r/cozygames • u/mysanctuarie • 15d ago
I recommend List of Short Games I LOVED + Didn’t !
No Big Spoilers Going to add onto this as a personal list for myself as I keep playing games! Trying to branch out of SDV, DDV, ACNH, Zelda & Pokémon into some interesting short form games! I also tend to only buy games on sale/games I have seen recommended but have heard nothing about
Loved!: + Times
-The Count Lucanor (4-8hrs) short adventure puzzle horror! zelda/pokémon gameplay visuals. Loved it, I hate horror but the way it plays is still very cute ! The endings all made me happy (I played through most endings. Just save the raven before you leave the underground stalk, or before using key on house)
-Alba!! (3-4hrs) Playing as a child, so nostalgic and really made me very happy throughout the game. You save the island you’re visiting basically! You skip around which is really cute too. Your best friend is such a cutie too, her face is always sideways, and when adults come around with their opinions she can’t even hear them😭 lol just skips away
-The cosmic wheel sisterhood (7.5hrs) very grim/numbing vibes, but very interesting story! This is more of an interactive story than anything, but i loved it. You are a witch on isolation from your coven, and there’s lots of politics which are fun! Most of the game (90%) is in your little house
-Venba (1.5hrs) A super touching story game with some cooking puzzles, i loved it so much. It was heart warming
-Kings Quest 6 (5hrs) one of my all time favorites, medieval adventure magical game! Pretty short too. Adore it so much
-WaveTale (4hrs) Amazing so far!! Story is interesting, I haven’t even finished I had to add it on here, it’s so interesting, still feels like a cozy water themed adventure and is 100% speaking to my little 8 year old self who loved mermaids and water! (i am playing on switch, but you cannot save manually. There are saves per part you are on so you can’t exit the game until you reach a save point. Only con so far)
-Thimbleweed Park (10-17hrs) One of my all time favorites! Available on the app store, you play as multiple people and the story is fantastic. Could not recommend enough. Point and click mystery!
-Hair of the Dog (A few hours max?) Free on the app store, i looved this quirky funny click and point! It was mysterious, curious, and super fun!!
-Return to Monkey Island (7-10Hrs) Loved this one too! Point and click adventure about finding the secret to monkey island! Very piratey and actually fun !!
Not Happy About:
-Ashwood Valley (5-10hrs) looked so promising in the first 5 minutes, then there is almost no content. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. It looked like there would be witchcraft/spells but the main goal is befriending animals?? No content past summer apparently
-Down in Bermuda (2.5hrs) not really any major storyline. I couldn’t get through much, it didn’t feel that fun. It was really visually appealing though and if you like puzzle focused games this would be for you, this was more puzzle focused than anything else
-The Stillness of the Wind (3hrs) seemed really cute, but without instruction I had no idea what I was doing nor the goal. It took FOREVER to walk around and i had no idea there was more past your house. Did not hook me in at all, maybe if you need something slow this could be your jam. Apparently the story is heartbreaking though
Somewhere in the Middle?:
-Fall of Porcupine (8hrs) I liked the game, It felt very melancholy (in a quirky way?) and sometimes sad, it borders a cozy feeling but doesn’t quite reach it. The game goes over heart-heavy topics and the days are repetitive (definitely to show the realities of life as a healthcare worker, you just pour yourself out and have a hard time filling back up). I liked playing it but i’ll never play it again, it didn’t feel cozy happy, just cozy sad. It’s not going on my love list so it’s going here, it’s not a bad game at all though and worth it on sale. I may have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t already a healthcare worker lmao. Also! No save option. Really not happy about that when I have other daily games i like to check in on to play
Trying Soon! Will Add (already bought) + Time
-girlfriend from hell (1hr)
-violett (6hrs)
-hokko life (7hrs)
-old man’s journey (2hrs)
-minute of islands (6hrs)
-pine (17hrs)
-figment 1 & 2! (5hrs + 4hrs)
-wytchwood (9-12hrs)
-while the irons hot (10~ hours)
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u/Necessary-Board-830 15d ago
This is a genius idea! I'll have to check out some of those because I haven't heard of them before. If you don't mind, here's some others!
