The Good Life has been a long time coming. Originally crowdfunded in 2018 for release the following year, it has since suffered 'regular' delays, while complications relating to the pandemic further pushed the Hidetaka 'Swery65' Suehiro-directed life sim from a planned launch this summer to a new release date this fall. It seems it's finally coming for real this time, however, with a new trailer showcasing some of the inhabitants and activities in Rainy Falls.
'Life sim' is a bit of a catch-all for The Good Life because, yep, it's pretty hard to sum up this one: you go around a little town as a photographer taking snaps, and also as cats and dogs at night for some reason. You can get jobs, help people out, and even ride sheep. It all seems pleasant enough, but as longtime fans might expect, things soon take a turn for the grim (along with a nod to Millais' Ophelia) with The Good Life revealing a deep, dark, not-Twin-Peaks-at-all mystery at its heart.
The setup is that you're a reporter trying to find out why Rainy Falls is apparently the happiest place in the world. At its most basic, this means taking photographs for a newspaper to earn cash and pay off a debt you've somehow accrued. But layered atop this is a simulation of the residents' lives, stuff like a social media app called Flamingo, and even a pub to get trolleyed in.
Swery has previously apologised for the game's repeated delays, saying "We are working very hard. And we really want to give the best experience to your hand. Therefore please give us a little more while." Hopefully we've seen the last of those, and will find out whether The Good Life was worth the wait in the next couple of months.
