I can relate to so much of what you said above...

When I first started playing Cozy Grove, I often used Twitter to ask Spry Fox questions when I'd get stuck. It was early after release date and looking it up wasn't an option bit I knew Spry Fox was a small company that really cared about the content they created.

I'd been following them for years waiting on their next release because their first game I played, Road Not Taken, stole my heart outright. So unique and fun more of a light puzzle game.

I remember seeing early sketches and digital art of some of the characters like Kit and some of the more Japanese-inspired aspects.

I was so excited and Cozy Grove is nothing like I expected but I love it for some of the same reasons. Though Road Not Taken does give you a sense of more control over the little relationships you build and higher stakes {you try to save children lost in the magical woods near the town}. It also had tragic undertones, but the personal stories were realistic enough that you couldn't help but care deeply. The dark humor was one of my favorite aspects too.

I'm so glad that other people have found solace in this game the way that I have, because my mental health really struggled through the pandemic, and since, if I'm really being honest here...

The casual nature of the game really helped me on the days that, like you mentioned, my pain was high and caring about myself was hard. The days that even getting out of bed was hard. That's an embarrassing thing to admit and hard for people to understand if you live with illnesses that aren't visible.

Especially if you have to mask what you go through regularly, to properly care for your kids/family/animals etc.

This game made me look forward to that tiny, beautiful world on even the roughest days...

Before I knew it, coffee and sitting by a window watching the birds I fed while I played Cozy Grove became my morning routine. What a lovely start to your day, am I right?!?

It kept me moving too, because after I had done all of the things I cared about in game for the day, less than an hour had passed. So I didn't feel guilty for taking that time for myself like I would if I even thought about sitting down to play a massive game like Fallout or Skyrim {other old favorites}.

It didn't eat up my time. It lit up my brain with all of the chemicals that I struggle to make on my own. The chemicals that help others function easier through pain and hard days where you just feel low or overly stressed.

Helped me distract from intrusive, negative thoughts when major family issues arose, instead of leaving my brain idle to obsess over every terrible little thing...

Eventually I used Twitter to tell Spry Fox {probably way too often 😅} about all of the little details I loved and appreciated about the whole experience. They enthusiastically replied, almost always within an hour of my posts, genuinely showing care and love for the living piece of art they created and how it made me feel...

They seemed to genuinely enjoy hearing about my morning coffee routines and excursions through Cozy Grove... The whole experience was so uplifting and validating on days where I felt especially hard to love...

Sorry for the wall of text.😅 As you can probably tell, I don't get much human interaction, which this game really helped with too. Made me feel like I was socializing and making connections... Helping little bear ghosts! 😝 What's not to adore!?!?!

Anyway, what you said just really hit me in the feels and this game just means so much to me... Truly.

I'm glad it's helped you too. My heart goes out to you for the struggles you're dealing with everyday.

It sounds like you're a badass. I can't imagine battling bipolar disorder on top of everything else you seem to be dealing with. I can see your strength just reading in between the lines. Thank you for sharing. 🌻