A few weeks back (we were too busy with Listmas to post this sooner), Nintendo granted its Switch Online users with another free game trial, Cozy Grove.  I played this game for a few days before the trial ran out, and it’s, well, it’s basically Animal Crossing.  You play as a Spirit Scout, whose job is helping out the spirits of Cozy Grove, who are all bears.  Somehow.  There’s a…seagull bear.  And a bear that’s a tree?  Okay, then…  As you help these spirits, you’ll burn these special logs in your talking campfire to expand your island and make more spirits appear.

Like I said before, this seems like a great game for an Animal Crossing fan like me.  You can fish (in a fashion identical to Animal Crossing, but easier), dig holes, catch bugs, and help out the spirits.  Much of the time, you’ll be tasked with finding certain items, whether they be specific items like earmuffs or more general ones, like catching three uncommon fish.  You can also upgrade your tent and decorate both the outside and the inside, plant trees and shrubs, craft things, buy clothes, etc.  You can even donate certain things like fish, bugs, and food to the seagull bear, though the game doesn’t appear to have a dedicated museum.  Unlike Animal Crossing, you can also get these pet birds, who are happier if certain items are placed near them and if you feed them their desired foods.

One issue I have is with the dense landscape, which makes it very hard to spot certain items against particularly detailed sections of the island.  Fortunately, you can pay one of the spirits, Charlotte Pine, for tips, which I have done multiple times already when I grew tired of searching for a particularly sneaky object.  So far, I feel like items in the shop are really expensive, sometimes costing thousands of coins.  I haven’t had too much trouble earning enough money for something I really want, but I still feel like I must be far more frugal in this game than I do in Animal Crossing.

I had a lot of fun during my few days playing Cozy Grove, and I’m tempted to get the full game next time it goes on sale.  Admittedly, the game looks a bit overwhelming to me with all the things you can do, but I’m sure I’d get the hang of things eventually.  And besides, I’m always looking for another relaxing game like Animal Crossing, and it’s nice that this game might have a little more of a story.  Cozy Grove is available pretty much anywhere and costs only $14.99, a great price for a game that can last upwards of 70 hours.

Banner image from official Steam page