Decorate delightfully in Hozy

Short and sweet, this game is impeccably polished and perfect for anyone who loves taking time to decorate spaces, especially if you appreciate tactile details. Beanbags have weight when you set them down, fabric folds, and the lighting is sublime. If you don't like to decorate? I would say this is really well done, but probably wouldn't change your mind. If you fancy yourself a decorating fan? I do think this is a game you should check out.

Each level encompasses a different type of decorating scenario: you've got living areas, like a studio apartment set in an attic and a condo with a mini-pool on it's balcony, as well as environments like a cafe or an artist's workspace. Each level feels unique and fun, and my biggest feedback is wishing we had more to enjoy in the ways of levels, as there are six total in the game, which can go by quickly.

Within each level, you'll go through two main phases: cleaning and decorating. In the cleaning phase of each level, you'll generally set the area up for decoration by dusting, polishing, cleaning up litter, and setting up tiles and boards to fresh condition. Frankly, if this game was simply a cleaning sim, I would've probably still been quite content. A major strength of Hozy is in the way the most simple actions and mundane tasks feel satisfying. You see the immediate results of your efforts, and I never tired of seeing details like the damp reflection on the floor after mopping or the reflective gleam of the windows after polishing. Your progress feels even more satisfying when you're done with cleaning, as the supplies pleasantly pop out of existence – and moving boxes pop in – and the music shifts to a more upbeat rendition. That musical shift was a personal favorite moment of mine in every level, and it acted as a refresh for my brain, conditioning me to get ready for the next phase.

While the cleaning kicks off each level, I'd say it likely will take only about 10% of your actual time within each area: the rest will be spent unpacking and decorating. Helpfully, each box comes labeled with the general type of item it contains, although the specifics are a surprise each time you click to pull something out. That categorization is helpful, though, as you decide what to do with each room. Unlike many decorating games, I appreciated that Hozy provides the option to use, or not use, any of the items provided, rather than forcing you to work with everything in the boxes. In other games, that would sometimes lead to clutter or odd placement decisions (or creative stashing away), and being able to not keep certain lamps that I found clashed with my vision was refreshing.

The true delight and beauty in this game is found in the details. The lighting – which I mentioned is sublime – truly made each room come together in the coziest of ways, and the lamps were (by far) my favorite items to place. The foley, overall, provided tactile clangs, thumps, and clinks as items were moved and set down. And I rarely ran into trouble when placing items: you can stack objects, rotate them, and place them in nearly any spot you'd want to. Occasionally, I would run into a situation where I couldn't put an object how I wanted, but those moments were few and far between.

The story is quite light: while there are threads loosely tying each place to one another, ultimately it fell a bit flat for me. The ending, in particular, felt like it should've been a more sentimental moment, but because there was so little build up and context, I don't think it had the intended impact. Despite that, I wasn't anticipating an in-depth tale, and it didn't negatively impact my feelings on the game as a whole.

My biggest (selfish) hope for this title is that we get someday get additional levels as DLC because I never want to stop getting cute spaces to make pretty. At the end of the day, this game did exactly what I was hoping it would: provide me with solace and the ability to feel satisfaction in a decorating job well done.

Rating: ★★★★☆

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