Nakornsampan

[b]nakornsampan[/b] is a merge-3 game, similar to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/209950/]triple town[/url], except it's not a lazy and ridiculously overpriced and unbalanced mobile port, but a charming pixely game for $2. each level represents a city with a lot of empty real estate and you have to place various things all over the land to make everything and everybody flourish. they're presented as [b]tetris-like shapes you can rotate[/b] with the mouse wheel or right click (rmb also acts as cancel). ideally, you'll place 3 of the same thing next to each other to convert them into one higher-tier version taking up less space (single house to family house, chicken coop to pig pen, etc.). it's not just a simple match-3, there are [b]city management elements[/b]. the 'various things' are based on cards you're dealt, with new ones to choose from after every week. you have to make sure people have enough food, crops are near water, livestock has people nearby, and just like in real life, schools and hospitals have their benefits as well. you can even put down train tracks. the [b]adjacency bonus[/b] is based on what's around, can be positive or negative. all this might be familiar if you've played [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/1046030/]islanders[/url] or [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dohi64/recommended/1722100]sky tale[/url], or any non-puzzly city management game. resources are population, food, faith and workforce, they can be converted into something else with the appropriate buildings. there are also [b]special cards[/b] that can remove a card or the current tile, or do something beneficial if you're willing to sacrifice some resources. once the board is inevitably filled, the game ends, you get a rundown of your accomplishments and can move on to the next city. there are [b]about a dozen levels[/b] (including the tutorial), most unlocked from the start, level select shows available cards and potential modifiers. a [b]level editor[/b] with workshop support is also available if you're feeling creative. nice pixel graphics, audio is good enough too. there are [b]tooltips for everything[/b], windowed mode toggle, separate volume settings got patched in, different background colors and patterns to choose from, a toggle for the animations in the background, and since by default everything's tiny, much-needed [b]game area and ui scaling sliders[/b] also got added. achievements are represented in-game. it's a fun little thing, not overly complex, just about right for some relaxing faux city building. worth at least [b]trying the demo[/b] to see if it's something you'd like to play more of. [b]mid-level saving would be excellent[/b], as they can take a while to finish and [b]going back to the menu instantly fails the run[/b].