#cozy game reviews

[cozynerdreviews]

5 Cozy Games from Steam’s Autumn Sale 

It's the coziest time of the year- so grab a mug of tea, wrap yourself up in a warm blanket and settle in for some cozy gaming sessions. These are five cozy games that are currently on sale over on Steam! (Have I said the word 'cozy' enough for the algorithm?)

Fields Of Mistria

Developer: NPC Studio Sale: 20% Off

Just one look at the art style of this farming game is enough to stoke the flames of Sailor Moon nostalgia.

Visit the beautiful village of Mistria to start your dream cottage core life. Filled with farming, cute cows and magic, the game is both beautiful visually and with wonderfully written characters who help flesh out this world.

Fields of Mistria is truly a gem amongst the absolute mass of farming games that has invaded Steam since the rise of Stardew Valley.

Spiritfarer

Developer: Thunder Lotus games Sale: 85% Off

If you haven't played this cozy management style game yet, now's your chance to get your hands on it. The game features a beautiful hand drawn art style with incredible lands to explore and fantastically designed characters to meet.

You play as Stella, a bright young girl working to maintain both your growing ship base and the relationship with your passengers. You work to guide them through this world, helping them make peace with their lives and staying by their side till the very last moment. I also cried so hard over a hedgehog, I accidentally injured myself.

Touhou Mystia's Izakaya

Developer: 二色幽紫蝶, Re零同人社 Sale: 39% Off

From what I understand, this is a stand alone game in a much larger, existing Universe. I don't really know much about it, what I do know is that you get to play as an adorable Sparrow Spirit who runs an Izakaya in the beautiful fantasy world of Gensokyo.

You can either buy ingredients of spend your mornings travelling the world to forage though that may take up precious time. The main game of cooking and serving customers can feel a bit chaotic but it's also easy to lose yourself in the groove as you play.

Reka

Developer: Emberstorm Entertainment Sale: 25% Off

In Reka, you explore the gorgeous woodlands as an apprentice to the Baba Jaga of folklore. Journey through the world, learning about the animals and spirits that also inhabit it whilst uncovering mysteries and secrets.

You can even build your own Baba Jaga home complete with giant chicken legs that help you move from place to place. The world is procedurally generated so each experience is always a new and fantastic one.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

Developer: Edelweiss Sale: 50% Off

You play as the titular Sakuna in this game, a spoilt harvest goddess who gets herself kicked out of Heaven- who must now work with mortals and tend paddy fields with your own hands.

Yet another game with absolutely gorgeous art, the combat and platforming in this game is buttery smooth and super satisfying to play. The rice growing mechanic is surprisingly involved as well, with you watching over the field through the seasons- tilling the ground, controlling the water level and dealing with the weather before finally milling and refining the rice after harvest.

That's it for this list. There isn't a ranking system here- just a few games that I think are worth the time, money and care.

If you do decide to give any of them a go, do let me know your thoughts!

Written by Lucine Zhang

[ranchstoryblog]

Little Unboxing: Nendoroid Claire!

Something fun came in the mail today! It's what will hopefully be the first of a few Story of Seasons Nendoroids: Claire!

Freeing her from her plastic prison, it's time to start messing with all her little accessories. She comes with a little tiny cow and a baby chick, as well as a turnip and (unpictured, whoops) watering can.

She also comes with alternative arms, hands, and shoulders so she can be posed in different ways. Perhaps the pose in the second image is what someone sees when she shows up to their place of business to joyously hand them a turnip she's had in her fridge for two months?

You can also slide out the box's interior and instantly create a cute little farm diorama! It's a little small if you want to use the included stand to hold up Claire, but otherwise it's a nice fit. The golden watering can was an exclusive bonus when ordering from the Goodsmile Shop.

Of course, you can also just pose her alongside any other Nendoroid figures you've collected. It's truly wonderful to finally have a figure of a character from this iconic series, so I'll definitely be trying more poses and taking more pictures in the future.

While preorders through Goodsmile have closed, she's still available if you missed her from some of their partner shops. For example, Big Bad Toystore still has US preorders available, which are shipping early next year. You might also be able to get lucky and get some of the extra stock from Japanese retailers and have her shipped right away, such as from HLJ. Just be mindful of that extra shipping cost if you go the import route to get her sooner!

