why casual video games are actually better... 

POV : *You're realizing that Smash was meant to be a causal and wholesome party game but most competitive people ignore the touches and hard work made for a party game.*

Ngl that Smash Bros segment was the most relatable thing ever

I totally understand taking in the scenery of different games. I personally don’t do it myself, but I’ve done it a few times in games like Mario Odyssey or the scenery in the background of Smash Ultimate (Battlefield is actually FREAKING BEAUTIFUL) and it gives you a whole different appreciation for these games.

It’s really cool how more people are talking about A Short Hike. Its design, low price and short length makes it perfect to recommend to pretty much anyone!

Me who plays competitive games: yeah you’re right

playing animal crossing during quarantine was a whole different vibe

My Friend: I completed Cuphead and it was so hard! Me: That’s cool and all, but did you get to build relationships with the characters in the game?

For me, it's the other way around. I feel stressed playing games without a goal or/and without a little challenge. But I really like games such as Monster Hunter or RPGs in which you can work on great strategies to fight your enemies.

At times I prefer casual games like out of every sports game I’m definitely someone I would choose Wii sports and wii sports resort because of the simpleness

sometimes you just need to play a game that makes you unreasonably angry and that’s perfectly ok

A lot of people’s relaxing games are animal crossing and stardew valley… mine is Mario kart 8 deluxe

I’m one of those who like beating their head against a wall over and over again until I take that stock, beat that stage, etc. it gets me pumped but also happy even if I get frustrated sometimes lol

They’re both fine except the competitive games are more toxic most of the time which makes it less fun cause I just wanna play the game lol

i find myself getting bored of casual games after a while when i dont know what else to do in the game haha

The perfect casual game for me that is and always will be is Minecraft, I can do so many things and there is a sense of progression that I love, like deciding where and how you are going to build your base starting simple with the basics a chest a bed a crafting table a small wheat farm to keep you alive for the moment to later add and decorate it in your own way

I actually do play Hollow Knight to relax. Once you get to a certain point and you have learned all the boss fights, it can be quite fun to go through the better ones again and again (Mantis Lords, Pure Vessel, etc). But other than that Stardew Valley, Spiritfarer and A Short Hike are all amazing relaxing games.

Dancing Piranha Plant?! My life is now complete

I totally agree with this mindset! Casual/Wholesome games are like my favorite genre. Wii Sports Resort, Stardew Valley, Spiritfarer, and A Short Hike are such great examples of this. Just simple games where you can sit back and enjoy without worrying too much. Great video!

Tip I found out the hard way recently: if you like casual games, don’t play Crash Bandicoot

Just found your channel yesterday...and purchased "a short hike" after seeing you recommend it. I beat the main objective just a short time after, but I am still playing and am just having a magical time with it. Had never heard of it before! I agree, those kind of games are brilliant, but most people probably would not care for them much. Thanks for the recommendation and video!!

Every now and then, I like to pop in Go Vacation and just explore the island, or play the mini games they have there.

I like Zelda breath of the wild it’s half stressful half exploration/Relaxing

Hard games are definitely sometime stressful but they definitely feel great when you overcome a challenge

If you’re looking for relaxing games to play, you should definitely try Sky: Children if the Light.

Sure, casual games are cool for relieving stress, but playing casual games all the time? Nah

I mean, sometimes I would rather play games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley instead of Doom & Halo.

A Short Hike really deserves more attention! It’s one of my absolute favorite games ever and is really fun

I loved a short hike! Being older now and not having as much time to play games it was sooo nice to be able to complete a game over a weekend and the main story was so fun I 100% completed it with all the achievements.

The Critical Health sound effects from Pokémon Black and White around 2:05 capture the stressful mood personally (Take it from someone who has tried a Nuzlocke in White before) (I also admire the use of the Poke Pelago music around the six-minute mark)

Looking at this makes me realize that I kinda like trying to make any games a bit more casual. Smash Bros? You can goof around with items on and the whole stage builder thing is great! Celeste? One of the best music to chill and Assist/Varient mode exists (although getting variant mode requires beating a hardest version of the last stage)! As long that I can goof around or show my creativity, I feel better!

