Summary
As the video gaming industry has continued to grow, there are a number of ways in which games have evolved. One of the biggest changes is that a lot of games have taken on a more adult nature as a result of the audience for video games aging. While this normally applies more to the action and role-playing style of games, there are occasionallycozier games set in surprisingly dark worlds.
Related:Souls-Like Games With Dark Lore
This means that the sorts of games that are easier to chill back with instead of intense games have a surprisingly deep amount of lore in a world which may not be as simple or innocent as it initially seems to be.
7Undertale
Undertaleis a fascinating game that represents the exact sort of ideals being talked about in dark, cozy games. WhileUndertaleis set in a world filled with monsters who have a society akin to that of humans but with multiple sad twists. The world of monsters is underground, and they can’t leave because humans trapped them down there long ago. The “evil” King who seeks to kill the protagonist is only doing so because humans are responsible for the death of his child.
The world ofUndertaleis sad and dark, but the humor and gameplay make it a cozy game through and through, not to mention the absolutely delightful music and artistic style.Undertaleis iconic for all the right reasons, andworth either a play or a replayany evening.
6Spiritfarer
So many indie games provide a cozy experience, and a healthy number of them in more recent years have really started attempting to develop unique worlds which often skew towards having dark twists to them. So it is unsurprising to find a game likeSpiritfarer, an indie management sim, being set in a dark world.
The gameplay ofSpiritfareris extremely fun and simple, players have to meet the demands of food and supplies of the various spirits on their boat. The story of theSpiritfareris that they are the person who must find spirits, help them achieve their final wishes, and then deliver them to the gateway where they can enter their final rest.Spiritfareris also available on a wide varietyof platforms.
5Don’t Starve
Another obviously dark game, but one set in a delightful world, is the survival gameDon’t Starve. Paired withDon’t Starve Together, a cooperative version of the game,Don’t Starveis a fun game where players build bases and attempt to survive in a world that is populated by some seemingly bizarre things.
The biggest twist inDon’t Starvewhen compared to other survival games is that there is also a sanity meter, and when this falls too low, nightmarish creatures will start to appear around the player. While this seems terrifying, Don’t Starve is an especially fun, simple style of game to play through,especially for fans of dark open-world survivalgames.
4Oxenfree
Oxenfreeis a very unusual game. Designed to be a story-rich game without any cutscenes, it allows players to wander through at their own pacing in a comfortable, cozy fashion. However, much of the material throughout the story is inspired by coming-of-age stories and darkly fantastical narratives, making for quite a dark experience.
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A beautiful tale involving a nearly abandoned island, a group of young friends, and an accidental dimensional rift,Oxenfreeis a crazy game that everybody, particularly those who love coming-of-age stories, should play at least once,which only takes an evening to do.
3The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
It is not too surprising to mention aLegend of Zeldagame among those with surprisingly dark lore, but not too many of them can really be called cozy games. However,Wind Wakeris aZeldagame which, between the colorful esthetics and delightful animation, definitely feels like a comfortable ride the entire length of the game.
On the other hand, there are some surprisingly dark aspects to the lore of theWind Wakerworld. The floodings of various places leave their mark and there are many displaced and lost souls out there.Wind Wakerisone of the darkestZeldagames, but it is an amazingly fun experience to play back through even today.
2Dredge
A new game only recently released,Dredgeis an indie game with a delightful animation style and a surprisingly ghoulish story for a fishing game. It is a hugely fun game with a deep narrative about Lovecraftian nightmares turning up after an isolated island inhabitant accidentally unleashes some great evil.
Dredgeis just another indie game with a lot of inspiration from prior projects, which it uses to create something new and unique. Players who love dark lore,particularly Lovecraftian-style games, will find something new to try out withDredge.
1Ori And The Blind Forest
One of the most ridiculously lovable and incredibly well-made games released in the last decade,Ori and the Blind Forestuses a variety of Metrodvania-like mechanics in a beautiful world that makes gamers feel right at home in a relaxing way. However, the story taking place around Ori is far less cozy.
The world known tothe adorable Ori and their friends, also known as the forest, is dying because Ori is one of the guardian spirits meant to protect it and fell from the tree years ago. The story of the family that is found over the one that comes naturally is beautiful, and all kinds of gamers have found a new personal favorite inOri and the Blind Forest, despite the dark nature of the story within the world.
