Cozy Grove is Animal Crossing’s chilled out, haunted neighbor - Polygon

Cozy Grove is the perfect game for anyone that’s ever gotten stressed out by Animal Crossing, because my goals don’t feel overwhelming or endless, a clear contrast from how I felt a few months into New Horizons.

Cozy Grove is set on the titular island, inhabited by a group of whimsical, dead, bear-like creatures that have been stuck there a while.

The stylized ghost bears give me spirit wood after I help them, and a sentient campfire called Flamey consumes the spirit wood, and the flames illuminate the world, turning it full and lush.

Flamey’s light also reveals new parts of the world and spirits to help out, expanding the scope of the island each time.

Much of the time, the spirits have lost things that the player needs to find around the island.

But the world of Cozy Grove is so charming that I often want to spend more time there.

While I want to spend more time on the island, I appreciate that Cozy Grove doesn’t want to capitalize on all my time.

I loved my time in New Horizons, and that’s why I chose to spend hours and hours each day tending to my virtual island.

New Horizons was perfect for its time in 2020, but my brain needs something even simpler today.

Playing Cozy Grove in a meaningful way only takes a small period of time, and it’s something I don’t need to dedicate precious mental energy to.