While playing the Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit demo during Summer Game Fest, the developers told me how excited they were to be able to make a sequel. After putting the original game in players’ hands, they said they quickly realized how many balance issues there were, with inventory limits and overly expensive upgrades adding too much friction to what was supposed to be a similarly laid-back life sim. to Animal Crossing. . But as bad as the developers themselves thought those problems were at launch, they didn’t stop it from growing a devoted fan base, and Cozy Grove more than earned the right to a follow-up.
Camp Spirit, then, is a game that makes the most of the lessons learned by the studio to get things right from the beginning. Of course, a 30 minute demo is not enough time to get a real feel for something like this. Like Animal Crossing, this is a game that unfolds slowly over days, weeks, and months, giving you a gentle dose of new things to do as things change and new content is unlocked in real time.
But that time was enough to start enjoying delightful little additions to the game, like a blowfish that cleans up dirty parts Mario Sunshine style and a hint system that will keep you from endlessly searching for the hidden items you’re looking for. need to progress. The developers say they’ve focused on fewer of the game’s central ghost bears to give each of the characters more time to grow in the story, and that’s a big long-term hook.
The big question mark hanging over the game now is the fact that it’s exclusive to Netflix, meaning you’ll need to maintain a subscription to the streaming giant in order to play, and you’ll only be able to get the game on mobile devices. . The game’s simple actions work great on a touchscreen and are a wonderful gift if you’re already a Netflix subscriber, but if you prefer one-time purchase games on a more traditional gaming device, you’re currently out of luck.
That said, Camp Spirit looks to maintain all of the endearing charm that made the first Cozy Grove a success, and the developers are clearly working to put into practice the lessons they learned in the previous game. If you want to try it out for yourself, you don’t have to wait long: Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit arrives on iOS and Android via Netflix on June 25.
If you are looking for something healthier games like Animal Crossingyou know where to click.