I used to pretty much exclusively played the ol "wholesome uwu cozy casual games" if I was playing on my own, when I only knew them as "life simulation" games and dating sims (the wiki category for the former used to be much smaller lmao). edit: AAYYY GO VACATION

1:42-1:50 is a better summary of Hollow Knight's core gameplay loop than any review I have seen thus far, and I love it.

5:35 why does Claire just look like a lanky version of Roald from animal crossing

Ah yes jimmys dad can't resist ducks,he will play this game untile he dies.

Play “Outer Wilds” if you enjoy the smaller things of games. It’s a game where you are a space cadette exploring a brilliantly crafted solar system. And while there are definitely some frustrating parts and light horror elements, as space is space, just gliding though the vastness of the solar system is so incredibly relaxing

0:52 Holy hecc Magnamolo in your style is adorable

My comfort games are 1. Tomodachi life (it has such a happy vibe and it's hard to be sad when I play) 2. Animal Crossing New Leaf (no explanation needed) 3. Miitopia ( I love anything that has a medeval vibe, even though it has battles, the game isn't super hard until the post game, and the art and music and story just scratch the itch in my brain so well!)

One of my favorite ‘comfort games’ is Super Mario Odyssey. I beat the game in 25ish hours, yet I have like 100 hours in the game, mostly of just running around aimlessly because it’s that fun to control.

Your style of animation is literally so much fun to watch and I love your videos

A short hike is so freaking good omg

I'm replaying Wandersong rn. It's such a good game. Cute,wholesome, and depressing I love it so much. Audrey my beloved

You have no idea how happy it made me to see A Short Hike get love! If you haven’t played it DO it’s so good and honestly, like Madz, I still think about it months later :))

A SHORT HIKE IS PRETTY, AND ADORABLE, AND WHOLESOME, AND IT MADE ME CRY. 100/10.

A short hike is so much fun I love how much iv been seeing it recently

I think you'd like papers please, return of the obra dinn, baba is you, and Stephens sausage roll. Papers please and return of the obra dinn both have great stories and while papers please is a bit stressful, it's still worth it to experience the great story. Baba is you and Stephens sausage roll are great and charming puzzle games that can be a bit frustrating, but are still relaxing.

I enjoy harder games but I understand why they can also be frustrating :>

“But writing peaked at Diary of a Wimpy Kid!!” 😂

Madz makes that water joke Me - inhales and exhales once slow and heavy

Hey mads I has a few game recommendations both platformers one wholesome and one just great humor both epic music 1. A hat in time ( 2017 )wholesome platformer about a space girl and ... The Mafia...... 2. Psychonauts: (2005) sequel comes out 25 August this year and uhh about a boy going to summer camp and becoming a psychic I guess humors great btw

yes! i didnt know anyone else did this with just moving around in games and looking at all the scenery and just appreciating it and having a chill time cause it's so fun! it makes you realise with some of the games the extent game designers go for their scenery that sometimes we dont even pay attention to.

thanks to you I found "co-open" from the wholesome game direct and it's so fun and wacky. such a silly game that lets you take your time or finish it quickly. you earn things from helping others with no time limits, i just love it.

Omg.... I always think like nobody knows what a short hike is at all because it’s one of those games I played at school during technology class and whenever someone mentions it I just get really happy (I remember spending 5 weeks trying to buy the hat)

I would like to recommend Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, it's an RPG but everytime I boot up the game I felt like I'm being absorbed into the game. Maybe because it lights up my love for Digimon again. I love seeing the digivolution possibilities and then grind to get it. It's rewarding and I haven't played the game again because I'm afraid it will consume me again if I do.

Casual games can be chill but it can get even more intense than an argument on Twitter

I agree with everything you said about A Short Hike, can’t stress enough how awesome and well made that game is! I can’t wait to try the other games you mentioned!

