Mîkiwâm is a simulation game developed by indie developer Ekosi Games. It is an indigenous fantasy narrative revolving around plants, communities, and magic. It tells the story of a healer’s apprentice named Awâsis, who needs to blend magical elemental teas and influence the lives of a colorful set of characters. This game is only in its demo version. Expect short gameplay that only introduces a few characters. However, you can learn how to brew tea to serve your guests. 

What's in a cup?

Mîkiwâm introduces players to a land called Meddow. This fantasy land is set in the aftermath of its decolonization from another nation. In this game, you will work under the guidance of Kohkum, who is a local healer known for brewing tea that uplifts the people’s moods. However, for an unknown reason, she disappeared, leaving you to pick up the slack and run her place. All this while trying to investigate the reason for her disappearance. 

The game has simple mechanics. You will need to serve tea to the guests that come to your place. However, each guest will have their current moods, which correspond to a certain element that surrounds their character sprite. The goal will be to make a tea that will influence the guest’s mood and help your interaction. To do this, you must choose the right jar of herbs that correspond to the elements. 

Brewing the tea is also simple. The game has a drag-and-drop function, which means you only need to drag the items to brew tea. Clicking the jar will allow you to check the elements that it supports. Dragging the jar towards the kettle will start the brew, and dragging the kettle to the cup pours the tea. Then, you can serve the tea by dragging the cup towards the guest. If you think you made the wrong tea, you can drag the kettle or the cup back to the sink and start over. As noted, this version is just a demo, so most of the game is pretty much just a tutorial. 

More like a teaser

Mîkiwâm manages to present cooking and ancient magic in an interesting visual novel. The game comes in a unique and distinctive art style that captured the plot’s indigenous background. More, the game mechanics are easy to follow. However, the whole game is short, with the tutorial taking up most of its run time. As it is now, this title serves as a teaser for what’s to come.