Retro games with unintentional coziness (another Shenmue thread)

Having recently done a playthrough of Shenmue following the 20th anniversary of Dreamcast's western launch, other than the jankiness of the controls and gameplay mechanics, something else more round stuck me. The game is cozy as fuck I don't think a game before or since has captured.



This game perfectly replicates the feeling of walking through a quiet town in the rain. The music and background ambience just feels so right.

But then again, it could just be nostalgia.
 
Another one that nails it, the detail of the mansion, the flock wallpaper, the crackling fireplace.

Forget the zombies and other nasties, it just makes me feel like putting my feet up by the fire with a glass of whiskey and sitting out the storm

 
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D2 nailed the sense of walking through a snowy landscape I almost felt cold when playing this game is was so well done



Great suggestion, though I've not played I've watched playthroughs and thoroughly agree.

Especially the snow in the sunset, such atmosphere.

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There's something about the first Xenoblade that I don't know how to explain. The great vistas, the music... Everything feels like home.

But Satorl Marsh makes me want to stay there forever.
 
Shenmue 1 and 2 are the coziest games ever. I love them both. I have a plan to do the Shenmue experience sooner than later (visit Japan and Hong Kong, check out the places in the games).
 
The most unintentionally cozy game I've ever played has to be Sim City on the SNES. The changing of the seasons, combined with the chill soundtrack, watching the city grow.
 
I find Wuthering Waves to be very cozy in between it's DMC-light combat.

The vistas are pretty and dreamlike and the music is quite chill, especially the title music.
 
I replayed Shenmue for the first time last year and it still holds up largely due to the atmosphere, music, and setting. There's still nothing else like it imo.

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It was different in 2000. Shenmue feels way more empty today than it did back then. Shenmue II is more vibrant, but it's still something about the first game that I really like. The scale of it, and frankly the loneliness and sadness of it all after having lost his father. Walking around listening to that particular soundtrack named Loneliness remains a special memory that I carry with me.

 
When I go to Japan and walk between places (especially through neighbourhoods) those Shenmue vibes come flooding back.
 
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Another one that nails it, the detail of the mansion, the flock wallpaper, the crackling fireplace.

Forget the zombies and other nasties, it just makes me feel like putting my feet up by the fire with a glass of whiskey and sitting out the storm


Death stranding? Can be very zen

Last i hiked up to the tea house at lake luise with my back pack i felt like a porter lol.

But really.

Sometimes i think kojima cam to the rockies for this game
 
There are a lot of cozy places in the N64 Zeldas: Inside the Deku Tree, Zora's Domain, that underwater dungeon with the cow, Fairy's Fountains, inside houses with the fireplace crackling, Kakariko Village / Clock Town / Castle Town at night, the graveyard, the swamp, the Ice Cavern, hell, most of the dungeons actually....
 
Shenmue I and II were terrific games. You can almost feel you're entering a virtual world, it's a very unique experience.
 
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I honestly couldn't have asked for a better tag.

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But it would have been hilarious if Spukc Spukc would have received it instead, but he already had one unfortunately.
 
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Love it,shenmue was as good as seeing mario 64 moment.life changing and I couldn't stop thinking about it when my cousin brought it round for me to see.
I was in centre parcs (UK holiday resort for 4 days and all I could think about the whole time was when I get back my dad will get me a dreamcast with shenmue.
What a time for gaming....💕
 
It's insane how much of an impact Shenmue had/has on me. It's just one of those experiences that is burned into my memory. A feeling I chase frequently.
 
Great suggestion, though I've not played I've watched playthroughs and thoroughly agree.

Especially the snow in the sunset, such atmosphere.

3X2DJky.jpeg

There's two moments when living in a snow-filled country is absolutely magical. One is when there's a short time when everything gets wonderfully blue, and it's a blueness that's difficult to describe. The other is your image when you get the perfect cozy warm light filling up the wintry environment. There's a special sense of serenity.
 
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