An earthquake has left a vineyard valley quiet and its houses shuttered in Cozy Builder, and it is up to players to put it back together. The sandbox building game from Pangea Game Studios, a two-person family studio, is out now on Steam for $14.99 USD.
The valley’s houses all begin as ruins. Players rebuild each one piece by piece using elements such as dormers, arches, gabled roofs and curved glass walls, and there is no set blueprint to follow, so how each home ends up is down to personal taste. Where the earlier demo offered a single corner of the valley to practise in, the full game opens up the whole area, along with more building pieces and more hillside to explore in search of the next house to restore.
Decorating follows the same approach. Any surface can be dressed up, from kitchen shelves inside to ivy climbing the exterior walls, and there is no required style to stick to. A greenhouse can also be filled with rare plants found while exploring. Every interior is fully accessible, so players can move through and live in the homes they have built rather than only viewing them from outside. The restored homes are not just for show. Each house belongs to one of the valley’s residents, and as more châteaux are rebuilt, the townsfolk return to their homes and the community gradually comes back to life.
Away from construction, the hillsides offer plenty to gather. Grapes and olives can be harvested, and herbs, wildflowers and rare plants can be found by foraging. Grapes can be turned into wine and fruit into jam and preserves, while cooking, treasure hunting and gem cutting offer other ways to spend time. There is no combat, no way to fail and no time limit, so players can tackle the valley in whatever order they like.
The game can be played entirely solo or in online co-op with a friend, with the pair able to share a single house or split the hillsides between them, each playing as their own created character.