Okay I need to say I love that game a short hike, I think I bought it last year when it was shown off in an indie direct, I was told it was hard to look at but I couldn't get it out of my head man I really did think it looked adorable and I didn't even know what you did in the game whatsoever I just wanted it It's so cute and I still haven't collected everything, like all the feathers I belive in the game, plus I've barely done the fishing yet. I've gotten to the top of the mountain though. Im glad i was reminded of it, I think I'll play it either very soon or during autumn as it really is a nice autumn game :]

I get so happy whenever I see A Short Hike get more attention

Nobody asked to color every inch of a level in splatoon but here I am

This video is the reason I decided to try a short hike. It’s amazing

I do the same thing in botw all the time. Its so calming to take a break from all the intense stuff you know. The wind is howling and im on my royal horse just slowly going around and i see some towers of what once was a city and is telling me a story, the moving grass, the ruined buildings, the nearby guardian- OH GOD IT SPOTTED ME AND I JUST BROKE ME LAST ANCIENT SHIELD AAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

I got really excited when I seen Hollow knight in the thumbnail, but then it was in the video for less than 15 seconds. Maybe next time.

I just like what I like. I play what looks fun.

I mean yea, sometimes getting stressed isn’t good and it’s nice to be calm and relax.. But sometimes…the stress of halting one mask left while fighting the radiance..it just HIT DIFFERENT

Oh man short hike was such a great gaming experience, everyone should play that wholesome adventure!

1:21 I can confirm, Smash does bring out the worst in me but it makes everyone else so much worse. Which is why given any opportunity, I play Quickplay with items on (I put everything on). But even that’s not a guarantee. People are so allergic to items and final smashes that most of the time, they’ll go out of their way not to have fun for a change and SD 3 times just so they can see Final Destination, Battlefield and Small Battlefield for the umpteenth time. Also, I knew I had to make this comment when all the clips I saw were of Omega stages.

Why can't everyone comment something that's not first

I'm totally like this too. I love lots of menus and stuff like Fire Emblem (I'm autistic and have perfectionist related OCD so I enjoy the nice structure with the big adventure) so it can be really relaxing for me to play games like that since it's everything I love. But the relaxing sort of games like My Sims and such are perfect for me. I played My Sims so much as a kid, it was my first real taste of a calming game. It turned into me loving Rune Factory (more for the farming as well as the rpg bits) and Story of Seasons and such. In fact, even when I played more normal games, I'd seldom complete em as a kid. Especially Mario ones 😂😅 for one thing, I suck at boss fights. And the other thing is, I'd get to a certain point then restart or I'd just make up my own story. Like in My Sims, I'd pretend I would be a robot or make up my own story entirely. In Mario games, I used to pretend a lot like in Mario Galaxy, I'd pretend I was just having a nice adventure and I honestly spent most of my time just at the swing on that world in it. I walk slow, I take everything in. Even most of my time during Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess was me pretending to be a pet wolf named Luke (I named Link Luke) that kept escaping or using the zora armor to pretend to be a monster inhabiting the starting village's pond and kept getting moved to the big lake where the water temple is. Or like in Spore Hero for the Wii when I'd just create my own monsters and pretend to be them as if I were in a zoo 😂 and then pretend there was a monster escape. I cared so little about the actual storyline in games and mostly just stuck to my own. I also struggled a lot because I have dyspraxia and so my body doesn't always move in the way I want it without me realizing. Which made gaming difficult as a kid when it needed precise movements which made Mario games and such more difficult for me. It wasn't about the games themselves, I just loved the experience and using it to come up with my own characters and stories. It's why character creation was HUGE for me in video games as a kid. I could make things up constantly, new backstories and such. I enjoy all the games I play for different reasons, but at the end of the day, this has always been my main play style. Even in Breath of the wild, one save file I had it being a princess of a desert town was now old enough to venture out into the world and explore with her trusty horse as her sole companion. I used the Gerudo area to bring this to life and obviously kept the clothes on constantly, even when I was in the frigid mountains. Exploring and side quests have always been my cup of tea as well. Also I am definitely going to play Alba now cause that looks SO cute! Edit: Oh my god that wholesome direct. I think I put like 90% of those games in the list that I want to play. It even inspired me to come up with my own wholesome game idea which I hope to bring to life one day.

I’m exactly like this!! Ofc I love the higher intensity games every now and then, but just the welcoming nature chill vibe of wholesome games is something that just can’t be beat to me. :’]

I like to play animal crossing and then relax by speedrunning and playing smash

Games are about having fun, not toxic competion.

