i got a stream key! trying out an unreleased indie game [THE HOME COUNTY]

This is the VOD of my 09/19/2025 Twitch stream during which I played The Home County, an indie game made by a SOLO DEVELOPER that just released on Steam (at the time of this VOD upload). This game is cozy, emulates many elements of Stardew Valley, and was very kindly gifted to me by the developer himself, @swanworth… THANK YOU!

Right off the bat, I do want to say that because of my currently jank stream set up, I had to play the game with a controller, and that is def not the way to go. I typically find that games like The Home County, Stardew Valley, Fields of Mistria, etc fare better as mouse and keyboard games… additionally, this VOD might not be the best quality because I was still struggling with my set up at the time of streaming/recording.

Generally speaking, I had fun exploring the quaint little town and meeting the residents. There are a few really creative and enticing game mechanics that feel fresh to the cozy game genre (as far as I’m aware). Firstly, the player has a set deadline by when things need to be renovated. This timeframe can be modulated, so players who prefer goal-oriented gaming can feel the pressure, and players who like to wander and take their time can still relax. Another mechanic I enjoyed is that the player can decide on their own goals and path–I decided that I wanted to be a creative, so my goals involved art and painting!! And the way that the painting progressed was also engaging. You can see the actual gameplay in the video hehe. Also! The game is more of a city management game than it is a farm sim.

The game has really good bones, and I had a fun time with it. My main critiques are the following: I find the art style to be rough, and the artist’s use of a digital pen that has opacity pressure sensitivity tends to make many of the assets feel muddy. I also think that the art style lacks some consistency among the different elements of the game (character models vs overworld vs menus vs items etc). There are also grammar errors and inconsistencies that I could not overlook… I am, however, an editor, so those things are really important to me. (this isn’t to say that I don’t make mistakes or am perfect–I just think that the writing in any piece of media being presented as a product should be thoroughly reviewed).

All that said, I still think this game is full of pleasant little gems. If you, like me, enjoy a cozy and farm-adjacent game, you should give the Home County a shot!

As always, please make sure to like, subscribe, follow, check out my social media, check out my streams, etc etc etc. I stream on Twitch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at noon et and on Thursdays at five pm et.

Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Natalie

#indiegame #indiedev #thehomecounty #cozygames #streamvod