I see a bunch of mentions of Journey. Recently, I’ve been playing Sky: Children of the Light for the first time, which is made by the same devs. It is beautiful, and feels like a spiritual successor to Journey, to me. It is also free to play, so it is easy to recommend trying it out.
I just read the top review on Steam and it answered this question well: TL;DR it’s a shame this is a F2P game since the seasonal cosmetic FOMO is diametrically opposed to the message/spirit of the game, but if you can ignore the cosmetics, then it’s a fantastic experience that’s completely free.
Seems like it is just some cosmetics? Seems like many items you get by interacting with NPCs and others are somehow paid, but I haven’t looked at how that works.
I have the utmost respect for ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley, I’m happy it’s a success and I’ve played it plenty. I have to say though, there’s something in the game that leads some of us straight into a minmaxing management race-against-the-clock frenzy. I think I could play it casually, but I’d need an unwavering discipline… and that’s the problem.
Yeah. I pretty much have to play it with mods that double/triple the daytime length, or I just feel perpetual anxiety over not being able to get anything done in a day.
If you want the full comfy chillax experience, add the mod that just lets you pause time whenever you want. Feel like fishing but don’t want to miss something? Take a pause and relax with a rod for a bit.
I also suffer from min/max gaming and this is the only way I could enjoy the game without being stressed.
Brilliant. I should do that. I’m not great at skipping stuff to race faster, so the skull dungeon is really hard for me and I end up save scumming after most runs. I read about people getting to floor 200+, but I can barely get to 100 unless I waste a whole stack of staircases.
Pokemon Emerald: I used to play it a bunch to escape reality. Now my mind just associates it with safe spaces. It never fails to cheer me up when I hear the ost or see pokemon from that gen. Only bad part is that I can't play for longer than 20 mins without feeling so cozy I fall asleep.
Guilty Gear Strive: Strangely relaxing once I got a hang of the controls. I just play a few rounds against the AI for a pick-me-up. Not sure if it's still uplifting at higher levels.
Muse Dash: The music and cutesy artstyle are so overwhelmingly positive, it's hard to stay negative when you're in the zone and grooving.
Well, I personally have several “types” of game that help me feel comfortable when things are tough:
Puzzle Games: in relatively small doses, a good and somewhat challenging puzzle game can help by requiring focus, while not being stressful.
Deckbuilders: Slay the Spire and Monster Train are similar games that require mental engagement, without being to stressful.
Immersive Games: Games with an interesting mystery or otherwise immersive experiences. I am currently playing Killer Frequency and Hacknet, both for that reason.
I think you should try “outer wilds” as it is a puzzle game and also quite immersive. I am not done yet with this game (only 15h or so) but it is a master piece. If you never heard of it, do not look any video or guide on the internet !
Might I recommend Journey and Abzu? They’re both wonderful experiences with a healthy dose of zen if you decide you want to just pause and appreciate the environments.
It’s a lighthearted detective series, more of a walking sim with humorous characters than anything. The magnifying glass doesn’t even do anything! The dev did a fun talk about comedy in games if you’re into that
Like everyone else Journey was the first thing that popped into my mind.
Id give a shout-out to Death Stranding, too. The game is far from perfect but it’s basically a hiking simulator which I find soothing. You also carry things so you could say it’s uplifting in the literal sense haha!
Journey - This game brought me to a sort of Zen, it is calm and peaceful and was just a wonderful experience that didn’t out stay its welcome. By the end of it I just felt like I had had a nice uplifting experience.
Fallout games - Yeh this may not seem like an uplifting game experience for most people and I would generally agree but on a personal level I do find them uplifting by the end of them for the following reason. I have always picked up the modern fallout games when I have been quitting one substance or another in the past. There is something about the desolation of the people and the environment within those games with mirrors the desolation I felt withing myself at these times in my life. Working through the stories draws me in and helps me forget about whatever it is my body is telling me I “need” even if it is only for a few hours at a time. Multiple times though these games have helped me get through those feelings and so therefore for me they have a certain uplifting quality, like a weird unexpected safe space.
Gris - A beautiful platform puzzle game. A very emotional game, but one that makes you feel like you’re rebuilding something in yourself. Gorgeous art, amazing dynamic soundtrack.
Meadow - I don’t know how to describe this game. You log onto a server, pick a woodland animal as an avatar, and then you explore the world and meet other players. Your only means of communication is noises and emojis. It’s so simple, yet so fantastic.
Bokida - Heartfelt Reunion - A minimalist art puzzle game. I haven’t played it in a while, but I remember it being super immersive. I just had to finish it, to see how all of the pieces of the story fit together.
Something about the Blitzball players all being characters you could find in the world, some of whom would otherwise be unremarkable NPCs really burrowed into my brain with FFX. Something about the fact that you’d have relationships with characters in two different contexts where they would often play a wildly different role in each really made the world feel a little bit more alive than normal.
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