This week, there is only Totoro. Actually, there’s loads more: a leaked demo of No Man’s Sky*, a game of strategising and planet design, a pleasant walk, and a lovely game you can leave on in the background. Enjoy!

*Note: not actually true.

Dawning by Ruben Calles, Celer G.D., Ludipe

You’re building a world in this tile-based strategy game, and it turns out that’s a lot easier said than done (props to God for finishing his in less than a week). Ludum Dare entry Dawning provides you with three tiles at a time, tiles you absolutely have to place down before the game decides you’re ready for another hand. Many of these tiles intuitively connect together in a neat manner, but your main concern should be the various rules that govern them (click on the arrow in-game to learn these complex rules).

Place your tiles willy nilly, and before you know it a fire has started, spread, and turned your lovely forest into a smouldering wasteland. Oops. The game ends when the board is full, at which point you’re given a score.

Norman’s Sky by Nothke

This surprisingly expansive and fully featured Low Rez Jam entry obviously riffs on Hello Games’ Joe Danger. No, wait, the other thing. What Norman’s Sky lacks in resolution size, it makes up for with sheer scale: in this vast space sandbox, you’re able to reach—not to mention land on, sort of—every twinkle in the sky. Hyperspeed gets you between points pretty quickly, while your landings are accompanied by a lovely effect that sees you piercing through the atmosphere. Made in only ten hours, this is hugely impressive.

Cabin in the Snow by 2Gold

Another Low Rez Jam game, albeit one that doesn’t follow all the rules, the peaceful Cabin in the Snow asks you to sweep a path of snow, you know, if you want to. I say that because, once you’ve swept it, snow continues to fall, and if you leave the game running it will only get covered again. Stupid path. The real reason to play this is to see what else happens when you leave the game running. You might Tab back in to see the girl building a snowman, and I suspect there are other idle events too. The soft sound of snow and wind proves to be a great writing accompaniment, by the way. (Via RPS)

Kingsbane City by Jody Macgregor

PC Gamer contributor Jody Macgregor wrote this atmospheric game of fantasy tourism, which sees your character going for a final walk before an undead army attempts to reduces their city to rubble. And why not. It’s a branching story that takes you all over Kingsbane, from the market to the cemetery, to the wonderfully named Bastard Hill. This is a richly imagined city, described with great humour and some lovely turns of phrase. You can’t escape the city’s fate, but you can rewind to explore other avenues, and you should.

Tonari no Totoro by Johan Aronson and Christina Antoinette Neofotistou

A simple arcadey game, but starring the cast of My Neighbor Totoro (I assume; I’ve never seen it). Really, you’re not doing much more than gathering acorns and avoiding both a scampering little girl and mischievous forest sprites, but just look at how adorable this is. The best part, obviously, is the sleeping Totoro in the background, whose snoring is likely to put you off your nutty business. (Via Warp Door)

Click through for recommendations from previous weeks.