In these trying times, a relaxing city builder is just what we need. I reported on how I was put off by SimCity when returning a couple of weeks ago, but I think Dorfromantik might be more my cup of tea.

Launching into Early Access on the 25th March Dorfromantik is a village building game based on placing hexagonal tiles to strategically grow your world. Take a look at the trailer after the break to get an idea of what it’s all about.

A new & very personal Trailer for #Dorfromantik, our relaxing village building game.

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WISHLIST https://t.co/BpPA4OssgR#indiegame #CityBuilder #indiedev pic.twitter.com/LLa47KfHDy

— Toukana (@_Toukana) March 12, 2021

I watched that trailer in a brief break between meetings at the day job, and a wave of calm enveloped me. On the Steam page, the team at Toukana Interactive describe how they brought release plans forward from their original mid-late 2021 schedule based on the positive feedback they received from those playing the prototype.

Dorfromantik is a peaceful and wholesome game and many of you are telling us that even the prototype helped you unwind in these globally harsh times. This has convinced us to bring Dorfromantik to the community earlier than we had originally planned. An Early Access release allows us to do this and improve the game with updates and the feedback from you, the players.

The Early Access version offers enough content to enjoy for many hours and will bring you a beautiful, relaxing experience. Also it can be a great distraction while sitting through boring Zoom calls ;)

It’s a good thing that I can’t install Steam on my work machine, otherwise this might well be something which keeps me distracted from the day job.

The core mechanics of the game are in place and won’t be changed. So no trading or resource management, it will be a safe space without any combat and multiplayer isn’t being planned.

It sounds like bliss.

Check out the Steam page for more details on Dorfromantik.