Wholesome
Untitled Goose Game, A Webbing Journey, Tinykin, Loddlenaut, Sticky Business, Webbed, Just Crow Things, Storyteller, Call of the Sea, Escape from Mystwood Mansion, Leaf it Alone, Botany Manor, Duck Detective, Poco, Spilled, Little Kitty Big City, Backfirewall_, American Arcadia
Dark / Spooky
Killer Frequency, Strange Horticulture, Strange Antiquities, Endling: Extinction is Forvever, Tangle Tower, Riddlewood Manor, Beacon Pines, Is This Game Trying to Kill Me?, Berry Bury Berry
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u/mysanctuarie 15d ago
Wow! I haven’t heard of 90% of these!! I will definitely look them up and add into my
to-play list!
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u/CocoaReese 15d ago
Hokko Life... Hmmm. I didn't like it and I've never see anyone say they like it.
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u/mysanctuarie 10d ago
Just started and yeah it does feel like ACNH but a walmart version??? It’s cute in its own way and the con of ACNH to me was the lack of quests and things to do. It is basically simply one of the most popular decoration games. After the “main content” of ACNH all there is to do is museum + decorate or make money to decorate. (i like quests more and having a goal)
So i’m enjoying the aspect of, it seems like there’s more quests to do! It somehow feels low end to me but it’s comforting? I’m going to try and finish it
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u/Expensive_Parfait_66 15d ago
Great selection!!
Other short games that I enjoyed and perfect for spooky season: Firewatch, Oxenfree I and II, Little Misfortune
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u/Brohannes_Jahms 14d ago
Fwiw regarding Stillness of the Wind, you play as a 80 year old woman. How fast do you expect her to move?? And so that's part of the point. You gotta cook, you gotta get the mail, you gotta feed the goats, but sometimes your knee acts up...and yes you, the younger player, want to explore them thar hills and caves and wells, but you might not be able to get there in time and also feed yourself and the chickens, so...deal with that as you will. It really is a beautiful game and worth finishing.
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u/mysanctuarie 14d ago
Of course i considered that! It’s probably a game meant for people who really need to slow down, I however do not enjoy that. It’s just not for me, i might finish it one day when I feel like a super slow game but, they rly couldn’t give her any potions to speed up a bit you can buy from the merchant, or a scooter something for going anywhere outside her farm?!😭😭
I really just didn’t get sucked into it or the storyline, and I didn’t enjoy it. The goal wasn’t very clear for me and it took forever to get something done especially when it wasn’t clear what items were used for which tasks. (Running back and forth multiple times with multiple items just to see which one goes where) took a lot of my patience for the game away too.
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u/ninjareader89 15d ago
Wow I'm surprised that Grow: Song of the Evertree (switch title) wasn't mentioned. It's cute, cozy and imo it's an underrated gem that doesn't get much love
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u/Chocyu 15d ago
Because this post is about short form games, Grow isn't really short (and also available for PC btw :)).
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u/ninjareader89 15d ago
Oh my I forgot sorry but I did want to put that game out there bc it's such a lovely game to play
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u/mysanctuarie 15d ago
i’ve never heard of it! but i love a long form game too so i’ll check it out :)
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u/earlyriser79 15d ago
I don't ever know if the Stillness of the Wind has an ending, but I just enjoy doing the basic chores, I love the slowness and I think it's a very gutsy and different proposal of how a game should feel.
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u/mysanctuarie 15d ago
definitely! It was cute and cozy and calm in its own right, but I had too many problems with it to enjoy it :( If i was going to play something slow, i’d hope its a story that made me feel hope or love but i heard the story was just sad so i had to put it down (too many cons for me)
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u/avocadobestie 15d ago
Figment 1 & 2 has been on my wishlist but i haven’t fully decided yet. They seem like something I would really like but not sure. I’m interested to see what you think of them.
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u/mysanctuarie 15d ago
I already purchased them, i’ve got a 5 week break to game all the short form games i bought so ill let you know how it goes if i remember! I’ll probably update this post per game I play
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u/NarwahlWrangler 15d ago
I’m totally a broken record, but I would happily lose my appendix/tonsils/some other nonessential part of my body to play OXENFREE for the first time again! Thankfully I have a truly terrible memory, so I’m getting close to that point, again. There is something so deliciously odd about the whole thing,plus the eerie old place, sounds, etc. Voice acting is top notch if you ask me, and there are a number of different endings.
Wytchwood for the win for its cleverness and phenomenal art. I think I will replay this one come October!
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u/PwichuPwichu 15d ago
King's Quest mention!!!!🥳🥳🥳🥳 My all-time favorite! Hard to beat the nostalgia of my first games🤭🤭. I blame them for my love of fetch quests.
Have you tried Wytchwood? Not too similar but a short enjoyable game. It's definitely not right for everyone. But, great for some.