I didn't realize you just put things away. I thought it was a game were I setup my van and then drove around the map while exploring the area. And that just wasn't the case. The vibes are cute, but I wanted to drive a van around the map.

I cannot stop playing this game. If I stop playing it I will return to real life and start trying to live my own cozy camper van life and I just can't afford that in this economy.

Not a fan at this point. I love the game Unpacking so I was eager to try this one, and at first it was okay aside from the sketchy controls (moving the camera around to get how you need it is a pain). But then you start the second level and things are already partly unpacked, and that is where it lost me. I want to unpack and put things how I like it, because organization is why I play these types of games. It is so satisfying getting things just right and aesthetically pleasing. When you have to pull everything off of shelves and pile it around to try and start again, it's just irritating. If you buy a new vehicle, you should have to unpack everything into that vehicle, so why is it not a fresh start? If I am playing the owner, the way the stuff was in those cupboards is certainly not how I would have done it, so that also breaks the immersion. Like a stranger half unpacked things for me in an awful way. I ended up returning the game after playing for a half hour because it was more frustrating than relaxing, unfortunately.

How is there 2560 x 1400 but not 2560 x 1080???????? Makes no sense. A decorating game absolutely needs good controls and this game is NOT IT. It's already much more tedious than other games in the genre, which is made absolutely worse by the unintuitive and confusing controls on both keyboard and controller. The lack of 21:9 support is just the cherry on top. Sad to refund but theres no way I can even make it through 10 minutes of this game because its so beyond frustrating.

I enjoyed this game, but it hit a bit differently than I expected. On the surface, this game looks a lot like Unpacking - art style aside - but the feeling I got out of the two games was very different. Unpacking plays like, well, unpacking a life over time and in different stages of life (with all the changing and growing up that entails). Van Life is still that, of course, though the space of time feels shorter and the protagonist, by the end, feels younger, underscored by the art style and the objects she collects over time. It works, but somehow the feeling I am left with while playing is less cozy and more of a slow burn anxiety. Anxiety? Yeah. Van Life looks cozy, and to some extent it is, but it also constantly hits you with that horrible feeling of having too much stuff for the place you live in - not because you have too much stuff, but because you don't have enough space. Which makes sense for van life, obviously, but I don't know that the player is meant to FEEL that anxiety. Still, it's inescapable. With every new object there is a sense of "oh god oh no where will I put this" that just keeps building on itself. Through the objects of her life, we see the main character growing and becoming more knowledgeable (and, some might say, crunchy) and sure of herself, but the gameplay in an exercise in trying to make yourself smaller. By the end, it's satisfying, but the experience itself makes me think too much about my own renting-a-too-small-apartment life for it to be wholly pleasant. When the main character started to bring in cat furniture (a scratching post) I got genuinely a bit upset. Even if that's not intentional (and I doubt it is), I still found this to be a game worth playing - both for the cozy aesthetic and the underlying real-life dread. Oh, and you can pet the cat - so obviously this is a goty contender!

