Yes, you read that correctly – Gourdlets is a game with no objectives, no points, and no story. But that is the whole point of the game – to relax, build, and not feel pressured to do anything else whatsoever.
Gourdlets is described as “a city-building sandbox” which has the player just building, and that is it. The game itself has an energy of “build it and they will come”. You build the city with pavements, campfires, everything, and watch as the Gourdlets slowly make it their home, or just come by for a passing visit.
Players can place buildings, tents, train stations, plants, docks – even land and water. Make a seaside down or a village in the middle of a forest. The possibilities do truly seem endless. In some recent content updates, it has been shown that the interiors of buildings can also be decorated and changed to suit what you want them to be. It can be a library full of old books or a café bursting with delicious cakes – this game really does give you full creative freedom.
What is interesting about Gourdlets is that, unlike other games that promote creativity, farming or decoration, is that there is no need to collect resources, recipes or building materials. It is simply a case of building whatever you want to build – and it being built immediately!
Likewise there is no stress associated with management sims – such as managing budgets, pollution or the happiness of others. No restrictions, no logic, just purely building.
The Gourdlets themselves are adorable little creatures which are based around plants. Each appears to have a little sprout from the top of their heads and live their little lives freely. Even better, these cute critters will interact with the world around them, bringing it to life. Campfires are for marshmallows, piers are for fishing, and flowers are for watering. They care for whatever you build!
The game is being created by AuntyGames, also known as Preethi Vaidyanathan, the solo developer. She is a software engineer based in the United States.
Without Direction, What Do I Do?
That’s the beauty of this game – you simply build. A lot of games have the pressure of survival. This is of course a great feature that drives a game forward, but not everyone wants the worrying experience of bankruptcy or having virtual lives depend on the very decisions you make. This kind of free creative play might not appeal to everyone, though the idea of stress free building will definitely appeal to the cozy gaming community. Calming, stress free gaming is becoming more and more popular – and a game with no objectives is definitely going to be a worry free experience.
Gourdlets will be available on Windows, Mac and Linux via Steam. It hasn’t been announced if the game will be available on other platforms. The demo is currently available, with the announcement date as “Coming Soon”. However, it has been stated that Gourdlets should be released sometime in 2023 this year. People can also access a browser version of the game through itch.io. There is no clear date when the game will fully be released. If you want to keep up to date with the development of this game, follow the creator on Twitter. The game also has a Discord server and mailing list.
If you’re interested in the game, then check out the trailer below:
What are your thoughts on the game Gourdlets? Will you try out a game that has no objectives – and can a game really have no objectives at all? Tell us your thoughts about this game in the comment section below!
