honestly the whole disneyfication is my biggest vibe killer with a lot of games in this genre, i never managed to put it so succinctly but you killed it
@@handsoaphandsoapwhile this is true for many of us, the fact the Disneyland is full of people means that there's a huge percentage of the population who still find their vibe cozy
4:00 is the most Moon Channel sentence possible. In a video about rating cozy games we must first understand the context of the Danish concept of '*hygge*'
humorously enough, since i work for a norwegian company, i am familiar with it, and kind of like it. its basically being happy with what you have and enjoying life. as an american its funny as it couldnt be a more unamaerican concept, but i like it. no getting the bigger car, bigger house, more absurd tv, just enjoy a nice comfy setting and enjoy talking with people who are your friends.
The actual tier list had a little bit of a desync towards the middle and end of the video! I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience: I edit these videos myself, and sometimes a few mistakes can slip through! Thank you so much for your understanding.
RPGs like Skyrim, The Witcher and BG3 have so much staying power in large part because I think they are cozy games for a lot of people. Still tens of thousands of concurrent players years after release is quite impressive for single player games.
Skyrim is definitely cozy to me, because with mods...it becomes a homestead sim where I grow a garden, date a werewolf, build a house, befriend horses, and sometimes hunt a town guard for fun and me time
47:25 "My Animal Crossing bedroom is almost always mermaid themed" TASTE me too king!! it would be the perfect set if there was a bit more interactions with the furniture, places to set things on but you can't deny how GOOD it looks!! 🌊
Hey Moony, Norwegian here, Hygge is a scandinavian idea more broadly. I would love to see a video where you feature it more substantively, because it really does not have an english equivalent
I miss this kind of videos, I still remember your very first vid about coziness and the last part with your sister reminds me the importance of things that last
I’ve been obsessed with “Smushi come home” lately. It’s a cute cozy 3D platformer with no enemies as far as I can tell, and no real timers to worry about, just a cute mushroom jumping around. Definitely feels windwaker inspired.
There are plushies of him @@MikaykayChan and they're available already. I went to a convention this year and saw them in person, the devs were giving one away!
I appreciate those words on the end of the video. It's probably the reason I have shifted more towards cozy games as I grow older. The idea of a world filled with kindness, always and still feels like a pipe dream, but the devs of these games give us a slice of what it could be.
I have been introduced to a new game genre. Stat builders. And volcano princess will be my first, because raising a daughter in a fantasy world sounds nice
I thoroughly enjoy Volcano Princess, but do be aware that it has darker and anxiety-inducing themes, and translation is very wonky, and some mechanics are not evident. It is very much an "indie" experience, for better and for worse.
I picked up this month and when I booted it up it was the same day the game starts. December 13th. I’ve been playing one game day everday. It’s sublime.
@@silent_reaper999 He's might be a Chinese New Yorker! Well since the channel is largely dedicated to East Asian culture studies, I wanted to know what cultural lessons have been taught to Moon. Turns out, we might have a lot in common!
I wound up doing three runs of Teenage Exocolonist. One where I vibed, had a comfy friendship with huggy dog-boy, and became a botanist; one where I was an explorative loner who only really got on with Dys and a huge spoiler character and managed to force a decent ending where the humans got to live comfortably, and one where I was besties with Tammy, helped raise kids and cook, and got myself killed in the finale by not having the stats. I liked the special mechanic and the information I learned from each ending, but by the end of that last run I was more than done with how restrictive it was.
Ahhh I Was A Teenage Exocolonist! I love this game so much. So much fun each time through. Lots of emotions, a genuinely deep and fascinating backstory and current story and a theme song that stucks with you
Glad to see Recettear getting the mention it deserves. I still remember getting to the very last day, realizing I wasn't going to make the cut, frantically running down to market and selling my entire stock for a fraction of its value to save my kneecaps by the skin of my teeth. Classic.
I don't think those changes will fix why I didn't even finish Potionomics, but I'm willing to give it another go. Unfortunately I'm too busy petting all the chickens in the new update of *my* favorite cozy game, Project Zomboid.
Your discussion about what makes Stardew Valley special is incredible because yes, YES. I do love escaping to other worlds for entertainment... but there's something SPECIAL about something that feels real like that. That helps build that sense of connection and trying to be a part of a community. There's an animated music video series called "There She Is" which has a moment which has stuck with me for a long time now. The girl leaves the guy. The harsh world, the bigotry and hatred has gotten too much. She takes a ticket to Paradise and leaves to catch the plane. And the guy chases after her, and on the way, one of the girl's friends offers him a ticket to Paradise to join her. And you know what this guy does? He TEARS THE TICKET TO SHREDS. The video ends with them cleaning hateful graffiti off the vending machines where they met. And that's been in my heart ever since. It's meant a lot to me. We shouldn't just run away from this imperfect world, we should work together and do what work we can. I think Stardew understands that. I think you understand that. Thank you.
In my experience, people love fleshed out alien settings. That's half the reason Morrowind gets so much love. But maybe I spend too much time around nerds who don't represent the buying public. Then again we are a sizable niche.
Heck yeah brother Moon! We all need some cozy games rn more than ever. Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, but heck I'd even consider "hidden object" and puzzle games to be cozy too if we use your definition of "taking your mind off the stresses of the world."
27:42 Wow, you just threw this advice out of nowhere and hit me right where it hurt. The fact that it was just a few seconds of genuine advice on a random cozy game tier list video really made it feel like it was directly targeted at me, and was the tipping point that got me out of a downward spiral. I really needed to hear that, thank you.
Personally, I'd recommend WitchSpring R. It's a really cute and cozy JRPG with a beautiful story, well-written characters, and, in my opinion, an underrated gem among the games I played this year-even though I’m not typically a huge fan of JRPGs.
I watched a full playthrough and enjoyed it immensely. It was positively surprising just how much quality there was for an anime-style game, and how well it used the fun anime tropes but (mostly) avoided the bad ones. Very cute, very cozy!
moony, honest question- how are you so well read and versed on a variety of topics? Do you simply study and research prior to a video? Reason why I ask is because you discuss regarding culture, sociology, philosophy, politics, and history in a manner that doesn’t just seem like you did a couple dozen hours of research over the course of weeks. Do you just read a lot, are you actually 50 years old and are a repository of unc knowledge, what’s up? Also wonderful vid to finish off the year, Moonie.
