Persona 5 was very chill for me. Mostly walking and talking. The combat is turn based so its wine friendly. The music, atmosphere and the characters make you feel like the game itself is a home
I kinda ignored JRPGs because I might do a video just about how cozy they can be, I've been playing Persona 4 lately and it definitely has that 'Saturday morning cartoon' relaxing vibe, always nice to turn the game on and hear the theme song.
@@ConnorJaBronie p4g was great, P5R was so cozy though, just vibing to the ish jazz? music, fighting shadows and walking around shibuya talking to friends.
I'm playing thru P4G and P3Fes (dipping back and forth between them) rn and it's defo a chill cosy vibe for me too, would love to see a video on JRPG's @@ConnorJaBronie
Thats one of my comfort games. Currently on my 4th run this time just trying to fully complete the compendium. Love games where i can play at my own pace. The little “take your time” in the loading screen actually got me to settle down
I'm tired of the tryhards in general. I used to be like that playing Cod 4 Modern Warfare or Halo 2 trying to get level 50, but man, that was like 15 years ago! Seeing the entire industry pushing towards live service multiplayer full of tryhards who play 1 game incessantly is a total bummer. When I'm looking at multiplayer, I like cooperative PvE the most because those tryhards do not wreck the experience like they do in every multiplayer game today, if anything they enhance it and they are happy to share their tricks. Even the old school tryhards in hardcore Cod4 would show you their tricks, they taught you how to compete with them, confident they could still win. Nowadays people hoard their tricks to win. A lot has changed. The lowest common denominator will pull out their gun and cheat, while the old gamers could get a whole lobby of CS players to forego using their guns for a knifes only match, or you could get an entire halo lobby(, or at least a whole team) to play sticks and smacks only. It's not that serious. But people treat it like so these days.
Why do you care what other people enjoy? Just... ignore competitive games lol. Chill games exist but when you constantly are looking at high-intensity games it's kinda hard to notice them
I enjoy fast games and chill with them just as well as true chill games. Ita about the flow. Competetive can be fun but I agree that modern Competetive is something else than older Competetive so i just play older MP competetive games but I don't mind chilling in some building/management game or adventure/puzzle games. To each their own.
I feel that. I like try-hard games every once in a while but battle royales and permadeath have become so common that I'm drawn to games like Battlebit where I can die 20 times in a row and it's not that big of a deal lol
That's a really good one actually, I can't believe I didn't bring it up! I spent a few months playing it every day after classes and still didn't think to mention it :P
it's one of those games where the huge empty map actually works in favor of the game, being that the whole point is traversing the map on foot and working trough or around obstacles that are part of that terrain
Session Skate Sim really helped me come back to my chill gamer side. The soundtrack is really chill, just filled with lofi and reggae music, the goals are really only there to give you something to do when you run out of ideas, and a lot of the character interactions just boil down to "hey, you should get a clip on this rail, that'd be really cool!" I can absolutely imagine a younger me inviting my friends over to play games of skate inside Session, and even today I find myself booting it up after work when I don't wanna have a brain aneurism playing online games. I believe indie games are gonna be the next wave of chill games and I really really hope Tears of The Kingdom brings back high budget chill games.
Sable is like the ultimate chill game. Just flying around a gorgeous cel-shaded desert on a glider, exploring old spaceships and talking to quirky NPCs while Japanese Breakfast plays in the background.
Playing the yakuza series has been pretty chill, I meet random strangers and go on insane adventures, find hidden items or easter eggs and i can resume the main story whenever i want to
Death Stranding exists, is really cheap on Steam rn, and is in fact really chill to play through. The thing? People keep screaming at it like it's some sort of bullshite arthouse nonsense, while in reality, it isn't it. Playing through Death Stranding was one of the most unique experience I had, and it was in a good way. The experience of navigating the rough terrains, with only the sound of your own footsteps, the wind blowing and occasionally, the rain alongside you. Suddenly, you find yourself facing a cliff, you look around and find a structure another player had left behind, and you used it to continue your journey. When you finally come to your destination, you're greeted by people you've helped. And even though they're just NPCs, after that lonely journey, just hearing another human's voice is enough to warm you up. You feel... connected. It's brilliant, the gameplay might not be perfect, and certainly is not for everyone, but it achieved what it aimed to be. It was relaxing, engaging, emotional. To anyone reading this, PLEASE give Death Stranding a chance, don't listen to the review bombs, experience it yourself, you will love it if you're looking for a relaxing experience, free from the endless adrenaline rush of modern video games.
These sorts of games definitely don't exist from larger studios now, older games just feel more fun because they weren't so focused on making the grandest adventure story with a zillion hours of content, they were just aiming to be FUN at their core. I often find that modern games have their parameters polished to such a minute degree that a lot of the smaller quirks from older games that made them fun simply do not exist - be it in aim of more realism or simply to be as polished as possible - and I really feel like that is what takes away the fun a lot of the time. Smaller scoped games simply cannot exist from larger studios today, its almost always massive sprawling open world this or 1000 hour content filled that. So little room for 10 hour games that are just fun, and those that are shorter tend to be very highly polished and/or filled with a thousand things to do just to boast that there is X amount of content in the game. The industry needs to focus on being fun again. I don't see it really ever happening again though.
@@Z.O.M.G"if you can't make it good, just make it big, and if that doesn't work, make it controversial." NEW FORMULA for majority of the gaming industry. They are having to destroy IPs in the pursuit of controversy at a telling rate. Almost every single franchise is getting destroyed for outrage marketing purposes. That tells me almost beyond a shadow of a doubt that the games are very big, and not very good. I see countless reviews where people spend 100 200 300 400 even 500 hours in a game, then go to Steam and say how they regret that time, and that the game is just bad at the core and they were coping bc the sunk cost fallacy. I trust those experts. The bar is low. So many games get praise for not being hot garbage, for being a passable product. Most the time, they are not that good when the dust settles. Time is a great filter for hype trash. When a game is not the shiny new thing, and it has to stand on its own merit some years later, that's when I end up playing the ones that stand the test of time. I don't buy games that lean on outrage marketing, they are entirely a product of their time, a trend to chase then quickly discard.
I feel that Connor could have given a better definition of what makes a game "Chill" because if ToTK is "Chill" then so is Red Dead Redemption 2. It doesn't really get much more chill than hunting, fishing, and riding horses. Definitely a large studio game and definitely a grand adventure with zillions of hours of content, but it's a game which emphasizes "Chill" mechanics. You're encouraged to get lost, talk to strangers, enjoy the scenery, and experiment with mechanics. The missions are easy and the gameplay is simple. I've been playing the same save for like 3 years and am only 50% complete, and that's because it's a chill game. He never said "smaller scoped games" are chill, because he included Skyrim and ToTK. Neither of which are small in scope. I'd say Yakuza 7 is a pretty chill game, with simple turn-based mechanics with an immersive and quirky world. Vampire Survivors is pretty chill. Valheim is pretty chill. Rain World is pretty chill. Risk of Rain is arguably pretty chill. Stardew Valley is pretty chill. I'd say most racing games are pretty chill, especially ones with free-roam. There's tons of games I'd say fit the label of "chill" that all came out after the PS3/360. I'm always seeing people play games like Subnautica and Outer Worlds which seem pretty chill. City-builder games seem chill. Games like Lethal Company seem pretty chill. People seem to like Dave The Diver. Maybe I just don't fully understand what a "chill game" is but there seems to be a ridiculous amount of them. Power Washer Simulator? Eurotruck Simulator? Train Simulators? Teardown? There's so many of these games, we must just have different definitions of chill.
Bungie literally made fun their main goal in making the halo games. Halo never had a hyper competitive focus. I’m so sick of people gaslighting that nostgila is the reason people praise these games when the reality is they where just better.
I remember coming home from school as a kid, taking off my shoes, turning on the ps2, and playing Tony hawk's pro skater 3.....man those were some good times
Glad you touched on Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. Yakuza 8/LAD Infinite Wealth is gonna have a whole animal crossing-esque chill zone separate from the main game, which itself has plenty of comfy side content outside the main plotline.
In a lot of ways, the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series seems like one of the last remaining bridges between the chill game era and the current era. The stories get intense and extremely involved, but at nearly any time, you can put that on hold and play golf, bowl, sing karaoke, etc. All of which is done almost entirely at the player's discretion.
