The format of these posts is simple: let’s discuss a specific game or series!
I’m in quite a bad place mentally at the moment, so I wasn’t really feeling like making a post. But then I thought, I could combine this in the form of a special discussion topic:
Let’s discuss your favorite Uplifting Games. What helps you when your feeling down or stressed out. What game series has comforted you in harder times. Are there certain genres that work better for you in these times? Feel free to share anything that comes up and react to other comments. Let’s get the conversation going!
If you have any recommendations for games or series for the next post(s), please feel free to DM me or add it in a comment here (no guarantees of course).
Previous entries: Final Fantasy, Visual Novels, Hollow Knight, Nintendo DS, Monster Hunter, Persona, Monkey Island, 8 Bit Era, Animal Crossing, Age of Empires, Super Mario, Deus Ex, Stardew Valley, The Sims, Half-Life, Earthbound / Mother, Mass Effect, Metroid, Journey, Resident Evil, Polybius, Tetris, Telltale Games, Kirby, LEGO Games, DOOM, Ori, Metal Gear, Slay the Spire
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Pokemon Emerald: I used to play it a bunch to escape reality. Now my mind just associates it with safe spaces. It never fails to cheer me up when I hear the ost or see pokemon from that gen. Only bad part is that I can’t play for longer than 20 mins without feeling so cozy I fall asleep.
Guilty Gear Strive: Strangely relaxing once I got a hang of the controls. I just play a few rounds against the AI for a pick-me-up. Not sure if it’s still uplifting at higher levels.
Muse Dash: The music and cutesy artstyle are so overwhelmingly positive, it’s hard to stay negative when you’re in the zone and grooving.
I’m playing factorio with my friends two days straight and we plan to keep playing, it was years since I could play for so long with them, normally I start to fell bored and hang up, but i’m 14 hours in and stil want to play more!
Wandersong: that game has so much character, it’s insane. The game can feel very emotional without heavy themes, idk how it did it.
i harp on it a lot, but Outer Wilds helps me a lot. It teaches the value of exploration, curiosity, friendship, compassion, and patience. it’s a deeply melancholic piece, which can be frustrating and obtuse at times, but just remembering it makes me happy. the soundtrack brings all the memories back every time.
It’s a great game but I wouldn’t call it uplifting at all. Some of the why is already in your comment. Some people may also get frustrated by being in a loop and having to start over time after time. Some of the puzzles aren’t easy, which again may add to the frustration.
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Freshly Frosted - Puzzle game. Seriously, I don’t remember the last time I felt so encouraged by the narrator. If you’re in a bad mental state, I do recommend this one.
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Lost in Play - Two siblings go on an adventure through a fanciful wonderland of their imagination…or is it?
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Spiritfarer - A chill management game where you’re Charon ferrying souls to the Everdoor. This one deals with death and saying goodbye to loved ones, but it does so in a very thoughtful and sensitive way. It definitely changed my paradigm.
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A Hat in Time - Cute 3D action platformer. Silly fun.
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Little Inferno - Despite its simplicity and obvious satire of consumerism/Capitalism, this has a very cozy feel and fun characters.
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Tinykin - Adorable collect-a-thon platform puzzler with no enemies, only obstacles.
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Gorogoa - Puzzle game with an interesting story that unfolds with each puzzle.
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Doronko Wanko - You’re a cute doggo making a house as messy as possible.
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Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People - Fun, silly point and click. I also recommend the show.
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It Takes Two! I played it with my partner and really enjoyed the story and very imaginative game play.
Celeste!
It’s about overcoming internal struggles to achieve something. (something I’m still fighting with in real life, bad place mentally here too.)
Listening to the soundtrack always makes me feel a bit better though.
It’s cute, fun, and challenging (although never difficult in a frustrating way)
Excellent game. Still never quite finished it. I think have 3 screens left.
Frog Detective!
It’s a lighthearted detective series, more of a walking sim with humorous characters than anything. The magnifying glass doesn’t even do anything!
