For me, when I need to not just escape but be calmed, it's a sim game. I don't want something like Age of Empires, it's more like Civilization or Rollercoaster Tycoon. Civ, even if I'm in conflict with other civs, moves at my pace, which I appreciate.
I think one of my favorite gaming memories where I thought, "that was good for my mental health today" was an almost all-nighter with SimCity 2000 where I listened to Rush the whole time.

Hah, great topic.

For me it's the games I played multiple times and loved as a kid/teen back in the day; ones I know like the back of my hand and I don't have to think too much (if at all!).

Usually one of the following - Super Mario World, Alex Kidd, Banjo-Kazooie, Sonic 2, Ocarina of Time, RE4 and Streets of Rage 2.

Weirdly, the modern equivalent for a calming game for me personally is the Hitman trilogy. Half the time I just walk around the levels and soak in the atmosphere, especially places like Sapienza.

The Witness was very much this game for me. A really relaxing wind-down game I played the entirety of in bed via remote play on my Vita. I'd buy a Switch port in a heartbeat just to do it again.

Definitely something old that I'm already good at, like Streets of Rage 2.

Definitely Tony Hawk, preferably the 1+2 remake.

The music, nostalgia, and familiarity with every inch of those first few games goes a long way in getting me to a comfortable, happy place.

For me there ain't nothing more soothing than a trip to River City. I've played this game so many times it's like sense memory to me. Heck, I want to play it right now as I type this.

Probably the closest thing for me would be Into the Breach as I slowly work my way through getting all the in game achievements on the Switch version.

Definitely second Into the Breach, really stops the nerves a-jangling for me that game.

Also A Short Hike, a perfect peaceful little world where nothing and nobody is evil and there is fun to be had at any pace you choose.

Jon Cheetham wrote: ↑February 25th, 2022, 11:47 am Also A Short Hike, a perfect peaceful little world where nothing and nobody is evil and there is fun to be had at any pace you choose.

oooh, good one!

Either an RPG I can blast through (FFX or Suikoden for example), or a driving game where I can zone out and just play. Both are great and relaxing.

I've got a handful of go-tos when I want to relax and enjoy the familiar:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night- I play this one at least once a year (and am about due to play it again). There's just something about grinding enemies in a room for a while that is soothing as heck.

Solitaire: Doesn't matter if it's the Microsoft one, Clubhouse Games on Switch, or any other format. I don't know what it is, but I can sit and play it for hours while mulling over other things or watching something on another screen. Same goes for a good Sudoku game.

Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger: I get back to these fairly regularly and they are JRPG comfort food for me. Still waiting for Square Enix to show either of those games proper love rather than that mediocre Pixel Remaster that I can already have a close version of through mods on the previous PC version.

Civ games: like the OP, I can get lost in a Civ game for hours

Other honorable mentions: the Mana series, Double Dragon and Kunio Kun games, almost any Mario game, Super Metroid, Contra and Hard Corps: Uprising

Cities Skylines. I can lose myself for days on end playing that game and nothing ever feels like a conflict or anything. Dwarf Fortress too, though that's a very different feel as you build knowing one day the fortress will fall.

Hanging out in Stardew Valley and (admittedly bizarrely!) the streets of Silent Hill 2 or the amusement park in Silent Hill 3 - specifically the rollercoaster operator’s hut! Increasingly bullet-hell shoot ‘em ups too, which can create a zen state of mind comparable to an angler staring at his float all day!

Honestly, I think a lot of games I choose to play are soothing laid back games to unwind to, so I don't quite feel the need to go back to the classics as much.

I think this is a major reason I play so many JRPGs.

ColinAlonso wrote: ↑February 28th, 2022, 9:39 pm Honestly, I think a lot of games I choose to play are soothing laid back games to unwind to, so I don't quite feel the need to go back to the classics as much.

I think this is a major reason I play so many JRPGs.

I once wrote a blog about how I think JRPGs are "cozy games". The music, the humor, how much detail goes into small towns, the fact that characters rest, the quiet mini games like fishing and cards, and turn-based battle systems that can move at your own pace. Just the thought of sitting in a knit blanket with a warm drink while playing a JRPG has me all happy and drowsy.

duskvstweak wrote: ↑March 1st, 2022, 7:50 pm
I once wrote a blog about how I think JRPGs are "cozy games". The music, the humor, how much detail goes into small towns, the fact that characters rest, the quiet mini games like fishing and cards, and turn-based battle systems that can move at your own pace. Just the thought of sitting in a knit blanket with a warm drink while playing a JRPG has me all happy and drowsy.

Dragon Quest and Earthbound especially feel designed for that feeling. I think part of the reason DQ XI is one of my favorite games last gen is that it is the JRPG equivalent of pure comfort food with call backs to the familiar at every turn.

I find there are two parts to this: there are the games that by design are soothing. And then the games that by familiarity are soothing.

For the former Townscaper is a recent addition to this; Unpacking would be another. Journey or Flower also manage this and I can really relax to that method of glide movement so actually some like Nier: Automata's desert section once I was fairly leveled up, or completed islands on Haven, where this also tips back into that second category.

And I also find picross style manages that on the 15x15 or 20x 20 grid sizes oddly enough, or Killer sudoku when it it's termed 'medium' difficulty ...

Kasuga-san wrote: ↑March 3rd, 2022, 2:48 pm

duskvstweak wrote: ↑March 1st, 2022, 7:50 pm
I once wrote a blog about how I think JRPGs are "cozy games". The music, the humor, how much detail goes into small towns, the fact that characters rest, the quiet mini games like fishing and cards, and turn-based battle systems that can move at your own pace. Just the thought of sitting in a knit blanket with a warm drink while playing a JRPG has me all happy and drowsy.

Dragon Quest and Earthbound especially feel designed for that feeling. I think part of the reason DQ XI is one of my favorite games last gen is that it is the JRPG equivalent of pure comfort food with call backs to the familiar at every turn.

I have to strongly agree with the two of ye here. A good JRPG is definitely the type of game which I will just relax and grind for levels. DQ XI in particular, I would sometimes just go and grind for metal slimes while listening to a podcast and I would be one happy camper. Lately, I have discovered how much I actually used to enjoy drawing because of Chicory: A Colorful Tale. There is a section of the game where you go to this Art Academy and take various drawing lessons. Here I would just chill out with a podcast and doodle to my heart's content. So far, it is the only game that matches JRPGS for that blissful feeling of relaxation after a hard day's work.