Thanks to the ever-evolving (or devolving, depending on how you look at it) horrors of daily society, cozy gaming has become an increasingly integral part of my gaming life. Things that I can simply relax with have become more enjoyable for me than games with timers and stressful elements. Might and Delight’s Twinkleby has just the right level of coziness to fit my vibe, and I think you might like it too.

In Twinkleby, you are a disembodied being who can decorate and build a tiny, cozy universe for singing villagers of various species and walks of life. Starting with one house on a tiny island, you decorate homes and populate them. As time goes on, you’ll have access to larger islands with more furniture, flora, and landscaping elements to play around with.

There is a large emphasis on creativity with Twinkleby. The decorations you place and the colors of the homes and furniture are entirely up to you. Different islanders might want specific styles of things, but overall, the universe is your oyster. The controls are simple, and there are no real fail states. If you put something in the wrong place, you can move it. If you want to remove something entirely, you can toss it off the island, and it will return to your inventory.

You can choose the music that plays, the weather, the time of day, and all sorts of other things as you decorate. Also, if you please your villagers, they’ll give you gifts, which you can use to either decorate more, purchase new items and sets, or just hold onto them for another day.

The best thing about Twinkleby, in my mind, is that you can play it either like a puzzle game or a cozy decoration game. Sure, you are decorating in both directions, but you may choose to go island-by-island, solving the desires of your islanders and making sure they are happy. Or, you may choose to make them look perfect, to your own design, before you move on to the next one. The villagers’ happiness levels sometimes take a while, though, so expect to be relaxing and vibing for a while if you’re a completionist.

Some rare villagers may appear if certain specifications are met, so there is a sort of puzzle inherent in the game as well. Somehow, I have lost hours just playing and enjoying my time decorating. It isn’t super deep, and some of the camera-work with a controller feels kind of strange, but I have enjoyed it overall. Adding ceiling decoration is a little tough if you are a stickler for placement, though. Keep that in mind.

Overall, if you are a cozy gamer who wants something to unwind with on Steam Deck or just for an hour or so before bed, Twinkleby is a great idea. This is also a great creative outlet for kids, or for people who are new to gaming, who like things in that Animal Crossing vibe. Twinkleby is a sweet little game, and it should definitely be on any cozy gamer’s watchlist.

A PC review copy of Twinkleby was provided by Might and Delight for the purposes of this review.

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Twinkleby

$16.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Cute, wholesome decorating
• Lots of styles and customization
• Villagers sing in happiness, which is cute
• Perfect for relaxing before bed.

Cons

• Controls and camera can be a little odd
• Villager happiness can be a grind