Little Lives (2024)

Developer: Houndstooth Games
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Indie, Simulation
Rating: 4.1 of 5, 251 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 8.5 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a gentle open-ended life sim where you shape your character's day-to-day story through work, friendships, and home decoration in a colorful small town.

whimsicalrelaxedcharacter-drivenopen-endedsandboxcasualcolorfullife sim

What players say

Players praise the game's concept and find the first few hours fun, but they consistently say the gameplay becomes a repetitive grind with little reward. Tying social activities to staving off depression rather than providing genuine benefits is a common complaint, and many are frustrated by mandatory furniture decay and the inability to have children.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.