Heartopia Is Every Girly Pop Gamer’s Dream

While I didn’t quite grow up playing DS games, I dabbled in games like Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar in my college years after my sister loaned me her coveted DS lite. Fast forward another decade, and I started my video game collection journey with a huge emphasis on retro handheld Nintendo games.

In fact, the first item I added to my collection was a white Nintendo DS lite.

The DS is full of girly pop retro games and I’ve managed to collect and play quite a few of them. But what if you mashed up a bunch of games that some might even consider to be shovelware, and turned it into one game you could play with your friends? And what if it were free?

That’s basically how I’d describe Heartopia. When I first started playing this game after its launch on January 7th, I couldn’t quite figure out why I loved it so much. But as I was out on my daily walk with my fluffy fur ball, I realized something.

On our walk, I happened to be listening to one of my favorite cozy podcasts called Tea with Honey. They were talking about playing Nintendogs in 2026. As they were chatting, I pondered on playing Heartopia and the dog and cat training system it has. Then it hit me. Heartopia is just like every cutesy DS game I never got to fully play.

Heartopia is full of cozy game mechanics from classic farming to mimicking IRL hobbies that are not frequently represented in games. Let’s break them all down.

Nintendogs

Nintendogs offered an experience we have yet to see replicated in modern games. Caring, playing, and training your pet to be the best fur ball on the block. Complete with voice commands and touch screen controls, this game is a staple amongst retro cozy gamers.

Many modern life simulation games include pets, but what most games fail to implement are training mechanics that help you bond with your animals.

In Heartopia, you can train your dog or cat to perform new tricks. Not only is it cute, but it feels more authentic to IRL pet keeping. And your pets get hungry too. Feeding your pet to max its fullness level will result in your pet giving you money a few hours later. Yes, your pets pay you. You can even bring your pet with you around the map as your companion.

Cooking Mama

I haven’t had the chance to add Cooking Mama to my collection yet, but I do know that it features a variety of mini-games. Failing a mini-game will result in a poor-quality or ruined dish.

While I don’t think Heartopia’s cooking mini-game quite compares in complexity to Cooking Mama, bad timing will result in a burnt dish. Burning a meal will lower the money it sells for and the amount of energy it can restore.

Heartopia’s cooking system lets you discover new recipes simply by changing out an ingredient. And all the dishes you cook can be displayed in your home or shared with friends.

Harvest Moon & Animal Crossing

Then we have the typical farming games and life-sim elements from farming games like Harvest Moon and casual games like Animal Crossing Wild World.

Harvest Moon on the SNES is the OG farming game, and every other farming game since then wants to capture its charm while adding its own flair. I’m not saying that Heartopia does something with farming that has never been done. In fact, it doesn’t. But farming is a big part of the game and leveling up your farming skills is essential to making good money in the game.

On the other hand, popular mechanics from the Animal Crossing franchise are brought to life in Heartopia. We have bug-catching, but instead of a net, you use a bubble wand. Fishing is, of course, included, but now we have fishing tours we can go on with friends or strangers.

And don’t just pretend to throw a party with everyone in town, throw a tea party with the party feature and invite everyone who is online in your server’s town. Interact with other players using two-player emotes, emojis, and chat features. You can even decorate and build your home with friends.

Imagine: Figure Skater

I need this one in my collection ASAP! Imagine: Figure Skater is a rhythm game in which you practice and compete in ice skating competitions. You learn new moves as you progress the game and I think there might be some dating sim aspects to this one.

Ice Skating was recently introduced to Heartopia in its latest update, Winter Frost Season. The update is live from January 24th to March 14th, 2026. During the update, you’ll find a large ice skating rink along the north side of the map by the Old Sea. Here you’ll practice your ice skating skills and enter competitions. Sound familiar?

As you level up your skating skills, you’ll unlock prizes such as in-game currencies and even new ice skates to wear. And I love that they gave us an ice skating floor tile that you can use to build your own rink for your home.

Jigapix, My Secret Diary, Easy Piano

I’ve seen jigsaw puzzle video games before, like Jigapix for the DS. But I’ve never seen a life-sim game put jigsaw puzzles in its game other than as a decoration. In Heartopia, you can buy, collect, and complete jigsaw puzzles. Simply place the puzzle on the floor and you can complete the puzzle solo or with friends. And just like in real life, you can keep the puzzle to redo it another day, or hang it up on your wall. If you need some extra cash, you can even sell the puzzles instead.

My Secret Diary is a life-organizing game for girls featuring mini-games, calendar planning, and journaling. Journaling is the key feature here. Heartopia has a writing hobby where you can write and publish books that you can either keep private or allow your friends to buy. You can keep a journal and capture the nostalgia of writing about your crush, or try writing something you think the community would enjoy.

And we can’t forget about the various musical instruments in Heartopia. Games like Easy Piano on DS let you play and compose music to your heart’s content. In Heartopia you can play instruments and produce music using the in-game phonograph. It’s fun seeing other players playing popular songs on the piano, guitar, bagpipes and more.

Honestly, I had no intentions of playing this game at first. I waited a week after launch before trying it, despite the fact that it’s a free game. Yes, it’s free! And even when I first started playing, I didn’t realize how quickly I would fall for its charm.

At first, I kept coming back to see the cute clothes in the shops, which are updated daily. Then I started getting into the decorating and building, which was tedious at first because the controls aren’t that great, but you get used to them.

Then the events started rolling in, and I unlocked more furniture and plot space. Next thing you know, I’m making tons of money and building an industrial-style kitchen, lofts, and wrap-around porches. And it’s only been 3 weeks since I started playing! My backlog is suffering. I’m missing events in other games. I’m obsessed.

And when I stop to think about it, this game is just a silly, meaningless game. It doesn’t tell a story. There is no end goal. But it’s everything I need in a game right now. It’s the childhood I didn’t experience because I didn’t have my own DS.

Will it be a flash in the pan? Will I be playing this for years to come? I can’t say for sure, but I’m having a great time.

Have I convinced you to play? If so, I won’t leave you hanging. Let’s be friends in Heartopia. My friend code is 241f0wfm (I’m on the global server).

Thank you for reading my very first article on Substack. I plan on writing about cozy games, video game collecting, and the occasional RPG.