Summerhouse (video game)

Summerhouse is a 2024 video game by independent German developer Friedemann Allmenröder and released for Windows and Macintosh by Future Friends Games. The game is a sandbox city-building game in which players decorate environments using building and decorative pieces. Summerhouse received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the game's open-ended design, pace and visual presentation, although some reviewers hoped for greater depth in the game's features and building elements.

Gameplay


Summerhouse is an open-ended sandbox game where players build small towns without gameplay objectives or conditions. Players can use the menu interface to select building elements, including blocks, rooftops, chimneys, doors, windows, decorative features, trees and shrubs, and place them into the world. Four environments are provided, including a mountain, prairie, city and desert. The depth of elements in relation to other objects can be adjusted, and a deletion tool assists in removing unwanted elements after they are placed. Players can also scroll horizontally to pan across the environment. Summerhouse also features hidden secrets and unlockable features, including animations added to certain objects over time and special blocks that are unlocked when certain elements are placed into the environment. A fast forward function allows the player to view the progress of their construction of the town from the start of the game.

Development and release
Summerhouse is the first solo release of German independent developer Friedemann Allmenröder. Allmenröder described the game as a "love letter to the feeling of childhood summer holidays". An announcement trailer for the game was released in December 2023 for the Steam Wholesome Snack Indie Game Showcase, and released on 8 March 2024.

Reception
Summerhouse received "generally favorable" reviews upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The slow pace and open-ended approach to city-building was also praised. Describing the game as "uniquely peaceful", Christian Donlan of Eurogamer found the game's simplicity to have a meditative quality. Meghann O'Neil of GamesHub stated the gameplay's peaceful aspects were aided by the "breezy" user interface. Jenni Lada of Siliconera also felt the game was a "zen" and passive experience that encouraged players "to live in the moment".

Critics generally commended the game's visual presentation and building design. Christian Donlan of Eurogamer enjoyed the "endless variation" of items across different architectural styles. Describing Summerhouse as a "stunning game to look at", Kieron Verbrugge of Press Start commended the "picturesque" environments and "enchanting" backdrops. Jasmine Gould-Wilson of GamesRadar found the unlockable animations created "small touches of surprise" that encouraged experimentation, with Verbrugge noting the inclusion of animated characters added an aspect of "emergent, personal storytelling" to the towns.

However, some reviewers considered that the game could have featured greater depth. Thomas Kent of Hardcore Gamer felt that the lack of objectives could leave players feeling "aimless" and was "too open-ended". Jenni Lada of Siliconera expressed the desire for greater customisation options and tools, such as resizing elements. Several reviews also felt that the game could have used more pieces to construct buildings.