Review: Verde

Cultivate, build, and watch a small community flourish at your own pace.

Verde is one of those games made for players who simply want to relax. With its cozy premise, it puts you in charge of managing a small town surrounded by nature while taking care of the charming Seedlets, tiny seed-shaped creatures. Guided by the charismatic little owl Fa, your goal is to expand this peaceful haven at your own pace, enjoying streamlined management mechanics and an incredibly comforting atmosphere.

GAMEPLAY

Verde's management systems are fairly simple, and that is precisely what makes them so enjoyable. Little by little, you supply the town with water, place markets, build homes, grow coffee plantations, and purchase new land to increase the population. Progression feels steady, and each newly unlocked area gives the satisfying impression that your town is genuinely growing.

As you advance, new biomes introduce different needs. Snowy and beach areas, for example, require specific structures in addition to water distribution, such as fans to keep the population comfortable. This adds a light strategic layer without taking away from the game's relaxing nature.

Before starting my playthrough, I expected Verde to place a much stronger emphasis on farming, featuring a variety of crops such as wheat, grapes, and others. In practice, farming is simply one aspect of city management, while the true objective is creating a comfortable home for the Seedlets, making agriculture a secondary focus.

One particularly nice feature is the ability to unlock new music tracks as you progress through the campaign, providing small rewards beyond simply expanding your town.

On the other hand, a few areas could use some improvement. The building customization system becomes repetitive because every time you find a house style you like, you have to manually apply the same customization options to each new building. A preset system would make this process much more convenient.

I also missed proper controller support. At the time of this review, there is no control scheme designed for handheld devices such as the Steam Deck, which feels like a missed opportunity considering the game's relaxing nature.

Another aspect that slightly slows the pacing is the process of gathering leaves, the main resource used to expand the town. At certain points, there is little to do besides waiting for enough leaves to accumulate before purchasing new land. After that, you still need to clear rocks, set up water distribution, and prepare the entire infrastructure before continuing to expand.

VISUALS AND SOUND

The art direction is easily one of Verde's biggest highlights. The visuals perfectly capture the comforting atmosphere the game aims to create, featuring soft colors and incredibly cozy environments. It is the kind of game that encourages you to simply sit back and watch your little town come to life.

The soundtrack complements this atmosphere very well, although it does become repetitive after several hours. Personally, I recommend lowering the music volume slightly at the beginning of your playthrough to avoid that feeling during longer sessions.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Verde's 31 achievements fit the game's relaxing philosophy very well and rarely feel like artificial objectives. Most of them reward natural campaign progression, encouraging players to expand their population, purchase new land, increase leaf production per minute, and complete the main objectives without requiring any particular playstyle. There are also achievements tied to unlocking new regions, growing your town, and progressing through different quest lines, encouraging players to explore nearly every system the game has to offer.

Beyond the main campaign, Verde also includes achievements related to optional features such as Photo Mode, weather events, and the construction of special buildings, giving players extra reasons to keep playing even after making significant progress. The list also features a few humorous and unexpected achievements triggered during specific situations, adding some variety to the routine of city management. Overall, it is a well-balanced achievement list with no excessively grindy objectives, complementing the experience without making 100% completion feel like a chore.

TRAILER OFFICIAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofds7pqfrMU

FINAL THOUGHTS

Verde delivers exactly what it promises. Its streamlined management systems, cozy atmosphere, and freedom to grow a small community make for a satisfying experience for anyone looking for a relaxing city builder.

There are improvements that could make the experience even more enjoyable, such as a more practical building customization system, proper controller support, and slightly faster progression during certain sections. Additionally, the Portuguese localization contains a few translation issues.

Even so, none of these shortcomings undermine the game's core appeal. If you're looking for a relaxing city builder without unnecessary complexity, Verde accomplishes its goal very well.

SCORE: 7.9/10

 Review by Gamertag: Scoulz