Lonesome Village is a puzzle-solving adventure simulation game by Ogre Pixel and is currently available as a demo. It combines dungeon puzzles like those in The Legend of Zelda and social life simulations like that of the Animal Crossing series. In the game, players control Wes the coyote as he tries to help save the village of Lonesome from destruction after cultists and a mysterious tower appear nearby. Townsfolk are trapped inside the tower and the only way to free them is to solve the unique puzzles for each floor.
The lovely 2D art style of this game enhances the casual atmosphere as people traverse the world to discover the secret past of not only Lonesome but Wes the coyote. Players can try their hand at a variety of types of puzzles, chat with villagers, fish and garden, trade and explore, and more. Lonesome Village is meant to be a peaceful game, so it doesn't feature any combat.
5 Gather Lots Of Resources
Along with the Magic Glass, players will need different items to progress through the plot. Some items, like a fish, are needed if players want to complete a task inside the tower. Other resources are needed to customize their house, make money, trade with villagers, and for other secondary assignments. The easiest way to stock up on items is to gather resources often at the beginning.
A variety of objects are available at certain times or in specific places. Berries can be picked from bushes, carrots can be dug up from holes, and fish can be caught in lakes. Some objects can even drop multiple resources. Trees can be shaken more than once to drop multiple items per tree, and those items can vary from branches to golden apples. When a player's backpack is full, they can leave items at their place in the village.
4 Garden And Fish
By exploring the surrounding area, fishing at lakes, and gardening at their house, players can unlock new parts of the map and help villagers thrive. There are tons of different resources in the game, so having items to trade for others can increase the variety of a player's inventory.
There are plants to cultivate and collect and decorations that can be bought for a player's house. Along with trading items, players should gather plants and fish to sell if they want to make money for desired items. Some things players get may also be needed for quests, such as pink fish that can only be caught at night.
3 Don't Stress Over Puzzles
Even though one of the main focuses of the game is on puzzles, they shouldn't be seen as intimidating. If a player has difficulty solving one level, it's no issue because the next type of puzzle will be different. This adds variety to the game but also makes the challenges more accessible to a wide variety of people.
As the levels get higher in the tower, the puzzle dungeons get trickier and players must be clever if they want to advance. But some levels don't require a puzzle and instead need an item collected from town to save the animal friends. A huge part of the game is puzzles, but a large part as well is interacting with the townsfolk and exploring the town and surrounding areas.
2 Go Out At Night
Unlike games like Stardew Valley, where players will fall asleep if they stay out too late, Lonesome Village actually encourages players to explore once the sun sets. Some characters can only be found at night and that means that a large part of the game is meant to be played during that time. Even in the dark, the game provides enough lighting for people to find their way around the map.
The clock gives a good amount of time for players to adventure at night because multiple specific items can be found then also. For example, players can only catch blue fish during the day and pink fish at night, so if a villager wants pink fish then they'll have to wait until night to find them.
1 Talk With Villagers Daily
Once villagers are rescued from the tower, they will return to their homes in Lonesome. Newly rescued characters will often have quests or dialog for the player. Communicating with the villagers will unlock activities to participate in, such as trading, fetch quests, and other secondary assignments.
By interacting with NPCs, players build their relationships with villagers and gain the hearts that are needed to unlock higher levels in the tower. Doing this and other things such as exploring, fishing, and gardening can unlock new areas on the map as well. Best of all, talking to villagers will get even more fun as the game progresses.
Lonesome Village is in development with a TBA release date. It will be available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh operating systems.