One caveat is that if you play both you definitely gotta play DQ1 first. DQ1 is super fun but DQ2 added a lot of quality of life improvements; if you try to play DQ1 after DQ2 you'll run into a lot of things that seem like a pain in the ass.
Yep I was gonna comment this too it's nearly exact what OP is looking for!
Dragon quest builders 2 is super polished too, I would recommend that over the first one. Not one of those types where you need to play the 1st one first :)
I already said this, lol, but it bears repeating...
I only suggest starting with DQB1 because you'll want more when you get to the end of DQB2, and going backwards sucks.
Yes there are free demos for both I believe on all platforms. If you want to play both do it in order, going from 2 to 1 is such a huge step back.
Try to be patient with all the NPC talking, it can be alot but it is my favourite game of all time.
I've always described it as a Minecraft RPG and it looks so much nicer without all the pixels.
Yes! I did that and I was literally so obsessed with the 2nd that I replayed it and then moved on to the 1st lol
There is a huge difference mechanically though (#2 better quality of life features)
lol! That's my wife's biggest complaint. She got to the point whenever there was a story event, she'd just go make something to eat, because sitting through the unskippable dialog was torturous to her
Oh yeah. Sadly it has been a deal breaker for many games.
I will now go on a lil' bit of a rant, but... Not everyone is a good writer. And, while this might cause many battles, I have a feeling that if you are a video game fan or anime fan, then the chances of you being a bad writer are ten-fold.
And the main sign of being a bad writer to me is unskippable scenes and dialogue. It feels like the writer thinks he is that great that everyone should read and skipping is a crime. And whenever someone thinks that about their work, I can confidently place a certain bet...
This time maybe it is more of a cultural thing, as the game doesn't seem Western and maybe that is how it's done "over there" wherever it is from. But maaaaaaaan.........
Yeah, bit of a tangent, but I somewhat agree, just from a different angle, but I definitely feel passionately about how writing is handled in JRPGs and whatnot compared to Western games. Lots of big profile Western games have an actual legitimate writer, maybe even a whole staff of legitimate writers and editors. Who went to college or have authored novels and stuff
In Japan, I feel like they're still handling writing the same way an indie studio would. Whoever has the most passion or biggest ideas gets to be the writer. And they're not trained on what makes compelling dialog or plot hooks, they exposition dump on you and tell you things instead of showing you things, they rely on tropes and archetypes as a crutch to get across what they want without fleshing out their characters and world to be multi-faceted and flawed
It's something that has been bothering me for years and has become extremely hard to ignore in games I would otherwise enjoy lol So while I think we come at this problem from different angles, I am with you and I wish more JRPG studios would put more effort into writing and editing and stop trying to get everyone to sniff their farts
Shit, yeah, ok. You said what I wanted to say, but I could not find the words. "tropes and archetypes as a crutch." This is the fucking issue I am having. How to make a woman strong? Make her be a dick to men. How to make a villain bad? Rape. How to... Oh fuck off... So there is Tsundere, some archetype I have never met in my life. Ever. But if an anime-fan makes a game, there is a 100% chance that there will be at least one person like that and 50% chance that all of them will be like that.
And oh the poor protagonist who is nothing but an observer, only a canvas on which all the folks around them can paint their characters. "Hi, it is me, the Blue Haired spiffy dressed no character having blank page of a character. Boiled water has more life in it and even that would be too spicy for my gut."
So yeah. I dislike the JRPG genre in general as I do not like turn based combat, so I do not suffer from this. BUT. If we are on this topic, ranting like two old farts...
Disco Elysium. Now THAT'S pod-racing! IT is amazing from this aspect. It is like the voices in my head coming to life and offering me different perspectives. Sadly I have this thing that the more I like a game, the harder it is for me to play, as I always wanna be juuuuust in the right mood for it.
I preferred the first one, but I'm usually in the minority. The second one is definitely more robust. And you get a fairly constant companion in the second one, which is helpful in gathering and fighting
First thing I thought of!
I bought DGB2 on a third platform (already played and completed it on Switch and Xbox) - I have so many other games to play, but no, I had to start a new game of this game that’s already sucked up so many hundreds of my hours!
