Cosy gamers may want to check out this new title hitting Steam tomorrow, which has a free demo available now.
The August Before is an upcoming cosy game about cleaning and packing up your life before moving on. If you liked indie hits like Unpacking or A Little to the Left, this looks like it’s in a similar boat.
Much like those games, The August Before tells its story through the items you sort through. They say you can learn a lot about a person from the possessions they own, and that’s certainly the case here.
You spend much of the game sorting through these different possessions and tidying them away, cleaning up after yourself before allowing yourself to move on.
This is done via packing all the necessary items into your suitcase, keeping track of everything in a diary. The game is intended to be a meditative experience, and this comes through in the music, soft art style, and lack of time limits and difficult puzzles.
Check out the trailer for The August Before below. I can’t help but notice references to a few other games with similar vibes, like Night in the Woods and Life Is Strange.
“Teenage love, first losses, and notes from friends are scattered in the corners: explore the details of the heroine’s life, pack up the life you will take with you, and say goodbye – if you can,” reads the game’s description on Steam. “And remember – you can’t take the past with you.”
The August Before is a ‘must play’ says players
The August Before is developed by Silly Little Games, a small indie developer composed of three developers: Anna Polyskalova, Valeriia Ryzhova, and Veronika Filippova.
While the full game releases tomorrow, 17th November, you can check out a free demo for it now which includes the entirety of the first chapter.
It seems that players are loving it, with the demo having a total of 91% positive reviews on Steam. One player calls it a “unique experience that combines puzzle-solving with emotional storytelling, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.”
“This was such a nostalgic game, I nearly teared up,” reads another review of the demo. “Packing it away felt heartbreaking, and memories of past relationships hurt. The gameplay was easy and not confusing at all. I wish I could experience playing it for the first time again.”
The August Before: Chapter One is available now from Steam, with the full game releasing tomorrow.
