Persona 4 Golden is my ultimate comfort food. Played that after my little brother passed away and it was exactly what I needed to get through it. I'd love to see a second video!
Trails in the Sky really hits the cozy spot for me. This long slow start and the city of npcs is perfect for chill gaming, just me, steam deck and lots of blanket
Absolutely, same here. I've already beaten it awhile back, but I have the fan translation of the EVO version on Vita that I keep as my "insomnia" game that I'll just turn on and play for a little bit here and there when I'm having anxiety at night to get my mind off stuff because of how chill the entire game is.
It is an extremely cozy game that could have been fitting for this list for sure. We included it in a video we made awhile back about JRPGs that capture the spirit of adventure and honestly most of the games there could have also been fitting for this topic so I wanted to switch it up and talk about some games I’ve rarely if ever talked about on the channel before. But games like Trails in the Sky could definitely pop up for a part 2 or 3 later on!
@@numbvox Trails in the Sky FC is the first one, and a wonderful game. I really kept feeling like I was playing Grandia, though it's not reallllly like Grandia. Similar vibe. Upbeat and full of adventure. Not always upbeat, but in general, sure. You'll want more when you get to the end too.
Honorable mention from me: Lunar 1 Silver Star Story Complete, and Legend of Legaia. Peak coziness for me. As a very busy 31 year old father, I might need a strong glass of bourbon, a blanket, and play one of those titles late into the night on a weekend.
Hey thanks for the shout out! Monster Rancher 2 is my favourite game of all time and had a super deep competitive scene so its nice to see a bit of coverage of our little community.
No problem dude! I watched quite a few of your videos and checked out some of those leagues/tournaments when working on this one, it brought back a lot of nostalgic memories. I had no idea there was still a competitive scene for MR2 so that was awesome to see. Keep up the great content and everything you do for the community to help keep it alive
I loved MR2 growing up. We played that game so much that the frequent insertion/removal of discs make one of the bearings come out of the nub that holds the disc.
The fact that Ian Gillan (lead singer of Deep Purple) sang the boss theme to Blue Dragon is what really amazes me. I had to rewind the video a few times because I thought it was Gillan but kept doubting myself. Dudes a legend with a killer voice. Great vid, bros.
I remember I passed on Blue Dragon because of the reviews, but looking back I think X360 just didn't have reviewers who appreciated JRPG's. Going to pick this up on eBay, but the DS sequels are pricey. Still have a lot of DQ games on my list, so maybe I'll stick with BD1 for now.
It would be really cool if those Xbox 360 "please Japanese people buy our console" exclusives got ported to modern systems. Especially Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey with no disc changes. These games are massively slept on as they were exclusives to a system that wasn't known for JRPGs. As a massive fan of 70s hard rock and heavy metal I was so hype when I heard Gillan when I played BD back in the day.
Agreed. I think it’s one of the better golden age Square titles that aren’t named Final Fantasy. It was way ahead of it’s time. I put a lot more time into it than I did Ocarina of Time as a kid.
@@taciolothar3794 Jogava, nos anos 90, em japonês sem entender absolutamente nada (adquirido no famoso método brasileiro). Só muitos anos depois zerei em inglês. Amo esse jogo.
It’s definitely one of Squaresoft’s lesser talked about titles from back in that era. May or may not be covering it in a full retrospective in due time…
Dude of course we wanna see a part 2...what kind of question is that?! I love the list . Musashi is a great game. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for uploading Do part 2 please
Using every CD in the house for Monster Rancher was great. This was the CD club era too, where they used to send tons to people. But the hit % isn't random. Gotta raise the skill stat to hit more, standard RPG fare.
Yes it is. Brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings. Playing a great JRPG while sitting on my floor in my room with a blanket on and a hot chocolate while it's below 30 degrees outside. Man what a simple time
Your comment guys are so wholesome yet so sad...when I think about how those feelings are gone and no longer existing in nowadays jrpgs (hello square enix )
Secret of Mana is peak RPG comfort food for me. It has colorful graphics, a stellar soundtrack, loveable characters, magical locations and couch coop. My nostalgia for the game is huge, but everyone I played the game with fell in love as well.
Super fond memories of playing Brave Fencer Musashi on the weekends. It was one of the first games I played with a day and night cycle and that always blew my mind. Plus you could buy action figures in the game and decide whether you left them in the packaging or not!
Great video. Loved the kitty at the end. A part two would be awesome! I definitely agree about Persona 4 being the coziest in the series - there’s just something about wandering around Inaba. For me, there are a couple games that come to mind: Tales of Symphonia really hooked me on the Gamecube because of the bright natural world and the charming characters. The way the story developed was a bonus. Even fighting monsters on the world map felt cozy. I also wanna shout out the Magic Knight Rayearth game for the Saturn. That game has a vibe that, even all these years later, still hasn’t been completely matched for me. It manages to blend the best of JRPGs and magical girl manga. The world is vibrant and varied. The characters are charming and the story is interesting. Definitely a cozy game for me.
There's a new-ish JRPG-inspired RPG called Ara Fell (It's on Steam) that I consider ridiculously 'cozy'. If you liked SNES JRPGs and consider them the peak of coziness, check it out.
I actually never played any of the monster rancher games but was really into the anime. Thank you for reminding me of a beloved anime I had forgotten about.
Evolution gets some hate, but there's something really charming about the character designs and animations, and the the drive to see more of the characters' abilities and cyframes keeps you going. I think the little things that make it special are overlooked.
Yay another video! I wish videos would upload more often but I definitely understand why the long time in between uploads. The quality and the love that goes into each video is very evident. Thanks for the content!
Thanks for the kind words, we’re glad to see that people can recognize the quality and why they take a little longer to make. With that said we do plan on making some shorter videos here and there so we can get content out quicker, our next video will be like this so we can get it out way sooner this time 👍
I really appreciate that the list wasn't full of already well known games. I was a huge fan of the Monster Rancher anime and now I feel like I really missed out playing it back in the day, it sounds awesome.
I love the popular classics as much as the next person but it’s fun to talk about lesser known games that don’t get discussed as often. And yeah Monster Rancher was awesome back in the day, the concept of putting in different discs to get different monsters just blew my mind
Lufia is a great RPG I would love to see get some modern attention. Also a HUGE fan of the Shining Force 1&2 and CD series (though I wish they ported CD to the Mega Drive/Genesis instead of the CD)
Wonderful list! Some of them -- Brave Fencer Musashi especially -- are games I've wanted to play for my channel but haven't gotten around to yet. Keep up the good work, guys!
@gaming Broductions you nailed it mentioning Monster Rancher 2. Spent months of my childhood playing this game, loaded problably 100+ music CDs from my parents and had one the best and emotional experiences with a game ever. I will never forget some of my monsters that passed away even tho i was buying them their favorite food and letting them sleep... as a kid i would cheer when they succeded in training, when they won fights and of course, break in tears when they died.
Monster Rancher 2 is one of my all time favorites. I just rolled credits on it for the first time last year. I probably went through a dozen monsters 😅
Mana Khemia 2 is where I started into Atelier and I will say it's seriously my 2nd favorite game, where Grandia barely tops it. It's really funny and worth playing if you enjoyed the first one.
Evolution 2 was the first JRPG I played, on Dreamcast way back in 2000. I was 9, in way over my head and didnt get much past the first boss, but I absolutely loved it. It was 2-3 years later that I borrowed Kingdom Hearts from a friend, then rented FFVII and I was hopelessly hooked. Literally changed my life in a lot of ways. Wouldn't be the content creator I am today without those experiences.
Final Fantasy VII was my comfort game growing up, and still is. I can't count how many times I started a new file as a kid just because Midgar felt like home. I still make a note of it to play it through at least once a year. Pure cozy nostalgic bliss.
Man, what a great topic/list! I love so many of these! I even just bought Evolution 1 & 2 reproductions for my Dreamcast collection for Christmas since I lost my original copies years ago, just because they're so charming, lol. Besides the modern indie Light Fairytale games nowadays, I don't think anyone has done uber-charming chibi character models like the old Evolution games. I _love_ the Blue Dragon suggestion. The aesthetic just always looked like it was made to be nostalgic; so much expertly-wielded soft focus in that game. and I even kinda got Earthbound vibes from it in places (thanks mostly to the toyetic mechanical designs... I still remember seeing promo images in Nintendo Power with these, like, claymation Earthbound miniatures, so anything toylike always gives me those vibes). Except for that insane boss battle theme, the whole thing just oozes this comfy attitude that any fan of old-school JRPGs should enjoy. If I may make a suggestion, please check out NIS' Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers for PS4. That game flew _way_ under the radar when it released, but it is SO freakin' charming and wonderful. Again, it just oozes comfy, cozy, timeless, straightforward, family-friendly JRPG vibes very similar to Blue Dragon. If you _do_ do a second part of this, you really gotta have a look at Destiny Connect before you put it together. Here's the teaser trailer: th-cam.com/video/kup3xwZqKVs/w-d-xo.html
J Bailey, I do love the first 2 Lunar games and they definitely would be fitting for a list like this. We talked about the first Lunar a lot in our video about RPGs that capture the spirit of adventure and honestly most of the games on that list could have also been fitting here so I wanted to switch it up and talk about some games I’ve rarely if ever talked about on the channel before. We’ve yet to talk about Eternal Blue in more detail though so whenever we get around to a part 2, there’s a strong chance for that one to make an appearance
love that you threw Shining Force in here. that series was the start of Camelot Software Planning's other amazing GBA RPG, Golden Sun!!! and Shining Force is one of the grandfathers of the tactics genre. amazing game, story is solid, and a bunch of characters to enjoy, find, and level up to 20 to promote to a new class. anyone looking for a tactical RPG, DO NOT SKIP OUT ON SHINING FORCE!! also if you care to, the shining force 3 on saturne is a solid choice to emulate. you can get a fully complete translated SF3 if you look around google. scenario 1 was released to North America by Sega, but by the time Scenario 2 and 3 came out, Saturne was dying. each scenario 1/2/3 are the perspective of three main characters in the game which all culminate in a great story twist. Guardian's Crusade is one I was actually thinking of the other day but couldnt remember the name of lol. so i'm glad to see it here too. every game on this list is a banger and are classics!
That's so dope that you mentioned Guardian's Crusade. I played that when I was a kid, but we rented it and I never got to finish. But it was such a big deal for me and now at the age of 32 I still remember the game and crossing from one island to the other, or not crossing completely... Something like that. Either way noice video and I've always thought that game was special even if I never revisited it properly
Wow, monster rancher was one that I never hear talked about and was a random game that my parents bought for me as a kid and I was hooked! I would just grab every DVD, CD and game and be constantly seeing what monsters I would get from it so it's awesome to see it get mentioned!
OMG, I wish I had played “Monster Rancher 2” in the 90’s! That whole getting monsters based on CD’s would have been so cool to me and my friends! Will still have to check the game out through emulation.
Great video! For me, Skies of Arcadia: Legends will always be the epitome of coziness. Just a fantastic adventure with a charming cast and a very well-realized world. I can play it any time and get that same comfort feeling.
Just watched this. I was pumped you ended with monster rancher. That was a series that I saw maybe 4 episodes of, but fell in love with right away and just never got to see more of it, and I never once found the games to buy back then. Im so happy you told me the games are on switch! Ill be getting them :)
I just beat Tales of Berseria and had to take a break from Persona 3 two thirds of the way through. I needed a break from dark, heavy stories. I picked up Atelier Ryza on sale on a whim, and despite some major flaws, I am enjoying it. Sometimes you just need to spend your time gathering materials in a bright, cartoony environment.
It’s always fun to find a game in these lists I used to own and had forgotten about. My boyfriend loves monster rancher and since it’s on the switch he put lots of hours into it again after 20 years.
Awesome list! I was obsessed with Guardian's Crusade as a kid, and nobody else I knew had even heard of it. I had to do some digging for this one, but another game I used to love was Eternal Eyes. No clue how it holds up, but I'll give it a shot again someday.
Great video. I didn’t know most of these games, but I LOVED Monster Rancher 2 when I was in high school. My boyfriend (now husband) lent my his old psx and gave me a copy of it, and I used to play it for hours.
I LOVE the Evolution games. I know they’re not really anything special per se but just something about it. Also a good underrated JRPG is Legend of Legaia
Monster Rancher 3 was my favorite from that series. My friends and I used to train monsters during the week and then set up AI tournaments on the weekends, since that one let you save monsters to your memory card to battle with. Such good memories of all the Golems I trained up back in the day to clobber my friends with :D
Oh man, my friends and I used to pillage all of the cheap used CDs we could get our hands on for MR2! Never got to play MR1 much, but MR2 had us all so hooked.
Thanks for featuring Guardian's Crusade. It was a hugely underrated PSX gem with innovative mechanics (seamless overworld, no random battles) and a heartwarming story.
Nice collection. You have my vote for a part 2. Always love low-stress cozy games. Came close to buying Bug Tales when it was on sale on the PS store last couple weeks. I bought Thousand Arms when it came out, like what I played, but didn't get far before something else distracted me. I'll watch that other video you made now. I knew about Guardian's Crusade, but never bought it and now regret it. My vote for this category goes to the first Grandia (Saturn version, as I heard they butchered the localization on PS1).
This is an interesting list, but I wish it was more tailored to modern platforms. Some of these looked really fun but where am I going to pick up a PS1 and respective game in 2023?
I hear you, admittedly on this channel we do focus on a lot of older games but with that said about half the games on this list are still playable on modern systems. Bug Fables is available on everything, Shining Force 1 and 2 is playable on modern systems via the Genesis collection, Monster Rancher 2 is on steam and the switch, and Blue Dragon can be played on the Xbox series X and Xbox one via backwards compatibility
Loved the list! Have heard of a few of these, but many of them I haven’t tried yet. Time to change that. I really liked the Chrono Trigger intermission. My favorite scene from the game. Subbed
I think legend of mana fits in the list, its light headed, have some really nice crafting, old school square characters and the music is gorgeous. Kinda of a hidden gem imo.
Definitely fitting, as with the Mana series in general. It does seem like LoM gets particularly overlooked though compared to other entries in the series
Love the cel shaded style in dark cloud 2, very comfy for sure and yeah Lunar is another relaxing feel good atmosphere. These would make for good additions to parts 2 and 3
Brave Fencer was a testament that Squaresoft were gaming gods back then. Not only can they make great JRPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, but they can also do Action RPGs in the vein of Zelda.
What is the game featured at :44 with the buildings? I'm so glad you mentioned Monster Rancher 2 at the end, one day I'll get around to the remake on Switch. That show was the first anime I ever watched. Also my cousin had a playstation demo disc from pizza hut that had brave fencer musashi that I played, but I need to get around to playing the full thing. Love that the voice actor of Musashi is the same one that voices Izzy from Digimon and Kite from .hack// among many other anime.
Some under the radar ones: Azure Dreams for PS1- building up the town between dungeon raids is very relaxing. Eastward for Switch- perhaps too action oriented, but it's a game that constantly gets you just settled in and relaxed, just to hit you with tragedy after tragedy, but the main character John protecting everyone always feels comforting, and the Earthborn mini-game gives you moments of calm between storms. Spiritfarer for PS4/Switch- maybe pushing the definition of RPG, but it may be the coziest game ever this side of Animal Crossing that actually has a story and ending to play out. Lufia II for SNES- it's a very basic RPG, but the fact that you already know the ending if you played the original makes for a very comfortable adventure.
I love that you not only included shining force I and II but rpgs that might be less typical. I was pleasantly surprised. I Played SF I and SF II allot in the 90s. SF2 is the best, great comfy well composed music, the characters have personality/charm and gameplay is top. Subbed.
Playing P4G now, thanks to it being added to PSN store, and coming to terms that I should've bailed on sqeenix after FFXI. This list is so useful, BFM reminds me a lot of Goemon and I didn't know Blue Dragon debuted on Xbox of all things. Thanks for forcing me to subscribe, great vid.
Persona 4 Golden is my ultimate comfort food. Played that after my little brother passed away and it was exactly what I needed to get through it. I'd love to see a second video!
I am sorry for your lost.
Really sorry for your loss. It’s awesome that certain games can help us through tough times though and will forever be associated with those memories
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I am very sorry for your loss.
Rest easy little bro.
My pick would be Skies of Arcadia. There is something so relaxing about flying through clouds and upgrading your island.
Great pick!
Agreed, nice call! Such a breezy, lighthearted vibe to that one.
I want to play this so bad! It's the game I want a remaster/port/remake the most.
Trails in the Sky really hits the cozy spot for me. This long slow start and the city of npcs is perfect for chill gaming, just me, steam deck and lots of blanket
Absolutely, same here. I've already beaten it awhile back, but I have the fan translation of the EVO version on Vita that I keep as my "insomnia" game that I'll just turn on and play for a little bit here and there when I'm having anxiety at night to get my mind off stuff because of how chill the entire game is.
The music, world, and atmosphere really make a cozy feeling, just like a comfort food for me
It is an extremely cozy game that could have been fitting for this list for sure. We included it in a video we made awhile back about JRPGs that capture the spirit of adventure and honestly most of the games there could have also been fitting for this topic so I wanted to switch it up and talk about some games I’ve rarely if ever talked about on the channel before. But games like Trails in the Sky could definitely pop up for a part 2 or 3 later on!
oh yeah def a really chill game.
@@numbvox Trails in the Sky FC is the first one, and a wonderful game. I really kept feeling like I was playing Grandia, though it's not reallllly like Grandia. Similar vibe. Upbeat and full of adventure. Not always upbeat, but in general, sure. You'll want more when you get to the end too.
R.I.P Akira Toriyama
God rest him.
Honorable mention from me: Lunar 1 Silver Star Story Complete, and Legend of Legaia. Peak coziness for me. As a very busy 31 year old father, I might need a strong glass of bourbon, a blanket, and play one of those titles late into the night on a weekend.
Oh man I love Legend of Legaia, it's so nostalgic to me.
Back then I only had a demo of legaia… which I would play every single day lol never played the full game :(
@@benthehobo5833 the fog !
I spent so much time playing the fishing mini game, loved legend of legaia
Hey thanks for the shout out! Monster Rancher 2 is my favourite game of all time and had a super deep competitive scene so its nice to see a bit of coverage of our little community.
No problem dude! I watched quite a few of your videos and checked out some of those leagues/tournaments when working on this one, it brought back a lot of nostalgic memories. I had no idea there was still a competitive scene for MR2 so that was awesome to see. Keep up the great content and everything you do for the community to help keep it alive
I loved MR2 growing up. We played that game so much that the frequent insertion/removal of discs make one of the bearings come out of the nub that holds the disc.
The fact that Ian Gillan (lead singer of Deep Purple) sang the boss theme to Blue Dragon is what really amazes me. I had to rewind the video a few times because I thought it was Gillan but kept doubting myself. Dudes a legend with a killer voice. Great vid, bros.
I remember I passed on Blue Dragon because of the reviews, but looking back I think X360 just didn't have reviewers who appreciated JRPG's. Going to pick this up on eBay, but the DS sequels are pricey.
Still have a lot of DQ games on my list, so maybe I'll stick with BD1 for now.
@@michaelp4122 I never played it myself, but it definitely looks good!
It’s my all time fave jrpg
@@misshrm14 Really, Blue Dragon? Why Blur Dragon over something like Dragon Quest, Lost Odyssey or others?
It would be really cool if those Xbox 360 "please Japanese people buy our console" exclusives got ported to modern systems. Especially Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey with no disc changes. These games are massively slept on as they were exclusives to a system that wasn't known for JRPGs.
As a massive fan of 70s hard rock and heavy metal I was so hype when I heard Gillan when I played BD back in the day.
I'm so glad that Brave Fencer Musashi is finally getting some love. Such an underrated game
Truly. Be on the lookout for some more coverage of it later this year, might have a video in the works…
it will be my day one purchase if they remake this masterpiece
wish this had a remake actually
It’s my favorite game of all time. Don’t ever see anyone talking about it.
Agreed. I think it’s one of the better golden age Square titles that aren’t named Final Fantasy. It was way ahead of it’s time. I put a lot more time into it than I did Ocarina of Time as a kid.
Props for mentioning Brave Fencer Musashi. Such a hidden gem!
Incrível que joguei essa maravilha !
@@taciolothar3794 Jogava, nos anos 90, em japonês sem entender absolutamente nada (adquirido no famoso método brasileiro). Só muitos anos depois zerei em inglês. Amo esse jogo.
It’s definitely one of Squaresoft’s lesser talked about titles from back in that era. May or may not be covering it in a full retrospective in due time…
It’s the first RPG I’ve ever played. Hits right in the childhood.
And easily one of the coziest games of all time.
Dude of course we wanna see a part 2...what kind of question is that?!
I love the list . Musashi is a great game. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for uploading
Do part 2 please
Your intermission was dope!
Love that vibe.
Thanks! Glad to hear people are digging the vibes 👌
Yeah that intermission took me way back.
Using every CD in the house for Monster Rancher was great. This was the CD club era too, where they used to send tons to people. But the hit % isn't random. Gotta raise the skill stat to hit more, standard RPG fare.
The annoying screen tearing in Blue Dragon is fixed playing it on XB1 / Series. Great way to play that game!
Cozy and JRPG, what a beautiful combination
Yes it is. Brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings. Playing a great JRPG while sitting on my floor in my room with a blanket on and a hot chocolate while it's below 30 degrees outside. Man what a simple time
Nothing like a cozy night in with some snacks by your side getting yourself lost and immersed in a fantastical JRPG world
Your comment guys are so wholesome yet so sad...when I think about how those feelings are gone and no longer existing in nowadays jrpgs (hello square enix )
Secret of Mana is peak RPG comfort food for me. It has colorful graphics, a stellar soundtrack, loveable characters, magical locations and couch coop. My nostalgia for the game is huge, but everyone I played the game with fell in love as well.
Super fond memories of playing Brave Fencer Musashi on the weekends. It was one of the first games I played with a day and night cycle and that always blew my mind. Plus you could buy action figures in the game and decide whether you left them in the packaging or not!
Great video. Loved the kitty at the end. A part two would be awesome! I definitely agree about Persona 4 being the coziest in the series - there’s just something about wandering around Inaba.
For me, there are a couple games that come to mind:
Tales of Symphonia really hooked me on the Gamecube because of the bright natural world and the charming characters. The way the story developed was a bonus. Even fighting monsters on the world map felt cozy.
I also wanna shout out the Magic Knight Rayearth game for the Saturn. That game has a vibe that, even all these years later, still hasn’t been completely matched for me. It manages to blend the best of JRPGs and magical girl manga. The world is vibrant and varied. The characters are charming and the story is interesting. Definitely a cozy game for me.
There's a new-ish JRPG-inspired RPG called Ara Fell (It's on Steam) that I consider ridiculously 'cozy'. If you liked SNES JRPGs and consider them the peak of coziness, check it out.
I actually never played any of the monster rancher games but was really into the anime. Thank you for reminding me of a beloved anime I had forgotten about.
Cozy RPG can essentially be it's own category of role playing games at this point. It's also my own personal focus in hobby development for fun.
Evolution gets some hate, but there's something really charming about the character designs and animations, and the the drive to see more of the characters' abilities and cyframes keeps you going. I think the little things that make it special are overlooked.
Yay another video! I wish videos would upload more often but I definitely understand why the long time in between uploads. The quality and the love that goes into each video is very evident. Thanks for the content!
Thanks for the kind words, we’re glad to see that people can recognize the quality and why they take a little longer to make. With that said we do plan on making some shorter videos here and there so we can get content out quicker, our next video will be like this so we can get it out way sooner this time 👍
What I loved about Bug Fables is that each battle almost felt like a puzzle, as you had to figure out the most optimal way to use your moves.
I really appreciate that the list wasn't full of already well known games. I was a huge fan of the Monster Rancher anime and now I feel like I really missed out playing it back in the day, it sounds awesome.
I love the popular classics as much as the next person but it’s fun to talk about lesser known games that don’t get discussed as often. And yeah Monster Rancher was awesome back in the day, the concept of putting in different discs to get different monsters just blew my mind
Lufia is a great RPG I would love to see get some modern attention. Also a HUGE fan of the Shining Force 1&2 and CD series (though I wish they ported CD to the Mega Drive/Genesis instead of the CD)
Subbed. I hadn't heard of a few of these games, went and checked out the Mana Kehmia OST oh my goodness. What a treat, thank you.
