Have you ever played Animal Crossing and thought: I might want a similar game, but without a money-loving landlord that doesn’t throw me in a debt spiral? Well, search no more, because with Cozy Grove you have nothing like that…well, not really. It’s more like an always-hungry Calcifer (Howl’s Moving Castle Reference for those who haven’t seen that gem of a movie yet). Flamey’s the name, and your mission is to hunt for spirit logs to keep the fire burning. Instead of asking you for money all the time, it needs logs to level-up your campsite. While earning money to upgrade your tent is important, it’s not an urgent priority early on.
Picture This:
You’re a Spirit Scout stranded on an abandoned island filled with lost ghostly souls. With Flamey’s guidance, you’ll complete quests to feed the fire spirit and uncover the island’s secrets. You will need spirit logs to feed Flamey in order to access other areas, you do this by completing favours or quests for the ghosts.
The quests can range from catching a couple of fishes, finding pictures, making furniture, and crafting food, among other things. These same items that you can find and catch in the island can be sold and even be burnt! Do not be afraid of trying to burn different things, I was, at first, but it is all part of what you are supposed to do. You can get things like fish bones or ashes, also items that you will need for crafting or fixing your tools.
What makes Cozy Grove Unique:
Now that you’ve somewhat got a picture of what it looks like, let me tell you some things that make it stand out from other games. The whole island is in a “grayer” shade – meaning, that sources of light are essential here. A post, a lamp, and even Flamey help illuminate areas on the island. This is the only way in which you can interact with certain objects on the island that aren’t lit up yet. You won’t be able to harvest a tree or flower pots, so craft or buy a lamp post from Mr. Kit’s shop!
Piles of sand or leaves can always be rustled, but you can’t with fruit trees, flower pots, or even pets that are not in an area with a light. You can always buy a lamp or two from the shop or once you learn more recipes, and even craft some. These recipes you can get by either fishing or it can also be a reward from completing a favor from a ghost. Here’s a tip: try to “chain” your lamps in order to reach a wider area.
Do the neighbors bear good news?
Okay, so first of all, sorry for the pun but I couldn’t help myself. The interaction with the inhabitants, or bear ghosts you encounter can be quite endearing. Each neighbor that I have encountered so far has been very interesting. They all have their own personalities, likes and dislikes, and I look forward to talking to them whenever I jump into the game. In Animal Crossing there was a neighbor or two that I just… despised (that clown, oh boy that clown).
To add a bit of variety, every now and then you have some bears visit the island. They also have some quirky characteristics that just add to the quaintness of the island. Pair all of that with the changing of season affecting the bugs and fish that appear, and also the look of the island is a nice extra touch that I really appreciate. I know that this was also done in Animal Crossing, but it’s good that other games also incorporate seasons.
Furniture, Plants and Pets!
In Cozy Grove you can craft furniture, interact with flower pots, trees, and on top of that you get to have pets! What type of pets, you may ask? Well, you can have cats, deer, birds and rodents (which look like bunnies)! Make sure to keep an eye on the likes and dislikes of your pets, because some do not like the company of other kinds of pets – and some don’t even like their own!
To take care of your pets you need to pet them and feed them. A speech bubble – or image bubble in this case – appears above them, showing you what they would like to eat. Their feeding requirements change, and it can range from mixed greens to a cooked dish!
Money, Money, Money?
Yes, you can earn coins in this game, but I believe you can take your time leveling up your tent and focus on other aspects of the game instead. There’s a total of 10 levels for your tent. Whenever you take the next step, it not only increases the size of the tent and its look, but it also increases your storage space! And if you are an item hoarder- ahem, collector like me, you know it’s one of the things that will get full in a matter of minutes.
At the start of your Cozy Grove journey, your options on how to earn money to pay back your loan are limited. You can sell herbs or bugs, but it takes time for more options to gradually develop (be sure to keep the sticks, logs and fish in your storage). Another thing that comes in handy are the skipping stones. Alongside the island you will sometimes see an image of a clam – and you want to go there. There are three types of clams: Dark Blue Clam, Dark Horned Clam and the Pink and Blue Clam, ordered least to most common accordingly. You can equip your skipping stones, aim for the clams and toss! They can give you coins, gemstones, hardwood, softwood, and a pearl among other items.
Is it a good match for the Nintendo Switch?
This is a great game to just jump in and out for a couple of minutes or a couple of hours. The Switch is a perfect match for Cozy Grove if you want to get under some warm blankets and slide on the couch or even your bed! The downside that I have encountered is that there are some hiccups here and there. The game tends to lag for me every-now-and then….more now than then, sadly.
There were times where I would want to access an item of my bag and it would freeze for a couple of seconds before continuing. Other times I would have to close and re-open my inventory in order to properly move the cursor to select an item.
This could be seen as a “non-issue” to some, while a total no-go to others. Honestly, I love the game so much that I can just “ignore” it when it happens. I can’t recall the game ever crashing – despite the occasional performance hiccup on the Switch for me either.
My Honest Overall Opinion:
Although money is something needed in Cozy Grove, it isn’t something that I felt that I had to go on a crazy selling spree of my storage to make it. The game is well paced for the title it has, it doesn’t force you to play for hours every day (I’m not saying you can’t- because I have, haha). The entire artstyle and aesthetic of the island, the bears, the imps, the pets – I love it! It enhances its cozy feeling. Add to that the fact that you can customize your character’s look and clothes is a nice bonus.
If you feel like you want to play a game that lets you truly advance at a chill pace, have characters with wholesome stories, an amazing artstyle and don’t really mind an occasional lag, this would be an ideal game for you. I can’t honestly give it a 10/10, for the technical issues, but I still feel that I can give it a solid 8.5/10. In the end, Cozy Grove is less about racing to the finish line and more about enjoying the journey—a cozy, ghostly adventure perfect for winding down.
