Dorfromantik is the soothing game we need in today’s world

digitaltrends.com:

When I’m stressed out — and I’m often stressed out — I tend to turn to a go-to video game to calm my nerves. For the past few years, my go-to genre has been one that’s been on the rise recently: The minimalist city builder.

If you grew up playing PC games like SimCity, you’re likely familiar with the concept of a city management game. Usually, players need to create and maintain a bustling metropolis. Traditionally, it can be a stressful type of game that takes on in-depth strategy hooks. One misconnected highway and you could accidentally create an economic crisis. But the new wave of “minimalist” city builders reduce the genre back to its simplest pleasures. They’re games about casually building a picaresque landscape as soothing music plays.

The most recent entry in that genre is Dorfromantik, which exits early access on PC today. The charming title might be the best in the emerging genre yet, combining the Bob Ross-like joys of painting with the tactile quality of board games like Carcassonne. According to the game’s developers, the secret to the genre’s success lies in simplicity designed to give players a break from their complex lives.

In Dorfromantik, players slowly build a landscape of interconnected towns, forests, and rivers by placing hexagonal tiles. There are a few rules as to what tiles can be connected, and quests give players more specific objectives to chase, but it can be a low-stakes experience. Rounds generally last around 30 to 40 minutes and that time tends to melt away quickly thanks to the hypnotic nature of its almost-tactile gameplay loop.

“Our main intention was to design something with a low barrier to entry.”

It bears similarities to charmers like Islanders and Townscaper, two recent city