Topic: What are your comfort games?

I tried looking for a thread like this on the Nintendo Life boards, but it looks like it wasn't made... so I made my own. Anyway, what are your personal comfort games? These are games that you can always go back to and enjoy. While this thread is on the Nintendo Switch forum, you can mention any games you want. They can be on the Switch and/or something else entirely.

The most recent examples for me are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 3. I enjoy hopping into MK8D's online multiplayer and racing through the game's many, many courses. They're all fun to play on, and the karts control really well too. It also helps that MK8D has an awesome soundtrack. Sure, it has a chaotic nature and things don't always go my way, but I still have fun. As for S3, it's another good game to casually hop into the online, and that was when I really started to get into Splatoon. This year saw me put a lot of hours into it. It also has great music, and I've not missed a Splatfest since I got it for Christmas last year.

I'll also mention the mainline Super Mario games, those are always great to go back to... no matter how many times I've finished any one game in the series. Especially stuff like Super Mario World, that is one of my favorite games of all time. Similarly, I like replaying the original Sonic games on the Genesis/Mega Drive, and I also really like Sonic Mania. Tetris Effect Connected is another great one to chill out with, same with Tetris on the Game Boy.

So what about you folks? What games do you like that you can always go back to?

That is easy for me:
1. The WHOLE Castlevania franchise with few exceptions!
2. Fallout 3, New Vegas and Fallout 4.
3. Batman Arkham series.
4. WarCraft, StarCraft and Diablo. (I am putting all of those in one place because ... Blizzard games)
5. Heroes of Might and Magic series because I can always play one more turn
6. Half-Life 1 and 2

1. Castlevania series indeed
2. Duke Nukem 3D
3. Zelda Windwaker
4. Zelda botw or totk
5. Command & Conquer series

MK8D is one of mine, too. I regularly jump into regionals or a friend lobby and the dlc has been fantastic.

Tetris 99 is my most played game and primary comfort game.

Tetris Effect Connected is a good shout, too - especially the Effect modes.

Brotato I've been hooked on recently. That's a pretty relaxing game. Vampire Survivors was enjoyable. I need more bullet heavens to drop in the indie world.

I find puzzle games relaxing -
Suika Game
Picross
GRINDSTONE
TENS!

Oh, and farming/simulation games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing New Horizons.

On Switch? Games that are best to come back to in short bursts again and again?

Lumines Remastered (best drop-puzzler not named Tetris)
Radiant Silvergun (my favorite vertical shmup)
Castlevania Anniversary Collection (access to Super Castlevania IV)
TMNT Cowabunga Collection (access to TMNT TiT)
Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle (access to Super Dodge Ball)

Animal Crossing, from New Horizon down to the GameCube one that I turned on only a couple of days ago to let my friends know I'm still alive.

Halo the Master Chief Collection because I can play all the old gens Halo in one place.

Resident Evil 4, no matter how many times I played it, every now and then, I feel the urge to shoot some Ganados.

But probably for the next few years, Zelda TOTK will take this place; I still have so many side quests to complete and armors to fully upgrade

BOTW because it was my first Zelda game I really played on my own, and it helped me get through some stuff because I played it whenever I hated life or hated everyone haha. NSMB Wii because I remember playing it as a kid with my family and it brings back so many good memories. Same with Mario Kart Wii and Wii sports. SSB for 3ds was the first smash game I played because my best friend finally convinced me to play, and it has become one of my favorite games. TOTK will
become my new comfort game as time goes on. I play it whenever I’m stressed or just want a break.

Playing Fortnite with my two friends makes me very happy. Even when we lose, we still laugh and enjoy our time spent. ☺️

I often find myself going back to GTA III and GTA Vice City. The soundtracks are impeccable, the mechanics aged extremely well, it's just a joy all around. Probably one of my most played games ever, and I play RPGs that take dozens of hours for one playthrough so it's saying something.

Other than that, Harvest Moon games. It's that cozy atmosphere that simply can't be reproduced.

MK8 Deluxe is the main one, I like returning to play the new courses when they come out and get picked a lot online. Also it's a nice way to fill in gaps between releases that are too small for an unplayed game to fit in. Splatoon 3 kind of fits too though to a smaller extent as it has been more common to clash with other stuff (e.g. MK8 Deluxe DLC wave 5 vs. Splatoon 3 Splatfest, MK8 Deluxe DLC wave 6 vs. Grizzco gold rotation for Splatoon 3 Salmon Run).

Switch having an insanely packed lineup most of the time means I'm not returning to games much after completion unless they get more content.

I consider comfort games to be ones that I can easily replay about once a year, or come back to consistently after taking slight breaks. So those include:

Metroid Prime Trilogy
Anything Ace Attorney related, especially the PW trilogy and GAAC
Mario Kart Wii or 8
Smash Bros Ultimate
Monster Hunter Rise
Bloons TD 6
Portal 1 and 2
Tetris Effect: Connected
Risk of Rain 2
Stardew Valley

I always go back to playing Sonic the Hedgehog, the original Sega Genesis game, and Super Mario All-Stars. Always like coming back to them no matter what. Also, plenty of cartoon tie-in games. I just find it fun exploring around the worlds of my favorite cartoons. Stuff like Smurfs: Mission Vileaf comes to mind. Despite it being intense online, I just find any Mario Kart nice to come back to. Just driving around on an empty track in time trial mode can be fun and relaxing.

Does mobile game counts? If they do then definitely blue archive. The game has tons of cute characters and the Chibi models are really detailed and really cute and the games title essentially translates to “stories of youth” chances are if you’ve loved your high school years the characters might ring a bell.

Well, for me, comfort games can range. Some comfy visual novels are some comfort games, but a big one is definitely Animal Crossing New Lead and Tomodachi Life.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Pokemon, especially the first four gens, which I could easily navigate while watching TV or something. Nothing beats a replay experimenting with a new team (or even going back to old favourites).

For me, the MGS series!

@bixente @doriasamp @EllaTheQueen6 Ah yeah Animal Crossing is another great one as well. New Leaf was what I started with, and I played the living heck out of New Horizons back in its first couple of years. I had fun playing with friends I've met on the New Horizons thread, and I'm pretty happy with how my island and house turned out! I pretty much got my fill of the base game as of now, but I would like to play more of Happy Home Paradise sometime.

@Sunsy I like coming back to Super Mario All-Stars as well... it's also one of my most nostalgic games as it was likely the first game I ever played. I've gotten huge into Nintendo and Mario ever since.

Either Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker.

A few of my favorite comfort games:
Katamari Damacy series
One Piece Pirate Warriors series
Mega Man (classic) series

There's a lot of other great games out there that I could consider to be comfort games too, but these are at the top for me.