There are games whose art style, sounds, and overall vibe just make me smile ear to ear. Games like Hidden Folks, Krispee Street, or Tiny Wings. There’s just something so cool about being able to literally feel the heart that goes into a game. Now another game is giving me that same ear to ear grin, and it’s the debut title from two-person Australian developer Studio Folly. It’s called Gubbins, and it’s a word game that the team describes as a bit like Solitaire meets Scrabble, but with wacky characters called Gubbins who each possess some sort of special ability or feature that throws a wrench into the typical word game formula. Gubbins even has a few rogue-lite tendencies, and might possibly be the first rogue-like word game? Check out the astoundingly charming trailer.

Seriously, everything about Gubbins is just lighting me up from head to toe. All these wacky characters aren’t just for show though, as their special abilities and different modifiers look like they’ll really spice up what might otherwise be a more straightforward word game. The only downside to my love affair with all things Gubbins is that the game won’t be finished until sometime in 2023, and while that time is fast approaching it still feels like a long time to wait to get your hands on a game you really want to play. I guess that’s life, though, and in the meantime we’ll keep tabs on Studio Folly and how Gubbins continues to shape up as we march towards its release next year.