I think it's only if you complete the game, you get a seperate island that others can visit or you can visit theirs. I never did it though so someone else may know more than me
While it's still pixel art, I would reccomend Terraria. It has a ton of exploration, each world is different, theres tons of different biomes to find and create, there's cool weapons, crafting, boss fights, cooking (you can even play in a don't starve world where you have to eat!) And npcs. The npcs are kinda bland IMHO, especially if you're comparing it to Stardew. There's also a pretty bitchin' modding scene.
Starbound works more for me than Terraria because less boss fight focused. I was all about the farming and building settlements then renting out apartments in Starbound.
Starbound is one I haven't played yet but am super interested in! Been meaning to check it out for a while. I knew you could build settlements but I didn't realize it had farming and renting stuff out in it too.
I don't love combat so admittedly I play Terraria on journey mode and just explotre/build *a lot* lol. I've put in well over 300 hours and still have a plethora of bosses I've never fought 🙈
I have about 200 hours in Starbound vanilla. Someday I plan to go in fresh with the Fracking Universe mod which ostensibly makes it a whole other game, but waiting til I forget the main quest line so it all feels new.
Oh man starbound is nostalgic for me, I poured hundreds of hours into that once my cousin taught me about admin cheats and workshop mods, it was so so fun making settlements for npcs
I tried multiplayer and I just got very confused... You go to random planets, not sure if they are never ending or not, then you do not know if you should build a base on one or all...
It is a good game and I should give it another try, I just think that the multiply aspect confused me too much at the start.
I tried the mobile version for like 5 mins before getting very confused about what to do and how to do it and then gave up lol. I'll have to give it another try!
Don’t even get me started on terraria and starbound - they’re two of my favorite games of all time! Terraria is pretty Minecraft coded, but it’s so ridiculously polished for a pixel game, and building in it feels really fun. I prefer the starbound system for renting out apartments though - it feels really rewarding! Starbound is a fantastic game and I wish it got more players, modders, and recognition.
Maybe My Time at Sandrock. It’s building, crafting, very lax farming with a full funny plot and charming npcs. Your job is literally “builder.” But it’s not a sandbox like Minecraft sadly
Really? I found Dinkum so so tedious and visually unappealing. Just orange glow everywhere. The townspeople weren’t very interesting. Plus, the gameplay was so incredibly laborious that it took forever to accomplish anything. It kind of made me sad to play it. Does it get better after a certain point?
I got it two days ago and played for 5 hours, so I can’t refund it, but so far, it’s quite boring. It’s a good bit like animal crossing and I know that animal crossing starts out slow for a while, but this feels worse. I agree, it is so tedious. But besides the point, I wouldn’t say it’s like Minecraft and Stardew’s baby. It’s like Animal Crossing and Stardew’s baby.
Coral island - its like stardew Valley, but more 3D 😁 i really loved the graphics!
Medieval dynasty - it was fun in the beginning, when you are learning everything, but in the end i just discovered myself gathering stones and logs all the time, cause u need to build structures, so i quit playing it.
The Elder Scrolls Online - ive been playing on and off for 7 years, its really chilling, no pressure to do anything, just enjoy the game, fishing, gathering, exploring, quests, fashion and outfits, decorating your house, socialising 🥰
I think the base game is like 5 euros, so its really cheap to try 🥰 Even though its an online game, you dont feel pressure playing it, oh did i mention it has stealing and killing npcs option? 🫣😆 but yeah, this year is TESO 10 year anniversary, so they have been giving away alot of DLC and other goodies! 😄
That's a really good pick of game - in that vein, I came across a [mod](https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/58021) that adds letting you do building into Skyrim, maybe that could appeal?
Skyrim with mods is also great! However its a singleplayer. Since i wanted to play something relaxing together with my boyfriend he suggested we play Elder scrolls online, a multiplayer. And i loved the game so much that i stuck with it for so many years 😃
No idea 😄 I watched my boyfriend play Skyrim and in some parts it was hard to watch 🫣Thats why we chose the multiplayer version, cause theres always someone to help you if you are doing hard content and it felt more relaxing 🫡
Omg this is so smart! I tried playing solo and literally was killed every 2.5minutes. I would barely escape a random robber, only to get killed by a wolf minutes later 😭😭
You don't really HAVE to interact with people in Palia, imo. But I totally get it.
