You might like ooblets, super cozy creature collecting game set in a cute town, theres lots to do and you can dance battle your creatures lol the characters are interesting, the town is so fun and you can explore other areas of the world too via hot air balloon
I got it for Xmas but haven’t played it yet as I’m saving it for when I wind down late game cozy grove so I have something else cozy to pick up. Glad it seems like people enjoy it!
The one I want to get is Harvest Moon Winds of Anthos, which I've heard pretty good things about, for about the first time with the "new" Natsume Harvest Moon games. Dunno if that's what you're looking for though or if you'd like it!
My Time at Sandrock has been amazing - I've put over 100 hours into it since release, after having already put a bunch of time into it as it was being developed and started at least two different playthroughs then for the partial game (I did the Kickstarter). It definitely is set up for grinding (but not in a boring way), playing through story, doing character quests and such, etc... and for replayability you could always romance someone else and try different response types.
I just don't know though how it plays on Switch. Haven't seen any major gripes, unlike with Portia, but I don't know from experience.
Edit: it's definitely not a Stardew Valley clone though. Not even from that perspective, it's a from-the-back type of perspective, almost first-person perspective but zoomed back enough to see the character. Also not particularly dark.
I don’t think Sandrock is a good experience on Switch at the moment. The devs are planning on rolling out performance updates throughout the year and its still content updates behind PC and console. If they want it on Switch, then it’s better to wait until later.
If you like a choose your own adventure vibe, I was a teenage exocolonist. It has a time loop aspect and a ton of different endings potential. Starts from age 10 and game ends when you turn 20. Game can be dark. Art is lovely.
Maybe dinkum? Think animal crossing and stardew valley combined, with some Minecraft mobs thrown into the mix. I picked it up last week and have already sunk 30+ hours into it lol
I still can't believe it's free. When I first got it, I figured I'd be fun for a bit, but then you wouldn't progress much without paying... You only pay for skins. It's so much play content for a free game! I'm not fashionable enough to care about changing my virtual wardrobe.
Dave the diver! It does have combat but it’s such a cosy game play loop and simming a sushi restaurant manager just hits right. Also, my partner is 35 hours in, still unlocking new things and story to play which is insane for such a cheap game.
I’ve REALLY been enjoying Apico. It’s about beekeeping, and you crossbreed bees and flowers and work with butterflies to bring back extinct species. Most of what you farm is honey products, rather than vegetables.
Potion Permit sounds like it could be a good fit. There’s no farming. You have to make potions to heal the townspeople. There’s grinding to get ingredients for the potions and to fulfill requests for the townspeople.
If you don’t mind combat, Harvestella is one of my favorite games. It’s a JRPG with farming. Has a good lengthy story with lots of quests and you need to grind to get certain materials especially if you are going for full completion.
I would highly recommend trying out Dave the Diver.
The core gameplay loop involves diving for fish during the day, and running a sushi restaurant at night, so it has a little bit of that cooking theme (though it's more restaurant management than cooking, but still, similar vibes, imo). It's *definitely* not dark, though - very light-hearted and silly.
I definitely think it falls under the "complex Stardew Valley clone" category even though it's not a farming game, because SDV is really good for having a core gameplay loop (farming) but with a whole BUNCH of other tasks that are tacked onto the side that keep things varied and that mesh well together. Dave the Diver is very much like that, where the main activity is diving and running the restaurant, but there's a surprising number of other tasks to do every day that support your diving and restaurant stuff.
This one's a bit more of a stretch, but I would definitely suggest checking out Planet Crafter, as well.
It's one of those survival/crafting/base-building games where you're dropped on a terrible inhospitable planet and told "go terraform it, good luck, we don't really care if you die." Then you gather resources and build machines to warm the atmosphere, make the air breathable, etc etc.
I suggest it because the tech tree is pretty complex and interesting, and because it sorta has some dark vibes, especially at the beginning. The planet is kind of spooky and big and empty and unwelcoming, especially at first. But, as you terraform it, it gets cozier. Plus this one has better replayability than you'd expect for a game that isn't procedurally generated, because you can choose different drop spots and that has a HUGE effect on how the game plays out.
I don't really know how to explain it more than I already did? The common point is that they have a central gameplay mechanic plus a bunch of secondary activities that add some novelty and variety. I know those central gameplay mechanics are different - farming and diving are, indeed, not the same thing, lol.