I would not be surprised if he bothered read a lot and made a lot of notes as he did so. The type of broad knowledge he has smacks of strong link note taking. Either that or he just loves reading Wikipedia.
probably being a lawyer is a big part of it. knowing a subject deeply so that you can really defend or pick it apart, in his schooling he probably was trained in the strategies of deeply interrogating concepts and following leads, and thats kind of his style here. "before we discuss x, lets discuss this major component of it in detail"
Good news on Rune Factory, 5 isn't the end though it nearly ended for good before 5 even released. There's two more in the development pipeline. 6 & Guardians of Azuma. The snippets of Guardians we've seen don't look as clunky in the movement so hopefully they got the hang of it.
Every time Moony talks about his sisters with love and respect (which is every time he talks about them) my trust in him grows 10%. Thanks for all the awesome video essays and game suggestions!
omg you ending up as a lawyer in elocutionist was peak story-telling. I loved that part the game sounds interesting might check it out ps. wanted to recommend my favorite cozy game: WitchSpringR
love your content! as someone who struggles to get into traditional "cozy" games, i always find it interesting to see what games other people relax to. i always struggled to get into animal crossing and most other farm sim/ life sim games, but for some reason stardew always hit for me. i know it doesnt really fall into the definition of cozy games you set up in this video, but ive always found the sims and house flipper to be perfect "sit back and relax" type games. but then again i also find soulsborne relaxing so maybe my tastes are wildly different from most people. keep up the good work man!
I waited for the cozy mode update until picking up Potionomics. Currently in middle of my playthrough, and I think I made the right decision. Great game when you don't have to suffer through the timeslot anxiety!
I was looking at that game several times, and every time decided against it because of its lack of an (official) cozy mode. I still find it odd that it wasn't there for such a long time, but glad that they finally changed their mind, and now more people will get to play it the way they'll enjoy it.
I just love that you are as dedicated to analyse cosy kawaii game as you are to analyse geopolitics and social dynamics, all with the same BBC docomentary voice. This is my favority vibe on YT, thanks you for existing. Happy holidays!
I highly recommend Amber Isle as a cozy game to review. It's got a fun and distinct theme around prehistoric creatures, and shop management mechanics that are pleasantly difficult if you want to optimize but plenty forgiving if you can't keep up. Lots of characters too, and almost all of them have an amusing link to the science behind their species.
I would like to recommend one that's a bit of an anomaly, because it is cozy...and edgy - yog sothoth's yard: you manage a hotel for eldritch critters, with all that it implies. There's romance too.
Cozy games with cultural coziness in mind is something I REALLY wanted from Coral Island and I'm hoping that there will at least some shift toward it. I was one of the original backers for the game because i wanted to play a non-western style game. I wanted to play a genre ive loved since I was young, but with a different cultural approach.
I always find it so interesting to learn about how different people approach relaxation. Especially since everyone basically tries to do the same thing, which is to shift focus, be it through „immersion“ like Moony or „concentration“ on my part. Just different ways of blending thoughts out, that for whatever reason need completely different stimulus which depend on so many criteria, I love it 🤓
Have a good holiday Mooney and family. Looking forward to more awesome videos, but most importantly looking forward to trying Volcano Princess. It sounds like just the right recipe to make this 33 year old man's heart melt, something I always enjoy feeling. All the best.
My favorite cozy game six years running is American Truck Simulator. With a podcast or an audiobook on in the background, my cat asleep on the desk next to the keyboard (and occasionally rolling or pawing at said keyboard and running the truck off the road, but that's a story for another day), and the hum of the engine of my Volvo VNL 300 providing the backbeat to the whole experience, it's the perfect shift from my "I screw up and our fishermen can't do their jobs because the vendors cut us off" work in accounting from 8 to 4 every weekday.
I cannot express how much I appreciate the breadth and depth of what you cover. Legal details, history, culture, cozy games and all are a joy to experience and I am deeply grateful for them all
Thank you Moonie. These videos, and your channel as a whole, bring me a unique feeling I have very rarely seen on this platform. Keep up the great work, and enjoy your holidays. If anyone's earned it, it's you.
Thanks for the video, Moony. Really appreciated that you mention Subnautica as a representative of the genre. The kind of warming-near-campfire-under-harsh-environment cozy games sounds like a theme worth exploring. For some reason they generally feel more comforting.
This video actually gave me a word for something I had been feeling for a while about one of my favorite cozy games: Wylde Flowers. The Disneylandification of that game is so real, though it is lampshaded a bit in a spoilery way. I'd definitely like to see it on next year's tierlist but it would probably wind up in B or C for that reason.
This honestly made me realize how few new games I've played this year, cozy or otherwise. It's not even like I forgot about these games releasing or couldn't afford them; instead, this is the first I'm hearing of a good chunk of them.
Thank you for the amazing tierlist one again! Glad you made the second installment and look forward to the next! It would bring me great joy if you give my cozy game of choice, Silme Rancher! (either 1 or 2, they are quite similar, with 2 simply having more to it but being early access still whereas I did finish 1 and had me hook, line and sinker until the end!) I think that sense of belonging that I don't feel with other games happens so... seamlessly for me with Silme Rancher, and I find myself so engrossed, hours and hours pass without notice! There's always something to do, fully propelled by yourself, and once you get mid to late game, you simply want to unlock everything, explore every nook and cranny, and get all the beautiful expansions!
A friend actually bought me Potionomics and I hated it for the reasons you mentioned - the limited time to do anything, the boss fights, and the micromanaging was pretty frustrating and I just wanted to chill - thanks for letting me know about the new mode! I might actually get into it now.
I absolutely love this channel! I have never played a cozy game in my life... I've never had any interest in cozy games... I will likely never play a cozy game in my life. They're just not for me. With all that said, who but Moony could make an almost hour long video on a topic I otherwise couldn't care less about, and get me to not only watch it end to end, but thoroughly enjoy it in the process? Bravo my friend, bravo. 👏👏👏
I really like how you look at cozy games. They are, in my experience, a space where we come back to remember that we are human. They have "meaning", even when they do not have "purpose" (Animal Crossing allows itself to be boring, and it is cozy because of that, not despite it). I am not finding the words to explain it better, I'm afraid. But it's that: a place without "you must".
