Cozy Gaming Season
Almost every year this time of year I pick up some “cozy games”, which generally means indie games that aren’t overly mentally taxing, have a good story, have a good gameplay loop, and have an “end” or an “I’ve enjoyed this enough” experience that you can hit in a few hours. The kid of thing you could finish between Christmas and New Years.
Here’s an incomplete list of games that have fallen into this bucket, if you’re looking for something to finish out the year. Everything links to Steam but they’re pretty widely available. 🌟 = ones I really enjoyed.
Metroidvanias
Games where you explore, power up, and explore some more.
- Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps 🌟
- Gato Roboto
- Guacamelee!
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Super Jumpman
Games where hand eye coordination is all you need.
Chill racing games
No competition just vibes.
Story time
Games with relatively limited mechanics where you’re really just learning about the world you’re part of.
- Stray 🌟
- Donut County 🌟
- What Remains of Edith Finch 🌟
- The Forgotten City
- Oxenfree
- Spiritfarer
- Untitled Goose Game
Rogue-likes
Die, try again.
- Hades 🌟
Strategy and Card Games
Take some time to think before you click.
Tiny adventures
Like the OG 2D Zelda games.
For 2023
This year I’ve got a Steam Deck to play on (thaaaanks Kyle), which is the perfect cozy gaming device, and I’m giving these a shot: