I hope all of you are holding up well in this truly hellish month of July. It could be that Iām just getting old, but Iāve fallen into a kind of lethargy because of this heat and thank god that Iām off-work till mid August ā or I would literally melt if I had to work right now. So I still consider myself lucky when I think of all my fellow girlies who are forced to grind in this weather. Maybe Iām just being way too sensitive to heat this year? Or Iām just realizing how much global warming has ramped up since I was youngerā¦Ā
Anyway, since I basically have only my PC to keep me company until evening (day in and day out), and even with an AC itās impossible for me to focus on any ādemandingā games ā I want something simple, satisfying, even cooling if thereās such a game that cools you down hah. Maybe an indie adventure of sorts, or a simple management game with easy mechanics, a pleasant color palette and just overall a great experience to breeze through and enjoy. Or any game, really, thatās your go-to choice when you just need something relaxing/cute/fun without that feeling of needing to prepare to play it. For example, something like Paper Trail ā itās a gem I found recently during the Steam sale and it was one of those games that felt like a breath of fresh air, with unique (but not hard) puzzles, cute art style that literally folds and unfolds like paper and that sense of a whimsical adventure that just carries you along. The MC is also a student going off to her studies, so it hit that nostalgic tune for me personally. Or it can be something even more ābasicā like Furnish Master where you just organize your living space, arrange apartments and houses, etc. and then sell them off in story mode. These kinds of games that you can play casually without committing too much, maybe while having a lemonade or the occasional friend over. Thatās the kind of vibe Iām after :3
I am not enjoying the heat waves… at all. I am using the Halloween sub as my support group during these trying times lol. The first game that came to mind that you might enjoy is Abzu. A nice little game set in the water, very mentally “cooling” and not too demanding.
A Short Hike – explore a little island by flying and gliding. It’s simple but environment is so well done. Feels like visiting a happy place.
Islanders/ Townscaper – both casual city builder games. They’re both surrounded by water so they feel kinda refreshing.
Donut Country – you move a hole to swallow up a town. I dunno but messing with cute animal people is fun.
TOEM A Photo Adventure – photography game where you explore and solve puzzles by taking pictures.
Dorfromantik. It’s a super chill puzzle city builder
Firewatch š
itās a slow-paced game with a beautiful world to explore + thereās an amazing story!
Unpacking. It’s a puzzle game, but an unusual one. You are a woman (starting as a student, later moving on to the next stages of her life) who is unpacking her boxes after moving. You have to fit all the objects in her life into her house. You can’t put her underwear in the bathroom, or the kitchen spoons in the bedroom. There isn’t room in the top drawer for all her underwear. Every single damn object has a different sound depending on where you put it; IIRC there are something like 14,000 different sounds. I say it to show the love and care and thought that went into this game.
As you unpack her things and move to the next room, you learn the woman’s life through tiny things: what video games she plays, what kind of art supplies she has, what personal treasures she builds up over time.
The art is absolutely delightful, the plot is heart-warming (with occasional interruptions) and satisfying, and the basic task, tidying up, is much more soothing than in real life!
Abzu. Super simple, super easy, super chill, and the underwater setting is quite welcome in this hot summer weather
– **Calico**: you’re running a cat cafe, exploring to recruit cats, and the cafe runs itself while you’re away. There’s a couple cute mini-games, one of which is a unique cooking mini game. And eventually there’s a seaside urban area to unlock and explore.
– **Smushi Come Home**: you’re a cute lil mushroom far away from home and trying to get back. The exploration tools are kinda similar to Breath of the Wild, and there’s some mild puzzles. The forest gives me cool, shady vibes often.
– **Ikenfell**: you play a girl going to find her sister at a magic academy. Lots of LGBTQ+ characters, and there are some nice accessibility settings to make the turn-based combat more doable. Lots of adventuring and story in this one, and you also build an adventuring party as you go.
– **Trash Goblin**: okay this one isn’t out yet but I love the demo and it’s very chill and not demanding at all. You can use just your mouse to play, there are accessibility settings, there’s no rush, and you’re cleaning up trash to reclaim and sell items. Eventually you can attach items to each other, and it seems like there will be story to unlock.
Paper Trail is awesome! I also got it during this last sale š Regarding your question though, I personally like to cool off just by playing games with chilly environments, like the Skellige Islands in the Witcher 3, or the snowy areas in Skyrim. It’s the environment of the game that tricks my brain into thinking it’s cooler lol
unpacking, lake, potion craft, strange horticulture… there’s a cute simple game called tiny glade that isn’t out yet but has a demo you can play. the blue prince isn’t out either but also has a demo, it’s a puzzle game where you have to pick a new room for each door you come across to try and solve the puzzle, it has a demo too.
This is going to be a really weird suggestion, but I wanna recommend TaleSpire on Steam. It’s a virtual tabletop that is usually used for games like D&D and it looks GORGEOUS. You can build all sorts of things in it, from taverns, to houses, to even entire cities!
It’s a little complicated to learn at first but once you get the hang of it building is a breeze. The best part however is the fact that its so incredibly easy to grab other people’s creations and use them (or explore them) for yourself!