Cozy video from my favorite cozy channel :P Thank you for mentioning Teenage Exocolonist! It sounds like my type of game and i don't think i would have found it otherwise! And i know you didn't really ask for it, but may i recommend you the atelier series (Potionomics reminded me of it) and Core Keeper (if you enjoy the aimless exploration of Terraria)? Atelier has been my cozy go-to for years, and core keeper has been a recent favorite between my friends and I. For the rest, happy holidays to you and sisters, and thank you for another year of great videos! Looking forward to what 2025 will bring ^^
I love it when someone can talk about a piece of media like Animal Crossing in a way that really makes me appreciate it, even if I didn't enjoy it myself.
Thank you for this video, and for all of your videos this year Moony! I appreciate what you do here so much. Here's hoping Mistria will be finished next year I really wanna play it, it looks so cute!
This video was so nice to watch , it made me more interested in checking out more cozy games, thank you for going over all the various aspects of the games' experience 🌱
I always think about how before ACNH got the Welcome Amiibo update, a lot of the Animal Crossing fandom started to play Stardew Valley for a change of pace. That seems to be the common thread as well, since almost every person I know who loves one game also adores the other just as much. Animal Crossing Likes and Stardew Valley Likes are abundant because the originals are genre-defining. ❤
My dad has thousands of hours in animal crossing new horizons. He has frequently fallen asleep fishing and loves decorating his island with all sorts of Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who references. Very grateful that a game like animal crossing exists as a peaceful place to simply exist and express yourself.
Your monologue about both Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing made my eyes water and my throat burn a bit. Some games are more than the sum of all their parts. I played ACNH with my mom almost every day during the beginning of COVID-19 when I wasn't able to go to my general public facing job. No matter what was going on we always found time to play together. Of course life happens and we don't get to play together much anymore but it brought us closer like nothing else. Even now the music makes me a bit teary eyed. Thank you for doing both games justice this way.
Potionomics has been on my list of games to play since its release but I’ve lacked the mental bandwidth to really play games. I think it’s a super appealing concept and I’m excited to play it when I can play games again
One of my favourite cozy games this year was Wilmot Works It Out, the surprise sequel to Wilmot's Warehouse I didn't know I needed. It's simple, focused, and incredibly homey
As a Dane, it is always a treat to hear people say "hygge", or as we would say "det er altid hyggeligt at høre folk sige 'hygge'". 😁 Speaking of Danish, I just realized that LEGO, as far as I remember, has never tried to make a cozy game. That is such a missed opportunity and I hope they do one day, and do it well.
I loved last year's video, and I'm so excited to watch this one! Looking at the timestamps, I'm pleasantly surprised on the variety games covered- lots of games that I really love and some I've never heard of that I can't wait to check out. Anyways, happy to see that this is becoming a yearly tradition!
Wait Exocolonist has an aroace character??? *Wishlists imminently* Also I just want to say I really love these cozy game videos. I enjoy your regular content too of course but it always feels like I have to mentally prepare for those. For these I clicked on it almost imminently.
put volcano princess over growing up. rip. 😭 he wasn’t lying about save-scumming in exocolonist either, cause you literally cannot even attempt to romance tammy in your first playthrough without save-scumming
3:53 subnautica is so relaxing!! I like the feeling of the water and the beauty of the ocean. Its one of my favorite games of all time! 12:45 Potionomics is awesome, its such a pretty game.
You mentioned Harvestella near the end and I do hope you get to try it. I found it to be a very jack of all trades master of none when it came to all its parts but the sum of all those parts adds up to an enjoyable experience. At least it did to me anyway. The music in the game is outstanding. Great video!
If you’re interested in a great game inspired by Pacific Islander experiences, Tchia is a game specifically designed by and about New Caledonians. It has real wind waker / breath of the wild vibes, and I find it to be very cozy indeed.
You know what, I watch a good amount of cozy game content and yet this felt refreshing and your list wasn't typical. Cozy gaming is a very personal experience so I always find it interesting to see what people find comforting. I was actually scarily obsessed with Potionomics like a month ago and it definitely was a cozy game for me. I started in the classic mode and found it a bit much for what I was feeling like playing at the time so switching to cozy mode was absolutely perfect. Some of the best writing in a game I've played and I ADORE all the characters. I ended up dating everyone much to my surprise because they just are all so charming in their own unique way. My only gripe was Sylvia's flirting felt very "Showering? Without me?" like 85% of the time haha. I love stat raisers (Tokimemo Girls Side is a personal cozy series for me) and am shocked to see Volcano Princess here! I love the Princess Maker series but I really enjoyed what Volcano Princess did with the raising sim genre. It took out the kind of creepy elements out and left what I love. I felt very fuzzy and warm while playing it. RF4 is definitely a favorite of mine and agree 5 was a step back in some ways BUT FOR ME it was an upgrade for the bachelors since for the first time I struggled to choose who to marry. I actually was surprised how much I liked Sakuna it took a lot to get used to the gameplay and I felt calling it cozy at times was a reach. That rice farming is intense and you're struggling badly in the beginning right along with Sakuna. But the characters are once again charming and make you care about them and it feels so rewarding to improve the farm and everyone's daily life. Did not expect to leave a message this long but this was a fun video!
Thanks for all the recommendations here! I'll share one with you in turn: The Atelier series - in particular I recommend the first Atelier Ryza game as a starting point. It's part JRPG, part collecting and crafting with its alchemy system. The plot is simple and light, though can't resist getting a bit serious towards the end (kind of like Rune Factory).
I don't play any traditional cozy games but I gave Subnautica a full on replay this year so that is my cozy game of the year. I had 3 Cuddlefish! okay I lost one of the two I got from time capsules before finding the one in the world so I only really had 2 at a time so not really 3. I was really connected to my home made out of mainly one large room split into multiple smaller rooms by a big aquarium. One of my favourite parts of the game was whenever I thought of a new project to spice up my home and I would spend several hours working on it. I am excited for Subnautica 2 whenever it comes out, and I am eagerly awaiting Slime Rancher 2 to come out of early Access.
