neighborhood Archives

AppWizard

March 25, 2026

If you think the citizens in city builders are grumpy and needy, try pleasing a bunch of jealous Roman gods

In Nova Roma, a city-building simulation set in a fallen Roman Empire, players must establish a new civilization while addressing the evolving needs of their inhabitants. Initial tasks include providing shelter, which soon leads to demands for marketplaces and diverse food options. Natural disasters, such as floods, can disrupt settlements, necessitating urgent responses and respectful disposal of casualties. Additionally, players must consider the favor of the gods, requiring a balance of offerings to maintain their support. The game is still evolving on platforms like Steam, highlighting the complexities of urban management and civilization-building.

AppWizard

March 20, 2026

Hozy is a cozy decorating game that makes me want to rip up my carpet, and take a trip to Ikea

The game Hozy invites players to revitalize a forgotten neighborhood by cleaning, painting, and decorating homes, focusing on a relaxing gameplay experience without timers or score meters. Players can tackle various rooms, starting with a messy attic, and use pre-filled boxes of items for decoration, which helps alleviate choice paralysis. The game features a first-floor studio with an adjacent garden, where players can creatively design spaces. Developer Come On Studio has announced that Hozy will include nine handcrafted locations to renovate and is set to launch on March 30, 2026. A suggested feature for improvement is painter's tape for more precise wall sectioning.

AppWizard

March 20, 2026

Join the circus and swing an election in Moves of the Diamond Hand, the RPG follow-up to Betrayal at Club Low, which hits PC early access in April

Moves Of The Diamond Hand will debut on Steam Early Access on April 13th. It is the successor to Betrayal At Club Low and will feature the first two chapters. The game introduces a "one city block RPG" concept, focusing on infiltrating the Circus X, a renowned circus and artist collective. Players will navigate challenges to secure membership while interacting with colorful characters and facing a mayoral election involving a clone of a deceased mayor. Dice mechanics will influence character stats and gameplay. A demo of the game was previously explored by Nic Reuben, who described it as hectic and disorientating. An update for the demo will be released alongside the early access announcement.

AppWizard

March 19, 2026

Cash Is King! Officially Announced for PC by Blackbeak Games

BlackBeak Games has announced a new game titled Cash is King!, a first-person simulation set in Miami Beach. Players start with no money and aim to build a street empire through various side hustles, such as running a lemonade stand or managing vending machines. The game emphasizes collecting, investing, and upgrading while also focusing on maintaining neighborhood cleanliness and assisting locals to improve reputation and unlock new opportunities. It features mini-games and challenges, along with a cast of quirky characters. A playtest is currently underway, and a demo is expected soon.

AppWizard

January 17, 2026

New York City is being recreated at 1:1 scale inside Minecraft — project is 5 years in and contains over 50,000 buildings so far

YouTuber MineFact has showcased the progress of the Build The Earth project, where his team has recreated a significant portion of Lower Manhattan in Minecraft at a 1:1 scale. This project involves 50 to 80 players and covers nearly 700 square kilometers (approximately 270 square miles). Completed neighborhoods include Liberty Island, NoHo, SoHo, Nolita, Bowery, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Two Bridges, with all areas south of Canal Street recreated except for the Financial District. PippenFTS is another key figure in the project, which aims to replicate the entire planet in Minecraft, involving 45 teams and over 3,719 members in the BTE New York City team. The project is expected to take multiple decades, with ongoing work in other parts of Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, while The Bronx and Staten Island remain untouched. The team is seeking volunteers to join the project, offering guidance and templates for newcomers.

AppWizard

January 17, 2026

The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy: all the confirmed features in the next expansion

The Sims 4 expansion titled Royalty and Legacy introduces new gameplay features focused on family dynasties, scandals, and prestige. It includes a new world named Ondarion with three neighborhoods: Dambele (West African-inspired), Verdemar (heroic outlaws and cunning nobles), and Bellacorde (romance and opulence). Key features include a new career (Noble), a new lot type (Backroom), a new skill (Swordsmanship), and a new resource (Favor). Players can manage dynasties, designate heirs and outcasts, and respond to scandals. A gameplay trailer is set to be released on January 22.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Heartopia (PC) Review

Heartopia is a life-simulation game that blends cozy simulation elements with MMO features, allowing players to cultivate a town and interact with locals. However, the MMO aspects dilute the individuality typically found in cozy games, as multiple players receive the same accolades for completing quests. Gameplay involves repetitive fetch quests to unlock activities like home decoration and fishing, which can feel tedious. The game features a community aspect, but players may find their neighbors' homes replaced or their own home relocated between sessions, undermining familiarity. Character design is uninspired, and the user interface resembles a mobile game, lacking polish. As a free-to-play title, it includes multiple currencies that create confusion, with microtransactions for premium items. Despite these issues, the game offers engaging home-building mechanics and unique hobbies like Birdwatching and Pet Care. Overall, Heartopia struggles to effectively merge MMO elements with cozy simulation, making it a less appealing option compared to established titles like Animal Crossing.

AppWizard

December 17, 2025

Six Xbox Game Pass titles to dive into during the holidays

The text describes a cozy holiday atmosphere enhanced by gaming, highlighting six games suitable for the festive season: 1. Fallout 4: An award-winning RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Boston where players can build settlements and explore a vast open world. 2. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor: A game where players control a dwarf miner, gathering resources and battling aliens, featuring a unique path-carving mechanic and a rich progression system. 3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7: The latest installment in the franchise, offering three game modes and over thirty multiplayer maps for co-op campaigns and competitive play. 4. Age of Mythology: Retold: A reimagining of the 2002 classic real-time strategy game, featuring mythological heroes and significant gameplay improvements. 5. Abiotic Factor: A survival game where players are stranded scientists dealing with a paranormal outbreak, focusing on resource scavenging and teamwork, nominated for PC Game of the Year. 6. Diablo 4: A loot-driven game with engaging mechanics, featuring roguelike events and character customization, set in demon-infested zones.

AppWizard

November 27, 2025

Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land Shows Off New Neighborhood

Indie game developer Exquisite Laundry Pet, in collaboration with publisher Mega Cat Studios, is developing a game titled Gumball in Trick-or-Treat Land. Players will embark on a quest to recover Seven Hallowed Patches to restore balance in Trick-or-Treat Land and thwart the Chaos Sweets, who aim to ruin Halloween. The game features a turn-based Trick-or-Treating battle system, allows players to recruit quirky allies with unique skills, and includes a retro-inspired world filled with side quests, spells, and combat encounters. The adventure begins with Gumball crash-landing in Trick-or-Treat Land, where he receives help from a malfunctioning Scarecrow. Players can master the battle system, unlock magical powers, discover items, and engage in a main quest with side quests. No release date has been announced yet.

AppWizard

November 26, 2025

Despite getting delayed, Paralives looks like it’s avoiding Inzoi’s biggest flaw

The release of the life simulation game Paralives has been delayed, with a new early access launch date set for May 25, 2026. The Paralives team recently showcased 45 minutes of uncut gameplay, highlighting features such as a daily local newspaper with activity suggestions, skill progress bars, a meaningful conversation system, personality trait upgrades, contextual moods, and the ability to purchase items in shops. Despite some minor bugs observed during the gameplay session, the overall experience suggests players will have opportunities to shape their characters' lives. The game aims to address critiques of its predecessor, Inzoi, which has faced criticism for lack of engagement and meaningful activities.