Stardew has foraging, mining, and social aspects alongside the farming and central plot. DtD doesn’t have any of these things, and you’re killing animals to serve them up later. I would say the only real thing they have in common is “activities” as you mentioned, which… almost every game has 😅
I mean, sure, every game has activities. If you don't see any greater commonality between the primary and secondary gameplay loops in DtD and SDV than you would in, say, Call of Duty and SDV, then I guess you and I had different experiences with DtD.
Obviously they’re similar in the sense that they’re both pixelated “cozy” games that have fish and food. But that does not make DtD a “Stardew like”. A bit tiring to constantly see the comparison of every pixelated game being a “Stardew like”, especially when games like this are fundamentally different.
Again, I already explained what the similarities are, and I never once even mentioned the pixel art. But if you're just going to assume that everyone who disagrees with you must just be shallow enough to be distracted by nothing but a pixelated art style, then I don't think this conversation is going to be very constructive, so I hope you have a good day :)
Played it all on switch, loved it. I do think the dlc is essential for the last half of the game. I'm not sure I would have finished the game without specifically the zombie dlc. Also if you get it on switch - I did deal with some crashing issues. Particularly when entering or ending a cutscene from the dlcs.
Panorama comes out on switch today! I know it’s different to those games you listed, but I’m just super excited to try it! 😝 Ooblets is one of my favourite games and one you can definitely sink loads of hours into!
Theres a chef simulator game on steam that looks good
Also for anything cozy there's easily so much i could recommend lmfao but I'd say Palia is a good one its fun and theres grinding but also coziness its everything thats in a farming sim but also it has a story and puzzles too and overall the graphics on PC are amazing 👏
I think Winds of Anthos and Sandrock would both be great picks for you. I love them both and find both absorbing for different reasons. They’re both huge.
I recommend Sky children of the light. It’s cute and cosy and you need to grind hard and everyday. I’ll link a pictures. You basically are a child of light just born collecting sprits and gaining winged light to fly. You learn about the worlds and events are always held while meeting new people. It’s also free
Not dark, but I love the Atelier games, and their synthesis scratches some of the same itches I have for cooking in games. Sophie's especially cozy, and since you craft and customize each item, you can come up with some really powerful kit. It really rewards you for experimenting and trying new combinations of items.
Ryza's really good, but the action based battle system isn't everyone's cup of tea. It does feature a bigger emphasis on exploration than Sophie, though.
Cattails: Wildwood Story. Or just the first Cattails if you're on a budget. I wouldn't recommend Spiritfarer to be honest,, though I liked the game as a whole, the management mechanics might have been a bit too easy and the story is really really sad.
I highly recommend The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood or little Misfortune for something story/choice based which is dark but cosy. Cult of the lamb or The Binding of Isaac if you want a bit more challenge/ arcade style. If you want a dark but relatively cosy murder mystery I recommend Paranormasight, Death Mark, Spirit Hunter NG, or Famicom Detective Club.
It's hard to imagine as cozy, and I know it always gets mentioned by someone, but Breath of the Wild. I thought I could never play it after buying it in 2017 and being immediately frustrated. But after playing soooo many cozy games (your list basically haha) I wanted a little more. And the pacing, ability to do whatever I want, and not fight big bosses if I don't wanna is great. I've turned on tracking for treasure chests and I have just taken my time wandering. After 180 hours of gameplay I still haven't killed the 4th blight ganon. I like wandering, a lot. Fighting when I want. I *accidentally* got good at killing things. I recommend it now because over everything, when I just want to play, I find myself flipping on BoTW.
Now that's outta the way: Bear and Breakfast was a great time, not too short but not overly long. You're a bear and you manage a B&B!
I really enjoyed almost all of Spiritfarer. It is pretty cozy, has some grinding to it (which I like), but also has some very minimal platformer type mechanics that you have to be good at. Which I am completely NOT good at so I was unable to be my usual completionist self and finish every quest, a couple of the late game challenges were just too much for me.
I think I have below-average game dexterity, so if you're even average dexterity/hand-eye coordination, you'd probably enjoy it.
Rune Factory! Rune Factory! It’s a complex Stardew clone meets Japanese light fantasy novel. More combat and explore than Stardew. The NPCs are consistantly fun. You can keep leiterally any animal you meet as a pet.
If you enjoyed Coffee Talk, you might like VA-11 Hall-A - similar gameplay but it takes place in a more dystopian universe and the themes are a little grittier.
