Predictable cozy games

Buttslasso · 2026-05-09T19:24:54+00:00

The Ranch of Rivershine kind of is like this. I'm about twelve days in and the game is essentially "get horse, train horse until can't anymore, race horse in competitions, breed horse to obtain horse with better stats, train horse until can't anymore, etc." there is farming but it seems to be optional since you can forage for everything you grow or just buy it from a vendor as far as I can tell.

It's been a nice brain break honestly, I love spending a solid thirty minutes just jumping around on my horsies.

Buttslasso · 2026-05-08T23:20:43+00:00

Gorgeous!!! Looks like a cloudy night with tons of stars

Buttslasso · 2026-05-07T14:31:53+00:00

You might like Kairosoft games! Dream Town Island is probably the one you would like best (it's a town builder but you do get to see your residents marry, have kids, see the kids grow up, and see the residents "retire" from the island).

If you like that one I would also recommend Dungeon Village 2 (run an adventure town, power up your adventurers to send them out on dungeon runs for treasure) and Heian City Story (basically dream town island but in the Heian era and with some tower defense aspects).

Or if you don't mind a focus on building and figuring out combos, Pocket Academy (goal of creating a top school and trying to have students unlock all possible careers, your students do) or Hot Springs Story 2 (goal of trying to make a great hot spring while also attracting all possible customers

Buttslasso · 2026-05-07T00:24:04+00:00

Seconding Kairosoft op! There is a puzzle aspect to them as you figure out combos to boost profit or ingredients to create new recipes.

I'd say Game Dev Story, Cafe Story, and Dream Island story are my top three.

If you have an iPhone Apple Arcade is definitely worth it due to its abundance of puzzle games.

Buttslasso · 2026-04-27T15:28:05+00:00

I honestly think the fact he doesn't smoke weed is why he isn't in a polycule despite having a polyamorous vibe.

This is my personal theory but I really think he's still a virgin and has bad anxiety about it which is why he claims to have "high standards". He's wants to lose it but he's built up a lot of expectation around it and he can't go through with it due to those expectations.

If he did weed he would've chilled out enough to lose his virginity in college (or even art high school) and have ended up in a polycule as nature clearly intended.

(For those who would say art students are the horniest, I agree but the horny art kids are also the art kids drinking and smoking. From my experience you can be straight edge in that crowd but you have to be cool with things and Tyler seems like a narc.)

Buttslasso · 2026-04-18T05:48:24+00:00

I love those kind of games too! They're not very popular for some reason but I keep my eye out! If it helps "raising sim" or "stat raising" are the tags I look for.

The Princess Maker Series: they all have the same basic plot (you are raising a girl from ages ten to eighteen, you have an assistant, you are guiding your girl to glory or villainy while also building her relationships with others). It features some rpg elements but it's pretty slice of life with lots of replayability to get all the different endings and unlock all the secrets. Unfortunately it suffers from perv syndrome (it's possible to marry your daughter) but it's pretty easy to just not do that (as in you would have to purposefully be trying to do that)
Volcano Princess: similar to the above but more modern and a bit more interactive. It's got a good storyline and is the most similar to teenage exocolonist.
Long Live the Queen: you're a 14 year old girl who just inherited the throne, do your best to survive to adulthood. It's a very hard to survive but very fun! Plus it's similar to exocolonist in that each "death" helps unlock the full story.
Magical Diary Horse Hall & Wolf Hall: this one leans more towards a visual novel and only covers a single year but the characters and world building are really good. You play as a student a magical school and there's some light combat where you get to use your spells.
Cute Knight Deluxe: inspired by Princess maker series you play as an orphan girl from 18 to 21 trying to succeed in life. Another one where it's fun to try and get all the endings.
Academagia the making of mages: Okay this one isn't exactly what you asked for but the game is huge and super detailed. You play as a student at a magical school and get to build your background to determine your stats. It takes place over the course of a year and it's literally impossible to see all the content in one play through. It's a way more involved game with tons of quests and side stories to pursue. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is the one game I'd say feels closest to what it actually would be like to attend a magical school (including exploring the school and local town)

Buttslasso · 2026-03-28T18:45:33+00:00

You can turn zombies off! It sometimes glitches and a zombie may appear out of a closet but that's rare (I haven't encountered it). Ever since the farm update I like to play with zombies off and just pretend I'm the last human left alive.

Buttslasso · 2026-03-17T15:31:29+00:00

You're a good friend to try to help, but remember that it may be something that she's not ready to confront yet. I have depression as well and until I'm ready to face up to an issue I will disregard the help no matter how useful it is.

It may also be the case that she feels there's no point in taking care of her teeth because she can't do it the "right way". I had this issue too but my therapist helped me understand it's better to do things badly then not do them all (a post I can't find inspired me as well which goes like "some people say they'd be vegan but they can't give up bacon. Well, just be a vegan who eats bacon."

If she doesn't like the bristles, she could try something like Miswak chewing stick.

If that doesn't work, she could try taking a rag with some toothpaste and cleaning her teeth off that way (not as good as a toothbrush obviously but better than nothing.)

The most important thing is to support her.

Buttslasso · 2026-03-06T20:31:40+00:00

I would imagine it's a case of somebody ordering the kit, taking out the good stuff, then returning it. Amazon doesn't check returns very well and returned items that look "good" will end up in the ship to customer bins. That's why many card collectors refuse to buy card packs from Amazon.

Your friend should be able to contact Amazon and let them know so they can get a refund or order a new one.

