IndieGo #40: A Cozy Retreat With Room to Grow
Trading Farming for Animal Hospitality
Pawsome Resort, Pixel Puffs
It’s difficult to write about a new cozy life sim without referencing Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. Bokujō Monogatari’s (as it known in Japan) influence is bountiful, spawning an entire genre based around planting crops, raising livestock, and befriending villagers. Gradually transforming a rundown patch of land into a thriving homestead is now just as common as saving the world in a real-playing game.
Pixel Puffs’ Pawsome Resort clearly shares some of Bokujō Monogatari’s DNA. But instead of asking you to become a seasoned farmer, the game tasks you with building the ultimate animal habitat for a wide variety of creatures. Sure, that might sound like a simple thematic shift, but after seeing what the Early Access release Pawsome Resort has to offer, it’s clear that the game might just offer enough deviation from formula. That said, Pawsome is pretty scruffy, and you’ll encounter a fair amount of friction, at least in the game’s present state.
Turnips to Tail Wags
Rather than spending every morning watering and tending to your crops (although there is horticulture), Pawsome Resort revolves around designing, expanding, and managing a resort that encourages long-term customers. Every decision, from constructing animal accommodations to unlocking new attractions and decorating the grounds, feeds into a progression loop built around hospitality instead of agriculture. For some, that’s will be enough of a twist on the increasingly crowded genre to encourage a try.
Games like Stardew Valley throw multiple systems at players almost immediately. In the first few hours, you’re juggling crop management, fishing, crafting, combat, mining, cooking, and relationships, which can seem like a lot. For better or worse, Pawsome Resort is more streamlined. Essentially, your main goal is creating an an attractive, comfortable resort that keeps your animal guests happy while earning the resources needed to continue expanding. And that narrower focus is shaping up to be one of the game’s greatest strengths.
Every Guest Deserves a Good Stay, Including You
Instead of dividing your attention between several daily chores, the game begins as a few sheep owners trickle in, seeking some boarding for a few days. A tutorial guides you through your first job, as you clean poop for their habitat, fill their water bowl, and provide some food. After a few jobs, you’ll probably have earned enough revenue to open a cat shelter or panda sanctuary. Obviously, the goal is to turn a vacant property into a vibrant boarding facility. But at present, there’s not all that much variation between caring for each species. As such, cats have a fisherman’s diet rather than the farmer’s mix you give to sheep, but Pawsome’s main focus seems to be on customization of your resort. However, that’s not the main issue.
To get around, you’re handed a little red scooter. In theory, it makes traversal around the map a bit faster, since most facilities and folks aren’t close to your farmstead. But riding around is a headache, with the vehicle getting stuck on the absence of trees, rocks, and fences that dot Pawsome Resort’s pathways. Yes, you can use axe and shovel to clear a path. But honestly, that would be a rather tedious undertaking. You’re running a animal care facility, you shouldn’t have to worry about road work. There’s also the issue of missing coding. I gave the local lumberjack money, wood, and stone to expand a habitat. Sadly, he didn’t perform the promise upgrade and spoke to me like no agreement had been made.
Under Construction
Right now, the user interface isn’t always faring much better. Drag-and-drop placement for animal pens is quite sloppy, and when doing basic activities like filling a water bowl, the game’s cursor snaps to everywhere except where you want it. Much of Pawsome’s motivation is rooted in the customization of your resort and homestead. But without the expected level of precision, decorating can feel like a chore. The game uses two different buttons for interaction and use and occasionally, it’s easily to mix up the two functions. None of this is unforgivable for an Early Access title, but it’s the kind of annoyances that chip away at an experience built around relaxation.
Despite this, Pawsome Resort‘s foundations do show promise. The animal sprites themselves are genuinely lovely. There’s personality in the way a panda flops over after a meal or a cat stretches before curling up in a sunbeam. Meanwhile, the sound design provides quiet melodies that are punctuated by the frequent sounds of animals and use of tools.
My Advice: Check In Later
Right now, Pawsome Resort feels like a game that knows what it wants to be but hasn’t quite built the infrastructure to support those ambitions. The customization and animal care loop is charming enough to carry the experience, but the scooter, the menu navigation, and the general jankiness around moving through your own resort make it clear there’s real work ahead before the game gets a full release.
If Pixel Puffs can iron out traversal and streamline the UI, there’s a genuinely cozy, well-focused game underneath the irritation. For now, it’s worth keeping an eye on, but maybe not worth boarding your own animals in just yet.