I can't recommend this game any less honestly. I genuinely hate saying that about an indie game but WOW, I never even knew a cozy game like this could make me this pissed off. Almost every single thing about this game made me frustrated. Reviews say this game is like Unpacking, and it is in the fact that you are just unpacking things into your home the entire time, but every other thing about this game is just a worse version of that one. Firstly, the plot is horrendous. I struggle to even say "plot" when it comes to this game. Full spoiler warning for this review cause I'm just gonna rip into it but --- The game starts with, what I assume is, your first ever camper van. You design it and unpack your belongings into it, making it "home". The **very next mission** you are moving into someone else's camper, presumably a boyfriend of some sort. It is beat for beat the same as Unpacking in that you struggle to find places to put your things in this new, tight space. It also copies Unpacking in that, in the very next mission, you are already broken up. However, as opposed to Unpacking, it doesn't feel earned! Sure, you're struggling to unpack all your items in this tight space, but it's a camper van and the space is just TIGHT. When you're struggling to unpack your things in your shared space in Unpacking there is a distinct lack of care that the player feels for themselves through this act of unpacking. In Unpacking you need to put your own framed art degree under the bed instead of hanging it up on the wall. There are *reasons* things are happening and Unpacking has the sense to communicate that to the player. In Camper Van it just... happens. Then there is barely any story for the entire rest of the game. You get dumped mission #2 and for the entire rest of the game it's just about unpacking basically the same items into new camper vans (I won't even say upgraded ones and I'll get to why) over and over and over. You get a pet at some point, but I think that's like mission #4 and there are around 10 or so missions. It's just so boring and bland. No writing at all, not even though the items. Honestly just insulting imo. Not even an original story and then done so poorly like this. And let's keep talking about the story. In Unpacking the story didn't just come from the act of Unpacking, it was also the places you moved to, what they meant, and most importantly the *items* you unpacked. In Unpacking all the items had meaning. The games, the extensive amount of art supplies, the cosplay stuff, the books, hell even a cup had meaning. Every item had a story and meant something to the character and it wouldn't just disappear unless the character had grown out of said item or something like that. Camper Van feels like it didn't even consider what items meant to people, they just put in things they thought would look cute in a screenshot. In Camper Van our character starts to crochet at some point. We know this because she starts to have yarn that she unpacks. Just yarn. Where are all her projects? I never once unpacked a blanket she had made, or anything of the sort. There were never any crochet hooks, so idk how she even made anything with that yarn; was it just there to look cute? She gets a *shitload* of plants at some point, yet she never gets any potting soil, extra pots, fertilizer, a humidifier, plant lights, anything? I got myself a reptile as my pet and was given a thermometer so I could make sure I was keeping his enclosure at the right temperature yet I never got an enclosure? It was just a thermometer I needed to set on a table somewhere. It was genuinely aggravating and made me not even want to play. There were also tons of times where I would unpack like half the items I had from the last mission and then I would unpack the second half, plus maybe 1 or 2 new items, in the next. So for example, in mission 1 I would have 30 items, then in mission 2 I would have 40. In mission 3 it would give me only 30 of those items back and then in mission 4 it would give me back my other 10 items plus maybe a few new ones. Why am I loosing items in between missions?! This is what I mean when I say the items don't matter to the character and this is just a cute screenshot game - it doesn't even respect the player enough to keep their inventory consistent with the plot. Where did her stuff go for only 1 trip? Why was it taken from me just to be given back 1 moment later? Common guys. You also upgrade your camper van throughout the game to new ones. I thought this would be the one nice aspect to the game but it isn't. You are constantly "upgrading" your camper to be worse. One minute you'll have a really cool organizer for your plates and cups, the next upgrade it's completely gone and now your plates are just back in a loose cupboard. One minute you'll have this cool nook under your bed for your pet to sleep, the next that's just gone and they have nowhere to sleep anymore. One minute you'll have a full working bathroom, the next it'll be a toilet pullout directly next to your sink. There are occasionally some things designed for a camper, like the organizer for your glassware, but usually it's just a bunch of normal home cabinets where everything just sits loosely in there. What happens when you drive your camper away? I assume all your shit just breaks every time since almost nothing is designed with a camper van in mind. VERY disappointed in the vans, their upgrades, and just the general design of them. I laughed multiple times out loud at the way the game would basically punish you for getting the new camper. Then to top it all off the controls are just honestly hellish. I wish I could describe how little this thing should have "full controller support" labeled. I mean, I guess? The game is obviously meant to be played with mouse and keyboard, and while it does *work* with controller, the control scheme is so ass it was honestly making my head hurt, and I usually don't feel that no matter the wack controls a game has. To add to that, every single item had what felt like a "proper" place for it. This doesn't mean you only had 1 place to put things, but it did mean that I was OFTEN (and wow guys I mean so damn often) running into issues placing items where I felt they should go. This isn't always an issue, Unpacking did this with some items (I mentioned an item being put under the bed earlier) but it was basically always for a plot reason; you could unpack pretty much anything anywhere, unless the devs felt they needed to tell an important story beat. In Camper Van you just can't put half the stuff where you want, and it's because the surfaces in this game are so restrictive. I could hang a towel on the oven in one camper, but then couldn't hang it there is any other camper for the rest of the game. I could hang a hat or some keys on a wall post in one camper and then couldn't do it in any other camper for the rest of the game. It was just so unbelievably restrictive, and for what felt like no reason. I have clip after clip after clip on my Steam Deck of me just frustratingly wiggling an item over a place I *think* it should be able to go to no avail. This shit made my blood boil and it is honestly the main reason for this negative review. Shitty story? Whatever. Crappy items that don't make sense? Eh. Weird upgrades to the campers? I don't care. But not being able to just put items in spots and enjoy my cozy game, turning this into an 8 hour slog that frustrated me way more than relax me? That was the final straw and it made everything else wrong with the game stick out *waaay* more. No way in hell I can recommend this. I'm so sorry if this hurts anyone's feelings on the team but man all I could think was this was a lazy attempt at a cozy game because they thought it would be "easy". Truly an awful time for way too much money. Run, don't walk, away from this game if you care about your time or relaxation.

