Cozy is a gaming buzzword that has caught fire over the last few years and for good reason — cozy vibes are the best vibes. Similarly, slice of life is an anime genre that brings the same general energy as “cozy game.”
But have you ever heard of a “slice of life” role-playing game? I hadn’t until I got my hands on Petal Runner by Nano Park Studios.
“Hop on your bike and join Cali & Kira as they explore the sun-soaked city of Sapphire Valley and train to become Petal Runners! Make deliveries, meet new friends, play minigames, and discover a wholesome slice-of-life story about growing up and letting go,” the game’s Steam description reads.
In Petal Runner, you’ll team up with Kira, a first generation HanaPet, to venture through the cyber-punk inspired world in a coming-of-age story brought to life by just two people: Brandon Greer and Danny Guo.
The duo dropped the first look at Petal Runner during Summer Game Fest.
The deliveries you make as a Petal Runner are actually of HanaPets made from Leap Cells which power the artificial pets that are so endearingly lovable. And the emotion and love around owning a pet is really center to the game’s coming of age story, Guo said during our my hands-on preview during Summer Game Fest Play Days.
In Sapphire Valley, you undergo extensive training to become a Petal Runner. The name is derived from the source of power behind the Leap Cells: energy created by flowers. Think Tomogatchi pets come to life.
The game doesn’t feature traditional combat, but instead you will complete a series of minigames in your pursuit of calibration to create the HanaPets during your deliveries.
Your deliveries will take you on a wide-ranging adventure Greer and Guo have crafted and created, down from its specially curated pixel art heavily reminiscent of the late 90s Game Boy games, but I also thought the world felt alive in a way that reminded me a lot of Earthbound.
The controls were smooth and the HanaPet Calibration process was interesting and fun, with its variety of minigames that utilize different skills.
The look of the game itself is what immediately drew me in, but the whole package was so charming. In my time with the game, I was already in love with the cheeky dialogue and adorable cast of characters in a way that has me lamenting that I have to wait until next year to get my hands on it for good.
You can wishlist Petal Runner on Steam today!
