Halcyon: “denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.” This game perfectly captures the cozy and nostalgic halcyon aesthetic! ~.~

First impressions! I almost passed on this since the dev’s announcement for the game included a list of regrets that they hadn’t (yet) been able to include in the game, which bummed me out! But … then I saw the positive reviews rolling in, and I started to wonder: Is this dev just being a little hard on themselves? The answer: YES!!!

So far, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what appears to be TONS of things to do, after flipping through the various compendiums we have to fill. I did make a point, however, to traverse the world (with a beautifully drawn map that’s marked with NPC live locations and points of interest) in order to meet all of the NPCs before weighing in on this game. I smiled, giggled and sometimes even gasped numerous times! Everyone seems so unique. Some sweet, some wise, some rude! I haven’t yet befriended any animals, but that’s probably the mechanic about which I’m most excited, as it appears there is a significant creature-collecting component in this game.

(((EDIT: I’ve befriended my first animal companions! The compendium appears to show over 60 animals to befriend. I’ve also tried out the combat mechanic, in the mines, and I like that it’s a simple hack-and-slash. I didn’t mention all of the mini-games in my review; you can disable if you don’t enjoy them, but I really love them. Tangrams puzzles, simple hidden object boards, etc. Makes the game really stand apart, allowing you to opt-in to earning blueprints, recipes, flowers, and other things. There’s also an in-game calendar with plenty of events! And I’d like to encourage everyone who plays to stop and marvel at the little artworks and potted plants lining each building interior. The amount of detail is just stunning!)))

The art style and cultural influences are simply breathtaking. I’ve stopped and just marveled at the rural Chinese countryside beauty around me. The fireflies at night may be my favorite touch. The pixel art is intricate, reminiscent of Children of Morta, for me, the game that made me fall in love with hi-bit pixel art. The gentle music and also the nature sound effects all complement the mood.

The character customization was surprisingly robust. You can select your skin tone, eye shape and color, and hair and brow style. That may not sound like much, but there are a lot of options within each of those categories, especially hair.

I’m playing on a Lenovo Legion Go with SteamOS (controls almost identically to my OLED Deck) and it’s flawless. Full controller support. Most controls are noted on-screen, and what isn’t is clearly explained in the Settings. It’s pretty intuitive, I think. There are some general quirks, such as needing to use the axe to remove furniture, or the glove to remove small decorations. The dev has acknowledged these design choices, presumably due to the bit of confusion they’ve caused. (Note also that a manual save option is also currently unavailable, but you can save by going to bed and ending your day, for now). I’m not having any trouble navigating, farming, decorating, or interacting with anything//anyone at all.

In short: I’m pretty blown away. I honestly think the game is underpriced, and would pay double. I’ll be happy to purchase any future DLC, should the devs want or need to go that route in order to support continued development. Please go buy Halcyon Days at Taoyuan! This game deserves all of the love and support of the cozy community. <3