i always feel like, i really need something like this. but i haven’t found it yet - or i don’t really work like that?
because it’s an active decision to start a game up, and when i need to do something nice for myself the most, it’s the hardest to do that? so i just sit looking at the internet for a while & end up feeling worse for obvious reasons.
but then when i try to push myself to play something just to chill & relax & waste time but in a good way nothing really comes to mind. weh
Sometimes No Man’s Sky works really well when you find a couple of nice planets to walk around and just look. But it can also be very frustrating when you land on a barren planet or something so idk. I feel like i could use a real good self-care game right now.
Flower is an obvious choice, but I also find Diablo 3 to be really relaxing. As long as I’m not going through greater rifts, I can mindlessly plow through hoards of enemies, and even if I do die, there’s not much of a penalty. Playing a hardcore character can be super stressful, though.
Any game that allows for lots of creativity is great too. Lately, it’s been Planet Coaster for me, but Minecraft and Cities Skylines have done it for me in the past.
Civilization V, with mods. I have 800+ hours played, so I know everything backwards and forwards. I can basically go on autopilot, and still end up with something nice by the time I end the game.
Tetris. Blocks out almost every other thing around me and I’m pretty good at the game so it normally puts me in a good mood.
I’ve been playing a fair bit of Sunless Sea in the evenings to relax. Lots of interesting, bit-sized stories to find. Less commitment than digging into a novel. Plus the sound of the sea mixed with the eerie music while sailing is very soothing.
Audiosurf, because I can listen to MY JAMS and play a game.
Marvel Vs Capcom 2/UMVC3 because it’s ridiculous over the top fight-man game that doesn’t require much attention or skill when playing arcade mode.
Any Mario game.
I feel like the common theme with games we (or specifically I) have used to decompress have specific beat and repetitive cycle to it more so than the average game). I found Poly Bridge really calming and meditative post-gaming expo visit. A large part due to do with the soundtrack choice made by the designer which isn’t invasive or distracting during the puzzles. I would imagine it was chosen to not aggravate a player while trying to think of a solution.
Oh man, I’ve put dozens and dozens of hours into Shadow of the Colossus just exploring the world and hanging out with Agro. I started to feel that way with Breath of the Wild but there’s a lot of threats in that game that can pull you out of the meditative aspect of it.
mini metro, the amazing way the soundtrack slowly builds and the minimalist aesthetic really hypnotises me. I don’t really care to get good at it it’s just relaxing…until it’s not.
If there was some way they could make Audiosurf work with Spotify/Apple Music, I think I would actually die.
I’ve played a lot of Floating Point when I need some decompression time and it works wonders for me. It’s also free on Steam, so I highly recommend giving it a shot.
this looks awesome!
oh wait hold up.
i know, actually.
the correct answer is - pissman
thank you. take care.
Man I feel Dark Souls 2. I find it a little easier than the other games after multiple playthroughs and there’s something about the wind in that game?
DS2 has a kind of wistfulness to it I think? there’s more hope to it than the others - you spend the game building something up rather than watching it diminish, and the environments have a kind of splendor that isn’t quite as faded as DS1 or (especially) DS3.
Mine’s definitely Skyrim. I won’t do any of the quests or story, I’ll just use it as a walking simulator and it’s very cathartic.
Bastion is one of my favorite games ever and i know it so well beginning to end that it’s just a real calming thing to hop in there, pick a fun weapon combination, and play a level or two in whatever section of my latest playthrough i’ve made it to. The soundtrack’s a good relaxation tool for me, too!
80 days is mine. There is something very wonderful about that game.
Also Wind Waker.
I also find Diablo 3 to be a go to. My friend and I were noting that we can tie several of our toons to different stressful/tough life events.
The world may be chaos, but I can stutter-step my DH through a seemingly insurmountable horde and come out thoother side whole, and maybe a couple legendaries richer.