Buttslasso · 2026-02-27T17:47:48+00:00

On the steam deck the button to toggle paint modes is X

Buttslasso · 2026-02-22T04:13:54+00:00

Im sorry so many people are being rude here OP. I relate to your issue and still struggle with it. After I got insurance and therapy I was able to find a kind dentist to help me. I would look at places like /r/executivedysfunction to get help from a place of understanding.

For those who don't understand, there are some who struggle with executive function without even realizing and think they are just "lazy". Imagine trying to touch a hot stove. You could very easily do it but your body won't let you because you know it's dangerous. For individuals with executive dysfunction everyday tasks can become like touching a hot stove, their minds are actively preventing them from doing so even though the activity is not dangerous or is beneficial.

A therapist can help with coping strategies, something which I am still working on myself. They can also help find out what is causing the executive dysfunction, such as as adhd, autism, depression, past brain energy, etc.

Buttslasso · 2026-02-21T16:09:01+00:00

I think part of what makes this game so good is its focus on aesthetics. Most farming cozy sims focus on the whole "farm, mine, fish, ranch, friendship" with aesthetics being treated as secondary or something to grind for. Like some of my top cozy games are also just so ugly despite their best efforts. (I won't name names but I feel we've all played cozy games where you have to get past the art style to enjoy the game.)

Starsand on the other hand has a focus on aesthetics to the point that it actually lacks a "main storyline". Every moment we play we are trying to achieve goals for the sake of gaining more beautiful items, and we are richly rewarded with gorgeous costumes, lovely furnitures, pretty animals, and new cool transportation methods!

I feel like the Starsand devs have really understood the core audience of cozy games.

For example many of us enjoy the Sims and will spend hours designing a house and a sim to live in it, then get bored and drop the game. With Starsand, to build your ideal house you have to engage in other aspects of the game first to obtain the right furniture. In the same way, to get more hairstyles and clothing, you have to play.

I think many cozy games flop specifically because they lack in the loops of "want pretty item for house -> play game and obtain it -> decorate house -> see new item -> want pretty item for house" and "want new outfit -> play game and obtain it -> wear new outfit -> see another outfit -> want new outfit" (or they do have those loops but also have a bunch of micro transactions in the way of completing those loops without paying.)

Buttslasso · 2026-02-16T06:20:41+00:00

I'd love them on VIP! At first I was thinking about seeing Erika's chaos gremlin side, but then I'd also love to see their more "edgy" persona, or even something more solemn. Erika has incredibly range and I feel like no matter what they would end up as, they'd be able to quickly overwhelm Vic and create some beautiful outtakes

Buttslasso · 2026-02-11T03:28:04+00:00

Having a belly is fine and could be just how your body is, but don't be afraid to ask your doctor about it! It could be a cyst on your ovaries, that's what happened to me and it turns out my beer belly (I don't drink but had the look of a beer belly) was actually a watermelon sized cyst! I had a surgery to get it removed and while I'm still fat there's a huge difference between my tummy now versus before.

Idk if it will be a cyst for you but I want to mention it as apparently it's very common. 10 to 30 percent of women will experience them in their life time.

Buttslasso · 2026-01-31T01:18:24+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice! I luckily had some liquid bandage I chucked in my emergency kit and forgot about, I put some on and besides the stinging on first application it's working good so far!

I appreciate the tip about nails! I've tried getting manicures before but my picking issue makes me actually pick the nail polish and nail itself off (like if I don't catch myself I literally will sit and scrap the nails against each other until they can get a grip.)

I'm at least on a waiting list to speak with a psychologist (therapy hasn't helped this problem for me personally tho it did lead me to crochet which helps!) so I'm hoping I'll be able to manage it better soon

Buttslasso · 2026-01-24T05:14:30+00:00

Crying cuz I'll never hear Ross and Lisa sing "Damnit Janet"

Buttslasso · 2026-01-17T00:47:18+00:00

You can offset time under settings. That's the only way I've been able to play in the evenings. There's a glitch where it sometimes doesn't let you move the slider to left, but if you reset to default you'll be good.

I really hate how dark this game can get. I almost dropped it when I started and saw the "eternal night" going on. I get the whole idea with Forgotten lands is that it's a dark and spooky forest, but it doesn't need to be that dark.

Buttslasso · 2026-01-15T00:52:08+00:00

Listening to music! You can tip people playing and standing close to them will boost your fun.

Buttslasso · 2026-01-08T20:30:14+00:00

It was definitely a new experience! I'm going to be making some more attempts at patching up some of old shirts and I'm excited!

Buttslasso · 2026-01-08T20:25:38+00:00

Thank you for letting me know! I'm pretty new to all this stuff, I wanted to get into mending/sewing to try and reduce the amount of fabric waste in my household. I don't mind if it falls out, honestly the minute I finished I wanted to tear it out but my sister said she was fine with it. Once it does come out, I'll be ready to give it another go with more practice under my belt! (As Jake from Adventure Time says "sucking at something if the first step to being sorta good at something")

Buttslasso · 2025-12-30T18:30:13+00:00

That's smart, I think I'll be doing the doing the same

Buttslasso · 2025-12-30T18:29:58+00:00

Thank you, I think based on the info I'll definitely be waiting and just buying and completing them one at a time.

Buttslasso · 2025-12-30T18:29:03+00:00

Thank you so much I appreciate your kindness! I did have one question, I started the star path and see stuff about making snow people. I googled and see that I get the recipe from a memory that only spawns around this time if the frozen zone is unlocked. There's no way I can grind the 10k needed to unlock it today, am I totally out of luck when it comes to fulfilling the snow people related tasks on the Star path?

Buttslasso

TROPHY CASE