cosmicquestz

[cosmicquestz]

Brew (Board Game Simplified Solo Instructions)

Lately, I have been taking a break from the screen and delving into some quite expensive board games I have bought throughout the year. This is a bit different than what I typically post but hey, it's nice to have some variety. I've always been a firm believer in that ANY game can be played solo. The instructions are just a baseline a blueprint for how the game is played. However, no one says you can't alter the instructions to work with you and your gameplay style. This is what I've been doing in my spare time lately, finding 2+ player games and finding ways to play them on my own. Every single game I have that says recommended for 2 players I have been able to alter and play it on my own. The game I first tried this with is "Brew." This is a cute adorable game and I highly recommend it if it isn't on your game/bookshelf for yourself, family, or kids. There is a lot to it but I made simplified solo instructions that can make this game very enjoyable for one person or 2 people even. These instructions are meant for solo since there aren't any instructions on playing solo because it is for 2 or more players. But if there are 2 people playing you can follow the standard instructions which can be found here.

Please read the instructions I have created for solo players below.

Original Game Instructions:

Place dice strategically to gather potion ingredients, gain control of forests, and trains creatures with magical powers. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

3 Steps Per Turn: Place 1 die per turn, Can brew 1 potion per turn, May drink 1 potion from your hand per turn.

To place a die, choose any 1 die from your dice pool, and place it on a legal space on the village board or forest card.

Solo Instructions:

Almost everything is the same as 2 player mode

Pick your character card

Pick a second character card - This will be your NPC/AI or player 2 though you will be playing the character as well you will be playing against it.

You will setup the game just like you’re playing with 2 players

EX: Colored die, +2 forest die, 4 potion cards

For solo play you will need a regular 6 sided die as well, if you do not have one you can use a dice roller on your internet browser on your phone. Go on Google and search dice roller.

You will play normally as the game intended with your character

2nd Player: You will first role your 6 dice that are in the game, then you will roll your regular 6 sided die. The 6 sided die will tell you which of the games dice you will choose. You will roll again and take note of whether the number is even or odd.

Even = whichever forest card you delegate as forest card 1

Odd = whichever forest card you delegate as forest card 2

Dependent on which forest card you get that is where you will place the game dice on the forest card.

We do not use the berries in solo mode or the fire pieces we specifically stick with the characters, any of the cards, the orange, purple, and blue medallions. You can add the other elements in but we wanted to keep things a little more simpler for beginner players.

Since you draw one extra card per the amount of people playing since we are playing as if there are 2 players you will draw 3 cards.

Once 3 cards have been drawn 2 forest cards will be used in play and the third will be a bonus card dependent on the elimination of one of the original forest cards it would take its place.

If you decide to train an animal you can only have three trained animals at a time.

White forest dice are only for the gameboard and the animals you have trained if they use them in their description for any add on.

You must always place one dice per turn

You can either obtain a potion or drink a potion in the same round

There is a day and night component per round = 2 games per round

You can play characters with the special effects or without

Playing the game this way in solo can take anywhere from 45 minutes or more

[cosmicquestz]

Make Room - Best Creative Interior Design Cozy Game?

I'm back at it again, honestly I have had one of the roughest weeks in my life. So, who could blame me on going on a small cozy game shopping spree and blogging about a game that you might want to get. I spend my money so you don't have too! Retail therapy = New Cozy Games. Steam recently had their "Wholesome" Game Sale. It had a nice selection of newer and older cozy games for 10% off and some were even more. The ones I got were somewhat bundled together. I ended up getting one called "Make Room." I have a secret passion for interior design, but I make mock ups as a hobby and I could never see myself doing it for a job, I felt like if I did I'd hate it.

I love decorating spaces in general, if you're anything like me you played The Sims, you've played InZoi, you've played everything and realized all you do is decorate and put together spaces, or build homes. Then this game is going to be you're dream interior design game. I'm shocked just how much there is and how much thought went into creating something like this. Right now it is still on sale for $9 and highly recommend it even at that price point. Join me on this journey for this review and continue reading below if you want to learn more.

*Note: the above screenshot is a small room I made in the game and I LOVE how it turned out. I'm not going to lie I was getting a little nervous with it in the beginning. I'm still learning how to do everything.*

First, thank you for sticking around, it truly means a lot when people take the time to read what I write. With that said let's jump into this new addition to my cozy game library. Honestly, I bought this game with low expectations but it has definitely exceeded them. Again as I'm trying new ways to write content I'm going to write the pro's and con's in listed format and then conclude with a short summary.

Pro's:

There are so many options for furniture, tiles, wood

Has a simplistic design (this can be a pro or con dependent on who you are)

Perfect for interior designers to visualized a true mock up of their designs

Perfect for Cozy Gamers who just want to unwind

Very relaxing and happy background music to choose from so far I have found there are 5-6 different soundtracks for background music

You can customize everything and the interface is super beginner friendly with a nice little tutorial at the beginning to teach you everything

There are different modes you can choose from, Sandbox, Requests, and Custom, you can also save and open files and continue working on them

There are animated effects you can place in your room and pets!

In Sandbox mode it isn't just a room you can place furniture in, the options are Room, Camper, and Garden

The camera is amazing! There are filters, you can change the thickness of the outlines of the furniture and walls, you can take photos in two modes cartoony or a little more of a polished look still cartoony but nice, and many different angles to take photos of your room in.

To give you a little compare contrast with the camera here are two images of a garden sandbox creation I created. One has lines the other is much smoother and doesn't.

Con's:

It's important to note, I haven't found too many Con's and some of these are just my OCD kicking in and me being a little picky.

I noticed when on the starting screen the soundtracks skip around a lot and doesn't play through the entire song and goes through like 5 at the same time, plays one for about a minute and plays the beginning portion of 5 different ones and then lands on one to listen to for a little longer, it's kind of weird you have to be on the screen I feel to understand what I'm trying to get at with this (you kind of have to BE there haha). It got so bad in fact that I had to mute the music and put my own on.

Because its very free formed and you can place shelving into the wall, I noticed some of my objects get lost and I can't get them back but they will bleed through the other side.

You can't rotate a full 360 degrees, this may not bother everyone but for me I was expecting to turn my whole diorama around and when I couldn't it didn't change much of how I played the game it was just a bit of a surprise is all.

Overall, I'm super impressed with the game as a whole and for the price of $9 I feel the 10% off on this is a steal. You can also buy it in a bundle as well with Tiny Bookstore or House Flipper, or Is This Seat Taken, they are all cozy games and bundling can save you more on the price of two games especially if you have one of those on your Wishlist. I love how many items there are, the simplicity but how you can be super maximalist with it (I know oxymoron that is!). The ability to take photos of the spaces you make and share them or place them in a folder to keep track of them is a beautiful addition. They just added the undo button which is a helpful addition. There are animations you can place in the room, and there is room for 100% customization. You have no idea how long I have been looking for a game just like this. If you are anything like me (this is not sponsored, I paid for this game with my own money/PayPal account haha) then I recommend picking this game up, you would also be support an indie gaming company which is so important nowadays. Were so used to our AAA titles that we forget the up and coming companies who are releasing some pretty amazing content lately.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helped you if you were on the fence on purchasing this game at any point. Until next time..

[cosmicquestz]

Steam Cozy Game Deals - Week of 7/25/25

I know I'm a bit late shelling this out, due to some health complications, I've been out of commission for about a week. However, I was finally able to take a peek at the estore to see what is on sale in terms of Cozy Games right now for the Switch and Switch 2. Needless to say, there are quite a few, but I wanted to narrow it down to 10. These 10 are based on my reading reviews, as well as playing a good portion of them and recommending them based on my experience with them. If you are looking for new Steam games and don't want to break the bank, continue reading below.

