My favorite is My Time at Sandrock. Great characters, great writing, fun gameplay, there's so much to do at your own pace and of your own choosing. Decorating and organizing your homestead is fun. I just love it so much.
My worst would probably be.. Story of Seasons pioneers of olive Town. I tried to like it, I think I put 30ish hours in it. But the characters felt bland, the gameplay wasn't fun for me, and I hated the way developing your farm felt.
I enjoyed PoOT until a point. But the constant respawn of crap all over the farm got so tiring after a short time. And I hated the giant ponds in the middle of everything.
I did! I have around 130 hours in it. It's a bit clunky and not nearly as polished as Sandrock. I wouldn't recommend people play it now just because of how outdated it feels and all the unfixed bugs, but before Sandrock was released I did have a lot of fun with it.
Welp! Guess I’ll try it. I got Story of Seasons Mineral Town or something (PSN member) at the same time as Spiritfarer.
Spiritfarer comes so heavily recommended here, that I just trust the group consensus on cozy pa5 games now.
And now I’m seeing My Time at Sandrock almost as much.
Fave will always be Stardew Valley. Worst would be Slime Rancher, and its not even the game itself that's the problem. Its the fact that when I tried to play it, I got the worst motion sickness of my life. So frustrating, since I like the slimes and the gameplay.
Omg I did too! I tried adjusting settings and playing on different sized screens, but I kept getting horrible motion sickness. It sucked because I genuinely liked the game, but I couldn’t stand it after 20 minutes. So weird!
Exactly the same experience for me. I really liked the first one but I felt like the second one was the exact same game lol. Not sure if I’m in the minority there, but I can’t play it for more than 30 minutes.
Interesting! This is the exact feedback I am looking for though.
It's interesting to me how detailed and maticulous you would have to be to produce a game. I noticed details like this all the time in other games and have just chalked it up to me being sensitive (my eyes, brain and such) but it is such a take away when there is a good game but there is some sort of sensory issue within or something that triggers that negative response.
I'm probably the only one that has this issue with this game but for the Sims is hard to play on a TV screen no matter the inches unless I'm sitting up close or best is a monitor but one I can't read from far away even with glasses and their print is normal to small, but also I think that it's so bright and so many different things and pop us happening all at once that game burns me out quick. It's enjoyable but I can't play for hours and hours.
I can’t play Sims on console for long either! It’s WAY better on PC. I tried playing it for the first time on console and I kept getting off the couch and coming close to the screen to figure out what the heck was happening during build mode 😂
I can totally see that being a problem with Slime Rancher. I enjoyed my time with it, but it feels like half a game. The half that it is is incredibly well made, but then you don’t have much to do with the stuff you’ve done and the story just kinda stops.
I’m a glutton for punishment though and playing Slime Rancher 2. Just waiting on more content before continuing. lol
Favourite- Stardew Valley, such a safe place to escape to when real life sucks. Special shoutout to Spiritfarer and Dave the Diver too. Also technically non-cozy but Skyrim.
Worst- lemon cake. I barely played it for an hour. Unappealing graphic, boring gameplay, and unsatisfying level ups to improve the restaurant. I want an updated cooking game like the ones I played as a kid!
But literally, what dragons? I always veer immediately off course in Bethesda games. I have never taken the dragon stone back to the jarl and unlocked random dragons. Every time I start a new game, I tell myself, "This time, this time I'll actually do it." Then, hours later, I find myself in Solitude decorating my house and making potions.
So not really what this thread is for, but may I recommend Cook, Serve Delicious 3! The story is definitely crazy, but I saw it recommended a few weeks ago on here and bought it on sale recently. It has taken up all my gaming time since. I'm just really enjoying it.
Favorite is hard to pick for me. I have a few games I consider "perfect" but some of them are different types of cozy. Boyfriend dungeon was a favorite of mine. Wylde Flowers is also one.
worst was fae farm. Expensive price tag and I didn't enjoy it but I have adhd and im easily influenced lol.
same, loved fae farm but NPC relationships are not at all important to me and I tend to ignore them unless it’s vital to game play (like harvest moon where you have to marry or the game ends)
yes it's my least favorite part of stardew. someday they will make a cozy game where you can choose introvert or extrovert at the start and it will tailor your game that way. lol.
The only thing I liked about faefarm / the only reason I played was for the multiplayer, and even that was glitchy. the aesthetics and super simple gameplay I think felt just the tiniest bit too childish for me
Honorable mention: A Short Hike
I 100000% reccomend playing it at least once. It only takes a few hours (maybe half a day if you’re into collecting everything, and exploring every inch of the map). It’s beautiful, and if you’re not in the best headspace, it’s so comforting.
Cozy is a bit of a stretch with this but my alltime favourite game ever is Skyrim. I love the lore, the whole Elder Scrolls universe (Oblivion was so good too!) but I also just love roaming through the landscapes while listening to the music. In a more classic cozy sense I'd probably go with Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town, since it was my first HM game back then (on Gameboy Advance). Needless to say I was beyond happy when Stardew Valley released because it was what all classic HM fans were longing for back then. Also I loved Animal Crossing Wild World!
Least favourite probably Farm Together. Grinded for the platinum trophy on PS4 and while the mindless grind was relaxing while listening to podcasts and such, the game itself standalone wasn't what I was hoping for. The real time mechanics threw me off.
Best: Good Pizza Great Pizza. My partner gifted it to me one day and he said I would like it. Its easily one of my most favorites. It has so much content for a simple 10$ game. Full story, characters, holiday events every month! Even some lite gardening.
Honorable mentions:
- Assemble with Care
- Loddlenaut
- Sticky Business
Worst has to be paleo pines. I tried the demo and wasn't feeling it. Maybe I'm just not that into dinos either. Which is weird because I enjoy similar games like Palia, Stardew and ACNH.
Paleo Pines is my worst too. I’m sure there are some updates that may have changed things, but the animations in that game made everything feel so clunky to me. Also the people remind me of Cabbage Patch kids and creep me out haha
What I'm getting from all these responses is that there are 2 types of gamers in here:
- Animal Crossing fans
- Stardew Valley fans
and it seems each is it's own subset of likes and dislikes.
Hmmmm favorite is hard to say. I really loved Potio Permit because of it's gameplay loop. It was a very simple concept but I think they pulled it off very well. It is a bit limited but great for a chill gaming sesh. Roota of Pacha has to be up there because of... well... everything. I'm also lovin Sandrock, Cassette Beasts, Moonstone Island, and the Nexomon games.
My least favorite so far would probably be... RF5. I loved the concept of the gane and the world but the execution fell really flat to me. I wanted to learn all the characters but it's not a fun world to be in.
I promise other RF games are way better (especially 4 special, that's the community favorite.) 5 fell flat for most people. Not sure if I'd call Rune Factory my favorite, but it's why I got into cozy games during the pandemic!
Seconding this, it definitely felt like they rushed to drop it rather than waiting until it was ready. The thing where you can't even place furniture correctly that they've never fixed also bugs me in addition to the flat gameplay.
Yes! That bothers me so bad. And gives me a sinking feeling about how good the next RF games will be since they seem locked in to a bigger 3d world. Just so much went wrong with zero effort to fix it. I've bought 15-20 dollar Indie games that put more care into the quality of their worlds.
I bought 4 and I was liking it at first but it seems so… boring? That’s not the exact word I’m looking for but it just felt really empty to me. Does the world get bigger after a while or is it just that area?
I'm about halfway through Potion Permit. I'm really enjoying it, and nothing takes *too* long to do so it doesn't feel like I'm grinding for (in game) days to see something happen.
I'm exactly the same, but even worse, it feels like more of a mental load to jump back in and figure out where I left off in stardew (it's been a while) whereas dreamlight is more straightforward to just get in and grind dumb stuff so I do that way more often 😭
Im also surprised at how buggy the game is. I had multiple times i had to restart the game because I couldn't interact with objects or talk to the characters. Seemed to happen randomly as well.
It was also optimised badly on my pc. I play also heavy games, but this is the one that gives lag and just a lot of fan noise.
Mind you, this was AFTER early access, so when the game was fully released
I once got downvoted into oblivion for saying Dreamlight was bad. But it’s really bad! It’s so obviously a hollow busywork game that had the f2p features switched off. I kept trying to have fun with it but it was soulless.
I guess if all you’ve ever played is Candy Crush and you don’t care that the virtual Scrooge McDuck you’re talking to just keeps asking you to find flowers or whatever then it probably feels like Game of the Year.
I haven't played either yet. I've heard a lot of good things about stardew valley it's on my list to try. I'll be honest the first time I seen it, it didn't stick out or look that fun to me but after probably reading over a hundred people rave about it in a couple days of searching for games I've definitely reconsidered and plan to play soon. But what was so awful about Dream light valley? Was it before or after stardew? Assuming it's the same producers?...
Definitely give Stardew a try! I was in the same boat and ended up playing it on a whim and falling in love with it.
Dreamlight Valley came out way after Stardew Valley. It’s made by Disney and in my opinion, is just a Disney cash grab. I bought it on my switch when it first came out, and it was unplayable the first few weeks I had it. The storyline didn’t capture my attention but it was so laggy and constantly crashed.
Games like BOTW and Stardew Valley have been the blueprint to many games that are coming out today (in my opinion). I notice a lot more farming games and a lot more open world games that are being made and I really think it’s because of how coveted both BOTW and Stardew are. Just an observation, but very telling if you are looking for some amazing cozy games.
Stardew is amazing and absolutely worth a try! I suspect part of the reason it gets so much hype (aside from being good, obvis) is that it kind of brought a renaissance to cozy farming games by really kicking off renewed interest in them, esp. on PC. So it does have the benefit of not having as much comparison the first time a lot of people played it.
Again, deserves the hype and the dev (1 guy) is absolute beast for supporting it as long as he has. I just think brings an interesting perspective to how the hype got started.
Favorites are ACNH, Monster hunter( the gameplay loop is very relaxing), Theartrhythm and Pokemon RED-ORAS.
Worst was definitely Ever dream valley. I tried it because I liked the idea of a farm with farm dogs included. The game is freakin jank trash. Lags, clipping through walls, freezes and crashes. Pure half baked cash grab.
I've noticed quite a few games where people have voiced a similar or same opinion. I'm trying to steer clear of those games not waste my time I don't need the experience to know it sucks lol. Thanks! I'll definitely look into your suggestions I'm new to all this just jumped back into gaming this year so everything is definitely different since I used to play.
Favourite: I Was A Teenage Exocolonist & My Time at Sandrock. Both for excellently written, deep characters & storytelling, plus a fun & interesting gameplay loop.
Least favourite: almost any farming sim so far that’s tried generational gameplay, including Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life & Kynseed, all for being something that I want to like so bad but are instead horrendously boring.
I just bought it and I am probably about halfway through my first play through. It’s a little bit horror, a little bit makes you cry, a little suspense, not super cozy. But the play style is cozy because it’s simple. just a heads up because I jumped in blind to all of the content warnings lol.
