The former is much more convenient but is limited in usefulness, the player can only move so far in this way because of the game’s zoomed-in view. I played on PC where players have two options for controlling the scout: either by clicking on a destination and letting the AI pilot the scout there automatically, or by holding down the click and leading the scout manually. Though I mostly enjoy Cozy Grove, I can’t help but complain about a few small things. I was surprised to find that there are more than twice as many fish in Cozy Grove as their are in New Horizons, keeping players plenty busy. For the true completionists, the scout can cook and go fishing to help fill out a catalog of all the game’s many collectibles. All of these can be combined to create new pieces of furniture that can be used to remodel the island to further please the animals and plants the player is cultivating. The scout will discover all sorts of building materials from the mundane lumber to supernatural items like spirit essence. The comparison to Animal Crossing New Horizons doesn’t end there, especially with the game’s newly introduced furniture crafting system. This limitation only applies to tasks given by the game’s ghost bears, players are able to fish, craft and redecorate as much as they’d like with no restrictions. This isn’t kept secret or sprung on the player thanks to the game’s store page specifying that players will get about an hour of progress per day, so it didn’t bother me too much but I did wish I could get a bit more done in a session. This results in the player only being able to do so much in a given day. The biggest similarity is that Cozy Grove synchronizes itself with the player’s clock and moves in real time, like the Animal Crossing franchise. This isn’t the first time this year a game has dealt with emotional turmoil, but Cozy Grove does it in a way that feels both understanding and sympathetic, like a consoling parent helping their child through the same kind of hardship they went through themselves.Īs the scout assists their ectoplasmic islandmates and nurtures the flora and fauna of the island, they might notice similarities to the latest Animal Crossing game. When that doesn’t work, he becomes glum and it’s up to the scout to cheer him up by taking an interest in Jeremy’s hobbies. So the scout’s first task is following Jeremy’s instructions to build a new tool. Jeremy Gruffle, the island’s resident handy-bear, rushes to help the scout as soon as they meet, assuming he will be free of the mortal coil with one good deed. Helping the ghost bears haunting the island is similarly thoughtful and also brings the existential depression of being a lingering soul to the forefront. This is mostly done by putting furniture and decorations of their preferred styles near them, which is a delightful way of improving output. Instead, players receive higher yields when their plants and animals are happier. The plants and animals players must cultivate have different levels of resource output, but that’s not decided by technology or player level. The first writing the player sees upon starting the game include “When a Spirit Scouts comes of age, they start to become more than the labels they’ve lived within” and “All those who are lost deserve kindness.” Cozy Grove is an unabashedly loving and gentle game in just about every aspect. Unquestionably the brightest star and best selling point of Cozy Grove is the game’s attitude. Inhabiting the island and helping the scout on their mission are a plethora of friendly bear ghosts who are all adorable, kind, and full of unfinished business. Not being one to shrink from a challenge, the scout sets out to explore the island and earn several much-coveted Spirit Scout badges. Unfortunately, thanks to a communication mix-up and a runaway boat, the scout ends up stranded on the extremely haunted island of Cozy Grove. Myself and other pursuers of the tamer side of gaming got very lucky this past week with the release of the adorable and tranquil Cozy Grove.Ĭozy Grove casts the player as an ambitious Spirit Scout on a mission to graduate to a Second Degree Spirit Scout. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else since I’m still playing Monster Hunter, but I think it’s also important to slow down and relax, in gaming and in life. In spite of that, a lot of video games are stressful and full of tense situations calling for quick reflexes and mental acuity. I don’t think it’s radical to say that one of the primary purposes of video games is a sense of escape from the real world.
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