Stardew Valley fans need to check out this free Steam download

Stardew Valley is, if you ask me, the undisputed king of the cosy genre.

That being said, it’s a cosy title that requires a fair bit of grinding if you truly want to get the most out of your farming empire.

What if I told you that an upcoming game is basically what you’d end up with if you eliminated Stardew Valley’s grindy elements?

That’s certainly what Village Tale looks like to me.

Developed by Knight Owl Games, Village Tale is an upcoming idle village-building simulator that shares a visual kinship with Stardew Valley.

Village Tale will sit in the corner or at the bottom of your PC screen, allowing you to trade, build, and craft with minimal effort whilst you complete other activities.

You’ll be able to watch your villagers toil away while you complete your daily IRL computer-based jobs, like doing an online weekly shop or completing an essay.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a great cosy title.

Players will be able to “construct buildings and decorations, unlock new industries, and grow your population into a thriving, happy community” as well as “accept trade requests from neighbouring villages, fulfil their orders to boost your village’s economy and reputation”.

As I said, the quirk here is that your villagers will do all the grindy heavy lifting for you, beavering away in real-time on your screen.

Of course, you can intervene whenever you like, and how you place buildings and foster relationships, for example, will determine how efficient your villagers are.

Village Tale isn’t due to launch until sometime later this year, but you can join its free playtest over on Steam right now.

Simply head on over to the Village Tale store listing, scroll down to where you’d typically buy the game, and press ‘Request Access’ on the playtest.

You should receive confirmation from the developer if you're successful.