PS5 free taster is a cozy take on the Baldur's Gate 3 formula I can't stop thinking about

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Baldur’s Gate 3 is so magical; it’s a sum of all of its parts, from its world-class storytelling to its brilliant ensemble cast.

At its core, though, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a compelling turn-based RPG set within a fantastical world. Well, that’s precisely what Flamecraft is, too, albeit in more of a cozy gaming package.

Developed by Monster Couch, Flamecraft is an upcoming cozy strategy game designed to be enjoyed by between one and five players - and if you’re a fan of Baldur’s Gate 3 like me, I have a feeling that you’ll get a decent kick out of it.

It sees the player become a Flamekeeper who’s tasked with helping adorable little dragons find their perfect home, as those dragons will, in turn, boost the prospects of your budding town.

“Your main task is to thoughtfully place dragon artisans in the town’s bustling shopping district. They will help you gather various resources from the shops, which you can later use to cast enchantments, triggering powerful ability combos,” reads Flamecraft’s synopsis.

“You’ll also befriend the extraordinary Fancy Dragons, with abilities allowing you to boost your reputation. Your main goal is to earn the most reputation points by the time the game ends. If you manage to do that, you’ll earn the Master of Flamecraft title!”

Culinary-focused dragons will cook up delicious treats, for example, in Guilty Treasures, while delivery dragons will deliver your Scale Mail Post.

Again, you can play Flamecraft both in solo and multiplayer mode, and it constantly keeps you on your toes as dragons are randomised in their appearances.

This is where the turn-based elements come into play. The deck you draw and play dictates which dragons will arrive in your town and how they’ll fare.

A card may help a specific dragon gain goods or boost their sales. With all of this in mind, you’re advised to outsmart other Flamekeepers.

Cardboard Alchemy

“On your turn, you’ll visit one of the various shops in town to either gather resources or enchant the shops using magical artefacts. You could visit Gnome Depot to grab some iron, get freshly baked bread from Drake of Cakes, or brew mysterious potions at Draconic Tonic,” devs continue.

“You’ll need those, among others, to later enchant the shops - this will let you fire up all of the dragons from a shop and combine their abilities to create amazing combos. This, along with the Companion and Fancy Dragon cards, which offer powerful one-time abilities and additional scoring opportunities, will let you get the reputation points needed to win the game.”

There are over 70 adorable dragons featured within Flamecraft in total with over 30 unique businesses included too.

READ MORE: Baldur's Gate 3 drops surprise update that demands another playthrough, we're so back

Enjoy up to one hour of Flamecraft for free thanks to a pre-release free demo

While the game lacks a confirmed launch date, you can try it ahead of time courtesy of its free demo, which has landed on the PlayStation Store for PS5 users; it’s also available on PC storefront Steam if that’s your platform of choice.

The demo permits you to play solo against bot components across three difficulty tiers, or you can enjoy multiplayer in groups of five.

You’ll also be able to visit a small selection of shops, encounter both Dragon Artisans and Fancy Dragons, and sample a predefined sample of the game’s card deck.

It’s a joy to play, and you don’t have to take my word for it. Flamecraft’s demo boasts a 98% approval score on Steam.

“Can't wait for the actual game to be released! 10/10,” said one happy player while another added, “A lovely and colourful strategy game.”

On PlayStation 5, 61% of players have awarded a perfect score of five out of five at the time of writing.

Flamecraft is actually based on a tabletop game of the same name and concept, so if you’ve played that, you should enjoy this virtual iteration.