MAKE ROOM

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There’s something kind of magical about toybox games. And I don’t mean the Disney kind of dilapidated magic - I mean the “I have absolutely nothing to do and that’s exactly the point” kind. No missions. No high scores. No “defeat the dark lord” nonsense. Just… vibes. To some people, that probably sounds like the most boring thing since unsalted crackers. Where’s the challenge? Where’s the adrenaline? I can already hear the thrill-seekers scoffing from their gaming chairs. But honestly? Life’s already got plenty of boss fights - tax season, Monday mornings, the unskippable cutscene that is the news. Sometimes you just want to flop into a game that asks nothing from you except maybe, “Hey, want to put a tiny chair next to a tiny table?”

That’s where the whole “cozy games” boom comes in. Thanks to ANIMAL CROSSING becoming everyone’s emotional support game during the pandemic, studios finally realized: oh, turns out people actually like games that don’t chew them up and spit them out. Toybox games are part of that vibe, but cranked to maximum chill. No farming. No dating. No puzzle-solving. Just a sandbox full of bits and bobs to arrange into little scenes. Like building a snow globe, but you’re the hand that both arranges it and then shakes it.

Take, for example, TINY GLADE - pure, peaceful architectural doodling. Absolute gem. Still need to review it. But right now? I’ve just picked up MAKE ROOM, and oh boy, we need to talk about it.

The game’s as straightforward as its name: you make rooms. Lots of rooms. Gamer dens, secret spy offices, teeny-tiny libraries, cozy bedrooms, chaotic playrooms, indoor gardens - basically, if it’s got walls, you can make it. You can even kit out a camper van or plop a little garden onto a sad, empty plot just to give it some purpose in life.

You get two magical tools for this interior-decorating spree. First: a frankly ridiculous library of stuff. Furniture in all shapes and styles, cute little polygonal plants, knick-knacks galore, rugs, windows - the IKEA catalog, if it was shrunk in the wash. You can rotate, scale, and recolor them until you’ve achieved your vision (or until you give up and decide the chair does look fine at a 17° angle).

But the real show-stealer is Tool #2: the creation tool. This is where you get to go full mad scientist. You get a bunch of basic building blocks, and the only limit is your imagination - plus maybe how long your coffee lasts. Missing the perfect little accent piece for your diorama? Just make it yourself. Or be lazy (my personal favorite) and snag someone else’s work from the Steam Workshop. People are already out here making Hatsune Miku figurines, suspiciously good-looking rats, and more. The game’s barely out, and the Workshop is already flexing with over a thousand custom items. Which means yes, you basically have infinite toys now to outfit your dioramas to your heart's content.

There’s not a whole lot more to explain here because… well, that’s literally the whole game. And that’s the charm. Sure, technically there’s something you could call a “campaign”- the game occasionally tosses you a few baby-level “tasks” to tick off so you can unlock extra goodies for different rooms. There are also some goofy cleaning tools and cute little visual effects you can slap on items to make them pop. But honestly? Your one true objective is to let your brain off the leash, chill out with zero stress or ticking clocks, and just mess around with these adorable little polygons until you’ve crafted a tiny, perfect room. Then you sit back, bask in your own genius, and soak up that warm glow of “look what I made” satisfaction.

And so, I can only give a pretty heartfelt recommendation for MAKE ROOM. It is a simple affair, straightforward as it gets, but it provides what's written on the tin to a T! If you're a fan of toybox games or want to check out the genre, you can't steer wrong by picking up this game and taking it for a spin or two whenever you need to destress.