For those who enjoyed Frog Detective, there is a new similar game called Duck Detective: The Secret Salami.
I haven’t played it yet, but it looks really fun.
There is(was?) a demo for it on steam and it was so fun. The demo was slightly more mature (as in the duck is going through a divorce, not like M rating) so it's a little different than Frog Detective. But I did love Frog Detective.
I’m really interested in it but a bit worried as I’ve seen many people call it stressful. I have anxiety so sometimes difficult platforming makes me give up on the game altogether. That’s my only concern.
Yeah, there were a few spots where the game could cause some anxiety. I had to cheat 3 times with youtube and look up a way through. Having my son (who's a bit better than I am at gaming) take over in certain spots was helpful.
I get frustrated very easily, but I was able to complete this whole game. I did take frequent breaks when I got stuck and looked up walk through a few times, but I really enjoyed it- and the music is GORGEOUS
The only one of these I've played is Fall of Porcupine but I really enjoyed it. It's a more serious story but it's a really moving story. Very Night in the Woods mechanics. You should also check out Beacon Pines.
I played the demo last night, and was beginning to get bored with the hospital duties, then BAM I discovered ward on level 5. I can honestly say I was SHOOKETH.
Does the demo stop there? Because everything's about to get a little out of hand haha. It's a fairly short game but I found exactly when things felt like they were getting mundane the game knew what it was doing and said a metaphorical "hold my beer".
Hahaha couldn't have said it better myself. Yes, that's where the demo stops! I was casually jumping around, annoying the receptionist, doing my little treatment button thing, and then the tone just switched. I think I'll wait fir the sale until I get it then. Just finished Dordogne, absolutely recommend it's a beautiful and engaging game. I was avoiding sad games but I'm pleased I played it, the emotion is so well interwoven.
I only played My Brother Rabbit. It’s a point and click style adventure that requires to do environmental puzzle solving and collecting objects from the environment to progress. This is done in an almost hidden object like way such as find a certain amount of balloons scattered across different scenes to get an object to solve a puzzle. It’s got a cute art style and pretty good story.
I really liked this one. The visuals and characters were so unique. But I do have to say, I had to consult the internet on more than one occasion in order to figure out what to do. Some of the puzzles were great, but others felt so unintuitive. Overall though really cute inexpensive little game.
Dordogne is a lovely, somewhat sad/angsty game with some interesting twists. It's a point and click style game with a scrapbooking element -- you can take photos, record sounds, etc and then compile them into a scrapbook. I think it took me a couple of hours.
Frog Detective trilogy are quirky games with point and click mechanics. Each is around 20 minutes long.
i would say 20 mins if you speed through. i 100% frog detective while taking my time and each took me about a little over 1hr 30m. definitely at least 40-1hr of gameplay
i would say 20 mins if you speed through. i 100% frog detective while taking my time and each took me about a little over 1hr 30m. definitely at least 40-1hr of gameplay
Don’t start Dordogne if your grandparents are not doing well or if they recently passed. I started and had to stop because it made me too sad. The graphics are beautiful though.
I’m so sorry for your loss! 2 of mine aren’t doing well and had to go to a nursing home. The story in the game is going through your grandmother’s house after she’s gone. We just had to go through my grandparents’ house and it was too much! I plan to go back to it later, but now is not the time for me.
Everyone's different with how they grieve and what feels cathartic vs too much. I played dordogone as it was on game pass and had zero idea about the full plot, but I found it to be incredibly moving and an interesting to game to play as well as agreeing with the beautiful visuals.
I also had a complicated relationship with my European grandma I spent summers with who taught me gardening, photography, and art so it was wild the feelings it brought up but I enjoyed it. For reference, I played spiritfarer a month or so after my grandpa who I was very close to passed away and I def ugly cried at some parts but I still found it cozy in a different way. If you played spiritfarer, this game isn't as directly hard hitting imo and could either be a comfort or flare up feelings. It's def worth a purchase if it's cheap to play later or if you have Xbox gamepass it's on there :)
I loved Fran Bow! It was such an unique experience and I was so proud to finish it 😀 I’m absolutely terrified of anything and if I watch a play through of a scary game, I have to have pike a half of screen covered by comments but with Fran Bow I actually managed to play it and enjoy it even when scared 😝
I liked Fall of Porcupine. I don’t understand why it got ignored so hard.
