Honestly Reviewing 8 Cozy Games I Played ✨
- cozyarigames
- Apr 30
- 9 min read
Hi everyone! Ari here with a review post talking about a few of the games I've been playing recently. I'm always very honest with my reviews, even if the games are gifted to me, so you can always trust that I mean exactly what I say.
For each game, I tell you the platforms you can find the games on, the normal price on Steam in Canadian Dollars (since I'm Canadian), the lowest price its been, the release date, hours of gameplay, and price per hour.
Here's the video if you're interested:
Mythmatch
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 25.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 20.79
Release Date: 13 Mar, 2026
Hours of Gameplay: 40+ hours
Price per hour: $0.50 or under
Summary: Mythmatch is a town-building merge game where you play as Artemis, an aspiring goddess rejected by Olympus and sent to the mortal world, where she begins to see how her powerful, billionaire-like family negatively affects ordinary people. Instead of chasing divine status, Artemis helps rebuild the community of Ithaca alongside the women left behind during the Trojan War, discovering the value of connection, cooperation, and belonging. As you grow the town, build relationships, and shape a thriving community, you also face off against Olympian gods in a variety of replayable challenges all based on different minigames themed around matching games. This earns their favor to gain helpful rewards that support your progress in the mortal realm.
Pros: Dives really deep into Greek and Roman Mythology for lovers of the topic
Loved the artwork for a lot of the characters
Lots of witty dialogue and you get to know a lot of people, humans, and the Gods.
Really hard to find a good merging game other than mobile, but the merging is really satisfying.
The guides in the game and hint system is really good for letting you know what to do next, as at some points you may have a lot of quests at once and it can get overwhelming.
A lot of content that is addicting to keep playing.
Endless modes in olympus for chasing high scores, can compete with other players.
No bugs so far. Nice to get a game polished on release.
Cons: Some of the plot has trigger warnings (fertility issues) with no warnings.
Some of the Greek Mythology has been changed, which may bother some people (Hades and Persephone should never be father and daughter!)
Not sure why she has to throw things four blocks away, this is really confusing for me and makes me throw things in the wrong area a lot.
Steam Deck?: Works very well, though might be easier to beat high scores on PC.
Achievements: Not too challenging, just play the game for more of them.
Rating: 10/10 (more people need to play this!!)
Cast n Chill
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 19.49
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 14.61
Release Date: 16 Jun, 2025
Hours of Gameplay: 25 Hours
Price per hour: $0.80 or under
Summary: Cast n Chill is a relaxing fishing game where you explore lakes, rivers, and ocean spots at your own pace, choosing between active gameplay where you cast and reel yourself or a passive mode that lets you earn catches in the background. Starting with simple gear, you catch and sell fish to upgrade your equipment, gradually unlocking the ability to reel in rarer and more impressive species across 16 scenic locations. With over 50 fish to collect, including legendary catches, the game focuses on cozy progression and discovery, while also offering co-op play so you can fish alongside friends, all with the charm of a laid-back outdoor adventure complete with a loyal animal companion by your side.
Pros: The most beautiful pixel art I’ve ever seen. Seriously. The game was absolutely breathtaking.
Can play at your own pace no matter what - can set how much you want to catch in idle, can play with friends or on your own.
Not RNG based like other fishing sims, it’s skill based and not difficult to catch everything if you just pay attention.
The dog that tags along with you is super cute, and the little animals interacting with the environment are cool as well.
Love how the music works, how it tells you when you’ve caught a fish and is usually silent with nature noises most of the time.
Cons: Would love for voice acting like in the trailer just for the person at the bait store.
More outfits, perhaps a way to unlock them.
Some of the fish’s pixel art is confusing for the guide book vs. the main fishing area, though an outline is shown to help you spot them easier.
Steam Deck?: Perfect, controller is easier than keyboard/mouse.
Achievements: Took me 25 hours, pretty easy.
Rating: 10/10 (only fishing sim I’ve ever finished!)