Let me recommend these chill games with a purpose: A Short Hike, The Touryst, A Little to the Left, Untitled Goose Game, The Stanley Parable, Zen Bound, What the Golf, Snipperclips, Retro City Rampage, Windosill, The Beginner's Guide
Personally, for me, it's Spider-Man 2 (2023). I just can't get enough of swinging around on my 100 percent save file and stopping random crimes while listening to youtube on my phone
Pikmin 4 is a solid chill game. Tetris effect as well. Would anyone count Shenmue or the Yakuza series as chill? Because I sure do. Sure it can be tense and action packed, but 90% of the time I'm just bowling to win a chicken that I can then make a manager at my real estate business, or protecting Michael Jackson from zombies, or beating up a gradually tougher ladder of dudes for stealing some kid's Dragon Quest game.
@miken8962 Yakuza Zero. You meet Stephen Spielberg during the same mission. Afterwards you can recruit them to the real estate minigame as well. Best manager is still the chicken though. His name is Nugget.
I really miss linear, mission based games where the objective is to go from point A to point B or clear X enemies. I know there are still games like that but it's either 2D or Indie games.
@dibby1045 2D games play completely different. Also, it's not that indie games are bad, but many of them don't feel immersive or they feel cheap. I'm not saying that they all are like that, but a lot of them are
I literally had a friend, whose name was actually Kevin, that I'd play T rated games with (Star Wars Battlefront II to be precise) when I wasn't allowed to at home, so there was a lot of "thank you Mrs. Kevin's mom" whenever I got to do that. My chill game back in the day was SSX3. Couldn't get more relaxed and chill than that for me when games were designed for fun over function.
SSX On Tour is great also, better than steep. It's awesome to just ride 15-20 minutes top to bottom. You can even do it coop. IDK why I didn't like SSX3 like I did at the time. The bar must have been very high in terms of quality for me to cast it aside, but I own that one on gamecube. If you haven't played it, I'd recommend it to supplement your SSX fix. Gamecube version also has added mario characters and set pieces.
I love 1080 degree avalanche its even more arcadey but its so freeing to rushing down the sloop while chill tracks like SQUIDD Just like that along with harder tracks
@@brain_cell as a kid i got in trouble because i went to my friends house and came home telling my parents that we spent all day playing a game called Ssx tricky but my parents thought i said "sex tricky" and so i got grounded and they called his parents to chew them out for allowing us to play mature games, and then his parents were like "its a snowboarding game for playstation thats rated E" and then everytime i would go over to their house afterwards our dads would joke about "no sex games this time, right boys?"
theres no way the amazing snowboarding game of my childhood has 2 sequels that ive just learnt about now edit: my bad, played SSX 2012 on xbox 360 and didnt know there was SSX games before that
look up videos of Watch Dogs games where its just a character moving through the city but with visual mods on its so pretty the first game is from 2014 an holy shit
My favourite chill games have always been Mirrors Edge: Catalyst and Skate 3 because I would spend hours going around doing shit and finding cool routes while listening to music (usually Mac Demarco, Whitey or Little Barrie for maximum chill). Those games got me through some of my lowest points as I could just think about my life and my situation while my hands are on auto-pilot. Those play sessions have given me inspiration to write songs, books, or even just make positive changes in my life.
A recent chill game I played is Gravity Rush. I kept smiling as I played that game last December. I saw some old favourites in this video like Sonic Adventure 2, Little Big Planet, and MGS2. But what I almost never see get mentioned is Wave Race: Blue Storm for the Nintendo Gamecube. I loved that game as a kid, and there are no jetski racing games on the market now, so there is no way for me to get that same experience these days.
"Olli Olli World" and "a Short Hike" have been great callbacks to those "Chill" games imo. games that just have great gameplay loops that don't take too much brainpower to play. I think Indie Devs still know what's up in that regard at least
I think rogue-likes/dungeon crawlers are actually pretty chill sometimes. Perma-death adds pressure in a way but it also makes each session it’s own little individual adventure. Every time you pick up the game you start something new that you know will be over and done with once you stop, there’s no real commitment.
I really miss coming home from work, cracking a beer and playing skate 3 for like 30 minutes and just having fun and shutting my brain off. hard to find games these days that don't expect your full undivided attention for 1,000 hours.