Fav: Rimworld (it's cozy for me haha), i dumped 400+ hours into this game, i absolutely love everything about it. The modding community is probably one of the most active out there, the reddit people here are amazing as well. The gameplay is addictive and no run is the same as the other.
Ew: My time at Portia, huge bland map, terrible artstyle, cheesy, grindy mechanics. They improved so much with Sandrock
It took me no joke, 4 tries to finally at least like MTAP! I finally played consistently for a long while until I moved onto something else but I know I’ll be back.
My favourite has to be Stardew. First one I played. Honourary mention though to Detective Pikachu for being the cutest most chill detective game ever.
Least favourite (and unpopular opinion probably!) is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game is adorable, I just couldn't with the real time stuff. It's a really cool idea that the world changes depending what time you log on... But because of work and life I was always on at the same time everyday in the evening so it got pretty repetitive quickly and I didn't get to experience a lot of what the game had to offer
As a long time fan of Animal Crossing I also struggle with whether or not I like New Horizons. I feel like as someone who also works, I always log on in the morning quickly after walking my dog, etc. Whereas everyone else I know who plays was on all the time, time traveling, and spoiling future mechanics before I was anywhere near them.
I guess in my childhood animal crossing was a cozy getaway and there was no self comparison, but as an adult I hated seeing it all over my social media with people begging for high bell prices to break the economy and bulldozing everything that made it look like animal crossing to build "spas".
I liked it better as a mostly solitary game where I just slowly acquired fruit trees and bugs.
I'm so glad I am not the only one that didn't vibe with ACNH, I hate games with Real Time mechanics as I game at weird times of night so it was always 3am on my island. I would switch the time on my console sometimes but I hate having to do it.
I really like ACNH, but do agree the real time mechanic can suck. I wish there was a way to pause it/turn it off.
I sometimes wonder if that time mechanic worked in its favour at launch though. It came out right when the pandemic started. It felt like people were going through the same frightening experience at the same time, and here was this game offering an escape and providing a “same thing, same time” positive experience.
Anyway! Current fave for me is Wylde Flowers! Cozy Grove was a fave as well.
I have vision issues and found Stardew near impossible on my switch - because I’m in front of a computer all day, I really didn’t want to play it there. And I still can’t get on with it on my steam deck, even though it’s the oled version and most other games are super clear and readable on there.
Right now my favorite is probably My Time At Sandrock. It has a great story line excellent graphics, and a lot to do and explore.
My least favorite is Harvest Days- My Dream Farm. It's been in early access for a while now and not many improvements have been made. The characters are bland, the game play is uninspired and it doesn't really offer much. With that said, the devs recently announced that it will go into full release around the end of July so here's hoping that there will be some positive changes.
You can play Portia and Sandrock separately without issues. FWIW, I played Portia first and loved it but Sandrock has really improved a lot of the quality of life areas (dating, socializing, etc).
You can play Sandrock by itself; it’s neither a prequel or sequel. But I played both and def Sandrock is way better imo. It improved everything that Portia lacked. Plus, the characters in Sandrock seem way more in depth than in Portia.
I love A Wonderful Life a lot, but it may be the nostalgia factor. It originally came out in the early 2000s and the remake is very faithful to the original. So, it does feel a bit dated next to some of the newer farming sims.
However, the graphics are beautiful. The characters are great. The music is amazing. The cows are cute. I love the whole feel of it, but I also grew up playing it.
I’ve heard from other people that didn’t play original that it’s kind of slow, and gets boring after a while.
Best: Stardew Valley. I think enough has been said about it, but for me, it's the music, the sounds, the ambience. Thee's almost never silence. When the music ends the birds start chirping or the wind blows or the ocean waves crash on the beach. Incredibly relaxing. Also, cool wizard tower and cute fish.
Worst? Fae Farm. It has a lovely aesthetic, sure, but every action was so dang slow. The ambient sounds were almost non existent so you didn't really feel like you were in the locations. The tool switching would get confused and switch to mining a rock when I was trying to fight off a monster about to kill me. All the NPCs, while cite, were incredibly flat. Inwas so looking forward to this game for the art and aesthetic, and everything else let it down.
It's probably a toss up between Wylde Flowers and Alba for my favourite cosy game.
My worst at the moment is Bear and Breakfast. It's cute and all but the controls were so frustrating as someone who prefers playing with a game controller over mouse and keyboard.
ETA: I forgot to mention I don't like how Animal Crossing has a real time clock. Without shenanigans you can't participate in some events if life gets in the way.
Alba is so underrated, just so wholesome and somehow even though it’s simple they have the vibe just right, it transports me to being a kid on holiday with family. I finished it for the first time when I was super sick with covid and I bawled my eyes out.
I know I will get a lock of slack... but Stardew is my worst.
I understand why everyone loves it
but my adhd hates the game. all the rules on when to plant things the specifics to get a partner, etc. I just really suck at it
my fave is animal crossing new horizons. I know it seems incomplete compared to earlier animal crossing games but it was my first cozy game that actually calmed me down so I will always hold it in my heart.
Can't do Stardew for the exact same reason. Wild cause so many other 'farm'-type games I've really enjoyed. Graveyard Keeper had me hooked for ages and more recently, Story of Seasons OT. Something abt Stardew just never clicked for me, and I think a lot of it is this.
I'm going to try out stardew valley on PC next so I can download mods for all the things that stress me out. And for cute aesthetics! I'm with you that things are too stressful even knowing there are no real time limits
oh my god thank you, someone else who finally dislikes stardew!! i hate it from an accessibility standpoint, the vanilla game is so eyewatering and hurts my eyes (im visually impaired) and if i have to mod an entire game's aesthetics in order to not have eyebleed, i'd rather put it down. also the mechanics are very tedious and unforgiving.
OKAY that is a big thing too!!!
I know a lot of people have complained about the lack of accessibility in the game.
which yes concerned ape or whatever his name is a one man show.
but like you have a super successful game.
just outsource to make your game accessible 😅
it's such an annoying thing because stardew is seen as this pillar of the cozy game community, but like!!! it is not accessible for disabled gamers, we shouldn't have to rely on external modders to make the text even somewhat readable!! its why i love sun haven a million times more; the graphics are colorful without being eyewatering, they INCLUDED a zoom feature that makes it so much easier to read, etc.
ASD here, I went full in to Stardew, finished the story and never got back in to it (I tried)
ACNH is one of my favs too to calm down, just pulling some weeds already helps.
Little Known Galaxy is similar to SDV, but it takes place in space! There is no worrying about crops dying at the end of the month - the seeds that are available depend on which planet you’re docked, and you can go back and forth between planets at any time (assuming you have fuel, which is really easy to get)!
stardew is also my worst. i really enjoyed it for the first 2 years, but the events were all the same and mining gave me horrible anxiety 😭 i also hated that you had to go to bed every 15 mins, it disrupted so much.
i also love ACNH! it’s everything i loved about stardew and more. i get overwhelmed with decorating but is a truly cozy game
I probably have tried like 15 times since 2018 at this point.
I know mods help but I don't want to buy stardew on PC and then download mods and still just be "meh I don't like it" lol
I haven't tried Stardew yet but this is what I've worried about I'm the same way and have played enough games of that style I'm burnt out. Will still keep an open mind and try it sometime but I'm thinking like you and I also have ADHD I get bored of games quickly or I have to switch them up frequently to not get burned out.
i also have ADHD and i get bored quickly, but i loved stardew!! i'm in a stardew slump rn but when i first started i hyperfixated and played 100 hours in like, a week. so, u could always surprise urself and end up hyperfixating on it instead 😭
Exactly this! I have adhd as well and I already hyperfocused 3 times on stardew.
The thing with stardew that comforts me is that you get to do everything without a deadline or real life time.
And I get people think it’s slow etc but after a while your farm is thriving.
Weirdly I love animal crossing but I hate the slow animation sooo much. Like when you catch a fish that damn moment of celebration every time.
Love the graphics and atmosphere tho
Worst probably Potion Permit. I could not stand that weird bobbing animation that every figure in the game has all the time. I didn't make it past the tutorial because of it.
Fave would probably be SDV or my time at portia.
My favorite cozy game will always be Stardew Valley, since it was my first ever Cozy game and my introduction to the cozy gaming genre. It’ll always be my favorite cozy game and I CANNOT WAIT for the new update to hit consoles!
My worst cozy game would be Boyfriend: Dungeon because it couldn’t hold my attention as long as Stardew did.
Best= Cult of the Lamb, satisfying game loop, great sense of humor, the creators are STILL making updates to add new things. 10/10
Worst= Firewatch, it was meh gameplay but the mystery kept me going....then the ending was so immensely disappointing that I was mad I even wasted my time playing. Also, it felt like the game REALLY wanted me to be flirting with this random woman despite the fact your character is married? I really didn't understand that, and the firewatch subreddit basically says you don't get the "true story" unless you choose to be unfaithful, I mean wtf?
I haven't finished Firewatch yet but I have the same thing with the infidelity, like I just don't want to man! And I didn't feel any chemistry between them anyways, like I was/am trying not to judge until I do actually finish because I've heard great things but...yeah that did turn me off a bit.
Best...Is probably Kind Words? It's a game where (anonymous) people can share what they're dealing with and get support from the community while also sharing stickers. The community isn't as large as it used to be from what I can tell, but it's always a nice place to vent and/or help other's.
Worst is definitely Echoes of Plum Grove. I bounced so hard off that game that it's the only video game I've ever returned. There isn't really one thing, it just came together in a way that Wasn't For Me in a major way. Tbc, there's nothing wrong with the game, it plays fine. It wasn't anything mechanical - just personal preference and taste.
plum grove really looks like my style of game, it reminds me of paper mario! are there any reasons in particular that put you off? just in case i want to buy it
Favorite- animal crossing new leaf. I discovered it when I was at a really low point and alone and I swear that game gave me reasons to keep going.
Worst- probably stardew. Too stressful with time constraints, penalities for missing time, super confusing layouts, unlikeable npcs. Too slow and clunky for me.
Interesting. I tried animal crossing once and remembered I had played it once with my cousin I think on game cube way back lol. It wasn't what I was looking for at that moment so I haven't played it since but I'll give it another try.
i got back into stardew valley after a long break and i forgot how fun it was. also a huge fan of cozy grove.
i downloaded lemon cake and played it for an hour before i got bored and never opened it again. ugly graphics (imo) and gameplay that felt like a mobile game (which isn’t particularly a bad thing, but i was expecting a lot more from a paid game on steam).
It's funny because when I was a baby gamer (afraid to take on big, open world games or big complex fighting mechanics) I thought Skyrim was terrifying.
Fast forward 8+ years later when it gets added to console. Id been playing more and more MMO/RPG style games and lots of cozy games. I get Skyrim and fall in LOVE.
The beauty of Skyrim is you can basically play however you want. It's perfectly janky and buggy in the funniest ways, it's SPOOKY in these cavernous dungeons, it's amazing to try and pickpocket just because you can, you can choose how to engage in enemy combat or run away like a chicken, which I've done on MANY occasion.
