Immersive Sims is a hard game to get right. Spaces need to be extremely compact so that they feel fun to explore and have lots of ways to get around them. And one of the best games of the year just happens to be one that does it expertly. Wait, Deathloop? What do you talking about? No, no, this year’s best real role-playing sim is co-opened by lowpolis, obviously!
The concept of co-opening is simple: you play like a kid on their first solo grocery trip. Your grandmother drops you off, gives you a phone number, and then the supermarket is your clam. Oh, and everyone is an anthropomorphized bird, and the majority of the characters are LGBTQIA+ in some shape or form. The environments stand out, with bright bold colors and each micro-position feels incredibly clear. All character models are 2D, stylized in a way that makes them look like acrylic stands.
It’s not quite right to say it’s a full immersive sim. It is more inspired by the genre, as the developers themselves say. But that doesn’t matter to me. The Vorogda Community Store (name of the store) is one of the best realized spaces in a game this year. Although it is not a large space, it is like one. Because you played as a child, your field of view is quite low off the ground; almost everything seems bigger than you, and so every place is like a mountain to conquer. There are many secrets to be found, an alien visitor to make friends, and balls to return to friends. Of course, there’s also some shopping.
More than anything, what makes the game so special is the weirdness. It is quite simply your usual supermarket, home to all the locals of the town you live in. They all feel like real people (birds?), especially since the game doesn’t flinch at all. Characters have their pronouns displayed next to their names, with some characters even having neopronouns. Most mainstream games don’t include such things, and so while it shouldn’t, it feels much more special co-opening.
There are no major quests to participate in at any given time. Yes, there are some mysteries to be solved, but only the kind that a child would enjoy. However, each little story is just as compelling as the next because of how captivating everyone is. The game is clearly a stylized fantasy of real life, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real life. There’s an underground cave you can explore covered with snow, with some teenagers skiing you might think, “wait, that sure unreal. “Except it is! It’s those quaint little things that contribute to the charm and authenticity of it all.
Sure, co-opener might not be the most replayable game of the year. It’s more about little stories that you can unpack at your own pace and without any complicated mechanics at any point. It’s just, there hasn’t been a game released this year that’s so… lovely? If any game can be described as curled up under a warm blanket, hot chocolate in hand and the TV playing your favorite movie. And honestly there is no better compliment than that.