I don't know if these have been touched on in videos past, so I will share for comment readers. Yonder the Cloudcatcher (this game has an end, it is a short farm builder with a story). Grow, Song of Evertree (I think it's a cozy game and I'm quite enjoying it. Uhh.. plants and magic?) Summer in Mara (think cozy Zelda's Windwaker, which he did touch on in name).
I don't know if it's on your list or not, but Lightyear Frontier was incredible and brought me to tears. It's in early access so might not make your list, but it's one to watch for.
The only game in this list I played was sakuna of rice and ruin, and i didn't expect it at all. But i want to highly recommend it, or alternatively watch the anime that came out recently! It's such an amazing experience either way. for me it always brings me to tears for some reason, especially when sakuna actually chooses her fate, it's a raw emotional story at times, but just as cozy and relaxing. I was never good, but I saw someone achieve a max perfected rice yield, and their ability to play the side combat brawler was one of real skill, which is to say this game is multifaceted, and can be enjoyed by many a different styles. Please check it out!
I hope I’m not the only one found mesmerizing rice growth cycle, scheduling farming and dungeons, mixing fertilizer, pest and weed control, maximizing yield super stressful. I really think I’m not playing it right.
Ever since November, Sniper Elite is my cozy game. Slowly getting to a nice view and sending a short, direct message to those who I feel need to hear it. It's the equivalent to fishing for my soul.
The Story of Seasons / Friends of Mineral Town remake on Switch and PS4 is pretty good. Kinda basic graphically and pared down gameplay, but the simplicity is a lot of fun. It also comes with an easy mode that boosts the rate at which you raise relationships and the amount crops sell for. Combine that with the harvest sprites and it's a very relaxing and basic cozy game.
Do anyone else plays Zenless Zone Zero as a cozy game? I don't know why, but the cute kittens lying around, the befriending of characters, the memories board, the fact that the dailies include drinking coffee, talking to the kiosk dog and opening your VHS rental store... and the 90s vibes! Idk, everything's so cozy to me, even if sometimes it's sparkled with monstrous creatures 😂
The fact that Potionomics added both an easy and a hard mode makes it SO MUCH BETTER. The game has so little hidden information and so little randomization that, if you're good at optimizing, you can break normal mode to the point you can stop playing ages before the last "boss". But I know plenty of people found the sheer amount of options and information overwhelming, and the game will run you over if you can't parse it. Neither of which is very fun, so a difficulty setting was the main thing missing from the game. Also, the addition of voice acting to go with those GORGEOUS character animations makes it totally worth replaying for anyone who didn't care about the difficulty.
My Animal Crossing room is almost always a tech-laced aquarium theme if I can put it together. Still, and cool, and shadowed like the deep sea. I find it very soothing.
You know the channel is good when you play action heavy games like Ultrakill (ULTRAKILL OST TIER LIST WHEN THIS IS NOT A QUESTION IT IS AN ORDER) and you watch all of this
The muse at the end was very uplifting. As someone who has never played a cozy game, the quality allowed me to sit through the video. My main question is this: If you want to feel that kindness would triumph over money, why wouldn't you play a story game? Over there, there is a much more evocative sense of kindness, of justice, compared to the undertones, the introspection required to feel that the society is a trust-based one? Thanks in advance!
It's funny that you say Dreamlight Valley has the Disneyland effect, because i like how you can sass back to characters if you want. Sure, the fact that the characters tend to tolerate it pretty well adds to your Disneyland vibe, but at least the option to be salty is there
Oh also Cozy Grove picks up where you left off, so you can take breaks and it'll still only advance one day (rather than say going from Day 2 to say 15 if you take a 2 week break) I haven't played Cozy Grove 2 - not into the fact that you need a Netflix account to play
If I could explain what is up with Kynseed I would not have stopped playing after an hour and never looked back. It just feels like such a confusing mess. Also I loved Tang in Teenage Exocolonist. Definitely dated her on my first playthrough and was so happy that she broke up with the MC for her own reasons in the end. That's really good writing that you rarely see in games with dating options. Most of the time it is just "oh yea you scored 25 heart points and now you are together forever". It's also the only game that made me play multiple playthroughs. Really good implementation of NG+.
Go to displate.com/moonchannel and use code moonchannel at checkout to get up to 36% off your order!
It says the code is expired.
yeah code doesn't work, it says it's expired for me too
Oh dear... Let me check in with Displate and get that sorted
honestly the whole disneyfication is my biggest vibe killer with a lot of games in this genre, i never managed to put it so succinctly but you killed it
it definitely makes "cozy" feel like a marketing term sometimes
Disney doesn’t bring up cozy feelings, it brings up thoughts of corporatism and being sold to, of marketing and focus groups and shareholders
@@handsoaphandsoapwhile this is true for many of us, the fact the Disneyland is full of people means that there's a huge percentage of the population who still find their vibe cozy
weirdly, dreamlight does delve into some sad concepts, but you have to go to the end of the "story" and i was actually somewhat impressed by that.
4:00 is the most Moon Channel sentence possible. In a video about rating cozy games we must first understand the context of the Danish concept of '*hygge*'
humorously enough, since i work for a norwegian company, i am familiar with it, and kind of like it. its basically being happy with what you have and enjoying life. as an american its funny as it couldnt be a more unamaerican concept, but i like it. no getting the bigger car, bigger house, more absurd tv, just enjoy a nice comfy setting and enjoy talking with people who are your friends.
The actual tier list had a little bit of a desync towards the middle and end of the video! I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience: I edit these videos myself, and sometimes a few mistakes can slip through! Thank you so much for your understanding.
need more neo-confucianism
Thought you said "neo-faucism" (dr. Fauci covid guy)
@@ChannelName3230i thought you said "neo-faustianism"; which - Go, off, Goethe!
@@ChannelName3230 I thought you said "neo-fuchsianism". Which would be an ideological relationship to a color.
I thought you said neo-coffeianism. Those beans they get you
Can someone give me a timestamp?
RPGs like Skyrim, The Witcher and BG3 have so much staying power in large part because I think they are cozy games for a lot of people. Still tens of thousands of concurrent players years after release is quite impressive for single player games.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is such for me, I think! At least until I get to the more challenging side content that I've yet to completely finish.
