ziggy, has a speech bubble indicating a humorous comment about the game's development by 5 Lives Studio. Both characters are designed in a cartoonish style and stand in a grassy area near wooden fences and a barn. Published on: LadiesGamers.
Ziggy and his egg farm haven’t been fully implemented yet. Nice that Ziggo let me know I could take all the eggs I wanted!

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