Merry Christmas, one and all. It’s a day for relaxing, unwinding, and doing absolutely nothing.
As joyous as the holiday season can be, so too is a tad unmooring.
I don’t know about you but every year, without fail, I lose track of all sense of purpose on the stretch between Christmas Day and New Year.
I’d argue that it’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy some gaming though; locking in can wait until 1 January.
I’m sure you’ve already got plenty in your backlog or some new games delivered by Santa, but if you’re seeking out something extra, I have a little cosy free offering that may appeal.
Petunia’s Purgatory is a “creepy-cute” idle farming game set to arrive in 2026, but a free demo recently launched on PC via Steam.
Developed by Dead Possum Games, Petunia’s Purgatory is very Stardew Valley-esque albeit with a rather grisly twist.
“Plant seeds that grow into horrifying crops, sacrifice animals for blood, and summon assistants to help you run your farm. Manage your sanity while you try to appease the Elder God,” reads the synopsis.
As you might’ve guessed, Petunia’s Purgatory includes all of the usual farming fare.
You’ll grow crops, take care of various creatures, and employ assistants as you expand and build your agricultural empire.
Of course, everything here has a dark twist, and this is an idle farming sim, so there’s a welcomed lack of grind.
You can organise your creepy helpers, assigning jobs and applying upgrades to improve efficiency so everything can carry on ticking along whilst you get on with something else.
Once you’ve grown some crops, you can prepare a delicious meal which you’ll present to the Elder God.
There is One Catch
Petunia’s Purgatory isn’t totally straightforward though.
Harvesting such unusual crops and slaughtering creatures is bad for Petunia’s mind.
You’ll need to plant flowers and decorate your humble abode with charming decorations in order to maintain her sanity level.
If your sanity drops too low, the Elder God may start playing tricks on you.
You can place Petunia’s Purgatory on the bottom of your screen, with plenty of customisation options allowing you to determine how much of your farm is shown.
As I said, the game is launching on PC via Steam although no release date has been set.
You can now enjoy a demo, however, which grants you access to a small slice of the game.
