Developed by partnered duo Doot and Blibloop, Minami Lane combines urban planning and puzzle solving in this short and sweet cozy game. Upon release, it garnered a lot more attention than the couple originally thought it would – having sold 50,000 units within the first month.

In a Reddit thread Q&A with Doot, he explained “There is a big part of luck in this, but I feel like the “cute street management” pitch landed just right. It’s catchy, unique, concise, understandable, and hits right in our target.” By finding a gap in the market, it was easy to create something unique that resonated with players looking for something refreshing and uncomplicated in the cozy game space. And it doesn’t hurt that the art, UI, and music (produced by their friend Zakku) work so well together.

Minami Lane Synopsis

In Minami Lane, there isn’t much of a story. Instead, you are tasked with checklists that requires you to improve the satisfaction, beauty, and population of your street to complete each mission. This can be done by selling goods, building more housing, adding parks, cleaning up trash, petting cats, and more.

For example, to reach a main goal of building a boba shop, you must first bring satisfaction up to a specific percentage, have a certain number of residents, and make enough money by selling ramen or finding hidden objects. So, there are a lot of interconnecting pieces necessary to reach your goals.

Minami Lane Gameplay Review

We jumped into Minami Lane completely blind, having chosen it simply to experience the “cute street management” concept. (And it was on sale.) That’s why, when the first mission ended, we were shocked to find that our sweet little street would be wiped clean for the next mission.

However, this level-based structure was addicting. Each street acted as a game board with its own challenges. Sure, arranging and customizing the buildings is fun, but as the required strategy became more complex, we started to see each cute set piece as a means to completing our mission. Though there are only five levels, each one layers on additional features, strategies, and more to keep you occupied for several hours.

A major component of Minami Lane is satisfying your residents. This can be done by building and beautifying, but also through the cost and selection of wares in your shops. By clicking on residents after visiting a shop, you can learn their likes and dislikes to narrow down what to sell and for how much.

This is a fun challenge that is intensified when you need to cater to both young and elderly audiences – meaning you need to have two separate shops that satisfy their respective demographics. Though it is quite simple mechanic, it is an effective way to feel more involved as the day goes by. And being able to save those notes to a handy for later reference was a great UX choice.

A Charming Jaunt Through and Through

Experiencing Doot and Blibloop’s take on a street management cozy game is definitely worth $4.99. There are no frills, and every detail feels purposeful and satisfying. As a couple that loves to play video games together, it was awesome to see how these two collaborated on art and development to create something polished and complete. From a cute, pastel-rich art style to the sometimes-cynical residents, it’s easy to get lost in Minami Lane – even if there’s only one street.