Hi dear. We need to talk. I'm sorry I'm the one who has to bring this to you but...you have too many plants. I know they are cute, and I know you are on your healing era but you live in a van and the space is limited sweetheart. We need to be smarter about our choices. You wanted this, and I'm sure they are just the touch the van needs to make it extra cozy, but they just don't fit. You have to let them go girl. If it makes you feel better...think in all the watering you won't have to do!! You have more than enough with all the extra work you have with this lifestyle...and the pet of course. Yeah I know it is all worthy. Just...less plants ok? And I'll leave the conversation about candles for the future. Step by step.

I really wanted to like this game. I loved Unpacking and desperately wish there were more games like it. I really enjoyed the first level, although I was a bit disappointing with the very limited color palette. Still, I really enjoyed the first level and the challenge of getting everything in its place, and the end result was very satisfying. The next level started well, with increased color options, although still in a very neutral (although pleasant) palette. However, the next level frustrated me so much that I ended up exiting out after 20 minutes and immediately going to the steam page to write this review: because there is another person's stuff in MY camper van, and their stuff is dominating the space. There's a hook on the wall, with two caps on it, and a third hook that hangs keys. I can pick up and move the keys, but for some reason I can't hang my hat on the available hook. There are SIX PAIRS OF SHOES in a CAMPER VAN and it is impossible to get them all to fit together in the wardrobe. What person brings three pairs of shoes each in such a small space? The space-related frustration continues. There are two giant caboodles, one for the pain character and one for (I presume) her boyfriend. Can I put any of the many toiletries items of the characters in the caboodle? Nope, those take up another two cupboards. There is only one tiny shelf in the bathroom, when anyone who has lived in a small space knows that vertical shelving in the shower is king. Yet there are two Costco sized bottles of shampoo that don't even fit in the cupboard, that I also can't place on the sole bathroom shelf. So I guess they just sit on the floor? The object selection just seems so random when compared to Unpacking. It seems like a collection of aesthetically pleasing objects instead of giving thought and function to what a person living out of a van would actually take with them. The main character is sharing space with someone that brings six hardcover books and three records in a van. Girl, dump him. I really want to like this game, and I think an update could easily resolve some of this frustration. Still, I wish there was some more thought put into imitating the design and belonging of those who actually live Van Life. And less of a boyfriend's shitty belongings.

Cute cozy game

- Controller support doesn't allow for menu/UI navigation with D-Pad. It's not comfortable to navigate UI with thumb sticks working as a mouse and there's a lot of tiny menu items to mess with. - No controller button on screen at all when customizing van, like X and B to rotate item. Didn't bother trying to guess the rest of the controls to place or manipulate items. - Tutorial is bugged? Got to the part where the game teaches me camera movement around my van, then shines my backpack icon gold, so i click and place a bunch of items and nothing happens, the game stops progressing and giving instruction. There's no indicators anywhere of what to do and im stuck in camera mode. I'd wait for some patches and proper controller support if this kind of stuff bothers you. I'll update my review if these things change

I got ghosted in game!

