Cozy Games Need Better Mechanics

------------------------------------------

Subscribe for more videos!

#AnimalCrossing #StardewValley #ad

[SREN]

the coziest game i can remember was mysims.. cause nothing really mattered. yes build the town but also theres no pressure. you’re not timed, you’re not stuck behind the money system, theres no grinding, its just mini games, customizing and getting to know the silly town.

[Wackaz]

Maybe a hot take but idk I feel like a lot of AC veterans will agree with me: New Horizons, unlike all prior games in the series, doesn't feel like a cozy game to me. There is almost a pressure in this game due to its lack of life simulation elements that made the series so special in the first place, and New Horizons has a money sim aspect that wasn't so prominent in last games, as it's more of a building simulator rather than a life simulator. New Horizons constantly has you grinding for bells just to do the most basic things (moving buildings, etc.) The money making aspect doesn't feel organic like previous games whatsoever. For me, I don't find this cozy nor relaxing. What made Animal Crossing so cozy and relaxing was the fact you moved INTO an established town in which your primary goal was to live in harmony with the animals and take your time venturing into shops, gardening, exploring, etc. where the building and creative elements in the TOWN itself (not to be confused with your clothes or house, which are certainly relaxing activities) were secondary to living and breathing within it. In New Horizons, you breathe over it, insofar as the town is completely yours to control, so much so you dictate the lives of animals rather than living harmoniously with them. This is a grave flaw and mistake in New Horizons' design as a sequel leaving it lacking in loyalty to Eguchi's (the founder of Animal Crossing) vision for the games in the first place, that being fighting loneliness by being part of a COMMUNITY - Eguchi's direction is noticeably absent in New Horizons, which says a lot. Overall, Animal Crossing needs to return to its roots to be cozy again, by learning from the deeply embedded problems with New Horizons' direction, and being loyal to its previous entries, which were absolutely cozy games for a reason that New Horizons didn't have.

[piperpanda]

One of the things I noticed the most when it comes to why I stop playing games, it 100% comes down to goals. I stop playing a new world in minecraft once I set up my main base. I stopped playing animal crossing once I got most of the easy beginner stuff unlocked. These games shouldn't force you into any goal or questline, but a good game should have many questlines with a variety of easy, hard, quick and lengthy. Especially if they are sandbox. There's only so long you can enjoy running around and exploring. The game needs to give you stuff that you have to unlock, or discover, or stumble onto. Stardew does this so well. My first playthrough, I played 24/7 for 2 weeks straight, there was just so much to do, it was so fun. Interacting with villagers, fishing, mining, farming, crafting, clearing my farm, the festivals, new seasons with new crops, unlocking inventory space, unlocking skull cavern, unlocking ginger island, 100% friendships with villagers, getting married, getting the good tools, decorating my farm, community center, junimo huts, the which. Everywhere I looked there was something that hinted at an area to unlock and a skill to get better at so I can unlock these areas and these items.

Minecraft barely has unlock areas, the end and the nether are the main ones, and it has temples and such to explore, but after the initial, it really doesn't have many other mechanics to explore and grind. It's almost too easy to start up and have a beginner base in like 5 hours of play, and I think they are starting to expand on that, but they are expanding more of the combat than on the explore and survivability portion. Animal crossing really fails at this. It has a main questline but horribly weak side quests. Stardew has a main questline too, but you make progress on it while you are also making progress on the side quests and you are always doing 3 things at once. Grinding the same lengthy questline with each single minor quest, gets boring. Animal crossing always has 1 thing to do and it takes so long and so much effort many get bored before they complete it. They need more smaller things, more unlock areas, more places to explore to get materials to finish the main quest line, without feeling like a main quest line. Minecraft has too little direction to go, and animal crossing doesn't have enough things to do.

TLDR I guess what I'm saying, in most games, once I'm set up to survive, I'm bored because the next thing to do is either unnecessary or / and takes too much effort. There needs to be more unlock areas, and goals to stumble upon. Mini quests with decent rewards (maybe to unlock areas or help with main quest). To keep the exploring vibe. Especially if there are multiple "main quest lines" and stuff that can be done simultaneously not linearly.

[MegaVyruss]

graveyard keeper the story is really intricate and as it progresses you gain more abilities so it doesn't get stale same with Stardew Vally they introduce things but not all right away to keep it interesting

[ApapaneNui]

Speaking of "improving decoration, " something I liked about Happy Home Paradise was being able to easily decorate _outside_ the house. So on top of all the improvements you suggested (including stacking items atop each other, a more lenient grid-system, etc.), I'd say let us use that same system to decorate outside on our own island.