The Abbess Garden
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 12.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 10.39
Release Date: 2 Mar, 2026
Hours of Gameplay: 5.5 hours
Price per hour: $2.30
Summary: The Abbess Garden is a cozy, story-driven gardening game set in the quiet ruins of Port-Royal-des-Champs, where you play as Agnès, a peasant entrusted with restoring a once-sacred garden. As you clear overgrowth and revive the land, you shape it freely while learning to care for a realistic ecosystem where soil, moisture, and plant relationships all matter. Over time, new areas open and seasonal changes reveal different plants to discover, harvest, and study. Beneath the peaceful gardening lies a deeper mystery, with hidden objects, quests, and a dangerous book tied to espionage that draws in both local allies and powerful figures. Blending gentle progression, historical elements, and optional romance, the game offers a relaxing yet intriguing experience where nurturing the garden also uncovers secrets buried within it.
Pros: Settings help you make the character faster or slower and change whether or not you want to see the animations. This helps with making the game go faster.
Teaches you a lot about not just the culture and politics of the time but the plants and what needs they require as well. Also teaches you about what the plants were used for, especially for herbal remedies.
Interesting plot with a lot of political intrigue, lots of research went into it.
The gardening aspect is really meditative and calming.
Cons: Some of the plot went over my head because of how deep it was. I think you need to be somewhat knowledgeable regarding European history to understand it properly.
The animations and art for the planting section is somewhat janky, I think the devs will probably improve on this with future games.
The characters only have one profile drawn, so when they’re crying or angry they’re still smiling on the screen which puts you off the plot.
Steam Deck?: Works very well
Achievements: Just play the game and analyze all the stages!
Rating: 7/10
Piece by Piece
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 16.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 14.44
Release Date: 13 Mar, 2026
Hours of Gameplay: 6 Hours
Price per hour: $2.83
Summary: Piece by Piece is a cozy yet challenging puzzle-platformer where each level is broken into jigsaw pieces that you must rearrange and navigate to progress. Featuring 100 handcrafted levels across 12 themed puzzle boxes, the game introduces new mechanics that evolve and combine as you advance, creating increasingly complex challenges. With a relaxing art style and ethereal soundtrack, it blends thoughtful problem-solving with smooth platforming as you aim to master every level and collect all the hidden gold pieces.
Pros: Really unique game design, a literal puzzle platformer where you combine jigsaw puzzles to get to where you want to go - I do love puzzles that are super unique.
The pixel art is super cute, the little kings and queens are so adorable.
A good amount of themes and puzzles to keep you entertained.
Cons: Might be too complicated for some people, some puzzles just don’t work for some brains.
Not a con perse, but putting ‘difficult’ on the steam tags probably deterred ALL of the cozy gamers, the game doesn’t seem to difficult to me, the puzzle mechanics are fair.
Steam Deck?: Works very well
Achievements: Not too challenging, just play the game. A lot of hidden random ones.
Rating: 8/10 (might get frustrating at times)
Piece by Piece
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 14.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 11.99
Release Date: 11 Mar, 2026
Hours of Gameplay: 6 Hours
Price per hour: $2.50
Summary: Piece by Piece is a cozy shop simulation where you take over your grandpa’s repair store and restore treasured items for charming forest customers. Solve puzzle-like repairs on objects like teapots, toys, and heirlooms, then customize them with colors you create by growing berries and mixing paints. Manage your shop by cleaning, decorating, and baking treats for neighbors, all while building a welcoming space and turning a profit in a relaxing, creative experience.
Pros: Satisfying 3D jigsaw puzzle mechanic where you put people’s things together.
Satisfying cleaning mechanic (though I do like the option to 100% things myself instead of the game auto-doing it for me)
Really, really cute animals that have emotional and cute stories that go alongside them.
A mix of shopkeeping, putting stuff together, talking to people, minigames, planting, and decorating.
Cons: Game seems really bare bones, a lot of the same people come in and the planting mechanic is really simple.
The plants take way too long to grow and makes the coloring mechanic that would've been fun very tedious.
A lot of waiting for customers to come in and feeling bored while you wait.