If you're hoping for other characters from Story of Seasons to get figures, such as Pete, Gray, Marie, the Harvest Goddess, Nami, Rock... Whoever! Be sure to use the official request form! We made a guide on it and everything! And don't forget to try official names too! The AWL protags are Sion and Maya!

[thechthonicherbalist]

New beloved cozy game!

"Snufkin Melody of Moominvalley"

I've had this on my wishlist for ages, because I've been reading the Scandinavia based moomintroll books and series since I was a tiny. :3 So let me introduce you to my little friends! <3

Here's my little guy, Snufkin, with his friend the Mumintrollet. :3

In winter, while his friends hibernate, Snufkin goes to wander the lands in blissful solitude. We see beautiful scenery, he takes us fishing in the snow and on nightly walks through the gorgeous mountain scenery until he returns home in spring. <3

There he plays the harmonica and various other instruments later in the game for his friends, crows, baby birds, big worms & many more critters, while he makes his way around the valley to visit them all.

Until he reaches the blue tower, the home of the Moomintrollets. <3 (And much more to discover from there!!) Overall it's a very cozy game, that tells the story of how when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty, but is also full of beautiful art, unlikely friendships, strange adventures and cozy moments - and lots of peaceful fishing and forest walks.

[thelailasblog]

[blerdyotome]

Fields of Mistria Demo Review - A Cozy Nostalgic 90's Inspired Farming Sim

Move over Stardew, there’s a new farming sim coming for your bag. Heavily inspired by 90’s anime and farm-sim RPGs, Fields of Mistria is a nostalgic game. Start your new life! Build the farm of your dreams as you discover a world brimming with possibilities. Magic, romance, and adventure all await you in this nostalgic farming / life sim RPG!

[radleysgamereviews]

Honest Review of Fields of Mistria 10/10

I bet you're thinking, this is just another Stardew Valley, and I would be lying if I said that wasn't my first thought as well. However, I was so wrong! Fields of Mistria is far from Stardew and it all starts at the beginning.

You arrive in Mistria after an earthquake that shakes the townsfolks to their core, no pun intended. They of course have asked you to help and in return have given you a plot of land to grow crops and raise farm animals. You think all of this would be overwhelming, but Fields of Mistria takes it slow and teaches you everything you need to know in an unconventional tutorial. This tutorial takes a few in game days to complete through multiple different quests, but by the end you'll have all the tools you'll need to help the town as well as yourself.

While you are doing the normal farming sim gameplay: chopping trees, breaking rocks, fishing, and catching bugs, you learn about the mysterious magic that is in the land. This magic is tied to everything you do. So, the more you chop, break, fish, and catch the more magic that is stowed upon you. Eventually, you'll learn some pretty cool things with this magic, but I won't tell you what it is, so I don't ruin any surprises.

Just like many farming sim games, you'll be interacting with the townsfolks of Mistria and completing quests for a majority of them. These quests don't have a time limit so you can get them done as quick or as slow as you want. There is literally no pressure. I do recommend doing them in a timely manner however, to not only increase the town level, but to also boost your relationship with many of the romanceable characters, because let me tell you... they are HOT!!! You will not have a hard time picking a future husband or wife, or maybe you will because the options will be too hard to pick from. Regardless, marriage is currently unavailable while I am writing this review so you will just have to admire them from afar.

Now it's time for my review... 10/10 game HANDS DOWN and this is still just an early access game! Not only is this my first 10/10 game that I have reviewed, but this will also be my game of the year for 2024. From the inclusiveness, to the storyline, to the cute graphics, and to the gameplay itself, it really has it all. I absolutely love the customization for my character and the ability to change my appearance at any point. I adore the crafting and all the recipes that are currently in game. The farming is simple and easy but still enjoyable. Mining is fun with a small challenge of defeating creatures as you go further down in the mine. Raising animals is adorable and the ability to breed rare colors is exciting. The quests keep me engaged in the game and give me a purpose. With all of that though, my favorite part of the game has to be decorating the farm and my house. I cannot get over how cute everything is, the number of different items there are, and just the ability to be able to decorate it anyway I want.