Little Friend Puppy Island - $1.99 USD - I have this on PC through Steam and it is one of my all time favorites. It's Nintendogs but with different machanics due to it needing to have controller capabilities. The way they implemented certain movements and engagement with the dogs to be controller based is amazing. I love this as it brings back the nostalgia.

Cottonville - $2.99 USD - New game that was under recents and deals. It's a little slow moving but really relaxed with some super cute graphics.

TCG Shop Simulator - $2.99 USD - There is one on Steam that I prefer a lot more as the mechanics with the switch controller is a little challenging but for the price it can be overlooked and it does remind me of the ones I play on PC through Steam. If you're looking for a TCG Card Shop Simulator on the go, I recommend.

Cosmic Cats - $1.99 USD - This is a cute little kitty puzzle game not only will it test your brain, but it's one of those games that are cute, you think is simple, but it's not as simple as it appears.

Ashwood Valley Summer Edition - $1.99 USD - Looking for a simple Life Sim/Farming Sim, this is a great one to add to your collection. You get hours and hours of gameplay for the price and there is an amazing story you get to experience with it. For the price it is definitely worth it. It is pixel graphics so if this is not your vibe no worries but wanted to add that in because some people don't play games just because their not visually appealing to them.

My Cozy Room Bundle - $2.99 USD - This pack comes with 4 games: NGolf, Mini Market Design, Ultimate Holidays, and of course My Cozy Room Bundle. Honestly for the price I just love that there are 4 games for just under a $1 each which will provide you with entertainment for many hours since there is more than one game provided. However, I really enjoy My Cozy Room and Mini Market Design, if you are the interior design type or love designing rooms this is the bundle for you and like I said for the price you can't beat it!

Cake Bash - $3.99 USD - This one is a little more than the others as I wanted to provide a few that were over $3 too but still well worth the price. I was able to game test this game before release and have it on Steam as well as on Switch. It is a blast, it mini games that you can play co-op or online and you play as a sweet treat in all these mini games. Best graphics? Definitely not. Good gameplay and fun, definitely. I recommend just for how fun and competitive the mini games actually are its like a cuter version of Mario Party and I'm here for it.

Grow 'Song of the Evertree' - $7.49 USD - This is the cheapest I've seen this game thus far, even on the Steam sale it wasn't this low. I REALLY like this game again I have it on PC through Steam and Switch and finally finished the game after 320 hrs. You get a lot of gameplay for the price and it's super cozy, you grow pet, create a town, and decorate your avatar and house it's everything you expect from a cozy game with a good storyline and really nice graphics, I was surprised when the game first came out.

Critter Cafe - $6.79 USD - I got this game most recently as it just looked like it had all the cutesy fun vibes I was looking for I started with this on Steam, I'm not planning to get it on Switch as I'm primarily a PC gamer and I use my Switch in bed or during work. However, You open up a shop and run it, every time you cut a piece of cake or "make coffee" its a small interactive mini game that''s a lot of fun. You unlock pets that you can have in the cafe with you. It has a virtual pet aspect as well as you need to care for your pets and keep them happy. The illustration and game art is adorable. If you enjoy cute management games this is a good one. I have so many hours in it so far on Steam. I'm currently at 120 hrs after 2 weeks.

Storyteller - $8.99 USD - If you enjoy puzzles and building stories, this is the perfect game. I own this on Switch and it has a lot of positive reviews and the review on IGN people have commented with positive praises as well. It has a comic panel design where you use your wits to retell iconic tales of experiement and find something new through your own creativity. There is a little bit of autonomy which is why I classify this as a puzzle game with cozy game vibes. The background music is nice too.

[cosmicquestz]

Third stream in the books, honestly, I'm trying to stay as consistent as possible with this new journey of mine. I started Ooblets over from the very beginning. So this is a play through up until day 4 or 5 I think it was. Also, I got my mic fixed so it doesn't sound like I'm in a hole! #goals.

[cosmicquestz]

Petz 5 - Time Traveling Back to The Early 2000s (my childhood comes back!)

The internet does one thing really well, opening up pandora's box to my heart and soul and poking at my gaming nostalgia. I was randomly looking at some stuff on Reddit (that can be dangerous to begin with). When I found a Petz5 community that was very much active. I was SHOCKED! Though honestly shocked would be an under statement. I didn't even know there was still a community or a group of people who still played. I still have the original CD with the manual and everything.

So, I did what any person would do, I searched the interwebs for a download and how to download it onto Windows 10. And... guess what? it happened. I unlocked my childhood, I opened the game of wonders my virtual pet from the early days. It was the full installation, everything was there and working perfectly! With a hugely active group on Discord you know the next thing I did was go there and join!

For those who need a nostalgia trip please continue reading...

What is Petz 5? Who created it? - A small history

A virtual desktop pet created by UbiSoft - Above is an example screenshot of my pet from Petz5 actually on my desktop, keep in mind the text can be removed during gameplay underneath "options."

The game was released in 2002

The idea was to put a virtual pet on your desktop to keep you company or to play with while you did whatever it was you were doing.

Basically a virtual pet time waster application (but worth it in my opinion and to the small community that is left)

Where can I download it?

I got you covered, I found quite a few safe download sites for older and unmade games from the early 2000s. The downloads are confirmed to be safe both on Reddit, Discord, and my own experience I did it from two different sites and no malware or other issues from downloading. I have placed to places below where you can find the download.

Old Games Download - Dogz 5 (but it's both Dogz & Catz 5)

Acid Trip - Has all the Petz downloads from the earliest to the latest (I've played all versions but 5 is my favorite and recommended if you're just getting started)

As an older game, why would I want to play it?

If you enjoy Neopets, Marapets, Gaia Online, etc this will provide you with a similar experience.

If you enjoyed Nintendogs, this is a pixel version - the look of the pets are also kind of comical now and I think you would get a kick out of it.

Imagine Tamagotchi's but in dog form and more things to do on your desktop screen, that is what this is.

A thriving small and active community - it used to be bigger back in the day but as things continued to advance more and more people stopped playing. When upgrading computers, our computers don't have a CD player anymore so it was hard to continue for those who wanted to as well. However, the program is now easily accessible for free online.

There is so much to do, quite a few mini games, and a lot of objects to interact with. You could easily spend hours playing.

What's up with the graphics? This looks horrible for a game in 2025.

Created with 8-bit graphics

At the time in 2002 these graphics were amazing!

If you decide to play this game, you need to keep in mind that the game is 22 years old, it's not going to have the same graphics as todays games.

I think a lot of the newer generation will love and get a kick out of it just because of how the dogs look. The extreme cartoony feel will make you laugh.

Conclusion:

This is THE original cozy game (in my opinion) the original virtual pet game. UbiSoft decided later on to go in a different direction abandoning the Petz series.

It might be old but it is still relevant for todays gamers, if you want something super cozy that will give you quite a few laughs this will provide.

The graphics, looks, and expressions of the dogs and cats will leave you entertained for hours.

You can breed your pets to create new ones and keep growing a family tree.

There is a small community who still play even today, there is a Discord server and Facebook links.

There are a good amount of mini games you can explore through your travels through different "areas/scenes" throughout the game.

There is always something to do and is a great time waster.

You can adopt soooo many pets!

It's a desktop virtual pet that even today you will still fall in love with.

[cosmicquestz]

Hey everyone!