I never leave reviews, but this game pisses me off so much. It's like the developers saw how successful Unpacking was, and decided to replicate it but did it without realizing WHY Unpacking did so well. The only similarity between the two games, is "unpacking" things. Not even unpacking, just taking items out of the category list on the side of the screen. It's not satisfying to take items out, or to finish a category. You'll just be sorting the same items, over and over and over again. And sometimes, you'll just randomly move into a new van. Story mode is crazy thing to name it when there is no narrative aspect at all. Half the time, it's so unclear where you should actually be putting things, if items can stack, or if everything will actually fit into a cupboard. Mostly, you'll run out of room in the closet for your clothes in the most frustrating way, you'll have a pair of shoes or a stack of hats that just don't fit- or you'll have so many items that won't fit you'll have to reconsider moving everything again. It's so unbelievable frustrating, and it's crazy that's the case for a game in this genre where the whole point is to relax and sort items. I would rather just replay unpacking for the 50 millionth time than fumble with this game

I love organizing, I love unpacking and putting things away. I wanted so badly to love this game, but I just couldn't. Maybe creative mode would be better for me, but the story mode was making me itch and I just couldn't get through it. There is far, far too much stuff in this game, considering you live in a camper-- I do not need an entire bag of flour! Am I running a bread business? It's just too much. It's too bright, the controls feel so heavy, and there's just too much stuff. Reorganizing the entire van after upgrading it was exhausting-- once I got to the fourth van, I closed the game because the idea of redoing everything again made me sigh out loud. A couple of very small tweaks could make a huge difference-- for items, maybe make the basics mandatory, but then give an option for some of them-- candles or the incense burner? Coffee pot or kettle? It would significantly cut down on the clutter and give the player more room to breathe in the space, making you narrow things down to essentials as you would in a camping van. Less van upgrades, or at least having some things preorganized in the new van when moving up. Giving the option to hang things on the walls. Little updates would be huge for this game. I'm sure creative mode would be fun for me, but I just can't bring myself to do it before completing story mode. And I can't get through story mode. I'm really sorry. I'm glad so many people enjoy this game, but if you're prone to getting overwhelmed or overstimulated and are using cozy games to relax, this might not be the game for you.

I was so beyond excited for this game, it seemed to tick so many boxes for me as a cosy game, but I was so disappointed. The controls are absolutely AWFUL! It’s like no one play tested it. The game is insanely bright to the point of not being able to see anything you’re doing and there are no brightness settings in the game. There is no freedom to place items and half the time it will say you can place an item but you can’t. As a concept it’s amazing but this just isn’t it.

not my thing, it also doesn't have any real clear instructions. I immediately got stuck it told me to look at a picture in a book and then yea i rearranged stuff this character brought way to many things to be living in that small car got mad at all the junk their lugging around and closed it out.

A cozy and relaxing game to be sure, with all the cute aesthetics you could ask for. But I have to say, for a space management game, there are definite issues with some of the spacing available to you. Items that could clearly fit on top of each other or onto an empty shelf sometimes just won't snap or aren't designed to work in those areas. It's frustrating when you want to make everything as neat and organized as possible, but for some reason, you can't put a pencil case on top of a stack of books. Also, why does the main character need to bring so many useless items on his/her trip, lmao? Maybe it's just me but I kept questioning why he/she would need to bring several pairs of shoes, a record player and a paella dish among other items to such a compact space. Oh well, I still recommend the game but just be aware you might have some frustrating moments in this otherwise relaxing game.

I played two levels and it was okay. The controls are really awkward and completing a level doesn't feel satisfying. Items will show that it can be placed down but won't actually go down at times. I also noticed how I picked up something in the closet that was previously there and couldn't put it back in the same spot so shoes didn't fit once I tried putting them in front of the item again. And as someone who likes to organize it just didn't give me that peaceful satisfied feeling I would hope to get when everything is in its place.

Camper Van: Make it Home is a very good managment game where you decorate your van through differents landscapes. The graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack is really cozy. It's the perfect game to relaxing... I highly recommend it!!! 💗💗💗

A journey of self-discovery. ^^

Introduction

Camper Van: Make it Home is a cozy, cute, relaxing puzzle game developed by Malapata Studio and published by Malapata Studio and Wings. You're on a journey to find yourself, exploring various areas of the world by traveling in your camper van, which ends up becoming your home. What will you find at the end of the journey, and will it be the end or the start of something else? As for the gameplay, you're at various locations, and at the start of each location, you can first decorate your given camper van with various colors, accessories, etc. Once you're at your location, then you can use the items given to you, such as food for your kitchen and books for your room, to organize them inside or outside your camper van. You can be as neat or messy with your organization as you wish, and you can interact with items, such as playing the guitar. Either, you can use your computer mouse or controller to interact with items. (For review purposes, I used my mouse.) When you have organized all of the items, the game will ask whether you're done decorating your van. You can choose to move on to the next location or stay at your current one, in case you want to interact with objects or spend more time reorganizing items. Also, plenty of Steam achievements are available, and at the time of this review, they count towards a user's global total. In addition, the game can be played in both story and creative modes although achievements are only available for story mode. Yes, creative mode is where you can choose any camper van model, decorate, and accessorize it to your heart's desire. ^^