Skyrim is definitely cozy to me, because with mods...it becomes a homestead sim where I grow a garden, date a werewolf, build a house, befriend horses, and sometimes hunt a town guard for fun and me time
47:25 "My Animal Crossing bedroom is almost always mermaid themed" TASTE me too king!! it would be the perfect set if there was a bit more interactions with the furniture, places to set things on but you can't deny how GOOD it looks!! 🌊
ditto.
Hey Moony, Norwegian here, Hygge is a scandinavian idea more broadly. I would love to see a video where you feature it more substantively, because it really does not have an english equivalent
29:10 Congratulations, you played yourself
Eyyyyyyy 👉👉
Gyatt damn
I miss this kind of videos, I still remember your very first vid about coziness and the last part with your sister reminds me the importance of things that last
I’ve been obsessed with “Smushi come home” lately. It’s a cute cozy 3D platformer with no enemies as far as I can tell, and no real timers to worry about, just a cute mushroom jumping around. Definitely feels windwaker inspired.
Smushi was fantastic! I wish there were figures or plushies of him lol
There are plushies of him @@MikaykayChan and they're available already. I went to a convention this year and saw them in person, the devs were giving one away!
I appreciate those words on the end of the video. It's probably the reason I have shifted more towards cozy games as I grow older. The idea of a world filled with kindness, always and still feels like a pipe dream, but the devs of these games give us a slice of what it could be.
If my lawyer doesn't play "Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town," then I'd rather go to jail.
I have been introduced to a new game genre. Stat builders. And volcano princess will be my first, because raising a daughter in a fantasy world sounds nice
ah yes the princess maker type games
I thoroughly enjoy Volcano Princess, but do be aware that it has darker and anxiety-inducing themes, and translation is very wonky, and some mechanics are not evident. It is very much an "indie" experience, for better and for worse.
Never been more hype for a cozy games list, happy very early new year moony and moonsister!
VA-11 HALL-A might be a nice cozy game. It has catgirl tho but they are nice and the characters feels authentics.
I picked up this month and when I booted it up it was the same day the game starts. December 13th. I’ve been playing one game day everday. It’s sublime.
And much like Stardew, it inspired its own cozy subgenre, the barkeeper-sims
I can never pin down Moon's ethnic background. Now I'm leaning towards Chinese which is so cool! Well at least your Mandarin is on point.
Why does this matter to you😅
@@silent_reaper999 He's might be a Chinese New Yorker! Well since the channel is largely dedicated to East Asian culture studies, I wanted to know what cultural lessons have been taught to Moon. Turns out, we might have a lot in common!
@@silent_reaper999something doesnt have to be super important to be something you idly wonder about ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I wound up doing three runs of Teenage Exocolonist. One where I vibed, had a comfy friendship with huggy dog-boy, and became a botanist; one where I was an explorative loner who only really got on with Dys and a huge spoiler character and managed to force a decent ending where the humans got to live comfortably, and one where I was besties with Tammy, helped raise kids and cook, and got myself killed in the finale by not having the stats.
I liked the special mechanic and the information I learned from each ending, but by the end of that last run I was more than done with how restrictive it was.
Ahhh I Was A Teenage Exocolonist! I love this game so much. So much fun each time through. Lots of emotions, a genuinely deep and fascinating backstory and current story and a theme song that stucks with you
I also recommend you check out "Lil Gator Game", which is a cozy windwaker-like game with a narrative that is evocative, funny, and overall excellent
Glad to see Recettear getting the mention it deserves. I still remember getting to the very last day, realizing I wasn't going to make the cut, frantically running down to market and selling my entire stock for a fraction of its value to save my kneecaps by the skin of my teeth. Classic.
I don't think those changes will fix why I didn't even finish Potionomics, but I'm willing to give it another go. Unfortunately I'm too busy petting all the chickens in the new update of *my* favorite cozy game, Project Zomboid.
Your discussion about what makes Stardew Valley special is incredible because yes, YES.
I do love escaping to other worlds for entertainment... but there's something SPECIAL about something that feels real like that. That helps build that sense of connection and trying to be a part of a community.
There's an animated music video series called "There She Is" which has a moment which has stuck with me for a long time now.
The girl leaves the guy. The harsh world, the bigotry and hatred has gotten too much. She takes a ticket to Paradise and leaves to catch the plane.
And the guy chases after her, and on the way, one of the girl's friends offers him a ticket to Paradise to join her.
And you know what this guy does? He TEARS THE TICKET TO SHREDS.
The video ends with them cleaning hateful graffiti off the vending machines where they met.
And that's been in my heart ever since. It's meant a lot to me.
We shouldn't just run away from this imperfect world, we should work together and do what work we can.
I think Stardew understands that. I think you understand that.
Thank you.
13:39 I love how this humblebrag actually turns out self-deprecating
In my experience, people love fleshed out alien settings. That's half the reason Morrowind gets so much love.
But maybe I spend too much time around nerds who don't represent the buying public. Then again we are a sizable niche.
Heck yeah brother Moon! We all need some cozy games rn more than ever. Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, but heck I'd even consider "hidden object" and puzzle games to be cozy too if we use your definition of "taking your mind off the stresses of the world."
27:42 Wow, you just threw this advice out of nowhere and hit me right where it hurt. The fact that it was just a few seconds of genuine advice on a random cozy game tier list video really made it feel like it was directly targeted at me, and was the tipping point that got me out of a downward spiral.
I really needed to hear that, thank you.
Personally, I'd recommend WitchSpring R. It's a really cute and cozy JRPG with a beautiful story, well-written characters, and, in my opinion, an underrated gem among the games I played this year-even though I’m not typically a huge fan of JRPGs.
I watched a full playthrough and enjoyed it immensely. It was positively surprising just how much quality there was for an anime-style game, and how well it used the fun anime tropes but (mostly) avoided the bad ones. Very cute, very cozy!
moony, honest question- how are you so well read and versed on a variety of topics? Do you simply study and research prior to a video? Reason why I ask is because you discuss regarding culture, sociology, philosophy, politics, and history in a manner that doesn’t just seem like you did a couple dozen hours of research over the course of weeks.
