SUMMERHOUSE Review (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

I never anticipated SUMMERHOUSE being the blast from the past that I was looking for. Yet, there I was, scaling an old shack and adding a slither of moss to the windowsill, finessing the fine details whilst tilting my neck to scour for untapped spaces to embellish. At first, I figured I could do it all—experience everything in the first hour and then be done with the diorama. In my mind, I assumed that, if there were no real objectives to complete, and no progression-based milestones to unlock, then I’d be able to sweep that old shack beneath the rug in twenty, maybe even thirty minutes. But, out of the blue, it pulled me into its creative suite and gave me so much more to work with. The shack was only the beginning, and the moss was merely a speck on a much, much larger world.

It wasn’t all that long after jumping into the indie world-building sandbox that I found a newfound passion for cozy embellishments. It started out small, with a picturesque mountain for a backdrop, a lo-fi ambiance, and a selection of buildings and colors. But, after unpacking its contents, that simple journey soon became a fight for creative expression in a diorama that had far too many spots to fill. The scaling was one thing, but with hindsight, also the smallest thing. Elsewhere, the game had a lot more to offer, with a treasure trove of set pieces and effects, sound bites and personal details available to interpret and install.

If SUMMERHOUSE was about laying the groundwork for a lakeside home and nothing more, then I would have mopped up most of what the game had to offer in less than an fifteen minutes. Yet, it wasn’t quite so simple. The lo-fi soundscape and ambiance took ahold of the world, and it quickly caused me to ponder the possibilities. It wasn’t about slapping a building on a concrete block; it was about customizing every nook and cranny in order to make a generic scene feel more organic and intimately woven with the surrounding environment. And honestly, I was able to get lost in that diorama-shaping process for a lot longer than I anticipated.

While the lack of objectives or campaign-based tasks might be an indication that there is a short and light game with no major replay value, there is, believe it or not, an enormous host of minor details and custom set pieces to explore here. Aside from the buildings and color schemes, you also have access to a plethora of different objects and weather patterns, as well as a selection of built-in secrets to unearth across a wide variety of biomes. There are deserts to dust off, lakes to gloss over, canyons to carve, and woodland homes to cloak with all sorts of floral elements. And to some extent, that’s all that you’re doing here: customizing small pixel-coated dioramas to capture your inner workings on a bite-sized scale.

SUMMERHOUSE isn’t a difficult game to play, nor is it one that comes pre-loaded with dozens of tutorials or unnecessarily complicated puzzles. Simply, it asks you which biome you want to plant roots in, and then hands you a series of creative ways to transform your home into an idyllic haven. It doesn’t slap you on the wrist for making questionable decisions, and it doesn’t make a habit of telling you how you should go about your journey. To be honest, it doesn’t even tell you if there are things that you could have done to make the most out of your world. With no uphill battle to clamber over and no formal boundaries to keep you in check, the journey only truly ends once you satisfy your needs and decide that enough is enough.

While you could argue that there is still a lot that could elevate SUMMERHOUSE as a lightweight sandbox game, the fact is, it is awfully satisfying to work through. Given its laid-back approach to, well, everything, it really isn’t that difficult for you to scratch an itch or two without having to lift a second finger. A structured career mode might have made for a great addition for the primary mode I’ll admit, but honestly, I’m willing to give credit where it’s due and say that, for a smaller independent game, it has a brilliant sense of what makes an open-ended sandbox a lot of fun.

All in all there’s an easy-peeling project with a lot of creative flair to expose and flaunt here. Although lacking in traditional progression tropes and familiar sandbox-based challenges, the game itself makes for an ideal companion for helping you unwind after the afternoon slump. Could it be better? It’s a difficult one to call, as is it a matter that’s open for interpretation. Still, if you enjoy relaxing sandbox games that turn a blind eye to strenuous gameplay elements and favor the art of creative expression, then it’s likely that you’ll enjoy crossing the i’s and dotting the t’s here.

Verdict

SUMMERHOUSE might not provide a challenging experience for the common thrill-seeking strategy enthusiast, but it does bring forth a charming and welcoming sandbox that is absolutely bursting with excellent set pieces and creative ideas. To that end, I’d say that it’s a bit of a no brainer. Truly, if you’re the kind of person who gets a kick out of finessing the fine details and personalizing pint-sized dioramas with all sorts of cozy embellishments, then you’re more than likely going to enjoy spending a handful of hours in SUMMERHOUSE.

If you’re vaguely familiar with world-building games like COZYRAMA, Townscraper or Tiny Glade, then you’re bound to find a firm spot to plant your feet and wax similar ideologies in SUMMERHOUSE. You might not find a challenge to stow beneath your belt, but you are likely to find enough building blocks and short-term solutions for curbing your creative ambitions for a handful of hours, give or take. That, to me, makes the price of admission seem reasonable.