I'm playing Jet Set Radio right now, and the controls keep it from being a tight experience like it should be. Something nice and fluffy like Journey or Rez is ideally what I'm looking for.
I can second at least Stardew. What a delightful game to get lost in for a while.
I've been playing Minecraft for a full decade now and it wasn't until last year that I started regularly playing on a higher difficultly. Mine for a while, go build, rinse and repeat. Usually listen to podcasts unless I'm doing something like planning a build that takes concentration. Super relaxing.
Only switched because I was interested in a different experience.
I back Katamari. You'll most likely get berated for not doing good enough at the end of every level but that happens if you get the highest score possible as well, just less harsh.
If you liked Journey, I would recommend Outer Wilds. Just a purely exploration game with a tiny bit of puzzle solving inside. Hard to do it justice. It’s excellent.
Some of the puzzles are pretty involved, but everything ties together and because of a central game mechanic it's very easy to just go explore somewhere else if you get stuck.
It does get a little spooky in parts, but overall it's a relaxing, magical experience that really captures the wonder of learning about something on your own terms under your own direction.
I'll put it on my list. I'm trying to only buy games under $10 for the time being.
Hell yeah I used to do that in Driver 2 and GTA San Andreas, roleplay for a bit and stuff like that...
Also going hunting or just chilling in the woods in RDR2.
Donut County is a pretty cute little adventure puzzler where you're a hole swallowing everything in town. Game's short, a little over 2 hours, and the plot seems a little thin.
slightly spoilery reason for that
the game was originally gonna be about the destruction of Hopi culture in the American Southwest, until the dev realized during development that it would be pretty insensitive, and changed it into a sort of awkward allegory for capitalist enclosure.
Just beat it this morning. Solid two hours.
spoiler
I wish they let you expand past the town ala Katamari, but that's a minor gripe.
Alien Isolation is great for unwinding after a hard day. I love watching all the little spacemen!
Check out Abzû. It's very relaxed and I've heard it compared to Journey (though I haven't played Journey, so idk)
Sayonara Wild Hearts
https://1337x.to/torrent/4181049/Sayonara-Wild-Hearts/
Fez is dope as hell, but you absolutely need to play with a notebook handy to get much out of it.
Why? Doesn't it have a whole 3D map of the world and icons showing what is where?
Dyson sphere program and Factorio with no aliens comes to mind for me. They get me into a Zen mode and time just melts away.
Slime rancher? No real pressure to do anything, it's just exploration, mostly.
I have the type of brain that automated the farm by optimizing food/robots and everything. Then I got all the achievements and no longer wanted to play.
a short hike is wonderful
maybe superliminal or picross, if you like puzzle games :)
Surprisingly Hades? Like I got stressed till I realized you restart constantly and now I love it.
My Time at Portia is pretty good.
Gorogoa and The Witness are good picks for puzzle games.
Elsinore if you want to try something a little more stressful but really different.
Yeah that's true. Maybe not the best for low-stress gaming. Alternate idea: walking sim. Tacoma is great.