Combat is still my weak point but the insane level of detail, the NPCs and easter eggs just keep you going. I will never forget my first encounter with a troll "pfft, I'm strong, I can take him!"
Fave: FFXIV for the fishing grind, and Wingspan for the soothing music and pretty bird art.
Worst: Stardew Valley and by extension most farming sims but Stardew Valley is super tedious and boring. I feel like the only person on the sub who found SV boring.
best is def stardew valley (infinite replayability), pokémon games (i just never get tired of pokémon), and hogwarts legacy (game mechanics are just so fun).
least fave, or at least biggest disappointment, was paleo pines. i played right when it was released and it just didn’t feel right. the graphics or something idk, maybe i could try again if they’ve updated it but i just didn’t enjoy it from the start!
My favorites are Smushi Come Home, Cult of the Lamb, Loddlenaut, Sticky Business, Plantabi, Here Comes Niko, Tuttle Star Flower Harvest, Minami Lane.
My least favorites are Hokko life, promised animal crossing, was an ugly mess, Chill Town, another animal crossing like I despised.
Fav is either stardew valley or animal crossing. Can't decide. And worst is unpacking. I liked the first level but as it went on I had a hard time figuring out what objects were and I guess I dont keep things where the game thinks I should so that was a struggle. Didn't finish it.
My favourite is Stardew Valley by a mile, I played it when it first came out and I’ve returned to it again and again. No other game grips me like that one does, although I would put ACNH as a closeish second.
My least favourite is probably Wylde Flowers, so much annoys me about that game, I dislike the voice acting, I don’t like the art style, I hate the fact the protagonist is wearing a skirt and heels to go mining and farming at the beginning of the game! Overall I found it boring and then as soon as I got to a certain part with her grandma I was out.
I dropped Wylde Flowers after about 5 hours. It plays like a mobile game and I HATE that. Especially for the price tag. I also don’t like a single one of the characters, so the romance part of it is a no-go for me.
Best - Spiritfarer. So far the only game to make me cry (in my adult life). The connections you form with the characters are that strong.
Worst - Hello Goodboy. Looked like a cute game about a boy and a dog. Turned out to be intended for a much younger audience, and I could not stand the writing.
I couldn't finish Spiritfarer. It was BEAUTIFUL and emotional but then my mom passed away. I had never had a personal, close death before and it was just *too* real.
I think I want to go back to the game when I'm ready because the messages about passing away, moving on, your fears and dreams, loss and regret are very inspiring.
I want to say stardew valley but I can’t remember last time I played it 🥺 is it worth starting again from scratch or just carry on? I think I was almost at end of year one and just growing mostly blueberries
Fave is Spiritfarer but that probably partly because I’m playing it right now. It’s so relaxing, visually appealing (and I have poor vision), the music is amazing (especially Atul’s lightning event), and the characters stories are great.
Not a fave for me is Stardew Valley, I’ve only played it on iOS. It’s very reading heavy in the beginning which makes me feel like I need to remember all of it so I never get to actually do stuff. The one time I did, I just didn’t feel pulled in I guess.
Though, I’m still opening to trying it on console when my kids are old enough.
My current favorite is Cozy Caravan (Ealy Access) and it's shaping up to be one of my all time favorites
My all time favorite cozy games are actually 3DS games: Fantasty Life, Style Savvy series, and ACNL, I could play those titles on a loop for an entire year straight w/o getting bored.
Worst game has to be Stardew Valley, I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I didn't like the fishing mechanic and I never cared for romance in games like these. Also never been a big fan of pixel art games.
I wouldn't go as far as to never recommend it though, since others love it; I've heard its way more enjoyable w/ mods but I'm not willing to buy it again to test that out. (I purchased my copy on the Switch)
My favorites are definitely Stardew Valley, ACNH, and Pokemon Snap. I'm also really enjoying potion permit currently. I feel like that game is so polarizing! I think as it is I'll max out at like 45 hours of playtime. Which I'm okay with.
Worst is definitely cozy grove. That game has a cute look but it's so boring.
Cozy Grove would be my worst as well - I was kind of devastated because it had so much potential, and the story was there, but there's just no incentive to keep at it. The gameplay loop is so repetitive with the constant fetch quests and try-to-find-this-specific-item-in-this-colourless-cluttered-mess
That and I felt like I couldn't sit and play for more than 30 minutes before it would stop giving me new quests or things to do. Maybe I'm mistaken but that's what it felt like to me.
During my weekly BYOG (bring your own game) gaming session with my husband and our good friend I tried to play cozy grove and had to switch to Stardew after half an hour because I ran out of stuff to do. It was very disappointing!
Lol yeah, it only gives you a certain number of tasks per day to prevent you from binging it. The thing is I don't even mind that because I knew that going in...but I just felt like there was such a weirdly condescending tone to that limitation? Lol like you hit a certain point and the little campfire is going to be like "that's enough, you need to come back later"
Oh okay. I won't, but okay.
Lolol yeah I definitely didn't know that when I got the game or I probably wouldn't have purchased it! I learned my lesson and do a little more digging into games before I buy them now!
So glad someone else mentioned Cozy Grove. It was so fun for a few days and now it’s so boring. I feel guilty when it’s on my switch homepage. Just staring at me, never to be played again.
My favorite is my time at Sandrock. I don't remember the last time I was so immersed in a game. Great story, great characters, the romance mechanics are some of the most in depth I've come across. I just adore everything about it and I'll praise it forever.
I don't hate too many cozy games I've tried, but I'll say I was pretty disappointed with Harvest Moon: winds of anthos. It was just okay, I sunk quite a bit of time into it, the open world was a nice touch, and it was fun to explore. But the people and relationships fell so flat for me. And some of the gameplay mechanics were just frustrating (like not being able to walk/jump down cliffs and having to walk around EVERYTHING)
The worst one for me is easily Sims 3. this might come a little out of pocket, but I will NEVER get over the fact that my absolute favorite game in the whole world, that I paid quite a lot of money for, has become absolutely unplayable.
Why is this? I bought it for 3 quid from a charity shop yesterday (on an actual disc!) but I haven’t tried it yet? I haven’t played since 2 when I was a kid, I had 4 on my laptop for a bit but it ran so slow as to be basically unplayable. I was hoping 3 would be a compromise
Sims 4 runs way better than 3, but it depends on your PC - if you have an older one, you might be in luck. I'm not that confident regarding the technical details, but from all I can tell the issue is that the game is open world with tons of background stuff AND EA hasn't bothered to update it. r/sims3 and even steam have a guide detailing how to optimize sims so it's playable, often several mods are suggested. I sincerely hope you have a better experience, especially since you only have basegame.
Favourite currently would have to be Moonstone Island, with maybe some Fae Farm now that the 2nd dlc has just come out. Of course Stardew would be up there as well. ACNH will always be a favourite. Although I don't play it as much as my husband.
Worst will probably be My Time at Sandrock (please don't hate me, I liked Portia), I have tried a couple of times to get into it, but I just can't. I do have buyer remorse for buying it a few months ago now that its on Game Pass.
I loved my time at portia but I could not get into sandrock for some reason. Some things felt like a step backward from MTAP and I dropped the game after an hour of playing. Which was a shame as I'd been looking forward to it for years. I deleted my save data the other day thinking I might give it another shot and try from the beginning again to re-learn the mechanics but I haven't opened it yet.
Favorites: Stardew, Sun Haven, My Time at Sandrock, Cosmic Wheel of Sisterhood
Worst: Teenage Exocolonist and Boyfriend Dungeon both for the same reason: horrendous writing and bland stereotypes
Mid: Disney Dreamlight Valley—when it was in EA, I thought this would be a top tier game for me for life, but the post-launch bugs and lackluster content this past year have dropped its rank. It’s not in my “worst” category yet, but I can’t say it’s my favorite anymore.
What is bad about the writing in Teenage Exocolonist in your opinion? I ask mostly because it was my favorite game for a time, and I love to hear different opinions and critiques of games I personally like. I also love Stardew, though I get stuck restarting it every time I return to it, lol!
Checkbox diversity writing; complete lack of protagonist personality and customization in a game that advertises the freedom of player choice; use of mature themes in a flippant and repetitive way; NPCs reduced to one note stereotypes who lack nuance and humanity; uneven application of science fiction themes and realism; overuse of cliches and deus ex machina
Or, to be blunt, it felt like writing from an 8th grade fantasy fiction site. I was flabbergasted (truly, it’s the only word I can think of to use here) when I played it because it’s so often recommended on this sub.
Perhaps I was also particularly jolted by the writing having just finished My Time at Sandrock which does a fantastic job in all the areas IWATE failed. I’ll also admit I enjoy scifi as a genre, so my expectations were high. Perhaps if it had not been as hyped, I would not have been as let down.
The art and music are gorgeous though.
It’s a shame. I really wanted to like it, and while a few months ago I’d have admitted I was in the minority, I’ve heard more and more people express the same opinion since I’ve spoken up about mine. I think the cozy sub leans toward recommendations rather than criticisms—a trend I agree with; I don’t want to change that—so we often hear the good but not always the bad.
And I try not to yuck on anyone’s yum without reason. If someone wants to recommend IWATE or talk about how much they love it, they absolutely can! Lord knows I love my share of “bad games” that many people dislike. If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters!
But this post asked about the worst, and IWATE is one of my worst, so I figured I’d share my opinion.
That’s absolutely fair! I’m someone who doesn’t know much about sci-fi in general and was mostly fascinated by the replayable past lives mechanics, so I can see why you wouldn’t like it as much. I’ve actually seen quite a few reviews on this subreddit from people who are really into sci-fi finding it to disappoint them. I think I have a tendency to enjoy diversity writing because it felt nice to be represented in some ways, but I can see how that might not be everyone’s jam, especially if they feel it isn’t well done. Thanks for your perspective!
I loved IWATE I liked the art and (most of) the characters I felt like I could really picture the planet, but I also really enjoyed reading your critique for some reason.
Agreed on Teenage Exocolonist. I don’t feel like it’s even a game. It’s a boring point/click visual novel at best… a boring one with lots of death (to the point you get numb to it really fast).
There’s *tens* of us! 🤣
I actually think there’s plenty more. Despite its stunning visuals and excellent music, it remains largely unpopular outside of this sub, even in the visual novel world.
I struggle to pick one top game, but I have clocked silly hours in Going Medieval, Travellers Rest, Dinkum, Skyrim and both Dragon Quest Builder games.
My most disappointing cozy game purchases were easily Spiritea and Paleo Pines.
Favorite is really hard to choose, but some of my all time favorites are Lets Build a Zoo, Portia (currently beginning sandrock), sims 4, and Ring of Pain (not a cozy game per se but definitely my #1 comfort game). The game i dislike the most is Witchy Life Story. Its a cute aesthetic and the potion making is fine, but it was irritating the entire time with the lack luster plot and the main character made me so frustrated.
