Solo indie developer Violet LeBeau has been hard at work on her urban life sim, which is great for those who have exhausted all there is to do in Stardew Valley. Planned to be released at the end of 2022 on SteamMoonlight in Garland encourages players to find themselves, love, design a home, and explore the big city at their own pace.
Garland is the big city your character moves to, and it’s perfect. You need to find a place to rent, get to know the neighbors, and (like trailer stress) grow houseplants. I mean, at least if you forget to water those virtual ones, you won’t feel as bad, right? Also, I’m not entirely sure if there’s a canonical reason for this, but the trash can speaks to you and says thanks for the recycling. The Disco Elysium trash can seems to have a distant relative.
Moonlight in Garland gives me the feel of an online sim from the 2000s. It sits somewhere between Stardew and Habbo Hotel in terms of gameplay and style, which I really like. In my opinion, Garland’s pixel art isn’t as pretty as Stardew’s, but it’s different.
Garland will also feature a quest familiar to Stardew fans: the opportunity to save historic buildings. And when you’re not watering the plants, you can do other ideal things of city life like shopping and taking pictures.Should there be a little scandal? Otherwise, it is not a real slice of life.
