Chill out with these 5 short and sweet games!
Summer is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means hot temps, cool trips and sweet treats. If you’re looking for a few chill games to try this summer, look no further than the five darling titles below. Almost all of them are even portable!
Princess Farmer
Gardening is an enjoyable pastime for many during the spring and summer seasons. The smell of the earth, the taste of delicious fruits and veggies is a delightful experience. Now, imagine your gardening skills are the only way to stop the Gloom and Slime from taking over your world. So is the premise of Princess Farmer, an adorable game from developer Samobee Games and publisher Whitethorn Games.
The engaging and simple gameplay combines classic match-3 elements with a visual novel, in bright and neon colors. Each level ups the skills a bit, and adds to the story, introducing new characters that will help Princess Farmer along her way. Additionally, the call backs to a certain magical girl anime are hilarious. Combine this with a lo-fi soundtrack, and you have a great way to chill out for a few hours.
Princess Farmer is available on PC, Xbox One/X/S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS.
Sissa’s Path
What is cuter than a kitty with a ball of string? Playing a game where you are said kitty chasing that ball around. Sissa’s Path is all about comfy vibes. Developer Antonio Filipe and eastasiasoft invite players to help Sissa the kitten organize her toys in this sokoban, grid-based game. The levels, varying in colors, progressively become harder, but still maintain a relaxing feel.
It’s incredibly simplistic and yet very satisfying when you solve each puzzle. Spend a few minutes or a few hours. It’s easy to get lost when on Sissa’s Path.
Sissa’s Path is available on PC, Xbox One/X/S, PlayStation 4/5 and Nintendo Switch.
Plantera 2: Golden Acorn
Chaotic and campy is the best way to describe what happens in Plantera 2: Golden Acorn, the follow up title to Plantera from developer and publisher VaragtP. A magical oak tree drops golden acorns, and a garden is born. Tending to the garden are gelatinous beings- Mellows- and their animal friends. While the idea of a farming sim seems chill enough, throw in crows, foxes, wild boars and a mole that will not be whacked, chasing your animals and eating your produce, with rapid succession, and Plantera 2 dissolves into a chaotic race. It’s fun in a “oh for fudge sake, not my tomatoes!” kind of way.
Save up golden coins to buy your next crops, or splurge on a funky hat. Increase the space in your garden and suddenly it’s even more hectic. I admit I spent quite a bit of time just laughing histercally as I chased away foes, attempted to harvest my crops and catch butterflies with Flash-like speed. Seriously, if The Flash movie was this much fun, it might not be a total bomb.
Plantera 2: Golden Acorn is available on PC.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!
Who else remembers spending a crap-ton of quarters at their local arcade, trying to save princess dragons and blowing bubbles in Bubble Bobble? That game probably claimed more of my meager allowance than Street Fighter 2 and Crusin’ USA combined. But it was worth it every time.
And what’s more chill than popping bubbles? ININ Games brings back that kind of summer fun in Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! with a kick. The Miniroons (mini dragons) living on Rainbow Islands, make a wish to be able to blow bubbles just like Bob, Bub, Peb and Pab. The not at all suspicious wizard grants their wish. Unfortunately, Miniroons are mischievous and have the attention span of my toddler. Soon the entire island is covered in bubbles and many of its inhabitants are stuck inside those bubbles. Our heroes (or heroines) have no choice but to figure out what’s going on and save Rainbow Islands through Match-3 bubble popping fun.
Grab a few friends or your family and play up to 4 couch co-op, 1v1, 2v2 or hop online and try out the multiplayer mode. The release also included Space Invaders vs Puzzle Bobble mode. It is exactly what you think it is- Space Invaders levels with Match-3 mechanics, which is a heck of a lot of fun.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! is available on Nintendo Switch.
Storyteller
With a unique art style and a very tongue-in-cheek kind of dark humor, Storyteller from developer Daniel Benmergui and published by the always amazing Annapurrna, asks the question: what if there is more than one way to tell a story?
A puzzler with a flair for the macabre, each story invites the player to figure out how the main theme unfolds. Placing characters into situations just to see what happens to them is oddly satisfying. And don’t let it fool you into thinking everything is easy. Some of the pages took repeated tries with entertaining results. The number of times I said “whoops, they’re dead again” was not little.
The animation of each character is delightfully wacky, and their expressions are spot on. It’s easy to get lost in Storyteller for a few hours, and still want more.
Storyteller is available on PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch.
So, whether you’re on vaca, trying to beat the heat, or just want to chill, pick up one of the titles above and have an awesome Summer!
