While I’ve always been a fan of cozy games, especially those with gameplay variants, the one sub-genre that has stood out to me has been that of shop management. Lately, we’ve seen some excellent ones, such as Moonlighter 2 and Salesblazers, but now, I believe there might be one that could eclipse them all due to its solid gameplay foundations and gorgeous art style. The one I’m talking about is Acornia: Mirror Worlds, which I got to try for a bit. After jumping between dimensions and building a cherry jam empire, I can say this might be the next big cozy title with management sim elements that we’ve all been waiting for.
Building Your Dessert Empire
I had the opportunity to try Acornia: Mirror World and try some of its systems ahead of its launch. This gorgeous 2D cozy shop management sim is more than meets the eye. You play as Alva, a soon-to-be entrepreneur squirrel capable of jumping between dimensions thanks to a magical globe.
These two dimensions are the bread and butter of Acornia. In the normal and not-so-gloomy one, Alva will have to manage her shop, help some critters, and restore the once-blooming tree. The main attraction here is the store, as you’ll have to build a few shelves and then stock them with either fruit or desserts. Since this was only an early portion of the game, I had a quest to gather 200 Golden Acorns to restore the Grocery Store, so I focused on creating a cherry jam empire. To do so, I had to gather items, which spawn daily across the map, throw them into a crafting station with some sugar, and open the door for my cute and eager buyers.
However, it isn’t just about waiting every day for fruit to spawn. You can also dive into the other, darker dimension, which is a mirror version of the normal one, albeit with monsters trying to take you out. Here is where you’ll do most of the fighting, which was quite enjoyable for a cozy title. Alva can store everything in her cheeks. While you can use materials to build things or gather products to sell in the store, you can also shoot them at enemies as projectiles to defeat them. You can even store enemies before shooting them back at other foes.
Aside from combat, you’ll also have to travel to this dimension to open new paths. Some roots are only breakable in this area, so you’ll have to destroy them and then shift to the other dimension to enter some closed areas. Despite only getting an early portion of the map, it was pretty engaging to see how the game handled progress, especially when it handled the dimension-traveling gimmick so well.
Still, what really caught my attention was the addictive loop that several cozy games provide. My days were pretty quiet at first, but soon I was delving into the dark dimension to hunt for recipes, hoping to make a more expensive dessert to sell at my store. I also delved into farming, which let me grab materials daily for my next jam venture.
A Two-Dimensional Joy
Even if my time in Acornia: Mirror Worlds was a bit short, I was enthralled by it from the first moment. Besides the gorgeous 2D style that blends 3D environments perfectly, the gameplay felt extremely refreshing and unique, but most importantly, addictive in levels we can expect from cozy titles. Overall, Acornia has solid foundations that will certainly spice up the cozy shop management sim genre, and I’m extremely excited to see what the final product will look like. After all, not many games allow you to build a jam empire, and that’s one thing I’m eager to do.
