Hobbit abodes adorned with disarray-inspired style: Shire dwellings promote clutter-centric decoration, eliminating grid systems.
Laid-back Life Simulator Tales of the Shire Flouts Gridless Decorating for a Chaotic, Personalized Hobbit Hole Experience
Dive headfirst into a turbid, comfy replica of Hobbiton with Tales of the Shire, the forthcoming life simulator slated for release on July 29. The game allows players to savor the hobbit way of life in Bywater, decorated from stem to stern with gardening, fishing, cooking, crafting, and of course, decorating. In a recent dev update posted on YouTube, the creators revealed some tantalizing details about Tales of the Shire's decorating mechanics.
UX designer Jordan Peat disclosed that the home decoration system is a core means of self-expression in the game, and a significant decision made early on was opting for a grid-less decorating method. This means players can position objects in their homes haphazardly, leading to a possible cluttered or chaotic environment.
"Should you choose to, you can paper your walls with shelves and pictures, and place disparate items on every shelf," Peat explained, further stating, "There's no limit to the types of items you can house, which facilitates a 'clutter-core' experience."
The freedom to create a disorderly home resonates with me, as it lends itself more effortlessly to constructing a unique abode that appears genuinely organic. The developers highlighted this feature mirrors the messy, cluttered decor in Bag End, as depicted in the Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) movies.
Gridding isn't ubiquitous in life simulation games, with competitors like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing employing a grid-based system. Palia, which shares Tales of the Shire's art style, features a competent grid-less decorating system I've found much more pleasing than the rigid systems in Stardew or AC. I'm curious to see how Tales of the Shire's decorating experience compares.
The developers also shared that Tales of the Shire will feature an adaptive camera system for enhanced decoration experiences. When in decorating mode, the camera will shift to a top-down "dollhouse" perspective for simpler handling of furniture, paintings, and books, before reverting back to its original angle.
Since Tales of the Shire has experienced a delay earlier this year and is only launching on July 29, we'll have to wait a while to dig our grubby hands into this chaotic, organic world. If it brings something fresh to the table outside of the Lord of the Rings setting, I'm excited to give it a whirl.
Tales of the Shire will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch and can be added to your Steam wishlist.
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Stevie Bonifield A freelance tech journalist specializing in mobile technology, gaming peripherals, and accessories, Stevie can't get enough of indie games, tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), and customizable keyboards.
- Tales of the Shire, the upcoming life simulator, allows players to create a unique abode that appears organic, as the home decoration system is a core means of self-expression in the game.
- In a chaotic, personalized Hobbit Hole, players can paper their walls with shelves and pictures, and place disparate items on every shelf, facilitating a 'clutter-core' experience.
- The developers revealed that Tales of the Shire will feature an adaptive camera system for an enhanced decoration experience, with the camera shifting to a top-down "dollhouse" perspective for simpler furniture handling.
- intrigued by the grid-less decorating system, I'm curious to see how Tales of the Shire's decorating experience compares with other life simulation games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing.
