u/bai13yd

I've been making a cozy game called Wild Willows on my own, and thought folks here might like it. Check it out here: https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

You set up camp at the edge of a run-down nature preserve and slowly bring it back to life. Gather fallen materials, plant things, shape the land (dig ponds, carve rivers, grow meadows and forests), and animals show up on their own as the habitat recovers. There are six areas to restore, from meadow and forest to wetland, desert, alpine, and coast, with 150 animals in all.

It's meant to be calm. No combat, no timer, no way to lose. You just tend the place at your own pace. It's free, and there's nothing to buy.

Animals only come back once the habitat can actually support them, predators wait for their prey to settle in, water birds need water you've actually dug, and every animal has a real fact attached. So you kind of pick up how habitats and food webs work without it ever feeling like homework. That's part of why it's turned out nice for all ages: calm enough to wind down with, and educational for kids as well.

It's still early and I'm actively working on it. This last update mostly made it prettier: nicer mountains, redrawn animals, and sharper art all around.

Would love if you gave it a look. And I'm curious what you all want more of in cozy games like this. 

Check it out here: https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

Here’s what’s new in the latest Wild Willows update:

Daily tasks

There's now a small task board under the compass with a handful of goals that rotate every day — gather this, plant that, read about x number of animals. Finish one, claim it, and it clears off the board; when everything's claimed the board tucks itself away until tomorrow. Press O to collapse it if you'd rather explore without a checklist.

The preserve grows while you're away

Plantings now mature over real hours, whether the game is open or not. A sapling you put down tonight is grown in when you come back tomorrow, and mature plants make the land measurably healthier. You'll get a short note on your return telling you what changed while you were gone.

Time of day matters now

The HUD shows where the preserve is in its day — dawn, day, dusk, or night — and animals actually keep schedules. Owls aren't out at noon, some neighbors only appear in certain seasons or weather, and each journal card now tells you the best time to go looking. Locked journal entries drop a hint about what might bring that animal around.

New hats, hairstyles, and beards

The character creator got a real expansion:

• New hats: ranger hat, mushroom cap, wizard hat, crown, and bandana — alongside the originals.
• Recolor any hat: a little color picker sits next to the hat options. The flower crown is the fun one: picking a color re-tints the whole bouquet together, so the blooms always stay distinct.
• New hairstyles: bob, side braid, and bald.
• Beards: on or off, in your hair color.

Everything works in the creator preview and in-game, and you can restyle an existing caretaker anytime from Settings.

Send feedback from inside the game

Settings now has a feedback box that goes straight to me. Add your email if you want a reply, or leave it blank. It works offline too — the note is saved and sends itself the next time you're connected. If something's broken or you just want more frogs, this is a good way to tell me.

Thanks to everyone who has played so far! 

Check it out here: https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

Here’s what’s new in the latest Wild Willows update:

Daily tasks

There's now a small task board under the compass with a handful of goals that rotate every day — gather this, plant that, read about x number of animals. Finish one, claim it, and it clears off the board; when everything's claimed the board tucks itself away until tomorrow. Press O to collapse it if you'd rather explore without a checklist.

The preserve grows while you're away

Plantings now mature over real hours, whether the game is open or not. A sapling you put down tonight is grown in when you come back tomorrow, and mature plants make the land measurably healthier. You'll get a short note on your return telling you what changed while you were gone.

Time of day matters now

The HUD shows where the preserve is in its day — dawn, day, dusk, or night — and animals actually keep schedules. Owls aren't out at noon, some neighbors only appear in certain seasons or weather, and each journal card now tells you the best time to go looking. Locked journal entries drop a hint about what might bring that animal around.

New hats, hairstyles, and beards

The character creator got a real expansion:

• New hats: ranger hat, mushroom cap, wizard hat, crown, and bandana — alongside the originals.
• Recolor any hat: a little color picker sits next to the hat options. The flower crown is the fun one: picking a color re-tints the whole bouquet together, so the blooms always stay distinct.
• New hairstyles: bob, side braid, and bald.
• Beards: on or off, in your hair color.

Everything works in the creator preview and in-game, and you can restyle an existing caretaker anytime from Settings.

