Already, I’m confident that this is going to be a monumental year for cosy gaming.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set to make a grand return this month, with the arrival of its 3.0 Update on 15 January.
When it comes to brand new releases, Pokémon Pokopia, Starsand Island, Heartopia, Witchbrook, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream are amongst some of the most exciting examples.
You may, however, now want to add Loftia to that line-up as the upcoming solarpunk MMO has just confirmed it’s launching this year.
Loftia, developed by Qloud Games, is now available to wishlist on Steam.
It pitches itself as a “cosy, multiplayer world” where players can “build towards a brighter, more sustainable future”.
“Connect with friends both old and new, to farm, craft, explore, decorate, and create a meaningful impact – together.”
As you’ve likely gathered, Loftia features all of the usual cosy fare, so it’ll definitely appeal to Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing fans.
However, the game is set across futuristic islands which join up, somewhat echoing No Man’s Sky which, if you ask me, should be classed as a cosy game.
What Makes Loftia Unique Is That It Values Sustainability
Players will decorate, farm, and extend their humble abodes, as mentioned, but they’ll do so in a sustainable way.
The game will see you engage in community projects, uncover new resources, and remain in balance with the environment around you.
You can customise your series of floating islands, pairing up with other islands to form neighbourhoods. It’s all very wholesome.
You don’t have to go it alone. Loftia is multiplayer so once you’ve joined up with friends to create a little neighbourhood, you can go off adventuring together.
Players will scavenge deserted factories and solve puzzles across a number of varied biomes.
When it comes to crafting, it’s all about upcycling rather than making things from scratch; you can, for example, turn an old tire into a planter.
Sustainable farming will see you make use of hydroponics, aquaponics, and trellis farming. I won’t claim to know what those are.
Alongside this, you’ll harvest energy using renewable resources like the sun, wind, and rain.
There’s more. Loftia allows you to own pets as if all of the above wasn’t enough.
An exact launch date hasn’t been confirmed but devs did tease on Twitter that closed playtests would be kicking off soon, so I’d follow the game’s socials if you want to keep an eye on how you can get involved.
