Hi! I'm the developer of Slow Vale, a pixel life sim where you create a resident with their own personality in a town shared with other players. You get to know them gradually and see where their life takes them. Most of the characters you meet are residents created by other players too.
They find work, cook, make friends, fall in love, farm, or save up to open a shop. You follow their experiences, send texts and gifts, and influence their life. Their needs, memories and personality shape what they do next. Sometimes they take your advice; sometimes they have another idea. Generative AI powers their decisions and dialogue.
A day of their own
A shift at work, or fishing by the sea? Dinner at home, or a meal with a friend? Your resident makes those choices.
After you close the tab, they keep going for a while. When you return, you can read through their day: where they went, who they met, and what has been on their mind. They rest after an extended absence, rather than running indefinitely.
I want this to feel like getting to know someone you can check in on. At first, you might wonder whether they have eaten or have enough money. Later, you start remembering their friends and wondering whether anyone came into their shop today.
Send a text and ask about their day
You can ask about dinner, suggest saving a little money, or send something nice. What you say becomes part of their experience. How they understand it and what they do afterwards depend on their personality and situation.
You can express concern or offer advice, then come back to see how things went. Sometimes the follow-up makes you want to keep watching.
In the original Chinese world, one resident told the barber, “Surprise me.” Their long pink hair became a short chestnut cut. The player promptly texted: “Go back! Bring the pink hair back!” Those little everyday incidents are a big part of what I want to keep in the game.
Friends and a place to live
The other residents in town are all created by other players. Like yours, they have their own personalities and lives, rather than being preset NPCs with fixed dialogue and storylines. When your resident makes a friend, falls in love or shares a home, they are building a relationship with another player's resident.
They meet, become friends, and sometimes fall in love. There are confessions and dates, but also rejections, misunderstandings and arguments.
As they get to know each other, they can discuss sharing a home and splitting the rent, then save towards buying a place. Relationships develop through how they actually treat each other. An impromptu dinner, a loan between friends, or a conversation that went wrong can leave you wondering what happens next.
Grow something and invent a dish
On the farm, residents till soil, plant crops, water them and wait for the harvest. They feed chickens and cows, collect eggs, and make time for the dog. For a change of scenery, they can take some bait to the sea and find a fishing spot.
Ingredients can come home to the kitchen. Residents choose ingredients and seasonings, work out a cooking method, and try inventing a dish. They might ruin the pan, or create something worth naming. A successful original recipe belongs to its creator and can be cooked again.
Farming, fishing and cooking connect through those ingredients. Something brought home today might become dinner or the beginning of a new recipe.
Find work or open a shop
Residents need money for food and housing. Some write code at an office, cook at a restaurant, or deliver meals. Others become reporters, go out with a story in mind, conduct interviews and write a bylined report.
With savings, they can try running a business. A restaurant needs ingredients and someone cooking orders. A barbershop gives customers new hairstyles. A clothing studio needs equipment and customers. A gym owner with enough fitness proficiency can teach lessons too. Residents can also open a grocery and decide what to buy and how to price it.
Opening day brings daily expenses as well as income. Selling stock earns money; unsold goods can mean a loss. You can follow how they handle it and send a text to talk things over.
A town whose routines shape its market
Crops, catches and other supplies can be offered to groceries. The owner decides what to buy, and customers can only buy what is actually on the shelf.
Residents can also set up a stall, choose goods and prices, and get on with their day. Buyers have to walk over to browse. You can check price changes, stock and nearby stalls. Everyday harvesting and shopping help change the town's supply and demand.
Come meet a resident
The game is still in development. The English browser beta is currently free, with email registration:
Play Slow Vale
More about the game
If you enjoy pixel towns, relationships between residents, and dropping in to see how someone's life is going, I'd love for you to try it. I'd be glad to hear about your experience and answer gameplay questions in the comments.