Steam Deck?: Great
Achievements: Easy
Rating: 7.5/10
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
PC | Xbox | Playstation | Switch
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 59.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 23.99
Release Date: 30 Sep, 2025
Hours of Gameplay: 8 Hours
Price per hour: $7.50
Summary: Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is a colorful action RPG that reimagines beloved Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob, Katara, Leonardo, Sandy, Danny Phantom, and more as fantasy heroes on an epic quest. Players battle through real-time combat, use each character’s unique abilities, explore whimsical fantasy versions of iconic Nickelodeon worlds, solve puzzles, and take on major boss fights against familiar villains. With character leveling, weapon upgrades, and local co-op for up to four players, the game blends nostalgic Nick charm with fast-paced RPG adventure for fans of all ages.
Pros: Fully voice acted cast, a lot of them from the actual Nickelodeon shows, gives a lot of nostalgia when playing.
The game is basically an aRPG version of dungeons and dragons, and the characters are really funny, the dialogue is cute.
Great for kids and adults, especially since you can play co-op. Great for couch co-op (got it on the switch).
Lots of difficulty options for if you want the game to be easier or harder.
Cons: A lot of the same gameplay over and over again with a lot of the same enemy types. A lot of the plot is in Bikini Bottom and not a lot of focus on the other areas. Would have loved to see the Avatar world more.
The money is very unbalanced. We had so much money and nothing to do with it a few levels in.
Very ‘baby’s first aRPG’ so might be too easy for some people, could get boring.
Steam Deck?: Played on Switch.
Achievements: Difficult.
Rating: 8/10
Bubblegum Galaxy
PC | Xbox | Playstation | Switch
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 17.99
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 14.39
Release Date: 11 Mar, 2026
Hours of Gameplay: 10 Hours
Price per hour: $1.8
Summary: Bubblegum Galaxy is a cozy narrative building game where you play as a planet architect tasked with rebuilding an entire deleted galaxy by designing colorful new planets tile by tile. Each planet presents unique missions and special rules that challenge you to create efficient, high-scoring layouts, while still offering a relaxing creative experience. Between building sessions, you can explore your quirky office, chat with coworkers, and uncover hundreds of story events as you slowly piece together the mystery behind the catastrophic crash that erased the Bubblegum Galaxy in the first place.
Pros: A super whimsical game, with the plot and characters being absolutely hilarious. Makes you want to keep playing to figure out what actually happened in the game.
The gameplay is not too complicated compared to other world builders, but there’s multiple levels of strategy involved.
The pastel palette of the game is gorgeous, and so is the pixel art. The customizable office area is also cute, and there are multiple character outfits to unlock.
The soundtrack is so good, almost every single one is a banger.
Cons: Encountered a few bugs while playing, especially on the steam deck where none of the tutorials would load (devs were trying to help me fix this on discord)
You cannot save your progress while on a planet or in endless mode to come back to later. You are forced to complete the planet or end your run.
Steam Deck?: Perfect other than video bug.
Achievements: Difficult, will take a while to do them all.
Rating: 9.5/10
A Game about Digging a Hole
Normal Price (Steam): CDN$ 6.49
Lowest Price (Steam): CDN$ 4.54
Release Date: 7 Feb, 2025
Hours of Gameplay: 4 Hours
Price per hour: $1.62
Summary: A Game About Digging A Hole is exactly what it sounds like—a simple, oddly satisfying sandbox experience centered entirely around digging deeper and deeper into the ground. As you excavate, you uncover resources, strange objects, and hidden surprises that can be sold or used to upgrade your equipment, letting you dig faster and reach new depths. What begins as a straightforward task gradually becomes an addictive loop of discovery, progression, and curiosity-driven exploration.
Pros: Hole digging is really satisfying. You just keep digging and finding gems and selling them, and repeating that loop.
Little censors come up that tell you when there are treasures nearby.
Great price for a few hours of fun.
Cons: The ending of the game is very not-cozy and actually kind of stressed me out.
There was a part of the game you could click to get a ton of coins instantly which kind of ruined the game (though I guess you didn’t have to do it).
Really simple, not much to it other than digging a hole - also the fall damage really sucks!
Steam Deck?: Perfect
Achievements: A little bit grindy, but fun to try to complete.
Rating: 7/10
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