I think the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series + spin-offs really fit the mold of chill games. I mean, you can spend hours just playing quirky side quests and mini games.
Skate 2 was the game i played the most on PS3. It was my "relax" game. I just came out of High School and College and decompress playing it or just before going to sleep to relax my mind. Skate2 was that game i always pull out if i needed to kill time before going out,relax after coming back, wait for friends or pretty much any situations were i got time. It was THE game that answer all my question and allow me to play video games without having to use my brain. It was all free flowing body reactions without brain thinking about it. It was natural you just let your brain blend into the game itself into a continuous never ending combo of emotions and tricks skating the whole city without even noticing it drinking some beers or wine. Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley are another chill games FOR ME. They are farming games, but i played them so much i know how to do everything so me and my friends just end up talking about our lifes while doing chores,drinking some beer and such, is also one of the only games that makes my girl friends and dude friends enjoy it time together because is a game for everybody. Another chill game is FrostPunk. Played so much i just do everything mindlessly
Skate 2 free skate is such an underated gaming experience, just endlessly skating a city, no objective no timer no real points, just chilling and living. More games should strive for that really
One of my favorite chill games is "Free Running". It was released back in 2007-2009 on the PS2, Wii, and PSP, but it is now also on Steam (and currently on sale for 89 cents!). It's very chill, once you get the hang of the controls. Just running around and finding new routes you can take through the levels is really fun.
@@joelchrono It is indeed very fun. I've played it a whole lot. If you're interested, I've got a couple videos on my channel about it, showing off some crazy stuff you can do.
Oh, I remember that. I found it really strange that there only ever was one game that tried to be "the Pro Skater of Free Running" when it was such an easy recipe for cool gameplay and awesome lines.
@@TheHeavyshadow I know, right?? I've always wanted a "Free Running 2" or even a spiritual successor or something. But, despite searching for such a game, there just doesn't seem to be anything that captures the same feeling of flow and freedom that FR does for me.
@@superhc0 Yeah, I suspect when Mirrors Edge, Dying Light, Assassin's Creed became big most studios were like "Nah, there are already mainstream Parcour games. No need to make another one." And thanks btw. for the 89-cents-tip. I tried emulating the game a couple of years ago but that work. But the actual port runs quite well.
I have so many memories of just having *FUN* on n64, ps2, and 360. I have played a lot of stuff on xb one, ps4, and switch, but the magic is certainly gone, and on top of having much more real life stress, games seem to have become more stressful as well. Thankfully we have gaming youtube, which as a whole is now far superior to actual video games
I'm curious, have you tried Sea of Thieves and Grounded? Or Forza Horizon 5? I think the problem is that gaming media focuses far too much on AAA single-player titles and not on chill games.
great video 😁 my favourite chill game this year was yakuza like a dragon those games just feel like youre hanging out in a city and random shit just happens all around you
I was entertained, so I subscribed. Being a PC gamer for a lot of my childhood, I was never exposed to the more colorful, zanier games of the first few generations of consoles. Later on, my gateway back into gaming was playing those grey-looking, sometimes samey late PS3 games. I'm not gonna lie, I had a blast playing a lot of them, but I remember having to break things up with something like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Flower, The Cave, or Steamworld Dig. The weird thing is that as the indie scene blew up, I started playing less and less of them, so now I have this huge backlog of smaller, often cooler games that I never got around to playing. I made a promise to myself that in 2024 I would still play the bombastic, story-heavy AAA titles that I love, but sprinkle some indies as well.
I feel so cool right now, when you mentioned getting wine and sitting on the couch, my first thought was "My chill gamw is Skate 3." Only for you to agree. Epic taste, my bro.
I rarely play single-player games but I find sekiro quite chill. Hearing that deflect sound and few runs at Gauntlet of Strength: Mortal Journey is just hits the spot.
The chillest unchillest game franchise I have ever seen is the Fallout series, and I recommend you to play it. Just play Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Thats all the games you need to get into the franchise, then play whatever you want if you feel like it. Just play them, and you 'll understand what I mean with unchillest chill.
