Released on Steam in 2022, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator launched on consoles at the end of June this year.

So, what’s it all about?

Well, let’s just say that those hardcore gamers, who throw a hissy fit about so-called walking simulators barely being games, will definitely kick off about this one.

That’s because, for the most part, you do absolutely nothing in Placid Plastic Duck Simulator, beyond moving the camera and switching to a new view.

In Placid Plastic Duck Simulator, you’re relaxing by a private pool – and to start, you’ll get a single, random duck dropping into it.

A little duck on the minimal HUD slowly fills up; once full, another duck from the game’s surprisingly extensive and varied collection drops into the pool.

This continues for as long as you want it to, with the ability to switch between different ducks and different camera views, as well as zooming in and out or adjusting the camera angle on the pool.

It’s all very serene, strangely therapeutic and definitely, oddly compelling – thanks not just to the desire to see which duck you get next, but also because of the lovely lo-fi beats playing on the poolside radio.

Some of the ducks have special features, such as a clown duck’s water squirting flower, which you can set off yourself with a button press. Yet for the most part, you’ll just be observing them drifting around, bouncing off each other and being dragged into and spat out of the pool’s few slopes and tunnels.

There’s a day to night cycle to observe, as well as special events that can kick off in the ocean beyond the pool; these events can be hugely surprising and it’s always exciting, if that’s even the right word when it comes to Placid Plastic Duck Simulator.

On rare occasions, you may even find that a duck somehow finds its way out of the pool, so you’ll discover that you can follow it on its much longer journey too.

Though yes, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator is barely a game, it is a very nicely made, strangely hypnotic and relaxing experience.

With the DLC packs now available, you can widen the generous collection of wonderfully designed, very plastic-looking ducks even further – and even have a change of scenery if you wish.

Oh, and you can name every single one of your ducks too, for a more personalized relaxation experience.

It definitely would have been nice to have even a modicum of control over the ducks, but as it stands, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator does exactly what it sets out to do, in providing a unique and, somehow, unforgettable experience that you’ll find yourself repeatedly coming back to, perhaps even putting on in the background as you read or just to chill out to.

Though I’ve played it on the Xbox Series X, I first encountered Placid Plastic Duck Simulator on the Steam Deck; it’s just as compelling on the handheld as it is on a bigger screen.