Appreciation post: low stress games don't need to be easy, and I'm tired of pretending they do

Daniel Martinez · 2026-09-29T00:15:07.312935+00:00

I keep seeing people say a game can't be cozy if it has any challenge at all, and I just don't buy it. Last week I put 7 hours into Spiritfarer and some of those platforming bits actually took me a few tries, but that didn't make the game stressful for me, it made the quiet moments hit harder. The thing people get wrong is mixing up difficulty with pressure. A timer or a punishing death loop is pressure. Having to figure out where to plant my crops in Stardew before winter hits is just... planning, and I find that relaxing. My wife watches me play and says the fishing minigame in Stardew is the most stressed she's ever seen me, but honestly I like it because it's the one part where I have to pay attention instead of just mindlessly watering things. I get that everyone winds down different ways, but telling new folks that cozy means zero friction feels like it's setting them up to bounce off the genre entirely. Am I the only one who thinks a little bit of pushback is part of the comfort?

The Community Guide

Loading…

Appreciation post: low stress games don't need to be easy, and I'm tired of pretending they do | Cozy Game Corners - The Community Guide