This is my second stream, I got my first new follower today from this year, my previous followers are from 3 yrs ago. I am so excited and I love the vibes they brought to the chat. They were interesting to talk too. I love chatting with everyone! I'm so fortunate to have had a viewer tonight. It really brought the vibes up!

Also, I'm sorry about my dogs, they barked at a few points throughout the stream. They were good for most of it but you can definitely hear them. I look forward to seeing some of you join me in the next stream!

Click here to watch the video if it doesn't show for you

[cosmicquestz]

Merry Fairy - Journal? Writing App? - Reviewed

I have had this game on my Wishlist for a while as soon as I heard about it. I didn't realize it was going to be a writing, journaling, and scrapbooking application. I legitimately thought this was going to be a game. I'm even more excited to truly know what it is. I'm a writer by passion and hobby. I've always wrote and though less and less people are reading and prefer watching this is something I feel I have mastered and enjoy doing. I take pride in everything I write (or type for that matter) This is something I've been looking for as a writer and creative for a very long time.

For one price, it is nice to have something you only need to buy once instead of buying a subscription with lets say Penzu which is what I originally did but it started getting so expensive I had to let go. I then started using Canva Pro for it but it's just not the same to journal in something like Canva. I loved using my IPad pro at one point and GoodNotes and ProCreate but honestly I dropped that so quickly. I love regular pen and paper but I am a really slow writer. I prefer typing if possible. So this fits the bill, literally!

To learn more about the application, who it's for, how much it is, pros and cons, please continue reading below.

What is Merry Fairy?

Releasing on 7/10/25 - 2 days ago it is a cozy and relaxing journaling and scrapbooking application. I do not place it underneath a gaming category. However, you can find it on Steam right now at a discount for $8.99.

Who is The Application For?

Honestly, anyone, but if you're looking for specifics look below I made a list of who this would fit the most;

Cozy Gamers

Writers

Scrapbookers

Creatives/Artistic types

Teachers

Those who need an outlet to let out their emotions

Anyone looking for a safe space

Pros:

There are so many scrapbooking elements to discover while clicking around. All of those then get saved to your journal so you can use it.

There are great tutorial resources and learning how to use Merry Fairy. The above prompt and fox person comes up every time it teaches you something about this application.

There is a Pomodoro's timer that I didn't know about until I clicked the random stained glass window.

There is a lot to do and a lot to create, I easily spent 3 hrs starting from 12 AM - 3 AM just writing and getting the pages just the way I wanted it.

There is a music player that plays really upbeat music for the most part, there are a few that are primarily background noises but a nice selection of background music to write (type) too. I LOVE the music by the way! Very fantasy like.

You can freely move any and ALL of the elements you collect to decorate your journal pages with.

Cons:

Lacking more background sounds and music

I wish there were more fonts that could be used while in the journal.

When writing text, it's weird the cursor disappears randomly, you can't get it back unless you left click. I was so confused and accidentally deleted my elements I collected to place in the journal by accident. Yes, it's most likely user error, however, it might've been nice to have the heads up about left clicking prior while in the tutorial itself.

Wasn't sure where to place this one because it's a mixture of a pro and a con and it may bother some people so I placed it here as a potential con. You can save each entry, but, when you save it it's saved as a "html, webpage" it can only be opened by web browser. To save it by image you can right click while it's opened in the webpage to do so or take a screenshot, but this can be a little annoying. That's if you don't want to just keep it as a webpage. Honestly, I myself do not worry about this too much, but it would've been nice if it saved as a JPEG, PNG, PDF, or .doc file. Html is a little strange and I was kind of scratching my head with the option choice for this. It saves like this;

Conclusion:

For me, this was exactly what I needed and something I've been looking for at a great cost. If you are a writer like me and need a distraction free environment with background music, cozy vibes, and a beautiful little scenery to get you in the writing mood this would be the perfect application for you. It's a safe space, it can be used online and offline. All the feature are meant to be used without being online. I enjoy the illustration of every element, the ability to click around and discover new things as you write. It just feels like you're on one big journey of self discovery. There are so many quotes and prompts to help you write and explore yourself on a deeper level. At the beginning you get letters from the creator and it just feels so personal. I highly enjoy this application but feel more can be done and added.

I would give this a fair 7.5/10 - it's great for your basic writing needs and offers a lot for $8.99 but for regular price after the sale price which we don't know yet I just feel it could be a bit more perfected. If you don't mind some of the cons then this is the perfect writing/scrapbooking application for you.

[cosmicquestz]

This is my first Twitch Stream in a very long time, I'm still surprised 15 followers stuck around while I was absent. I was battling some health complications and needed to stop streaming, right when I was just starting to get followers. I was streaming "TCG Card Shop Simulator" first and then "Disney Dreamlight Valley" This is the DDLV stream. Sadly I was tired at this point and I can definitely tell I was dwindling when coming back from my break from "TCG Card Shop Simulator" to stream this. I had 2 viewers most of the time! Which was amazing for me as I was just coming back into streaming, so though they were lurking I'm just happy I wasn't talking to myself. I stream to help combat my social anxiety which has been working rather well honestly. I hope you guys enjoy if you watch it! I'm going to try to start streaming more regularly from this point forward.

Until Next Post <3

[cosmicquestz]

The Sims 4 Cozy Journal - My Struggle With The Overall Gameplay (Now I'm Comfortable Interacting With my Sims)

** Note: The red head above is an avatar from the gallery with the name Sasha Snow, I did make quite a few changes to the eyebrows, hair, skin, and nose but I needed a starting point. The Sim was gorgeous and I highly recommend if you can find here the creator who made the Sim is - SweetSimPenny **

Letter to The Reader & New Posting Series "The Sims 4 Cozy Journal" :

Hi Everyone!

I'm starting a new series of posts surrounded by Sims 4 content as I try to get back into the game after about a year or 2 of not either touching it. For me my interest in playing comes in spurts. I feel if I have something to write about and keep talking about it, then it will help me to continue forward with the game instead of just disappearing again. This new series of posts are going to be called "The Sims 4 Cozy Journal" these posts are specifically about my experiences and the gameplay I'm experiencing currently.

Today since I'm almost positive there is a group of people like me, who struggle to understand and get into the overall gameplay of "The Sims" but might do something different in the game like character creation or interior design and building, etc. I want to discuss my experience and struggle actually getting into the gameplay aspect. Since the very first game I've always been the interior and exterior design type and Sim Creator in terms of making "The Sims" that would play in the world. However, I always tried and wanted to get into the full gameplay but never could and it would always leave me defeated and leaving the game for a long time until I wanted to try again, it was quite the vicious cycle.

Keep reading below to see how I overcame this and what has helped me now to better enjoy the gameplay aspect of "The Sims 4" because EA finally is helping newer players to understand and better interact with their Sims! Thank goodness..

** Note: Screenshots from The Sims 4 are owned by The Sims 4 and I'm using them as examples for others, they are not mine and are owned by EA. **

The Gameplay Struggle:

My struggle with the actual game play of "The Sims 4" is an ongoing battle. I truly always wanted to love the game for the gameplay, however, I never truly understood it or how it worked. I didn't get the premise or what I was supposed to do and I felt that in particular that left me quite lost with all the renditions. The crazy part? I had every Sims game with ALL the DLCs, I would save up my money specifically to get everything when I was a kid. But, I just couldn't put my finger on why I never stuck around.

I later found that I loved the character customization and the exterior and interior design aspect. I can't build a house that doesn't look like a sheltered square to save my life, so naturally, I will leave that up to everyone else and use the "gallery" and then design the interior and exterior from there. But I think "The Sims 4" finally fixed this issue as I found myself actually somewhat enjoying the gameplay of it this evening.

