Cozy games have become a much larger part of the industry in recent years, driven by the success of standout hits like Stardew Valley, and as is the way with any video game genre, the biggest names are often the ones that set the trend for years to come. As a result, we have seen countless farming sims fill the cozy space to the brim, some good, others not so good, but no matter how well made these games are, they have made the genre so diluted that cozy practically means farming at this point. However, some developers are moving away from tending crops, like ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs, which trades cattle and mud for game consoles and satisfying refurbishing.
The game knows all too well that there are plenty of cozy gamers out there who are tired of the same old farming sims, and so rather than catering to the norms and attempting to magically stand out from the crowd, it takes a completely different direction toward repairing electronics and conversing with a range of charming customers. As the name suggests, ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs also has a narrative component to the gameplay, as in between replacing circuit boards and twisting screws, you actually get to learn about the individual lives of the people coming to your store, adding a much more personal element that many other games would overlook. But it isn’t just a great pitch, as right now, the game has over 3000 reviews, pushing the score to 95% Overwhelming Positive, making it one of the highest-rated games on Steam this year.
Cozy Games Have a Farming Problem
Video games, for the most part, act as some form of escape. That doesn’t mean that your life has to be in a dire state to enjoy them; it just means that they provide a place for you to go after work, school, or at another time during the day when all of those troubles and stresses don’t exist, at least for a little while. This is why cozy games have become so popular, as a lot of people don’t want to have to boot up a marathon RPG every night or queue up for an intense ranked lobby, and they would much rather enjoy a quiet evening where they can switch off and complete a series of simple tasks that bring enough satisfaction to keep them happy.
Recent Farming Sims That Struggled to Gain Traction
That’s the reason why farming sims are so ideal for the genre, because you can give players a huge plot of land to plant, harvest, and cultivate over the course of several sessions, and by feeding basic objectives like watering plants or feeding animals, you create an engaging and accessible loop that virtually anyone can get into and enjoy. With that said, there are now thousands of different cozy farming sims that are all out to relieve your anxiety and stress, but the problem is finding a way to clearly differentiate between them, so while you might still find a few top-sellers that have broken away from the crowd, many recent titles have struggled to find a larger audience despite being pretty well-made.
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs Shows Cozy Games Don’t Need Farming to Thrive
ReStory could not be further from these homogenous farming games, yet despite how distinct it is from the cozy competition, it has still managed to capture the hearts of thousands of players in just a short amount of time. The basic concept has you running an electronics store in the mid 2000s, where customers bring you all kinds of devices from phones to old game consoles, and piece-by-piece, you have to clean up and repair them in order to grow the store. Real-world repairs can be pretty complex, but the game manages to make tricky circuit soldering and cable wiring feel fun and relaxing, without ever pressuring you with insane time constraints or punishing you for clicking the wrong part into the wrong spot.
It is a breath of fresh air to experience something fairly simple, yet still distinct enough in a genre that has been so fixated on one specific concept for so long. There is also a really fun progression loop that comes in the form of the customers, who bring tales and backstories that add flavor to each interaction and add a sense of character to the items you repair and eventually return to them. As time goes on, you can take on more orders and purchase tailored parts to fit each repair, meaning that you won’t be stuck fiddling with a PSP for the entire playthrough. And, with several endings to chase, there is a real incentive to start up a new file and to have another go around, twisting knobs and becoming closer to the people in the surrounding city.
On top of this single game’s incredible success story, it is important to consider the wider games industry and why games like ReStory are doing so well in the middle of such a crowded market. The key is unique ideas with solid execution, as many of the best and most well-loved games launching this year have been very different from their contemporaries, regardless of whether they are focused on cozy simulation or some other overloaded genre. We have seen this kind of approach be completely avoided by the AAA space for so long, as the stakeholders continue to chase trends and the same old ideas, without much reinvention and often without polishing the experience for launch.
ReStory should be a lesson to all other cozy devs and indie developers looking to release their first game that ideas are what drive sales, praise, and attention, not just carbon copies of an existing idea. That doesn’t mean you can’t work on a farming sim if you choose to, and there are quite a few upcoming ones that should please those who are otherwise fairly tired of the genre, but the crucial detail is to bring enough new ideas and concepts to the table that anyone, from the diehard fans who have played dozens of games in the space, to newcomers who are unaware of the bloat, can enjoy your game right from the beginning and feel the same cozy pleasure many hours later.
- Released
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August 6, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Mandragora
- Publisher(s)
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tinyBuild
