I do not imply to alarm anybody, however I feel Urbo is perhaps my Dorfromantik of 2023. It’s a chill, citybuilding puzzle game from the devs behind the altogether extra violent Diplomacy Is Not An Option, and it is all about constructing tiny little villages on high of rocky outcrops. Except while you stick three of the identical constructing sort collectively, all of them zhuup collectively to create a good larger one. And a much bigger one, and a much bigger one. It’s very satisfying. The smooshing lights up all the identical elements of my mind that Threes did once I grew to become obsessive about it about 5 years in the past, whereas the tile planning hits scratches that large Dorfromantik itch, making for a wonderful Steam Next Fest demo expertise.
There’s just one stage sort accessible in Urbo’s Next Fest demo in the mean time – a really mellow desert stage – however from the appears to be like of its Steam web page, there might be different biomes accessible, together with grassy river cliffs, when it launches someday between April and June later this yr. The stage is cut up between three totally different rocky stacks of accelerating tile dimension, and you will solely transfer on to the following one as soon as you have run out of room on the one you are engaged on.
It could be performed as a pure puzzle expertise, simply going with the move of the forms of buildings you get dealt on the decrease aspect of the display, however you can even take a extra crafted strategy by utilizing the construct choice to take away, relocate or pop in particular forms of constructing utilizing crystals you have earned from zhushing a number of homes collectively. There’s additionally an undo button, thank goodness, in case you mis-click.
Honestly, although, simply have a look at this factor in motion. An completely stunning factor you positively must expertise for your self instantly.
In the total game, builders Door 407 say they are going to be adding more house sets to fairly up your villages and make them extra distinct, in addition to extra choices and methods that can have an effect on your buildings, inhabitants dimension and the variety of bonus factors you earn with all of the szhush-szhushing of your homes. It’s additionally supported on Steam Deck.
The devs additionally say there’s “no final purpose in Urbo”, and that you simply’re primarily constructing for the sake of constructing. But that is advantageous by me. I did not want an final purpose through the many hours I spent enjoying Dorfromantik during the last couple of years (besides these superb excessive rating leaderboards spurring me on), and I can see Urbo filling the identical want in my life for only a chill, soothing village-builder the place I can zhsuup and szhuuuh all of the stay lengthy day. Download that Steam Next Fest demo now, earlier than it is gone.