Floatopia preview: A new cosy king may have emerged

The life simulation genre is, perhaps unexpectedly, rather cutthroat. There are plenty of games out there, and good games at that, that seek to satisfy our cosy cravings. The problem is that very few titles manage to retain our attention, stopping us from returning to those old, reliable favourites. With that latter statement, I am, of course, referring to the likes of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

That’s not to say that these are the only cosy life sims that deserve your time - because that’s far from being the truth - but they are the two that reign supreme over the genre. Why? Well they go beyond tapping into the basic formula. Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ social side excelled due to the particular moment in time in which it was released, namely the pandemic. Stardew Valley, on the other hand, majorly helped repopularise pixel art graphics and continues to be steadily updated.

Very few other cosy games fail to land that crucial unique selling point, but a new champion has entered the ring. At this year’s Opening Night Live at Gamescom, Floatopia was unveiled by NetEase to the world, and having been hands-on with the game for around 30-minutes, I’m hugely excited about its potential.

Take a look at Floatopia in action below.

Floatopia is perhaps more akin to Animal Crossing, if we are to make comparisons but so too does it totally stand on its own two feet. In this game’s world, individuals are assigned powers dictating their jobs. When our protagonist ends up with a pretty dull one, they’re left to work a dead end job that leaves them feeling marginalised and underappreciated.

Enter Floatopia, a floating island that’s home to a budding community of those with ‘useless’ powers. Here, our protagonist has the opportunity to leave their job and the cruelness of society behind, leaping forward into a new chapter of life all centred around healing. I bet you weren’t expecting a fluffy, cosy game to touch on such a profound idea. Floatopia is wholly centred around escapism. It’s no coincidence that our character feels the same yearning for freedom and levity that we ourselves do.

For example, allow me to tell you the story of Joy, one of the first residents of Floatopia I encountered. Joy’s useless superpower is that she can’t fall asleep but that doesn’t mean that she’s constantly energised. Nope. Joy’s official description reads that she’s a “perpetually drowsy and low-energy office girl”. If that’s not what the people call ‘a mood’, I don’t know what is.

Once you’ve begun the game, you’ll get to create and name your character - and then it’s time to set up your new abode on Floatopia. Here’s where I shade Tom Nook. I wholeheartedly adore Animal Crossing: New Horizons but I can’t say I found much relaxation or peace in trying to pay off the ridiculous housing prices set by that racoon. You won’t find that kind of stress here. After being welcomed to the island, you’re instantly given a housing kit to set up.

Credit / NetEase

Once built, you’ll be able to customise it to fit your particular aesthetic but instead of finding yourself in three-months of virtual debt, such changes in Floatopia simply require you to find the relevant materials around the island which you can quickly craft into your chosen design. Given that I’ve only played the opening 30-minutes of the game, I can’t say how Floatopia’s economy will evolve as players progress but given that the island’s mayor made it clear in their opening spiel that I wouldn’t be forced into making any major payments, I’m guessing you won’t see the Tom Nook approach ever really surface.

I also found Floatopia’s aesthetics to be incredibly refreshing. Yes, they’re most definitely inspired by genre forebearers but there’s a uniqueness to this world thanks to the fact that everything is crafted from miniatures. Your house is, to begin with, crafted from a milk carton. The furniture you acquire has likely been nabbed from a doll’s house. The cars and buses you see are those you might ordinarily watch children zoom around a carpet. Even Floatopia’s residents themselves have a slight fuzz, as if we’re all just Sylvanian Families figurines brought to life. It’s utterly charming.

I should add that Floatopia is both social and cross-platform, launching on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch and considering everything I mentioned above, I truly think that NetEase has a monumental winner on its hands. Floatopia boasts a premise I think we can all relate to, offering us the opportunity to leave the mundane world in search of something far more delightful and wholesome. With its cross-platforming approach destined to add a strong sense of community and its self-awareness about the nature of what we seek in the cosy genre, I find myself entirely impressed.

Floatopia is set to launch in 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.