It’s a tale as old as time: A team of scrappy adventurers, a harrowing journey, and a climactic battle for the fate of the world. Only, Littlewood takes place after all that has already happened. Part town management, part resource/crafting cycles, Littlewood is a cozy society-building sim about growing up and settling down.
Littlewood Summary
I’ve seen Littlewood described in a lot of ways: Farming sim lite. Stardew Valley-esque. Adventure after the adventure. It’s the kind of game that defies classification, even though the premise is delightfully simple: Collect resources from the wilderness, build and improve facilities around town. That’s all there is to it.
As you expand your town—you can call it what you like, but for simplicity’s sake I’ll refer to it as Littlewood—you will attract nomads and outcasts. You can build homes for them, and even decorate each one to the denizens’ specific preferences. They may request certain furniture (bookshelf, pot), certain patterns and styles (grand oak chair, rose lamp), and even geographical elements (X paces away from the forge, at the highest elevation).
And so it becomes a balancing act: Can you structure Littlewood to best suit your needs, while accommodating everyone in town?
My Littlewood Experience
Hours played: 65 hours
Rolled credits: Yes
Coziness rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Littlewood is sublimely simple, yet I always find myself with too much to do. Do I grind for lumber in the forest or stones in the caverns? Do I catch fish and bugs to display in the museum? Do I pick weeds and crops to sell at the market? Do I experiment with different cooking recipes at the tavern? Do I process raw resources into bricks and planks so I can upgrade the general store, coffee shop, or hot-air balloon platform?
Whatever you choose, choose carefully. Instead of a standard “stamina bar” system, every action you take eats a bit of time out of your day. Complete 60 or so tasks, and the sun will set. Push yourself past that, and you’ll pass out where you stand. The action economy is generous (there usually isn’t more than 60 things I want to do per day anyway), but it’s smartly designed to keep you moving. And fast.
There is no hot spring to restore your energy, no meals to take the edge of exhaustion off. Once you’re done, you’re done. Days can be completed in minutes, and there is no way to add more time to your day (too real). It’s the perfect lean system: What 1-2 high impact activities can I accomplish to push forward my goals of building a bigger and better Littlewood.
Don’t worry: Talking to all the charming NPCs takes no time at all, so socializing can be built into the backbone of every day. You’ll start with your adventuring buddies, Willow and Dalton. Plus, local mentor and grandpa, Dudley. Then, as Littlewood starts to grow, you’ll attract a whole host of quirky characters. There’s sassy and fabulous birdfolk Bubsy. And then mage protégé Lilith, who can barely control her own powers. Half-orc Zana, who is a little rough around the edges but means well.
Most of these wannabe residents will appear quite naturally as you progress. There are a few that take a little grinding, either to unlock a particular area or achieve something noteworthy before their appearance (ie. sell 100 fish at the marketplace). You don’t have a lot of choice around who stays, though—which is too bad because I have half a mind to banish anyone who speaks ill of my sweet Bubsy (I’m looking at you, Terric).
The overarching story is simple and clean: You’ve lost your memories after a battle with the Dark Wizard. Now, you yearn to discover more about what brought the two of you to blows in the first place, and whether such darkness could rise again. Story is an afterthought to the rise-and-grind town management of it all. You’ll get drips of lore fed to you here or there, particularly when you start to populate the library with books.
But for the most part, the adventure is over now. You are a retired hero. You spend your days fishing by a babbling brook in the autumn sunlight. Or planting an impressive flower garden, the daily watering of which becomes almost meditative. And that’s all there is to it. It’s a simple life, but a happy one.
Littlewood Final Thoughts
No combat, straightforward gameplay, and an offbeat, zany cast you can’t help but adore—Littlewood remains one of my favorite cozy games on Nintendo Switch to this day. Though you can play it elsewhere, it’s a perfect handheld experience. Short, quick bursts of action; no real-time clock or countdown; and a gameplay cycle with rewards in every direction, so you can’t really lose your thread.
Final thoughts:
- If you found Stardew Valley too busy or challenging, Littlewood might be for you
- Great if you like the town building aspects of games like Animal Crossing and GROW: Song of the Evertree
- Perfect for cozy gamers who appreciate resource collection, management, and crafting
- A small-scope game that doesn’t overstay its welcome
- Light farming sim elements that don’t overpower the whole of the experience
- Short days, no timer—great if you can only play here or there
Stay cozy, gamers!
You might also like: