Cosy builder Town to City feels like a lovely autumnal treat, but honestly I'm just having fun planting flowers

I knew Town to City had ensnared me in its nefarious trap the moment it told me I could customise individual window boxes. Yes, this early access city builder is one of games, seemingly aimed specifically at weirdos like me whose idea of bliss is hours spent in a serene reverie of fastidious path-laying and flower-planting, all in the name of aesthetic perfection. And if you count yourself in that number, Town to City might just be the ideal retreat as the cold autumnal nights draw in.

Town to CityDeveloper: Galaxy GrovePublisher: KwaleePlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now on Steam

If Town to City seems familiar, it may be because it’s a follow-up to developer Galaxy Grove’s equally minimalist (and equally voxelly) Station to Station. As with that earlier game, Town to City slides into that inescapable subgenre of ‘cosy’, which – for those of you who haven’t already succumbed to the allure of a digital turnip – essentially means it’s designed to be soothingly friction-free.

Cosy games tend to be a little impervious to standard criticism, given they’re more about the vibes rather than any clever mechanical sophistication, and that’s the case again with Town to City. Its campaign (there’s also sandbox mode with various tweakable parameters) unfolds across a well-worn loop of upgrades and expansion – one that’s pleasantly propulsive but otherwise fairly unremarkable.

Essentially, citizens produce goods; goods increase happiness; the happier your citizens are, the more will move to your town. More citizens means more goods, means more people, until you’ve crossed a threshold that allows you to turn your dwelling into a hamlet into a village and so on, unlocking new buildings and customisation options each time.