Recent reviews by The Letter V

I started playing post-updates and I am enjoying the heck out of not having to actively play! My gaming dropped to zero once my semester started, and I was at a loss of something fun to do between the mountains of assignments I get per week. Enter My Little Life. My little people go about their lives at the bottom of my screen and rack up their cash as I do my college course work. I take a break every now and again to give them upgrades, build, recruit more little people, etc. and then it's back to work for me.

Running this game really cuts the tedium out of my days. It also requires very little to run, so it runs wonderfully on my 8 year old drag-around-campus laptop. Minimal effort and lots of fun!

It's a "Choose Your Own Adventure" horror, with decently long cutscenes that allow for snacking while you watch/play.

~Just Steam Deck Things:

It would crash almost immediately on my Steam Deck in Gaming Mode and generate a "Fatal Error". It would play using the "-dx12" launch options, but this generated a lot of glitchy facial artifacts. Switching to "-force-vulkan" brought back the immediate "Fatal Error" crash, so that was useless. In the end, it ran just fine while in Steam Deck Desktop Mode after some in-game window size adjustments (no launch options entered), and I had a very enjoyable playthrough. I found it more fun on my Steam Deck than on my PC, where it sat with only two chapters completed for two years. Playing The Quarry on the Steam Deck during a stormy night, wrapped up in a blanket with noise-cancelling headphones on: A+.

I screamed during several scenes and scared my dog and spouse. Delightful! Time to go and play it 185 more times.

Faith delivers that pixelated, heart pounding, Ski Free abominable snowman terror high I've been chasing since 1995.

If you are the type of nerd that is prone to heavily mulling over your next move like I do (apologies to anyone I ever played MtG with), and enjoy doing so when the opportunity arises, this game is very satisfying. The "Academy" tutorials might seem like a bit much at the get go, but they play less like tutorials and more like puzzles once you get into them- and this makes learning the gameplay and your critter abilities less of a chore. This a point in some games where I quit because the adhd brain just can't, so kudos for making the tutorials into fun and engaging challenges. With that said, the game won't appeal to everyone, but it will strike nicely with those that enjoy a turn-based strat. As another reviewer said, it's "chess-like". Strategy, challenges, cursing under your breath, thinking, time...and a lot of fun.

The art is gorgeous and thematic (it was great to see an old friend added to the lineup- iykyk), the sound effects are neat, and I can't get over the legs/paws icon- little peets! It seems a lot of love went into this game, and it shows. I snooped around the Discord and devs are pretty active and responsive, so I imagine that with community feedback and player engagement, more improvements will come along in the future. Now for my gripes: One is the zoom out during chapter changes. I play on my Steam Deck, which makes this game **extra leisurely** for me. It's a dream on the SD, but that zoom out is a shock to my junk eyes as they readjust- maybe I am just getting old. And one other is the load time into the next chapter. This probably contributes to making the game feel, as some have said, like a slog. Maybe they will find a way to address it in the future, without sacrificing the regular animation speed, as I do prefer a quicker load up before I spend 15 minutes deciding whether or not I want to use "Here comes the butt".

I really enjoyed the demo before release, which seemed like a quick/condensed nibble of the full version, and I am enjoying the full game just as much. If you like management sims for the clicky clicky, mindless brain/thought clearing stress relief, and obsessive micromanaging like I do, then this game will suit you. There is enough going on in the game already, that I don't really consider the passing of traits and management of them as a mechanic, but as more of a flavor- so I have no complaints when it comes to micromanaged "genetic" and "legacy" building, or lack thereof, as others have mentioned. I enjoy allocating my villagers when needed, watching the chaos, and having just enough to worry about that playing doesn't feel like a grueling chore. Boost the speed control when you are in a rush, drop it down when you want to just let it roll. The random events between the couples/families shake things up enough to keep you from spacing out too much or getting bored as you mindlessly watch the calendar and resource numbers tick on. It's been a relaxing joy to play, and a great soundtrack to boot.

The other reviewers are right: Give it a chance. To be 100% honest, I returned this game. I really wanted to try it though, because of the theme and all the good reviews, so I bought it again the next day. I am glad I did. And, well, I am addicted to it now. If you are a fan of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley *because of the "busy work" they offer*, this game will be enjoyable for you. There is a learning curve, no doubt about it. The game doesn't hold your hand, and it leaves you feeling thrown to the wolves in the beginning. A YouTube video, some Reddit pages, and a little patience later and I am off to the races. You really just have to get over that initial hump of getting the hang of the game. The Wiki is essential, especially if you have a hard time remembering things like me (I have a notebook dedicated to this game now). I sit here and play for hours managing my graveyard/church/food/garden and complete quests at my own pace- the story line isn't even a big deal to me. I never feel rushed in this game and how much I complete in a game day/week is totally up to me. Give it a chance, it might just surprise you.

This has quickly become my favorite game, and it's still in early access?! The right amount of chill, the right amount of thrill, and just the right amount of time split between diving and sushi-ing to keep my ADD brain interested and satisfied. The sushi restaurant down the road appreciates this game as well, since it has me craving and ordering from them more than ever.

Delish!