Recent reviews by Laura Fae

The Bear is a wonderful, soft, warm experience that truly feels like the perfect way to end the day and surrender your conscience to sleep. I am trying very hard to not finish this game too fast, as I know for a fact that I will miss it dearly once it is done, and it feels precisely like one of those experiences that are absolutely delicious and wonderful and the kind you will remember for years to come.

The art is very cute and I love it! The musical landscape fits perfectly with the soft little world that it was created for, and the story. Oh the story! It reminds me so very much of Little prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

Do your heart a favor and offer yourself the delight of experiencing this game!

I have been friends with the developer since the moment we both got accepted into an indie event about a year ago, and my curiosity was instantly picked when Edwige first talked about her game. Since then, we have collaborated so there are stickers from The Abbess Garden in my game, and we also have a bundle. So I may be biased when I say I truly, warmly recommend this game!

The Abbess Garden is a lovely, calming experience with wonderful music and soothing animations, where you take care of a lovely garden in the 17th century France. The main focus of the game is gardening, but the gentle tempo is driven by a story that reminds me very much of Alexander Dumas. The execution is beautiful and the progress through the game and story, delightful. Plus, I know for a fact that all the planting and taking care of the garden is very, very accurate.

If you are into a splendid location during an intriguing time in history and enjoy a beautifully told mystery that involves forbidden romance and court intrigue, The Abbess Garden is for you!

I cannot recommend My Dream Setup enough.

You see, it is not a game, but an architectural tool that you can use to your heart's content, feeling like you have done something important (or maybe it's just me?!). I use My Dream Setup to plan how to redecorate my office, to convince myself that it absolutely is worth it to redecorate again, and also to plan the building of my real-life cottage. Its a blueprint generator that helps me keep things in good scale and perspective. The only complaint I have is the furniture, which is way too modern for a whimsical fairy such as myself.

I am afraid to play House Flipper.

The review that mentioned that you "clean up and renovate strangers' homes while neglecting your own in real life" is true. In my case, I actually have a Real House to renovate: there is wallpaper to put up, and loads of walls to paint, and things to install, and yet guess how I spent 4 valuable hours as soon as I bought the game? All while my partner came from time to time to remind me that if I enjoy this game, I can and should actually do "the fun stuff" in real life.

Now, I long to play some more House Flipper but I don't dare. I can understand the pull of it, though. How awesome would it be to paint the walls without moving any furniture and using no painters tape at all. How cool to demolish a bunch of walls just like that, no dust, no cleanup (it really does not work like that in real life, trust me!!!!) And then get paid, too?!

Anyhow, yeah. If you have a spotless home and no renovation to do, House Flipper is a delight. If you DO have cleaning and renovation to do...

This is a really cozy demo where you guide Agnes to take care of a 17th century monastery garden while taking part in the beginning of a Dumas-like drama! Wonderful atmosphere, relaxing and quite accurate gardening, and a nice story to enjoy. Highly recommended!

Feed a bunch of super cute birds right from your desktop and get the lovely reward of their happy chirping? To me, this is worth more than the price of a coffee (depending where you buy said coffee, I suppose), which is why I recommend this game.

The birds are super cute (aka I like the graphics), there is an extensive menu of upgrades (do birds really eat that much sugar?!!!), and I love the fact that you can efortlessly customize how this little bird cafe looks and feels on your screen. What I don't really love is that, as another person mentioned, the game does not feel very idle/ relaxing to me. But then again, can running a business ever be relaxing?

A quick and fun roguelike experience with Diablo vibes. If you don't have much time, but still miss venturing in treasure filled, dangerous dungeons, this is a good game to try.

A soothing and very beautiful game with a soundscape to match, Under Leaves is a gentle experience that feels like a magical stroll through a welcoming forest. When I play, I feel peaceful and creative. I love the elegant design, focused on mastering a simple idea while celebrating an amazing sense of color and aesthetic. Strongly recommended for anyone in need of a simple, soothing hidden object game, crafted beautifully.

Ithya is a beautiful and creative work of art that soothes my heavy workdays considerably. It is a beautiful and elegantly done productivity tool, designed in an interesting setting (I love the ancient Greece/ Rome vibes!). As a game developer who is creating an experience in a similar vein, I feel deeply inspired by Ithya and also deeply thankful for it. My most favorite vibe is the Oltak library, using only the evening atmospheric sound - it puts me in a high focus mode almost instantly, and inspires me to light incense and dim the lights.

A relaxing space with a very chill vibe that you can customize in many ways, Spirit City is a gentle companion during some of my long working days.