I think I could stay here forever. Summerhouse is the kind of indie game that makes you appreciate the little things, the tranquil spaces you can carve out from the chaos of everyday life. This is a tiny house building sim that has no challenges, no problems to solve, no budgets to meet or patrons to keep happy – it's just you and your creativity, left alone to explore.
At first, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never been a cozy gamer, and I chalk that up to a short attention span and need for constant stimulation. But Summerhouse feels almost like a soothing ASMR experience, pairing a wistful musical score with four stunning maps to transport you both physically, mentally, and emotionally to a place that feels safe. More importantly, though, it feels all yours. So much so, I'm now feeling wistful for a quiet life by an Alpine river after years of considering myself a city kid.
Home sweet tiny homes
Persona aesthetics meets Hades and Baldur's Gate tactics in this melting pot of an indie RPG
There's a unique meditative quality about Summerhouse that pulls me in from the get-go. Solo developer Friedemann briefly greets me as the game loads up for the first time, explaining his vision: this is a game where there is no win or lose, but the promise of pure, relaxing innovation to pique your curiosity and creativity.
For my first tiny home building experience, I choose a verdant green meadow that stretches out to meet snow-capped mountains. Birds intermittently chirp behind the already beautifully evocative lo-fi soundscape, and as I place my very first building block, I already feel comforted by it. Unlike the almost paralyzing breadth of build-mode elements to choose from in The Sims 4, there are far fewer at work in Summerhouse. You can unlock new blocks by placing certain combinations onto your houses; placing some steps in front of a set of double doors unlocks a version of this block with a man standing outside it, his arms folded, and later I find that placing two of the same windows unlocks another character leaning out of one of them. It's these small touches of surprise that draw me into Summmerhouse, and I get to work at experimenting with as many block combos as I can in the hopes I'll unlock something new.
This is a game where there is no win or lose
One of the most magical things about Summerhouse has to be the day, night, and weather toggles. Whether you're building homes on a sloped hill overlooking a bustling city, or amid the earthy orange hues of a desert environment, everything looks different when night falls.
The windows in your houses are suddenly illuminated, inferring life and excitement laying just beyond the doorstep. You can't simply knock the walls down and take a peek for yourself, though, since Summerhouse is more about building towns and villages than detailed households. Still, this just makes me even more intrigued. Who lives here? What do they do for a living? Are they in love with the boy next door, or are they dreaming of life outside this placid community I've so lovingly constructed for them? I try out the rain weather toggle instead, and am distraught at the sight of my door-standing villager staying out in the cold. Luckily, I found a handy parapet to place above his head, and the shadow it casts assures me that he won't catch a chill.
As I try my hand at each of the four maps in turn, I get more daring with my creations. Some of my tiny homes are not so tiny but rather towering townhouses, fenced in and opulent, while others are modest wood cabins that ooze convivial charm. It's by accident that I discovered the randomizer mechanic: hit the right mouse button, and a building block is selected for you. From washing lines to connect homes together to chimneys, signs, umbrellas, and little plastic chairs to sit on and watch the world go by, this feature challenges me to test the limits of turning a tiny home building sim into a mini-Sim City. One house becomes the local garage, flanked by a small village shop that sells all the essentials for neighboring residents, and I long to build a jungle gym by the creek. The more you build in Summerhouse, the more these placid, sleepy maps come to life – even though I'll never get godlike control over those lives, as in games like The Sims.
But maybe that's the whole point of Summerhouse. It's not about control and management, nor about creating something necessarily perfect, but the endless possibilities of play. It's something I think many of us forget about as time goes on and the pressures of life mount, the constant pursuit of progress gnawing at our heels. When I play Summerhouse, though, I forget about everything else, and that in itself makes this a timeless indie experience.
Summerhouse is out now on PC. See what else we've been enjoying in our Indie Spotlight series, or check out what's on the horizon with our roundup of upcoming indie games.
