Morikomori Life is idyllic Japanese life with not-so-idyllic crafting
- Experience an idyllic adventure across the Japanese countryside
- Pick up the pieces of the life you left behind
- If you can get past all the crafting and the occasional bugs, that is
Despite the vibrant cherry blossoms all around you and the dazzling blue sky overhead, you're wrapped in a blanket of sadness in Morikomori Life. The hovering grief never seems to go away, even as you return to Komori Village - and that's because your beloved grandmother has passed away, leaving you with a broken house, a broken promise, and a broken heart.
I suppose that's usually the case with these kinds of countryside sims - there always has to be a bittersweet element to it all, because that's what makes picking up the pieces of the life you've left behind more meaningful, isn't it?
And Morikomori Life doesn't spare you from the loss, either - even from the get-go, every single thing in the town will remind you of what you've lost, whether it's an old photo from your childhood or a letter from your Grandma herself.
That said, what gives this tragic cloud a silver lining is that the village itself is so heartbreakingly beautiful. Everything from the quiet station platform to the lovely townsfolk adds to the cosiness of it all, and it's all presented with Ghibli-esque aesthetics too.
Of course, since it's a life sim, you'll need to rebuild your house, plant seeds, cook, fish, and farm as you make a home for yourself in the countryside. It's all about enjoying that peaceful, idyllic, rural life - and it would've been perfect if it weren't for the tediousness of all the crafting.
I honestly should've expected this given its genre, but even with all the beauty around me, the frustration still gets to me every time I need to craft stuff. I guess I'm just not a fan of these types of quests, but that's on me, honestly - I just don't have the patience to grind so-and-so pieces of wood and stone with my pickaxe just to whip up some french fries in my own kitchen.
Thankfully, the fantastic soundtrack helps keep my impatience at bay, so whenever I start to feel the frustration coming on (you can speed up some processes with special items, but I don't have the patience for those, either), I can simply roam around the village and listen to the background music on loop.
I also encountered a few bugs, by the way, which makes me wonder just how much the aesthetics can do to compensate for these ragequit-inducing moments.
So while Morikomori Life promises plenty of relaxing vibes with its lovely visuals and evocative tunes, I'm not sure I can see the whole thing through and fulfil Grandma's wishes for me at the moment. But then again, the narrative here has that tinge of regret that always seems to follow me everywhere I go - and since I'm a sucker for bittersweet stories, that might just make me stick this one out a tad longer.
Morikomori Life is available to download for free on iOS and Android, with a $19.99 purchase to remove all ads if you're curious.