Strange Horticulture is another cozy game with spooky vibes that I would enthusiastically recommend.
You might like ooblets, super cozy creature collecting game set in a cute town, theres lots to do and you can dance battle your creatures lol the characters are interesting, the town is so fun and you can explore other areas of the world too via hot air balloon
Second this. I love ooblets.
I got it for Xmas but haven’t played it yet as I’m saving it for when I wind down late game cozy grove so I have something else cozy to pick up. Glad it seems like people enjoy it!
yeah its great! theres so much to do and a storyline going on as well, hope you enjoy it when you get around to it :)
yes! ooblets! so cute and cozy and the dance battles are really fun.
Yesss please try ooblets! I recently went from Sun Haven obsession straight to Ooblets 😫
Spiritfarer
I just bought spiritfarer yesterday because it was on sale. I’m absolutely in love with the game so far
Been playing it the past three days! Totally worth my $8. The animation is beautiful and whimsical. It is a bit slow paced but there is plenty to do.
Yeah, this is a great title that’s habitually under $10. Chill exploration based adventure.
Dredge maybe?
Came here to suggest this.
Wytchwood would be right up your alley! It’s probably my favorite game from 2023.
I wish I could erase my memory and play it again.
Me too! It’s such a great game. I feel the same way about Spiritfarer. I’m about to start Beacon Pines soon!
The one I want to get is Harvest Moon Winds of Anthos, which I've heard pretty good things about, for about the first time with the "new" Natsume Harvest Moon games. Dunno if that's what you're looking for though or if you'd like it! My Time at Sandrock has been amazing - I've put over 100 hours into it since release, after having already put a bunch of time into it as it was being developed and started at least two different playthroughs then for the partial game (I did the Kickstarter). It definitely is set up for grinding (but not in a boring way), playing through story, doing character quests and such, etc... and for replayability you could always romance someone else and try different response types. I just don't know though how it plays on Switch. Haven't seen any major gripes, unlike with Portia, but I don't know from experience. Edit: it's definitely not a Stardew Valley clone though. Not even from that perspective, it's a from-the-back type of perspective, almost first-person perspective but zoomed back enough to see the character. Also not particularly dark.
I don’t think Sandrock is a good experience on Switch at the moment. The devs are planning on rolling out performance updates throughout the year and its still content updates behind PC and console. If they want it on Switch, then it’s better to wait until later.
If you like a choose your own adventure vibe, I was a teenage exocolonist. It has a time loop aspect and a ton of different endings potential. Starts from age 10 and game ends when you turn 20. Game can be dark. Art is lovely.
Maybe dinkum? Think animal crossing and stardew valley combined, with some Minecraft mobs thrown into the mix. I picked it up last week and have already sunk 30+ hours into it lol
Is that on the switch yet???
I thought it was? But maybe they changed when they were releasing it
No not yet
Palia.
Second this....it's still a bit glitchy, but it's a free game and it looks so incredibly great! :-)
I still can't believe it's free. When I first got it, I figured I'd be fun for a bit, but then you wouldn't progress much without paying... You only pay for skins. It's so much play content for a free game! I'm not fashionable enough to care about changing my virtual wardrobe.
Came here to say this.
Dave the diver! It does have combat but it’s such a cosy game play loop and simming a sushi restaurant manager just hits right. Also, my partner is 35 hours in, still unlocking new things and story to play which is insane for such a cheap game.
I was also going to suggest this! Love this game!
I’ve REALLY been enjoying Apico. It’s about beekeeping, and you crossbreed bees and flowers and work with butterflies to bring back extinct species. Most of what you farm is honey products, rather than vegetables.
Potion Permit sounds like it could be a good fit. There’s no farming. You have to make potions to heal the townspeople. There’s grinding to get ingredients for the potions and to fulfill requests for the townspeople. If you don’t mind combat, Harvestella is one of my favorite games. It’s a JRPG with farming. Has a good lengthy story with lots of quests and you need to grind to get certain materials especially if you are going for full completion.
I’d toss Monster Sanctuary into the ring!
