Marie Pritchard Asks What Makes A Game Cosy? | Startmenu Winter Spectacular 2023
Winter is a good time to stay in, curl up under a blanket or get snuggled down in your favourite hoodie while you sip on a warm drink and settle down with a game. Also, I’m writing most of this while being stuck in the passenger seat of the family car while in the middle of a long (and I mean long) traffic jam after running some festive errands - a perfect time to daydream about playing a warm and cosy game. But, truthfully, what is a Cosy Game? I’ve seen a lot of different posts around this specific topic over the last year and it’s something that’s left me confused for a while - so I’ve bugged Lex enough to let me talk about it!
There are a few different definitions of a Cosy game and the definition you go by is really up to you. There are literally ‘Cosy Games’ that are very specifically made for that category. Generally speaking when I first thought about it, the games that use a soft and muted colour palette with a gentle soundtrack, usually accompanying a mystical world or small town village are the literal definition.
Now don’t get me wrong, games of this nature can still irritate you (looking at you Tom Nook and your overpriced housing renovations), but ultimately they can still leave you with a metaphorical glow when you spend time with them.
One of my personal favourite literal cosy games to hunker down with as the rain lashes at my window is Stardew Valley - this game is a vibe all year round but something about hopping into your Valley, waking up on your farm, tending to your crops and then socialising with other residents throughout the seasons is well suited to a cup of tea and a blanket when it’s cold outside. I’ll spend hours figuring out when to plant my crops to give them enough time to grow properly so they can be harvested and sold at the store for money, that can then be invested in the next season’s produce - it’s all rather rhythmic and relaxing. Perhaps that’s why Stardew is so relaxing? There’s a rhythm to it if you need it and, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can ignore it. You have the freedom of choice with how to spend each day - something that many people, if not everyone, in the world don’t have.
As mentioned above, as much as Tom Nook’s prices have me harvesting at least 100 Pumpkins a week (I’m sure there’s been in-world inflation and economic changes since Wild World), I still spend a few hours on Animal Crossing when I feel like playing something that won’t add to the worldly stresses experienced each day. Then, going to visit your villagers who say the most random things, to deliver their Toy Day presents as Jingle wanders around or dropping by to simply to say hello to stop them moving away - everything is calming and charming in its own sense. (Except the Scorpion and Tarantula situation, but I’m ignoring that for this piece.) I’ve also got the New Horizons soundtrack remix on my Spotify that’s used constantly while I’m at work, make of that what you will!
Then there are the the games that might not fit the typical style of the genre, but they leave you feeling warm and relaxed inside - perhaps the soundtrack is soothing to you and takes you back to happy memories, you associate the game with a positive moment, or perhaps the game got you through a tough time and now you’ve grown attached to it.
I’ve come to realise a lot of my personal cosy games are exactly this - they don’t fit any specific definition but they are cosy for me for one reason or another, such as a fond childhood memory or for being my first for something.
By far, the biggest non-official cosy game I can think of is Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - this was the first game I’ve ever 100% completed and managed to get the secret ending for. Also, countless hours were spent with me invading my sibling’s room and sitting on a pillow on the floor, watching them pummel the Lurkers into oblivion. It blew my mind and when it was my turn to play, something clicked. Years later it’s still a title I turn to when life gets overwhelming. The elation I felt when I found the entire soundtrack on Youtube a few years ago has no words that an accurately describe it - if I’m having a bad day or something is stressing me out, I’ll whip the soundtrack on and from Sentinel Beach to Gol and Maya’s Citadel, I’ll feel calm and focused. Shout out to Daxter’s sarcastic remarks shaping my humour as a kid and into adulthood - ‘’Have you tried attacking him with your melodrama? Because it’s killing me!’’ - outstanding.
The next one is a title I can’t decide if it’s under the true cosy definition as there’s no battling or fighting to be had in it, but imminent death is very real if you increase the speed by too much. I’m talking about the original RollerCoaster Tycoon - ok yes, sometimes the speed on a ride was increased by far too much as a response to visitors complaining about the rides not being exciting enough - but ultimately, real danger in this title.. Other than the ones I created as an irresponsible park manager. Just the background music that emulated the theme park atmosphere through upbeat trumpets and several echoes of visitors screaming with delight as they venture forth on your newest Coaster creation is enough to wrap me up in a blanket of nostalgia.
Even though it doesn’t quite fit the vibe of modern cosy games or the literal definition of the wholesome genre, again, this game is comforting in its own way. I just have so many happy memories are tied into this title and the joy I feel while playing it will never change.
Finally, I’d like to talk about a series that really does hold its place in my personal history - Spyro. Currently, the two big titles from this series that I class as my ‘cosy’ games are the Spyro Reignited Trilogy on PS4 and Spyro 2: Season of Flame on the Game Boy Advance SP - now, if my sibling reads this, I know I love Season of Ice but that love only came a few years after getting this one!
Spyro, as I guess is the story for a few people in my age bracket, was the little purple dragon of my childhood. Any time I was off school sick, I’d be waiting for the weekend to roll around so I could charge around as this feisty and headstrong little dragon, battling Rhynocs or toasting Gnorcs, jumping in and out of worlds to collect Fireflies or save Dragons turned into statues, then headbutting sheep into oblivion because I needed the butterflies to feed Sparx. Part of me feels that the cosy essence that comes from Spyro 2 is also a love for the Game Boy Advance SP. That handheld was my first favourite console and to this day I still have it on my desk, ready to dive into the world of the Dragons to help Spyro out.
Phew, after getting all of that out I think we’ve made some progress here. There are games that fall under the literal definition of a ‘Cosy Game’, such as Stardew Valley and then there are the games that don’t fit the category but are cosy and comforting for you. Ones that you can call upon when things are getting rough, when you want to cuddle down in a blanket and forget the world around you, to de-stress and escape.
Ultimately, any game can be ‘cosy’ if it makes you feel good.