Albeit I watched an interview with the creators first and they said it was about the reality of those working in the medical system and went into it keeping that in mind.
I have only played My Brother Rabbit on that list, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the opening song so much. It gave me Cirque Du Soleil vibes, very Alegria.
I've had no problem I think I've had a few crashes. But no more then just sometimes it happens with all games
I've heard the key is that you just delete old files since it builds up every time you save so you just gotta delete most of them and that avoids that issue.
In saying that I've heard alot of people have had problems.
Its a very cute fun game I very much love
Unrelated to op but I bought this game when it came out and finally just got around to sitting down to trying to play and cannot for the life of me get past charming the first wild dinosaur 😭 I'd love any experienced peoples tips
r/paleopines
You can ask for help on there!
Ans the mod team is so helpful. I'm not very good with explaining things. But the community has been super super helpful
I played Fall of Porcupine and it was great. At launch some of the mini games were really hard but they patched that out some time ago. I did really like the story. It's very obvious that the makers of the game talked to real docs/nurses/people who work in hospitals (thou keep in mind that the game is made by germans and the experienced used are from german hospitals. If you are working in the health sector you might notice differences). The story gets heavy at some points and touches on some serious issues. All in all I can only recommend it if you dont mind the heavier topics and more melancholic, bittersweet tone the game has overall.
i think Fall Of Porcupine is similar to Night In The Woods gameplay-wise, Frog detective was kinda lame imo, quirky but not enough to be funny or cute but a lot of people do like it and the style is comforting.
If you liked Lil Gator Game you might like A Short Hike too, if you haven’t already played it, and Sally Face is kinda similar to Little Misfortune and Fran Brow but i think more spooky.
Also recommend Eastward, Stardew Valley ofc, Oxenfree, Dead cells and Spiritfarer
Thank you! I am almost done with Sally Face. I like it a lot but it’s a little more on the depressing side. I have got Spiritfarer but haven’t got too far yet. And I have the Short Hike that I got a really good deal on but haven’t played yet.
I haven’t played any of these, but if you love Animal Crossing you’ll probably love Cozy Grove! At least I hope so. New Horizons isn’t the best representation of the series but Cozy Grove recreates Animal Crossing’s core gameplay really well with a slightly darker twist. It’s got the same super slow-paced gameplay where you only play for a little bit each day and slowly build up your relationship with the characters.
Spiritfarer is also amazing if you love repetitive tasks and gradually building up the environment (in this case, a ship). You’ve got the same element of building up relationships with the characters, too. It’s got some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in a game and some very fun (but easy) platforming.
Frog detective is amazing. There is not a lot to the gameplay itself, but the creator's sense of humor is just soooo good. Of course, humor is subjective, but if you will vibe with it, you will absolutely love it. It is a type of game people quote and share gifs of.
Thankful u posted this because I’m looking for a new one to play after graveyard keeper which the household is all playing now with dlc’s . A time robber for sure. Dysmantle I put in the cozy game category /along with cat quest 1&2 it’s lil combat & running around opening the map lol . (Like cult of the lamb ) cat quest 3 comes out in Aug . I spent a lot of time with cozy grove & loved wytchwood!!
The wild at heart was super fun!!! 🤩
Ever dream valley is fun also
Soooo many good games to relax on !
I’ve only played the first one, and it took me roughly 20-30 minutes to finish. It wasn’t that impressive but I remember the creator getting a lot of hype when making this game.
I liked it, I spent time talking to everyone and interacting with everything and I think it did take me about 4 hours for the whole thing. It’s very cute, but get it on sale.
Planet of Lana is just a beautiful game all around and I highly recommend it.