Review

I remember first learning about this game from one of Wholesome Direct's previous events, and the game totally caught my eye, so I knew I had to get around to playing it as soon as I could. Thanks to the wonderful people over at Malapata Studio, a review key was sent over, so I had the chance to try out this game and give my thoughts. With the story, it is very basic and barebones. There is a bit of narration when the book, My Life Journey, talks about how you decide to go off on your own. It is left to the imagination of how that journey goes, but I love the quotes that the book gives along the way. For example, one of my favorite quotes is "Sometimes, losing your way is finding something more beautiful." It's a quote that feels very true to my heart. At times, we have to make mistakes in order to find better things down the road. These quotes pop up throughout story mode, and the ending is very beautiful. It may feel like the end of the game (well, it technically is lol), but it gives off that feeling that there will be more future adventures. Of course, it is the gameplay that's the heart of this game, and it's very enjoyable and relaxing. In story mode, you progress through areas by first customizing your camper van and then using the items you're provided to place them wherever you want although you may be limited with space at times. There is no right or wrong way to decorate or place items, and there's definitely no timer, so you're free to take as much time as you wish. Even fun Steam achievements are tied with objects at times, mainly through interaction. You can have a pet in later locations. ^^ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3555669370 If I have to point out a negative, it's that I wish that story mode had this feature that creative mode has. In creative mode, you're shown all of the possible objects that can be placed inside or outside your camper van, but in story mode, objects are only shown one at a time. I like organizing items a lot, so I prefer to plan things out if I know what objects I have. This is a very minor nitpick, though. As for the art, it is very gorgeous. There's this lovely 3-D style, and you can view objects from various angles. The colors feel soft and never overly bright or glaring. Low to high graphical resolutions are available, so you can choose which one is best suited for the game to work best with your computer. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3555669266 In regards to the music, the tracks are very soothing and relaxing to listen to. They're all instrumental in nature and perfect as you're in different locations and taking your time to organize items for your camper van and to truly make it your home.

Conclusion

Would I recommend Camper Van: Make it Home? If you're looking for a cozy, cute, relaxing game, you enjoy a bit of puzzle gameplay in organizing items, and/or you like getting fun Steam achievements, then I totally think that this game is worth your time. It's perfect for cozy gamers, and I love that there's now creative mode in which you can unleash your imagination and decorate your camper van however you wish. Finally, I'd like to thank Malapata Studio for the review key. Camper Van: Make it Home is a wonderful, cozy, relaxing game that has a beautiful message and in which you can find your home. ^^

For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow The Introverted Gamer, prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^

Yes.

Can I pet yo dawg? YEAH YA CAN!

The game is adorable! I've waited for so long to play it and now I'm overjoyed it's out! The vibes are very similar to "Unpacking", with an overarching story developing in the details while the game progresses. The only downside I can see is that the camera can be a bit wonky, but nothing I personally couldn't live with. Definitely recommend if you are into this type of cozy games!!!

I bought this game because I thought that it would be similar to unpacking (which I absolutely love) but it got to the point where there was just so much stuff to unpack into such a small space that I found myself getting overwhelmed. I didn't really feel this way until the 3rd destination but the 4th one really sealed it. This game is very cute and the graphics are great but the controls were a bit confusing. Not to mention that you were able to hang bucket hats on pegs for some levels but then for others the pegs were just non-usable? Small problem for sure but it was just something that made me want to not to play it at all.

Stumbled upon this game by accident and absolutely loved it. I could play this game for a thousand hours and not get bored. Highlyyy recommend for anyone who loved Unpacking. 10000000/10 stars!

cute and cozy game 10/10 <33