0:32 straight up my experience with La Croix and sparkling water in general

Yo i love just walking around and admiring games just as u said! I meetsed alot in all of the kingdoms in smo and just took pictures of the kingdoms and marios actions glad im not the only one

a game i recomend is pikuniku as it is very funny and there are a lot of side quests plus the soundtrack is REALLY GOOD

As someone who has 112% in hollow knight the game is stressful but the parts you show are just you being bad lol-

I thought I was the only one that slightly tilted the joystick just to slowly walk around. Glad to hear I’m not alone!

I love A Short Hike so much. I started playing it a couple months in to 2021, and by now I've totally 100% it. It's so cool discovering new things, like if you dig up the graves bones come out, or if you switch to the pickaxe in beachstickball the ball pops and the guy your playing against gets mad. Also, I found a glitch where if you drive the boat on land and ram it into the opponent you can slightly push him and if you do it enough he gets in the water. Then, if you start a game, the ball just bounces back without anyone hitting it. I don't really have much else to say, great video though! Edit: Just watched the wholesome direct, here are the games I liked most: Here Comes Niko Yokai Inn Garden Story Dordogne Bear and Breakfast (I had to get rid of like 2/3 of them because they weren't on the switch, which kinda sucks)

Epic vid and casual games all the way.

Wow amazing video dude :3

I like a bit of both depending on whether I want to blow up and kill stuff or kick back and take it easy

I agree but sometimes I want to play competitive because it can be fun to overcome enemies and challenges.

Mhm,mhm. I've watched through the video entirely and get your point but I disagree 😎😎😎

Hollow knight is epic Don't quit it 👊

i heard a mention of go vacation and thats like one of my all time just comfort games

Soundrack of "A Short Hike" is so wholesome, I had to get it when they said they're doing limited vinyl sale.

"alright, lets try Celeste. it seems like a fun platformer with a calming atmosphere." 30 hours later and b side chapter 5 is still ruining my life

Egg

I absolutely love and adore cozy and wholesome video games!! My favorite games as a kid were acww, mysims, petz catz 2, and just the wii Era of games in general!! Am so glad I'm not the only one who adores these types of games🐥🌼💛 Also Madz, just a quick question but was wondering what brushes you use to create the animations and art you do!! Love your art style💛💛💛

Okay a game I found through Tiktok of All things is Loddlenaut's a game where you clean up the ocean and help the area regrow while feeding axolotl like creature's befriending them. they even appeared at the E3 wholesome section, which is insane to me because it's made by a couple. The husband makes all the code and makes sure it works properly the wife makes all the art and sound design. They both collaborate on the story of the game. I'm excited for it to come out!

Casual games usually bore me very fast nowadays. If I wanna play a relaxing game, I play something like Mario or just fool around in Hollow Knight, if I wanna feel a challenge, I'll go in the Pantheon of HK, play TFT, a little round of Mario Party with my friends, etc...

There's a really relaxing survival game, its called dont starve together. You can play with a friend and get resources ;)

go vacation is one of me and my sister's favorite games ever- no one seems to know about it but its absolute gold

“Im uploading again in a week!” How many other lies have we been told by the council

Ok but give elderbug a flower and tell me again hollow knight isn’t wholesome

I don’t know why but I find games like Fall Guys and Doom eternal really relaxing

I love a short hike and have played it so many times :)

You should totally play and make a video on Spiritfarer, it has so much character and for some reason doesn’t get talked about much!

Thank god I found this vid otherwise I might have just stopped gaming forever thanks made really love the content!

I get you. I just like riding my horse around in BOTW. Sometimes I wish I could turn off enemies and just explore. It's so relaxing. If I had a rough day at work, I feel inclined to just chill in Rito Village. I don't know. There's just something about it that feels so comfortable to me. The veiw, the music, the vibe, the sound of the wind blowing, the clothes; It just makes me feel relaxed.

Thank you for covering Go Vacation a bit. It's incredibly underrated, I mean it's basically Wii Sports Resort but on the Switch and Open World... It even supports Miis! And if you can get past the slight cheesiness and the one major flaw, which is the game simplifies the activities the first time. So I recommend playing them at least twice. Just make sure quit out of the activity once from the results screen and start it again to unlock the more interesting version. But yeah it's surprisingly like one of the best games, I love it