Life is full of second chances right? - Coming Back:

I took the longest hiatus from playing "The Sims 4" I didn't even realize so many updates were made and that there were so many DLCs and packs added since the last time I actually attempted to play. Which is way longer than I ever expected or to even admit. Things that regular Simmers already know about are what I'm experiencing now.

Some of the newest things that are really helping me with the gameplay right now are;

Tutorials - Thank goodness! We finally have these, it's actually teaching me how to play. I guess since they made the game "free" and are trying to open the game up further to a wide variety of people they want to make sure people know what they're doing so they continue enjoying the game. I've never been so excited for this I always thought in the beginning they should've had step by steps and walkthroughs and now it's finally happened. There are both pop ups and a quick easy to read and interact with guide to assist. Thank goodness. They also have information for each individual DLC to teach you how to play and navigate each one.

Autonomy - Sims can now (to a point) take care of their needs if for example, me who struggles with balancing the needs of their sims can't figure out how to keep them balanced. It's nice for the most part that if there is a bathroom in the area and they need it they will go without me doing anything. I also love that they can act on their own. When I don't know what to do, watching my Sims interact or just live there lives is so enjoyable and relaxing it almost feels like a movie but if I want to switch it up and get them to do something else I can. For example, in the above photo, I was typing this post as the game was running. I was barely paying attention to it. My Sim got hungry and ended up cooking her own meal and taking care of her needs (thank goodness, otherwise that would've been bad I feel).

Newer DLCs have less rabbit holes - I remember in the past a lot of places had rabbit holes, places that you couldn't enter with your Sim. I recently got the "High School Years" pack and I love that I can actually go with my Sim to class and experience the high school experience again with and through her. I also am grateful for less rabbit holes with some of the actual jobs too especially with the "Businesses & Hobbies" pack and the "Eco Lifestyle" pack. (Keep in mind this post is being written through the eyes of someone who doesn't play often and is a super average consumer and not super addicted to "The Sims.")

So much more interaction - There is so much going on, of course the more DLCs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits you have, the more your Sims have to interact with and the more stuff you can use in your gameplay, which of course is always nice. Luckily I have all of the Packs you can get right now so 127 GB of storage is dedicated to just "The Sims" (it is what it is this is what kind of got me back into it, I was cleaning some files on my laptop and saw how much space and wanted to know why and now here I am actually enjoying it this time around.)

I definitely feel the tutorials and the autonomy and the ability your Sims have to move on their own is definitely helping me to enjoy the game more. I enjoy "Idle Games" a lot. Games where you don't have to do too much but you can watch and it's a great time waster and brings you joy. Well I love the Sims autonomy now as it kind of turns into an idler if you don't want to be the one to interact and its just one large story that you shape into what you want. The problem with me is I never know what I want!

I'm so Grateful for Autonomy of Sims:

I know I got into this a little bit prior but I have to reiterate I'm so thankful towards EA right now. I LOVE that I can leave my Sims on Idle and for the most part they can take care of themselves. I know this sounds weird but I honestly just enjoy watching them interacting, it's like a movie that helps me work my imagination at the same time. When I was a kid, I would create stories with Bratz and Barbie dolls, Playmobil's, and Polly Pockets. Every chance I had I would create these elaborate stories, queens and kings in far out places using a roller blade guy from the urban streets as a jester. You name it I made it happen, I had a WILD imagination as a kid. It's a bit more tame now if you couldn't guess.

I feel what made me struggle so much with the gameplay of "The Sims 4" and "The Sims" franchise in general, is my imagination isn't what it used to be. I can't come up with these elaborate stories anymore like I did between 5-15 yrs old. I feel having this lack of imagination I didn't know what to create or how I wanted things to go in my gameplay whereas people who play "The Sims" on the daily have a direction and established a baseline for how they want things to go during their gameplay. I like that I no longer need to struggle for an idea. I LOVE that the story can unfold in front of me and if there is something I want my Sims to do then I can control them and have them do it.

Quests and actual goals to accomplish:

I know this might be strange but I guess I haven't been around to see that now there are goals and quests you can complete. I also joined "The Sims 4" Discord channel and there are challenges you can do. This is helping to add to my gameplay as now I have goals. I have a purpose as to why I play the game. Prior I literally didn't know what I was doing, I would stay up super late watching YouTube videos on "How-To Play 'The Sims'" but the creators even the most popular ones wouldn't go through how to interact with the actual gameplay. They would go through the basics and the controls things that could be found in a tutorial that the game now has. But, honestly, that couldn't have been more frustrating for me, but now I understand. Because there isn't one specific way to play "The Sims" there are MANY ways to play "The Sims." That is why these creators didn't go too far in depth. But, I also feel this was a missed attempt for some of those content creators to post another series or more videos.

Also, I love that there are Scenarios you can start with if you don't know where to begin. Especially for beginners that have no clue what their doing. I categorize myself as one at this point!

Conclusion:

With the many updates since I've played, new additions with the DLCs and more than I could ever think of to do in the game. "The Sims 4" has captured my attention, I see you EA. Thanks to the tutorials and the different quests and actual structure in the game now if you want it as well as the autonomy that I cannot stop talking about, I feel I can really get myself back into "The Sims" and actually enjoy the overall gameplay. I'm excited to see where my stories with my Sims and my imagination goes as I move forward.

[cosmicquestz]

Happy 4th of July to all my American peeps out there! I hope you go out to dinner or do something enjoyable during the day or evening.

[cosmicquestz]

Can Video Games Help You Be More Productive? - (Cozy) Productivity Utility Apps

Let's be honest, cozy games aren't just your farming and life simulations. They are anything that can be played while you sit with the comfiest of blankets on a couch with a favorite drink. It's a game that can be played at that cozy gaming setup you made for yourself in the corner of the room. It's anything that brings joy to you during the day or in the evenings. What would you say if I brought productivity utilities into the mix as something cozy? What if I said there were applications and chill games that you can have up while you work, write, draw, etc? Now, before you go grab those pitchforks, hear me out.

There is a very niche market that creates utility productivity applications. This is a tiny market, but games such as Gogh, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions, and Chillpulse are just a few you will find. These types of "games" (in this case, I would categorize them as an application) are great if you're trying to focus and get things done while also having something enjoyable and pleasing to look at, which helps you get through your day. These are incredibly suitable if you work from home (in any sense of the word, hybrid, full remote, side gig/contract work, etc.) or if you enjoy writing or creating during your spare time, if that is more your jam. These applications are not just pleasing to the eye, but they also help you get things done.

Today, I'm going to discuss the pros and cons of these applications, how they can help you get things done, who they are most for, and what they do. Answering questions like How can these applications make me more productive? Why would I need it? The list goes on and on. If you're ready, let's jump right in!

**Note: Any games I reference that I have paid for with my own money, and I am not promoting them for the company, these are my thoughts and experiences.** - The photos throughout the post are from Spirit City: Lo-Fi Sessions -

What market are these types of games aimed at?

They are aimed at those work from home (contract, hybrid, remote)

Creatives who find it hard to focus on their creative endeavors (writing, drawing, making music, digital art, crafts, you name it)

Neurodivergent Individuals (ADHD, Autism, etc.)

Individuals who struggle to keep organized (in any sense of the word)

Cozy Gamers and people who love relaxation and background noise while they game or complete other tasks

These are just a few types of people that these applications are marketed towards.

What can you do in these applications?