So, if you are looking for a new farming sim game, this is the one! Best part... it's so reasonably priced at $13.99USD!!! I really can't recommend this game enough!

[junopixels]

South Scrimshaw

South Scrimshaw: Part 1 is a free visual novel in the style of a nature documentary, exploring the life and habitat of the (fictional) species Pistrixiana sylvefera: the Brillo whale.

It’s an enchanting work of speculative biology. The whales themselves are fascinating, and the slow unfolding of the setting’s larger context and history is a joy to experience. Plus, it’s got seabunnies, “stupid but friendly” sharks, and a very troubling implication about cephalopod intelligence! (A minor warning for animal death-  this is a nature documentary, after all.)

It’s definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in speculative biology/evolution or worldbuilding more broadly, or if you just want to see cool animals illustrated in a dreamy, Studio Ghibli-inspired art style.

Oh, and play with headphones if you can-- the soundscape (narration, music, animal vocalizations, and environmental sounds) is beautiful and worth experiencing in full.

On the whole, I think it’s really, really well-done. It took me about 2.5 hours to go through Part 1′s 4 chapters, and I was totally engrossed the entire time.

The visual novel format is smartly employed for pacing, and the footnote-style asides about the documentary’s context (other species of interest, the setting’s history and folklore, the crew’s technology, etc.) are tantalizing glimpses into what already feels like a well-developed world. Small details are scattered through the main story, building to a few larger reveals near the end of Part 1-- I won’t spoil anything, but so far I’m reminded of some of the best of the “slow burn” sci-fi worldbuilding tradition, and I’m excited to see more.

South Scrimshaw was created by N.O. Marsh and is available for free on Steam and Itch.

[astrogirlythings]

Did you guys play the new Stardew Valley - 1.6 update ?

The game is modded and ready to play. Super excited. 🤩💓🤗

I think that it's the last update for Stardew Valley & that breaks my heart a little. 🙁

Stardew Valley is a therapist in disguise. It played an important role in healing my wounds. I am forever grateful to ConcernedApe for creating such a gem. More love to you. 💖🫂

[troythecatfish]

Here’s my personal Video Game recommendation. Paleo Pines. ( No Spoilers ). It’s a cozy ranch simulator with dinosaurs. The art style is very unique and cute. The gameplay is very calming and peaceful. There’s a diverse range of dinosaur species in this game. This game is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox series XS

[bookishlyvintage]

currently playing: Fashion Dreamer [x]

[splashink-games]

A Note On... Making The Coziest Street

Minami Lane is a cozy management game by Doot and Blibloop! Build new shops, pet cats and make your villagers happy!

One of the few times I get a game on release without backing it! Unfortunately very short, but a worthwhile experience.

I really like everything about this game. From the music that kinda goes too hard for a cozy game, to the very soft art style, to the insanity of playing on 4x (four times) speed.

The gameplay is rather simple, but it's more of a strength than a weakness for a game of this variety. Especially if you want to relax, you don't want to be worried about money or optimizations. It's more about catering to the people on your street and making it the way you want.

Each shop has recipe options. You can make a bowl full of noodles at the ramen shop, or have no tapioca at the bubble tea shop. The customers do have a preferred combination of items and prices, so of course there's a little bit of intent behind the decisions.

Something I found really fun were naming the shops however I wanted. The karaoke bars were of course Survive and Revolve Bar, especially if they're playing Maka Bitai.

Because there's a lot of sit and watch involved with sim games, there are also a variety of small mechanics to keep you involved. The really cute one is petting the cats that show up (when you have enough beauty on your street. They give you money while also being adorable.

The more gameplay-oriented mechanic is the customer feedback, telling you how to adjust your shop's recipes for their perfect experience.

As a management sim, there are of course ways to optimize things—picking up the trash and gathering customer feedback automatically. I only ended up using the feedback upgrade because at some point, you won't be able to manually pay attention to 5+ shops at the same time.

One criticism I heard while playing the game was that it looks like a mobile game, which I can see. It's not so much a negative, rather just a style you don't normally see working well on PC games. It works alright here, though.