I’ve spent countless hours just looking through the more intricate builds out there and exploring every nook and cranny for little secrets and whatnot. I’m not very talented as a builder so I’ll often just take from the massive library of what people have uploaded and tweak it to my liking.
I made a list of short (can play in under 10 hours) game recs for one of my friends recently, I think a lot of them would fit what you want here!
* A Short Hike
* Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
* Carto (I havenāt played Paper Trail yet but this in particular looks good for fans of that one)
* Coffee Talk
* Detective Grimoire (and its sequel Tangle Tower)
* Down in Bermuda
* Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
* Frog Detective (all three games!)
* Later Alligator
* Lil Gator Game
* Minami Lane
* Pikuniku
* Signs of the Sojourner
* TOEM
* Unpacking
* Untitled Goose Game
* Venba
Botany Manor is chill and pretty
Where are you from? We have super heavy rain here. I play dinkum at the moment. It is a solo dev who made the game. It feels like animal crossing but in Australia.
I really love Peglin right now. It’s a goblin peggle roguelike and is just so easy to play even when nothing else is hitting.
Cozy Grove has gotten me through many a slump as well.
I’ve only played a little but Minami Lane is a cute street builder simulator with fun levels.
Can I recommend CloudPunk? It’s on steam and probably other platforms too. The main protagonist is a woman, or voiced over by a woman. It’s very chill and relaxing pixel cyberpunk game, with an interesting story/environment.
Dave the Diver has some zen qualities and also some restaurant management sim stuff, if you want some variety.
This Bed We Made. I’m replaying it with my husband right now as a back-sit gamer this time, while having a cold beer. Nothing better than a cozy mystery case having a place during a heavy snow storm when it’s hot irl.
Semi chill games:
Aer- I really enjoyed it. It wasnāt super demanding, and the flight was fun.
Rime- I ugly cried but that game was cathartic in a way I didnāt know I needed. Itās *very* sad though.
The Shelter games. They have moments of adrenaline though.
Your standard farming sim: Stadew is a safe bet.
Subnautica- is set in an alien water world and you can set the intensity of your gameplay. I really liked the base-building!
Animal Well- itās weird, and it can be tough but itās not a high brain powered game. You arenāt tracking a bunch of plot lines, youāre mostly exploring and trying to avoid hazards, because you canāt fight.
Gris- beautiful art, music that gave me goosebumps.
The Pale Beyond- itās a management/decision based narrative and it takes place in a fictional arctic. Itās not highly action based, and has many multiple endings. I loved it and played the *SHIT* out of it.
The Red Lantern- some action, mostly chill. Youāre a young woman who retreats to the north to heal her mental and emotional wounds and pursue a dream of becoming a dog sledder.
Gris! Gris! Gris! Gris! It’s a beautiful platformer and my comfort game. After the first section, the settings become very “cooling” imo.
Playing Dave the Diver right now and itās definitely helping me wind down after the work week haha.
As long as the occasionally shark fight is okay, Iād recommend it!
Terra Nil has been on my list to revisit for awhile! It’s a really lovely little puzzle game/world builder, where you’re just restoring a landscape. It can be tricky…. Or you can put it on Gardener difficulty and just vibe.
It just got a new update that I’m really excited for myself, my biggest complaint is that it was too short (so I started trying to see if I could learn how to speed run it to get more playability. Since it’s a new map every time, it really is just about how quickly you can “solve” it and it gave me a new objective)
Spirit of the north. Iāve actually been saving this for the next heatwave.
You play as a fox, running around a landscape based on Iceland. Puzzle adventure game.
Thronefall is one I recently got into! Itās in available in early access currently. Very cute art style including music and audio cues. Itās a tower defense game but with the twist that your kingdom is already planned out. You can only build set defenses on certain nodes and the strategy comes from what to build first and balancing industry vs defensives.
Itās a small team of 2 making the game and Iāve been really impressed by it so far! Runs great on the steam deck as well and has options for UI scaling
Iāve been playing echoes of plum grove. Itās been pretty calming to me!
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Climate change can be a true downer.
I recommend to go for easy and chill games that donāt require much brainpower.
Also if the climate crisis is truly bothering you tend also try to look up positive news about the environment.
If you want very challenging but relaxing puzzle/walking sims, check out the cyan games on steam like 2021 remake of Myst, 2024 Riven remake (sequel to Myst) and their other recent games like firmament and obduction.
One I discovered during the summer sale was A Short Hike. It might just be the only game that works as “purely calming” for me. It’s so nice and relaxing. Just being in the moment, fishing a little, renting a boat. I really like that game. It’s nice.
I am surprised to see A little to the left not mentioned yet. It seems to be exactly the vibe of Paper Trail.
Unpacking and ABZU are the first to come to mind
Bunhouse. Be a bunny. Grow your garden. Occasionally fish and do yoga. So very very chill and relaxing.
When it’s hot out, I love to play Skyrim and just wander around the snowy areas of the map.
Strange Horticulture.
Point and click with rain asmr. Do recommend for a low intensity game.
Slime rancher 1 or 2, the music is great, and itās something you can definitely hyper focus on