As videogame heroes go, Austin the Butler is a little different. He’s a bald, bowtie-wearing chap who’s moving back in with his parents.
If you’ve checked the App Store charts lately, you might have seen Austin’s cheerful, mustachioed visage on the Homescapes icon alongside its more outdoorsy predecessor, Gardenscapes. Both games came out of nowhere and have been played by millions of people worldwide.
Why? Perhaps because Homescapes masterfully combines Candy Crush-style matching and Sims-style decorating, while layering on a story line for good measure.
Remarkably, these elements hang together really well. Austin finds his parents’ house dusty and dated, and you’re here to help him spruce it up. Every successful bit of match-3 puzzling earns you stars, which you can use to buy spiffy new wallpaper, carpet, furniture, and other home decor.
There’s also a surprisingly rich world to peek into. Watch as Austin delights his folks with new trinkets for their home, and meet ever more characters, each with their own eccentricities. There’s even a Facebook-style Homespace feed, which shows you what Austin, his parents, and their pals are up to.
Austin’s world may be slightly strange, but it’s undeniably delightful.