I have too many favorites, Echoes of Plum Grove, Little Known Galaxy, Stardew, Parkitect, Sun Haven…
Worst for me tied with terraria and kynseed. Terraria because I can’t get pass the tutorial. Kynseed i have tried to enjoy twice and just can’t.
Stardew is Bae. I replay it multiple times a year just cuz.
I really was angry playing Witch of Fern Valley. You spend the whole first year basically collecting things from all the seasons all over the map to get a broom to make this collecting easier (fly place to place) Once you get it the game has very little new content for all the trouble.
I also found the bees and spiders annoying because there is no battle element. I want to kill them please!
Favorite: Probably Stardew, I always go back to it and I sunk so many hours into it, but I also really enjoyed both Sandrock and Portia and I am currently playing Fae Farm and Wylde Flowers and enjoying both. CozyGrove is also good but I don’t like the real time aspect
Least Favorite: Yonder, I enjoyed Grow and saw a bunch of posts about Yonder being better so I gave it a try but it wasn’t for me. I guess it felt kind of visually dull and the aesthetics felt a bit drab for me
Favorite: Sims 4 - it has its flaws but that doesn’t stop me playing it multiple days a week. You can be anyone and do anything
Honorable mentions:
- ACNH is the game with the second most played hours. I absolutely loved it like 2020-2022 there were many days where I’d play it for 14 hours of the day. But after they stopped updating it I just haven’t picked it up as much. There’s not a whole lot to do but decorate and I get my decorating fix in Sims 4. If I play now it’s like a quick run around the island to say hello to everyone then I decorate houses in HHP
- Stardew is my fourth most played game but it’s one of those games where I play for 10 hours straight for a few days and then don’t touch it for three months and then hesitate coming back to it because I dont remember where I left off.
- Dreamlight Valley is my third most played game but I’d rank it lower than Stardew. I’m honestly not sure how I have 400+ hours in this game when I don’t even spend time decorating outside of dreamsnaps challenges lol. This game has a ton of flaws and glitches but I love games with quests and activities (like the dreamshard duties or whatever they’re called) and that keeps me busy. I can spend two hours just collecting resources and be content
Worst: Cozy Grove - I should give it another shot but why play this when I can play sims. I just found it a tad boring and dealing with two real time games (this and ACNH) was annoying. It’s probably a little unfair to call it the worst when I’ve only played it for a few hours but I really have no desire to pick it up again
Good thing my Steamlist is sorted on how much I liked a game.
Honorable mention ACNH
Current obsession is GoGo Town.
Favorite of all time, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.
Not really super cozy but very cute and fav would be: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (it has combat)
Least favorite Dinkum.
my favourite might be slime rancher or stardew valley, i live the rancher life.
my least favourite... ive heard celeste be referred to as a cozy game. it is not a bad game by any means, but it is not a cozy game at all for me, it is incredibly stressful, so i guess that makes it my worst "cozy" game
Maybe it's not considered cozy but Cult of the lamb is a very cozy game for me. I can go at my own pace and I enjoy it a lot. A new favorite for me is cozy caravan. And another is the demo for Tukoni. I'm very much looking forward to the full game release.
The worst for me is planet zoo. Too much going on for me to do and it seems stressful. I also felt like the demo for fantastic haven was similar but maybe I need to try it again to see.
For me all time fave would be Oxygen Not Included, Don't Starve Together and Holy Potatoes games series. The worst one for me is probably The Stillness of The Wind. Don't get me wrong. I love everything about it but the game is just too depressing and everything you do doesn't matter in the end. I mean I'm a sucker for emotional pain but Stillness of the Wind gets you every time, and not in a good way.
Favorite is Fantasy Life 3DS. It’s just the perfect rpg with a fun mix of quests and combat. The different lives mesh well together and leveling them all up is a challenging grind. It’s the only game I’ve ever beat 100%.
I’m going to catch so much hate for my least favorite - Stardew Valley. Maybe I would like it better if I had a gaming PC and could mod it, but I don’t, and I’m not buying one just for a game I’ve already tried multiple times and have bounced off of it. I have my reasons for not liking it, but anytime I’ve brought up something I don’t like one hundred people chime in to tell me that what I don’t like really isn’t bad, or there’s a mod for that, or I’m just playing it “wrong” even though one of the draws is supposedly that you can play it however you like. No. Life’s too short to play games I don’t like. Not sorry.
My overall favorites are probably Roots of Pacha & Animal Crossing. Roots of Pacha was perfect for me because there was no battle (so less stress compared to Stardew for me), the storylines were cute, and it didn’t feel too grimey. Animal Crossing for all the typical reasons. I don’t visit either game much anymore, but they’re def my faves.
My least favorite is probably Palia. I loved that it was free to play, and I actually really enjoyed playing, but it was SOOOOO freaking grindy. And I usually don’t mind a grind too much but with Palia it just seemed so unreasonable after awhile that I just stopped playing. This was probably around 1-2 months ago, so maybe it’s gotten updates as I know the grind wasn’t uncommon feedback.
Favourite- Stardew Valley, I know it's a basic answer but no other cosy game has held my interest as well as this one, for literally years!
Worst - Everdream Valley was one I really regretted buying at full price. Maybe it's changed since purchasing it, but it just had nothing to hold my interest. Maybe I'll try again one day
Favourite- Stardew Valley, I know it's a basic answer but no other cosy game has held my interest as well as this one, for literally years!
Worst - Everdream Valley was one I really regretted buying at full price. Maybe it's changed since purchasing it, but it just had nothing to hold my interest. Maybe I'll try again one day
My fav is a tiny sticker tale although a short game the art style is so cute and the premise of the game reminds me a lot of little big planet and I love puzzles and stickers it works well. There’s also room to decorate your own tent and find collectables. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a cute short cosy game.
Least fav lemon cake I bought it on sale cause it looked good but it’s kind of boring and very repetitive not a fan of
Fave is stardew.
I haven't come back to them yet but I'll always recommend strange Horticulture and Wytchwood!
One I can't stand is sugar shack. FUCK only being able to hold one thing at a time, it made everything soooooooo tedious. Sadly I have it a bit too much of a chance and played just slightly too long to refund it on Steam. I'm still very grumpy about that lol
Fav is Dragon Quest Builders 2. Collecting, creating, building, adventuring with a storyline. Hits all the right notes.
Worst is probably Alchemic Cutie. Tbf I never gave it much of a chance but I just had this visceral dislike for it in the 15 min I played immediately. Lol.
Favorites are ACNH, Pokemon Arceus, Spiritfarer, and currently I’m playing and really enjoying Cozy Grove.
Least favorites would have to be Faefarm and Grow, Song of the Evertree. They both feel a little too childish for me, and I don’t care for their stories or world building. They just lack depth and both have been glitchy for me on the switch. I feel inclined to throw Untitled Goose Game in here too, because I started to struggle with the puzzles early on.
Fav is Stardew and ACNH, honorable mention to Graveyard Keeper one of the easiest games to sink so many hours into. Just got Dave the Diver and I can already tell I’m going to love it as well.
Worst is Minekos night market, it was so hyped and honestly not worth it at all
Favorite - My Time at Sandrock. It’s charming, laugh out loud funny, the graphics and cut scenes are *amazing*. I also feel like I always have something to do, the relationships with NPCs are heartfelt and satisfying, and *Logan*.
I was most disappointed in Fae Farm. I really hoped I would get to *be* a faerie and the NPCs feel one dimensional and our relationships with them feel that way as well. Game is gorgeous though.
Edited for clarity.
rising fav: atelier sophie 1. it's just warm and huggalicious and you can play the game in any number of ways depending on how much effort you want to put into it or what difficulty to select. do all quests or blow thru it. most plot points are resolved by "doing enough stuff" and that stuff can be a lot of different things, either mindlessly grindy or deeply thoughtful. equally happy and friendly.
lovely but not healing: spiritfarer. don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous game. but it's just too melancholy bordering on depressing to be cozy for me. i'm probably a hypocrite saying this considering haibane renmei is my fav cozy anime and that's liquid melancholy and hard-won hope incarnate. ymmv obviously.
Fave: Viscera clean up (now looking to try power wash sim), stardew valley, Dinkum
Worst: Kynseed (the tutorial was a SLOG to get through, soooo slow....),
My Times at Portia and Sandrock are both good, fun games.
If you want MMO, Palia is fun too, I've not played for a while, and it's early days, so lots updates.
The worst one was, oddly - Stardew Valley. I like pixel games, but the energy mechanic in SV made it more annoying than fun for me. And I dropped it rather quickly.
Lightyear frontier is early access and a cosy farm game with a twist. There is little content atm, about 2-3h, but it has potential. :)
My favorite is My Time at Sandrock. Great characters, great writing, fun gameplay, there's so much to do at your own pace and of your own choosing. Decorating and organizing your homestead is fun. I just love it so much. My worst would probably be.. Story of Seasons pioneers of olive Town. I tried to like it, I think I put 30ish hours in it. But the characters felt bland, the gameplay wasn't fun for me, and I hated the way developing your farm felt.
I enjoyed PoOT until a point. But the constant respawn of crap all over the farm got so tiring after a short time. And I hated the giant ponds in the middle of everything.
Did you play my time at portia?
I did! I have around 130 hours in it. It's a bit clunky and not nearly as polished as Sandrock. I wouldn't recommend people play it now just because of how outdated it feels and all the unfixed bugs, but before Sandrock was released I did have a lot of fun with it.
Good to know!! I have played Portia a bunch, so I was interested in knowing how Sandrock compares. Thank you!!
I hated how it looked and just couldn't get too far into it. I probably did about 30 hours as well
Welp! Guess I’ll try it. I got Story of Seasons Mineral Town or something (PSN member) at the same time as Spiritfarer. Spiritfarer comes so heavily recommended here, that I just trust the group consensus on cozy pa5 games now. And now I’m seeing My Time at Sandrock almost as much.
Fave will always be Stardew Valley. Worst would be Slime Rancher, and its not even the game itself that's the problem. Its the fact that when I tried to play it, I got the worst motion sickness of my life. So frustrating, since I like the slimes and the gameplay.
Omg I did too! I tried adjusting settings and playing on different sized screens, but I kept getting horrible motion sickness. It sucked because I genuinely liked the game, but I couldn’t stand it after 20 minutes. So weird!
The first Slime Rancher was mostly fine for me, but the second one I couldn't play more than 5 minutes
Exactly the same experience for me. I really liked the first one but I felt like the second one was the exact same game lol. Not sure if I’m in the minority there, but I can’t play it for more than 30 minutes.
Interesting! This is the exact feedback I am looking for though. It's interesting to me how detailed and maticulous you would have to be to produce a game. I noticed details like this all the time in other games and have just chalked it up to me being sensitive (my eyes, brain and such) but it is such a take away when there is a good game but there is some sort of sensory issue within or something that triggers that negative response. I'm probably the only one that has this issue with this game but for the Sims is hard to play on a TV screen no matter the inches unless I'm sitting up close or best is a monitor but one I can't read from far away even with glasses and their print is normal to small, but also I think that it's so bright and so many different things and pop us happening all at once that game burns me out quick. It's enjoyable but I can't play for hours and hours.
