Cozy games!
February 8, 2025 8:39 PM - Subscribe
I hope this is an appropriate space to post this, apologies if not. Wanted to start a chat about various 'cozy games'.
Which do you play?
What do you like/not like in the gameplay?
Recommendations and reviews?
Any interest in friending in any that offer multiplayer or whatnot?
Philosophically, what makes a game "cozy" in your opinion? I consider Graveyard Keeper cozy because I think of cozy as mechanics-oriented, so dealing with corpses can be as cozy as gifting things to cute animals.
What is 'coming soon' that you are focused on?
Which do you play?
What do you like/not like in the gameplay?
Recommendations and reviews?
Any interest in friending in any that offer multiplayer or whatnot?
Philosophically, what makes a game "cozy" in your opinion? I consider Graveyard Keeper cozy because I think of cozy as mechanics-oriented, so dealing with corpses can be as cozy as gifting things to cute animals.
What is 'coming soon' that you are focused on?
I’m playing Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit at the moment (iOS or Android) . It’s a Netflix-subsidized release so you can get it for free if you have a subscription. It’s enjoyable, very much in the same vein as Animal Crossing but the ghostly campers all have different types of anxiety that you help them with by running fetch quests.
I would call it cozy in that it doesn’t have combat & only asks of a few minutes of your time at a go. Mostly you’re just collecting flowers, fish, fruits, outfits, and decor. Supposedly it has a friend/gifting system but I haven’t tried it.
posted by bcwinters at 10:16 AM on February 9 [1 favorite]
I would call it cozy in that it doesn’t have combat & only asks of a few minutes of your time at a go. Mostly you’re just collecting flowers, fish, fruits, outfits, and decor. Supposedly it has a friend/gifting system but I haven’t tried it.
posted by bcwinters at 10:16 AM on February 9 [1 favorite]
I have Cozy Grove on Switch. I love the Boy Scout vibe of it, I haven't played it in awhile I'll have to check back in.
posted by fennario at 11:42 AM on February 9
posted by fennario at 11:42 AM on February 9
I got Cloud Gardens a while ago in one of those titanic itch.io charity bundles and have been enjoying it recently. It's nominally a puzzle game where you have to cover some percentage of various dilapidated urban landscapes with foliage in order to proceed, but it's not at all challenging and I'll often continue playing past when I've "finished" a level just because the tableaux you create are so beautiful and enticing. It can get a bit monotonous so I can't play it for too long at once without getting bored, which is good. But it's lovely to unwind with.
Technically, I suppose, it's post-apocalyptic. There is a lot of human detritus but no humans. But it's a peaceful, even relaxing view of the post-apocalypse. Because of this, and the pace, I find it to be a very cozy game.
posted by valrus at 5:22 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]
Technically, I suppose, it's post-apocalyptic. There is a lot of human detritus but no humans. But it's a peaceful, even relaxing view of the post-apocalypse. Because of this, and the pace, I find it to be a very cozy game.
posted by valrus at 5:22 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]
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My number one favorite is probably Spiritfarer, because I have some serious grief issues and this game was incredibly therapeutic for me. It opened the door to cozy games, in general, being a kind of therapeutic experience.
I play as many as I can find, but right now the tops are Infinity Nikki, Palia, and I was just gifted Hello Kitty Island Adventure today by my husband. I love the "My Time" games (Portia, Sandrock, and there's a new one coming).
There's some overlap with idle games and cozy games, I also love Critter Cafe and Spirit City: Lofi Sessions. SC:LS was super helpful to me while going through a mental health crisis around Christmas, also a gift from my husband.
A key thing for me in a cozy game is low stress. Combat is okay if it is rather light - Infinity Nikki is a great example here. I want there to be lots of different things to do to while away the time. I want, generally, a vibe where I am interacting with and nurturing my environment.... even if, like Graveyard Keeper, part of that is processing corpses.
ACNH is a banner cozy game of course and I love it. My soon-to-be-12 year old son and I have a tradition for years now of staying up on NYE together, eating snacks, and visiting each others' islands on ACNH. This year, since he had never been the 'Mayor' so to speak of an island, I let him delete mine (!!!) and start a new one so he could be mayor. It was an emotional moment of pride for both of us.
I do NOT like tricky jumping, I have a hard time with it, and I'm currently stuck in both Nikki and Palia on questlines that require me to achieve some perfect feat of time jumping and gliding to get through something, and I just can't. I don't like combat-heavy games but on both games, I almost wish there was some more variety where every big final quest wasn't a parkour challenge I can barely complete. A logic puzzle, maybe? Those are often in there somewhere too.
posted by fennario at 8:47 PM on February 8