Acornia Mirror Worlds Announced for 2027 With Dessert Shop Management and Pastry-Firing Combat

Tinykin Developers Reveal a Wild New Adventure Where a Squirrel Runs a Dessert Shop and Battles Spirits With Pastries

The game combines dessert-shop management, village rebuilding, exploration, dungeon crawling and action combat in a world divided between two dimensions.

And its protagonist is a squirrel who uses her oversized cheek pouches to carry desserts.

Those desserts are not just for customers.

They can also become weapons.

In the peaceful version of Acornia, players will manage a family dessert shop, grow ingredients, develop recipes, serve customers and help rebuild a damaged village. Then they can switch into the dark Duramen dimension, where angry spirits await and freshly prepared pastries become ammunition.

The game is scheduled for 2027 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.

A New Game From the Tinykin Developers

Splashteam is best known for creating colorful and inventive games, particularly Tinykin.

With Acornia: Mirror Worlds, the studio is moving away from its previous platforming-focused formula and experimenting with a combination of management and action gameplay.

The game's announcement describes it as a dual-dimension action-adventure shop manager.

That unusual combination is the main reason the reveal stands out.

Rather than separating its management and combat systems into unrelated activities, the two sides are directly connected.

What players do in the peaceful world affects what they can accomplish in the dangerous dimension.

The result is intended to create a gameplay loop where running a successful shop helps prepare the player for dungeon expeditions.

Meet Alva, the Dessert-Making Squirrel

The protagonist is Alva, a young squirrel returning to her home village.

Unfortunately, Acornia is no longer the peaceful tree village she remembers.

The influence of the Duramen, a dark mirror dimension filled with hostile spirits, has corrupted the village and driven many residents away.

Alva therefore has two jobs.

She needs to rebuild her home while also confronting the supernatural threat responsible for its destruction.

Her family dessert shop becomes the center of the rebuilding effort.

Players will gradually turn the damaged business into a successful store while helping the wider village recover.

But Alva's unusual biology gives the game its most memorable mechanic.

She can store items and ammunition inside her enormous cheek pouches.

That means ingredients can be carried into dangerous areas and, more importantly, desserts can be transformed into weapons.

Two Dimensions, Two Very Different Activities

The defining feature of Acornia: Mirror Worlds is the ability to move between two dimensions.

The first is the relatively peaceful world of Acornia.

Here, players can focus on the shop and village.

The second is the Duramen, a darker world populated by angry spirits.

Players can switch between these dimensions as part of the game's overall progression.

The concept gives the game two distinct gameplay moods.

One moment, players may be preparing desserts and serving customers.

The next, they could be exploring a dangerous dungeon and firing those same desserts at supernatural enemies.

This contrast is one of the game's biggest selling points.

Running the Dessert Shop

The management side of the game goes considerably beyond simply selling food.

Players can cook different desserts, build the shop's reputation and respond to customer preferences.

Seasonal customer demands also influence what players should prepare.

That means the menu is not expected to remain static.

Players can expand and customize their store while gradually turning it into a more efficient business.

The game also includes agriculture and animal rearing, allowing players to become more self-sufficient rather than relying entirely on purchased resources.

As the shop grows, Alva can hire employees.

Employees can take over certain daily tasks, allowing the player to spend more time exploring the Duramen.

This creates an important connection between the two halves of the game.

A stronger shop can potentially make future expeditions easier to manage.

Desserts Become Weapons

The most unusual part of Acornia: Mirror Worlds is what happens when Alva enters the dark dimension.

Her desserts become weapons.

Players can load cakes, crumbles and other treats into Alva's cheek pouches and fire them at hostile spirits.

The official description even presents the mechanic as a central part of dungeon combat.

This creates a strange but clever relationship between cooking and combat.

The player is not simply making food because the game has a shop-management system.

The food is also directly connected to survival.

Better recipes and more resources can therefore have value beyond the store.

Explore the Duramen's Dungeons

The Duramen dimension is not simply a combat arena.

Players will explore multi-floor dungeons while searching for recipes and materials.

The dungeons contain traps, enemies and bosses.

Alva can dodge-roll through dangerous areas while using her pastry ammunition to clear paths through hostile spirits.

This gives the game a more traditional action-adventure structure underneath its management mechanics.

Players leave the village, enter the corrupted dimension, collect useful resources and return home with materials that can improve their shop and future expeditions.

That loop could become one of the most important parts of the game's progression.

What Happens When the Pastries Run Out?

The developers have included another deliberately strange mechanic.

If Alva runs out of pastry ammunition, she can swallow enemies and use them against other opponents.

It is exactly the sort of humorous gameplay idea that fits Splashteam's style.