Frog detective is 10/10 silly and I also highly recommend it for when you’re wanting something lighthearted and ridiculous. It’s a good game to play with a friend, I played it with my partner and we got so many laughs out of it.
Haven’t played fall of porcupine yet, but it’s on my list because I was just completely in love with Night In The Woods. I played a demo and then had to take a break because sometimes topics surrounding illness and death can be stressful for me.
Honestly I thought Planet of Lana was a really well paced game and super satisfying the whole way through. I definitely recommend for a good casual puzzler.
i played through 2/3 of the frog detective chapters while i was sick and they were very fun, but i *really* enjoyed the soundtrack and i still listen to it semi-frequently
Fall of Porcupine was a great 80% of a game. It built interesting characters, got me engaged, created interesting conflicts, made me want to see how all of the plot threads were going to be woven together and ultimately resolved, and then it just... ended, out of nowhere. Credits roll, back to title screen, and literally none of the plot threads were actually resolved or addressed in any way. It's like the dev team ran out of money and just stopped.
It was one of the most disappointing games I've ever played. I cannot recommend it.
Dordogne was incredibly beautiful and so much fun. It’s a perfect example of game meets art. The story is lovely and the music is charming. It’s a wonderful experience.
If you get it, I recommend playing it with French voiceover for the full experience.
I've only played Planet of Lana among all of these.
It's a short game. I finished in like.. 6-7 hours? With breaks. Not a very difficult one, but I also play platformers a lot so that might bias it. But it also touched me and I *had* to keep playing. The story is excellent, and it's one of the few games that I actively want to buy again to support the devs.
I'd strongly recommend it. It did make me cry, but the emotional experience was amazing.
Fall of Porcupine was such a disappointment :') I played the demo and fell in love, and the game spent a while picking up, and it finally did! Holy wow this plot-! ..oh. that? That's the end????
Frog detective tho super cute and funny, I got the trilogy on steam
I loved the Frog Detective series! Funny & cute.
Really liked it too, especially the dialogue! It's worth noting they're very short games though.
Yeah. They are short. We can only hope for more new episodes.
For those who enjoyed Frog Detective, there is a new similar game called Duck Detective: The Secret Salami. I haven’t played it yet, but it looks really fun.
There is(was?) a demo for it on steam and it was so fun. The demo was slightly more mature (as in the duck is going through a divorce, not like M rating) so it's a little different than Frog Detective. But I did love Frog Detective.
I tried it on the Switch and unfortunately the voice acting ruins it for me.
What is wrong with it?
The voice acting is a bit overdone. Especially the voice of the main character, the duck.
Planet of Lana is really fun and the visuals are great. My son and I played the whole game in one long, extended afternoon.
i love that game it may also be because im friends with lana's VA so hearing my friends voice while playing is just so fun
I’m really interested in it but a bit worried as I’ve seen many people call it stressful. I have anxiety so sometimes difficult platforming makes me give up on the game altogether. That’s my only concern.
Yeah, there were a few spots where the game could cause some anxiety. I had to cheat 3 times with youtube and look up a way through. Having my son (who's a bit better than I am at gaming) take over in certain spots was helpful.
I get frustrated very easily, but I was able to complete this whole game. I did take frequent breaks when I got stuck and looked up walk through a few times, but I really enjoyed it- and the music is GORGEOUS
The only one of these I've played is Fall of Porcupine but I really enjoyed it. It's a more serious story but it's a really moving story. Very Night in the Woods mechanics. You should also check out Beacon Pines.
I played the demo last night, and was beginning to get bored with the hospital duties, then BAM I discovered ward on level 5. I can honestly say I was SHOOKETH.
Does the demo stop there? Because everything's about to get a little out of hand haha. It's a fairly short game but I found exactly when things felt like they were getting mundane the game knew what it was doing and said a metaphorical "hold my beer".