The need for this market comes from the cozy aspect of the actual application. We will use Spirit City: Lofi Sessions, as this is one of my favorites from this application niche.

Typically you can do the following;

Create a character (detailed character creation)

Interactive pets (some of the applications have interactive pets that you can pet or just have sit along side your character, depending on the application you get sometimes the pet grows with time an example of where this is, is inside the application Gogh)

LoFi Music, slow and relaxing study beats, coffee shop music/ Jazz music type vibes (dependent on the application there will be different types of calming music that it has that is ALL original. For the most part you will find LoFi music only, but some applications have the ability to have various background noises like "white noise," "brown noise," "fireplace crackling," "computer typing," etc.)

Interior Design/Room Customization (this is one thing this niche of "games" (applications) does really well is room and interior design. Due to the fact that the intention is you leave the application up while you work or do whatever it is you're doing, It needs to look visually pleasing so you keep coming back.)

Journals (all of the applications, typically have a journaling section where you can keep a journal inside of the application, typically your entries are saved to a folder on your computer and the journal writing never goes into the cloud in most of these types of applications)

To-Do Lists (all of the applications, have a to-do list section to help organize your thoughts throughout the day or to complete tasks in a timely manner)

Timer (all of the applications, have a timer, this is so you can stay productive and are able to work efficiently with the help of this application.)

As you can see, productivity and customization are at the root of what these types of applications are. They are here to enhance your workflow while also being super cozy.

How are they considered cozy? And why would cozy gamers like them?

Cozy gamers would love this for the background music and the customization options, and photo/pose options for their characters. They are considered cozy due to the application's chill nature with the type of music, all the freedom you have without an end goal, and if you want, just a really nice journaling application/diary. This could work perfectly as well. Since every single application has its own journaling section, this is what these applications were hoping: that not only was the music selection calm and inviting, but that you would be productive or create while using the program. The journaling portion helps with this, and you can write about anything. Some of the applications even have randomized journaling prompts.

Cozy gamers gravitate towards these due to the cute, visually appealing nature of the applications. Though I will say some people use them more than others depending on your lifestyle and how you enjoy your time. Sometimes this is just a nice break from the usual games and things you're doing. The creativity in the customization of the applications are amazing! You could spend hours just creating different characters.

Can these applications help me to be more productive?

Absolutely, each application will always have the following;

To-Do List

Journal

Habit Tracker

Timer

Chill (typically LoFi music)

These are all here to keep you on track with your productivity and organization. The other great thing about these applications is that they don't cost a whole lot to get and own. I easily have 508 hrs on Spirit City: Lofi Sessions.

As a creative artist and writer, I tend to focus better with nice music in the background and "brown noise." My ADHD spaztic brain isn't so crazy when I have one or the other or both playing in the background. I use the To-Do list quite often so I can keep track of what I'm doing next. I use the timer religiously! Talk about organized, I wasn't organized at all before having one of these applications. That's why I'm saying these are literally a game changer for the market these niche applications are appealing to.

Steam Summer Sale - July 10th:

Below are some of these applications you can get through the 2025 Steam Summer Sale that are still on sale. As we approach the ending date for the Summer Sale, we find that more and more games tend to be taken off being "on sale." You can get them when there isn't a sale, but why pay for them full price when you can get them for 30-70% off?

Chill Pulse - $3.69 USD during the sale / not on sale $4.99 USD

Gogh - $9.59 USD during the sale / not on sale $11.99 USD

Spirit City: Lo-fi Sessions - $8.03 USD during the sale / not on sale $11.99

As you can see, the going rate for these is easily affordable at $11.99 a piece. This is a lot better than the price of a full video game.

Conclusion:

If you're looking for something cozy, helps you to stay focused, and something visually appealing to enjoy while doing whatever it is you do these applications are perfect.

I highly recommend these for any creatives and my hybrid/remote people. Primarily because there are so many things within the application that helps you to stay organized throughout your work day in a fun way, it also provides you with a little bit of "fluff" to make things more enjoyable.

[cosmicquestz]

Gogh - Cozy Productivity Application Review

I love a good, cozy productivity application. It's a very small niche, and I hope there are more to come. However, for the time being, when you search on Steam (at least), there is a good handful. I'm all for the cozy productivity applications with Lo-fi music and the idle games that continue while you're busy. It gives enjoyment to your work if you work from home, whether hybrid or remote. I love idlers and productivity applications as well for my evenings to just relax and not have to do a whole lot. It gives you a distraction-free space to zone out and do whatever it is you need to accomplish, create, etc.

As someone who is hybrid and works in the office 2 days a week, I truly look forward to my work-from-home days. I have so many idle games and utility apps that every day feels like a new day; it doesn't feel super monotonous. Thank goodness! Thanks to the Steam sale, I splurged on another cozy productivity application whose opponent in this niche is "Spirit City - Lofi Sessions." I took the liberty of purchasing Gogh. I bought it to review, so you don't have to! (What can I say except, you're welcome!)

This is my review of the Gogh application If you like anime, if you enjoy LoFi music, if you struggle to stay organized like me, then continue onward!

What is Gogh?

A cozy productivity application/utility

A fun customization tool for character creation & interior design

A way to focus on creative endeavors and work (if you work from home)

Who can benefit from using Gogh?

Those of you who work from home (hybrid, full remote, contract)

Creatives who need to Focus (writers, artists, etc.)

Neurodivergent Individuals (ADHD, Autism, etc.)

Cozy Gamers

My Spacer Outers (those who don't like to do a whole lot but like something pretty or nice to stare at as they do nothing)

I'm a huge fan of applications like these. What does this one offer that others in its niche do not?

To the "T" and very in depth room and avatar customization

A Pet that actually grows as you play the game very much like a virtual pet simulation that was added in to add interest

A larager array of LoFi music, I didn't realize that the CDs kept going, you kept scrolling and there was more. The options felt never-ending.

Camera/video - you can take video and photos of your avatar.

Are there Steam Achievements?

Yes, and thank goodness there were, if it weren't for Steam Achievements, due to my naturally crazy ADHD brain, I wouldn't be able to stick with a game long enough and would be bouncing around to different applications and games consistently. When you have a large array of games in your library, it's hard not to. So, achievements help me to focus on where I am at with that game at that time or in this case, with the application.

My Pros:

Extensive customization for rooms - those of you who love interior design like I do, I know will fall in love with the many options for room decor in this application.

The normal productivity tools within - As usual there is your timer and to-do lists which are always helpful!

A long and extensive list of songs to play! - I was shocked at just how many background noises and songs there were for an immersive experience. You can also edit the record player CDs and customize those which I thought was a cute little addition.

Pets - It's practically a virtual pet simulator inside of the productivity application which is a great addition in my opinion. Plus the pet grows as you continue using the application.

The extensive list of poses!!!!! - This almost overwhelmed me, there are so many poses to choose from at any given point and you can place certain poses down to the most smallest details. For example, if you use the timer you can choose a "stand pose" and a "sitting pose" and it will do both at some point while the timer is going. The poses are hyper realistic which is impressive to me.

Camera - There is freedom of moving the camera in a 360, there is a video option where you can take real time video almost like machinima and also the ability to take real time photos any time while using the application. This is nice for those who aren't really there for the productivity because there are other things you can do outside of a to-do list and keeping organized.

My Cons:

Avatar Customization - There is a lot of items but not a lot in terms of clothes, unless I just wasn't finding them. I have found better clothing when customizing avatars before, but it wasn't horrible just wish there was more to work with while I customized my avatar. But honestly she looks great either way! So this isn't a huge downfall I'm just picky when it comes to customization in games.

