Steam has a brand-new life sim that feels especially well-timed for the Halloween season in Songs of Glimmerwick, a witch-academy RPG that seems to be a hit with fans. The game arrived on Steam on September 30 from Eastshade developer Eastshade Studios.
Songs of Glimmerwick spent roughly eight years in development, with Eastshade Studios ensuring that the game isn’t just a conventional farming sim with magic layered on top. The indie studio has long talked about creating a strong sense of place through non-combat mechanics, which was an idea that also shaped 2019’s Eastshade. Lead designer and artist Jaclyn Ciezadlo took the reins on Songs of Glimmerwick, delivering on her vision for the game, while Danny Weinbaum handled programming, technical direction, and some design and writing. The result is a cozy-looking game built around letting players settle into a world rather than fight their way through it.
Songs of Glimmerwick Turns Witch School Into a Cozy Life Sim
At the start of Songs of Glimmerwick, players enroll at the Etchery, a university of magic on the woodland island of Glimmerwick, where an entire school year unfolds through classes, festivals, friendships, rumors, and local drama. Eventually, players will find that there is a larger mystery underneath the cozy routine, as the island’s source of magic is fading and the surrounding forest is dying, with different characters blaming different reasons. On the day-to-day, players can go to class, tend the university garden, go fishing, collect seashells, join a band, explore the island, and take part in forest expeditions, similar to games like Stardew Valley. Every major and minor character is also fully voiced in English, helping the school feel more like a fully realized community.
Magic is where Songs of Glimmerwick gets more distinctive. Players can cast spells through music using a flute and songbook, and the game prefers to weave magic into everyday activities rather than saving it for combat, which it doesn’t have. Magic can be used to summon rain for crops, enchant tools to work on their own, speak with trees, and raise the earth to reach new areas. Glimmerwick uses these magic mechanics to tie gardening, exploration, and problem-solving into one package, giving the game a stronger identity than simply another cozy fantasy RPG.
That also makes Songs of Glimmerwick an easy fit for October, featuring all the same spooky season vibes without turning it into a horror game. Its world is full of Halloween aesthetics like witches, curses, magical forests, mysteries, strange creatures, and seasonal festivals, but the overall tone stays peaceful. For players who prefer Halloween’s atmosphere to being chased through dark hallways, it offers a softer take on the season of ghosts and ghouls. The hand-drawn art and woodland setting also push it further into being a game players can cuddle up with on an autumn day rather than anything genuinely frightening.
Early fan response suggests that Glimmerwick‘s cozy approach is resonating with players. As of this writing, Songs of Glimmerwick holds a 91% positive rating from 170 Steam user reviews, with players frequently praising its atmosphere, art style, music, voice acting, characters, and world-building. The game normally costs $24.99 but is discounted to $22.49 through October 14, and Eastshade Studios is keeping its free demo available, so players can see what life at the Etchery is like before fully enrolling.
- Released
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September 30, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Eastshade Studios
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- PC Release Date
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September 30, 2026
