Topic: What are your comfort games?

Super Mario Odyssey!
Since my first playthrough it is my absolute favorite game, beautiful, charming, and playful. Always a joy to come back.

@BR1CK Yeah sure, I went ahead and sent you a request if that's ok with you. My Switch username is MarioLover. What games do you like playing online?

@MarioLover92 - Hey thanks! Well I have 3 kids under 12 so I don’t have much time for online play but when I do it’s usually Mario Kart 8 or a Mortal Kombat game. My guilty pleasure is seeing all the games and time played for people!

@BR1CK Ok that's fine. I do like playing Mario Kart 8 from time to time... been enjoying my time with the DLC. You should be able to see my play activity, I did make mine so that only those on my friend list can see it.

Well, I guess Trolls Remix Rescue is a comfort game for me now. Just something about exploring the Trolls world I find relaxing. I already beat the game, so one thing I can do is go back to the levels and explore and play around, a lot of fun once all upgrades are unlocked.

Oddly enough, games likes Mortal Kombat are relaxing to me. Just zone out and mash some buttons.

Or randomly build stuff in Minecraft!

Call of Duty — Usually the current one. I can just turn off my brain and shoot people. Granted I am not good at it but for some reason I enjoy it.

World of Warcraft — As long as I have a sub, I can always find something to do.

Forza Horizon 3 — I can just drive around for hours enjoying the scenery and doing stuff.

I've noticed lately that anything that has a flash game kinda vibe is like comfort food to me. I think that's part of why I'm liking Mario vs. Donkey Kong a fair bit. Its small, somewhat loosely designed levels, the game feel and mechanics, and the way the game is structured all come across like a flash game to me. It's even more pronounced with the original presentation of the game - not in regards to the prerendered sprites, but rather just how things look a bit scattershot. I'm glad the Switch version looks more pleasant and consistent, but at its core, it appeals to the part of me that loved getting time on sites like Coolmath at school for several years.

this might sound dumb, but Fortnite. it’s like that feeling you get when you slide on your favorite pair of old, comfortable shoes or slippers

I would say that many games have served this purpose over the years. NSMB on my DS, for example. for a while I would play a match of Advance Wars: Dual Strike every night before going to sleep. for a different while I would play a puzzle or two in Picross 3D on DS. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the BGM options included relaxing sounds such as Spring Rains and Babbling Brook. oh my gosh, SO relaxing

When I think about it, it's got to be Picross. No matter how much I think I'm sick of it, I download another instalment, and I find myself sucked in all over again. I usually listen to a podcast or "half-watch" something in the background while doing so (like a game show or soap that doesn't require my full attention), and I can lose myself for hours at a time. Last night, I played Picross S6 on my main Switch while listening to the Plumbers Don't Wear Ties developer's commentary via my Switch Lite (the commentary, annoyingly, was omitted from the cartridge, possibly in error, from the physical release, but that doesn't explain how its absence caused the file size to bloat by around 4.5GB!).

I absolutely hate the extra large Picross puzzles though. They're absolutely joyless and cause eyestrain, even on the OLED model (and imagine how much worse it would be on a Lite!). I eventually gave up on the XL puzzles in S5 and just moved on to S6. Maybe some day, but I'm favouring fun over frustration.

And I wouldn't mind replaying the re-release of the 3DS instalments via Switch, but it's going to need a physical release or a substantial discount given that they'll cost nearly AU$70 for all of the games, which is bordering on ridiculous given how simplistic the games are, and the fact that they aren't standalone games either.

Overall, probably World of Warcraft. Even when I'm out a sub, I just like creating new characters and putzing around up to level 20.

But for Switch, just pop in Mario Kart 8 and sink into some online matches.

Picross was on my comfort list as well and it's one of the few games I play both handheld and docked. The really big puzzles I like much more on my tv.