Indie Pass adds cozy new Stardew Valley style game The Abbess Garden

There’s something about the forbidden that always tempts us. The knowledge of doing something that’s against the rules, the thrill of potential discovery, and the subsequent fear of getting caught. The Abbess Garden, a cozy Stardew-esque life game set in 1600s France, deals with that cocktail of emotions. As you tend to your mysterious sanctuary and discover its secrets, you’ll end up embarking on a journey of personal growth, romance, and the odd splash of danger. Sound like your thing? Well, good news! It’s just arrived on Indie Pass.

Indie Pass is a brand new indie-focused subscription service. Focused on improving discoverability in a world where hundreds of new games appear daily, it’s bringing you a wealth of different tiles across a broad spectrum of genres.

Published by indie.io, Indie Pass’ creator, The Abbess Garden thrusts you into the slightly mucky shoes of Agnès, a young peasant girl that The Abbess has entrusted with tending to her private garden. The plot has been overrun with weeds and pests, but as you slowly but surely plant crops and bring it back to life, a holiness begins to stir.

You’ll be tending to real-life plants and learning about them as you go, while unearthing myriad buried treasures as you dig. MD Studio gives the example of a spy’s notebook, which contains secret information that can’t fall into the wrong hands. You’ll have to work with the community to decipher it before the authorities do, blowing open a wider conspiracy. It’s worth noting, however, that The Abbess Garden is a relaxing game – you’re not going to be stealing national secrets Saboteur-style.

You will, however, be interacting with the world around you, with characters being inspired by various real-world historical figures. You can build up friendships, forge bonds in steel, and perhaps even find a lover. Conversations play out via written dialog, similar to a visual novel, with characters brought to life via gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations.

The Abbess Garden is available on Indie Pass now, joining a varied roster of indie games. If you’re looking for more chill vibes, the Echoes of Plum Grove has a similar feel to The Abbess Garden, albeit with a more traditional cartoon aesthetic, while Puzzles for Clef adds some brain teasers into the mix. Just use Indie Pass’ easily-navigatable catalog to check out all things cozy.

If you’re looking for something completely different, interstellar horror SCP: Fragmented Minds is a narrative-heavy adventure set in an abandoned facility on Mars. Part of the wider SCP universe, you’ll have to tear your way through the alien-infested Site-113 in order to survive. Alternatively, there are the two Dark Deity games, which are more strategy-heavy and fantastical. Trade out aliens for arcana and save Terrazael in this turn-based, Fire Emblem-style RPG.

If you fancy trying out The Abbess Garden – or any of Indie Pass’ 70+ games – you can head over to the Indie Pass website and get a seven-day free trial via this link. New games are constantly being added, meaning that there really is something for everyone, all of the time.