Personally, I think the game is too small. I wouldn't know what the devs could do to make the game longer without hurting/disrupting what they have in place (that, by the way, already works really well). The missions were enjoyable and I think more of those might be worth it.

If you love cozy games, Minami Lane is one to play with its great art style and chill gameplay!

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[horrorhodgepodge]

Strange Horticulture

“Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries. http://www.strangehorticulture.com ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. Strange Horticulture is a delightful cozy game…

[todayisafridaynight]

getting wigs for characters with the same hair color as myself make me feel like the biggest dumbass around but youd have me fucked thinking im burdening myself with daigos 2000's emo cut just for a weekend

[cozyinpixels]

New Blog Post! We Need to Talk About Fields of Mistria

[syrasynn]

Dave the Diver (Mini Review)

Revitalize a floundering sushi restaurant by catching your own fish during the day and serving your catch to demanding customers at night. 

Part fishing sim, part restaurant management

Catch fish, set the menu, and hire staff to help you run the restaurant

Exploration is encouraged through a constantly changing dive location and story beats pushing you to dive deeper

Lots of wacky characters, sidequests, and upgrade systems

Early access on Steam

[radleysgamereviews]

Honest Review of Faefarm 8/10

I was so excited to get my hands on this game and that excitement never faded as I played for hours on end!

Right off the bat you get to customize your adorable character and the options were amazing and very inclusive. Once you finish making your character you're transported into the charming world of Azoria. You get introduced to the mayor and get your first look at your new house and farm. Like most farming sims, your farm is covered in rocks and trees, and you get the wonderful task of clearing out the area. You are given tools fairly quickly and can start right away on this daunting task or you can follow the quests given to you. I chose to follow the quests and I'm glad I did because the beginning quests were actually the tutorial. The devs of Faefarm did a great job with the tutorial because I didn't even realize I was doing one until the end of chapter 1. That's the other cool part! This game has chapters!!! Faefarm is not just a farming sim. This game is so quest oriented that it had me addicted for hours just trying to complete the quests. There are even side quests to complete including romancing characters! I barely touched farming in the beginning stages of this game except for when a quest made me harvest a crop or if I needed food for stamina. As the game progressed and I needed more money to buy furniture for my home or an adorable new outfit, I eventually turned to crops as my main source of steady income. Crops aren't the only source of income however, there is fishing, critter catching, and mining for crystals to turn into polished crystals that sell for a ton of money. Once your pockets are lined with money you can set off to buy better tools from a handful of NPCs and with better tools comes more quests available to you.

At this point in the game, you can either continue these quests or start decorating your house and your farm! The options are limitless when it comes to decorating!!! There are so many styles and colors to choose from and the furniture you get to build are so cute. I will say building was not easy at first and decorating took some getting used to but overall, the mechanics weren't terrible. I enjoyed decorating my cozy home and the ability to expand my house is always a nice feature to have, but the coolest and probably the most appealing part of decorating your house is that certain furniture increases your health, stamina, and mana (your magic power). When you begin the game, you have very little of these three so decorating becomes crucial because dungeon crawling is a big part of completing quests. The monsters in the dungeons are unique and not overly challenging, but they are not to be underestimated. Many can come at you at one time making it overwhelming if not prepared. This is where cooking and potion making play a big role. Eating a cooked meal restores your stamina (and some foods give you extra powers as well) which helps you continue through the dungeons whereas potions help restore health and mana. Do not, I repeat DO NOT go into a dungeon without any food or potions! You will not be able to make it to the end and the end of the dungeon is the coolest part that you won't want to miss!!!

All of this doesn't even scratch the surface of things you can do in Faefarm! The possibilities are endless and there is no one set direction you have to go in. That's what I think makes this game so great. You play at your own pace and enjoy everything Azoria has to offer. If you are quest oriented, you can dive right in and beat the game and farm later. If you enjoy the simplicity of farming, then you can do just that and dungeon crawl at your own pace. Personally, I did a combination of the two because I wanted to take my time with this game but not go too slow that it took me forever to see some of the coolest parts. The reason I give this game an 8 out of 10 is because of the confusing building/decorating mechanics, the lack of NPC dialogue, and the fixed camera angle. Besides that, I would say this is one of the top contenders for farming sim of the year!