NEARstudios, a studio made up of developers from Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog has announced its new game, Hawthorn - and it's unbelievably wholesome. Set in a world of anthropomorphic animals and fairies, this sandbox RPG sees you crafting, farming, and exploring as you build a village of "memorable NPCs" and "celebrate the seasons in an ever-changing world bigger than you," according to a recently revealed gameplay trailer
Hawthorn's trailer is just over a minute long, but shows the player taking control of an owl soaring through the woods, an otter hunting for fish in a lake and - my personal favorite - a mouse in a robe cutting down corn plants. There's even a scene of the mouse and otter dancing and drinking beer on a table, exactly the sort of adorable, relaxing game we all need in our lives right now.
Hawthorn sees you rebuilding a forgotten trading post in Windermere Valley as either the mouse, otter, or owl. To do so, you need to farm resources, craft structures, and recruit woodland creatures to help in your efforts. Much like Stardew Valley, the ever-changing world is seasonal, so it seems you can only grow certain crops at certain times of the year - like pumpkins in October - and there appears to be festive events to partake in, too. Unlike Stardew Valley, you'll need to contend with the weather and protect your settlement from "tricksters" and I'm sort of hoping there are no romance options, either.
The best part? You can play Hawthorn solo or co-op, so you and your friend can be that otter and mouse dancing on the table - just like at weekends.
Hawthorn is certainly an exciting prospect, especially given the studio behind it is made up of developers from big-name studios. NEARstudios CEO Heather Cerlan previously held positions at Bethesda, Naughty Dog, and EA and game director Jason Richardson worked at BioWare and Bethesda, with other developers boasting similarly prestigious work histories.
Hawthorn currently has no release date, but we're hoping it's not long until we can unwind with these woodland creatures.
Until then, if you need to get lost in a fantasy world, check out our picks of the best PC indie games and the best PC fantasy games.
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