January Cozy Game Reviews: We started 2024 with some good and some meh

I won’t lie, January hit us like a ton of bricks, but we still managed to get out 7 cozy game reviews and even a preview of the wildly popular, Palworld.

As always, I’ve created a nice list of the reviews we did, as well as a quick verdict from the articles. If you want a more in-depth analysis or to see what score we gave to them; please visit the links provided below. 

We don’t give scores to previews, but we included Palworld regardless because it seems like a lot of people want to know what the deal is with this particular game. 

And to round out the list, I give a small blurb about a cozy game DLC we played, but ultimately didn’t think was large enough content to make an additional review about. 

Cozy Game Reviews

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure – Alba: A Wildlife Adventure was a joy to play. Not only were the sounds realistic, but the attention to the design of the animals to get them right was spectacular. It’s a fun, chill experience about beating capitalism as well as prioritizing and respecting the homes of wildlife.

Image: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure / ustwo games / Plug In Digital

Venba – Venba is a gorgeous experience with vivid colors and catchy music. The story will draw you in through a series of recipe puzzles that will make you wish for more content.

Image: Venba / Visai Games

Lemoncake – While the game is fun and doesn’t have anything inherently wrong, the lack of controller support makes it wholly unenjoyable to play. Despite being ported to Xbox, Lemon Cake does not have controller support on Steam. 

Image: Lemon Cake / Cozy Bee Games

Here Comes Niko! – I really enjoyed playing Here Comes Niko! I found a lot of enjoyment in running around the islands to complete tasks and while there were glitches, none of them kicked me out of my comfy little bubble. 

Image: Here Comes Niko! / Frog Vibes / Gears for Breakfast

Postal: Brain Damaged – Postal: Brain Damaged is a great side game in the established series that can’t help but make both commentaries on modern memes and be nostalgic for a bygone era. While flawed, the game is fun to play for anyone that likes the fast-paced FPS genre known as “boomer shooters”.

Image: Postal: Brain Damaged / Hyperstrange / Running with Scissors / CreativeForge Games

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is different from the former game and relies heavily on time limits and repetitive levels. While I appreciate a game that allows upgrades, this missed the mark for me. The only thing that saved this score was the ability to turn on god mode. 

Image: Turnip Boy Robs a Bank / Snoozy Kazoo / Grafitti Games

A Little to the Left – For puzzle lovers who want low stress, A Little to the Left is a perfect addition to any game library. However, there is a slight bug where spending too much time on a puzzle almost stalls it out and you’ll have to restart a level. 

Image: A Little to the Left and Cupboards & Drawers DLC / Max Inferno / Secret Mode

Cozy Game Preview

Palworld – Honestly, I may have quite a few gripes about Palworld, but I really like this game and what it’s trying to do. I went into this knowing full well that it’s in early access and likely very rough. It’s not perfect. Even when all of the current issues are resolved, it still won’t be. But, I have a weird respect for what it’s going for.

Image: Palworld / Pocket Pair, Inc.

Cozy Game DLC

Sticky Business: Plan With Me DLC – I loved Sticky Business, so when they came out with a DLC for planners, I was really excited to elevate the sticker business experience. Unfortunately, it wasn’t about making notebooks and notepads as I’d originally thought. The DLC just adds new stickers. 

To be fair, the stickers are all planner related and you can make an approximation of your own idea of a planner, but it’s still just a sticker at its base. 

While I love the base game and I like the newest addition of stickers, this simply wasn’t enough to do a full review about. I did, however, do a review on the main game, which you can check out if you’re interested.