Townscaper is, without a doubt, the most relaxing video game I have ever played, and at the time of writing this I've been playing video games for almost 23 years. I jumped in and before I even knew it, hours had passed.

First, its beauty is in its simplicity. There are no directions and you don't need them. You just start building using your left mouse button to build and the right mouse button to delete. There's no punishment for making a move you didn't want to make or for adding a building or land piece you didn't want to create. You just right click and it's like the move never happened. You don't have to spend fictional money to create buildings, and there's no winning or losing outside of your own satisfaction with the town you've created. There's no complex system of traffic or electricity/power or civil services. You just build buildings. If you're looking for an intense city sim like Banished or Frostpunk, this just isn't for you.

Second, this game is beautiful. Whether your creation is tiny island with just a few small houses, or a massive sprawling city, it's hard to make a bad looking town. While all buildings look very similar, there are definitely some really cool hidden surprises depending on how and where you create your buildings. Seeing clotheslines extend from two tall close-by buildings or a point sitting atop a tall tower, I time-and-time-again found myself trying to replicate some of the special structures and details I made.

Overall, Townscaper is just a great way to relax after a long day or week and allow you to be as creative as you want without being overwhelmed by a myriad of options or complex mechanics. Even if it wasn't in Early Access and this is all it will ever be, Townscaper would still get an easy thumbs up from me. If you just want to shut your mind off for a bit and create something beautiful, do yourself a favor and pick up Townscaper.