I'm really liking the looks of SWERY's The Good Life, too--despite its rather rough first trailer

You may have heard elsewhere that the incomparable Japanese game designer known as both SWERY and Swery65 is working on another title.

The unveiling of that game caused a bit of a stir thanks to the fact that it seems a world away from SWERY's best-known work, the cult favorite Deadly Premonition.

Actually, calling it a "world away" from Deadly Premonition may be a bit hyperbolic, as the two games share a couple of similarities. I'll get to those in a minute. For now, let's chat about SWERY's new joint, The Good Life. According to the description of the game on its Fig campaign page, it's going to be a "debt-repayment life-simulation RPG."

Sounds kind of like Animal Crossing, don't you think? That's the first thing that popped into my mind, at least--especially after I read that The Good Life's protagonist, Naomi, can take on part-time jobs--like bartending at a pub, delivering milk and shearing sheep--to help her accomplish the above-mentioned task.

That's just the tip of the iceberg as far as The Good Life's content is concerned, though. In addition to its Animal Crossing-inspired side jobs, the game will allow players to snap photos for cash, task them with solving a Professor Layton-ish murder mystery and require them to keep tabs on Naomi's stamina (which she can replenish by eating food, drinking beverages and even sleeping).



Another aspect of The Good Life that calls to mind Nintendo's world-conquering life sim is how customizable it's aiming to be. Not only will you be able to alter Naomi's appearance in the finished product, but you'll be able to change the look of her feline form, too.

Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you Naomi turns into a cat at night, as do Rainy Woods' quirky, Deadly Premonition-esque residents? Well, she does, and they do. Apparently this can help Naomi get to know, and develop relationships with, her fellow townspeople.

All of the above has me keenly interested in The Good Life's just-launched fundraising campaign. That's not to say I've chipped in myself. The trailer above is more than a little rough (although I love the game's low-poly aesthetic) and I can't say I'm a fan of its current reward tiers.

Add in the fact that it's currently only being made for PC and PS4--a Switch stretch goal has been promised, but no one seems to know how much money has to be raised before that version gets the green light--and it should be easy to understand why I've yet to back this intriguing title.

Are any of you also keeping an eye on The Good Life's Fig campaign? If so, why is that--and what would prompt you to contribute to it (if you haven't done so already)?