No Journal? - This is the first productivity application where I cannot find a journal anywhere and honestly for me this is sad. As a writer I love these productivity applications to get my thoughts down somewhere before placing them into reality. I use the journal feature in most of these applications because I write while using them 95% of the time. Typically in other applications with a journal app its also themed to match the rest of the application so you feel immersed. However, with this application I had to do everything naturally with a word document on one screen and the application on the other.

The video tool is a little glitchy - When it comes to the camera movement in the video no amount of changing the graphics helped it, I experienced this both on Mac and PC.

Conclusion:

For me, there were a lot more pros than cons when looking holistically at this application. There are some things I wish were there, and then other things that would be found, and I could easily overlook the things that were missing. The only thing that was a huge letdown for me as a writer was a journal. This may not affect everyone and your decision to buy, but I do hope that in the future, maybe in an update, one might be added.

Otherwise, I truly love how much customization there is in this cozy productivity application. I feel they tried to incoporate a lot for many types of people, the productivity for those who need it, the interior design for those who love decorating spaces, the avatar creator for those who love creating various versions of themselves or others, etc. There is a lot to do here and honestly sometimes you can get lost in it.

I love the anime vibes and how you can legitimately interact with almost everything. I enjoy the long array of songs too, as there is a nice mix of different chill beats and not just Lo-fi, which is nice to see. I love Lo-fi, but sometimes that's just not what I'm in the mood for at that given time. I'd give this a 4 out of 5 stars!

[cosmicquestz]

【FenDuDu-DT】Sleep Sheep

——衣服参考网络图片

——Clothes reference network image

——里面包含了衣服，鞋子，头发，枕头，眼罩，能量条，羊

——It contains clothes, shoes, hair, pillow, eye mask,energy, sheep

——14色

——14 colors

◆ if you use my cc to take photos please tag   fendudusims

◆ 如果有使用我的cc拍照，欢迎标注 棼嘟嘟 ~~~~

◆ please do not re-upload, sale, edit, recolor without ask or claim as your own.

◆ 请勿重新上传、打���、贩卖、修改、未经询问擅自改色或占有此作品

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[cosmicquestz]

The Sims 4 & The Rise of Life Simulation Games in 2025

Note: These are strictly my opinions and views as per trends in the life-sim gaming market at this time. A lot of it is also backed up by facts found before I posted this. If you don't like what is said, please calmly leave and don't comment, anything rude or disrespectful. Everyone has the right to their own opinions and thoughts. I do like a little bit of healthy debate, though, so if you would like to debate respectfully, please feel free to message. With this disclaimer out of the way, please continue reading if you wish. I know this post may make a lot of fellow Simmers mad, and that is why there is a disclaimer.

The debate of the century, pressure is raining down on EA as indie creators are starting to shelf out more Life Simulator games. EA is well known for "The Sims" franchise and has greatly monetized every version. They created the longest living, coziest game. The greatest vision, imagine a sandbox game where you can literally play with life.

Within the past year, EA has started to see some much-needed competition. In the past, there weren't too many games like this, if any. However, now we are starting to see games such as InZoi and Paralives (coming out soon) that truly push the boundaries in driving innovation in this field. I'm not sure if other Sims 4 players feel the same way, but lately I have noticed that I feel a lot of the new packs and the franchise itself is just becoming more and more of a crash grab. In an economy like ours here in America, with capitalism continuing to push our wallets to breaking point, a lot of gamers are looking for longer-term solutions and ways where they can spend the least amount of money getting games, etc.

EA continues to shell out packs and DLCs that we have begged for since the beginning, and sadly, they just aren't up to par. I had greater success and enjoyment from the DLCs in "The Sims 3" than "The Sims 4." This is not to say that "The Sims 4" is a bad game, I rather enjoy the new Sims version, I also love how they made the base game free for everyone, years later. This helped to get people who wouldn't typically play "The Sims" and get their feet wet with the game. I am quite excited for some of the newer DLCs, however, and I'm praying that they bring good content to the game and to my own gameplay.

InZoi is new to the Life Simulator category of games. The game is made by an indie company from South Korea. I got the game on release, as this is something I've been waiting for for a long time. Realism is what drew me to this, creativity, and how you can edit every piece of the world is astounding. We don't have many games that let you create and edit every aspect of an entire open world. What is making InZoi quite the threat to EA is that since its release, its player base has grown exponentially, but with so many bugs on release, it deterred some people away from purchasing or continuing to stick around and go back to "The Sims." InZoi has been quickly updating, patching, and fixing bugs, and I can safely say that with just a little more work, this could potentially even become better than our favorite franchise. I love that there is a full gameplay option, an interior design mode, and an avatar creation mode. This is great for those who may love to make avatars and decorate homes but don't like the actual gameplay, aka me - I'm one of those people. If "The Sims" had done this, it would've been great, but now there is a game that does. This sets InZoi apart, not only that, but the realism of the world and avatars, as stated before, is extremely appealing, especially now that computers are built to run more intense graphics for more gameplay realism. InZoi still has some work to do in terms of gameplay interaction with character conversations and how they react, but this is easy to fix and, if done right, will be great. There are no rabbit holes - you can watch your Zoi go to work or go to the gym. I've also noticed that the developers of this game are very responsive to their player base and responding to feedback promptly and applying a lot of user suggestions. This shows me just how much the developers care about this game.

You know when EA is nervous when they release a whole survey for simmers. A lot of the questions asked those who play or played InZoi and "The Sims" specific questions about InZoi in particular. For years, people would send feedback to EA on "The Sims," and more and more recently, we get a lot less of what we ask for. This is both frustrating and disappointing for a user base. However, we continue to play it because it's the best on the market at this current moment. Updates for "The Sims 4" has also slowed down tremendously especially now in 2025. I used to see updates quite often to the base game then this year hit and I'm not seeing too much.

InZoi is offering a lot of what is found in the different DLCs for "The Sims" for free in their updates, and this is quite appealing. A lot of gamers especially cozy and casual gamers have recently been looking for games that you can buy once and that's it maybe one or two DLCs release and you consider getting them but a lot of us think back to our childhood where you would buy lets say "Animal Crossing," it's one game for $40 and everything is included with consistent updates. This is how games should be, but due to the greed of capitalist America, we see less and less of this and more of how we can monetize more from the same product. I LOVE that InZoi is rolling out pets and so much more for free with their updates. This is what I enjoy about indie games: getting back to the basics.

Now, in no way am I trying to bash "The Sims" as a franchise or EA specifically for their controversial decisions on how they monetize the game; that was not the full intention of this post. However, I do feel that indie companies are beginning to see that there is a need for more games like "The Sims" in this category, and they're starting to be made. Hardcore simmers are like Apple fans; you're never going to be able to fully convince them that there are better Life Simulators out there. But, at the end of the day, we will see new innovative games that challenge EA and "The Sims" franchise.

In Conclusion, I am a Simmer. I've played "The Sims" since the very first one to ever be released. But I'm also excited for something new, for other games that have a similar vibe. "The Sims" will always be fun for me, and it will always be a game I love, but at the end of the day, sometimes some change is good change. I love "The Sims" community, always have I love watching the play throughs on YouTubes and different Sims content creators, it is such a creative and fun community. I look forward to seeing the changes with "The Sims" franchise and with other indie game developers such as the developers of InZoi and see what they come up with as time moves on.

Thank you for reading. I will get off my soapbox now! Until next post.