Do you just read a lot, are you actually 50 years old and are a repository of unc knowledge, what’s up?
Also wonderful vid to finish off the year, Moonie.
I would not be surprised if he bothered read a lot and made a lot of notes as he did so. The type of broad knowledge he has smacks of strong link note taking.
Either that or he just loves reading Wikipedia.
probably being a lawyer is a big part of it. knowing a subject deeply so that you can really defend or pick it apart, in his schooling he probably was trained in the strategies of deeply interrogating concepts and following leads, and thats kind of his style here. "before we discuss x, lets discuss this major component of it in detail"
Good news on Rune Factory, 5 isn't the end though it nearly ended for good before 5 even released. There's two more in the development pipeline. 6 & Guardians of Azuma. The snippets of Guardians we've seen don't look as clunky in the movement so hopefully they got the hang of it.
Every time Moony talks about his sisters with love and respect (which is every time he talks about them) my trust in him grows 10%. Thanks for all the awesome video essays and game suggestions!
this channel is MY cozy place your videos have never failed to pick me up (also big ups to all the big brothers out there)
Im ready to sit in near my mental approximation of a fire place and watch moons cozy tier list while sipping water!
omg you ending up as a lawyer in elocutionist was peak story-telling. I loved that part the game sounds interesting might check it out
ps. wanted to recommend my favorite cozy game: WitchSpringR
love your content! as someone who struggles to get into traditional "cozy" games, i always find it interesting to see what games other people relax to. i always struggled to get into animal crossing and most other farm sim/ life sim games, but for some reason stardew always hit for me. i know it doesnt really fall into the definition of cozy games you set up in this video, but ive always found the sims and house flipper to be perfect "sit back and relax" type games. but then again i also find soulsborne relaxing so maybe my tastes are wildly different from most people. keep up the good work man!
I'm shocked Webfishing didn't make it to the list!
On one hand, absolutely. On the other hand, multiplayer can lead to some unhinged interactions and singleplayer just feels...well, disconnected.
I waited for the cozy mode update until picking up Potionomics. Currently in middle of my playthrough, and I think I made the right decision. Great game when you don't have to suffer through the timeslot anxiety!
I was looking at that game several times, and every time decided against it because of its lack of an (official) cozy mode. I still find it odd that it wasn't there for such a long time, but glad that they finally changed their mind, and now more people will get to play it the way they'll enjoy it.
I just love that you are as dedicated to analyse cosy kawaii game as you are to analyse geopolitics and social dynamics, all with the same BBC docomentary voice. This is my favority vibe on YT, thanks you for existing. Happy holidays!
My favorite villager has always been Biskit, too!! Great taste, Pearlie :D
I highly recommend Amber Isle as a cozy game to review. It's got a fun and distinct theme around prehistoric creatures, and shop management mechanics that are pleasantly difficult if you want to optimize but plenty forgiving if you can't keep up. Lots of characters too, and almost all of them have an amusing link to the science behind their species.
I would like to recommend one that's a bit of an anomaly, because it is cozy...and edgy - yog sothoth's yard: you manage a hotel for eldritch critters, with all that it implies. There's romance too.
Cozy games with cultural coziness in mind is something I REALLY wanted from Coral Island and I'm hoping that there will at least some shift toward it. I was one of the original backers for the game because i wanted to play a non-western style game. I wanted to play a genre ive loved since I was young, but with a different cultural approach.
I always find it so interesting to learn about how different people approach relaxation. Especially since everyone basically tries to do the same thing, which is to shift focus, be it through „immersion“ like Moony or „concentration“ on my part. Just different ways of blending thoughts out, that for whatever reason need completely different stimulus which depend on so many criteria, I love it 🤓
Have a good holiday Mooney and family. Looking forward to more awesome videos, but most importantly looking forward to trying Volcano Princess. It sounds like just the right recipe to make this 33 year old man's heart melt, something I always enjoy feeling. All the best.
My favorite cozy game six years running is American Truck Simulator. With a podcast or an audiobook on in the background, my cat asleep on the desk next to the keyboard (and occasionally rolling or pawing at said keyboard and running the truck off the road, but that's a story for another day), and the hum of the engine of my Volvo VNL 300 providing the backbeat to the whole experience, it's the perfect shift from my "I screw up and our fishermen can't do their jobs because the vendors cut us off" work in accounting from 8 to 4 every weekday.
I cannot express how much I appreciate the breadth and depth of what you cover. Legal details, history, culture, cozy games and all are a joy to experience and I am deeply grateful for them all
Thank you Moonie. These videos, and your channel as a whole, bring me a unique feeling I have very rarely seen on this platform.
Keep up the great work, and enjoy your holidays. If anyone's earned it, it's you.
Thanks for the video, Moony. Really appreciated that you mention Subnautica as a representative of the genre. The kind of warming-near-campfire-under-harsh-environment cozy games sounds like a theme worth exploring. For some reason they generally feel more comforting.
This video actually gave me a word for something I had been feeling for a while about one of my favorite cozy games: Wylde Flowers. The Disneylandification of that game is so real, though it is lampshaded a bit in a spoilery way. I'd definitely like to see it on next year's tierlist but it would probably wind up in B or C for that reason.
This honestly made me realize how few new games I've played this year, cozy or otherwise. It's not even like I forgot about these games releasing or couldn't afford them; instead, this is the first I'm hearing of a good chunk of them.
Hearing your take on Luma Island (once they figure themselves out) would be interesting.
Harvest moon FOMT mention and you get it right, it is the best! That makes me trust your opinions on this list sooo much more lol
Thank you for the amazing tierlist one again! Glad you made the second installment and look forward to the next!
It would bring me great joy if you give my cozy game of choice, Silme Rancher! (either 1 or 2, they are quite similar, with 2 simply having more to it but being early access still whereas I did finish 1 and had me hook, line and sinker until the end!) I think that sense of belonging that I don't feel with other games happens so... seamlessly for me with Silme Rancher, and I find myself so engrossed, hours and hours pass without notice! There's always something to do, fully propelled by yourself, and once you get mid to late game, you simply want to unlock everything, explore every nook and cranny, and get all the beautiful expansions!
