Minami Lane finally convinced me that not all management simulators are invented to stress me out

GamesSimMinami Lane finally convinced me that not all management simulators are invented to stress me outWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Doot)

Minami Lane

Regardless of genre, if there’s a sweet critter slapped on the poster of a game, I’m already intrigued and probably checking it out on Steam. Fortunately,Minami Lanemanaged to pique my interest through the tanuki that guides you, and even though it’s a genre I wouldn’t usually reach for, I found a new appreciation during my time playing. It usually takes a lot for a management simulator to appeal to me, but this simple yet satisfying game sunk its hooks in, and before I knew it my evening was slipping away.

To also help guide you, hints and tips are threaded throughout loading screens, and the visitors to your street give you ideas about how to improve living conditions throughout each day. Things like lowering the price of ramen or snacks or adding some more natural spaces to relax in and increase beauty all help improve the satisfaction of your visitors. This then feeds into completing a list of goals set at the start of each ‘level,’ and helps unlock more buildings to adorn your street with.

On one level I played, nailing criteria like achieving the right number of citizens and keeping them satisfied, plus having the right amount of money to purchase a florist, proved a significant challenge. But at no point did I feel frustrated and want to give up. That’s the best part of Minami Lane—the lack of pressure to progress at a certain pace in order to unlock things means you can take things at your own speed and simply enjoy the experience.

For the times I didn’t want to complete objectives to progress, I found the sandbox mode particularly appealing. I didn’t have to worry about maximising my profits from my high street (even though there was no pressure in the first place) and could direct my focus onto making something aesthetically pleasing instead.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

With a lot of the management sims I’ve played, there isn’t a huge amount of emphasis on how things look, but rather on how they function. It was nice to have the opportunity to make things pretty rather than efficient, and Minami Lane lets your creativity flow when it comes to building your own little world.

My only gripe with the game is how short it is. With about four hours of playtime, it felt as if everything was over as quickly as it started. Once I found my rhythm with decorating streets and could complete aims within a few building placements, I breezed through the rest of the game at an unsatisfying speed without even meaning to. With a game as comforting as Minami Lane, you want it all to last as long as possible so you can try every outcome for each street. But it’s just not doable.

With that said, it would be nice to see the game get updates in the future to expand what’s already on offer, potentially with even more building types and street requirements. But for now, I’ll have to spend my time in the sandbox mode and hope there’s more to come.

More about simThe Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.‘Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood AnimalLatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

More about sim

The Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.‘Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood Animal

Factorio base screenshot with photo of Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy in front

The Factorio ‘God Factory’ was one of this year’s greatest gaming feats: ‘Most players will never find themselves hitting the limits of the game. We are.’

Screenshot of a movie-making compound from game Hollywood Animal

Rule the talking movie industry in tycoon game Hollywood Animal

LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

Latest

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

Cruel

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

See more latest►

Most Popular

This bizarre roguelike has a new take on the Vampire Survivors formula: letting you build your own custom weapons out of brains, eyeballs, and chimpanzee spines

18 games the PC Gamer team can’t wait to play in 2025

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals