Cozy Grove is a far more relaxing, yet in-depth experience than I ever could have expected when I jumped into it. Much like the best parts of Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, it had a way of hooking me and I can wholeheartedly say that even if I wasn’t reviewing it, the way in which it caught me made it an experience I'm happy to return to daily.

Whether you focus on story, decorating the island, collecting everything that isn’t nailed down, or some combination of the above, there’s a lot to do on the island of Cozy Grove and all the time needed to get it done. The long passage of time is more a concern for the living than the dead, and hanging out with the ghosts of Cozy Grove is a lovely, chill way to unwind for a few minutes as one day flows into another.

Cozy Grove is a beautiful and relaxing game, but might be a little too repetitive for some people.

Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Cozy Grove's leitmotif is to take your time, while taking advantage of breathtaking artistic direction. Its positive attitude and its very chill side will delight fans but are unlikely to change the minds of those who do not appreciate the genre.

The waiting-mechanic restricts players and is frustrating at times, but simply changing the time of the system is an easy workaround, allowing for Cozy Grove to unfold its pleasant atmosphere and relaxing gameplay. The charming art style combined with dynamic surroundings make this game a laid-back life sim.

Cozy Grove is one of the typical yes games, but… It is very well linked to the genre it wants to represent, it has acceptable content and a fairly interesting narrative, but so many blatant references to Animal Crossing make it not entirely original.

Cozy Grove is beautiful, but its forced gameplay cycle and its limitations make it fall behind other similar titles.