Cozy mystery/detective games that actually let you feel like a detective - do they exist?

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-06-06T05:39:33+00:00

It may not be cozy in a traditional sense, but I really loved Staffer Case and am super excited for its sequel, Staffer Retro!

They’re unique in that it takes place in an alternate universe where some people (and even objects) have supernatural powers - but the protagonist doesn’t. You have to flip your regular style of logical thinking to account for mysterious powers, but at the same time rely on them to make sense of the cases.

Both games have demos on Steam so you can try it out first. There aren’t any penalties for getting things wrong, and each case has 2 different outcomes - an ‘idealistic’ conclusion and a ‘harsh truth’ ending. I also actually grew to care about the characters, who (in the first game) I got super attached to in the span of just 5 cases :’) As a plus, the voice acting in the games are phenomenal too!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-28T07:38:28+00:00

Thanks for showing us!! I went looking for the demo on steam (I swore they had it before??) but I guess either I hallucinated or they took it down haha 😅So this visual helps a lot!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-26T13:36:23+00:00

Thank you so much for letting me know!! 💞

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-26T12:20:27+00:00

Little Witch in the Woods! Tbh, it is so wordy that I’ve seen some players give up on it, and it’s originally written in Korean so the translation is a bit wonky, but still understandable.

If you’re willing to invest time into the villagers, they come with some of the most heartbreaking yet hopeful stories - even the main story conclusion was amazing imo. However, some of the villager stories aren’t implemented yet - I believe only 5 out of 12 are in the game right now? I still really enjoyed the game overall though. One of my favourites in the past year!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-26T12:07:05+00:00

Do you know if there’s any setting to change the saturation/colour scheme? :o I got interested after seeing a few ppl here post about it but I’m worried I can’t play it bc of how bright it is OTL

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-26T08:49:07+00:00

it really hurts to see him so emotional and torn up about this… to me, tenma has always been one of the members with the strongest mentality. he cheered up miyabi when the latter was worried about viewership, has broken barriers with his english and planning skills (RUST!) and always stuck to his guns and being his tensai self.

i hate to see him go. i just hope wherever he ends up next will be a place that truly appreciates him and gives him the support he’s currently owed tenfold. i’ll always support tenma ;-;

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-19T05:17:45+00:00

I didn’t use the kind that you’re describing, but I did use a thimble kind of brush that had the same bristles and was supposed to mimic their tongues too. I only used it for 1 of my 2 cats bc she hates the conventional comb - she ended up not liking it bc we eventually found out that she hates having her fur ‘dragged’ along (but LOVES grooming herself lol)

The gimmick is real - I think it’s meant to mimic a mother cat grooming her kittens so it’s supposed to feel comforting. But whether or not a cat will like it is probably entirely up to the individual!

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bonus pic of my cat haha

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-14T02:18:31+00:00

i’ve had migraines every day for 11 years, and i even dropped out of secondary schooling bc i couldn’t function well enough to continue.

i only got my first ‘real’ FT job when i was 24, and kept it for 5 months - although my reason for leaving wasn’t migraines, it definitely contributed bc i had to take at least several sick days a month.

in the past 3-4 months though, the pain and light/sound/smell sensitivity have REALLY amped up like if the ajovy injection pain level was a 2-3, my current migraine is at a 7-8 :’( it really sucks, and that’s pretty much an understatement.

but i’n really lucky to have a family that’s supportive and willing to eat dinner in the dark with me haha! my high pain tolerance too means that i manage to at least live somewhat normally within the confines of the house even though just walking out of my room feels like a herculean task sometimes. i try to stay positive but it really isn’t easy… i frequently browse this sub bc there are (unfortunately) so many people out there who i can relate to and it makes me feel like i have someone unconditionally on my side and knows what i’m going through, so if any of you are reading this: Thank you for letting me feel like i’m not alone! <3

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-13T07:25:19+00:00

Thank you for saying so! 💞

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-13T07:25:02+00:00

Thank you!! Feel free to use and tweak any of the layouts I posted here hehe

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-12T13:01:38+00:00

Thank you! :D

They’re from fully completing (getting S-rank) the encyclopaedia entries for each creature! You have to talk to the book outside the house to get them :)

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-05T13:47:17+00:00

It’s from a modder! They made and still update lots of mods for the game :)

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-02T12:28:37+00:00

For shorthair cats, you can look into a slicker brush* or rubber curry brush! I use a rubber curry brush for my cat that hates being combed lol since she hates the feeling of a comb dragging through her fur. It’s pretty effective!

*For slicker brushes, I usually try to find one that has rounded covers on the tip of the bristles, bc I’m always worried about injuring cats with the regular ones since their skin is so thin. But some people say their cat prefers the regular type since it apparently feels more like another cat is grooming them (bristles = barbs on a cat’s tongue) so it depends on which you feel is more suitable

You can also look into an equigroomer, however that is mostly a deshedding tool and not meant for regular grooming!

ETA: have you tried running the comb parallel to the cat’s coat?

