In May this year, we brought you the news that April Grove was coming out. We’ve since had a chance to try the game for ourselves, and can now bring you our first impressions on this cozy pixel art title. April Grove has been developed by Colorgrave and is out now on Steam. The premise is quite simple: you’re the new forester in town and must get to work maintaining the woods. You’ll chop, chop, and chop some more as you get to know the locals.
April Grove is as cozy a game as it gets. There is no danger, nothing can go wrong, you are always in control, or can just relax amongst the scenery. The game starts with you needing to find April, a magic fairy who appears to be in charge of the backwater town of April Grove. Once you acquire the axe from her, you can set to work chopping trees and exchanging them with the local shop for money.
You’ll notice that with every log chopped, your level-up meter increases and not much else happens until you reach level 10. At this point, you can chop the harder woods and start unlocking some extra areas in the game. And this pretty much sums up the gameplay loop in April Grove. Chop wood, sell it, upgrade your character, occasionally upgrade equipment, or solve a simple quest.
April Grove isn’t trying to be anything other than a relaxing title that requires no skill or energy to keep making your way through it. The most exciting aspect is getting the lantern and seeking a safe route through the hidden mines to find treasure. The other aspect that helps expand the game is a badger friend that can build things like convenient wood dispensers and bridges that help speed up the chopping and selling process.
One of the standout points of April Grove is its lovely retro presentation. The pixel art is colorful and chunky with some great animations that really give the vibe of a late GameBoy Color or early GameBoy Advance title. The great artwork is complemented by the delicate soundtrack that is soothing and relaxing on the ears. At one point during our play, we just sat and listened to the lovely music play.
Overall, you’ll know if you’re into cozy games or not. Those who like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon-type games will instantly recognise the gameplay loop and will enjoy the tasks of harvesting wood to buy new equipment and open new areas. Those looking for action or a challenge will know already that April Grove is probably not for them. This one is recommended for those who want a quiet life and to fill a few hours over a weekend in peace.
