Oftentimes, games focus on challenges and difficulty to appeal to hardcore gamers. However, there are also games that are fun and relaxing for casual players. In this article, we have compiled a list of games with pleasant music, a plot without unnecessary details, simple controls, and a sense of danger, so you can relax while playing them with your loved ones.
Journey (2012)
PC, PS4, PS3, iOS
Indie game developer Thatgamecompany is known for its meditative games: Flower, Sky: Children of the Light, and, of course, Journey. The Journey game is one of the most high-profile indie projects of the last decade.
In this game, you explore the desert world and view the ruins of a lost civilization. The hero is free to slide on the sand and soar in the air. The Journey is a wordless story that allows you to build your own theories about the world around you.
It also has an unobtrusive multiplayer feature, where you can meet other players and help each other by activating strips of cloth or showing paths. The players cannot hinder each other and are not necessary for completing any level. At the end of the credits, the player is shown the usernames of the other travelers who took part in the journey.
Shenmue I & II (2018)
PC, PS4, Xbox One
Many will probably wonder why Shenmue is in the selection. Now let us explain our choice.
On the one hand, the Shenmue adventure series has a serious scenario: a Japanese high school student investigates his father’s murder by exploring the open world, searching for clues, examining objects, and talking to non-player characters, all the while gradually mastering the intricacies of martial arts.
On the other hand, all parts of Shenmue allow you to freely comb through large cities: Yokosuka (Shenmue), Hong Kong (Shenmue 2), and Niaowa (Shenmue 3). You can take a break from the central storyline and go play in the arcade, hang out in the supermarket, listen to music in the bar, collect trinkets resembling little gashapon figurines from coin machines, and go fishing.
There are plenty of activities, because of which it is really possible to get stuck in the world of Shenmue for dozens of hours, not moving a single step towards the final, but having fun.
Untitled Goose Game (2019)
PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
A joke game about a harmful goose that conquered the world. In this stealth arcade game, you actually control a goose that annoys the inhabitants of a calm village.
The hero of Untitled Goose Game flaps his wings, ducks, cackles, and drags objects. The stock of actions is limited, but they are quite enough to break the patience of anyone. Not so long ago, the developers released a patch that added a two-player cooperative mode. This lets you and your loved ones play through the whole game as two horrible geese, honking twice as much, teaming up to plan pranks, and generally ruining everyone’s day in the game together.
Gris (2018)
PC, Mac, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android
Gris captures the soul with artistic graphics. Despite the 2D minimalism, the picture remains in memory for a long time. The animation is also impeccable.
Formally, Gris is an adventure platformer. Along the way, the heroine gains abilities like a double jump and turning to stone. Nevertheless, the puzzles are simple; there are no opponents, and there are no bottomless abysses either. You cannot die in Gris, so the game should appeal to even those who cannot stand acrobatic arcade games that are demanding of skill.
Yoshi’s Crafted World (2019)
Switch
Another platformer, though more classic, with enemies and collecting collectibles. What makes Yoshi’s Crafted World unique is, again, its appearance.
Good-Feel and Nintendo put together levels from colored paper, cardboard, clothespins, twigs, tin cans, and so on. It looks like a children’s appliqué and a work of art.
The game is designed to be accessible for younger players, with straightforward objectives and puzzles. The game also has an easy difficulty setting that should let even inexperienced kids play through the campaign without too much trouble or confusion.
At the same time, for a complete “cleansing” of locations, remarkable experience in arcades will be required. Well, if you just want to wander about the colorful world of dinosaur Yoshi, for example, together with your younger brother, sister, or child, then feel free to play this game. Co-op mode is included.
