Cozy Grove

A delicious slice-of-afterlife

Bite-sized simulation gameplay, helping characters come to terms with their pasts, watercolour-style visuals, charmingly angular bears – if you’re interested in any of these things at all, Cozy Grove deserves your attention. It’s like the surprisingly non-disturbing love-child of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing with a smattering of Studio Ghibli.

While helping the phantom residents of Cozy Grove with all manner of daily quests (you’re a Spirit Scout on a haunted island), you can fish, craft, decorate, and spend far too much money on clothes and accessories for your adorable avatar. The same beats that enraptured Nintendo’s cute series are here, complete with the somewhat sardonic dialogue style.

Between the pleasant visuals, relaxing music, and the enjoyable life-sim gameplay, there’s a lot to it. But though it’s a lot to love, it’s also reflected in the lengthy loading time on startup1 and the game’s tendency to freeze or lag while you wander the island or on skimming through menus too enthusiastically.

What’s particularly noteworthy about this game compared to others in its genre is the depth to the many characters.2 Their quests hint at their experiences prior to bear-ghostdom, and the process of uncovering their memories is surprisingly compelling.

Cozy Grove is designed to be played a little each day, which makes it perfect to have on hand for while other things download or the in-between times when you can’t commit to something longer. You’ll want to keep coming back for your daily dose of quirky, calming fun, as the blend of wholesomeness and gallows humour, distinctive style, and solidly expansive content make it satisfying and wonderfully moreish. Max Williams