Steam free download is a gorgeous blend of Pokémon and Stardew Valley

Scaling Up may just be the most adorable game I’ve stumbled across in a long time.

Visually, it’s akin to Stardew Valley but here, you won’t be tasked with romancing villagers or farming crops.

Instead, you’ll assume the role of a little dragon who happens to own a snake ranch.

That sounds terrifying on paper, especially to me; a prolific snake fearer.

But Scaling Up is about as wholesome and cosy as you can get. There’s a Pokémon-esque flavouring to its gameplay as you tame, care for, and level up your scaly friends.

You can watch Scaling Up’s trailer below.

“Become the owner of a snake ranch! As a small dragon, raise your ranch from the ground up. Gather and manage resources, build various facilities to house your snakes, make sure they are cared for to keep them happy, and collect their beautiful scales, to forge stronger equipment and scale up,” reads the game’s synopsis.

There are plenty of different snake varieties to raise; some boast horns while others have wings.

You’ll want a varied collection as eventually, you’ll need to send your slithery friends off into the wilderness on material-obtaining expeditions.

Certain materials may be located only in high mountainous regions, for example, so you’ll likely need a flying snake for that job.

That’s why it’s important that you help the snakes prepare to brave the elements.

If you care for them well, they’ll successfully shed their scales, granting you access to various upgrades.

And you don’t have to do this alone! Your snakes can be trained into completing menial jobs for you on your farmstead.

Scaling Up is due to launch on Steam at an unspecified date later this year.

In the meantime though, you can enjoy its brand new demo.

The demo grants you access to the first seven in-game days, during which you can build eight different facilities, and collect 11 species of snake.

There are five expeditions to conquer in the demo, as well as multiple crafting upgrades to unlock.

All in all, it sounds like a wonderful time. I’ll be giving this one a go.