Summary
An upcoming life sim calledCritter Covelooks to combine the gameplay ofStardew ValleywithAnimal Crossing-style characters and 3D graphics. Its incoming release promises to add to the list ofcozy games inspired by the gameplay loops ofStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossing.
Critter Coveis the third-ever game from Gentleman Rat Studios, a three-person developer that previously put out mobile titlesPeggoo PopandBlocktagon. The project also has the backing of tinyBuild, one of today’smost well-known indie game publisherswhose track record consists of critically acclaimed titles such asPathologic 2andHello Neighbor.
Unlike those horror games,Critter Covepromises to offer a much more relaxing experience set on a tropicalisland that wouldn’t look out of place inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons. The life sim will task the players with rebuilding an archipelago town, which will involve exploration, crafting, and making friends with a varied cast of humanoid animal characters.Critter Covewill also feature sailing, as well as hundreds of home furnishing and protagonist customization options.
In terms ofsimilarities withStardew Valley, the developers said thatCritter Covewill offer some farming mechanics. Nevertheless, growing crops won’t be the focus of the game, as the overall experience will be primarily geared toward exploration and socializing, similar to theAnimal Crossingseries. Gentleman Rat also promised “a lot of town management,” stating that building one’s own house inCritter Covewill be just the beginning.
WhileCritter Covehas yet to be treated to a release date, Gentleman Rat is currently planning to launch the PC version of the game in early access during the first quarter of 2024. The life sim has also been confirmed for the last two generations of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, although those ports will seemingly lag behind the early access launch on PC. In the meantime, anyone eager to experience the pre-release version of the game can request access to theCritter Coveplaytest via Steam. Although the developer isn’t looking for more testers right now, it promised to notify anyone interested in previewing the game as soon as more slots open up closer to the early access release.
And while the overall scope ofCritter Coveappears to be set in stone, the full breadth of its content remains very much up in the air. That’s largely because the developers plan to incorporate early adopter feedback into the final product, allowing it to shape everything from balancing changes to gameplay features.
Critter Coveis coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.
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