Rather than treating the character's cheek-pouch ability as a simple visual joke, the developers are turning it into a flexible gameplay mechanic.

Players therefore have another option when their prepared food supply runs low.

It also means combat can become unpredictable, particularly when several enemies are nearby.

Rebuilding the Village

The goal is not simply to make money.

Alva also has to restore Acornia.

As players progress, they can help the village recover and interact with its inhabitants.

The game includes more than 25 unique villagers, each with their own background, role and daily routine.

Players can learn more about these characters through dedicated side quests.

Seasonal events also add additional activities.

The developers have mentioned events such as bug catching and flower decorating, along with seasonal recipes and furniture.

This suggests the village is intended to feel like a living place rather than simply a menu screen between dungeon missions.

A Game Built Around Seasonal Changes

Seasonal systems could give Acornia: Mirror Worlds a stronger sense of progression.

Customers can have different preferences depending on the season.

That means players may need to adjust what their shop sells.

Seasonal events can also introduce new recipes and decorations.

Combined with farming, shop customization and village relationships, these systems give the peaceful side of the game a more detailed structure than a simple shop simulator.

The developers are essentially combining several smaller gameplay loops:

Farm resources → create desserts → improve the shop → help the village → explore Duramen → collect more resources → become stronger.

That interconnected structure is what could make the game stand out.

More Than 25 Villagers Add a Social Layer

The villagers are another important part of the game.

Each has a unique role, routine and backstory.

Players can interact with them and complete side quests that reveal more about their personalities and relationship with Alva.

Some villagers may also appear differently depending on the season.

This creates opportunities for the game to develop a more relaxed social side alongside its dungeon combat.

The contrast could appeal to players who enjoy cozy games but still want meaningful action.

Platforms and Release Window

Acornia: Mirror Worlds is currently scheduled for 2027.

Confirmed platforms are:

PC via Steam
PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X|S
Nintendo Switch 2

The Arcade Crew and Splashteam have not announced a specific release date yet.

The Steam announcement also confirms the PC version is planned for 2027.

Therefore, players should not treat any specific 2027 month or day circulating online as confirmed unless the developers announce it.

Why Acornia Could Find an Audience

The biggest strength of Acornia: Mirror Worlds is its unusual combination of genres.

Cozy management games already have a large audience.

Action-adventure games are equally popular.

But combining a dessert shop, village restoration, dungeon exploration and pastry-based combat is much less common.

The game's visual identity also gives it an advantage.

A squirrel carrying cakes in its cheeks and firing them at supernatural spirits is an instantly recognizable concept.

That could help the game stand out in a crowded 2027 release calendar.

More importantly, the two-dimensional structure appears to give every activity a purpose.

The shop is not simply a relaxing side activity.

The dungeon is not disconnected combat.

Each side feeds into the other.

Confirmed Information

The developers and publisher have confirmed:

Acornia: Mirror Worlds is a new game from Splashteam.
The Arcade Crew is publishing it.
It was revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026.
It is scheduled for 2027.
PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 are confirmed.
Alva is the playable squirrel protagonist.
Acornia is split between a light world and the dark Duramen dimension.
Players can run a dessert shop.
Players can cook and develop recipes.
Agriculture and animal rearing are included.
The shop can be expanded and customized.
Employees can be hired to automate tasks.
Desserts can be used as weapons.
Duramen contains multi-floor dungeons, traps, enemies and bosses.
Alva can swallow enemies and use them against other enemies.
More than 25 villagers have their own stories and routines.
Seasonal events and customer preferences are included.

Rumors and Speculation

There is currently no confirmed release date beyond 2027.

The developers have not announced a specific price.

There is also no confirmed information about post-launch DLC, additional playable characters or multiplayer.

The game should therefore be treated as a single-player-focused experience based on the currently available official information, rather than assuming multiplayer features that have not been announced.

Conclusion

Acornia: Mirror Worlds may be one of the strangest but most promising new games revealed at Gamescom 2026.

Splashteam has combined several genres that do not normally appear together.

Players will run a dessert shop, grow ingredients, rebuild a damaged village, develop relationships with its residents and explore a dark alternate dimension filled with hostile spirits.

The most memorable part is undoubtedly Alva's ability to turn pastries into weapons.

But underneath the unusual concept is a carefully connected gameplay loop.

The shop provides resources.

The village provides characters and activities.

The Duramen provides danger and materials.

The player's progress in one area feeds into the others.

With PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 versions planned for 2027, Acornia: Mirror Worlds has plenty of time to attract attention before launch.

For players looking for something outside the usual open-world RPGs and competitive games, this could be one of the more distinctive titles to watch.