Warning: it's no longer limited to shelves.

In last week’s post, I showed you four shelving games that I’ve been fixated on. From there, I started working on a shelving game tier list, that has since become a tidying games tier list, given that the games no longer limit themselves to shelves but have expanded into paintings, puzzles and treasure chests - and I’m here for it!

So this week, I’ve simply been playing… more of them.

I haven’t tried my hand at the challenges yet because honestly, they’re daunting! The same puzzles but in black and white, the same puzzles but all the pieces are white, the same puzzles but without powerups, the same puzzle but against a time limit - this game offers a LOT of replayability that I will enjoy when I crave this genre again next year, or the year after!

Cellar Keeper hits the spot exactly where it needs to.

The look and feel of this game is very much like Librarian, it has the same routinous organisational vibe, and that makes it comfortable, recogniseable and cosy in my book. With the added satisfaction of a nice bottle *clunk*, and learning about wine names was an interesting bonus.

I have to mention it: there is ONE set of bottles that have the wrong colour for their category and it irks me endlessly. Other than that, a perfect game.

Enjoy throwing around the strongest bottles known in human history!

Shelves and Sorcery: Tidy Up the Enchanted Shop is made by the same devs that brought us Teddy’s Haven - Kindred Spirits, and imaginging I am an NPC hired to restock shelves tickled me immensely.

The same core business as the other games: tons of magical and enchanted items are scattered around the store, and you put them back on the shelves. Same general skills as the other games. Nothing really innovative, but that’s exactly what makes it such a good game. The items are recogniseable if you have played Teddy’s Haven, and they’re interesting enough if you haven’t. Especially the book titles got a good chuckle out of me.

Shelves & Sorcery offers three stores (in different sizes), so it’ll keep you busy for a while!

Shelve the Potions! isn’t out yet, but I played the (very short!) demo and I already know I’m recommending it.

Aside from the usual “pick up bottles, put them on shelves”, there is a tiny puzzle aspect to this game that isn’t big enough to disqualify it from being a cosy shelving / tidying game or to really call it a puzzle game, but enough to make the game feel refreshing.

For example, there are five bottles of potions that belong together, in varying degrees of being filled. The solution to that puzzle is ranking them from almost empty to almost full. The potions with a bird emblem? They might need some bird input! And to figure out how to put the coloured bottles, you’ll have to look around for clues.

This game touches on both my obsession with potion bottles as well as my love for shelving games. The demo was convincing, looking forward to release day!

Sort Them Ducks is quacking fantastic!

Again, the same premise as the others: tons of rubber ducks scattered around the store, put them on the correct shelf. Unlock powerups (or gamble for them).

The duck designs are gorgeous and hilarious. So many pop culture references (some of which I don’t get and will have to look up, but that’s just me). Their random quacking keeps me on my toes and I can’t help but giggle every time it happens.

What Sort Them Ducks does differently is gravity. The other shelving/tidying games tend to have their piles be “static”, meaning that if you remove objects from the bottom, the top ones remain afloat. That’s nice in a way, because you’ll always find them back, though within the realm of rubber ducks, it is SO much more fun for them to not stay in position and just fall down, bounce around a little, slide away when you bump into them.