April Grove Can Be Quite Soothing

Colorgrave’s made a point of bringing the Game Boy Color aesthetic back to gaming, thanks to titles like Curse Crackers, Prodigal, and Veritus, and April Grove is the latest endeavor to utilize that screen size and palette. It’s also a more relaxed type of game. At first site, I admit I hoped it would provide the same sort of outdoor experience as maybe the original Survival Kids, especially after the Switch 2 take felt disappointing. This game is generally fine, but I feel it is best as a way to decompress after a long day for a few minutes and calm my mind rather than actually engage with in a serious way. If you play in small doses, it’s easier to deal with the more tedious elements.

April Grove begins with our character, a new forester, heading to assist the goddess April with maintaining her forest. The goal feels like responsible forest stewardship. We’ll be cutting enough wood for people’s needs, but not in a way that tears down a majestic habitat. It strikes me a bit as forestation. You benefit and get more opportunities to be better in your new role. However, you’re also not getting to diversify and do anything else. But since it is only $3, it’s understandable for an occasional timesink.

The core gameplay loop revolves around acting as the area’s resident woodcutter. You cut down trees. If you get good at it, you’ll level up. That means you can cut down new and different types. As you might guess, this can get monotonous. Since there’s no farm or real means of profit and crafting tied to this. You cut down logs. These are sold. You can then buy cosmetics. 

The downside is, this gets incredibly repetitive. Rewards for getting good involve being able to buy meals to ensure you’re stronger when you cut, you get equipment, and maybe you change your look. April will eventually let you into new areas. But the people in the town around you aren’t all that interesting, even though their character designs are great, I didn’t feel all that interested in the items I could spend money on, and it isn’t compelling in the way other life sims that involve woodcutting are. Like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time? Still the best 2025 game in which cutting down trees is a major gameplay element.

It ends up coming down to April Grove being pleasant, in its way, and quite pretty, but a little aimless. I wouldn’t say it’s a game to completely avoid. I’d say I enjoyed about the three hours I’ve played so far. It’s a budget title at only $2.99, so it isn’t some grand simulation about forestry and a life as a woodcutter. (Again, that’s Fantasy Life i.) I feel it’s more about winding down and taking a moment to chop down some trees for 15-30 minutes, calming down and enjoying the ambiance as you do.

April Grove is available on PCs via Steam.