A friend actually bought me Potionomics and I hated it for the reasons you mentioned - the limited time to do anything, the boss fights, and the micromanaging was pretty frustrating and I just wanted to chill - thanks for letting me know about the new mode! I might actually get into it now.
God I was addicted to growing up, I wish it was more popular.
For the devs to continue updating it.
I absolutely love this channel! I have never played a cozy game in my life... I've never had any interest in cozy games... I will likely never play a cozy game in my life. They're just not for me. With all that said, who but Moony could make an almost hour long video on a topic I otherwise couldn't care less about, and get me to not only watch it end to end, but thoroughly enjoy it in the process? Bravo my friend, bravo. 👏👏👏
I really like how you look at cozy games. They are, in my experience, a space where we come back to remember that we are human. They have "meaning", even when they do not have "purpose" (Animal Crossing allows itself to be boring, and it is cozy because of that, not despite it). I am not finding the words to explain it better, I'm afraid. But it's that: a place without "you must".
15:33 I absolutely Love Potionomics! So glad to see it make the list, and I will be going back to replay it soonish
I parasocially care about you, Moony. Happy holidays! ❤❤❤
I love all of your regular content, and I loved this video too! Thank you!
Yes! To everything you had to say about Coral Island. I was quite disappointed about the lack of depth but maybe they're improving on that 😮
Cozy video from my favorite cozy channel :P
Thank you for mentioning Teenage Exocolonist! It sounds like my type of game and i don't think i would have found it otherwise! And i know you didn't really ask for it, but may i recommend you the atelier series (Potionomics reminded me of it) and Core Keeper (if you enjoy the aimless exploration of Terraria)? Atelier has been my cozy go-to for years, and core keeper has been a recent favorite between my friends and I.
For the rest, happy holidays to you and sisters, and thank you for another year of great videos! Looking forward to what 2025 will bring ^^
I love it when someone can talk about a piece of media like Animal Crossing in a way that really makes me appreciate it, even if I didn't enjoy it myself.
Thank you for this video, and for all of your videos this year Moony! I appreciate what you do here so much. Here's hoping Mistria will be finished next year I really wanna play it, it looks so cute!
This video was so nice to watch , it made me more interested in checking out more cozy games, thank you for going over all the various aspects of the games' experience 🌱
I always think about how before ACNH got the Welcome Amiibo update, a lot of the Animal Crossing fandom started to play Stardew Valley for a change of pace. That seems to be the common thread as well, since almost every person I know who loves one game also adores the other just as much. Animal Crossing Likes and Stardew Valley Likes are abundant because the originals are genre-defining. ❤
This is awesome, ur narration made it more then just an end year video
9:05
My man gravitating towards Goth/Dark Academia is just *chef's kiss*
A man of true culture, mad respect and resonate the same xD
My dad has thousands of hours in animal crossing new horizons. He has frequently fallen asleep fishing and loves decorating his island with all sorts of Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who references. Very grateful that a game like animal crossing exists as a peaceful place to simply exist and express yourself.
Your monologue about both Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing made my eyes water and my throat burn a bit. Some games are more than the sum of all their parts. I played ACNH with my mom almost every day during the beginning of COVID-19 when I wasn't able to go to my general public facing job. No matter what was going on we always found time to play together. Of course life happens and we don't get to play together much anymore but it brought us closer like nothing else. Even now the music makes me a bit teary eyed. Thank you for doing both games justice this way.
Potionomics has been on my list of games to play since its release but I’ve lacked the mental bandwidth to really play games. I think it’s a super appealing concept and I’m excited to play it when I can play games again
great video, subbed, I'm leaning towards cozy games, walking simulators and puzzle adventures lately, finding a lot of joy with these kinds of games
One of my favourite cozy games this year was Wilmot Works It Out, the surprise sequel to Wilmot's Warehouse I didn't know I needed. It's simple, focused, and incredibly homey
As a Dane, it is always a treat to hear people say "hygge", or as we would say "det er altid hyggeligt at høre folk sige 'hygge'". 😁
Speaking of Danish, I just realized that LEGO, as far as I remember, has never tried to make a cozy game. That is such a missed opportunity and I hope they do one day, and do it well.
I loved last year's video, and I'm so excited to watch this one! Looking at the timestamps, I'm pleasantly surprised on the variety games covered- lots of games that I really love and some I've never heard of that I can't wait to check out. Anyways, happy to see that this is becoming a yearly tradition!
Wait Exocolonist has an aroace character??? *Wishlists imminently*
Also I just want to say I really love these cozy game videos. I enjoy your regular content too of course but it always feels like I have to mentally prepare for those. For these I clicked on it almost imminently.
put volcano princess over growing up. rip. 😭
he wasn’t lying about save-scumming in exocolonist either, cause you literally cannot even attempt to romance tammy in your first playthrough without save-scumming
That game sounds like it hates the player with how it won't let you end up with anyone lmao
3:53 subnautica is so relaxing!! I like the feeling of the water and the beauty of the ocean. Its one of my favorite games of all time!
12:45 Potionomics is awesome, its such a pretty game.
Wonderful tierlist
You have a way with words, I teared up. I love video games and media, the way they give hope for a better world
You mentioned Harvestella near the end and I do hope you get to try it. I found it to be a very jack of all trades master of none when it came to all its parts but the sum of all those parts adds up to an enjoyable experience. At least it did to me anyway. The music in the game is outstanding. Great video!
If you’re interested in a great game inspired by Pacific Islander experiences, Tchia is a game specifically designed by and about New Caledonians. It has real wind waker / breath of the wild vibes, and I find it to be very cozy indeed.