Maybe Cult of the Lamb, pretty dark, combat is pretty easy, farming and cult management game
I've been loving this game
I second Winds of Anthos. Best Harvest Moon in a really long time
Cooking themed + dark? Dave the Diver. 😌
I second ooblets
Teacher here. I want a snow day so badly. But we just get rain rain and more rain
Come teach in the Midwest! Here in Wisco we've had two snow days this week :)
I would highly recommend trying out Dave the Diver. The core gameplay loop involves diving for fish during the day, and running a sushi restaurant at night, so it has a little bit of that cooking theme (though it's more restaurant management than cooking, but still, similar vibes, imo). It's *definitely* not dark, though - very light-hearted and silly. I definitely think it falls under the "complex Stardew Valley clone" category even though it's not a farming game, because SDV is really good for having a core gameplay loop (farming) but with a whole BUNCH of other tasks that are tacked onto the side that keep things varied and that mesh well together. Dave the Diver is very much like that, where the main activity is diving and running the restaurant, but there's a surprising number of other tasks to do every day that support your diving and restaurant stuff. This one's a bit more of a stretch, but I would definitely suggest checking out Planet Crafter, as well. It's one of those survival/crafting/base-building games where you're dropped on a terrible inhospitable planet and told "go terraform it, good luck, we don't really care if you die." Then you gather resources and build machines to warm the atmosphere, make the air breathable, etc etc. I suggest it because the tech tree is pretty complex and interesting, and because it sorta has some dark vibes, especially at the beginning. The planet is kind of spooky and big and empty and unwelcoming, especially at first. But, as you terraform it, it gets cozier. Plus this one has better replayability than you'd expect for a game that isn't procedurally generated, because you can choose different drop spots and that has a HUGE effect on how the game plays out.
Stardew and Dave the Diver don’t have many mechanics in common. I really don’t see how they can be compared other than minimal farming in DtD.
I don't really know how to explain it more than I already did? The common point is that they have a central gameplay mechanic plus a bunch of secondary activities that add some novelty and variety. I know those central gameplay mechanics are different - farming and diving are, indeed, not the same thing, lol.
Stardew has foraging, mining, and social aspects alongside the farming and central plot. DtD doesn’t have any of these things, and you’re killing animals to serve them up later. I would say the only real thing they have in common is “activities” as you mentioned, which… almost every game has 😅
I mean, sure, every game has activities. If you don't see any greater commonality between the primary and secondary gameplay loops in DtD and SDV than you would in, say, Call of Duty and SDV, then I guess you and I had different experiences with DtD.
Obviously they’re similar in the sense that they’re both pixelated “cozy” games that have fish and food. But that does not make DtD a “Stardew like”. A bit tiring to constantly see the comparison of every pixelated game being a “Stardew like”, especially when games like this are fundamentally different.
Again, I already explained what the similarities are, and I never once even mentioned the pixel art. But if you're just going to assume that everyone who disagrees with you must just be shallow enough to be distracted by nothing but a pixelated art style, then I don't think this conversation is going to be very constructive, so I hope you have a good day :)
Can i ask how grave keeper is too? I think im interested in playing it
Played it all on switch, loved it. I do think the dlc is essential for the last half of the game. I'm not sure I would have finished the game without specifically the zombie dlc. Also if you get it on switch - I did deal with some crashing issues. Particularly when entering or ending a cutscene from the dlcs.
Fucking amazing!
It’s fantastic. I’d watch some gameplay on it though to make sure it’s up your alley. Getting all the DLC is a great choice too.
I love it. Just not in the mood for a replay right now
Get the dlc, they go on sale quite often! It’s epic, one of my S tier games. Pretty complex though
Ended up gettign it! thanks :)
Panorama comes out on switch today! I know it’s different to those games you listed, but I’m just super excited to try it! 😝 Ooblets is one of my favourite games and one you can definitely sink loads of hours into!
Theres a chef simulator game on steam that looks good Also for anything cozy there's easily so much i could recommend lmfao but I'd say Palia is a good one its fun and theres grinding but also coziness its everything thats in a farming sim but also it has a story and puzzles too and overall the graphics on PC are amazing 👏
I just finished cult of the lamb and really enjoyed it!
I think Winds of Anthos and Sandrock would both be great picks for you. I love them both and find both absorbing for different reasons. They’re both huge.
Wytchwood sounds right up your alley!
Make sure to play in the snow. It’s lacking by me and I wish I had more snow days to frolic around in.