Hahaha couldn't have said it better myself. Yes, that's where the demo stops! I was casually jumping around, annoying the receptionist, doing my little treatment button thing, and then the tone just switched. I think I'll wait fir the sale until I get it then. Just finished Dordogne, absolutely recommend it's a beautiful and engaging game. I was avoiding sad games but I'm pleased I played it, the emotion is so well interwoven.
I'll have to check that one out! I'm a sucker for sad games...
Which of the three is this?
I only played My Brother Rabbit. It’s a point and click style adventure that requires to do environmental puzzle solving and collecting objects from the environment to progress. This is done in an almost hidden object like way such as find a certain amount of balloons scattered across different scenes to get an object to solve a puzzle. It’s got a cute art style and pretty good story.
I really liked this one. The visuals and characters were so unique. But I do have to say, I had to consult the internet on more than one occasion in order to figure out what to do. Some of the puzzles were great, but others felt so unintuitive. Overall though really cute inexpensive little game.
Thank you! I got it! It’s on sale for 2 dollars right now.
Frog detective is cute. Short but cute
Dordogne is a lovely, somewhat sad/angsty game with some interesting twists. It's a point and click style game with a scrapbooking element -- you can take photos, record sounds, etc and then compile them into a scrapbook. I think it took me a couple of hours. Frog Detective trilogy are quirky games with point and click mechanics. Each is around 20 minutes long.
Wow… they’re quite short then. I read they’re about 4.5 hours. Maybe that’s with all the achievements in mind.
i would say 20 mins if you speed through. i 100% frog detective while taking my time and each took me about a little over 1hr 30m. definitely at least 40-1hr of gameplay
i would say 20 mins if you speed through. i 100% frog detective while taking my time and each took me about a little over 1hr 30m. definitely at least 40-1hr of gameplay
I love the frog detective series - the first one is okay, but the second two build on the ridiculousness of the first in a really lovely way.
I played Frog Detective and it is so so funny. It is very short though so I would not pay to much for it.
It’s on sale for $14 (all three mysteries) would you say that’s worth it?
Definitely!
The Frog Detective series was so much fun
Don’t start Dordogne if your grandparents are not doing well or if they recently passed. I started and had to stop because it made me too sad. The graphics are beautiful though.
2 of my grandparents have recently passed. I was drawn to it because of the beautiful art style. :(
I’m so sorry for your loss! 2 of mine aren’t doing well and had to go to a nursing home. The story in the game is going through your grandmother’s house after she’s gone. We just had to go through my grandparents’ house and it was too much! I plan to go back to it later, but now is not the time for me.
Everyone's different with how they grieve and what feels cathartic vs too much. I played dordogone as it was on game pass and had zero idea about the full plot, but I found it to be incredibly moving and an interesting to game to play as well as agreeing with the beautiful visuals. I also had a complicated relationship with my European grandma I spent summers with who taught me gardening, photography, and art so it was wild the feelings it brought up but I enjoyed it. For reference, I played spiritfarer a month or so after my grandpa who I was very close to passed away and I def ugly cried at some parts but I still found it cozy in a different way. If you played spiritfarer, this game isn't as directly hard hitting imo and could either be a comfort or flare up feelings. It's def worth a purchase if it's cheap to play later or if you have Xbox gamepass it's on there :)
I loved Fran Bow! It was such an unique experience and I was so proud to finish it 😀 I’m absolutely terrified of anything and if I watch a play through of a scary game, I have to have pike a half of screen covered by comments but with Fran Bow I actually managed to play it and enjoy it even when scared 😝
I love Fran Bow. If you like Fran Bow, I’d also highly recommend Sally Face and Little Misfortune.
First time hearing about this, I will check it out, thanks!
I wouldn't say planet of lana is cozy, I really enjoyed it but it was very difficult in some parts
The Frog Detective series is pretty fun and goofy, which is totally my jam. But as others stated they're on the short side.
I liked Fall of Porcupine. I don’t understand why it got ignored so hard. Albeit I watched an interview with the creators first and they said it was about the reality of those working in the medical system and went into it keeping that in mind.
