Dorfromantik PS5 Review
Summary: Dorfromantik offers the blended cerebral intensity of a deep and subtle puzzle game with the soothing calm of a cozy game that invites you to fall into its warm and colourful tiled world.
4
cozy tile puzzle
I have been waiting for Dorfromantik for years. Literally – I think it first came onto my radar in one of Ralph/SkillUp’s videos back in 2021. Now that I’ve had the chance to review the PS5 release, I can confirm Dorfromantik lives up to its reputation as a charming and soothing puzzler and cozy game. My experience was only marred by my own type A personality traits, driving me to look for how to min-max or batch biomes. Even my high expectations were matched by how well Dorfromantik lives up to its hype.
I have yet to notice any significant gameplay differences for the PS5 port compared to what is reported for PC. I’ll cover the basics just in case you missed Dorfromantik’s positively acclaimed release several years ago. Essentially, you place hexagonal tiles in order to build beautiful landscapes. The tiles are randomly generated, and you get higher scores by matching the edges of the tiles more accurately. You are only provided with a finite number of tiles (unless you select a more Creative mode of play or set Custom rules) – however you can gain more tiles by matching all sides of a tile or completing ‘quests’ (think ‘126 trees’ linked by tiles). There are few other overt mechanics besides ‘matching tiles’ and the simplicity helps Dorfromantik’s gameplay loop get out of its own way, and let the game be an experience as well as a puzzler.
As simple as it sounds, there is a subtle and deep depth to every element of Dorkromantik. The experience is so frictionless that you can feel how well the developers Toukana Interactive finely tuned the RNG. The music is soothing and optimistic with small nods to the biomes you craft when trains ‘toot’. The art style is beautiful, reminding me of miniature model painting and ‘Don’t Starve’-ish cartoon, and the way the colour palette shifts with seasonality somehow helped to support my focus without my realising it. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be paying attention to the point score or how many tiles I had left, because I was too busy appreciating the cute and calm charm of the little world I was building.
I didn’t notice any bugs or graphical issues playing on PS5. I didn’t notice any specific advantage of playing with the controller except being able to lean into my muscle memory, nor did I notice any drawbacks to not using mouse and keyboard. I will say I noted more eye strain and fatigue than I expected – that might say more to how long I spent playing each session as I stared at more and more colourful tiles sets; but worth noting, particularly given I think the laid back and episodic experience that Dorfromantik offers will be even better on a Steam Deck or any regular smartphone. But the larger screen experience of a TV does wonders for the detail of the art (assuming you don’t have your PC set up for your home TV) ; each tree and tiny little boat or house feels so detailed, like you’re in a child-friendly museum that is so soothing and warm it turns toddlers into cherubs.
My biggest concern was getting out of my own way. I started each game with either the intent to relax, or to gain a high score – but even when I tried to relax somehow I would usually end up trying to chase points and quests, or at least try to bulk all my trees, or lead railways away from the forests and closer to houses. My friction with Dorfromantik came from being unable to ‘just match tiles’ and ignore the other elements. Getting the ‘wrong’ tile is incredibly frustrating when you are trying to build a grand field only to have it spoiled by a worm-like railway. I was grateful for the Creative mode, and the option to carry on regular games after I had run out of tiles in the Creative mode, so that I didn’t have to say a permanent farewell to my little worlds.
After a couple of nights playing a few hours at a time, I started to notice the loop felt a little monotonous, particularly since I was trying to appraise the game as I played. Fortunately, Dorfromantik is a beautiful game to ‘feel’ as you play, and it is relatively easy to forget what you’re doing and just match tiles most of the time and let the landscape organically grow. Whatever you make will almost always look pretty good, again a strong testament to how well Toukana Interactive have crafted the art style and the flow of the game.
I would strongly recommend Dorfromantik to anyone who loves puzzle games or loves cozy games. I’m confident it will scratch either itch, and likely leave you more interested in the genre you are less familiar with (thank you Blue Prince). If you have never played Dorfromantik before then this PS5 port is an easy entry point, it is beautiful on a big screen; just be prepared to forget about all those other games you meant to play.
4/5 stars.
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