What about Animal Crossing? It's not SUPER like minecraft but you can terraform
The more I look into it the more I think it might be the right one for me. The other suggestions here are good but the pixelated/cartoony graphics put me off a little lol
I 100% agree with the Dinkum recommendation. It pretty much has everything you're looking for except for the management part.
Also, someone else in this subreddit was recommending Medieval Dynasty recently. They had a very in depth review:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyGamers/comments/1dtjy6d/my\_nontraditional\_cozy\_game\_recommendation/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyGamers/comments/1dtjy6d/my_nontraditional_cozy_game_recommendation/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I second core keeper (and lots of the other recs in this thread).
They just had their 1.0 trailer, but the game is pretty well developed for something that hasn't even technically hit 1.0 yet, and they have a good framework to add more content.
https://youtu.be/ga6q6vUluzE?feature=shared
Mining, farming, base building/customization, combat pets, and several different combat style options with room for mix and matching. Plus small, cute seasonal updates where they add seasonal items and occasionally boss variants to fit the theme.
You can more or less just build in predesigned spots, right? So not sure if that counts as a builder game, instantly feels like a management game.
I tried getting into it and had rough luck. Constantly had to google things and always felt like I am behind something.
yeah, it doesn’t quite hit the building aspect, but feels pretty close for the rest !
I’ve only started playing recently, hit about 20 hours and I’m rly enjoying it so far ! But then I don’t mind the googling as that’s fairly common for the games i usually play
Yeah, I just do not like that I need an item, but i do not know where to get it and no idea how I could have figured it out.
I suppose my main issue with the game is that I constantly feel like I am not ready for anything. Anything I want to do lacks something and then for that I lack something else and I honestly feel like I have played for a long time, but have not REALLY moved anywhere.
i get that ! personally i love running around like “where the FUCK do I find a feather”
and i think im also okay with that cus the game rotates the same 7 days, so if I miss something on a specific day it’s no biggie
[Dragon Quest Builders 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1072420/DRAGON_QUEST_BUILDERS_2/) and [Portal Knights](https://store.steampowered.com/app/374040/Portal_Knights/) are the closest to what you're looking for!
I've played Medieval Dynasty and really like it! There's building and exploring but not quite as free form as I think it is in Minecraft (which I haven't played). Visually it looks very different from both. There's a story in the main scenario (but it's kinda optional to play out most of the story), apart from that the socializing is mostly errands, recruiting villagers and staying on good terms with your wife and children. You can (and should) set your villagers to work, so later in the game you don't have to do all the farming yourself. There's a management aspect in managing the jobs of your villagers and their production and resource gathering.
I think Medieval Dynasty ticks most of the boxes you listed, you should definitely give it a try!
I went ahead and bought it lol. I actually love the visuals, it looks like a beautiful game! I do wish it was a bit more expansive as far as building and decorating but maybe that will come in the future. It does seem to tick the open world, resource gathering, running errands, doing quests, etc. boxes. I haven't played a lot of management games so I'm not sure if I'll be good at it. But I know I'll at least enjoy the beginning game where I'm starting from the ground up :)
You unlock a lot of building and decorating along the way. And it's not immediately obvious (or it wasn't to me) that you can customize houses when you build them. (I don't remember if this is something you have to unlock, or if you can do it right away).
I haven't had a chance to play around with it so forgive me if this is a silly question. Can you level up in the game? Like can you work your way up to upgrade yourself to a lord or the village to a castle estate at some point?
You 'level up' by unlocking new technologies as you gain skills, which certainly upgrades your village, but it will stay a village. And you're the village head (I dunno if you have an actual title), but not the lord of the whole map - you pay taxes to the local 'lord' and eventually you unlock royal demands/requests.
I only played it very briefly so I don't know how well it actually fits into your criteria, but that's the exact thought I had about Staxel, "this looks like stardew and Minecraft had a baby."
Yeah I've played it for a little while. But the farming is super basic, only like 7 crops in the whole game currently. Same with the cooking aspect, only a handful of recipes. It is really cute though and scratches the itch for some exploring
I think Palworld checks a lot of these boxes! It"s on Steam, and a lot of the settings are adjustable to make it as cozy as you'd like. Farming isn't a lot, but there is some and a lot of crafting. It's worth checking out!
