For years, since 2019 if I had to guess, I’ve had a free-to-play game called It’s Literally Just Mowing (“Just Mowing” for short) installed on my phone. I probably only play it a couple times each month, but it scratches a very particular itch I get every so often for a mobile game that I can play with super limited attention needed but still be engaging at the same time.
The game is all about mowing grass (or snow!) using swipes from your finger to navigate the customizable lawnmower up, down, left, or right to clear overgrown grass from people’s yards. Each yard is its own level and they take about 30-60 seconds to clear. Your career tracks how many yards you’ve completed and after certain thresholds the neighborhoods change and you get a scenery and yard layout refresh.
Just Mowing is a super simple concept that I find really satisfying to play in small bursts throughout the week. If I don’t have the capacity to hyper focus on a round of Marvel Snap, or I’m in a Pokemon Go location desert, there’s a good chance I’ll drop into Just Mowing to clear a few yards.
As you’re mowing you’ll encounter randomized animals/butterflies that appear. If you’re quick enough to tap on them, you’ll get some premium currency and the critter is added to a glossary that tracks everything you’ve seen so far.
The premium currency you collect from the critters is used for bypassing timers for the cosmetic chests you’re rewarded with for finishing a yard. Chests contain lawnmower cosmetic parts that you can use to customize the look of your mower. There are some fun holiday and seasonal items that I enjoy collecting and equipping during holiday events.
Since Just Mowing is an entirely single-player game, I don’t mind the fact that people can pay to temporarily speed up their mower up or other marginal enhancements. You’ll get plenty of premium gems for just playing the game anyway.
Check it out on iOS and Android.
