What Makes a Game Cozy? ~ Design Doc

Sometimes we all need a chill game to relax to. But what makes a game cozy? What can you do to make a game cozier than average? Let's talk about it, and go over some of my cozy favorite video games of the past couple years.

Featuring:
A Short Hike
Grow Home
Untitled Goose Game
Night in the Woods

#ashorthike #nightinthewoods #untitledgoosegame

[aguncomon]

I have to say, "farming" games (as in the literal meaning) are the false cozy games, lures you in with a "laid back, farmtown life" but you are under pressure of getting resources all the time

[RealityMasterRogue]

A Short Hike is absolutely fantastic, you're so valid in gushing about it

[kylestillwell]

Breath of the Wild is not a “cozy game” in its entirety, but it's 100% possible to boot up the game to have a cozy experience for one play session.

Also, worth mentioning, Poly Bridge has one of the coziest soundtracks of any game I've ever played or experienced

[thexinventor]

A Short Hike, Later Alligator and Night In The Woods all being acknowledged in one video makes me so happy

[puppable]

A Short Hike was an incredibly important game for me. I played it at at a time when I really, really needed a game like that, and the game helped me immensely.

[enteikarino]

Sometimes, I find certain aspects of a game to be cozy, even if the game itself isn't. Persona is a prime example where songs like "Beneath the Mask" can be really soothing to listen to. Adding cozy aspects to a game can add to the charm or make a nice break from the action. I've fallen asleep to the Tartarus lobby theme in Persona 3 more times than I care to admit.
Minecraft also follows similarly where the game can get tense at times, but it can also be relaxing to play depending on what you do. Sure, there are monsters here and there, but many of them aren't terribly threatening as long as you take precautions.
Omori is similar to Night in the Woods where it has a cozy, charming world to explore, yet it covers EXTREMELY dark themes. I adore the music and relax to soundtracks like the Title Screen or some of the spoilery themes that I won't mention.

[ralphhelmhart]

My favourite cosy game at the moment is " spiritfarer"

[gewreid]

Todays lesson: Keep existential dread and murder cults out of your cozy games, they ruin the mood. :p

That being said, i found that the darker themes in NITW highlighted the cozy moments rather than distracting from them.
It is an unusal cozy game for sure, going for a more bittersweet and nostalgic but still very calm and relaxing mood. Instead of offering pure escapism, it gives you both the poison and the antidote in one cohesive package, showing you that they can both coexist.

[matthewshiers]

Spiritfarer by Thunder Lotus fits this category pretty well. It doesn't shy away from its dark premise, but allows the player to approach it at their leisure. It's one of the most emotional games I've ever played and yet it's also one of the most relaxing ones in my game library.

[DokuDoki]

There's a unique genre in japanese culture called 癒し系 (iyashikei) which translates to healing, and usually relates to manga and anime type of media. You don't see this genre much in the west but the most likely media to encounter the concept are, in my experience, the video games. The genre doesn't seem to have a specific word for it over here, at least not yet.

[BisectedBrioche]

NITW really goes for the jugular (even the "cozy" elements to it are basically an extension of Mae having way too much free time). At the same time, I think the contrast actually helps make it sincerely cozy; the theme is basically "it's OK to want to try and relax, even when there are real problems", and the darker elements help keep it grounded (supernatural stuff notwithstanding).

[luchilenium]

I love Night in the Woods. Was a great comfort for me in lockdown last year. I got into a routine of playing a chapter every night.

[kohakurensenko]

One more thing to think about is what's the difference between cozy game, and simply boring one. A lot of casual games without any pressure and with a lot of repetitiveness can quickly end in latter category if they lack that "magic ingredients".

[albertand]

A Short Hike has very quickly become one of my favourite games of all time, simply because it's just the nice - the writing, characters, themes and music just all blend together into a perfect cozy-cocktail, that I always play when I'm in a bad mood, even if it's just for a few minutes.
I was lucky to get the soundtrack on Vinyl and it is truly the perfect record to play on a breezy Summer afternoon

[Smeali]

Oh my goodness, the A Short Hike soundtrack gives me chills every time. Highly, highly recommended.

[drewk]

so glad A Short Hike is getting a moment!! frankly I don't wanna talk about any other game. I'm so excited to see what the creator comes up with next!!

[codex]

The flying and gliding in A Short Hike is satisfying. Beautiful game!

[Jediahgames]

A short hike quickly became one of my favorite games ever
It feels so good to play and to talk to everyone

[jbmboy]

I always found Journey pretty cozy. It was one of the few games where after a I'd played I would let out a satisfied sigh like I'd just slipped into a warm bath.

[pinandstutter]

Was definitely expecting to see Spiritfarer here! The story does deliver a periodic punch in the feels, but the themes of learning to appreciate the good memories as part of the process of letting go keeps it well within cozy territory imo