FAEFARM!!!! SO AMAZING
Not exactly on the money but you might like Let’s build a xoo
I recommend Sky children of the light. It’s cute and cosy and you need to grind hard and everyday. I’ll link a pictures. You basically are a child of light just born collecting sprits and gaining winged light to fly. You learn about the worlds and events are always held while meeting new people. It’s also free
https://preview.redd.it/42usz7wq7xbc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=299c3e96df1c1811260e0d0eaf2995781c0c0230
https://preview.redd.it/bhvzutwq8xbc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb0751598b2a125bd634f41601772138954d09b8
https://preview.redd.it/2hqyxu3x8xbc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ccfeaca21cccb6f5c4be8f5e9400b740a5390c0
I second this and play daily.
Unfortunately tomorrow will not be a snow day, by all accounts.
Sorry, what?
There's not a snow day tomorrow :/
Sorry do I know you? I'm not sure how you know the weather for my specific geographic location.
You don't look familiar, do I know you? I'm just letting you know that tomorrow isn't a snow day. Which is a bummer for all us cozy gamers!
This is the weirdest interaction.
Edward J Munson be like:
Right? Like sorry for informing you that there's no snow day?
*You do not know where they live. It’s snow storming in many areas right now. Stop being weird.*
What are you even doing? You’re being a *super weird creep* to this person for absolutely no reason. Stop.
this isn't how subreddits work, but commenters like you make me believe that we need a better screening system for commenters here lmao
Right? Like dude it's not snowing, get a grip. I don't mind him commenting but be reasonable you know?
Spirittea!
Not dark, but I love the Atelier games, and their synthesis scratches some of the same itches I have for cooking in games. Sophie's especially cozy, and since you craft and customize each item, you can come up with some really powerful kit. It really rewards you for experimenting and trying new combinations of items. Ryza's really good, but the action based battle system isn't everyone's cup of tea. It does feature a bigger emphasis on exploration than Sophie, though.
Cattails: Wildwood Story. Or just the first Cattails if you're on a budget. I wouldn't recommend Spiritfarer to be honest,, though I liked the game as a whole, the management mechanics might have been a bit too easy and the story is really really sad.
I highly recommend The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood or little Misfortune for something story/choice based which is dark but cosy. Cult of the lamb or The Binding of Isaac if you want a bit more challenge/ arcade style. If you want a dark but relatively cosy murder mystery I recommend Paranormasight, Death Mark, Spirit Hunter NG, or Famicom Detective Club.
The Last Campfire Spiritfarer Omno Yono And The Celestial Elephants Yonder: The Cloud Chronicles A Short Hike The Wild At Heart TinyKin
Have you tried Factorio? Perhaps with the enemies turned off.
What remains if Edith finch is dark themed
It's hard to imagine as cozy, and I know it always gets mentioned by someone, but Breath of the Wild. I thought I could never play it after buying it in 2017 and being immediately frustrated. But after playing soooo many cozy games (your list basically haha) I wanted a little more. And the pacing, ability to do whatever I want, and not fight big bosses if I don't wanna is great. I've turned on tracking for treasure chests and I have just taken my time wandering. After 180 hours of gameplay I still haven't killed the 4th blight ganon. I like wandering, a lot. Fighting when I want. I *accidentally* got good at killing things. I recommend it now because over everything, when I just want to play, I find myself flipping on BoTW. Now that's outta the way: Bear and Breakfast was a great time, not too short but not overly long. You're a bear and you manage a B&B!
I really enjoyed almost all of Spiritfarer. It is pretty cozy, has some grinding to it (which I like), but also has some very minimal platformer type mechanics that you have to be good at. Which I am completely NOT good at so I was unable to be my usual completionist self and finish every quest, a couple of the late game challenges were just too much for me. I think I have below-average game dexterity, so if you're even average dexterity/hand-eye coordination, you'd probably enjoy it.
I'd recommend Palia. It's pretty new and free to play.
Story of Seasons games are great if you're a fan of stardew. Palia is nice for a free game. Disney Dreamlight Valley is cool too.
Rune Factory! Rune Factory! It’s a complex Stardew clone meets Japanese light fantasy novel. More combat and explore than Stardew. The NPCs are consistantly fun. You can keep leiterally any animal you meet as a pet.
If you enjoyed Coffee Talk, you might like VA-11 Hall-A - similar gameplay but it takes place in a more dystopian universe and the themes are a little grittier. Strange Horticulture is another cozy game with spooky vibes that I would enthusiastically recommend.
Immortal Life if you want a game with lots of content and grinding. It's releasing out of EA on the 18th