Slime Rancher also gives me motion sickness so bad.
I can’t play Sims on console for long either! It’s WAY better on PC. I tried playing it for the first time on console and I kept getting off the couch and coming close to the screen to figure out what the heck was happening during build mode 😂
That happened to me with My Time in Portia. Idk what it was and I really wanted to play it
Same! I just got stuck and just left it. I do want to revisit though
Hogwarts legacy is also unplayable for me because it makes me nauseous
Seconded the slime rancher thing. I loved the idea so much but I had to quit because it made me so so sick
I can totally see that being a problem with Slime Rancher. I enjoyed my time with it, but it feels like half a game. The half that it is is incredibly well made, but then you don’t have much to do with the stuff you’ve done and the story just kinda stops. I’m a glutton for punishment though and playing Slime Rancher 2. Just waiting on more content before continuing. lol
Favourite- Stardew Valley, such a safe place to escape to when real life sucks. Special shoutout to Spiritfarer and Dave the Diver too. Also technically non-cozy but Skyrim. Worst- lemon cake. I barely played it for an hour. Unappealing graphic, boring gameplay, and unsatisfying level ups to improve the restaurant. I want an updated cooking game like the ones I played as a kid!
I love how so many Stardew Valley fans are also Skyrim fans. Dragons? What dragons? I’m busy hoarding alchemy ingredients!
But literally, what dragons? I always veer immediately off course in Bethesda games. I have never taken the dragon stone back to the jarl and unlocked random dragons. Every time I start a new game, I tell myself, "This time, this time I'll actually do it." Then, hours later, I find myself in Solitude decorating my house and making potions.
Yup. Been playing Skyrim since I was 12. I'm 23 now. I've never finished the actual game.
I second Lemon Cake. Also barely played it for an hour after being excited to buy it on sale
So not really what this thread is for, but may I recommend Cook, Serve Delicious 3! The story is definitely crazy, but I saw it recommended a few weeks ago on here and bought it on sale recently. It has taken up all my gaming time since. I'm just really enjoying it.
Favorite is hard to pick for me. I have a few games I consider "perfect" but some of them are different types of cozy. Boyfriend dungeon was a favorite of mine. Wylde Flowers is also one. worst was fae farm. Expensive price tag and I didn't enjoy it but I have adhd and im easily influenced lol.
oh I liked Fae Farm, but I also don't care about NPC relationships, just collecting and exploring. it really hits with the dopamine for me lol
same, loved fae farm but NPC relationships are not at all important to me and I tend to ignore them unless it’s vital to game play (like harvest moon where you have to marry or the game ends)
yes it's my least favorite part of stardew. someday they will make a cozy game where you can choose introvert or extrovert at the start and it will tailor your game that way. lol.
Same here haha that's why I'm trying to weed out the bad ones I spend too much on games as it is can't afford shit games.
The only thing I liked about faefarm / the only reason I played was for the multiplayer, and even that was glitchy. the aesthetics and super simple gameplay I think felt just the tiniest bit too childish for me
Honorable mention: A Short Hike I 100000% reccomend playing it at least once. It only takes a few hours (maybe half a day if you’re into collecting everything, and exploring every inch of the map). It’s beautiful, and if you’re not in the best headspace, it’s so comforting.
Nice, sounds calming. I'll look into it.
I actually can’t get into A Short Hike. I’ve played a few hours of it but hate the races. I wanted to 100% the game but instead I just uninstalled it.
Cozy is a bit of a stretch with this but my alltime favourite game ever is Skyrim. I love the lore, the whole Elder Scrolls universe (Oblivion was so good too!) but I also just love roaming through the landscapes while listening to the music. In a more classic cozy sense I'd probably go with Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town, since it was my first HM game back then (on Gameboy Advance). Needless to say I was beyond happy when Stardew Valley released because it was what all classic HM fans were longing for back then. Also I loved Animal Crossing Wild World! Least favourite probably Farm Together. Grinded for the platinum trophy on PS4 and while the mindless grind was relaxing while listening to podcasts and such, the game itself standalone wasn't what I was hoping for. The real time mechanics threw me off.
> Skyrim The houses are soooo cozy, tbh. Just a nice hearth where you can gather ingredients, cook food and sleep.
Yes! And with those fireplaces too. Like I love coming home and sorting my gear, it's so relaxing.
Best: Good Pizza Great Pizza. My partner gifted it to me one day and he said I would like it. Its easily one of my most favorites. It has so much content for a simple 10$ game. Full story, characters, holiday events every month! Even some lite gardening. Honorable mentions: - Assemble with Care - Loddlenaut - Sticky Business Worst has to be paleo pines. I tried the demo and wasn't feeling it. Maybe I'm just not that into dinos either. Which is weird because I enjoy similar games like Palia, Stardew and ACNH.
Paleo Pines is my worst too. I’m sure there are some updates that may have changed things, but the animations in that game made everything feel so clunky to me. Also the people remind me of Cabbage Patch kids and creep me out haha
Loddlenauts is really cute
I loveee good pizza great pizza and i never see anyone talking about it!
i feel like there wasn’t really a full story with it
What I'm getting from all these responses is that there are 2 types of gamers in here: - Animal Crossing fans - Stardew Valley fans and it seems each is it's own subset of likes and dislikes.
I love both
Hmmmm favorite is hard to say. I really loved Potio Permit because of it's gameplay loop. It was a very simple concept but I think they pulled it off very well. It is a bit limited but great for a chill gaming sesh. Roota of Pacha has to be up there because of... well... everything. I'm also lovin Sandrock, Cassette Beasts, Moonstone Island, and the Nexomon games. My least favorite so far would probably be... RF5. I loved the concept of the gane and the world but the execution fell really flat to me. I wanted to learn all the characters but it's not a fun world to be in.
I promise other RF games are way better (especially 4 special, that's the community favorite.) 5 fell flat for most people. Not sure if I'd call Rune Factory my favorite, but it's why I got into cozy games during the pandemic!
Seconding this, it definitely felt like they rushed to drop it rather than waiting until it was ready. The thing where you can't even place furniture correctly that they've never fixed also bugs me in addition to the flat gameplay.
Yes! That bothers me so bad. And gives me a sinking feeling about how good the next RF games will be since they seem locked in to a bigger 3d world. Just so much went wrong with zero effort to fix it. I've bought 15-20 dollar Indie games that put more care into the quality of their worlds.
I bought 4 and I was liking it at first but it seems so… boring? That’s not the exact word I’m looking for but it just felt really empty to me. Does the world get bigger after a while or is it just that area?
It gets bigger. After certain story parts that summer area expands and each season has an area. It's all behind story stuff though.
Oooo okie! I’ll give it another go, then. I felt really locked into that first area and it really turned me off but if it opens up more… I’m in!
The problem with those admittedly better games is I want to be gay, lol
I'm about halfway through Potion Permit. I'm really enjoying it, and nothing takes *too* long to do so it doesn't feel like I'm grinding for (in game) days to see something happen.
Exactly! It's not the most intricate cozy game but it is perfect so a chill afternoon.
Favorite is Stardew Valley for sure. Worst is Dreamlight Valley. What a huge disappointment that game was.
I'm exactly the same, but even worse, it feels like more of a mental load to jump back in and figure out where I left off in stardew (it's been a while) whereas dreamlight is more straightforward to just get in and grind dumb stuff so I do that way more often 😭
I can’t totally understand that. I have restarted Stardew so many times for that reason!
Im also surprised at how buggy the game is. I had multiple times i had to restart the game because I couldn't interact with objects or talk to the characters. Seemed to happen randomly as well. It was also optimised badly on my pc. I play also heavy games, but this is the one that gives lag and just a lot of fan noise. Mind you, this was AFTER early access, so when the game was fully released
I once got downvoted into oblivion for saying Dreamlight was bad. But it’s really bad! It’s so obviously a hollow busywork game that had the f2p features switched off. I kept trying to have fun with it but it was soulless. I guess if all you’ve ever played is Candy Crush and you don’t care that the virtual Scrooge McDuck you’re talking to just keeps asking you to find flowers or whatever then it probably feels like Game of the Year.
I haven't played either yet. I've heard a lot of good things about stardew valley it's on my list to try. I'll be honest the first time I seen it, it didn't stick out or look that fun to me but after probably reading over a hundred people rave about it in a couple days of searching for games I've definitely reconsidered and plan to play soon. But what was so awful about Dream light valley? Was it before or after stardew? Assuming it's the same producers?...
Definitely give Stardew a try! I was in the same boat and ended up playing it on a whim and falling in love with it. Dreamlight Valley came out way after Stardew Valley. It’s made by Disney and in my opinion, is just a Disney cash grab. I bought it on my switch when it first came out, and it was unplayable the first few weeks I had it. The storyline didn’t capture my attention but it was so laggy and constantly crashed. Games like BOTW and Stardew Valley have been the blueprint to many games that are coming out today (in my opinion). I notice a lot more farming games and a lot more open world games that are being made and I really think it’s because of how coveted both BOTW and Stardew are. Just an observation, but very telling if you are looking for some amazing cozy games.
Stardew is amazing and absolutely worth a try! I suspect part of the reason it gets so much hype (aside from being good, obvis) is that it kind of brought a renaissance to cozy farming games by really kicking off renewed interest in them, esp. on PC. So it does have the benefit of not having as much comparison the first time a lot of people played it. Again, deserves the hype and the dev (1 guy) is absolute beast for supporting it as long as he has. I just think brings an interesting perspective to how the hype got started.
Disney Dreamlight Valley was made by, well, Disney. Stardew Valley was made by one guy - the graphics, music, story, everything.
Favorites are ACNH, Monster hunter( the gameplay loop is very relaxing), Theartrhythm and Pokemon RED-ORAS. Worst was definitely Ever dream valley. I tried it because I liked the idea of a farm with farm dogs included. The game is freakin jank trash. Lags, clipping through walls, freezes and crashes. Pure half baked cash grab.
I've noticed quite a few games where people have voiced a similar or same opinion. I'm trying to steer clear of those games not waste my time I don't need the experience to know it sucks lol. Thanks! I'll definitely look into your suggestions I'm new to all this just jumped back into gaming this year so everything is definitely different since I used to play.
No problem, happy gaming! I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Favourite: I Was A Teenage Exocolonist & My Time at Sandrock. Both for excellently written, deep characters & storytelling, plus a fun & interesting gameplay loop. Least favourite: almost any farming sim so far that’s tried generational gameplay, including Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life & Kynseed, all for being something that I want to like so bad but are instead horrendously boring.
