Welcome to the first Paula’s Game Ramblings of 2023. You can find the other ramblings here.
These ramblings can be game related or just what is on my mind when sitting down to write the ramblings. This time, I want to talk about some of the games I’m looking forward to playing in 2023. But, of course, these are only a few games I’m looking forward to playing. As with most gamers, I have many games on my wishlist, and there are too many to mention here. So, these games are mostly indie games with one triple-A that will be a must-buy for me.
Terra Nil
Terra Nil is an upcoming reverse city builder about ecosystem reconstruction from Devolver Digital. At the moment, there is a free demo on Steam. I’ve played the demo numerous times and like what I see in it.
The game is an unusual take on the city-building genre as it’s more about the beauty and perseverance of the natural world than actual city-building. The land is barren in Terra Nil, and you are tasked with reconstructing the land. Turning the barren wasteland into an ecological paradise with different flora and fauna.
You place the water system, slowly purify the soil, and cultivate the land’s greenery. Then, you embark on more ambitious tasks, such as restoring the biodiversity, fixing the climate, introducing wildlife, and finally recycling all the structures you used to get there, leaving the environment pristine.
Snufkin – Melody of Moominvalley
When my daughter was young in the late 1980s, we watched a children’s TV program based on a series of books by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. The books/TV program was about the Moomins, a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts.
Fast forward to 2023, and Developers Hyper Games and publisher Raw Fury are bringing the world of Moomin to PC and consoles in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a musical adventure game. It takes place in Moominvalley, where Snufkin needs to restore harmony to Moominvalley after a series of grotesque parks have appeared and ruined the valley’s natural balance. For folk who don’t know who Snufkin is in the books, Snufkin is a philosopher and a wanderer who enjoys the simple things in life, such as fishing, playing his harmonica and walking alone at night.
The game is a wholesome experience for all ages and will combine open-world mechanics with puzzles, stealth and melodic elements. We will be able to explore the beautiful nature of the valley. Get reacquainted with the Moomins and find secrets and solve puzzles. The storybook artwork makes this game look amazing to me, and I’m eager to get to know the Moomins all over again.
Builders of Egypt
Builders of Egypt is a city-building economic strategy game which takes place in the Nile Valley. It is developed by Strategy Labs and published by PlayWay S.A. and CreativeForge Games.
There is a Builders of Egypt Prologue in early access available to download on Steam to get a taste of what the game will be like on release. I’ve been playing the prologue, which starts on a small patch of a riverbank. The game’s tutorial takes you through the basics, like building houses, granaries and clay pits.
You also learn about essential production chains needed to create bricks or pottery and how to set up your first trade route. Once you complete the tutorial, you can keep tinkering with your city and expand it as much as you like. This game looks promising for city builder fans like me.
Laysara: Summit Kingdom
Laysara: Summit Kingdom is another city-building game under development by Quite OK Games and published by Future Friends Games.
I’ve had Laysara: Summit Kingdom on my radar for a while. I think it has a fascinating twist on the usual city-building we know. It’s a gorgeous-looking strategy game. After being forced out of the lowlands, you’re tasked with building your people a new home in the mountains where everyone can thrive and prosper.
In addtion to building cities on the side of a mountain, the game comes with a new set of challenges. Like nature in real-life, each mountain differs in shape, vegetation layouts, resource availability and weather conditions. Sometimes you will have plenty of room for farming in green lowlands. Other times you must rely on breeding and extracting valuable minerals from regions dangerously close to peak glaciers.
Ova Magica
I backed Ova Magica on Kickstarter a year or so ago. What drew me to it was the bright and vibrant look of the game. Ova Magica is reminiscent of many other games, such as Stardew Valley, and Slime Rancher, and classics like Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Pokémon.
The game is developed by ClaudiaTheDev and will be published on PC and console platforms by Top Hat Studios. It is a single-player game, combining the farming and monster-taming genre with life-sim elements.
Based in Clover Town, you’re entrusted with an overgrown piece of land by the townsfolk. It’s up to you to turn it into the farm of your dreams. For fans of farming, crafting, and monster taming, Ova Magica is a game to keep an eye on or add to your wishlist on Steam.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Last but by no means least is Nintendo’s big release of 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After finally giving us a confirmed release date of the 12th of May this year. Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the game is actually being released.
I adore The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I completed it more than a few times and loved it each time. Though Nintendo is its usual cagey self and hasn’t released much information about the Tears of the Kingdom, I’m already sold on the game as it has Zelda as in the title. That’s good enough for me.
Billed as the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In addtion to the vast lands of Hyrule, the latest entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take us into the skies. I can’t wait to play the game when it is released in May.