Izzy Rivera
Staff Writer
irivera1@umassd.edu
Over a year ago the infamous Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out and was plenty of people’s coping strategy for the new quarantine rules set upon us. From the moment it came out people would post their codes for others to visit their islands and trade furniture items, becoming such an infamous game for gamers and non gamers alike. Since then the hype for it has certainly died down with only the loyal fans still playing the game, but now what will satisfy this gaming itch? Within the first week of April a game called Cozy Grove released for most gaming platforms and it was rumored to have the same Animal Crossing vibes so I decided to check it out for myself on Steam.
Once loaded into the game you are shown a spirit scout who came to this island to get one of their badges for their sash, set out to help whoever you can find. The objective of the game is to roam the island daily, collecting materials to make furniture and items while also soothing bear spirits who need your help with different tasks.
The art style is reminiscent of a cute version of Don’t Starve, a scavenging survival game, and plays mostly as a point and click. The colors once a task is done are warm and cheerful, adding a glow to the island that wasn’t previously there, providing a rewarding experience. Each bear spirit has their own story line and background which you discover more context after each task done, making them warm up to your character more. It gave me the same satisfaction that Animal Crossing did with the scavenging for materials, crafting, doing tasks for patrons, collecting different foods and materials for a database, which scratched that itch I have had. It has very relaxing and cheerful music to go with it as you run around the island, with shy spirits coming out of bushes and potentially asking you for food.
This game is done in real time, meaning you may have to wait actual hours or days for things to come to fruition, but if you have the patience it is quite rewarding. You can fish in the ocean, collect shells on the beach, discover materials from leaf piles and holes in the ground, and even shake interesting fruits out of trees. You can even collect animals to feed and take care of which give you a special essence material to create unique and rare items. Overall I give this game a solid 8/10, with the only drawbacks being sometimes a lack of tasks are present, meaning you must wait for more to show up. The style is adorable, the story is gratifying, and the scavenging experience is reminiscent of other games of the same type. It is friendly to all age groups and provides a calming yet rewarding play experience.
I would recommend picking this game up on any platform of your choosing and get lost in the essence of Cozy Grove.
First Image Location: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/cozy-grove-switch/
Second Image Location: https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22368702/cozy-grove-review-nintendo-switch-pc-animal-crossing-review
Where to get the game: https://cozygrovegame.com/