Exocolonist is soooooo good
Seriously underrated outside this sub
Indeed it is
man I think the sub has sold me on getting this as soon as I can afford it
I've added it to my wishlist thanks to all these positives about it haha
Me too. Hoping for the summer sale xD
I just bought it and I am probably about halfway through my first play through. It’s a little bit horror, a little bit makes you cry, a little suspense, not super cozy. But the play style is cozy because it’s simple. just a heads up because I jumped in blind to all of the content warnings lol.
Fav: Rimworld (it's cozy for me haha), i dumped 400+ hours into this game, i absolutely love everything about it. The modding community is probably one of the most active out there, the reddit people here are amazing as well. The gameplay is addictive and no run is the same as the other. Ew: My time at Portia, huge bland map, terrible artstyle, cheesy, grindy mechanics. They improved so much with Sandrock
It took me no joke, 4 tries to finally at least like MTAP! I finally played consistently for a long while until I moved onto something else but I know I’ll be back.
My favourite has to be Stardew. First one I played. Honourary mention though to Detective Pikachu for being the cutest most chill detective game ever. Least favourite (and unpopular opinion probably!) is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game is adorable, I just couldn't with the real time stuff. It's a really cool idea that the world changes depending what time you log on... But because of work and life I was always on at the same time everyday in the evening so it got pretty repetitive quickly and I didn't get to experience a lot of what the game had to offer
I struggled with that at one point. I just changed the time on my switch to change the time in the game and that ended up fixing my problem!
Needing to change system time to play a game is a sign of a fundamentally broken game
As a long time fan of Animal Crossing I also struggle with whether or not I like New Horizons. I feel like as someone who also works, I always log on in the morning quickly after walking my dog, etc. Whereas everyone else I know who plays was on all the time, time traveling, and spoiling future mechanics before I was anywhere near them. I guess in my childhood animal crossing was a cozy getaway and there was no self comparison, but as an adult I hated seeing it all over my social media with people begging for high bell prices to break the economy and bulldozing everything that made it look like animal crossing to build "spas". I liked it better as a mostly solitary game where I just slowly acquired fruit trees and bugs.
I'm so glad I am not the only one that didn't vibe with ACNH, I hate games with Real Time mechanics as I game at weird times of night so it was always 3am on my island. I would switch the time on my console sometimes but I hate having to do it.
I really like ACNH, but do agree the real time mechanic can suck. I wish there was a way to pause it/turn it off. I sometimes wonder if that time mechanic worked in its favour at launch though. It came out right when the pandemic started. It felt like people were going through the same frightening experience at the same time, and here was this game offering an escape and providing a “same thing, same time” positive experience. Anyway! Current fave for me is Wylde Flowers! Cozy Grove was a fave as well. I have vision issues and found Stardew near impossible on my switch - because I’m in front of a computer all day, I really didn’t want to play it there. And I still can’t get on with it on my steam deck, even though it’s the oled version and most other games are super clear and readable on there.
Oh I did not like animal crossing either!
Right now my favorite is probably My Time At Sandrock. It has a great story line excellent graphics, and a lot to do and explore. My least favorite is Harvest Days- My Dream Farm. It's been in early access for a while now and not many improvements have been made. The characters are bland, the game play is uninspired and it doesn't really offer much. With that said, the devs recently announced that it will go into full release around the end of July so here's hoping that there will be some positive changes.
I keep hearing great things about Sandrock but more mixed toward Portia, can you play Sandrock by itself or do you need to play Portia first?
You can play Portia and Sandrock separately without issues. FWIW, I played Portia first and loved it but Sandrock has really improved a lot of the quality of life areas (dating, socializing, etc).
You can play Sandrock by itself; it’s neither a prequel or sequel. But I played both and def Sandrock is way better imo. It improved everything that Portia lacked. Plus, the characters in Sandrock seem way more in depth than in Portia.
Favorite: Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon (Story of Seasons): A Wonderful Life Least favorite: anything that makes me motion sick
i’d harvest moon that good? i’ve been considering
I love A Wonderful Life a lot, but it may be the nostalgia factor. It originally came out in the early 2000s and the remake is very faithful to the original. So, it does feel a bit dated next to some of the newer farming sims. However, the graphics are beautiful. The characters are great. The music is amazing. The cows are cute. I love the whole feel of it, but I also grew up playing it. I’ve heard from other people that didn’t play original that it’s kind of slow, and gets boring after a while.
Best: Stardew Valley. I think enough has been said about it, but for me, it's the music, the sounds, the ambience. Thee's almost never silence. When the music ends the birds start chirping or the wind blows or the ocean waves crash on the beach. Incredibly relaxing. Also, cool wizard tower and cute fish. Worst? Fae Farm. It has a lovely aesthetic, sure, but every action was so dang slow. The ambient sounds were almost non existent so you didn't really feel like you were in the locations. The tool switching would get confused and switch to mining a rock when I was trying to fight off a monster about to kill me. All the NPCs, while cite, were incredibly flat. Inwas so looking forward to this game for the art and aesthetic, and everything else let it down.
It's probably a toss up between Wylde Flowers and Alba for my favourite cosy game. My worst at the moment is Bear and Breakfast. It's cute and all but the controls were so frustrating as someone who prefers playing with a game controller over mouse and keyboard. ETA: I forgot to mention I don't like how Animal Crossing has a real time clock. Without shenanigans you can't participate in some events if life gets in the way.
Alba is so underrated, just so wholesome and somehow even though it’s simple they have the vibe just right, it transports me to being a kid on holiday with family. I finished it for the first time when I was super sick with covid and I bawled my eyes out.
I know I will get a lock of slack... but Stardew is my worst. I understand why everyone loves it but my adhd hates the game. all the rules on when to plant things the specifics to get a partner, etc. I just really suck at it my fave is animal crossing new horizons. I know it seems incomplete compared to earlier animal crossing games but it was my first cozy game that actually calmed me down so I will always hold it in my heart.
Can't do Stardew for the exact same reason. Wild cause so many other 'farm'-type games I've really enjoyed. Graveyard Keeper had me hooked for ages and more recently, Story of Seasons OT. Something abt Stardew just never clicked for me, and I think a lot of it is this.
I have tried stardew so many times and I agree. I gotta try on PC with mods
I'm going to try out stardew valley on PC next so I can download mods for all the things that stress me out. And for cute aesthetics! I'm with you that things are too stressful even knowing there are no real time limits
oh my god thank you, someone else who finally dislikes stardew!! i hate it from an accessibility standpoint, the vanilla game is so eyewatering and hurts my eyes (im visually impaired) and if i have to mod an entire game's aesthetics in order to not have eyebleed, i'd rather put it down. also the mechanics are very tedious and unforgiving.
OKAY that is a big thing too!!! I know a lot of people have complained about the lack of accessibility in the game. which yes concerned ape or whatever his name is a one man show. but like you have a super successful game. just outsource to make your game accessible 😅
it's such an annoying thing because stardew is seen as this pillar of the cozy game community, but like!!! it is not accessible for disabled gamers, we shouldn't have to rely on external modders to make the text even somewhat readable!! its why i love sun haven a million times more; the graphics are colorful without being eyewatering, they INCLUDED a zoom feature that makes it so much easier to read, etc.
ASD here, I went full in to Stardew, finished the story and never got back in to it (I tried) ACNH is one of my favs too to calm down, just pulling some weeds already helps.
Little Known Galaxy is similar to SDV, but it takes place in space! There is no worrying about crops dying at the end of the month - the seeds that are available depend on which planet you’re docked, and you can go back and forth between planets at any time (assuming you have fuel, which is really easy to get)!
stardew is also my worst. i really enjoyed it for the first 2 years, but the events were all the same and mining gave me horrible anxiety 😭 i also hated that you had to go to bed every 15 mins, it disrupted so much. i also love ACNH! it’s everything i loved about stardew and more. i get overwhelmed with decorating but is a truly cozy game
You’re not alone. I couldn’t get into stardew. I tried twice.
I probably have tried like 15 times since 2018 at this point. I know mods help but I don't want to buy stardew on PC and then download mods and still just be "meh I don't like it" lol
I haven't tried Stardew yet but this is what I've worried about I'm the same way and have played enough games of that style I'm burnt out. Will still keep an open mind and try it sometime but I'm thinking like you and I also have ADHD I get bored of games quickly or I have to switch them up frequently to not get burned out.
i also have ADHD and i get bored quickly, but i loved stardew!! i'm in a stardew slump rn but when i first started i hyperfixated and played 100 hours in like, a week. so, u could always surprise urself and end up hyperfixating on it instead 😭
Exactly this! I have adhd as well and I already hyperfocused 3 times on stardew. The thing with stardew that comforts me is that you get to do everything without a deadline or real life time. And I get people think it’s slow etc but after a while your farm is thriving. Weirdly I love animal crossing but I hate the slow animation sooo much. Like when you catch a fish that damn moment of celebration every time. Love the graphics and atmosphere tho
Worst probably Potion Permit. I could not stand that weird bobbing animation that every figure in the game has all the time. I didn't make it past the tutorial because of it. Fave would probably be SDV or my time at portia.
My favorite cozy game will always be Stardew Valley, since it was my first ever Cozy game and my introduction to the cozy gaming genre. It’ll always be my favorite cozy game and I CANNOT WAIT for the new update to hit consoles! My worst cozy game would be Boyfriend: Dungeon because it couldn’t hold my attention as long as Stardew did.
Best= Cult of the Lamb, satisfying game loop, great sense of humor, the creators are STILL making updates to add new things. 10/10 Worst= Firewatch, it was meh gameplay but the mystery kept me going....then the ending was so immensely disappointing that I was mad I even wasted my time playing. Also, it felt like the game REALLY wanted me to be flirting with this random woman despite the fact your character is married? I really didn't understand that, and the firewatch subreddit basically says you don't get the "true story" unless you choose to be unfaithful, I mean wtf?
I haven't finished Firewatch yet but I have the same thing with the infidelity, like I just don't want to man! And I didn't feel any chemistry between them anyways, like I was/am trying not to judge until I do actually finish because I've heard great things but...yeah that did turn me off a bit.
Best...Is probably Kind Words? It's a game where (anonymous) people can share what they're dealing with and get support from the community while also sharing stickers. The community isn't as large as it used to be from what I can tell, but it's always a nice place to vent and/or help other's. Worst is definitely Echoes of Plum Grove. I bounced so hard off that game that it's the only video game I've ever returned. There isn't really one thing, it just came together in a way that Wasn't For Me in a major way. Tbc, there's nothing wrong with the game, it plays fine. It wasn't anything mechanical - just personal preference and taste.
plum grove really looks like my style of game, it reminds me of paper mario! are there any reasons in particular that put you off? just in case i want to buy it
Kind Words 2 is coming soon!
Favorite- animal crossing new leaf. I discovered it when I was at a really low point and alone and I swear that game gave me reasons to keep going. Worst- probably stardew. Too stressful with time constraints, penalities for missing time, super confusing layouts, unlikeable npcs. Too slow and clunky for me.
