You’ve arrived in a small town. It’s quiet, cozy even. You’re a photographer, a writer, maybe even a farmer. You’re here to settle down from the hustle and bustle of city life, and this warm, inviting town seems like just the place. But you hear a rumor. Maybe there’s a haunted mansion on The Hill. Maybe a string of robberies. Hints are here and there, and as this town worms its way into your heart, you start looking for the truth behind the mysteries.
Imagine, if you will, that this was a mystery you actively played. I was thinking about this set up lately and my thoughts that led me to one question: where’s the cozy mystery games?
Let’s backtrack a little, and answer two basic premises to see why this question lingers in my mind. What is a cozy game and what is a cozy mystery? Cozy games deliberately try to give you the warm and fuzzies. Think games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. They’re almost meditative, and the stakes are low. You’re farming, your decorating, you’re taking a mental load off and relaxing into the game.
Cozy mysteries are basically that, but they’re books or television shows, and about mysteries. The violence, the blood, and many thrills happen off screen, and instead you follow a often charming cast as they try to figure out “whodunit?” Think Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote. You’ll curl up in an oversized armchair with a hot mug of tea and follow the cast as they try to find the answers to the crime of the week.
These genres feel like they are a match made in heaven, but I feel like you don’t see them often. The cozy mystery genre is absolutely flush with books; but cozy games, despite their surge in popularity and production, are a fairly small portion of the cozy genre. Not that your Stardews and Animal Crossings aren’t fantastic, but what about something a little creepy? A touch mysterious? A riddle to guide you along the path of a town that’s wormed it’s way into your heart? The Nancy Drew games and the Professor Layton series are comforting mysteries that you can comfortably sink into while meeting a charming cast.
I’m the kind of person who likes the idea of unraveling a mystery, but I don’t love when the stakes feel like life or death. By the same token, I think that cozy games are sweet and calming, but I rarely feel the drive to consistently return to them compared to ways I could be cozy in real life. I think that a cozy mystery game would give that spark of interest to keep me coming back, to be drawn deeper and deeper in, without feeling overwhelmed.
What games do you feel would be classified as a cozy mystery? Do you think this is a subgenre that needs more shine? Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.
Featured Image: Nintendo
The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord.
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