The Best Cozy Game Nintendo Will Never Make

Cozy games are all the rage nowadays. They have been popular for a while, but the genre really took off in 2020 thanks to their unique ability to replicate life in a virtual capacity, offering, at the time, a nice escape from the real world that had a lot of problems. They have remained quite popular since, with games like Stardew Valley and Disney Dreamlight Valley being two of the major standouts. The biggest driver of that 2020 renaissance was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the main cozy game available for Nintendo Switch.

But other than Animal Crossing, Nintendo doesn’t do much else in the cozy games subgenre. The Switch and Switch 2 are fantastic platforms for cozy gaming, but that’s thanks to a ton of third-party indie games that find homes on the console(s). In terms of first-party cozy gaming, Nintendo is lacking outside of the Animal Crossing series. And while Nintendo likely won’t go down this route, a golden opportunity for another first-party cozy game is right there just waiting to be made.

Hyrule is the Perfect Cozy Game Setting

Playing both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom makes one thing clear: when Hyrule isn’t under attack or in dire straits, it’s actually a pretty peaceful place to live. Trudging through the snow in the Hebra Region or experiencing the calm rain in Faron makes fast travel a less ideal option in those games, but it also makes Hyrule a great place to live.

Therein lies the crux of a possible cozy game. When Link’s not fighting off demons or trying to save the land, there’s a lot to do in Hyrule that is quite cozy. Time spent at a stable or in a village is so relaxing, and it’s one of the reasons it is so easy to forget about the dangerous main quest you’re on in those two games. Other Zelda games have this, too, but not nearly to the same extent.

The options here are endless, too. Most cozy games involve players running a farm, which, admittedly, would be perfect for this hypothetical game. It’s not limited to just that, though. Players could be a shop owner in Kakariko Village or start up a gear store in Hateno Village. Think of all the different roles NPCs held in those two games, and that could be what players do in this cozy Zelda game. They could mine with the Goron, build with Bolson Construction, or run a traveling shop like Beedle. Maybe in doing so, they’d run across Link or Princess Zelda in their travels, adding a fun interaction for players to seek out.

Nintendo, Sadly, Isn’t Likely to Make This

Nintendo primarily uses its biggest franchises without making too many spin-offs. Mario is the lone exception, but most of the spin-off series (Mario Party, Mario Kart, or any Mario sports games) were made a long time ago, and no other series has really gotten that treatment. The Legend of Zelda has the Hyrule Warriors series, and that’s basically it. If Nintendo is using Zelda characters, it’s generally for a big game.

Furthermore, Nintendo is clearly not all that interested in cozy gaming from a first-party perspective. The Animal Crossing franchise has been big since 2001. Yet, Nintendo has not really branched out from that series with regard to this genre. Clearly, it’s not of interest, even if it would make a fantastic series combining two prominent gaming audiences into one.

Why The Legend of Zelda Needs This Spin-Off

With that said, this would be a fantastic opportunity for Nintendo. For a long time, they’ve mostly just milked their first-party series without changing much. They did change the style of The Legend of Zelda for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but it’s still the same general formula. This would be something totally different, allowing Nintendo to prove it can do things differently, even with a longstanding series.

It would also give them a way to use familiar IP in a new way to potentially launch a new series of cozy games or just games set in the worlds of these big franchises without necessarily being part of them. They could set a game in the Pokémon universe without having to make an actual mainline Pokémon game. The same is true for Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and more. The possibilities are endless, but Nintendo just needs to take the first step in that direction, diversifying itself and providing a genuine breath of fresh air for a nearly 40-year-old series.

What do you think? Is Nintendo missing out by not making this game or something similar? Be sure to sound off in the comments below!

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