The Minimalist Simulator

A nostalgic isometric life sim about starting over — and surviving.

It's New Year's Eve. You're standing in a fluorescent-lit break room. A coworker hands you cheap champagne and asks the question you've been dreading: "What's your resolution?"

After decades of rejection letters, unanswered applications, and the quiet shame of never finishing college... you finally have an answer.

You're going to become a minimalist.

Not because it's trendy. Because it's the only way left to survive.

🎮 What You Do

You begin your journey by making real choices that shape everything that follows:

• Choose your era — 1960s, 1980s, or 2000s (each changes your world)
• Pick a location on a US map — Arkansas farmlands, Gulf Coast apartments, or somewhere in between
• Plan your life — housing, vehicle, job, and even your electronics
• Survive the year — every decision has weight, and recovery can take years

Make bad choices? You'll face homelessness, police involvement, broken-down lemon cars, dumpster-diving for food, and soup kitchens.

Make smart choices? You might find a tiny home you can afford, a quiet job that lets you breathe, or even a late-night romance with a gas station clerk who actually cares.

🕰️ Choose Your Decade

Era	Tech	Vibe
1960s	Vinyl, rotary phones, AM radio	Arkansas farmhouses, Route 66 motels
1980s	Cassettes, arcades, VCRs	Gulf Coast apartments, neon-lit diners
2000s	Desktop PCs, AIM, CD burning	Internet cafes, suburban rentals

No smartphones. No social media. Your internet is the golden age — dial-up, Messenger, and burning CDs for your portable player. And your electronics might skip, glitch, or break down entirely.

✨ Features

✅ Living isometric world — inspired by The Sims (2000), SimCity 3000, and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 

✅ Speech bubbles — characters talk directly above their heads, just like classic sim games

 ✅ Branching dialogue — every conversation has weight and consequence 

✅ Full character creation — male/female, hairstyles, clothing, accessories 

✅ Traffic, NPCs, and a living city — zoom and pan through a detailed world 

✅ Real stakes — homelessness, police, romance, and recovery

 ✅ Optional family-friendly mode — disable dire consequences for a softer experience

📥 Download the Demo

Free. Windows 64-bit. No installation required — just download and run the EXE.

🚧 Coming Next

I'm actively building the full experience:

• Full NPC ecosystem — neighbors, coworkers, and shopkeepers with unique personalities
• Furniture interaction — sit before using a computer, lie down on beds
• Inventory system — with a pause menu and smartphone integration
• Yearly events DLC — Valentine's Day, costume parties, cosmic celebrations

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does this require an internet connection? A: No — fully offline.

Q: Can I play on Mac or Linux? A: Currently Windows only, but a Wine-compatible build is planned.

Q: Will my save carry over to the full game? A: Yes — saves are stored locally and persist across updates.

Q: What's the difference between the decades? A: Each era changes your available technology, jobs, locations, NPCs, and even romance options. It's effectively three games in one.

🎵 About the Developer

Built by a solo developer who grew up on The Sims, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and SimCity. Every pixel, every dialogue choice, and every consequence is crafted with love for the early-2000s era — and a deep respect for the real struggles of starting over.

📢 Follow the Journey

• [Discord] — Share strategies, report bugs, and suggest features
• [YouTube] — Watch dev diaries, updates, and behind-the-scenes footage
• [Twitter/X] — Follow development in real time

💬 What Players Are Saying

"This game made me feel things I didn't expect from a life sim. The consequences actually hurt." — itch.io reviewer

"The 1980s Gulf Coast era is pure nostalgia. I spent an hour just watching the traffic lights change." — Early access player

📦 System Requirements

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OS: Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 (64-bit) Processor: 2.0 GHz dual-core or better Memory: 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended) Graphics: Any DirectX 11-compatible card Storage: 500 MB available space