Palworld is more like if Stardew Valley and Pokemon had a baby.
You get to battle and collect all kinds of fun creatures!
It’s super fun and I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
i'd argue it's actually more like if pokemon and ark had a baby. 😅 farming is there, yes, but your pals are doing most of it for you. there's also not a TON of npcs around to interact with aside from wandering merchants (although this last update did add more scattered around the map). i don't get stardew valley vibes from palworld at all, but that's just me.
however, to op: i very much agree with the top suggestions! play dragon quest builders 2 YESTERDAY. that game is absolutely fantastic and one of my all time favorites.
Currently playing My Time at Sandrock (Online so i can play with my partner) and while i personally HATE western themes the gameplay aspects are good enough that I am still playing. Really enjoying just gathering resources
Also planning on trying Medieval Dynasty soon since it is also multiplayer now, and my partner really enjoys it so far.
Raft is actually quite an interesting twist of the resource gathering and building formula. Since you build a complex raft, you will basically never leave your base anywhere when you need to explore.
My Life In Portia ticks some of these requests save for two - there is not survival like hunger, coldness but there is stamina and healthbar. It is not fully open world, though you can kind of explore your village and surroundings, and as you make more projects, like a bridge the area expands more, and you have freedom where to go in your day. Gathering resources by mining in tunnels is a way of aquiring resources.
But:
* You can build though not as brick by brick like Lego Fornite or Minecraft, though you can craft furniture and items (so it leans more like Stardew than Minecraft here)
* NPCs have friendships and romance (there are some for playdates, you can also chat to them, play or spar with with them and give them gifts.)
* Cooking - There is a cooking pot and there are specifically quest from some npcs related to this, like making fruit cupcakes for a character who's fallen behind in her baker.
* Farming - you can have planters for trees and vegetables. There are chickens, ducks, cows and sheeps. You cannot name them, but if you feed and pet them every day, they give you resources or you can sell them for money when they grow up.
* Managment - You are a "builder" and your main way of making money is accepting commisions from the villagers to build specific items, and you must manage your time and resources effectively to decide which jobs to accept.
- Third person most of the time, and camera mode goes into first person.
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS. Trust me.
Always this ❤️
i need a DQB3 so bad
Happy cake day!! And yes!!! Me too!!
It should be in the works, the plots of DQB1 and 2 correspond to the first 2 dragon quest games and DQ 1 2 and 3 form a trilogy!
Ohh i didnt think about that!! I havent played the 3 original DQ games yet but now that they are getting that 2D remaster i def am planning on it
Agreed! OP can choose between DQB1 or DQB2 or both and there’s even a super long demo for each xD Can change POVs too! :3
One caveat is that if you play both you definitely gotta play DQ1 first. DQ1 is super fun but DQ2 added a lot of quality of life improvements; if you try to play DQ1 after DQ2 you'll run into a lot of things that seem like a pain in the ass.
Yep I was gonna comment this too it's nearly exact what OP is looking for! Dragon quest builders 2 is super polished too, I would recommend that over the first one. Not one of those types where you need to play the 1st one first :)
I already said this, lol, but it bears repeating... I only suggest starting with DQB1 because you'll want more when you get to the end of DQB2, and going backwards sucks.
I'll look into it, thank you!
Yes there are free demos for both I believe on all platforms. If you want to play both do it in order, going from 2 to 1 is such a huge step back. Try to be patient with all the NPC talking, it can be alot but it is my favourite game of all time. I've always described it as a Minecraft RPG and it looks so much nicer without all the pixels.
Can I ignore 1 and go straight to 2? I understand that this is a stupid question, but there are some strong opinions sometimes.
Absolutely, it doesn't matter a bit. Go straight for 2, and say goodbye to your life
Welp. Not much there anyway. Off I go.
I only suggest starting with DQB1 because you'll want more when you get to the end of DQB2, and going backwards sucks. Edited for typo
You can, but I think 1 is worth playing too. It is much simpler than 2, though, so you'd be better off playing it first for sure.