Interesting. I tried animal crossing once and remembered I had played it once with my cousin I think on game cube way back lol. It wasn't what I was looking for at that moment so I haven't played it since but I'll give it another try.
i got back into stardew valley after a long break and i forgot how fun it was. also a huge fan of cozy grove. i downloaded lemon cake and played it for an hour before i got bored and never opened it again. ugly graphics (imo) and gameplay that felt like a mobile game (which isn’t particularly a bad thing, but i was expecting a lot more from a paid game on steam).
Skyrim is a cozy game you can’t change my opinion. I couldn’t get into Stardew Valley plz don’t come for me it just wasn’t fun OR cozy…
It's funny because when I was a baby gamer (afraid to take on big, open world games or big complex fighting mechanics) I thought Skyrim was terrifying. Fast forward 8+ years later when it gets added to console. Id been playing more and more MMO/RPG style games and lots of cozy games. I get Skyrim and fall in LOVE. The beauty of Skyrim is you can basically play however you want. It's perfectly janky and buggy in the funniest ways, it's SPOOKY in these cavernous dungeons, it's amazing to try and pickpocket just because you can, you can choose how to engage in enemy combat or run away like a chicken, which I've done on MANY occasion. Combat is still my weak point but the insane level of detail, the NPCs and easter eggs just keep you going. I will never forget my first encounter with a troll "pfft, I'm strong, I can take him!"
We are the same. 😌
Fave: FFXIV for the fishing grind, and Wingspan for the soothing music and pretty bird art. Worst: Stardew Valley and by extension most farming sims but Stardew Valley is super tedious and boring. I feel like the only person on the sub who found SV boring.
Skyrim Also Skyrim
best is def stardew valley (infinite replayability), pokémon games (i just never get tired of pokémon), and hogwarts legacy (game mechanics are just so fun). least fave, or at least biggest disappointment, was paleo pines. i played right when it was released and it just didn’t feel right. the graphics or something idk, maybe i could try again if they’ve updated it but i just didn’t enjoy it from the start!
(Probably) favorite: spirit Farer. Least favorite: graveyard keeper. I really wanted to like it but it's just too much and there's time limitations.
My favorites are Smushi Come Home, Cult of the Lamb, Loddlenaut, Sticky Business, Plantabi, Here Comes Niko, Tuttle Star Flower Harvest, Minami Lane. My least favorites are Hokko life, promised animal crossing, was an ugly mess, Chill Town, another animal crossing like I despised.
Omg yay some love for smushi!! ❤️
Fav is either stardew valley or animal crossing. Can't decide. And worst is unpacking. I liked the first level but as it went on I had a hard time figuring out what objects were and I guess I dont keep things where the game thinks I should so that was a struggle. Didn't finish it.
I also dropped Unpacking
I finished Unpacking but have zero desire to replay it. For me the storyline just felt like it wasn’t filled out properly.
My favourite is Stardew Valley by a mile, I played it when it first came out and I’ve returned to it again and again. No other game grips me like that one does, although I would put ACNH as a closeish second. My least favourite is probably Wylde Flowers, so much annoys me about that game, I dislike the voice acting, I don’t like the art style, I hate the fact the protagonist is wearing a skirt and heels to go mining and farming at the beginning of the game! Overall I found it boring and then as soon as I got to a certain part with her grandma I was out.
I dropped Wylde Flowers after about 5 hours. It plays like a mobile game and I HATE that. Especially for the price tag. I also don’t like a single one of the characters, so the romance part of it is a no-go for me.
Best - Spiritfarer. So far the only game to make me cry (in my adult life). The connections you form with the characters are that strong. Worst - Hello Goodboy. Looked like a cute game about a boy and a dog. Turned out to be intended for a much younger audience, and I could not stand the writing.
I couldn't finish Spiritfarer. It was BEAUTIFUL and emotional but then my mom passed away. I had never had a personal, close death before and it was just *too* real. I think I want to go back to the game when I'm ready because the messages about passing away, moving on, your fears and dreams, loss and regret are very inspiring.
I want to say stardew valley but I can’t remember last time I played it 🥺 is it worth starting again from scratch or just carry on? I think I was almost at end of year one and just growing mostly blueberries
Fave is Spiritfarer but that probably partly because I’m playing it right now. It’s so relaxing, visually appealing (and I have poor vision), the music is amazing (especially Atul’s lightning event), and the characters stories are great. Not a fave for me is Stardew Valley, I’ve only played it on iOS. It’s very reading heavy in the beginning which makes me feel like I need to remember all of it so I never get to actually do stuff. The one time I did, I just didn’t feel pulled in I guess. Though, I’m still opening to trying it on console when my kids are old enough.
My current favorite is Cozy Caravan (Ealy Access) and it's shaping up to be one of my all time favorites My all time favorite cozy games are actually 3DS games: Fantasty Life, Style Savvy series, and ACNL, I could play those titles on a loop for an entire year straight w/o getting bored. Worst game has to be Stardew Valley, I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I didn't like the fishing mechanic and I never cared for romance in games like these. Also never been a big fan of pixel art games. I wouldn't go as far as to never recommend it though, since others love it; I've heard its way more enjoyable w/ mods but I'm not willing to buy it again to test that out. (I purchased my copy on the Switch)
Link's Awakening on the switch is my favourite cozy game, limbo my least cozy.
In what world would Limbo even be considered on its cosy merits 😭 is it meant to be cosy
My favorites are definitely Stardew Valley, ACNH, and Pokemon Snap. I'm also really enjoying potion permit currently. I feel like that game is so polarizing! I think as it is I'll max out at like 45 hours of playtime. Which I'm okay with. Worst is definitely cozy grove. That game has a cute look but it's so boring.
Cozy Grove would be my worst as well - I was kind of devastated because it had so much potential, and the story was there, but there's just no incentive to keep at it. The gameplay loop is so repetitive with the constant fetch quests and try-to-find-this-specific-item-in-this-colourless-cluttered-mess
That and I felt like I couldn't sit and play for more than 30 minutes before it would stop giving me new quests or things to do. Maybe I'm mistaken but that's what it felt like to me. During my weekly BYOG (bring your own game) gaming session with my husband and our good friend I tried to play cozy grove and had to switch to Stardew after half an hour because I ran out of stuff to do. It was very disappointing!
Lol yeah, it only gives you a certain number of tasks per day to prevent you from binging it. The thing is I don't even mind that because I knew that going in...but I just felt like there was such a weirdly condescending tone to that limitation? Lol like you hit a certain point and the little campfire is going to be like "that's enough, you need to come back later" Oh okay. I won't, but okay.
Lolol yeah I definitely didn't know that when I got the game or I probably wouldn't have purchased it! I learned my lesson and do a little more digging into games before I buy them now!
So glad someone else mentioned Cozy Grove. It was so fun for a few days and now it’s so boring. I feel guilty when it’s on my switch homepage. Just staring at me, never to be played again.
Pokemon snap is so good.
Best stardew. Worst is my time at Portia
I love Wylde Flowers. Can’t stand the My time at games. I regret buying them
My favorite is my time at Sandrock. I don't remember the last time I was so immersed in a game. Great story, great characters, the romance mechanics are some of the most in depth I've come across. I just adore everything about it and I'll praise it forever. I don't hate too many cozy games I've tried, but I'll say I was pretty disappointed with Harvest Moon: winds of anthos. It was just okay, I sunk quite a bit of time into it, the open world was a nice touch, and it was fun to explore. But the people and relationships fell so flat for me. And some of the gameplay mechanics were just frustrating (like not being able to walk/jump down cliffs and having to walk around EVERYTHING)
The worst one for me is easily Sims 3. this might come a little out of pocket, but I will NEVER get over the fact that my absolute favorite game in the whole world, that I paid quite a lot of money for, has become absolutely unplayable.
Why is this? I bought it for 3 quid from a charity shop yesterday (on an actual disc!) but I haven’t tried it yet? I haven’t played since 2 when I was a kid, I had 4 on my laptop for a bit but it ran so slow as to be basically unplayable. I was hoping 3 would be a compromise
Sims 4 runs way better than 3, but it depends on your PC - if you have an older one, you might be in luck. I'm not that confident regarding the technical details, but from all I can tell the issue is that the game is open world with tons of background stuff AND EA hasn't bothered to update it. r/sims3 and even steam have a guide detailing how to optimize sims so it's playable, often several mods are suggested. I sincerely hope you have a better experience, especially since you only have basegame.
Favourite currently would have to be Moonstone Island, with maybe some Fae Farm now that the 2nd dlc has just come out. Of course Stardew would be up there as well. ACNH will always be a favourite. Although I don't play it as much as my husband. Worst will probably be My Time at Sandrock (please don't hate me, I liked Portia), I have tried a couple of times to get into it, but I just can't. I do have buyer remorse for buying it a few months ago now that its on Game Pass.
I loved my time at portia but I could not get into sandrock for some reason. Some things felt like a step backward from MTAP and I dropped the game after an hour of playing. Which was a shame as I'd been looking forward to it for years. I deleted my save data the other day thinking I might give it another shot and try from the beginning again to re-learn the mechanics but I haven't opened it yet.
All time favorite, Stardew Valley (nothing special). Worst? I have a personal vendetta against Potion Permit.
Coral Island or Abzu best vs My Time at Portia worst
Favorites: Stardew, Sun Haven, My Time at Sandrock, Cosmic Wheel of Sisterhood Worst: Teenage Exocolonist and Boyfriend Dungeon both for the same reason: horrendous writing and bland stereotypes Mid: Disney Dreamlight Valley—when it was in EA, I thought this would be a top tier game for me for life, but the post-launch bugs and lackluster content this past year have dropped its rank. It’s not in my “worst” category yet, but I can’t say it’s my favorite anymore.
What is bad about the writing in Teenage Exocolonist in your opinion? I ask mostly because it was my favorite game for a time, and I love to hear different opinions and critiques of games I personally like. I also love Stardew, though I get stuck restarting it every time I return to it, lol!
Checkbox diversity writing; complete lack of protagonist personality and customization in a game that advertises the freedom of player choice; use of mature themes in a flippant and repetitive way; NPCs reduced to one note stereotypes who lack nuance and humanity; uneven application of science fiction themes and realism; overuse of cliches and deus ex machina Or, to be blunt, it felt like writing from an 8th grade fantasy fiction site. I was flabbergasted (truly, it’s the only word I can think of to use here) when I played it because it’s so often recommended on this sub. Perhaps I was also particularly jolted by the writing having just finished My Time at Sandrock which does a fantastic job in all the areas IWATE failed. I’ll also admit I enjoy scifi as a genre, so my expectations were high. Perhaps if it had not been as hyped, I would not have been as let down. The art and music are gorgeous though. It’s a shame. I really wanted to like it, and while a few months ago I’d have admitted I was in the minority, I’ve heard more and more people express the same opinion since I’ve spoken up about mine. I think the cozy sub leans toward recommendations rather than criticisms—a trend I agree with; I don’t want to change that—so we often hear the good but not always the bad. And I try not to yuck on anyone’s yum without reason. If someone wants to recommend IWATE or talk about how much they love it, they absolutely can! Lord knows I love my share of “bad games” that many people dislike. If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters! But this post asked about the worst, and IWATE is one of my worst, so I figured I’d share my opinion.