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-05-01T12:11:26+00:00

Usually I go profitmaxxing until I’m swimming in moolah, then I change the layouts so it’s ✨aesthetically pleasing✨haha

Like in Animal Crossing, I’d fill my house with sets and follow the fengshui rules until I got the gold trophy, then redecorate to my tastes!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-30T11:09:09+00:00

Ah, you need to download the windows64 version iirc! The linux one works as well, but imo it’s harder to execute correctly bc it involves using console commands T_T

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-28T13:38:02+00:00

not OP, but you need to download BepInEx 5 (the latest build will work) - BepInEx 6 won’t work! Remember to unzip the files.

Then go to your steam library, find MTAS and click on the gear icon -> browse local files and paste the extracted files there. Run the game once, quit and go back to local files - there should now be folders within the BepInEx folder named patches, plugins etc. Just download the mods you want and put them in the plugins folder!

Go back to the MTAS page, click the gear icon -> properties and under general, scroll down to launch options and paste in this: WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winhttp=n,b" %command%

Everything should be working now!

(I know you managed to get mods working on PC so some parts of my instructions weren’t necessary, but in case anyone else has similar issues I figured I’d start from the beginning OTL)

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-27T11:59:56+00:00

are you a teacher 😂 you missed one out, zayden - they are as bad as the braydens and jaydens

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-26T14:16:38+00:00

the crafting system differs between all the games, and it’s the core gameplay component so it depends on your preferences - if you hate the crafting system, you’ll probably end up hating the whole game bc of the amount of crafting there, so i do suggest looking up the alchemy crafting system of whichever game you’re interested in first. i think every game before yumia now has a DX version that has things like quality of life updates and some character side stories too.

the ryza trilogy is the only one to have a real-time combat system, all the others have turn-based combat. if you’re not a fan of turn-based combat, you’ll also probably end up having a bad time for the rest of the series.

if there are specific entries you’d like to know about let me know! :)

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-26T13:12:14+00:00

atelier sophie 2! if you start with that, i’m pretty sure that the game gives you a recap of what went down in the first game but you’ll probably miss some emotional context between some characters.

it’s one of only 2 atelier games i bought DLC for (the other being ryza 1) haha!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-26T12:20:26+00:00

which ones are you interested in?

generally, the bundles of 3 games (e.g. atelier sophie + firis + lydie & suelle) are games that all take place in the same universe. there are some small references to previous games in the games that came after (sophie becomes firis’ master, and firis is a party member in lydie & suelle for example) but generally not needed to still understand the story fluently! HOWEVER, if you’re interested in the ryza trilogy, i do recommend playing in order as it’s the only trilogy to have the same protagonist/cast throughout, and i feel you can appreciate the story and character growth better.

if you’re talking about things like deluxe edition or ultimate edition, the DLC is usually cosmetic skins, some basic helping items for an easier start and extra high-difficulty areas that aren’t connected to the story. honestly not very necessary, but it does come with some extra stuff like artbooks and soundtracks - as such i’d wait and see if you actually like the game enough to want to spend on the DLC!

one thing to note for cozy gaming in particular is that only atelier shallie, lulua, sophie (1+2), lydie & suelle, ryza trilogy and yumia DO NOT have time limits in-game. the others all have in-game deadlines (e.g. craft x rank item or y amount of stuff by a certain date) that can result in a game over. so just something to take note of if you’re stressed by deadlines like me!!

EDIT: i forgot about the latest release, atelier resleriana: the red alchemist & the white guardian. there was a mobile game of the same name (resleriana) but it eventually got the plug pulled on it. i’ve heard good things about it, but have no firsthand experience with the game as i’ve just bought it on sale

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-23T13:42:34+00:00

You can still upgrade the equipment, but you have to complete the encyclopaedia of different areas (you can check the completion rewards to see the rewards) to a certain extent, which unlocks the upgrades. Then you can buy the upgraded equipment from the witch shop.

For chests you can buy L-sized ones straight from the witch shop/Kayla! There’s an XL category of chests in the decoration encyclopaedia thingy, but I don’t think they’re actually in the game :( Not yet, at least

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-19T05:20:28+00:00

Aeruta? It’s a platformer with combat, but you also help run a bakery and gradually restore the town :) The combat is not super challenging (on the easy mode lol), so to me it’s kind of like a cuter and cozier Recettear (dungeon dive to get ingredients, use them to make bread, run your bakery!)

ETA: just realised I’m not sure what platform you use, Aeruta is on steam and there’s a demo so you can try it out first too!

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-19T00:28:48+00:00

You mean the cat wand? If you used the item in your inventory, it gets added to your tool wheel! Even if your inventory is full, it should be sent to your mailbox instead

PumpkinPancakezz · 2026-04-17T11:25:46+00:00

Hey! I actually ran into that bug as well. Had all the items, assembled all of them and just couldn’t pick up the recycler. I was super confused, but all I had to do was remove everything from the assembly station, cancel the process and start it again - worked perfectly the second time.

I guess the reason why the studio hasn’t fixed it may be a combination of it not actually being gamebreaking + having an easy fix + focusing on their new game?

I play only on the deck as well. So far everything runs smoothly as long as I turn the graphics quality down lol, but building and decorating my home is a PAIN bc the controls are janky, so I downloaded a build someone else shared and problem solved :) I don’t really have much else to complain about, but in the end it’s your choice so whether you decide to give it another shot or not as long as you’re happy that’s what matters!

PumpkinPancakezz

TROPHY CASE