Jump to content

Summerhouse (video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Summerhouse
Developer(s)Friedemann Allmenröder
Publisher(s)Future Friends Games
Platform(s)Windows
Release8 March 2024
Genre(s)City-building
Mode(s)Single-player

Summerhouse is a 2024 sandbox game developed by independent German developer Friedemann Allmenröder and published by Future Friends Games. It is a city-building game in which players build towns and decorate environments using building and decorative elements. The game features four environments, a day-night cycle, and unlockable features, such as object animations.

The game is Allmenröder's first solo release; he was inspired by games such as Townscaper, A Short Hike, and Stronghold: Crusader. Summerhouse received generally positive reviews from critics, with them praising the game's open-ended design, pace, and visual presentation, although some reviewers hoped for greater depth in the game's features and building elements.

Gameplay

[edit]
Players are given open-ended freedom to construct buildings across four environments with no objectives.

Summerhouse is an open-ended sandbox, city-building, cozy game where players build small towns without gameplay objectives.[1][2] Players can use the user interface to select building elements, such as blocks, doors, rooftops, windows, chimneys, trees, shrubs, and decorative features, such as letterboxes, and place them into the world.[2] Four environments are provided,[1] including a prairie, city, mountain, and desert.[3][4] The game also has a day-night cycle and weather options.[5] The depth of elements in relation to other objects can be adjusted,[6] and a deletion tool assists in removing unwanted elements after they are placed.[1]

Players can also scroll horizontally to pan across the environment. Summerhouse also features hidden secrets and unlockable features,[6] including animations added to certain objects over time and special blocks that are unlocked when certain elements are placed into the environment.[3] A fast forward function allows the player to view the progress of their construction of the town from the start of the game.[2]

Development and release

[edit]

Summerhouse was developed by German independent developer Friedemann Allmenröder and published by Future Friends Games.[5][7] It is Allmenröder's first solo release.[4] Allmenröder described the game as a "love letter to the feeling of childhood summer holidays".[8] While working on the game, he was inspired by games such as Townscaper, A Short Hike, and Stronghold: Crusader.[9] An announcement trailer for the game was released in December 2023 for the Steam Wholesome Snack Indie Game Showcase,[8][10] and released on 8 March 2024.[3] Before its release, a demo version of the game was available.[2] The game is compatible with Steam Deck.[11]

Reception

[edit]

Summerhouse received "generally favourable" reviews upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[12] The slow pace and open-ended approach to city-building were praised. Describing the game as "uniquely peaceful", Christian Donlan of Eurogamer found the game's simplicity to have a meditative quality.[3] According to Siliconera's Jenni Lada, the game encouraged players "to live in the moment" and was a calm and passive experience.[15] Thomas Kent of Hardcore Gamer commended the game's soundtrack.[13] Cosmin Vasile of Softpedia commended the game's mechanics.[1]

Critics generally commended the game's visual presentation and building design. Donlan enjoyed the "endless variation" of items across different architectural styles.[3] Describing Summerhouse's visuals as impressive, Kieron Verbrugge of Press Start commended the "picturesque" environments and "enchanting" backdrops.[6] Writing for Rock Paper Shotgun, Katharine Castle commended the looks of shadows and water.[2] Mikhail Madnani of TouchArcade compared the game to Townscaper, describing its visuals as spectacular.[14] Jasmine Gould-Wilson of GamesRadar+ found the unlockable animations created "small touches of surprise" that encouraged experimentation,[5] with Verbrugge noting the inclusion of animated characters added an aspect of "emergent, personal storytelling" to the towns.[6] Vasile praised the looks of the user interface.[1]

However, some reviewers considered that the game could have featured greater depth. Kent felt that the lack of objectives could leave players feeling pointless and was "too open-ended".[13] Reviewers expressed the desire for greater customisation options and tools,[15][16] such as resizing elements.[15] Vasile disliked that the game only had four environments.[1] Several reviews also felt that the game could have used more pieces to construct buildings.[6][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Vasile, Cosmin (2 April 2024). "Summerhouse Review (PC)". Softpedia. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Castle, Katharine (24 January 2024). "This Teeny Tiny Townbuilder Is the Pint-Sized Townscaper I've Been Waiting For". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Donlan, Christian (8 March 2024). "Summerhouse Review – A House-Building Toy That Contains Genuine Magic". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Allsop, Ken (April 2024). "A Beautiful New Indie Sandbox Game Just Hit Steam, And I'm Mesmerized". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Gould-Wilson, Jasmine (23 March 2024). "I Built the Most Peaceful Tiny Homes in a Cozy Building Sim That Prioritizes Creativity, And Now I Want to Move In". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Verbrugge, Kieron (March 2024). "Summerhouse Is A Dream Vacation I Never Want To Come Back From". Press Start. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  7. ^ Bellingham, Hope (23 January 2024). "The Cute House-Building Sim I've Been Obsessed With for Months Finally Has A Release Date". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Summerhouse – Official Announcement Trailer – Wholesome Snack December 2023". IGN. 7 December 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  9. ^ Castle, Katharine (22 March 2024). "Tiny Builder Summerhouse Is Even More Delightful When You See What Inspired It". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  10. ^ Bellingham, Hope (13 December 2023). "The Demo for This Cute House-BuildingSim Is Everything I Was Hoping For: Adorable and Nostalgic". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  11. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn; Hesse, Brendan (7 February 2025). "Fanatical's New Charity Bundle Includes 27 Games For Just $15". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Summerhouse". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Kent, Thomas (8 March 2024). "Review: Summerhouse". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b Madnani, Mikhail (15 March 2024). "Steam Deck Weekly: WWE 2K24 and Summerhouse Reviews, Legend of Legacy HD and Llamasoft Impressions, News, Verified Games, And More". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Lada, Jenni (9 March 2024). "Summerhouse Is a Wish Simulator Sandbox, Not a Game". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  16. ^ Salgado, Jorge (11 March 2024). "Summerhouse – Carta de amor aos dias de verão" [Summerhouse – A Love Letter to Summer Days]. Eurogamer (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Summerhouse_(video_game)&oldid=1280958048"