There's nothing quite like playing a game that feels like it was tailor made just for you. Every moment in the game is an escape, to slow down and appreciate. It includes your favorite themes and the gameplay scratches an itch you never knew you had. Enter, Urban Jungle, an adorable cozy coming of age simulation game that beckons you to turn your home into a haven for houseplants and (my favorite part) pet cats.

Urban Jungle is a hobby project of the 3 developer team Kylyk Games. Although they have a background in mobile games, Urban Jungle will be their debut PC game. 

When Urban Jungle begins our protagonist learns she will be leaving her grandparents behind as her mother has accepted a new job in a different country. Her grandmother has always shared her love for houseplants, and to continue the connection, our sweet protagonist decides to always surround herself with plants in every place she calls home. From school years, to adulthood and everything in between, we get to watch as she grows and navigates the evolving relationships with her friends and family.

Gameplay

Urban Jungle is "designed to be a stress free experience" says developer Kylyk Games. No beating the clock, and no looming pressure. In this cozy game, you set your own pace.

Although mostly focusing on unpacking boxes and rearranging decor, placing plants does have a bit of a puzzle element to it. When choosing a houseplant, each species will have its likes and dislikes. Some plants love the sun but hate humidity and vice versa. While others like both, and some neither.

When placing a plant, a blue and/or orange circle will appear in surrounding areas. Blue represents the radius for humidity, and orange for sun. According to their preferences, place plants within or outside the circles. Happy plants give you more points. To move onto the next chapter, you must raise enough points.

Now for a bit more of a challenge. You can grab more points by putting a plant’s preferred companion next to it. Each plant will display which plants it loves being next to, and others it dislikes. "But what if they like opposite things?" Finagling lights, and humidifiers to have overlapping, but also their own separate places is the key. 

Each level gets a bit bigger, with a lot more space to work with, but also finding humidity and sun can be trickier. Play around with decor. A small lamp can become a light source, and a watering can, a source of humidity. 

Art and Music

I cannot speak enough about the art work in Urban Jungle. Each level's color scheme mimics the life event our protagonist is living. During a rough period in her life, the colors are grey and dreary reflecting her mood. And when she's in love doing what she loves, the colors are bright and warm.

This small detail means so much in cozy games. It alters the mood of the player beyond what is being said in the storyline. The music in Urban Jungle is also a key player in the overall gameplay. Fostering a calm and collective moment within the game with its lofi-esque melodies. 

Final Thoughts

As someone who also loves houseplants, this game was so comforting and secretly, well I guess now not so secretly, encouraged me to buy more houseplants. (my new ficus plant will be delivered next week, honey don't look). Although unlike the game, I will have to water and fertilize them.

Urban Jungle was reminiscent of the game Unpacking by Witch Beam in the best of ways. What drew me to Unpacking in the first place was learning more about the character through gameplay than a read storyline. Urban Jungle took that concept and made it their own. The addition of small tasks, puzzles of the plants, and the adorable yet chonky Rufus the cat made this game a satisfying play.

I truly enjoyed Urban Jungle. I played it through twice in two days. To explore every nook and cranny of what this game had to offer took me 3 hours and there is a lot of replayability. Although the levels don't change, the plant availability that you are served each "round" changes creating different placement scenarios.

If you've been reading my cozy reviews, you already know I'm a sucker for design games. Well, Urban Jungle has that too. There is a creative mode that unlocks for each level after you have completed it. Creative mode allows you to redecorate scenes with decor and plants with other levels. A literal dream. If you're on the lookout for a cozy coming of age simulation game, Urban Jungle is for you.

Urban Jungle was played on PC. We'd like to thank publisher Assemble Entertainment for providing a review code. Plant your perfect oasis when Urban Jungle releases March 21, 2025 on Steam.