While so much of the time the indie scene has featured new challenges and styles, whether roguelikes or other interesting hybrids, there has been another movement quietly afoot in the background, moving in a more mild direction. Commonly referred to as cozy games, these tend to be more story-driven, creative in a variety of ways, and focused on helping you find a little more inner peace, rather than rattling your nerves.

Fireside absolutely falls squarely into this category, featuring a wide variety of diverse and unusual characters, almost all with their own stories to tell and items to trade. The general gameplay loop is a pretty basic one, as you’ll continue to move from campfire to campfire, encountering new people, talking to them, and hopefully striking up some deals with them. The trading mechanic is a really unique and unusual one, as your goal isn’t necessarily to make the best deal for yourself, since finding items people want and giving them a fair trade for them builds good will. Doing that will empower you to do some building of your own back at your base, and to help restore the area as a whole.

Aside from cooking there isn’t too much more in terms of variety in the activities you’ll engage in, but if you enjoy getting to know characters through the stories they tell, and periodically catch up with them, there’s plenty here to enjoy. You’re not locked in to taking any particular path, or to only do things some specific way, so you do have some discretion. The game is really focused on simply enjoying the journey more so than concerning yourself with some destination. Since it does have a pretty specific and chill flavor, it absolutely won’t be for everyone, but if your goal is to get lost in a world filled with pleasant characters who you can simply enjoy getting to know, and help out, it can be quite satisfying.