Cozy Grove

Anyone that's played New Horizons will be familiar with the sorts of errands necessary to complete the spirits' tasks. Much of the time, the spirits have lost things that the player needs to find around the island. There's a lot of fishing, harvesting resources, and collecting items. These tasks can be finished within a half an hour or so most of the time, especially if I just have to do something like find a recipe book that's been stashed in a pile of leaves, but sometimes a task can require me to log in across multiple days. Say, for instance, I need to bring salt to the spirit baker on the island. That can only be purchased through Cozy Grove's shopkeeper, and I'll have to wait if it's not there on the day I need it.

All in all, I say this is a great game to pick up if you're a fan of the genre. It's endlessly charming, and a real breath of fresh air in terms of its style and gameplay loop. On Spry Fox's website, they claim they "want to make the world a happier place" with games, and I say they have more than achieved that goal.

On top of that, the island is so cluttered with trees, rocks, and other objects that it can be difficult to see things on the ground. The game employs a clever visual technique where objects become transparent, allowing for a better view, but this only happens when you get close to said objects. As such, you'll find yourself stop-starting around the entire island when you're looking for specific bits and pieces. It's not a huge issue, but it does make the game feel finicky to play.

Cozy Grove measures out its game sessions in snack-size portions, and its gorgeous artwork and genuinely laugh-worthy dialogue almost make up for its metered-out gameplay. Sadly, with a few technical issues on Switch, and the game's refusal to let players set the pace, it's one best played on a mobile device for now.

Cozy Grove is a very different kind of life sim. It’s so cheerful on the surface, but underneath the bark is a process of patience and of letting go the things holding one back or keeping them tethered in a difficult spot. I think for as fast-paced, hectic, and chaotic as our lives often get, there’s something a lot of players could take away from Cozy Grove, and the daily journey with this game makes it more than worthwhile if you’ve got the time and resolve to keep coming back.

Cozy Grove is a wonderful, loveable, colorful take and the life-sim genre, with a huge amount to discover spread out over a long period of play.

Cozy Grove has adorable stories, cute animals, and an aesthetic it absolutely nails in every way. The performance simply hampers the experience.

An interesting game clearly inspired by Animal Crossing, yet with enough quirk to claim its own charm. The "forced" gameplay rhythm may turn off some players.

Cozy Grove's day-by-day mechanics can be frustrating to some, but is a definite welcome addition, allowing me to slowly unravel the story and giving me more playtime in the long run, completely enhancing my mornings.

The concept of interacting with and aiding spirits might sound on the creepy side, but with a watercolour palette, plentiful humour, and appropriate ratios of compassion and crankiness, Cozy Grove is certainly a fun addition to Nintendo Switch's game library. Regular updates add quality of life improvements, plus the new game mechanics add to its appeal. Hugging a digital ghost bear brings far greater joy than can be imagined, thanks to the latest update.