Moonlight in Garland

About

Moonlight in Garland is a single player casual role playing game with a romance theme. It was developed by Violet and was released on August 26, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Moonlight in Garland is a cozy life-sim that sees you making a new start in the bustling metropolis of Garland. Find an apartment and make it perfectly yours, befriend your neighbours, grow your garden, solve community problems and experience all the weirdly wonderful stuff that city living offers. Of course, city life isn’t all farmers markets and fancy coffee. Will you step in to stop the her…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 69 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features a charming and cozy atmosphere with beautiful pixel art and a relaxing soundtrack, making it enjoyable to explore the city.
The developer is highly responsive to player feedback and actively works on bug fixes and updates, showing a strong commitment to improving the game.
Gameplay is engaging with a variety of activities, including optional quests and character interactions, allowing players to progress at their own pace.

The game is still in early access and suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes and navigation issues, which can hinder the overall experience.
Energy management is frustrating, as players lose energy simply by walking around, leading to frequent hospital visits and detracting from the cozy vibe.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as inventory management and the moving furniture system, are clunky and can lead to player frustration.

graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and cute art style, featuring stunning pixel graphics and beautiful character portraits. Players appreciate the cozy aesthetic and the creativity in the game's design, which enhances the overall experience. While some note that the pixel art may not be visually groundbreaking, it is still well-executed and contributes to the game's relaxing atmosphere.
- “The graphics of this game are absolutely stunning!”
- “This game is so good, amazing pixel graphics but realistic character portraits.”
- “The graphics are nice, the character portraits especially are beautiful.”
- “The pixel graphics are cute but currently not anything visually breathtaking.”
- “Graphics are pixels but really cute and well done.”
- “I am very picky about my pixel graphics.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's story is praised for its relaxed pacing and optional quests, allowing players to explore at their leisure while enjoying a charming city setting reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley. Reviewers appreciate the creativity in the premise, detailed character interactions, and the cozy atmosphere, though some express concerns about slow progression and occasional glitches. Overall, the narrative is described as thoughtful and engaging, contributing to a warm and inviting gameplay experience.
- “I love how cute the storyline is and how much detail went into the game to really give it that city feel.”
- “I'm super excited to see where the story will go as I advance on it :)”
- “The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
- “I'm not sure if this is due to awaiting updated content from the dev, or if this is for storyline purposes and I just haven't progressed far enough.”
- “I thought it was a story thing, like things would open up the more I played but days are going by and very little is happening.”
- “Just love it when I randomly walked on the streets and there's a storyline (impromptu incidents) came up.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
Players appreciate the refreshing take on the cozy game genre, highlighting that this life simulation game offers a variety of activities beyond traditional farming, focusing instead on urban life, relationships, and collection. The absence of farming elements is seen as a positive change, appealing to those who prefer a modern-day setting and diverse gameplay experiences. Overall, the game is recommended for fans of cozy and life simulation games looking for something different.
- “I found myself looking for a cute life sim with dateables that didn't include farming and stumbled across this game one day!”
- “I've played my fair share of farming sims, but never have I seen a game based on the concept in the city, which was a first for me.”
- “I can see this game being a big hit in the genre because of the fact there’s no farming and more of a focus on modern-day life type gameplay, which this genre doesn’t have a lot of games that go that direction but are definitely wanted.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall cozy atmosphere. Players appreciate the charming soundtrack, which complements the beautiful visuals and engaging gameplay, making it a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal. Overall, the combination of lofi and 8-bit music creates a delightful auditory experience that players find enjoyable and immersive.
- “The beautiful pastel color palette relaxes your eyes and the soundtrack twinkles and lulls you into cozy-land.”
- “The graphics are very charming, as is the soundtrack. I usually find myself muting a lot of games because the background music just doesn't appeal to me, but this is one of those exceptions. The main sound is very simple but very soothing and relaxing.”
- “The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
- “So far there isn't a ton of content.. most shops are closed or are open but you can't purchase things from them, such as the antique shop or music shop.”
- “The graphics are very charming, as is the soundtrack.. I usually find myself muting a lot of games because the background music just doesn't appeal to me, but this is one of those exceptions.. the main sound is very simple but very soothing/relaxing.”
- “The graphics are very charming, as is the soundtrack.. I usually find myself muting a lot of games because the background music just doesn't appeal to me, but this is one of those exceptions.. the main sound is very simple but very soothing/relaxing.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay is praised for its unique and engaging life simulation elements, featuring a cozy atmosphere, charming artwork, and well-written characters. While players appreciate the creativity and modern-day focus, some report glitches and a repetitive feel due to fast respawning tasks. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience with a compelling progression system that keeps players hooked.
- “The gameplay is unique and engaging.”
- “So the pros: the creativity of the premises and gameplay so far is awesome (moving to the city instead of the country, litter being the scavengeables, different apartment building storylines, etc.), the artwork and cast of characters as well as the music are all charming, it’s very cozy and relaxed while also balancing the need to eat and sleep, which I appreciate as necessary to pacing with the 'city developing day by day' type storyline. The player interface being a smartphone is clever and cute, lots of buildings to explore, and 5.5 hours in I’m still hooked, which is usually the make or break point for me.”
- “I can see this game being a big hit in the genre because of the fact there’s no farming and more of a focus on modern-day life type gameplay, which this genre doesn’t have a lot of games that go that direction but are definitely wanted.”
- “Still quite a few glitches; however, there are ways to ensure your gameplay is pleasurable.”
- “The gameplay loop is simple, doing daily tasks and talking to NPCs you find, though right now it definitely seems there’s a lot more that will be added later.”
- “My brain will not let me walk past these without fixing them, so the fact it respawns so fast is making my gameplay feel repetitive.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches and bugs that hinder gameplay and progression. While there is potential for improvement, especially with proactive developer support, many players find the experience frustrating and recommend waiting for further updates before diving in.
- “This game is full of potential, but also buggy.”
- “However, it is quite buggy; that said, it is an early access game, so hopefully with development this improves (the developer is also quite proactive with this on Discord, which is great).”
- “But it's so buggy in its current state that I can't recommend it.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring amusing conversations and engaging NPCs that often deliver funny dialogue. Players find the characters hilarious and appreciate the thoughtful storylines, which contribute to an overall charming and enjoyable experience.
- “There are so many funny conversations and characters that have genuinely made me laugh out loud.”
- “NPCs are fun to interact with and often have funny dialogue.”
- “The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is praised for its smooth performance and stunning pixel art, there is no specific mention of character development in the provided text.
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form meaningful connections with each character.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
- “The choices you make truly impact character growth, leading to diverse and personalized experiences.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game is well-optimized, delivering smooth performance alongside stunning pixel art and character designs. It achieves a commendable 75% performance rating on the Steam Deck.
- “The game runs smoothly, with gorgeous pixel art and character designs.”
- “[b] Steam Deck performance: 75% [/b]”
- “Steam Deck performance: 75%”
- “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it difficult to enjoy the experience.”
- “Optimization issues lead to long loading times and frequent stuttering during gameplay.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be heartwarming and engaging, highlighting its cute and wholesome nature. The immersive activities, such as gardening and community engagement, contribute to a vibrant and emotionally resonant world that fosters a sense of connection and joy.
- “The activities I did in the first few minutes of playing the game (getting an apartment, cleaning up the neighborhood, starting my garden, visiting a nightclub, and more) all made me feel like the world was alive and had things going on within it.”
- “This game is so cute and wholesome, I highly recommend!!!”