Dorfromantik, German for “romanticized town”, is a serene, relaxing tile placement game developed by Toukana Interactive. It follows on from their similarly causal previous games, like Townscaper.

In Dorfromantik, the player draws hexagonal tiles from a stack and places them adjacent to already played tiles. Each tile edge has a terrain type, such as buildings, forest, fields or plains. You gain points by aligning edges with identical terrain. Points track your progress and can add more tiles to the bottom of the stack. The game ends when the tile stack is exhausted, so the more points you accumulate, the longer you can play.

Besides passing the time and sense pleasure, Dorfromantik‘s enjoyment comes from having just enough of a challenge. Initially, the challenge comes from the randomized stack of tiles. Tiles with train tracks and water further restrict tile placement. Later, some tiles may give quests that give additional points for runs of identical terrain. Ghost tiles may appear that, when built on, reveal unique tiles with extra bonuses. 

Long term replayability comes from achievements, such as tracking tiles placed of each type or the longest continuous train tracks, and different play modes, such as “creative” with no stack limit.

Two design choices make Dorfromantik stand out. The first is its uplifting, relaxing visuals and sound. The graphics are stylized and colours oversaturated, featuring picturesque country towns, pine forests and golden wheat fields. You get subtle animations like birds flying overhead or boats steaming down gently flowing rivers as you build out the landscape. The soundtrack is also perfect, with soft dynamics in major keys. You cannot help but smile during the first few games.

The second design choice is the total lack of pressure. There are no time limits, no need to pause the game, and you can switch to another game or start a new one without losing progress. You can undo moves, but mistakes are hard to pin down with the randomized tile order and not individually costly. There is no AI or human opponent to outsmart you. You will not have moments where you want to punch the monitor.

Unfortunately, you see most of the game’s mechanics in your first game, taking about an hour. The lack of variety or progression may dissuade some people from purchasing the game for its undiscounted price. While there are strategies to maximize points, the randomized tile stack constrains you. There is no multiplayer option.

However, if you want something meditative to wind down or want to relax while enjoying a sensual but minimal challenge, Dorfromantik is your game. It is for the player who enjoys making a gorgeous landscape over intense strategy.