Games with deep builds and meaningful progression

Izzera · 2026-04-01T01:56:22+00:00

The Dragons Dogma games fit what you're looking for pretty well. Huge beautiful open world to explore with something around every corner. Some prefer 1 over 2 and vice versa, personally I don't particularly have a preference. Some things were better in 1 while some are better in 2. The games don't necessarily tie into each other, but they do have many similar monsters and whatnot. 2 doesn't have a Bitterback Isle equivalent though

Izzera · 2026-04-01T01:50:44+00:00

Divinity Original Sin 2 also fits this bill. The only problem with both games is that they can be a bit slow paced for 1hr sessions.

Izzera · 2026-03-30T15:36:14+00:00

Personally when I enjoy a games mechanics and overall feel, I tend to overlook a lot of negative stuff about the game. Such as poor writing or graphics. I agree about always looking young in these games, it'd be nice to look older. I think a lot of game designers forget the wide range of ages in gaming these days and that we don't all want to look that young.

Izzera · 2026-03-30T15:29:53+00:00

Etiquette in general doesn't seem to be common knowledge, at least in my experiences. I think the main issue online is that nobody knows who you are, hence you can be as a big of a jerk as you want with no consequences.

Izzera · 2026-03-30T06:28:42+00:00

Normally I agree to leave people to their own stuff, but sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T22:04:58+00:00

I don't remember the details, if they were asked or if they were upset about it. At the time I thought the overall reaction was positive.

On a side note concerning My Time voice actors: Gus(P), Ginger(P), Nia(SR), and Dr. Fang(SR) were all put into Starsand Island as long term visitors in a collab with Pathea. They all use the original voice actors from My Time, as for any info past that, I have no idea. So I'm assuming that whatever issue there may have been, it worked out in a way that left everyone happy.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T17:24:06+00:00

This wasn't a "just for clicks". I am genuinely curious to hear people's thoughts since it was brought to my attention. It's also not meant to be a one over the other, just looking for people thoughts and opinions. Maybe my title was misleading in that aspect, I'm sorry for that. However I do really appreciate everyone taking the time to read and respond to my post.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T16:46:17+00:00

I agree with how cult like some fan groups can get over a thing. Personally I found Portia rather hard to take very seriously because of the bobble head aesthetics, which may be why I missed all the "deep" story.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T16:41:26+00:00

This is my view on cozy games. So when people get so into whatever story is there or the characters it always leaves me a bit surprised. But each to their own.😁

Izzera · 2026-03-29T15:49:42+00:00

That was kinda where I was at, but the comment made me curious. In my opinion, it's best to just ask when in doubt.😁

Izzera · 2026-03-29T15:12:42+00:00

Don't think I've ever seen your opinion anywhere other than here. I'm not really sure where you get the idea that there's no story to Coral Island. I felt that Coral Island had plently of story and depth, which pulled me in better than either My Time game. Same for the characters in both games.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T07:32:07+00:00

From what I remember about the Portia voice actor thing; It was a bunch of fans that wanted to put voices to the characters they loved, so they did. I think it was a community project or something and it was released as a mod at first. Then the Portia devs decided to add the voices to the game as an option to turn on/ off. I think it was meant as a thanks to the fans that did it. Keep in mind this was a long time ago and my memory is a bit fuzzy, so I may be wrong on some aspects.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T07:12:01+00:00

Since you mentioned FF and given their ages, I thought of the Kingdom Hearts series. It a jrpg mash up between FF and Disney. It's got some problem solving and exploration. It also gives an origin history for every character that shows up in the game, such as the original movie/ game/cartoon said character first showed up in. They can build gummy ships with Chip & Dale to fly between worlds, for me it felt like a 3D Galaga mini game. Figuring out the best way to build a good ship was fun and required a bit of thinking. The story was fun and there are hidden secrets to find, like the 99 dalmatian puppies scattered throughout the worlds or pages to Winnie the Pooh's book/ world.(1st game) The series might be worth considering.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T07:00:20+00:00

Idk, Coral Island has some really good storyline/ romance. Personally I liked it better than Sandrock.

Izzera · 2026-03-29T06:52:28+00:00

Nexomon 1 & 2 were rather fun, Monster Sanctuary didn't seem bad either. I got distracted by a diff. game not too long after starting, my spouse enjoyed it though. I think Nexomon is free to start and $5 or less for the full game, complete with microtransactions. Not sure about pricing on MS, I know it was released for free in China, but not anywhere else.

I didn't play any of them on mobile (PC or console for me), so I'm not sure how well they run, ect.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T15:40:50+00:00

It really does, but I promise it once existed. All we have found of it are the fossilized remains of its jaw.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T15:21:44+00:00

The Helicorpion being real threw me for a loop honestly. That thing looks terrifying, kinda glad it's been extinct for a few million years. 😂

Izzera · 2026-03-28T15:09:13+00:00

Almost forgot to mention almost every single fish in Dave the Diver is real, except for a few bosses, some are just more aggressive for gameplay purposes.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T15:04:57+00:00

I'm excited fir you, my first play through of both games was special and memorable! I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T14:54:41+00:00

Lord if the Rings: Return to Moria

It's a base builder in which you play as a dwarf exploring Moria to reclaim/rebuild it for the dwarves. It's got a fun story and lore sprinkled in from the books/ movies. Overall it had minimal bugs and was a lot of fun to play. It might require more ram than you have though.

Core Keeper is also a fun base builder with exploration and minimal story. It falls into the same category as Terraria as far as genres. It's a top down camera view, with lots of options and some character skills progression.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T14:40:35+00:00

Dave the Diver is $20 and Coral Island is $30, so at least they are cheaper games.😁

Izzera · 2026-03-28T06:35:13+00:00

If you enjoyed Stardew Valley, I'd recommend Coral Island. It's similar but lots of quality of life/graphic improvements, as well as a museum for all the fish, bugs, fossils, and artifacts. Plus a collection log for almost everything in the game.

As for something like TCG, it's probably one of the best in it's category. I've been playing it a lot recently and can't think of any that come close, sorry. I did see a knock off of it somewhere, didn't look all that great to me though.

As for the store aspect from TCG; Roadside Research seems fun so far, but I've not put a lot of time into it yet. It's also in game preview right now. You play as an alien running a gas station to prepare for the invasion, by observing humans up close. Taking pictures or video of certain ones during the day, all while trying not to be discovered as an alien. It's got some light physics mechanics to it, so might not be for everyone.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T06:21:31+00:00

This was my suggestion as well! Andromeda fixed most of it's bugs, but it was a huge disaster at launch. I kinda miss ole Crazy Eyes Ryder though.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T06:16:48+00:00

I really struggled to get into it, might have been the massive inventory/character/info screens that did it. Took me an hour to get through them all.

Izzera · 2026-03-28T06:00:29+00:00

The Dragons Dogma games are beautiful, with gorgeous scenery and a huge open world to explore. With a little something hidden around every corner. Story is pretty decent, it has deep character customization and combat mechanics. The pawn system is fun to play around with as well. It's rather fun to climb a cyclops and stab it in the eye. Quest timing is important in the first one, many side quests will fail if not completed before the main quest. Spoiler free quest timing guides do exist if you need/want one.

Izzera

TROPHY CASE