"Welcome! May your day be filled with good food... and a nap."

Cozy Caravan is adorable, wholesome, and feels like sipping marshmallow hot cocoa next to a campfire with your BFF. As a variety gamer who usually prefers complex systems and crunchy management (bonus points if I can make spreadsheets to min/max production/stats), I picked this up solely to reference it in other reviews... and was surprised by how much I enjoy it. While I don't play often, this is my go-to game when I'm sick enough to call off work.

As Guild Rookies, you and your frog bestie set out on the open road to (a) help adorable critters with everything from harvesting crops to herding giant bees to serving drinks, and (b) sell crafted goods at weekend markets. Every action big and small helps you earn Guild Tokens, which you can exchange for crafting upgrades, new clothes, or limited caravan customization.

Both the controls and gameplay mechanics are easy to learn and lightweight, and play smoothly whether you're using a controller (recommended) or keyboard/mouse. Basically everything you do is a minigame, but the different games are mostly simple enough for children to figure out and varied enough that you don't feel like you're doing the same task again and again. Cooking is particularly fun, and strikes a nice balance between simulated actions like stirring and (slow) quick-time events.

Cozy Caravan stands out from similar titles because it is not a farming game; while you can forage and harvest crops, you don't have your own garden. Decorating and caravan customization are also extremely limited, and not a particular focus of the game.

I adore the art in this game; everything from the 3D character designs to the sets feels cute, thematic, and like it all belongs in the same game. The map is still very incomplete at time of writing but the world feels inhabited, and driving your rickety caravan down dirt roads is an absolute treat.

As of Build v0.35, the NPCs all look different but universally act like a quest log; if there's something you should be doing, every single NPC will mention it. While a few NPCs have distinct personalities, this particular mechanic makes everyone blend together and is my biggest complaint about the game.

I recommend this if you enjoy Animal Crossing: New Horizons or similar games more for the sense of community and living in a world than for decorating or crafting. This is perfect for cozy gamers who want to play at a slow pace without thinking too hard.

This is not for you if you're looking for a farming sim, romance or relationship building, or any kind of complexity or depth. I personally enjoy this when I'm not feeling well and don't want to think, but don't really vibe with it in my day-to-day hunt for puzzles and stress simulators.

Follow Eekz Today for more crafting, life sim, management, puzzle, and story-rich recommendations.

[quote]"Welcome! May your day be filled with good food... and a nap."[/quote] [b]Cozy Caravan[/b] is adorable, wholesome, and feels like sipping marshmallow hot cocoa next to a campfire with your BFF. As a variety gamer who usually prefers complex systems and crunchy management (bonus points if I can make spreadsheets to min/max production/stats), I picked this up solely to reference it in other reviews... and was surprised by how much I enjoy it. While I don't play often, this is my go-to game when I'm sick enough to call off work. [h3]Story[/h3] As Guild Rookies, you and your frog bestie set out on the open road to (a) help adorable critters with everything from harvesting crops to herding giant bees to serving drinks, and (b) sell crafted goods at weekend markets. Every action big and small helps you earn Guild Tokens, which you can exchange for crafting upgrades, new clothes, or limited caravan customization. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] Both the controls and gameplay mechanics are easy to learn and lightweight, and play smoothly whether you're using a controller (recommended) or keyboard/mouse. Basically everything you do is a minigame, but the different games are [i]mostly[/i] simple enough for children to figure out and varied enough that you don't feel like you're doing the same task again and again. Cooking is particularly fun, and strikes a nice balance between simulated actions like stirring and (slow) quick-time events. [b]Cozy Caravan[/b] stands out from similar titles because it is not a farming game; while you can forage and harvest crops, you don't have your own garden. Decorating and caravan customization are also extremely limited, and not a particular focus of the game. [h3]Art + World[/h3] I adore the art in this game; everything from the 3D character designs to the sets feels cute, thematic, and like it all belongs in the same game. The map is still [i]very[/i] incomplete at time of writing but the world feels inhabited, and driving your rickety caravan down dirt roads is an absolute treat. As of Build v0.35, the NPCs all look different but universally act like a quest log; if there's something you should be doing, every single NPC will mention it. While a few NPCs have distinct personalities, this particular mechanic makes everyone blend together and is my biggest complaint about the game. [h3]Recommendation[/h3] I recommend this if you enjoy [i]Animal Crossing: New Horizons[/i] or similar games more for the sense of community and living in a world than for decorating or crafting. This is perfect for cozy gamers who want to play at a slow pace without thinking too hard. This is not for you if you're looking for a farming sim, romance or relationship building, or any kind of complexity or depth. I personally enjoy this when I'm not feeling well and don't want to think, but don't really vibe with it in my day-to-day hunt for puzzles and stress simulators. [quote][b]Follow [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45365863/]Eekz Today[/url][/u] for more crafting, life sim, management, puzzle, and story-rich recommendations.[/b][/quote]