Already, 2026 is off to an incredible start for cosy gamers with the arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 3.0 update and new-gen upgrade.
Beyond that, Starsand Island, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, Pokémon Pokopia, Witchbrook, Deer & Boy, Woodo, and Petit Planet are amongst some of my most anticipated.
Well, and Sunkissed City, of course.
Sunkissed City is an upcoming pixel art life sim from former Stardew Valley developer Arthur ‘Mr. Podunkian’ Lee, and it’s just revealed a very strong quality-of-life feature.
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As brought to our attention by GamesRadar+, Lee took to Twitter/X to reveal how the game’s fishing works.
It uses the typical cosy formula. You’ll cast your line, waiting for it to catch, prompting a minigame where you have to reel your catch in whilst staying within certain parameters.
This isn’t what I want to highlight though. It's the information that appears onscreen following this.
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In the clip, Lee caught a mackerel with a further 10 fish silhouettes displayed onscreen, covered by question marks.
Essentially, as Lee explains, these are all the different fish types that you can catch within that specific moment.
The silhouettes reflect the species you can catch given the “current weather, time, and location”.
This is going to be a major help to anyone trying to go for full completion as whilst you’re fishing, you’ll quickly be able to identify whether there’s even a chance you can catch something new that you’re missing.
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It’s garnered a positive early response.
“That’s actually handy to be honest,” replied SolarWings83, while ItemsENABLED said, “Why doesn’t every game do this?”
Sunkissed City Swaps The Countryside for a Bustling Metropolis
If this is the first you’re hearing of Sunkissed City, it takes players to Apollo City, a “a sun-kissed seaside metropolis that's pumping with funky vibes and quirky characters”.
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You’re the new hire for a company called Pico who are adopting some new eco-focused initiatives. The problem is though that the city’s wildlife has simultaneously started behaving rather erratically, with monsters emerging from sewers too.
Players will need to get to the bottom of the mystery whilst also engaging in all of the usual cosy fare.
You’ll be able to tend to gardens, romance NPCs, fish, forage, and more, as well as decorate a humble abode.
Sunkissed City will launch on PC initially, with a Nintendo Switch version due to arrive sometime after that. No confirmed date is yet available.
Topics: Stardew Valley, PC, Steam, Indie Games