[cosmicquestz]

Summer Steam Sale Cozy Game Recommendations 2025

Everyone knows I love my collection of cozy games and I'm always on the lookout for new ones. I don't know about the rest of you, but life outside of a video game is super stressful. I don't want to be stressed outside of work too, I want something simple, fun, entertaining, and calm. That is why I love cozy games, they are literally games you can pick up and put down and pick up right where you left out. You don't need to always be available to play them. Though sometimes we wish we could be. Below are some of my cozy game recommendations for this years Summer Steam Sale. Each recommendation will have the name of the game, price, and small description of each.

** Note: a lot of games recommended are I own, at this point I don't think there is a cozy game I don't own or have for free due to beta & alpha testing games quite often, this is unbiased and just ones I know of from experience or have come across. **

To see the list, continue below;

Desk Paws - $5.39 USD - A mix between a creature collector, Tamagotchi, and desktop pet - if you remember the PETZ series on CD ROM this is a crossbreed between that, a Tamagotchi and Pokémon.

Galactic Getaway (Early Access) - $12.74 USD - Think animal crossing meets Pokémon. The cool feature I love about this game is at the city center called (HQ) you can chat with other players in real time. I think this is an amazing feature to have since things are going the multiplayer route nowadays.

Kind Words 2 - $9.99 USD - First, skip Kind Words 1 as there is more included on Kind Words 2. It is currently $10 off on sale. I like to word this one as pen pals you never get to actually meet. It's a vibrant and positive community of people sharing recommendations, struggles, positivity, etc. I LOVE this game and highly recommend it, plus it has nice Lo-Fi music and a journal.

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - $8.03 USD - Here is to the utility application you didn't think you needed but do. From organizing your habits and To-Do tasks, to journaling, to a nice selection of Lo-Fi music for the background and gaming in other games. This gives you a nice cozy vibe while you game or do other hobbies as it chills on your screen, you can create your character, collect pets, etc. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE (I have currently 508.8 hrs accumulated and still counting, this is one of my favorites on this list.)

Grimoire Groves - $15.99 USD - This is for my cute witchy gaming crowd. I'm not quite sure how to explain this one so I'll try to do my best. Plants that run, you water them they go in the ground, they drop crafting resources, you use those crafting resources to build up better tool etc to continue doing the same thing. This is definitely story based like an RPG, but cozy and very much like a cute dungeon crawler.

Gourdlets - $3.74 USD - Simple but super cozy, there is really no goal. Create a city with cute little characters and watch them live in it. You can also name the characters in your city and the sky is the limit with decorating.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure - $29.99 USD - This is a newer game that came out January of this year so I'm shocked its on sale. I love Sanrio so might be a little biased with this one but I really enjoy it. It reminds me of a mix of Fantasy Life I and the old 3DS version of Fantasy Life. its an RPG and simulator where you solve puzzles of an island you landed on you craft various items to help you on your adventure. I'm still playing it and after 500 hrs I feel there's still more to do, you won't be bored but it is kind of grindy at certain points.

Disney Dreamlight Valley - Basic Version: $27.99/Enchanted Edition: $55.99 - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this game, there are so many groups dedicated to this game. If you love Disney, games similar to animal crossing or even like a virtual world I feel like this game gives you all those vibes, the DLCs are great. However, if you get a DLC I highly recommend Storybook Vale it is their better one and the newly released. You don't have to give into the micro transactions but they are there I just want to give the heads up. There is so much content that you could play it for a long time before getting game burnout. There are quests, a great storyline, a fashion part where you can create your own clothes, cooking, crafting, decorating your world. Literally it has everything and has to be one of my most favorite and most played cozy games to date.

Critter Cafe - $6.79 USD - Run your own cafe, decorate the inside cook meals and serve them to guests, collect pets that are with you inside the cafe also take care of those pets as well. This is a time management and cafe simulator, making the meals and coffee are like mini games inside of the actual game. For the price I recommend.

Little Known Galaxy - $13.99 USD - Cozy single player space RPG. Exploring, crafting, farming in space and meet and talk with a wide range of characters. There is a lot to do in this one 200 hrs in and I haven't completed the game yet.

inZOI (Early Access) - $35.99 USD - The Sims 4's competition, everything is super realistic. Has the same guiding principles as The Sims 4 with some minor differences. The sky is the limit with character creation and home creation, you can edit and change everything in the game, even things outside in the city are editable like billboards. There is AI in the game but you don't have to play with it, it's only used to create textures. There is a regular gameplay option, avatar creator only, and room/house creator only. So you don't have to play the actual game you can just create.

Little Sim World (Early Access) - $19.99 USD - This one is definitely early access there are some minor bugs on PC but somewhat troublesome ones for IMac. This works decently on a PC handheld like a Steam Deck after the last patch. Its a Sims 4 meets RPG with quests. Balance your needs, takes place in London UK, do quests and tasks for characters, decorate your home and character and live out a virtual life with your character.

Minami Lane - $3.49 USD - Cozy management simulation, unlock and customize buildings, manage shops, keep villagers happy, and complete quests given by those villagers.

Unpacking - $9.99 USD - $10 off and is a very popular cozy game. The idea is unpacking boxes as if you just moved and organizing everything throughout rooms inside of a house.

Monster Prom/ Monster Prom Road trip - Monster Prom - $2.99 USD/Monster Prom Road Trip $4.79 USD -This is a visual novel choose your own path type of game and I feel its super cozy because I can curl up on a couch with a coffee and play this over and over for different results, both games are amazing and worth the sale price right now.

Little Friends: Puppy Island - $3.99 USD - It's giving Nintendogs for the PC. If you are looking for some nostalgic vibes of owning a virtual pet or in this case virtual dog you will love this. Right now it's the closest to getting to Nintendogs. Definitely super cozy!

Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim - $3.99 USD - This is a dating sim of a dinosaur dating other creatures while visiting popular destinations from around the world. I love this because its a visual novel and dating simulator, I constitute this as cozy. It's a simplistic storyline.

Grow: Song of the Evertree - $7.49 USD - Grow your own worlds and nurture a deep natural connection with everything they hold. See your actions change the world for better! Bring the Evertree back to life in this breathtaking world-crafting sandbox, with life management and adventure elements.

Wobbledogs - $6.79 USD - It looks like the craziest game you will ever play but its actually quite fun. A 3D pet simulation where you raise your own personal hive of mutating dogs, physically simulated all the way down to their guts! Wobbledogs is a casual and chill sandbox for players of all ages who want to care for their very own virtual pets in a surprising, unique, and stress-free environment.

Calico - $4.79 USD - Calico is a day-in-the-life community sim game where you are given an important and adorable task: rebuild the town’s cat café and fill it with cute and cuddly creatures! Build up your café by filling it with cute furniture, fun decorations, yummy pastries, and get it bustling with animals again!

There are of course so many more, but then the list would be so long and no one would read this post. I have provided a mixture of RPGs, Simulators, Virtual Pets, and more. I hope you enjoy! and Happy Shopping! I hope this list has helped you to find your next favorite cozy game in the making.

[cosmicquestz]

Cozy Game Review - Desk Paws

For those who don't know, I ALWAYS participate in the Steam Summer and sometimes the Steam Winter Sale. The games are highly discounted and with the price of games nowadays us gamers need all the help we can get and all the discounts we can find to pay for our expensive hobby (you know gaming is expensive).

** Note: I am not advertising the game and bought this game with my own money and reviewed it based on my opinions and experience with the game thus far. **

To begin, this is the game I never knew I needed, but it filled a strange hole in my gaming world. Since I'm newer to blogging, I specifically enjoy blogging through a list format as it is cleaner and easier to read, and helps me construct the main points I want to explain without flying off the handle. I tend to write like I speak, which is hyper verbally and excessively, thank you, ADHD. With that said, let's jump in.