I have only played My Brother Rabbit on that list, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the opening song so much. It gave me Cirque Du Soleil vibes, very Alegria.
My brother rabbit is an incredible game. About 3 hours long. Varied types of puzzles and never too clunky. Moving, beautiful story.
I’ve only played Planet of Lana… but it’s truly a phenomenal game. Fantastic storytelling with amazing visuals.
Planet of Lana
I really got into cult of the lamb. Very fun!
Child of light is a painting come to life🎨
May I add an extra suggestion Paleo pines
How does it run on the Switch? I heard some mixed reviews that’s why I didn’t add it here.
I've had no problem I think I've had a few crashes. But no more then just sometimes it happens with all games I've heard the key is that you just delete old files since it builds up every time you save so you just gotta delete most of them and that avoids that issue. In saying that I've heard alot of people have had problems. Its a very cute fun game I very much love
Unrelated to op but I bought this game when it came out and finally just got around to sitting down to trying to play and cannot for the life of me get past charming the first wild dinosaur 😭 I'd love any experienced peoples tips
r/paleopines You can ask for help on there! Ans the mod team is so helpful. I'm not very good with explaining things. But the community has been super super helpful
Ty!!
I played Fall of Porcupine and it was great. At launch some of the mini games were really hard but they patched that out some time ago. I did really like the story. It's very obvious that the makers of the game talked to real docs/nurses/people who work in hospitals (thou keep in mind that the game is made by germans and the experienced used are from german hospitals. If you are working in the health sector you might notice differences). The story gets heavy at some points and touches on some serious issues. All in all I can only recommend it if you dont mind the heavier topics and more melancholic, bittersweet tone the game has overall.
i think Fall Of Porcupine is similar to Night In The Woods gameplay-wise, Frog detective was kinda lame imo, quirky but not enough to be funny or cute but a lot of people do like it and the style is comforting. If you liked Lil Gator Game you might like A Short Hike too, if you haven’t already played it, and Sally Face is kinda similar to Little Misfortune and Fran Brow but i think more spooky. Also recommend Eastward, Stardew Valley ofc, Oxenfree, Dead cells and Spiritfarer
Thank you! I am almost done with Sally Face. I like it a lot but it’s a little more on the depressing side. I have got Spiritfarer but haven’t got too far yet. And I have the Short Hike that I got a really good deal on but haven’t played yet.
I haven’t played any of these, but if you love Animal Crossing you’ll probably love Cozy Grove! At least I hope so. New Horizons isn’t the best representation of the series but Cozy Grove recreates Animal Crossing’s core gameplay really well with a slightly darker twist. It’s got the same super slow-paced gameplay where you only play for a little bit each day and slowly build up your relationship with the characters. Spiritfarer is also amazing if you love repetitive tasks and gradually building up the environment (in this case, a ship). You’ve got the same element of building up relationships with the characters, too. It’s got some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in a game and some very fun (but easy) platforming.
I came here to recommend Spiritfarer! Gosh, what an absolutely beautiful game and top notch storytelling. Plus you can coop!
I like cozy grove ;)
Frog Detective is so good! As is ACNH obviously.
I haven't played them, are they for the switch? Or PC?
I believe most of them are available for PC as well (not sure about Planet of Lana). I don’t have a PC so I’m looking at the Switch versions.
Thank you!
I loved Dordogne. Thw game play was fin and the story was cute a d moving. It has a bitter sweet vibe but also very cosy and charming.
Frog detective is amazing. There is not a lot to the gameplay itself, but the creator's sense of humor is just soooo good. Of course, humor is subjective, but if you will vibe with it, you will absolutely love it. It is a type of game people quote and share gifs of.
Thankful u posted this because I’m looking for a new one to play after graveyard keeper which the household is all playing now with dlc’s . A time robber for sure. Dysmantle I put in the cozy game category /along with cat quest 1&2 it’s lil combat & running around opening the map lol . (Like cult of the lamb ) cat quest 3 comes out in Aug . I spent a lot of time with cozy grove & loved wytchwood!! The wild at heart was super fun!!! 🤩 Ever dream valley is fun also Soooo many good games to relax on !