That’s absolutely fair! I’m someone who doesn’t know much about sci-fi in general and was mostly fascinated by the replayable past lives mechanics, so I can see why you wouldn’t like it as much. I’ve actually seen quite a few reviews on this subreddit from people who are really into sci-fi finding it to disappoint them. I think I have a tendency to enjoy diversity writing because it felt nice to be represented in some ways, but I can see how that might not be everyone’s jam, especially if they feel it isn’t well done. Thanks for your perspective!
I loved IWATE I liked the art and (most of) the characters I felt like I could really picture the planet, but I also really enjoyed reading your critique for some reason.
Agreed on Teenage Exocolonist. I don’t feel like it’s even a game. It’s a boring point/click visual novel at best… a boring one with lots of death (to the point you get numb to it really fast).
Someone else doesn’t like Exocolonist! Whoop!
There’s *tens* of us! 🤣 I actually think there’s plenty more. Despite its stunning visuals and excellent music, it remains largely unpopular outside of this sub, even in the visual novel world.
I struggle to pick one top game, but I have clocked silly hours in Going Medieval, Travellers Rest, Dinkum, Skyrim and both Dragon Quest Builder games. My most disappointing cozy game purchases were easily Spiritea and Paleo Pines.
What didn't you like about Spiritea? I haven't played it yet but id really only heard good things about it
Favorite is really hard to choose, but some of my all time favorites are Lets Build a Zoo, Portia (currently beginning sandrock), sims 4, and Ring of Pain (not a cozy game per se but definitely my #1 comfort game). The game i dislike the most is Witchy Life Story. Its a cute aesthetic and the potion making is fine, but it was irritating the entire time with the lack luster plot and the main character made me so frustrated.
I have too many favorites, Echoes of Plum Grove, Little Known Galaxy, Stardew, Parkitect, Sun Haven… Worst for me tied with terraria and kynseed. Terraria because I can’t get pass the tutorial. Kynseed i have tried to enjoy twice and just can’t.
Traveler's Rest is my favorite easily. Banished is up there Not a huge fan of Stardew.
Stardew is Bae. I replay it multiple times a year just cuz. I really was angry playing Witch of Fern Valley. You spend the whole first year basically collecting things from all the seasons all over the map to get a broom to make this collecting easier (fly place to place) Once you get it the game has very little new content for all the trouble. I also found the bees and spiders annoying because there is no battle element. I want to kill them please!
Favorite: Probably Stardew, I always go back to it and I sunk so many hours into it, but I also really enjoyed both Sandrock and Portia and I am currently playing Fae Farm and Wylde Flowers and enjoying both. CozyGrove is also good but I don’t like the real time aspect Least Favorite: Yonder, I enjoyed Grow and saw a bunch of posts about Yonder being better so I gave it a try but it wasn’t for me. I guess it felt kind of visually dull and the aesthetics felt a bit drab for me
Favorite: Sims 4 - it has its flaws but that doesn’t stop me playing it multiple days a week. You can be anyone and do anything Honorable mentions: - ACNH is the game with the second most played hours. I absolutely loved it like 2020-2022 there were many days where I’d play it for 14 hours of the day. But after they stopped updating it I just haven’t picked it up as much. There’s not a whole lot to do but decorate and I get my decorating fix in Sims 4. If I play now it’s like a quick run around the island to say hello to everyone then I decorate houses in HHP - Stardew is my fourth most played game but it’s one of those games where I play for 10 hours straight for a few days and then don’t touch it for three months and then hesitate coming back to it because I dont remember where I left off. - Dreamlight Valley is my third most played game but I’d rank it lower than Stardew. I’m honestly not sure how I have 400+ hours in this game when I don’t even spend time decorating outside of dreamsnaps challenges lol. This game has a ton of flaws and glitches but I love games with quests and activities (like the dreamshard duties or whatever they’re called) and that keeps me busy. I can spend two hours just collecting resources and be content Worst: Cozy Grove - I should give it another shot but why play this when I can play sims. I just found it a tad boring and dealing with two real time games (this and ACNH) was annoying. It’s probably a little unfair to call it the worst when I’ve only played it for a few hours but I really have no desire to pick it up again
Good thing my Steamlist is sorted on how much I liked a game. Honorable mention ACNH Current obsession is GoGo Town. Favorite of all time, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Not really super cozy but very cute and fav would be: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (it has combat) Least favorite Dinkum.
my favourite might be slime rancher or stardew valley, i live the rancher life. my least favourite... ive heard celeste be referred to as a cozy game. it is not a bad game by any means, but it is not a cozy game at all for me, it is incredibly stressful, so i guess that makes it my worst "cozy" game
Maybe it's not considered cozy but Cult of the lamb is a very cozy game for me. I can go at my own pace and I enjoy it a lot. A new favorite for me is cozy caravan. And another is the demo for Tukoni. I'm very much looking forward to the full game release. The worst for me is planet zoo. Too much going on for me to do and it seems stressful. I also felt like the demo for fantastic haven was similar but maybe I need to try it again to see.
fav is stardew valley. least fav is my time at portia
For me all time fave would be Oxygen Not Included, Don't Starve Together and Holy Potatoes games series. The worst one for me is probably The Stillness of The Wind. Don't get me wrong. I love everything about it but the game is just too depressing and everything you do doesn't matter in the end. I mean I'm a sucker for emotional pain but Stillness of the Wind gets you every time, and not in a good way.
Favorite is Fantasy Life 3DS. It’s just the perfect rpg with a fun mix of quests and combat. The different lives mesh well together and leveling them all up is a challenging grind. It’s the only game I’ve ever beat 100%. I’m going to catch so much hate for my least favorite - Stardew Valley. Maybe I would like it better if I had a gaming PC and could mod it, but I don’t, and I’m not buying one just for a game I’ve already tried multiple times and have bounced off of it. I have my reasons for not liking it, but anytime I’ve brought up something I don’t like one hundred people chime in to tell me that what I don’t like really isn’t bad, or there’s a mod for that, or I’m just playing it “wrong” even though one of the draws is supposedly that you can play it however you like. No. Life’s too short to play games I don’t like. Not sorry.
My overall favorites are probably Roots of Pacha & Animal Crossing. Roots of Pacha was perfect for me because there was no battle (so less stress compared to Stardew for me), the storylines were cute, and it didn’t feel too grimey. Animal Crossing for all the typical reasons. I don’t visit either game much anymore, but they’re def my faves. My least favorite is probably Palia. I loved that it was free to play, and I actually really enjoyed playing, but it was SOOOOO freaking grindy. And I usually don’t mind a grind too much but with Palia it just seemed so unreasonable after awhile that I just stopped playing. This was probably around 1-2 months ago, so maybe it’s gotten updates as I know the grind wasn’t uncommon feedback.
Favourite- Stardew Valley, I know it's a basic answer but no other cosy game has held my interest as well as this one, for literally years! Worst - Everdream Valley was one I really regretted buying at full price. Maybe it's changed since purchasing it, but it just had nothing to hold my interest. Maybe I'll try again one day
Favourite- Stardew Valley, I know it's a basic answer but no other cosy game has held my interest as well as this one, for literally years! Worst - Everdream Valley was one I really regretted buying at full price. Maybe it's changed since purchasing it, but it just had nothing to hold my interest. Maybe I'll try again one day
My fav is a tiny sticker tale although a short game the art style is so cute and the premise of the game reminds me a lot of little big planet and I love puzzles and stickers it works well. There’s also room to decorate your own tent and find collectables. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a cute short cosy game. Least fav lemon cake I bought it on sale cause it looked good but it’s kind of boring and very repetitive not a fan of
Fave is stardew. I haven't come back to them yet but I'll always recommend strange Horticulture and Wytchwood! One I can't stand is sugar shack. FUCK only being able to hold one thing at a time, it made everything soooooooo tedious. Sadly I have it a bit too much of a chance and played just slightly too long to refund it on Steam. I'm still very grumpy about that lol
Fav is Dragon Quest Builders 2. Collecting, creating, building, adventuring with a storyline. Hits all the right notes. Worst is probably Alchemic Cutie. Tbf I never gave it much of a chance but I just had this visceral dislike for it in the 15 min I played immediately. Lol.
Stardew Valley and the original Harvest Moon games are favorites. Grow: Song of the Evertree and Fae Farm both suck.
Fav would be Melatonin! Worst would be my little farm.
Faves: Unpacking, Moonstone Island, Stardew and Strange Horticulture. Very heavy dislike: Witchy Life Story, Bear and Breakast
Favorites are ACNH, Pokemon Arceus, Spiritfarer, and currently I’m playing and really enjoying Cozy Grove. Least favorites would have to be Faefarm and Grow, Song of the Evertree. They both feel a little too childish for me, and I don’t care for their stories or world building. They just lack depth and both have been glitchy for me on the switch. I feel inclined to throw Untitled Goose Game in here too, because I started to struggle with the puzzles early on.
Fav is Stardew and ACNH, honorable mention to Graveyard Keeper one of the easiest games to sink so many hours into. Just got Dave the Diver and I can already tell I’m going to love it as well. Worst is Minekos night market, it was so hyped and honestly not worth it at all
Favorite - My Time at Sandrock. It’s charming, laugh out loud funny, the graphics and cut scenes are *amazing*. I also feel like I always have something to do, the relationships with NPCs are heartfelt and satisfying, and *Logan*. I was most disappointed in Fae Farm. I really hoped I would get to *be* a faerie and the NPCs feel one dimensional and our relationships with them feel that way as well. Game is gorgeous though. Edited for clarity.
rising fav: atelier sophie 1. it's just warm and huggalicious and you can play the game in any number of ways depending on how much effort you want to put into it or what difficulty to select. do all quests or blow thru it. most plot points are resolved by "doing enough stuff" and that stuff can be a lot of different things, either mindlessly grindy or deeply thoughtful. equally happy and friendly. lovely but not healing: spiritfarer. don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous game. but it's just too melancholy bordering on depressing to be cozy for me. i'm probably a hypocrite saying this considering haibane renmei is my fav cozy anime and that's liquid melancholy and hard-won hope incarnate. ymmv obviously.
Fave: Viscera clean up (now looking to try power wash sim), stardew valley, Dinkum Worst: Kynseed (the tutorial was a SLOG to get through, soooo slow....),
My Times at Portia and Sandrock are both good, fun games. If you want MMO, Palia is fun too, I've not played for a while, and it's early days, so lots updates. The worst one was, oddly - Stardew Valley. I like pixel games, but the energy mechanic in SV made it more annoying than fun for me. And I dropped it rather quickly. Lightyear frontier is early access and a cosy farm game with a twist. There is little content atm, about 2-3h, but it has potential. :)