Videogames – Clogs and Sneakers

April 11, 2026April 11, 2026

Games I play – Tiny Bookshop

This is a not a new game, it was published in August 2025 but it was a preorder for the physical game. Ofcourse I could have bought it for €19,99 on the Nintendo Store but I wanted to have a physical copy which is much more expensive.

Tiny Bookshop is a shopkeeping simulation video game developed by Neoludic Games and published by Skystone Games. It is set in a fictional seaside town where the player manages a mobile bookshop. You take up the role of second hand book seller in the fictional seaside town of Bookstonbury. Every day you can choose a differently location to set up your mobile shop, make friends and sell books. What more can a girl want in a cozy game.

I love everything about this game, the art design, the little storylines of the characters and figuring out how many books to bring from each genre so I will make the best sales. In the local news paper you can buy up second hand listings and find decorations to improve your sales for each location. It is so diverse I didn’t think I would be playing it for 4 hours in one sitting haha.

What a great plus of the game is the recommendations instances, you get a pop-up if one of your shoppers is looking for more assistance. They will give you clues to what they are looking for and you can check your shelves for goodies. If you are able to recommend what they are looking for, they will buy more books. Win win situation I say. I say many of my favourite writers come by like Terry Pratchett, Steven King as well as some classics like Jane Austen and Plato.

The physical edition came with extra goodies: the original soundtrack and a digital artbook.
I will put that soundtrack on my phone so I can vibe during my travels.

If I had the money, I would want something like this. A trailer you could put behind your car, checking out the dailies for good offers on books that people want to get rid of and travel around the country setting up shop. These days you can even have a portable e-card payment device or have people just send you tikkies. But alas, you aren’t allowed just to park your car somewhere without paying a hefty fee to the local municipality. So this will only be a dream.

My rating 5/5

The shop arrives early in the morning at Far Beach where Children’s, YA and Mystery books are popular

This blog was written by me, Maankatje, a real person with feelings and ideas. I do not support AI. It is a creativity stealing, environment destroying machine, used in propaganda by henious governments. I do not give permission for this post to be scraped by AI to train.

April 4, 2026April 3, 2026

Games I play – Pokopia

I didn’t need to buy a Switch 2 when this game was released. And after seeing my Bluesky time line enjoying themselves with this game, I had to try it myself. And boy, this game is good.

Bulbasaur taught Ditto a new move: Leafage.

This is a Pokemon game unlike no other. While the other games have the ephases on being a Pokemon trainer, catching Pokemon and batteling. This game has none of that. You wake up in a world without humans and very few Pokemon left and it is your goal to find out what happened to the humans and create habitats for Pokemon to live in. While Pokemon Snap was a fun change way back (taking photos of Pokemon) this game is the current generation welcome change.

The design is cute, even the fact that Ditto cannot get the faces right and playing along with the story while discovering more about the reason why has been my fun time the last few weeks. I finished the storyline yesterday, I am not going to spoil but it was great.
And the best part, the game is not over yet. I still need to rebuild the house and recreate the habitats. Having a hard time getting Pichu to appear, haha.

Mosslax was not amused that I tried to take his salad away.

Another cozy game that does not revolve around Pokemon battles. Just pure and wholesome cooperation into getting the place cleaned up and ready to live in. It doesn’t matter if you take it slow or build skyscrapers. You create the world that you feel fit for yourself.

My rating 5/5

April 2, 2026April 2, 2026

Games I play – Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I had played the previous versions on other platforms so when the Switch version was announced for 2020 I had to get the game with limited edition console. It had proven a good purchase as Covid-19 hit the world and kept me from doomscrolling the pandemics development. It is no wonder that I have over 735 hours clocked on this game. Not as much as on Final Fantasy XIV (3700 days lol).

Why do I love Animal Crossing? Because it is a cozy game. No stress, not complicated, just all fun.

Cozy games are a video game subgenre emphasizing relaxation, low-stakes, and comfort, typically featuring non-violent, slow-paced, or creative gameplay. They offer a comforting escape through activities like farming, crafting, or exploring, popularizing titles such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.

I have reset my island last year when I was in the middle of my burnout. I felt that I needed something new to build up, with a new fresh mind. If I can’t change my life in reality, atleast have a bit of fresh insight with a new island.

Compared to my old island, my current island is less organised. More freehand of design. No paved paths or short trimmed gardens. Even after 8 months I still have no idea what direction I want to go with this place, and it does not bother me at all. The only thing I am missing is pears and oranges, and even that does not bother me that much. I get them when I get them. 🙂

My daily activity that I never skip, unless I don’t have access to my Switch, is coordinating a new look. I think my clothing collection even outnumbers my furniture collection haha.

My hallo outfit set, with matching orange glasses.

This is a good game to play casually. On YouTube you have a lot of gamers that have the cutest or best designed islands, but that is not something for me I noticed. I do not have a villager that is not welcome on my island. Every villager will be loved with their quirks, coarse voices and their day old beard. I won’t be keeping villagers trapped, even if we are besties. If they say it is time to leave, I wish them a happy journey. Can’t even imaging forcing a villager to leave because he/she does not fit my taste or estatic. That is not how I want to play.

Each day I will dig, fish and catch to fill up the museum or sell at Tom Nook’s store. To earn money to pay off my house loans. It is much easier in game than in real life haha. It helps me from doomscrolling about current events. Yes, on this island we do not discrimate, steal or fight. Just one happy little island to hide away, until we have recharged enough to face reality again.

My rating: 5/5