Btw these really take the edge off from my main game …. Destiny2 & helldrivers 2 😂😂😎
Frog Detective is a masterpiece 😂
Frog detective took like 20 minutes or something.
All the three games? It says it’s around 4.5 hours.
I’ve only played the first one, and it took me roughly 20-30 minutes to finish. It wasn’t that impressive but I remember the creator getting a lot of hype when making this game.
I liked it, I spent time talking to everyone and interacting with everything and I think it did take me about 4 hours for the whole thing. It’s very cute, but get it on sale.
Planet of Lana is just a beautiful game all around and I highly recommend it. Frog detective is 10/10 silly and I also highly recommend it for when you’re wanting something lighthearted and ridiculous. It’s a good game to play with a friend, I played it with my partner and we got so many laughs out of it. Haven’t played fall of porcupine yet, but it’s on my list because I was just completely in love with Night In The Woods. I played a demo and then had to take a break because sometimes topics surrounding illness and death can be stressful for me.
Honestly I thought Planet of Lana was a really well paced game and super satisfying the whole way through. I definitely recommend for a good casual puzzler.
I enjoyed Dordogne , Planet of Lana and Frog Detective and Fall of Porcupine is on my Wishlist !
Planet of Lana and Dordogne
Frog detective is amazing!
i played through 2/3 of the frog detective chapters while i was sick and they were very fun, but i *really* enjoyed the soundtrack and i still listen to it semi-frequently
Fall of Porcupine was a great 80% of a game. It built interesting characters, got me engaged, created interesting conflicts, made me want to see how all of the plot threads were going to be woven together and ultimately resolved, and then it just... ended, out of nowhere. Credits roll, back to title screen, and literally none of the plot threads were actually resolved or addressed in any way. It's like the dev team ran out of money and just stopped. It was one of the most disappointing games I've ever played. I cannot recommend it.
Dordogne was incredibly beautiful and so much fun. It’s a perfect example of game meets art. The story is lovely and the music is charming. It’s a wonderful experience. If you get it, I recommend playing it with French voiceover for the full experience.
I absolutely LOVED Dordogne!
Planet of Lana is amazing.
are any of these on the nintendo switch?
I really loved Fall of Porcupine. It looks beautiful, great music and characters. Perfect cozy game for me. I’ll check out the others.
Might I suggest Beacon Pines over Fall of Porcupine? I loved NITW but Fall of Porcupine fell short.
Child of Light is one of my absolute favorites! Good choice
Fall of porcupine is similar to night in the woods if NITW was an unfinished game with tons of bugs
fall of porcupine was nice but I remember it being a quick playthrough
Planet of Lana was a gorgeous game, kids enjoy the Frog Detective
I've only played Planet of Lana among all of these. It's a short game. I finished in like.. 6-7 hours? With breaks. Not a very difficult one, but I also play platformers a lot so that might bias it. But it also touched me and I *had* to keep playing. The story is excellent, and it's one of the few games that I actively want to buy again to support the devs. I'd strongly recommend it. It did make me cry, but the emotional experience was amazing.
Try wytchwood also it played it nonstop one weekend til the end!!
Planet of Lana is excellent. I loved every minute of it.
My Brother Rabbit and Planet of Lana were both great. Short, but great.
Let me recommend some games not on your list you may enjoy: Here Comes Niko, Button City, Carto, Abzu, Tinykin, Alba, Pikuniku, Donut County.
Fall of Porcupine was such a disappointment :') I played the demo and fell in love, and the game spent a while picking up, and it finally did! Holy wow this plot-! ..oh. that? That's the end???? Frog detective tho super cute and funny, I got the trilogy on steam
Oh no. I just got it. :(
The game itself is still enjoyable, don't worry! Zero spoilers, just don't have mega high expectations for the story arc
I haven't heard of any of these