Outside The Blocks is a gorgeous diorama sculptor that had its developer travel Europe for architectural references

Outside The Blocks is a diorama building game so beautiful I was initially distrustful of it, as if it was some sort of dazzling carnivorous plant trying to lure me in to munch on my hands. I’ve had a play of the Steam demo now, and am happy to report that it’s still very beautiful, and also that I still have hands: an incredible victory on all counts.

Outside The Blocks touts itself as “the ultimate playground for builders and creators who want to express their artistic side in a relaxing, stress-free environment. Forget about objectives and pressure—immerse yourself in the pure joy of creation”. You’re free to construct lovely buildings using either granular block-plonking or a tool that lets you manipulate big chunks. Once you’ve finished with your buildings, you can pop town tufts, streams, pigs, and whatever else you fancy. Or, you could just mess around sculpting foliage for ages, which is what I did.

I’d also recommend the Steam logs, like this one where developer Michał Kubas charts his visit to the small French town of Troyes “renowned for its beautifully preserved timber-framed buildings”, all to gather references for modular building blocks. “I gathered 1,750 references of interesting buildings, which I meticulously analyzed and broke down into appropriate modules,” writes Kubas. “I can confidently say that the vast majority of them could easily be reconstructed in my game!”

Some features. Terrain features, if you will:

• Bases & Glass Domes: Frame your masterpiece in style.
• Nature Elements & Organic Objects: Add life and vibrancy to your scenes.
• Advanced Terrain Editing: Shape the ground to match your imagination.
• Epoxy Resin: Easily add water levels for stunning aquatic effects.
• Weather Conditions & Lighting Schemes: Set the perfect mood and atmosphere.

I especially love the recreation of epoxy resin techniques – an old modelling trick for creating realistic-looking bodies of water complete with surf I’m familiar with through Warham. This one’s TBA for a full release date. And, yep, it includes a photo mode.