It's October, and in the witchcraft sphere, that means working with ancestors and thinking about death in its many forms – passing of loved ones, death of greenery, spiritual changes. Well, as it stands, I also enjoy playing games about death, and that's not as morbid as it sounds, so I thought I'd highlight some cozy games on the subject. Now, I know most people don't think of “cozy” and “death” going together, but bear with me here. I've been surrounded by death from an early age, and while these games make me cry, they also bring comfort in a way only cozy games can. So let's explore my top 5, one to avoid, and a secret honorable mention at the end.
Obviously, this post will touch on heavy subject matter and should be approached carefully. If you're feeling vulnerable about this topic, I recommend reading this later when you feel up to it, or watching the video if that's more digestible. Always take care of yourself first and foremost.
First
off, if we're talking cozy games, we have
to mention one with that in the title. Cozy Grove is such a cute,
wholesome, and comforting game about death. As a Spirit Scout, it is
your task to learn about the spirits of the island. Help them with
quests both big and small and, in doing so, learn their stories about
their lives. Each has an interesting tale to discover, but they've
forgotten most of their lives, and you have to help them remember. In
your kindness, you help them come to terms with their actions and
deaths, and they finally achieve peace. For those who may live with
regrets regarding loved ones who passed, this game is a special
comfort in finding happiness.
Spiritfarer is, like Cozy Grove, a game about helping spirits find peace. However, it's different in the context and outcome: your character, Stella, knew all these spirits in life, and in helping them find peace and move on, you also find peace and comfort for yourself. I especially enjoy this game and how it handles the spirits' final journeys: you can take your time with each character and, once you've finished their stories, you can keep them around indefinitely until you're ready to say goodbye. As someone who's dealt with a lot of unexpected or untimely death in my life, it's important to me that this game gives me the choice of when to say goodbye.
The
First Tree is a story all about finding closure. As a mother fox, you
face death in this simple walking sim as the narrator recounts his
life and estrangement with his father. It's a fairly simple game, but
the story hit close to home in a lot of ways. As someone who lost my
father when I was just 15, I didn't have a lifetime of memories with
him as the writer did with his, but the sentiments hit me in the
feels all the same. The First Tree is a pretty short game,
playtime-wise, but it took me a long time to complete it because it's
not one you can just run through in one sitting. I took plenty of
breaks when I needed them, and I'd recommend others to do the same.
To
the Moon is a different take on the theme of closure in death. As
impartial scientists, you travel in the memories of an old, dying man
to help him fulfill one wish – to go to the moon. What is normally
an easy task for these scientists is hampered by one small detail –
in trying to modify his memories, you discover that he never had any
desire to go to the moon, despite his final wish. In helping this
man, you discover long-forgotten memories and help him find closure
on a life not-quite-fully lived. It's a beautiful story that reminds
us that, even if someone appears to have had a perfectly happy life
full of love, there are always things that we don't see. I dare you
to play this whole game without crying. I knew it was sad going into
it, but I still sobbed, and it was so good.
In
a completely different direction from the others, What Remains ofEdith Finch is an interesting take on the “cozy death” theme. As
another walking sim, you – as the eponymous Edith Finch – explore
the family home of the Finches, who historically have disappeared or
died in mysterious ways. Learn the fates of Edith's ancestors and
siblings through unique storytelling and visual styles as you come to
terms with the family legacy. Haunting in the most beautiful way, I
just had to include this in my list.
Now,
time for a disappointing review, but I want to be honest. In
researching for this video, I came across a game titled Hello
Goodboy. It sounded really cute and right up my alley – you're a
little boy, accompanied by a dog, helping others out and doing good
deeds in the afterlife. I was so excited to play this! But
unfortunately, it fell really
short of its promise; you're only given the smallest of hints that
you're in the afterlife, and your actions, while simple enough, don't
lend to any depth in the narrative or feelings about your own
journey. You just do a couple good deeds – and I do mean a couple –
and then you move on. That's it! So, unfortunately, if you're looking
for more games of this niche, I'd skip this one. But if you have any
others that you think I or others would enjoy, please let me know!
Okay,
I teased at the beginning that there would be an honorable mention on
this list, so here it is: Animal Crossing. Now, this series isn't
explicitly about death, hence only the honorable mention, but there
has been, since its creation, a persistent fan theory about it. In
this theory, your character is dead, which explains the childlike
utopia of a town filled with animal friends, no disease, and
virtually no aging – besides certain NPCs between games, but not in
the games themselves. What's more, throughout your time, you get
letters from your “mom”, one-way communication that suspiciously
sounds like a mother talking to her dead child. These letters have
brought a lot of comfort to people who have lost family – either by
death or estrangement – and so, I wanted to include it here for
that reason. While I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory
myself, I did
create my childhood friend Jenna in one of my towns upon her death,
and the letters from Mom to her definitely have brought comfort.
What
do you think of this Animal Crossing theory? Are there any other
games you'd recommend for this list? Let me know down below. Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful, magical day.