Also, if terraforming does come back (which I _really_ hope it does; figuring out and creating my own vistas and landscapes is one of my favorite parts of NH), let us use the same system to easily craft our vistas. In fact, you could even have that mechanic be a reward for quests/jobs.

There was a Mashable interview with project lead Aya Kyogoku where she confirmed Mr. Resetti no longer worked at the Reset Surveillance Center due to the Switch's auto-save feature. Well, have Resetti in charge of terraforming now. Let's say he started his own terraforming and construction company (he's a mole dressed in construction equipment after all!), and you can go work for him as an employee (like you did with Brewster at The Roost back in the day). Complete enough jobs for him and you unlock terraforming features. The more jobs you complete, the more you can accomplish on your own.

This could potentially take care of several birds with one stone. You have a goal to work towards which you can do at your own pace. You have more unique NPC interactions with Resetti and his construction crew. This takes the terraforming aspect of NH, streamlines it, and takes it to the next step. The possibilities are there and waiting to be implemented!

[chatic_neutral_system]

We need less button mashing and more accessibility features like auto fishing or hold to spam because I’m disabled and have developed wrist sprains just from playing for a few hours then cannot ply for weeks to rest

[WilbosWorld]

Yeaaa, I have hope that they’ll take community feedback about mechanics for the next Animal Crossing game. I like the quests that happened in the original Animal Crossing. For example, tortimer leaves to go on vacation and asks you to look over the lighthouse. If you successfully turn on the lighthouse every day you get a prize. I think more “cozy” quests from special NPCS or villagers in the next game would be so cool.

[TheDevilsOwl]

I think the problem with a lot of "cozy" games these days is that their definition of cozy is 0 stakes and mundane tasks, and to keep with that they don't over complicate mechanics such as crafting, cooking, decorations etc. They keep it streamlined, almost to a fault, it's just basic gameplay with some kind of lofi music theme half the time with minimal end game feel.

As weird as this will sound, I think World of Warcraft CAN be a very cozy game, if you play it that way, just doing professions, farming transmog and mounts, and you can still do daily quests throughout the many zones to build rep with many factions as well as doing achievements. Plus there's a shit ton of events year round, it's weirdly a great blueprint for a cozy game in those particular activities and areas.

[DanielPereira-eynt]

For the new leaf coffee minigame, it actually does kind of work like coffee talk but in a much simpler way
For normal villagers the amount of milk will always correspond to the amount of sugar
No milk = no sugar
A little bit = one spon
The regular amount = two spons
Lots of milk = three spoons
However there are a few special characters that do not follow the rule and those you have to memorize. Like how Tom Nook likes lots of milk but only one spoon of sugar

[shadycactus]

This video just showed me how primal Acnh is compared to the other cozy games

[kimiyami]

I wonder if you played the My Time series? Its pretty good! There's two games (plus one in development) that takes place in the same continuity, all with solid NPCs, storylines and fun events in the cities you live in :3

[Littledaffodilgirl]

Wow! I’m early!! I just wanted to say that kora.. your channel bacically saved me from putting down Acnh forever! But you inspired me to make my island MY ISLAND instead of following a theme. I now have my forever island and I owe it all to you! Loved todays video! Maybe you could do Nookazon vids?

[annieshavingthoughtsagain]

I think that Dave the Diver is a good example of doing things right. Two main game modes, different biomes, and minigames. I dare anyone to try to feel bored playing that game!

[Maddelinegolding]

Hii thanks so much for actually talking about the games honestly instead of just getting sponsors

[modelmajorpita]

Harvest Moon: the light of hope had some pretty flat NPCs, but one thing I felt it did great was the different farming areas were actually unique biomes, with different soil quality, and different varieties of crops would grow from the same seed based on when you planted it and where, unlocking new seeds. You could also crossbreed crops like how you breed flowers in AC:NH. It's probably the most in-depth farming of any cozy sim I've played, actually doing something interesting with it and justifying farming being the focus of the game.

[EdinMike]

I’ve never noticed I got the heeebie jeebies at the phrase “nighttime beetles” 🥴

[darksagus]

One of my favorite mechanics is upgrading and unlocking stuff. Upgrading tools, weapons, armor, houses. It gives you a goal with the reward of being able to do things better/easier.

[ZESTIESTBESTIESLAY]

Wake up baby, a new koramora video just dropped 💅

[SRNG]

I think a lot of the time recent cozy games are hit or miss- they have a mechanic that's great in one area (ex. decoration in DDV or Palia), but sucks in others (ex. bland NPCs in Fae Farm that ruin the immersion); it's just a matter of balancing "enough fleshed out mechanics to be engaging" and "not too simple or too many that the player feels like they're chores instead of something fun to do in the game."

[Medusa_The-Bard]

I want more cozy games with ROMANCE OPTIONS I like my romance choices!!!