Play God With Otters: Free Lake Simulator Among Ripples

Ponds, ponds, ponds - they're all I talk about nowadays. Yesterday I had a lovely swim in 2C water with crackling ice in the center, and I'm leaving now for today's dip. I never know what's beneath me in the murky waters, but it might be handy. I get paranoid when a cormorant's diving near me, wondering if I'd even notice if it plucked off a numbed toe, and last week I think I kicked a fish.

Obviously, I'm delighted to find lake ecosystem simulator Among Ripples free on Steam.

It's a small, quiet, and simple little sandbox about poking at a waltercolour-picturesque lake's ecoystem, fiddling with the water and adding life to see what happens. You can add six species - pike, dace, and perch fish, crayfish and clams, and a friendly otter - and tweak the oxygen level, then they'll get on with their lives. They'll eat, eat each other, die, rot, and swim around looking cute for you to enjoy. Goals are your own to set.

Aside from the life-and-death peril of wondering whether you're killing an otter or seeing pike devour everything, it's quite relaxing. The background's like a watercolour painting, while the creatures are colourful silhouettes, and gentle music plays.

Among Ripples actually came out last year on Windows, Mac, and Linux, but I certainly didn't see it until it arrived on Steam yesterday. DRM-free downloads are over on Itch and Game Jolt.