Send feedback from inside the game

Settings now has a feedback box that goes straight to me. Add your email if you want a reply, or leave it blank. It works offline too — the note is saved and sends itself the next time you're connected. If something's broken or you just want more frogs, this is a good way to tell me.

Thanks to everyone who has played so far! 

Wild Willows has been out for one week now, and someone paid $5 for it yesterday even though it is free to download and play. I am officially counting myself as a paid game dev now. It is a tiny milestone, but it made my day.

The game is already at 25 downloads in its first week, which is more than I expected for my first release. Thank you so much to anyone who has checked it out, downloaded it, commented, or shared feedback.

The game is about restoring a damaged nature preserve. You gather materials, craft habitat items, shape water and land, and slowly bring real animals back to different biomes.

Animals do not just appear randomly. They return when the ecosystem can actually support them, so predators need prey, water animals need water, and each biome has its own habitat needs.

I also just added a new weather system, which makes the world feel more alive and changes what you can collect. Rain can leave rainwater, fog can leave morning dew, snow can create frostflower, desert heat can create sunstone, and storms can create stormglass. Those materials can be used to craft new habitat items and help restore the preserve.

It is still early, but if you like cozy sandbox games, nature games, crafting, ecology, or games where you slowly turn a damaged place into something alive again, I would really love for you to try it.

It is free to download and play on itch:
https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

Hi all. I just released an early version of Wild Willows, a cozy sim about restoring a damaged nature preserve, and it's free.

You set up camp at the edge of the preserve and bring it back: gather fallen materials, craft and plant habitat, and shape the land with a shovel and watering can by digging ponds, growing meadows, and raising forests. Animals return on their own once the habitat can truly support them. There's no failing and no clock, so it's a play-at-your-own-pace kind of game.

The part I'm most proud of is the ecosystem. It behaves like a real one: predators only return once their prey is established, water animals need water you've actually shaped, and a biome full of grazers with no predators stays unbalanced until the food web is whole. So rather than following a checklist, you learn what each animal needs and build a place that can hold it.

A bit of what's in it:

• Six biomes to restore, each with its own plants, palette, and 25 animals (150 total)
• 130+ recipes that unlock as each biome heals
• A home you can step inside and decorate
• 50 achievements and a field journal that fills in as life returns

It's an early release and I'm actively working on it, so feedback genuinely shapes what comes next. If you try it, I'd love to hear what clicked, what didn't, and any animals or plants you wish were in there.

A couple of notes: it's a macOS download for now, and the easiest way to install is through the itch desktop app, since the app isn't signed yet and a direct download will show a security warning until that's sorted. The art is all procedurally generated in code (no AI-generated images, no asset files); some of the code and in-game text were AI-assisted.

https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

Game Title: Wild Willows

Playable Link: https://bai13y.itch.io/wild-willows

Platform: macOS

Description:
Wild Willows is a cozy nature-restoration sim. You set up camp at the edge of a damaged nature preserve and slowly bring it back: gather fallen materials, craft and plant habitat, and shape the land with a shovel and watering can by digging ponds, growing meadows, and raising forests. Animals return on their own once the habitat can truly support them. The ecosystem is the heart of it and behaves like a real one: predators only come back once their prey is established, water animals need water you have actually shaped, and a biome full of grazers with no predators reads as unbalanced until the food web is whole. So instead of following a checklist, you learn what each animal needs and build a place that can hold it. There are six biomes to restore, each with its own plants, palette, and 25 animals (150 total), 130+ recipes that unlock as each biome heals, a home you can step inside and decorate, and a field journal that fills in as life returns. There is no failing and no clock, you play at your own pace. It is an early release and I am still actively building it, so feedback is very welcome. Note: it is a macOS download for now, and the easiest way to install is through the itch desktop app, since the app is not signed yet and a direct download will show a security warning until that is sorted.

Involvement:
Solo developer. I designed and built the entire game myself, the React/Vite and Phaser 3 front end, and the backend as a single Harper component. The art is generated procedurally in code rather than from asset files. I used AI assistance for some of the code and in-game text.