Balcony gardening sim Pocket Oasis has a beautiful hand-painted look and meditative vibes

rockpapershotgun.com:

For those of us who don’t have a garden to grow plants in, an allotment is one way to get your green-fingered fix of tending to nature in return for its peaceful healing properties. When an allotment is a bit too cold, or muddy, or expensive, or outside, upcoming gardening sim Peaceful Oasis looks to be a fine digital alternative.

The meditative game tasks players with arranging pots on the balcony of a building in one of several European cities, tending to the plants with water and sun - and sticking them in a greenhouse if necessary - to bring them to flower or fruit. Growing your mini Eden will attract animals including hedgehogs, foxes and cats to keep your character company as they relax on the balcony in an egg chair, at a table and chairs, or even just on the floor with a lantern depending on how you choose to decorate your rooftop hideaway.

Achieving the right levels of water, feed, light and temperature will let you pick fruit and vegetables that grow on your plants, earning cash for decorations and filling out a book of plants to unlock new flora for you to cultivate.

There’ll be some challenges in the form of different weathers, climates and a day-and-night cycle to contend with - based on real geographical data for the city of your choosing - but first-time developers knit’n’purl say that the whole experience is designed to be a gentle and relaxing experience rather than a punishing exercise in watching everything you plant wither, which is a relief if you have the flower kill count of me.

The game’s cityscapes, plants, pets and characters are illustrated with hand-painted watercolours by artist Ioana Mihai, adding to the picturesque feel alongside a calm piano score.

The whole thing looks just lovely, with a demo available to try now on Steam ahead of Pocket Oasis’ release date on May 8th.