

Playing Cozy Grove became part of my daily routine, and honestly, the cast of characters are so endearing that it felt like a treat to see them each morning. It means that it’ll take a while to see each of the island’s inhabitant’s tales through to their conclusion, which is something that may or may not appeal to gamers. Sure, you could explore the island, gather resources, or do a bit of crafting, but with the quests changing up on a daily basis (and progression tied to them), you’re better off waiting and seeing what’s expected of you the next day. Cozy Grove will give you tasks to do each day, but when they’re done there’s not much to keep you hanging around for an extended session. Whilst the incentive to progress is certainly there though, you should expect to be in for the long haul. It’s a really rewarding setup that gives each of your everyday actions a genuine sense of purpose. As your relationship builds, you’ll learn more about them and their previous life, as well as bring back bursts of colour to the island. Admittedly, they’re the sort of things you’d have probably spent plenty of hours doing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons over the last year anyway, but the incentive here is driven by your ever-increasing relationship with each character. For one, each day sees you completing tasks for the inhabitants of the island, with these ranging from finding items in fetch quests to simply gathering fruit or catching fish. That makes it similar to Animal Crossing, though Cozy Grove does spice up the routine-like formula a little. This is an adventure that’ll take you a while to progress through though, with the core gameplay loop seeing players partake in daily tasks that take around twenty minutes to complete and then coming back the next day to do some more… and the next day… and so forth. This afterlife just so happens to take place within a peculiar yet pleasant island known as Cozy Grove, which is where you’ll be calling home during your adventure. Cozy Grove puts players in the role of a Spirit Scout, a special person that is able to communicate with the dead and help them find peace in the afterlife.