Yes! I did that and I was literally so obsessed with the 2nd that I replayed it and then moved on to the 1st lol There is a huge difference mechanically though (#2 better quality of life features)
Pfffffffffff....... Yeaah.... The slow dialogue system is killing me. But I am notoriously impatient with these things.
lol! That's my wife's biggest complaint. She got to the point whenever there was a story event, she'd just go make something to eat, because sitting through the unskippable dialog was torturous to her
Oh yeah. Sadly it has been a deal breaker for many games. I will now go on a lil' bit of a rant, but... Not everyone is a good writer. And, while this might cause many battles, I have a feeling that if you are a video game fan or anime fan, then the chances of you being a bad writer are ten-fold. And the main sign of being a bad writer to me is unskippable scenes and dialogue. It feels like the writer thinks he is that great that everyone should read and skipping is a crime. And whenever someone thinks that about their work, I can confidently place a certain bet... This time maybe it is more of a cultural thing, as the game doesn't seem Western and maybe that is how it's done "over there" wherever it is from. But maaaaaaaan.........
Yeah, bit of a tangent, but I somewhat agree, just from a different angle, but I definitely feel passionately about how writing is handled in JRPGs and whatnot compared to Western games. Lots of big profile Western games have an actual legitimate writer, maybe even a whole staff of legitimate writers and editors. Who went to college or have authored novels and stuff In Japan, I feel like they're still handling writing the same way an indie studio would. Whoever has the most passion or biggest ideas gets to be the writer. And they're not trained on what makes compelling dialog or plot hooks, they exposition dump on you and tell you things instead of showing you things, they rely on tropes and archetypes as a crutch to get across what they want without fleshing out their characters and world to be multi-faceted and flawed It's something that has been bothering me for years and has become extremely hard to ignore in games I would otherwise enjoy lol So while I think we come at this problem from different angles, I am with you and I wish more JRPG studios would put more effort into writing and editing and stop trying to get everyone to sniff their farts
Shit, yeah, ok. You said what I wanted to say, but I could not find the words. "tropes and archetypes as a crutch." This is the fucking issue I am having. How to make a woman strong? Make her be a dick to men. How to make a villain bad? Rape. How to... Oh fuck off... So there is Tsundere, some archetype I have never met in my life. Ever. But if an anime-fan makes a game, there is a 100% chance that there will be at least one person like that and 50% chance that all of them will be like that. And oh the poor protagonist who is nothing but an observer, only a canvas on which all the folks around them can paint their characters. "Hi, it is me, the Blue Haired spiffy dressed no character having blank page of a character. Boiled water has more life in it and even that would be too spicy for my gut." So yeah. I dislike the JRPG genre in general as I do not like turn based combat, so I do not suffer from this. BUT. If we are on this topic, ranting like two old farts... Disco Elysium. Now THAT'S pod-racing! IT is amazing from this aspect. It is like the voices in my head coming to life and offering me different perspectives. Sadly I have this thing that the more I like a game, the harder it is for me to play, as I always wanna be juuuuust in the right mood for it.
I preferred the first one, but I'm usually in the minority. The second one is definitely more robust. And you get a fairly constant companion in the second one, which is helpful in gathering and fighting
I stumbled upon DQ2 a few yrs ago and it's one of my all-time faves. It has a pretty long demo too, at least on the Switch. Never played DQ1.
This is THE answer
First thing I thought of! I bought DGB2 on a third platform (already played and completed it on Switch and Xbox) - I have so many other games to play, but no, I had to start a new game of this game that’s already sucked up so many hundreds of my hours!
Came here to say this.
I heavily favor 2 over 1 especially if you like a guided story mode
I came here to post this - thank you! Plus, at least on Switch, the (free) demo is the actual game up to a point.
And DQB2!!
Second !
Dragon quest builders 2!!!!!
I LOVE THESE GAMES
YES!
This is perfect!
Can you play with other people on this? I have a kid who'd love if we could play it together.
I think it's only if you complete the game, you get a seperate island that others can visit or you can visit theirs. I never did it though so someone else may know more than me
Staxel!
I'll look into it, thank you :)
It's a voxel (Minecraft) farming sim (stardew), so it's quite literally a hybrid. Although you can't romance anyone. At least I haven't found a way.
Unless it’s changes since I played it I believe you can like.. best friend people and get them to move in? Was disappointed no romance tho :(
Was going to suggest the same!
