Whiskerwood

Whiskerwood is a sandbox city-building game in which players manage mouse colonies on islands. With its animal protagonists and well-known cat-and-mouse rivalry, it immediately brings to mind Mechanistry's Timberborn, which also features vertical constructions and animal characters (beavers). However, Timberborn focuses more on city building, sandbox and water mechanics in a post-apocalyptic world, where players must manage beaver colonies facing droughts and water scarcity. In contrast, Whiskerwood is more of a factory/automation simulation overlaid on city building. Here, players build colonies on islands and manage mouse workers with unique skills and specific needs while optimising tight spaces under cat overlords and handling pirate demands and taxes.

Initially, players start with a supply of resources and a small group of mice. In order to ensure growth and prosperity, they must establish core structures and essential services, develop production capabilities and new technologies, and set up logistics networks and healthcare facilities. This involves setting up logistics networks and healthcare facilities, ensuring that buildings are properly heated and maintained, and sending mice out to fell trees, mine mountains, tend fields and fish. Players must also pay attention to the specific needs of each crop to maximise output. The cats will demand their due and citizens will abandon the colony if their daily needs aren't met, so they must strike a balance between the needs of the mice and the cats' demands. Each colonist has unique attributes that affect their ability to perform tasks efficiently, and they belong to one of several guilds (like mining or explorer) that influence their preferences, strengths, and weaknesses.

Players expand their mouse colonies by stacking buildings, gathering resources, producing items, developing technologies, digging tunnels and maintaining a balance of heat, travel times and morale. The aim is to establish automated systems that can efficiently run complex production chains while dealing with the oppressive demands of the cat overlords. The game emphasises vertical stacking and applies realistic penalties, such as longer paths in tall builds and heating challenges in flat ones. Later on, players implement conveyor belt systems with ramps, elevators, and slides to transport goods over long distances and up and down within the colony more quickly than a mouse alone could manage.

Using advanced technologies, the colony evolves from mouse-powered to steam-powered. In addition to conveyor belts, there are pipelines that enable the flow of water and steam over long distances. Players can build networks of pipes to heat water and power climate control systems, as well as burrowing deep underground to protect winter stockpiles. Statistics and overlays help maintain an overview. It is also possible to establish trade relations with other mouse factions and pirate lords.

"Whiskerwood is our team's passion project and the culmination of a decade's worth of city builder prototypes. "It is an honor to work with Hooded Horse and finally bring our creation to life. Their way of business has enabled us to make Whiskerwood the best it can be and wholly without pressure." - Minakata Dynamics Studio Head Daniel Dressler upon announcing the game

Whiskerwood is being developed by Minakata Dynamics, a small, independent video game developer based in the Tohoku region of Japan. The studio focuses on systems-heavy experiences with layered gameplay. The studio was founded on 24 April 2020, and their first game was Railgrade (2022), in which players construct dense vertical railroads, build cities and construct factory chains with train automation. Studio Head Daniel Dressler also programmed and designed Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble (2020), and worked on Bunker Commander and Ultimate Speed Racing, which are both Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) games. They also supported Manor Lords (2024), which is also published by Hooded Horse, a publisher of strategic and tactical games. Its portfolio, which now stands at nearly 50 titles, includes Manor Lords, Against the Storm, Endless Legend 2, Old World, Norland, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, Super Fantasy Kingdom and 9 Kings (in collaboration with Instinct3). Hexxen: Hunters from Ulisses Spiele Digital, Drill Keeper from ShoulderByte, and Menace from Overhype Studios are set to be released in the coming months. These three games originate from Germany.

"Mice always seem so hard working and industrious. They're perfect characters for a colony sim/city builder. While I love cats, I can see them running a mercantile empire. And who doesn't love the idea of a Boston Cheese Party?" - Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender upon announcing the game

Whiskerwood was released via Early Access on Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG.com on 6 November 2025, priced at €29.99. It is also available on PC Game Pass.

The initial release included over 100 unique buildables, an 82-strong tech tree of researchable unlocks, seven crops (berries, flax, wheat, cotton, mushrooms, spices, and tea), seven mineable ores (copper, tin, iron, coal, rock salt, potash, and gold), and over 70 item types in total, as well as more than 15 available quests. Since the release, the developers have published 14 patches, introducing new features, improving the gameplay or fixing bugs. Patch 2 made adjustments to the difficulty levels, especially the tribute demanded by the cats. Patch 6 improved the clarity of the Pollution Overlay. Patch 8 introduced official modding support via the Steam Workshop. Patch 10 introduced farm-to-field assignments and production limits. Patch 13 uses mirroring to make the settlements look more diverse. The full version will include additional quests, goods, production chains, tech tree options, buildings and mechanics relating to rebellion, combat and the sea. The game is expected to remain in Early Access for a year, but this could change depending on how the design develops in response to player feedback.

Conclusion

Whiskerwood stands out in the crowded city builder genre thanks to its deep and complex systems.

Features

• Multi-layered city builder with automation elements
• Vertical stacking with realistic consequences
• Charming animal-themed scenario with unique mice