trasharmdsister12 on 18 July 2024
A lot of good ones already listed so I'll try not to repeat them. Here's a list of the ones I've played over the last few years. They vary from cozy in terms of vibe but still requiring some attention to gameplay, cozy with gameplay but potentially stressful emotionally, to completely cozy in both departments. Just based on your other recent threads, I take it you're looking for something to balance the stress of playing Souls-likes which is something I completely empathize with as my gaming habits seem to largely be souls-like stressful games balanced with smaller cozy games.
- Outer Wilds - cozy in the sense that gameplay isn't too pressured or stressful but you do need to pay attention and get absorbed in the world (which some people find really difficult to do). Kind of shares that From Software philosophy of paying attention to your world in order to get the most out of the narrative
- Arcade Paradise - Just good vibes if you have a love of more retro arcade-style gaming
- Chants of Senaar - I'm big on puzzles and language so this one really resonated with me recently.
- A Short Hike - first thing that came to mind when I saw this thread and was surprised no one else had mentioned it. It is the epitome of stress-free gaming.
- Life is Strange series - These ones are stress free gaming mechanics wise but can resonate emotionally.
- Spider-Man series - I don't know about others, but I find these to be very enjoyable and mostly stress-free. The only potential areas of stress are higher difficulties or trying to achieve top rank in every single challenge. But otherwise they're just a good time.
- Diablo series - Can be annoying to get leveled up, but I find I go into a flow-state in the end-game when just grinding.
- Dragonball Z: Kakarot - I put over 100 hours into this thing somehow. It was just good vibes if you're a fan of DBZ. It's not a great game IMO, but it was a solid nostalgia trip with very cozy vibes.
- A Night in the Woods - Cozy gameplay but potentially intense vibes
- Oxenfree - Again, cozy gameplay with potentially intense vibes
- Ni No Kuni series - The first one can be difficult at times but I got super addicted to the town building in the second one and put nearly 60 hours into it.
- Yakuza series - The gameplay can be a bit rough and cause stress as a result, but the stories are just fantastic. They can make you laugh or cry depending on how invested you get in all the insanity.
- Dodgeball Academia - Good vibes coupled with not super demanding gameplay
- Psychonauts 2 - Much like Yakuza, this one can make you laugh and cry easily and I think it's a lot easier for a general audience to get into than Yakuza. Also the gameplay is quite good.
- Forza Horizon series - This one is much like Spider-Man where while you play it, it's just a good time. But if you want to get the highest rewards in every challenge than you will find more difficulty/stress.
- Unpacking - Another light puzzler that has simple gameplay but can make you emotional
- The Artful Escape - Honestly more of an "experience" than a video game with how easy it is. But it's visually stunning and has great music if you're into that kind of music.
- Untitled Goose Game - Another fun adventure-puzzler with a quirky sense of humour
- Tacoma - A neat space mystery "walking-simulator"
- The Touryst - Another fun (and strangely beautiful despite its voxel based art) adventure-puzzler
- Her Story - Very basic gameplay but a potentially engaging story for you. Kind of like Fromsoft again with how you have to piece the story together yourself by paying attention. Also recommend the follow ups, Telling Lies and Immortality, but all 3 can get intense in terms of story.
- The Outer Worlds - The most stressful thing about this game is the decisions and how they impact the world and characters. But overall I found my experience with it stress free and the kind of nihilistic tone of it all did make the decisions feel less intense to me overall.
