What makes a game “cozy” for you? That special feeling you get, like you’re wrapped in a warm blanket on a rainy day. It doesn’t always have to be all rainbows and sunshine for me, although I love games like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Slime Rancher which definitely give off the cute vibes.
But it can also have a bit of a darker side. Take Night in the Woods for instance. Sure, it has its dark moments, but it still feels homey and familiar. And Spiritfarer. Anyone else feel the same way?
I think a warning might be good when recommending certain cozy games, but overall I still think those “darker” ones earn the title. Or should cozy mean absolutely only unicorns and flower patterns?
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It’s an interesting question, games like animal crossing, ooblets, stardew Valley are definitely cozy but I think you can have darker themed games with a cozy feel like dredge. I did see don’t starve listed as cosy, but it might be a little too frenetic? I think it’s a lot to do with building a home base of some kind and/or having a really satisfying game mechanic or world. Kind of difficult to define!
I also saw Don’t Starve on a list for cozy games and I don’t understand how it got there. And Subnautica as well. Perhaps Subnautica can be nice in creative mode but for me even than it was the most scary experience. My brain couldn’t cope with the swimming over dark open water lol
It’s an interesting question, games like animal crossing, ooblets, stardew Valley are definitely cozy but I think you can have darker themed games with a cozy feel like dredge. I did see don’t starve listed as cosy, but it might be a little too frenetic? I think it’s a lot to do with building a home base of some kind and/or having a really satisfying game mechanic or world. Kind of difficult to define!
Edit - I deleted the above comment as I replied to myself - I swear I’ll get the hang of kbin at some point!
I don’t know what the deleted comment said, but Don’t Starve is DEFINITELY NOT COZY!!
Couldn’t agree more! Abzu was similar for me, bits were cozy and beautiful in their exploration but some pretty dark themes and areas of threat. Maybe it’s more of a pacing thing with these games - they tend to have an overall slower pace and you often explore at your own leisure (well apart from Don’t Starve - that game is just crazy, love it though!)
As a person who can’t really pin down a good definition for “cozy game,” I’ve noticed that a lot of games frequently considered cozy tend to have a smaller focus. You’re not saving the world or killing gods. You’re focusing on your farming operation (yes, you basically single-handedly revive your local community in Stardew and Animal Crossing but it’s still just one small town), seeing some spirits you get to know personally off to the afterlife, exploring a small area, or developing relationships with others.
Also noticed that there’s a focus on something other than beating up and/or killing enemies. It may still be possible to engage in combat, but it’s not the main focus.
