Top Games Lists: 8 Games like Spiritfarer That Hit Hard

I’m going to open this list with one game you’re probably already familiar with – Cozy Grove. The artwork is cute and painterly which was what drew me to the game in the first place.

In the beginning, Cozy Grove is a colorless canvas and it’s up to you as the new Spiritscout to breathe life and love back k into the island.

Where the story comes into its own though is because of the bears, the island’s inhabitants. Their stories are so deep it will take you days to hear them all. Each bear has a unique character and I guarantee you’ll find a firm favorite. Mine was Allison Fisher because I too am a terrible cook!

The Garden Path is a slice-of-life gardening sim with a cast of wholesome characters with vegetables for heads. This is the kind of gentle game I can imagine I’d be sharing with my friends in the nursing home when I’m old and wrinkly.

Loving illustrated by a solo female developer this wonderfully wistful adventure embraces the mundane and elevates tasks like brewing tea, watching your flowers grow, or hanging out with friends, into something quite humbling. Set in real-time your garden will even grow when you’re away.

From Annapurna Interactive comes a flood of memories for champion swimmer Miriam. An emotional and atmospheric story about reconnecting with your inner child and understanding.

A series of gameplay vignettes blend sacrifice and heartbreak with victory and pride as Miriam remembers her past relationship with her mother.

Following a tragic stroke of fate, Alfred embarks on a journey north in search of redemption.

In this single-player road trip adventure, you’ll travel to beautiful places, capture memories with your camera, meet interesting people, and even make some new friends.

I had to add Unpacking to this list didn’t I? Despite the game not having any physical main characters or even NPCs, the story will endear you to it as you progress. What Unpacking lacks in dialogue it makes up for in personal interpretation.

It’s a simple game of taking items out of boxes that takes you on a journey from adolescence to adulthood with a surprise ending that made me go aww.

I didn’t expect to like Hindsight. On the surface, it is a simple point-and-click narrative game with some interesting storytelling mechanics, but at its core is an emotionally intense story about a mother and daughter that will sucker-punch you in the gut.

I should know better by now not to expect anything less than to be flawed whenever a game is published by Annapurna Interactive.

Play as Leila as she moves through the different phases of her life, and experiences pivotal life moments. You have to complete puzzles to better understand the motives behind Leila’s life decisions. It’s an intense game that will hold a mirror up and ask you to inspect your own life choices.

At first glance, Dordogne looks like a vibrant journey that will evoke comforting memories, but you’ll be confronted by the choices you make as an adult which will uncover long-lost family secrets.

I particularly liked the watercolour art style which reminded me of GRIS also.