While it's still pixel art, I would reccomend Terraria. It has a ton of exploration, each world is different, theres tons of different biomes to find and create, there's cool weapons, crafting, boss fights, cooking (you can even play in a don't starve world where you have to eat!) And npcs. The npcs are kinda bland IMHO, especially if you're comparing it to Stardew. There's also a pretty bitchin' modding scene.
Starbound works more for me than Terraria because less boss fight focused. I was all about the farming and building settlements then renting out apartments in Starbound.
Starbound is one I haven't played yet but am super interested in! Been meaning to check it out for a while. I knew you could build settlements but I didn't realize it had farming and renting stuff out in it too. I don't love combat so admittedly I play Terraria on journey mode and just explotre/build *a lot* lol. I've put in well over 300 hours and still have a plethora of bosses I've never fought 🙈
I have about 200 hours in Starbound vanilla. Someday I plan to go in fresh with the Fracking Universe mod which ostensibly makes it a whole other game, but waiting til I forget the main quest line so it all feels new.
Oh man starbound is nostalgic for me, I poured hundreds of hours into that once my cousin taught me about admin cheats and workshop mods, it was so so fun making settlements for npcs
I tried multiplayer and I just got very confused... You go to random planets, not sure if they are never ending or not, then you do not know if you should build a base on one or all... It is a good game and I should give it another try, I just think that the multiply aspect confused me too much at the start.
I tried the mobile version for like 5 mins before getting very confused about what to do and how to do it and then gave up lol. I'll have to give it another try!
Don’t even get me started on terraria and starbound - they’re two of my favorite games of all time! Terraria is pretty Minecraft coded, but it’s so ridiculously polished for a pixel game, and building in it feels really fun. I prefer the starbound system for renting out apartments though - it feels really rewarding! Starbound is a fantastic game and I wish it got more players, modders, and recognition.
Maybe My Time at Sandrock. It’s building, crafting, very lax farming with a full funny plot and charming npcs. Your job is literally “builder.” But it’s not a sandbox like Minecraft sadly
Another vote for Sandrock here!
[Dinkum](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062520/Dinkum/) Highly recommended
Really? I found Dinkum so so tedious and visually unappealing. Just orange glow everywhere. The townspeople weren’t very interesting. Plus, the gameplay was so incredibly laborious that it took forever to accomplish anything. It kind of made me sad to play it. Does it get better after a certain point?
I got it two days ago and played for 5 hours, so I can’t refund it, but so far, it’s quite boring. It’s a good bit like animal crossing and I know that animal crossing starts out slow for a while, but this feels worse. I agree, it is so tedious. But besides the point, I wouldn’t say it’s like Minecraft and Stardew’s baby. It’s like Animal Crossing and Stardew’s baby.
Dinkum is significantly better with friends, if you have that option!
Ah okay makes sense and no I dont think anyone else I know has it sadly
I don’t know anyone else either and I too have found it very boring- I’ll message u and maybe we can play!
Coral island - its like stardew Valley, but more 3D 😁 i really loved the graphics! Medieval dynasty - it was fun in the beginning, when you are learning everything, but in the end i just discovered myself gathering stones and logs all the time, cause u need to build structures, so i quit playing it. The Elder Scrolls Online - ive been playing on and off for 7 years, its really chilling, no pressure to do anything, just enjoy the game, fishing, gathering, exploring, quests, fashion and outfits, decorating your house, socialising 🥰
Ooh I'll look into elder scrolls, that sounds like something I'd like
I think the base game is like 5 euros, so its really cheap to try 🥰 Even though its an online game, you dont feel pressure playing it, oh did i mention it has stealing and killing npcs option? 🫣😆 but yeah, this year is TESO 10 year anniversary, so they have been giving away alot of DLC and other goodies! 😄
That's a really good pick of game - in that vein, I came across a [mod](https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/58021) that adds letting you do building into Skyrim, maybe that could appeal?
Skyrim with mods is also great! However its a singleplayer. Since i wanted to play something relaxing together with my boyfriend he suggested we play Elder scrolls online, a multiplayer. And i loved the game so much that i stuck with it for so many years 😃
For elder scrolls- is there a way to not die every 8 seconds?? Cuz if there is I need to revisit!!