Here’s a shot I got from the last game
I see a bunch of mentions of Journey. Recently, I’ve been playing Sky: Children of the Light for the first time, which is made by the same devs. It is beautiful, and feels like a spiritual successor to Journey, to me. It is also free to play, so it is easy to recommend trying it out.
What’s the monetization like?
I just read the top review on Steam and it answered this question well: TL;DR it’s a shame this is a F2P game since the seasonal cosmetic FOMO is diametrically opposed to the message/spirit of the game, but if you can ignore the cosmetics, then it’s a fantastic experience that’s completely free.
Sorry to hear things are rough for you. I hope whatever is causing it improves!
Mine is an odd choice, or maybe not, but its the first thing that came to mind: Night in The Woods
It’s about a girl that comes home from college to her old dying town. I know that doesn’t sound terribly uplifting, and there’s some downer stories mixed in there, but overall I found it a very heartfelt and uplifting game, because the main character’s friends are the most wonderful bunch of people, and you hang out with them and go on little adventures throughout. It’s got a cool creepy mystery story going on, but the game is mostly about deep friendship, family, and overcoming struggles with their help, and I found that very uplifting and worthwhile.
Stardew Valley is a good fit.
You tend to your farm, help people, maintain relationships with people by gifting them and changing their lives.
Unfortunately, i play the game like a maniac. Running around from morning 6 AM till 10 PM.
I have the utmost respect for ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley, I’m happy it’s a success and I’ve played it plenty. I have to say though, there’s something in the game that leads some of us straight into a minmaxing management race-against-the-clock frenzy. I think I could play it casually, but I’d need an unwavering discipline… and that’s the problem.
Yeah. I pretty much have to play it with mods that double/triple the daytime length, or I just feel perpetual anxiety over not being able to get anything done in a day.
If you want the full comfy chillax experience, add the mod that just lets you pause time whenever you want. Feel like fishing but don’t want to miss something? Take a pause and relax with a rod for a bit.
I also suffer from min/max gaming and this is the only way I could enjoy the game without being stressed.
Brilliant. I should do that. I’m not great at skipping stuff to race faster, so the skull dungeon is really hard for me and I end up save scumming after most runs. I read about people getting to floor 200+, but I can barely get to 100 unless I waste a whole stack of staircases.
Pausing time would make it a lot more relaxing.
A year or so ago I replayed Bastion during a particularly bad time. It’s very atmospheric and chill despite all the action and combat.
That studio I believe also made Transistor, which is also phenomenal.
Supergiant Games, they made Hades and Hades 2, Pyre, Bastion, and Transistor
Journey is a beautiful game with excellent music and visuals. It’s coop where you can only make a ping noise and run around each other so no possibility of negative interactions. There’s a little challenge and adversity at times but the ending is phenomenal and joyous.
Sayonara wild hearts is a playable music album about a lady learning how to love herself. It’s got simple game mechanics but the mechanics all compliment the music and the music is so so good.
A friend of mine has (had?) most of the world records in Sayonara Wild Hearts; it’s not as relaxing if you’re going for high scores since you need to get close to collisions for bonus points, but if you just play to beat levels and chill, it’s great.
ooblets is one of my favorite in this genre. it’s got a great soundtrack, the humor is spot-on, and it’s got an anti-capitalist message.
Love Ooblets! The dance battles are a fun little replacement for regular creature collecting fights
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Gris - A beautiful platform puzzle game. A very emotional game, but one that makes you feel like you’re rebuilding something in yourself. Gorgeous art, amazing dynamic soundtrack.
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Meadow - I don’t know how to describe this game. You log onto a server, pick a woodland animal as an avatar, and then you explore the world and meet other players. Your only means of communication is noises and emojis. It’s so simple, yet so fantastic.
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Bokida - Heartfelt Reunion - A minimalist art puzzle game. I haven’t played it in a while, but I remember it being super immersive. I just had to finish it, to see how all of the pieces of the story fit together.
Also, I hope you feel better soon.
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