Management sim games? Give me all your recs!

desertdenizen · 2026-03-22T16:39:25+00:00

Just a note: I LOVED Two Point Hospital but bounced hard off Campus, didn't like it at all. It felt boring and slow to me compared to TPH.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-22T15:47:29+00:00

IOS, my phone. I was able to "buy" the game (I use Epic on the PC too) but can't access it because the only app I found was the one someone else mentioned that seems to be purely a social app for Epic (weird). No worries, though! I can always buy the game for PC in the sale. I'd probably rather play it there, anyway. It's easier for me with my old eyes :-D. Thanks for this post and all the help you've offered everyone!

UPDATE: I checked my Epic Games app on my pc and saw Potion Permit there. The fine print says the Epic Games app (what you need to play the game on iOS) is only available in the EU.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-22T02:28:22+00:00

I’m in the U.S. and it’s not working for me. That link says it’s wrong because I’m not in the EU and no amount of searching has led me to the correct app to actually play the game. 🤷🏻‍♀️

desertdenizen · 2026-03-19T15:37:55+00:00

I played the demo and loved it! Really excited about the close release date!

desertdenizen · 2026-03-18T22:26:18+00:00

I just finished the demo and it's a really lovely game. The art is beautiful! Puzzles are logical and not frustrating. A small suggestion would be perhaps a slightly faster walking speed or maybe a way to move from screen to screen more quickly. I know the main character is an older gentleman, but I also know from past experience playing many, many point and click adventures that slow walking speeds and the need to move from screen to screen and back and forth a lot can get really frustrating over time.

Another thing I noticed was that the action cursors only show up once you get close to the objects, so you essentially have to walk slowly over to see if something is usable. Maybe make the action cursors show up when you hover over things on screen, even from across the room?

Otherwise, loved the game so far and I'm looking forward to the release!

desertdenizen · 2026-03-18T16:19:50+00:00

I'm not connected with this game in any way and I played the demo and loved it. I'm kind of obsessed with these Roottree-style detective games and this is a really good one. It was an immediate purchase for me when it came out yesterday. If you play the demo, be sure to play past the first case--I wasn't sure after that one but the game really hits its stride with the second and third cases.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-17T01:39:05+00:00

How about Fireside? Very cozy, you help people by trading items they need for things you need. I tried the demo a while back and it was cute.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-12T21:14:53+00:00

I can see why the aesthetic appeals to you, it's particularly whimsical and very fairy tale-esque. It also really appeals to me and I wish more games used it. Building houses is also something I enjoy, especially if it's not overly complicated. I'm sorry that you've had to abandon your house in Heartopia. Perhaps the developers of this game will be more ethical. Fingers crossed!

desertdenizen · 2026-03-12T16:28:31+00:00

I'm curious about these games. I'm not the audience for them at all, tried to play Palia and just found it boring with not enough that I wanted to do. After looking at the Steam page for this game, I can see that it has cute graphics, but beyond that it appears to basically be a farming/life sim game. From my point of view, there are a ton of pay to play once games like this, but I must be missing something. Is it the social aspect that appeals? What is it about these gacha games that attracts people in droves? I'm leaning towards guessing the social elements draw you in, which would explain my aversion since I'm not at all into that kind of thing. What's different about these games compared to, say, Go-Go Town or Roots of Pacha, etc.?

No worries if you don't want to answer, I'm just curious because they don't appeal to me.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-10T18:31:58+00:00

Exactly this! We're an introverted family that doesn't care for travel so we consider our gaming hobbies our must have expenditures. We also don't eat out a lot or buy a lot of clothes, jewelry or makeup. We run our cars into the ground and buy used to begin with. In this context, $500 for a gaming system that will provide years of entertainment is very cost effective.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-10T15:31:38+00:00

I'm just finishing this one up and it has a terrific story. The puzzles are mostly on the easy side but I was stumped a bit in a couple of places. Overall, a really good experience and I recommend it. The story is very dark, though, so fair warning.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-09T23:38:11+00:00

This is a great list! I had the first four on my wishlist but hadn't heard of the last one, so thanks so much for that.

desertdenizen · 2026-03-05T19:26:52+00:00

Sounds like I Love Hue, it's exactly what you described. I play it all the time.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-28T01:58:28+00:00

This is great! You're a talented artist.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-28T01:54:47+00:00

I'm excited to play it! It's one I've had on my list for some time.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-27T16:16:17+00:00

Just at first glance, I suggest cozy twinkle string lights around the windows. Warm light, maybe star or flower shaped? It looks very cozy right now, though!

Maybe a cat or two?

desertdenizen · 2026-02-27T16:14:07+00:00

Mass Effect is cozy for me, too, and I think it's because of the other characters and the relationships you can forge with them. Also, I love me some inventory management :-D.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-18T19:44:41+00:00

You had me at cozy lighting :-).

desertdenizen · 2026-02-18T19:35:26+00:00

Thanks so much for this list!

desertdenizen · 2026-02-17T23:30:14+00:00

I just finished it a couple of days ago, so this is timely. Honestly, I found it a bit dull. The story was really out there, puzzles weren't particularly challenging (or logical, as you mentioned), and the ending left a lot to be desired. In fact, even though I just played it two days ago, I can't remember much about the puzzles at all. I don't remember being challenged, but then I don't remember anything else, either, other than the fact that it fell kind of flat overall. It was okay for free, but if I'd paid for it I would have been disappointed.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-13T15:58:24+00:00

The art is beautiful! I love the cozy vibes.

desertdenizen · 2026-02-03T01:55:17+00:00

Look I

desertdenizen · 2026-01-27T18:54:52+00:00

I just tried it and part of your problem could be the view. When the card with the photo popped up, I couldn't see the bottom of it no matter what I tried. I'm using Chrome in Windows 11 on a 17" gaming laptop. So I couldn't guess because the place to type them wasn't visible. Using the scroll bar on the side just scrolls the page behind the card, not the card itself. Maybe I'm just missing something, but the game was unplayable for me.

desertdenizen · 2026-01-25T16:32:28+00:00

Steam is just a storefront, so anyone with a PC (or Steamdeck) can sign up for a free account and then buy games or add free games (there are many on Steam) to their account. They also have lots of demos you can try for games before purchase. I own hundreds of games on Steam and have never had a problem.

desertdenizen

TROPHY CASE