I sat on Cozy Grove for the longest time. Not because I didn’t think the game looked great (I fell in love with it the moment I first saw it) and not because of the gameplay (I don’t think I need to tell anyone who’s read my reviews about my love for cosy games) but instead I sat on it because of one simple reason: the game is time-gated. When you search for the game on a platform like Steam, you’ll find yourself greeted by this message:
“Notice: Cozy Grove runs in real-time and is optimised for one to two hours of daily play”.
And that alone was almost enough to make me miss out on playing a game that has fast become one of my favourites. In fact, the only reason I ended up trying the game was because of a ridiculously good sale on the Nintendo eShop, which meant I didn’t mind taking the gamble.
A lot of times, when I get around to playing a game that’s been on my radar for a while, one of two things happens. I’m either disappointed and regret every penny I spent, or I hate myself for taking so long to get around to it, and that was exactly what happened here. Cozy Grove is… perfectly imperfect, and if I’m being candid, sometimes it’s even the best part of my day.
Every day when I pick my Switch up off of its dock, and open up Cozy Grove, the world I’m greeted with is washed out and covered in various muted grey tones. But then, as I interact with the world, the colour returns. Twisted vines are replaced with flowering bushes, blank floors become lush once more, and everything around me comes alive.
Cozy Grove is set on an island almost entirely inhabited by a group of whimsical bear-like spirits. You play as a “spirit Scout, ” essentially a girl scout for the dead. And by helping the spirits, you earn badges for your Spirit Scout sash. Every day when you log into the game, there are new ways to earn badges, maybe you have to help find lost mail, or perhaps you have to build something. None of these tasks are overly cumbersome or time-consuming, but completing them helps bring colour back to the world and fills you with a sense of achievement few other games can manage in the same time frame.
And because of the time mechanic I spoke about earlier, Cozy Grove never expects you to give hours of your life to it. Instead, you could easily complete all the available talks within an hour of playtime and then not feel guilty about logging off and returning tomorrow. If you don’t want to leave and find yourself wanting to spend more time in the charming and welcoming game world? Well, that’s okay too, and you can spend your time fleshing out your campsite, talking to the spirits, fishing or gathering resources to use the next time you log in.
This system is perfect. Not only is it wonderful and almost ritualistic to know that for one hour each day, I can log into one of my favourite games and just relax, but it’s also almost completely stress-free. Because of the short busts, nothing ever feels like a chore, and you never start to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work or effort required to keep things running smoothly.
Online the words “self-care” are often spoken, yet, it’s something I never really felt “clicked” into my lifestyle before finding Cozy Grove. There is something about knowing I can sit down with a cup of coffee and feel like I have a meaningful impact on a game while not having to dedicate any significant mental energy to it that soothes my soul and is exactly what I need in my life.
