URBAN JUNGLE Review for Steam

Urban Jungle Review for Steam

Developed by Kylyk Games/Published by Assemble Entertainment

Urban Jungle is a delightful foray into the cozy gaming genre. This adorable little indie gem invites players to transform their homes into verdant sanctuaries while weaving in the threads of a heartfelt narrative about being true to yourself.

Story

Urban Jungle narrates the life journey of a young woman with a love for nature. Each chapter in the game is focused on a room or apartment, ranging from grandma’s house to a company-owned apartment. These rooms offer a glimpse into the experiences and struggles of balancing work, expectations, and dreams.

In chapter one, you spend the summer with your grandmother, who shares her passion for plants. When your mother comes home to announce that the family must move away for her work, growing plants becomes a way to maintain your connection to your grandmother and yourself.

In this example, you get a few choices in dialogue, like how to react when your mom shares the moving news. You can choose to be excited or upset, but it seems like her response doesn’t change. After leaving your grandmother’s, the game jumps forward several months or years with each chapter. Rather than deliver its story through dialogue or cutscenes, Urban Jungle lets the environment speak. The apartments evolve alongside the protagonist’s life—moving to a new city, coping with loneliness, and eventually finding peace. This approach is intimate, reflective, and effective.

Gameplay

Urban Jungle offers a gameplay loop centered around designing apartments, transforming them into cozy havens with lots of greenery. Each level presents you with a compact living space—ranging from modest studio flats to more spacious, stylish apartments—each tied to a specific moment in the main character’s life. Your objective? Fill these spaces with houseplants in an aesthetically pleasing way that is mindful of their needs.

Every plant in the inventory behaves like a puzzle piece. Some plants need sunlight, while others prefer shade. Some need humidity, and others need dryness. Players need to observe each room’s layout and strategically position their plants to meet these requirements. While the game never punishes experimentation, thoughtful planning is gently encouraged. Each plant is given a score that can increase or decrease depending on whether its needs and wants are fulfilled. These scores add up, allowing players to buy more plants and moving the story to the next chapter.

Unlike traditional puzzle games with strict objectives or timers, Urban Jungle takes a more meditative approach. The challenge isn’t about right or wrong—it’s about harmony. The system rewards creativity, offering a sense of accomplishment through beauty and balance rather than difficulty spikes. The gameplay is accessible to all skill levels, from casual decorators to seasoned puzzle lovers who enjoy optimization.

As you complete each room, you unlock Creative Mode, where you can fully express your inner interior designer.

Best of all, a small cat roams the rooms, occasionally curling up near windows or plant pots.

Overall

9/10

There is much to love about Urban Jungle. The game is not about winning or achieving goals; it feels like meditation. It invites you to sit with a warm cup of tea, listen to a good podcast, and spend a few hours thoughtfully arranging plants.

A must-play for cozy gamers, Urban Jungle, is now available for PC via Steam.

Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones

Michelle Jones

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I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.