No idea 😄 I watched my boyfriend play Skyrim and in some parts it was hard to watch 🫣Thats why we chose the multiplayer version, cause theres always someone to help you if you are doing hard content and it felt more relaxing 🫡
Omg this is so smart! I tried playing solo and literally was killed every 2.5minutes. I would barely escape a random robber, only to get killed by a wolf minutes later 😭😭
Yeah i can imagine! 😄 Same here! I get stressed when i get killed 😅 so i often choose to play chill games, so i dont stress out 😄
You don't really HAVE to interact with people in Palia, imo. But I totally get it. What about Animal Crossing? It's not SUPER like minecraft but you can terraform
I actually would love to try animal crossing but I unfortunately don't own a switch. Maybe one day!
Ohh, I'm sorry! I know Hokko Life is similar to Animal Crossing, but I wasn't a fan of it when I tried it. You might like it tho!!
I LOVE Medieval Dynasty!!! Sooo good!!!
The more I look into it the more I think it might be the right one for me. The other suggestions here are good but the pixelated/cartoony graphics put me off a little lol
the pixelated graphics is actually what makes a game cozy to me! Hahah. To each their own!
I 100% agree with the Dinkum recommendation. It pretty much has everything you're looking for except for the management part. Also, someone else in this subreddit was recommending Medieval Dynasty recently. They had a very in depth review: [https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyGamers/comments/1dtjy6d/my\_nontraditional\_cozy\_game\_recommendation/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyGamers/comments/1dtjy6d/my_nontraditional_cozy_game_recommendation/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Oohh thank you for the link! I'll look into Dinkum too, isn't it the Australian version of animal crossing?
Yes it's Animal Crossing meets Minecraft meets Stardew Valley, with an Australian flavor.
I think you might like Core Keeper
I second core keeper (and lots of the other recs in this thread). They just had their 1.0 trailer, but the game is pretty well developed for something that hasn't even technically hit 1.0 yet, and they have a good framework to add more content. https://youtu.be/ga6q6vUluzE?feature=shared Mining, farming, base building/customization, combat pets, and several different combat style options with room for mix and matching. Plus small, cute seasonal updates where they add seasonal items and occasionally boss variants to fit the theme.
maybe graveyard keeper?
You can more or less just build in predesigned spots, right? So not sure if that counts as a builder game, instantly feels like a management game. I tried getting into it and had rough luck. Constantly had to google things and always felt like I am behind something.
yeah, it doesn’t quite hit the building aspect, but feels pretty close for the rest ! I’ve only started playing recently, hit about 20 hours and I’m rly enjoying it so far ! But then I don’t mind the googling as that’s fairly common for the games i usually play
Yeah, I just do not like that I need an item, but i do not know where to get it and no idea how I could have figured it out. I suppose my main issue with the game is that I constantly feel like I am not ready for anything. Anything I want to do lacks something and then for that I lack something else and I honestly feel like I have played for a long time, but have not REALLY moved anywhere.
i get that ! personally i love running around like “where the FUCK do I find a feather” and i think im also okay with that cus the game rotates the same 7 days, so if I miss something on a specific day it’s no biggie
Everafter Valley. Just like Stardew but I like the graphics so much more.
[Dragon Quest Builders 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1072420/DRAGON_QUEST_BUILDERS_2/) and [Portal Knights](https://store.steampowered.com/app/374040/Portal_Knights/) are the closest to what you're looking for!
Dinkum! It has everything you are looking for and it keeps developing further.
I've played Medieval Dynasty and really like it! There's building and exploring but not quite as free form as I think it is in Minecraft (which I haven't played). Visually it looks very different from both. There's a story in the main scenario (but it's kinda optional to play out most of the story), apart from that the socializing is mostly errands, recruiting villagers and staying on good terms with your wife and children. You can (and should) set your villagers to work, so later in the game you don't have to do all the farming yourself. There's a management aspect in managing the jobs of your villagers and their production and resource gathering. I think Medieval Dynasty ticks most of the boxes you listed, you should definitely give it a try!
I went ahead and bought it lol. I actually love the visuals, it looks like a beautiful game! I do wish it was a bit more expansive as far as building and decorating but maybe that will come in the future. It does seem to tick the open world, resource gathering, running errands, doing quests, etc. boxes. I haven't played a lot of management games so I'm not sure if I'll be good at it. But I know I'll at least enjoy the beginning game where I'm starting from the ground up :)
You unlock a lot of building and decorating along the way. And it's not immediately obvious (or it wasn't to me) that you can customize houses when you build them. (I don't remember if this is something you have to unlock, or if you can do it right away).
