Dawnfolk

If you’re not into city builders, play this. It’s nothing like them. Like I say, it was unhelpful you even mentioned Sim City at the start of this. If you do love city builders, then you should play this too, because it distils the most pure concepts into a gorgeous, chunky, meaningful game. Which is to say, if you exist, I really do recommend playing Dawnfolk.

I adore Dawnfolk, and I relish every opportunity I get to go through the game’s modes and build up a new homeland. It’s one of those city building and management sims that offers a sufficient challenge, but also doesn’t penalize you for decisions you make as you find your way through situations. Given the array of options also offered beyond a traditional campaign, it also felt like Darenn Keller somehow considered any possible situation I might be in when I head into a session, resulting in it feeling like I always have a moment for it.

Dawnfolk is a brilliant simplification of the city-building genre with satisfying, short scenarios to play through without skimping on difficulty. Even in easy mode, it does start getting tough towards the end and there are both hard and impossible modes on offer for those who want a little more spice. It’s supremely engaging visually and controls really well with an easily readable and comprehensible style. There are hours of fun to find in the darkness, so long as you are ready to illuminate it.

A city builder for people that don't necessarily like city building games, Dawnfolk is utterly charming and a joy to play. Managing your resources is easy to get to grips with, and with plenty of challenges to play through, there's a lot to love here.

While Dawnfolk may have stripped away too much in the pursuit of minimalism, it's still a fun and strangely absorbing mix of city-builder and puzzle game.