You know what, I watch a good amount of cozy game content and yet this felt refreshing and your list wasn't typical. Cozy gaming is a very personal experience so I always find it interesting to see what people find comforting. I was actually scarily obsessed with Potionomics like a month ago and it definitely was a cozy game for me. I started in the classic mode and found it a bit much for what I was feeling like playing at the time so switching to cozy mode was absolutely perfect. Some of the best writing in a game I've played and I ADORE all the characters. I ended up dating everyone much to my surprise because they just are all so charming in their own unique way. My only gripe was Sylvia's flirting felt very "Showering? Without me?" like 85% of the time haha. I love stat raisers (Tokimemo Girls Side is a personal cozy series for me) and am shocked to see Volcano Princess here! I love the Princess Maker series but I really enjoyed what Volcano Princess did with the raising sim genre. It took out the kind of creepy elements out and left what I love. I felt very fuzzy and warm while playing it. RF4 is definitely a favorite of mine and agree 5 was a step back in some ways BUT FOR ME it was an upgrade for the bachelors since for the first time I struggled to choose who to marry. I actually was surprised how much I liked Sakuna it took a lot to get used to the gameplay and I felt calling it cozy at times was a reach. That rice farming is intense and you're struggling badly in the beginning right along with Sakuna. But the characters are once again charming and make you care about them and it feels so rewarding to improve the farm and everyone's daily life. Did not expect to leave a message this long but this was a fun video!
Thanks for all the recommendations here! I'll share one with you in turn: The Atelier series - in particular I recommend the first Atelier Ryza game as a starting point. It's part JRPG, part collecting and crafting with its alchemy system. The plot is simple and light, though can't resist getting a bit serious towards the end (kind of like Rune Factory).
I don't play any traditional cozy games but I gave Subnautica a full on replay this year so that is my cozy game of the year. I had 3 Cuddlefish! okay I lost one of the two I got from time capsules before finding the one in the world so I only really had 2 at a time so not really 3. I was really connected to my home made out of mainly one large room split into multiple smaller rooms by a big aquarium. One of my favourite parts of the game was whenever I thought of a new project to spice up my home and I would spend several hours working on it.
I am excited for Subnautica 2 whenever it comes out, and I am eagerly awaiting Slime Rancher 2 to come out of early Access.
I don't know if these have been touched on in videos past, so I will share for comment readers.
Yonder the Cloudcatcher (this game has an end, it is a short farm builder with a story).
Grow, Song of Evertree (I think it's a cozy game and I'm quite enjoying it. Uhh.. plants and magic?)
Summer in Mara (think cozy Zelda's Windwaker, which he did touch on in name).
I don't know if it's on your list or not, but Lightyear Frontier was incredible and brought me to tears. It's in early access so might not make your list, but it's one to watch for.
The only game in this list I played was sakuna of rice and ruin, and i didn't expect it at all. But i want to highly recommend it, or alternatively watch the anime that came out recently! It's such an amazing experience either way. for me it always brings me to tears for some reason, especially when sakuna actually chooses her fate, it's a raw emotional story at times, but just as cozy and relaxing. I was never good, but I saw someone achieve a max perfected rice yield, and their ability to play the side combat brawler was one of real skill, which is to say this game is multifaceted, and can be enjoyed by many a different styles. Please check it out!
I hope I’m not the only one found mesmerizing rice growth cycle, scheduling farming and dungeons, mixing fertilizer, pest and weed control, maximizing yield super stressful.
I really think I’m not playing it right.
I loved Teenage Exocolonist. Lol. I had a ton of fun with it and loved the worldbuilding, themes, and queer characters.
They’ve got a fourth farm in Sun Haven now I think. It DOES take a lot, though it feels like it would hypothetically work really well with friends.
When your friends like multiplayer, but you all have drastically different tastes in furnishing:
Ever since November, Sniper Elite is my cozy game. Slowly getting to a nice view and sending a short, direct message to those who I feel need to hear it. It's the equivalent to fishing for my soul.
The Story of Seasons / Friends of Mineral Town remake on Switch and PS4 is pretty good. Kinda basic graphically and pared down gameplay, but the simplicity is a lot of fun. It also comes with an easy mode that boosts the rate at which you raise relationships and the amount crops sell for. Combine that with the harvest sprites and it's a very relaxing and basic cozy game.
Do anyone else plays Zenless Zone Zero as a cozy game? I don't know why, but the cute kittens lying around, the befriending of characters, the memories board, the fact that the dailies include drinking coffee, talking to the kiosk dog and opening your VHS rental store... and the 90s vibes! Idk, everything's so cozy to me, even if sometimes it's sparkled with monstrous creatures 😂
The fact that Potionomics added both an easy and a hard mode makes it SO MUCH BETTER. The game has so little hidden information and so little randomization that, if you're good at optimizing, you can break normal mode to the point you can stop playing ages before the last "boss". But I know plenty of people found the sheer amount of options and information overwhelming, and the game will run you over if you can't parse it. Neither of which is very fun, so a difficulty setting was the main thing missing from the game.
Also, the addition of voice acting to go with those GORGEOUS character animations makes it totally worth replaying for anyone who didn't care about the difficulty.
27:51 this advice just clotheslined me in the face while i was doing some dishes, u cant do this to me moony😭
My Animal Crossing room is almost always a tech-laced aquarium theme if I can put it together. Still, and cool, and shadowed like the deep sea. I find it very soothing.
You know the channel is good when you play action heavy games like Ultrakill (ULTRAKILL OST TIER LIST WHEN THIS IS NOT A QUESTION IT IS AN ORDER) and you watch all of this
That was really fun, thanks Moony! Happy new year!
The muse at the end was very uplifting. As someone who has never played a cozy game, the quality allowed me to sit through the video.
My main question is this: If you want to feel that kindness would triumph over money, why wouldn't you play a story game? Over there, there is a much more evocative sense of kindness, of justice, compared to the undertones, the introspection required to feel that the society is a trust-based one?
Thanks in advance!
It's funny that you say Dreamlight Valley has the Disneyland effect, because i like how you can sass back to characters if you want. Sure, the fact that the characters tend to tolerate it pretty well adds to your Disneyland vibe, but at least the option to be salty is there
Oh also Cozy Grove picks up where you left off, so you can take breaks and it'll still only advance one day (rather than say going from Day 2 to say 15 if you take a 2 week break)
I haven't played Cozy Grove 2 - not into the fact that you need a Netflix account to play
If I could explain what is up with Kynseed I would not have stopped playing after an hour and never looked back. It just feels like such a confusing mess.
Also I loved Tang in Teenage Exocolonist. Definitely dated her on my first playthrough and was so happy that she broke up with the MC for her own reasons in the end. That's really good writing that you rarely see in games with dating options. Most of the time it is just "oh yea you scored 25 heart points and now you are together forever".
It's also the only game that made me play multiple playthroughs. Really good implementation of NG+.