Wonderful list! Some of them -- Brave Fencer Musashi especially -- are games I've wanted to play for my channel but haven't gotten around to yet. Keep up the good work, guys!
@gaming Broductions you nailed it mentioning Monster Rancher 2. Spent months of my childhood playing this game, loaded problably 100+ music CDs from my parents and had one the best and emotional experiences with a game ever. I will never forget some of my monsters that passed away even tho i was buying them their favorite food and letting them sleep... as a kid i would cheer when they succeded in training, when they won fights and of course, break in tears when they died.
After I saw this video I instantly went to steam and bought Monster Rancher 1&2 remaster. Consider this video a success, you GOT ONE and I am hooked!
The Chrono Trigger intermission was the coziest of all of them for me.
I really wish Mushashi would get a remaster for modern systems.
As many JRPGs as I’ve played over the years, you did a great job calling out titles I wasn’t familiar with. Liked & subbed
Monster Rancher 2 is one of my all time favorites. I just rolled credits on it for the first time last year. I probably went through a dozen monsters 😅
LOVE LOVE LOVE Bug Fables !!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ This is truly the game to play while awaiting The Thousand Year Door remake!!!! Thanks for the video!!!!
Mana Khemia 2 is where I started into Atelier and I will say it's seriously my 2nd favorite game, where Grandia barely tops it. It's really funny and worth playing if you enjoyed the first one.
Grandia 2 and Lunar Silver Star Story come to mind for me
Man, Brave Fencer is sooo slept on. One of my all time favorites. I wish there would be a remake for this.
I always wanted a giant Lumina sword lol
Great video - would love a part 2 or 3 guys.
Part 16...
Evolution 2 was the first JRPG I played, on Dreamcast way back in 2000.
I was 9, in way over my head and didnt get much past the first boss, but I absolutely loved it. It was 2-3 years later that I borrowed Kingdom Hearts from a friend, then rented FFVII and I was hopelessly hooked.
Literally changed my life in a lot of ways. Wouldn't be the content creator I am today without those experiences.
You gotta be doing these to flex your collection 🤣🤣Jokes aside, I really loved Musashi, and thanks to your list I found out about Bug Fables
Love the intermissions and the outros in your videos. I’m down for a part 2
Final Fantasy VII was my comfort game growing up, and still is. I can't count how many times I started a new file as a kid just because Midgar felt like home. I still make a note of it to play it through at least once a year. Pure cozy nostalgic bliss.
Great callout on Bug Fables! It's really good and I never hear anyone talk about it.
Man, what a great topic/list! I love so many of these! I even just bought Evolution 1 & 2 reproductions for my Dreamcast collection for Christmas since I lost my original copies years ago, just because they're so charming, lol. Besides the modern indie Light Fairytale games nowadays, I don't think anyone has done uber-charming chibi character models like the old Evolution games.
I _love_ the Blue Dragon suggestion. The aesthetic just always looked like it was made to be nostalgic; so much expertly-wielded soft focus in that game. and I even kinda got Earthbound vibes from it in places (thanks mostly to the toyetic mechanical designs... I still remember seeing promo images in Nintendo Power with these, like, claymation Earthbound miniatures, so anything toylike always gives me those vibes). Except for that insane boss battle theme, the whole thing just oozes this comfy attitude that any fan of old-school JRPGs should enjoy.
If I may make a suggestion, please check out NIS' Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers for PS4. That game flew _way_ under the radar when it released, but it is SO freakin' charming and wonderful. Again, it just oozes comfy, cozy, timeless, straightforward, family-friendly JRPG vibes very similar to Blue Dragon. If you _do_ do a second part of this, you really gotta have a look at Destiny Connect before you put it together. Here's the teaser trailer: th-cam.com/video/kup3xwZqKVs/w-d-xo.html
The Mana Khemia 1 & 2 are great games I remember playing them years ago and now trying to find copies
Hazel's 2 hour long video on comfy anime games is a really good thing to watch if you enjoy this kind of stuff 🍵
Hazel is amazing.
I have to back this recommendation! I used to fall asleep to the video and watched it again during Christmas to get that cozy feel.
Never heard of and searching now thanks for the recommendation.
Hoping to see Lunar mentioned there, was shocked it wasn't here.
Agreed. I’ve seen the video, very comfy vibes for sure and a great channel in general
J Bailey, I do love the first 2 Lunar games and they definitely would be fitting for a list like this. We talked about the first Lunar a lot in our video about RPGs that capture the spirit of adventure and honestly most of the games on that list could have also been fitting here so I wanted to switch it up and talk about some games I’ve rarely if ever talked about on the channel before. We’ve yet to talk about Eternal Blue in more detail though so whenever we get around to a part 2, there’s a strong chance for that one to make an appearance
Al-khemia, the origin of Alchemy and thus Chemistry.