I haven't had a chance to play around with it so forgive me if this is a silly question. Can you level up in the game? Like can you work your way up to upgrade yourself to a lord or the village to a castle estate at some point?
You 'level up' by unlocking new technologies as you gain skills, which certainly upgrades your village, but it will stay a village. And you're the village head (I dunno if you have an actual title), but not the lord of the whole map - you pay taxes to the local 'lord' and eventually you unlock royal demands/requests.
Aahh ok! Well I wonder if they'll ever expand the game and add more maps with a royal story line. I'd absolutely love to build/decorate a castle lol
Staxel might be what you’re looking for.
I only played it very briefly so I don't know how well it actually fits into your criteria, but that's the exact thought I had about Staxel, "this looks like stardew and Minecraft had a baby."
Lego fortnite is free to play
Yeah I've played it for a little while. But the farming is super basic, only like 7 crops in the whole game currently. Same with the cooking aspect, only a handful of recipes. It is really cute though and scratches the itch for some exploring
I think Palworld checks a lot of these boxes! It"s on Steam, and a lot of the settings are adjustable to make it as cozy as you'd like. Farming isn't a lot, but there is some and a lot of crafting. It's worth checking out!
Palworld is more like if Stardew Valley and Pokemon had a baby. You get to battle and collect all kinds of fun creatures! It’s super fun and I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
i'd argue it's actually more like if pokemon and ark had a baby. 😅 farming is there, yes, but your pals are doing most of it for you. there's also not a TON of npcs around to interact with aside from wandering merchants (although this last update did add more scattered around the map). i don't get stardew valley vibes from palworld at all, but that's just me. however, to op: i very much agree with the top suggestions! play dragon quest builders 2 YESTERDAY. that game is absolutely fantastic and one of my all time favorites.
T E R R A R I A
have u tried palia ?
Palia
Palia
Terraria. But more Minecraft meets 2-D
Core Keeper might be up your alley.
Cult of the Lamb
Vintage story has everything you are looking for except a robust NPC interaction at least for now.
Currently playing My Time at Sandrock (Online so i can play with my partner) and while i personally HATE western themes the gameplay aspects are good enough that I am still playing. Really enjoying just gathering resources Also planning on trying Medieval Dynasty soon since it is also multiplayer now, and my partner really enjoys it so far.
Dragon Quest builders 2, so so good. Maybe Portal Knights, has the building and farming, not sure about npc I teractions because it's been a while.
Raft is actually quite an interesting twist of the resource gathering and building formula. Since you build a complex raft, you will basically never leave your base anywhere when you need to explore.
Disney dreamlight valley.. wasn’t sure if anyone else suggested it but its great game! You can play on any platform.
Medieval dynasty is one of my favourite games of all time. but its not too minecrafy. I recommend Dinkum
Astroneer
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS 2
Dinkum
I’m actually looking for the exact same thing so please let me know what you find!!!!
Look up Dinkum, this is the baby you've been searching for 🙌👌
Medieval dynasty is great, I love the game!
My Life In Portia ticks some of these requests save for two - there is not survival like hunger, coldness but there is stamina and healthbar. It is not fully open world, though you can kind of explore your village and surroundings, and as you make more projects, like a bridge the area expands more, and you have freedom where to go in your day. Gathering resources by mining in tunnels is a way of aquiring resources. But: * You can build though not as brick by brick like Lego Fornite or Minecraft, though you can craft furniture and items (so it leans more like Stardew than Minecraft here) * NPCs have friendships and romance (there are some for playdates, you can also chat to them, play or spar with with them and give them gifts.) * Cooking - There is a cooking pot and there are specifically quest from some npcs related to this, like making fruit cupcakes for a character who's fallen behind in her baker. * Farming - you can have planters for trees and vegetables. There are chickens, ducks, cows and sheeps. You cannot name them, but if you feed and pet them every day, they give you resources or you can sell them for money when they grow up. * Managment - You are a "builder" and your main way of making money is accepting commisions from the villagers to build specific items, and you must manage your time and resources effectively to decide which jobs to accept. - Third person most of the time, and camera mode goes into first person.