With gaming often bringing me into a really depressive headspace sometimes with how the markets are developing, whats a game you can always go to and just be lost in, or just be happy with?
Personally i would go for advance wars 1 and 2 on the gba (there is no remake and never will be)
the artstyle, the music, the game-play is just simple, yet effective, a sublime experience of very fun times.
Whats yours?
I’m surprised Katamari Damacy hasn’t been mentioned yet. Both that game and its sequel, “We Love Katamari,” have been remastered in recent years (in fact, the sequel just came out last week) and they’re a joy to play.
The game has all that OP mentions… Quirky art style, awesome music, simple tactile gameplay, and just overall a relaxing and fun time.
i tried the remake of the first one and personally, i didnt like it, it felt like they added minutes to the timers and generally feels off, but im glad you like the remakes
Interesting. I played the original ages ago (like, as a Japanese bootleg before it got localized for Western markets) and only played the remake last year… Can’t say I noticed a difference in difficulty, and hunting down 100% Achievements was QUITE the challenge.
“We Love Katamari” DOES feel off to me, though. Like, I get kind of frustrated at the density of objects, and it’s never a feel I’ve experienced with the original or its remaster.
i see, let me give you an example than, in the original, as we are surely both familiar with, one very early level has you transition from a room to a garden and than the outside of the house. In the ps2 version i have roughly, a minute between finishing the level and it actually ending most of the time. In the remaster, on my first try i sat there for several minutes before it actually ended, so idk what they did, but they changed something.
Minecraft. It’s just a nice game to get lost in.
I haven’t seen anyone mentioning this gem:
Vampire Survivors
For me, it’s always Ocarina of Time. The music always improves my mood and there is something oddly comforting about the game.
OpenTTD is my happy space. It’s relaxing to just hop in and start building some railroads.
Anything based on Kirby! The music, aesthetic, everything just makes me happy
Animal Crossing New Horizons. Extremely chill, no pressure to do anything in particular, just a very “go at your own pace” type of game.
If you like New Horizons, I recommend trying some of the earlier entries, like New Leaf or City Folk, if you haven’t already.
New Horizons took a page out of Pocket Camp’s book and turned a lot of the gameplay into a grindy collectathon (get wood to build stuff, seasonal events are just “collect 50 thingamabobs”), and personally, I’ve found that to be stressful.
So if you haven’t tried the other entries, I definitely recommend giving them a shot. You might find that they’re even more relaxing :)
Outer wilds. The music is so pretty, and going back to it after you’ve explored it all feels like being on your childhood playground again. Sometimes now I just go out into space and watch how the planets move.
Second this. Outer Wilds is amazing. If you do play, try not to look up anything as the satisfaction of exploring and figuring things out is so cool. The sound track is very good as is the DLC.
How would you sell that game to someone? I keep hearing about it but know nothing about it? What makes you love it?
There’s a reason you keep hearing how good the game is but still don’t know much about it. The community is great in letting everyone experience it themselves.
It’s best if you know nothing about Outer Wilds before playing it, trust me. I know this is a cliché way of recommending stuff, but in this case it can’t be overstated. Just give it an honest try for at least 1-2 hours.
It’s a game that gives you “2”, “plus”, and “two” separately, instead of telling you the answer is 4. Some people don’t like it and prefer handholding. Half of the game is done in your head when you’re not playing it.
So basically a game that’s heavy on exploration and puzzles? It’s not open world is it?
Not in the way BOTW is, it’s closer to Myst in that there’s a world (solar system) to explore with lots clues and lore but not a lot of irrelevant fluff.
Gotcha, I prefer a bit of structure (BOTW being one of few exception) so that works out for me.
The outer wilds is an exploration game of the highest pedigree. You’re in an intricate solar system with lots to discover and puzzle out to solve the central mystery of the game. The atmosphere is quite fun and calming. The music is pretty catchy too. I appreciate the big revelations, the moments where you immediately feel big brained by putting 2 and 2 together. It’s genuinely a really good time if you want game about the wonder of discovery.
Euro Truck Simulator/American Truck Simulator
It quickly just becomes a virtual road trip simulator, and as someone who generally enjoys driving and road trips its very chill
Yes. Podcasts and ets/ats is very zen.
No Man’s Sky is a good mix of nice scenery, low stress, and engaging without requiring a lot of mental capacity that can be comforting.
also worth mentioning: No Man’s Sky (or NMS) has lots of settings to tailor the experience to the difficulty you want. It can be a walk in the park, just building with limitless resources, and it can be permadeath.
I have multiple save games in NMS which I pick up based on my mood. A Survival save game when I don’t want to mindlessly wander but don’t want consequences, a Permadeath savegame when I want to be thrilled and a Normal savegame if I just want to soak in the beautiful planets.
Excellent point. I keep meaning to try a permadeath run but its hard with a 2 year old running around to find the time for something like that.
just… don’t. Not everything in life has to be hard ;)
Power wash simulator. Feels good to clean.
I can always go for a game of Age of Empires 2. That game takes me back to my childhood.
Morrowind and Mario Maker 2.
Subnautica.
When I’m not running for my life from creatures trying to kill me then ambiance is actually very chill. Something about being in a giant ocean. Not to mention the soundtrack is pretty chill. And the environments are cool as heck!
Stardew Valley is amazing for this. Minecraft was it for years and years, but Stardew is just like a nice hug. I adore it.
Hogwarts Legacy has also fallen into this category for me now.