In case anyone is curious, the thumbnail art is from Shining Force
love that you threw Shining Force in here. that series was the start of Camelot Software Planning's other amazing GBA RPG, Golden Sun!!! and Shining Force is one of the grandfathers of the tactics genre. amazing game, story is solid, and a bunch of characters to enjoy, find, and level up to 20 to promote to a new class. anyone looking for a tactical RPG, DO NOT SKIP OUT ON SHINING FORCE!! also if you care to, the shining force 3 on saturne is a solid choice to emulate. you can get a fully complete translated SF3 if you look around google. scenario 1 was released to North America by Sega, but by the time Scenario 2 and 3 came out, Saturne was dying. each scenario 1/2/3 are the perspective of three main characters in the game which all culminate in a great story twist. Guardian's Crusade is one I was actually thinking of the other day but couldnt remember the name of lol. so i'm glad to see it here too. every game on this list is a banger and are classics!
all of sf3s have been fantranslated this year
That's so dope that you mentioned Guardian's Crusade. I played that when I was a kid, but we rented it and I never got to finish. But it was such a big deal for me and now at the age of 32 I still remember the game and crossing from one island to the other, or not crossing completely... Something like that. Either way noice video and I've always thought that game was special even if I never revisited it properly
Great list man, and for me musashi and Azure dreams are one of the relaxing and fun game back on my days hahaha
for me its Suikoden 2 and FFIX...what amazing those two, still play them sometimes to this day
Suikoden 3 is a cozy JRPG too.
Oh man, love that you mentioned Shining Force I and II! Those along with the Phantasy Star series are so great for the Sega Genesis!
Wow, monster rancher was one that I never hear talked about and was a random game that my parents bought for me as a kid and I was hooked! I would just grab every DVD, CD and game and be constantly seeing what monsters I would get from it so it's awesome to see it get mentioned!
OMG, I wish I had played “Monster Rancher 2” in the 90’s! That whole getting monsters based on CD’s would have been so cool to me and my friends! Will still have to check the game out through emulation.
Loved this game in the 90s but remember it being creepy more than cosy. The monster designs and music are just very odd
Great video!
For me, Skies of Arcadia: Legends will always be the epitome of coziness. Just a fantastic adventure with a charming cast and a very well-realized world. I can play it any time and get that same comfort feeling.
Just watched this. I was pumped you ended with monster rancher. That was a series that I saw maybe 4 episodes of, but fell in love with right away and just never got to see more of it, and I never once found the games to buy back then. Im so happy you told me the games are on switch! Ill be getting them :)
I just beat Tales of Berseria and had to take a break from Persona 3 two thirds of the way through. I needed a break from dark, heavy stories. I picked up Atelier Ryza on sale on a whim, and despite some major flaws, I am enjoying it. Sometimes you just need to spend your time gathering materials in a bright, cartoony environment.
It’s always fun to find a game in these lists I used to own and had forgotten about. My boyfriend loves monster rancher and since it’s on the switch he put lots of hours into it again after 20 years.
I think my pick would have to be Terranigma. That game has a great feeling about it and really encourages that feeling of leisurely exploration.
Weird comment, this is a cozy channel to watch since you go over so many of my favorite games, with a "man, wasn't this cool?" kind of vibe
I had completely forgotten Brave Fencer Musashi. My mom rented me that game maybe 20 times from Blockbuster when I was a kiddo. Such a great memory.
Awesome list! I was obsessed with Guardian's Crusade as a kid, and nobody else I knew had even heard of it. I had to do some digging for this one, but another game I used to love was Eternal Eyes. No clue how it holds up, but I'll give it a shot again someday.
Always felt blue dragon was underrated
Great video. I didn’t know most of these games, but I LOVED Monster Rancher 2 when I was in high school. My boyfriend (now husband) lent my his old psx and gave me a copy of it, and I used to play it for hours.
I LOVE the Evolution games. I know they’re not really anything special per se but just something about it. Also a good underrated JRPG is Legend of Legaia
You def unlocked a core memory when you dropped that Monster Rancher opening. 😎
So cheesy yet still so full of awesomeness 😂
That was a nice little break you put in there
I would love to see a part 2 to this!
The Neptunia games are my JRPG comfort food picks.
they would be, if they weren't so mind rottingly repetitive
Great list! Anything with Mystwalker is a winner in my book.
Monster Rancher 3 was my favorite from that series. My friends and I used to train monsters during the week and then set up AI tournaments on the weekends, since that one let you save monsters to your memory card to battle with. Such good memories of all the Golems I trained up back in the day to clobber my friends with :D
Lol love to hear memories like this. I played Monster Rancher 3 a lot back in the day too, I just played MR2 more
Oh man, my friends and I used to pillage all of the cheap used CDs we could get our hands on for MR2! Never got to play MR1 much, but MR2 had us all so hooked.
What was the song playing during the Knight and Baby footage? It sounded nice.
