The Case For Cosy Games

There's a whole category of games whose job is just to calm you down, and I've come to appreciate them more every year. Cosy games don't punish you, don't rush you, and don't care about your K/D ratio.

Lantern Hollow is a perfect example. It's a gentle adventure where exploring a sleepy town and solving small, fair puzzles is the entire point. No failure states, no pressure, just the pleasure of noticing things.

What makes a cosy game work is restraint. The moment designers add a timer or a leaderboard, the spell breaks. The best ones trust you to set your own pace and reward curiosity instead of speed.

I keep at least one of these installed at all times, for the evenings when I've stared at a screen all day and want something that feels like a warm drink. They're surprisingly good for your mood.

Don't underestimate 'nothing happens' as a genre. Sometimes a quiet game is exactly the right amount of game.