About a month and a half ago, I had to put down my rescue greyhound. It was swift and unexpected, and my day-to-day routine changed drastically. For weeks, the grief sat like a bowling ball in my chest, ever-present. But a light emerged from the darkness and it came in the form of a cozy $4 farming game called Ropuka’s Idle Island.
Lately I haven’t been in the right headspace to play anything with complicated mechanics and heavy storylines. Ropuka‘s Idle Island doesn’t put any demands on the player, which is exactly what I need right now.
You play overlord to a sleepy frog farmer on a floating island. The frog automatically runs around and cuts grass, which then turns into in-game currency. With this currency you can upgrade skills like running and cutting, decorating the house, and improving the quality of the grass–you can even unlock fun hats for the precious creature to wear.
The frog will often pause for a snooze in his chair for about 10 seconds to build up his stamina, which you can increase with the in-game currency. Between the low-stakes mechanics and the lo-fi beats that play in the background, I found a reason to smile again.
The game sits anywhere on your desktop, and you can even shrink it down to a smaller size if you find it too distracting. I’d often move the game to the bottom right corner of my screen while working on other tasks. My favorite part of the game is when the sleepy frog farmer waves at you yelling encouraging words.
The first time I noticed the frog’s antics, I was writing an e-mail to a colleague and looked over and saw a speech bubble above the adorable amphibian’s head–he was telling me I was doing a great job! What contagious enthusiasm! It was nice to have that validation, even if it was coming from a virtual frog.
My biggest takeaway is that this game helps me stay present. My mind often goes back to that awful day, so this game not only lifts my mood, but also helps me stay focused on the task at hand. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that shine the brightest and that couldn’t be more true here.
Rapuka’s Idle Island may not be the hottest or sexiest triple-A title on the market, but it’s impactful in its own quiet way. If you’ve recently lost a loved one, whether that be a pet or a person, know this: Find joy in the little things and revel in it.
Rapuka’s Idle Island is available right now for $3.59 on Steam, but you have to be logged in to see the price.