Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe!! The holidays are a time when most of us make the annual trek to see our families filling our days with joy and good cheer. But, the ongoing pandemic has made it difficult for us to connect with family and friends, so many of us are choosing to stay at home and that can really take a toll on your mental health. So it’s important to keep your spirits up and do things that make you feel good during the holiday season.
What better way to do that than by relaxing with some nice feel good games. So, whether you’re with family and need a break from the holiday hustle and bustle or you’re staying home till everything blows over, here are 5 uplifting games to get you through the holidays!
Our Life Beginnings and Always
Windows, Mac, & Linux | Steam
I love this game and I will use every opportunity to sing the praises of this game, because it is THAT GOOD!! Our Life: Beginnings and Alwaysis a nostalgia fueled slice-of-life visual novel developed by indie game studio GB Patch Games. In the game you take on the role of Jamie Last (name changeable) and experience the ups and downs of growing up in the small seaside town of Sunset Bird. Most visual novels focus on a very specific period of time, Our Life spans years, follow your player character through a series of summers spanning 15 years—foster a lifelong friendship with your next door neighbor Cove Holden, and explore the complex relationships with your friends and family as you transition from adolescence to young adulthood and beyond. Craft your own one of a kind experience by designing your own player character—decide their name, appearance, gender, personality, interests, relationships, and more. Your choices determine the course of the story and your relationship with those around you, but unlike most games, there are no “right” or “wrong” choices, so you can play at your leisure without consequence!!
For a full game review give, Our Life Beginnings and Always Review – A One of a Kind Life a read!
Calico
Windows, Mac, & Linux | Steam | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One
I recently discovered this game and I AM IN LOVE! Who doesn’t love a game that combines cute magical girls and even cuter cats?! Calico is a super cute and cozy cat-cafe simulator developed by the female run indie studio, Peachy Keen Games. The game is a day-in-the-life community sim game where you are given the task of rebuilding the town’s cat café by filling it with cute and cuddly creatures! Build up your café by filling it with cute furniture, fun decorations, and yummy pastries, to help encourage the shop’s cute patrons to stop by for a visit. This is a fun, laid back game with no limitations—create your own magical person to experience the world through and loose yourself in all the cute feel good vibes!
Coffee Talk
Windows, Mac, & Linux | Steam | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One | Playstation 4
A warm cup of coffee and chill vibes are what’s in store in this next pick! Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator developed by Toge Productions. In the game you take on the role of a barista in an alternate fantasy version of Seattle—a place where elves, orcs, mermaids, and more are regular patrons at your coffee shop. Listen to their problems and serve up delicious drinks to soothe their woes as you navigate this super relaxing gaming experience. There was a lot of great buzz surrounding this game when it was first released at the beginning of the year and given the state of the world right now, I think we could all do with something warm and wholesome!
A Short Hike
Windows, Mac, & Linux | Steam | Nintendo Switch
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, sometimes you just need a bit of time to yourself and what better way to re-center yourself than with a nice long walk. But, if the winter weather is keeping you from venturing outside, Adam Robinson-Yu’s 3D adventure platformer, A Short Hike gives players a chance to explore the wonders of nature from the comfort home. Explore a vibrant and immersive island teeming with life—soar through the skies, hike rugged mountain trails, and even fish in a nearby lake! There are no goals or objectives, just take things at your own pace and enjoy the soothing ambiance of the game. If you’d like a bit of companionship, you can interact with other hikers and assist them with tasks and quests.
Cute Demon Crashers!
Windows, Mac, & Linux
Sex is a touch subject for most, but this next pick destigmatizes the act by giving players the chance to explore their sexual fantasies in a safe and judgement free space. Cute Demon Crashers is a sex positive 18+ visual novel developed by Sugar Script for the one month game jam, NaNoRenO 2015. In the game you take on the role of Claire, a young woman finds her life turned upside down when a group of incubi and one succubus crash land in her apartment. Each demon offers to help Claire relieve a bit of “stress” and while sex is at the center of the romantic relationships in the game, Cute Demon Crashers gives players the chance to determine how far they are willing to go with their chosen demon lover. Consent is a constant part of the game and you can chose to give or rescind your consent at any time, without consequence.
This is an 18+ game, so there is nudity, however there is a nifty censorship feature that you can turn off and on at your leisure!
For a full game review, give A Sex Positive Fling with a Demon – Cute Demon Crashers Review a read!!
So if you’re looking for something uplifting to dive into this holiday season look no further than these super chill, guilt free games! As always, these are just a handful of all the feel good games out there so definitely share some of your favorites down in the comments section! I would love to hear from you dear reader!
Of these, the only one I’ve played is Coffee Talk. That was really fun. It’s a nice overall story.