From out of the blue, a wonderful little construction simulation from Oskar Stålberg. Along the lines of ISLANDERS, it’s just a total joy.

The Architectural Joys of Townscaper

Okay, for us it’s titles like this that prove the power of video games. We mean, look at it. Look! Go on.

Aesthetically, this little indie game (that costs £4 on Steam) is absolutely stunning.

Beyond that, when you put the time in to play it, you have an accessible and joyous little town creation game that’s super relaxing.

It’s incredibly simple. An experimental title with no real purpose. You just design buildings—the accessibility is what makes it.

Anyone can play this. You pick a colour, start clicking on the grids available, and you can create your little town.

Stålberg is open with his plans for Townscaper, requesting fans send in ideas and suggestions he can add to future updates.

It’s out on early access and he’s set to continuously develop it over the years ahead. But for now, it’s an artistically gratifying building sim with a charming look and appeal.

It reminds us of A Short Hike and Refunct a little bit. Totally different genre of games, but the same endearing sense of isolation and wonder.

And with Townscaper, it’s more like a blank canvas. You’re the architect here, so get on with it and make those colourful landscapes.

Also, a nice little touch is how seagulls will pop up and do their thing in flocks from time to time, swooping above your creations.

We suppose if there’s any minor criticism it’s that the game is in simplistic form. And there’s no real objective—at present, anyway.

But the purpose of Townscaper isn’t to blow crap up and shoot everything in sight. It’s an introspective, calming little title about building upward and outward.

You can save screenshots from some of the creations you make and share them online. Otherwise, just build it!

We expect the developer will add plenty of new features. But for now, it’s a minimalistic little artistic wonder you should be playing. Now, dammit!