Rusty’s Retirement is an idle gardening game that sits at the bottom of your screen. And yes, it is as cute as it sounds. Developed by just one person, this game is reminiscent of the age of desktop pets and widget games brought forward for modern gamers. Now out of Early Access, we’re looking at the full release.
I discovered this game through a social media post of someone raving about it (I forget who and I’m very sorry about that) and thought I’d check it out. The price was good, it looked very cute, and I’m a sucker for idle games. What do I have to lose?
I can confirm that I’ve only gained from having this game in my life sitting on the bottom of your screen. With settings in-game to switch monitors and everything being so user-friendly, it’s clear a great deal of care has been put into putting this experience together.
The in-game Twitch integration is also fantastic. Allowing your viewers to join, change their little robot’s colour and what tasks they prioritise is adorable. I tried this myself during a Just Chatting stream and everybody was enamoured with it.
Hand-drawn art and movements can sometimes be a rarity nowadays with the tools available to aspiring developers, but by doing so the animations of the characters are so perfect for their individuality. It conveys so much more than just giving them a name and a sprite. While that would certainly be passable and not necessarily detract from the finished product it’s again attention to finer details like these that help Rusty rise above the chaff and stand out as something a bit more special. The music is also a delight, perfectly encapsulating a relaxed and laid-back feeling to chill out to.
While showing this off to others, they have said that it takes up quite a bit of space on the screen in its default size. I have two decently sized monitors so this wasn’t something I’d particularly noticed, but I feel that I should make you aware of this. You can adjust between three levels of zoom, with minor tweaking vertically and horizontally, so you likely will be able to find a size and location that suits your preferences. However, there are no options to set a specific resolution.
Rusty’s Retirement has absolutely bowled me over and stolen my heart. Everything from the aesthetic to the music and the art has charmed me to no end, and I have already begun spreading the gospel of Rusty. I hope with the success of this game we’ll see a new generation of similar titles coming through, and perhaps the return of desktop pets too while we’re at it. Please?
Platform: PC
Developer: Mister Morris Games
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