Review/Thoughts:

Keeps me busy for hours

Cute little desktop pets that steal my attention during work and writing.

Feels like there is always something to do even though it is something so basic.

A great beginning tutorial that helped me learn the mechanics of what to do.

Essentially this is a desktop pet idler game

I LOVE that you can name each individual pet, I also LOVE that there are goals you need to work towards, like upgrading your house to fit all your pets.

There are basic mini games that get harder the more times you play them.

The reward system is great!

Works great on both PC and IMac, I use it on my Mac during working hours as I have a Mac desktop upstairs, and then use this on my PC during gaming and writing sessions outside of working hours. - No lag and very fluid on both platforms.

Enjoyable if you want something to chill out with that is super fun and easy. Great with some Lo-fi music in the background.

There is a Gacha system to collect more pets and blueprints for your home.

I haven't even scratched the surface of this game yet supposedly there is more that I haven't even discovered yet and I thought I was pretty far into it. I have completed 22/92 Steam achievements thus far.

Oh! that's important Steam achievements, there are many to obtain and it also kind of shows you your progress in the game to and what you have done and haven't done. 22/92 I think is pretty good seeing I haven't had this game that long.

Quick Game Basics/Tutorial From my Experience:

Different Parts of the Game:

The little food and bubbles that you see are to feed the many pets you collect throughout the game.

You can earn Steam achievements pretty quickly if you know what your working towards. I feel like I'm on a Steam achievement kick with this game specifically.

You hover over rocks, wood, and other crafting materials which will be located all over your desktop, by hovering over them it will send them to the correct spot and off your desktop.

Honestly, this game fuels my OCD and ADHD tendencies. I love it so much because I always want a clean desktop so it keeps me here for hours as I try to keep the desktop clean, just know it will never fully be clean with this game.

It is a desktop creature collector meaning it shows everything you're doing while its open.

The little bar above the house in one of the photos I shared is the main hub, this is where you can access the shop, your blueprints, and different modes so that it can still be open and idley earn you rewards and more items while you're doing whatever it is you're doing.

Above are some of the basics but I want to get into other parts of this game as well.

Modes:

Let's say you have this game open while you're working, there are different modes you can use to essentially keep the game on idle but still have the ability to earn rewards while it is. I will list the different modes below.

Pomodoro Mode: Hides everything for 25 mins. Automatically restores after the countdown finishes and the icon will turn into a little tomato with a countdown. There is no reduction in rewards and you get a bonus "Tomato" as well.

Light Mode: Mutes the game, blocks pop-ups, manual reward collection and no loss in rewards.

Standard Mode: Includes light DND features, also hides the room with no loss in rewards accumulated.

Full Mode: Completely hides the entire game, remains a small button, a password can be set in settings and there is no loss in rewards.

You can access these modes by clicking the bell icon on the far right of your main hub. Also, don't be like me I accidentally clicked the tomato too soon and it got rid of everything I earned prior. Granted I was still learning the game. I say this so that if you do end up getting this game you don't make the same mistake.

Blueprints:

Remember how I stated everything is like a Gacha with this game? Everything you get is by chance including room designs, some of the room designs I own are listed above. You use a Gacha coin that you can get from the shop you have about 5 you can buy when first starting out with your coins. You will then place it in the little gumball machine to get these Blueprints.

The blueprints are used to create rooms in your house before a room is made it will look like this

When there is nothing in it and no actual blueprint placed it will show as a rock bottom and white wall. You need a blueprint active in the space to have your pets in otherwise they will fall from a parachute from that room on your house exhibit A -

The Shop:

I'm not going to show you everything you can get, but these are just some of the things you can get from the shop, see what I mean from the Gacha token? That is used for the blueprints. I will explain the other things you see here;

Unlock a new room - you see how I have 5 rooms with pets in them that is by unlocking the rooms. It looks like the max you can have are 9 since I have 3 remaining.

Gold Discount Token/ Gold Token - This is a Gacha to get a new creature to add to your collection. Remember this is a Tamagotchi, meets desktop pet, meets creature collector game. You get if I remember correctly 6 times you can buy a Gold Discount Token.

(Blue) Pet Token - It's another type of creature token but you don't get a wide variety of pets to try and get and it's easier. The Gold Token is timed where as the Blue one is not.

Lunafi Adventure Token - This is a basic mini game and it is kind of addicting not going to lie. You can collect coin as well as materials to craft your blueprints with for your home. It is super simple, jump and collect the materials and coin and avoid the bombs. You hit a bomb you lose a life. You have three lives.

The Bar/Main Hub (is what I call it):

This is the peas and carrots of this game! Everything you need will be found here. You see there is a seahorse with some chests, this is a pet of mine that I sent out to gather rewards, dependent on the pet you place the bar will change to fit the theme of that pet. An example of the change from seahorse to another pet can be seen below.

Quick Look at the Basic Icons:

Folder: Holds the shop, desktop logs, pet dex similar to a pokedex with Pokémon, it shows which pets you have collected and which ones your missing, there is also a breeding dex which shows the different types of pets made by two pets together creating hybrids.

If you click the book it will show the following above the toolbar after clicking the folder icon and it shows the three icons.

Backpack: Holds the pets you have, any blueprints you have, outfits for the woman in the bottom half of the house, houses so you can get different designs for your house other than the most basic, and different background noise you can listen to while playing.

When you click the backpack icon you will get options like those above to click through.

Bell: The bell are your modes for focusing, etc.

the bell has your modes as previously discussed.

Also, I wanted to make sure you are able to see what the items look like on your screen before picking them up by hovering over them with your mouse curser, please see below.

These is so much to explore and do, right now I have played this game for 2 days and have 19.3 hrs in it as you can see I play it rather often or have it open often. It is very addicting considering and is super cozy if you need a small time waster throughout the day. I know for me I play it while at work, because it is a quick pick up and put down plus I like to make sure I get rewards as it is very much an idle creature collector type of game, that can be played without even interacting. Though I honestly love interacting and the best part is you have that option!

Final Thoughts:

Honestly, this game never crossed my mind, but it came up underneath my recommended game section, and due to the Steam Summer Sale, it was under $10. I feel for the price, you definitely get your money's worth for what it is. Currently, it is on sale for $5.39.

This game automatically gave me natural nostalgic vibes. Remember in the late 1990's early 2000s, virtual pets were super popular. Games like the CD-ROMs for DOGZ, CATZ, ODDBALLZ, and PETZ, if you know you know - I'm showing my age now. It reminds me of these games with a life sim, creature collector, Tamagotchi vibe. I feel that if you really enjoy the virtual pet space and enjoyed the CD-ROM games I listed, and need a little daily dose of nostalgia, then this is the perfect game for you to get your hands on. For the price, I wouldn't pass it up. I spent almost all day on it!

Happy Gaming!

[cosmicquestz]

Since we are here for everything cozy and those positive vibes. I wanted to share my favorite gaming and work background music channel on YouTube. I don't know about all of you, but I am definitely the Lo-Fi type during my gaming sessions or very chill, slow pop vibes from Spotify. At one point in my life, I also used to be a 6th-8th grade teacher and used this in my classroom all the time. I always had a coffee shop vibe classroom. I've brought that same practice into my everyday life with work and gaming as well. If you haven't heard of ChillHop, now you have, and I 100% recommend them. They have music on Spotify as well, with full playlists of their original music. The more you know!