Review: Cozy Grove – A Gentle, Real Time Cozy Game Full of Heart and Daily Comfort
A relaxing, real time cozy adventure about helping ghostly bears, restoring colour, and enjoying slow, meaningful progress
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Playstation
Genre: Life Sim, Crafting, Exploration, Narrative
Developer: Spryfox
Publisher: Spryfox
How Cozy? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Game Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Cozy Grove is one of those games that quickly becomes part of your daily routine. What I love most about it is its real time gameplay, which you get excited to check in on each day, complete a handful of gentle tasks, and slowly bring life back to the grove at your own pace.
Rather than overwhelming you with endless objectives, Cozy Grove embraces a slower, more mindful approach. Each day, you spend time pottering around the island, helping spirit bears, collecting resources, and soaking up the calm atmosphere. It’s a game that feels designed to be played alongside real life, not rushed through, and that’s what makes it so special.
Story
At the heart of Cozy Grove are its ghostly bear spirits, each with their own sweet, thoughtful, and often emotional stories. As a Spirit Scout, your role is to help these bears remember parts of their lives by completing small tasks for them.
Progressing the story is tied to building friendships and collecting Spirit Logs, which allow you to unlock new bears and storylines over time. Each bear feels distinct, with their own personalities, struggles, and memories, and unearthing their stories is the true core of the game.
Helping the bears doesn’t just move the story forward, it feels meaningful. There’s a real sense of warmth in getting to know them, and the gentle storytelling makes Cozy Grove surprisingly touching without ever becoming heavy.
Related: Looking for more cozy life sims?
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Gameplay
Cozy Grove is built around simple, relaxing activities that refresh daily.
Key gameplay elements include:
Real-Time Daily Play: Each day offers a small set of tasks, making the game perfect for short, relaxing sessions.
Resource Gathering: Catch critters, fish, pick fruit, collect shells, and forage around the island.
Collections: Donate items to Captain Billweather Snout to fill out your collections and track progress.
Crafting and Trading: As friendships grow, you can craft items and trade with bears, unlocking more ways to decorate your grove and tent.
Customisation: There’s a huge amount of variety, from hairstyles and clothes to accessories, with new options appearing in the shop each day.
Decorating: Personalise your tent and the island itself, making the grove feel uniquely yours.
There’s always something small and satisfying to do, but never too much. The pacing is gentle and intentional, making Cozy Grove ideal for winding down after a long day.
Graphics and Visuals
Visually, Cozy Grove is incredibly charming. The hand drawn art style is soft, cute, and full of personality. One of my favourite touches is how the island starts off muted and grey, and bursts into colour around each bear when you complete their tasks.
Watching sections of the grove come back to life, even if only for the day, is deeply satisfying and reinforces the idea that your help truly matters. Each bear’s area feels unique, and the overall aesthetic perfectly supports the calm, comforting tone of the game.
Longevity
Because Cozy Grove uses real-time progression, it’s designed to be played over weeks or even months. Personally I’ve been playing it around 8 weeks now. It’s perfect for players who enjoy:
Daily cozy routines
Slow, meaningful story progression
Collecting and completing sets
Decorating and customising spaces
Relaxed gameplay without pressure
I love spending around an hour or so a day in the grove, completing tasks and enjoying the peaceful environment. It’s something I genuinely look forward to, and it never feels like a chore.
Conclusion
Cozy Grove is an incredibly comforting game and a must play for cozy gamers. Its real time structure, gentle tasks, and heartfelt storytelling create an experience that’s perfect for unwinding and escaping into a calm, friendly world.
Between helping ghostly bears rediscover their memories, decorating your space, and enjoying the slow rhythm of daily play, Cozy Grove offers something truly special. If you’re looking for a cozy game that feels warm, thoughtful, and soothing, this one is an excellent choice.
Looking for more Cozy Life Sims?
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