With gaming often bringing me into a really depressive headspace sometimes with how the markets are developing, whats a game you can always go to and just be lost in, or just be happy with?
Personally i would go for advance wars 1 and 2 on the gba (there is no remake and never will be)
the artstyle, the music, the game-play is just simple, yet effective, a sublime experience of very fun times.
Whats yours?
I haven’t seen anyone mentioning this gem:
Vampire Survivors
Try not to have an overly rosy retrospection about this. There were plenty of crappy, cash-grabby games in decades past. We just don’t remember them because they were crappy, cash-grabby, and not worth remembering. They hadn’t invented microtransactions yet, but that’s just one more flavor of crappiness.
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For all the hate it gets, Inquisition was this for me as well, when I wanted a relatively simple primary plot where the problem of evil could be solved by hitting it with a sword. The musical interlude “The Dawn Will Come” that happens after the player’s party suffers their first big setback has stuck with me as well.
Stardew Valley is amazing for this. Minecraft was it for years and years, but Stardew is just like a nice hug. I adore it.
Hogwarts Legacy has also fallen into this category for me now.
I have a few, Skyrim is my biggest one. I basically maladaptive daydream Skyrim. If I’m feeling bad I play through it in my head. Some others are No Mans Sky, Vampire Survivors, and generally pixel games are always really comforting to me. I also like to go back and play dragon fable sometimes when I need some nostalgia.
Euro Truck Simulator/American Truck Simulator
It quickly just becomes a virtual road trip simulator, and as someone who generally enjoys driving and road trips its very chill
No Man’s Sky is a good mix of nice scenery, low stress, and engaging without requiring a lot of mental capacity that can be comforting.
super Mario galaxy for sure
When I was very young I had something wrong with my nose and I couldn’t breathe so I had to get surgery
When I left the hospital my parents said I could get a game to play while I couldn’t go to school for a week and I chose super Mario galaxy
I played the shit out of that game and it just has such a calming positive vibe, like everything is gonna be ok
That game is a part of me, I love it so much
… that or left 4 dead 2
Oh yes! SMG was the game we bought the day we bought our Wii back then and it is a masterpiece. It is also the only Mario Game I ever “finished” (all Stars with Mario, not Luigi tough). We loved everything in this game. The Music, Level Design, Controls… and whenever we thought that we have seen all, they came up with a new game mechanic that surprised us and was super fun. It was truly a fantastic and memorable experience.
Oddly enough I go through phases where I just level up a character on WoW. It’s mindless for me and I can just zone out and watch TV while playing.
MH Rise (Lance for tank mode) - fighting Melvor - idling Disney Dreamlight Valley - collecting Hardspace Shipbreaker - dismantling
Star Wars: Racer - I know every track by heart at this point, have it on my Switch and still play quite a bit. Amazing flow state game.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - absolute classic and the nostalgia I get from playing is unmatched
Age of Empires 2 - the music is just muah
KotoR - Best Star Wars game ever made next to Dark Forces 2 and Jedi Outcast
Morrowind and Mario Maker 2.
lately: against the storm. making a city builder into a roguelite was genius.
I always find myself coming back to Monster Hunter every time I wanna chill and relax.
I can always go for a game of Age of Empires 2. That game takes me back to my childhood.