The Evolution series was mind-blowing for my young mind. Thanks for the vid!
Im glad someone finally mentioned Brave Fencer Musashi in one of these lists
We have a retrospective over it coming out in the next few months after some other videos first
Thanks for featuring Guardian's Crusade. It was a hugely underrated PSX gem with innovative mechanics (seamless overworld, no random battles) and a heartwarming story.
Nice collection. You have my vote for a part 2. Always love low-stress cozy games. Came close to buying Bug Tales when it was on sale on the PS store last couple weeks.
I bought Thousand Arms when it came out, like what I played, but didn't get far before something else distracted me. I'll watch that other video you made now. I knew about Guardian's Crusade, but never bought it and now regret it.
My vote for this category goes to the first Grandia (Saturn version, as I heard they butchered the localization on PS1).
Another great video. Definitely becoming one of my favorite channels.
This is an interesting list, but I wish it was more tailored to modern platforms. Some of these looked really fun but where am I going to pick up a PS1 and respective game in 2023?
I hear you, admittedly on this channel we do focus on a lot of older games but with that said about half the games on this list are still playable on modern systems. Bug Fables is available on everything, Shining Force 1 and 2 is playable on modern systems via the Genesis collection, Monster Rancher 2 is on steam and the switch, and Blue Dragon can be played on the Xbox series X and Xbox one via backwards compatibility
I love going back to playing thru the Shining series from time to time. Great vid altogether. That intermission, tho. 😎
They are cosy until they are infuriating. Shining wisdom is cosy and charming on the Saturn.
Loved the list! Have heard of a few of these, but many of them I haven’t tried yet. Time to change that. I really liked the Chrono Trigger intermission. My favorite scene from the game. Subbed
Monster Rancher 2! So nostalgic. Used to play it when visiting step-family during summer vacation. So chill
Blue Dragon gets so overlooked, so I'm really happy to see it here.
Part 2 pls!
Thank you for introducing me to the amazing Blue Dragon boss battle music, I've had it on loop 😆
Shining Force, man what a classic. The evil army of Runefaust doesn't want this smoke! Nice upload dude
I think legend of mana fits in the list, its light headed, have some really nice crafting, old school square characters and the music is gorgeous. Kinda of a hidden gem imo.
Definitely fitting, as with the Mana series in general. It does seem like LoM gets particularly overlooked though compared to other entries in the series
Dark cloud2 is deffently cozy game with its building system and relaxing enjoyable dungeon gameplay , lunar for sure is so laidback rpg
Love the cel shaded style in dark cloud 2, very comfy for sure and yeah Lunar is another relaxing feel good atmosphere. These would make for good additions to parts 2 and 3
Your channel is awesome! So nostalgic. Been playing it all day while I work.
Thank you for the kind comment, we love seeing these 🙌🏼💯
I was just looking at your channel yesterday to see if you had uploaded a new video. Awesome idea for a list man. 🤙🏼👍
Thanks dude! Perfect timing 👍
Brave Fencer was a testament that Squaresoft were gaming gods back then. Not only can they make great JRPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, but they can also do Action RPGs in the vein of Zelda.
I love your videos so much, they are so cozy and I love finding out about new titles to try out or add to my collection ❤
Star Ocean 2 gives off a real mellow vibe. Brigidaine & Suikoden 2 are pretty scenic.
What is the game featured at :44 with the buildings? I'm so glad you mentioned Monster Rancher 2 at the end, one day I'll get around to the remake on Switch. That show was the first anime I ever watched. Also my cousin had a playstation demo disc from pizza hut that had brave fencer musashi that I played, but I need to get around to playing the full thing. Love that the voice actor of Musashi is the same one that voices Izzy from Digimon and Kite from .hack// among many other anime.
BF Musashi was awesome. You just brought back SO many memories
Some under the radar ones:
Azure Dreams for PS1- building up the town between dungeon raids is very relaxing.
Eastward for Switch- perhaps too action oriented, but it's a game that constantly gets you just settled in and relaxed, just to hit you with tragedy after tragedy, but the main character John protecting everyone always feels comforting, and the Earthborn mini-game gives you moments of calm between storms.
Spiritfarer for PS4/Switch- maybe pushing the definition of RPG, but it may be the coziest game ever this side of Animal Crossing that actually has a story and ending to play out.
Lufia II for SNES- it's a very basic RPG, but the fact that you already know the ending if you played the original makes for a very comfortable adventure.
I love that you not only included shining force I and II but rpgs that might be less typical. I was pleasantly surprised. I Played SF I and SF II allot in the 90s. SF2 is the best, great comfy well composed music, the characters have personality/charm and gameplay is top. Subbed.
Playing P4G now, thanks to it being added to PSN store, and coming to terms that I should've bailed on sqeenix after FFXI. This list is so useful, BFM reminds me a lot of Goemon and I didn't know Blue Dragon debuted on Xbox of all things. Thanks for forcing me to subscribe, great vid.
Love this kind of video. Would love to see more :)
Thank you! You got it 👍