My favourite chill games have to be the original Spyro trilogy, easily. One thing I have to definately highlight are the homeworlds you travel to. Although in Spyro 1, most of the homeworlds are filled with enemies and the like, the homeworlds themselves feel magical and alive. They feel and look like places I would love to go to and explore, which is one of the core themes of all 3 games. In Spyro 2 and 3, the homeworlds are much more chill but just like the first game, really encourage exploration. The biggest compliment to these homeworlds as well is the music. Stewart Copeland nails it with his music. In Spyro 2 especially, all the homeworlds have a theme of melancholy to them. They are so relaxing.
i think you need to reinterpret what chill means. because some of the games you listed aren't chill really. i think what you're trying to go for is "fvck around" games. a game you hop into and there's no expectation of completing something substantial. it's up to you whether you want to go hard in katamari or just roll for a bit, same for skyrim you can choose to go in a hunt for a dragon to complete a story quest or you can just go and run a random direction and explore cave.
I attribute the loss of chill at least in part, to the swarm of progression systems that have been crammed into AAA games. Gamerscore, daily login bonuses, exp meters for your global ranking, etc. There's so much extrinsic reward attached now. A match isn't just 'a match' now, it's a report card that affects the future of your account. I think that's why indie games are so good at getting away from this sort of noise, this constant overhead. That's a huge extra layer of programming that they just can't or won't do -- so the intrinsic fun of each session takes center stage instead.
that's why I always replay far cry 3... Its a game that has really chill gameplay, and after a bunch of replays the story is already engraved in your brain that you can play it listening to podcasts or music, its so good.
my favorite chill games are the ones that are very easy to speedrun my go to example is sonic rush, its just fun to rush through the level because i know quite well but not enough to not leave any surprises im just on autopilot playing the game while just being a little bit on my toes its perfect
So chill games definitely still exist you just don't see them in the forefront. I think it's two fold: 1- Studios are trying to make each game more than the last one so over time the games are becoming more and more just long, playable movies. 2- Internet culture has given rise to the idea that if you become good enough at gaming, you can either be a pro at the game or can stream the game and make a lot of money. So there's a huge push to be more and more competitive. Even games like COD which were designed for the casual player have turned into highly competitive games. The big game studios see dollar signs in this so they push their games to be more competitive to create more viewership. I keep a playlist of games that I've found are very chill for me so I can hop on them whenever I need to relax and am not up for an insane, epic story at the moment.
I love your essay but i don't get what you mean with chill due to the large scope you cover, however i can recommend dave the diver, It's a great mix of progression and fun.
me and my buddy sunk so many hours into skate 3 during quarantine, funnily enough some of my happiest memories in gaming when everyone else was freaking out and depressed.
When I was a kid Roblox and Pokemon were my chill games… As an adult they still are. They may not be the most cinematic or high fidelity graphics games out there, but they’re perfect for just unwinding after a long day.
I've been playing Tinykin, which is just epitome of chill game. Just a pikmin like collectathon, literally 0 stakes. I've also been playing Cobalt Core, a deckbuilding roguelike set in space, and that one I'd highly recommend!
Bro the only time I ever got to play Jet Set Radio Future was at Target when my mom would leave me at the game section to do her shopping, and it’s still one of the funnest games I’ve ever played
I recently played Bomb rush cyberfunk and it had that similar chill feel and has Jet Set Radio vibes. Honestly, I feel like games like this that are made by indie studios that grew up on these type of games are the future.
One game I always find myself going back to and chill actually is GTA V. Going into a solo Online Lobby, taking that T20 or Osiris and just driving around listening to Non Stop Pop. That my definition of chill.
I honestly believe the vision of T.H.U.G.'s park editor is something that makes for a superior voxel game to even minecraft. It was just held back by hardware limitations.
Current favorites: Cities Skylines, Session, Anno series, Guild Wars 2 (wandering the open world skyrim style), Jurassic World Evolution 2, No Man's Sky honorable mentions: Euro Truck Simulator 2, Intergalactic Fishing, Kingdoms and Castles, Majesty, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Railroad Tycoon 3, Stronghold series, Tropico series, X series
This year i've played a couple new chill games like Sable, Bomb Rush Cyberpunk, a short hike or Golazo 2 and it was fantastic zoning out and enjoying them
There are many hidden gems of chill games that take some time to stumble upon. to name just a few: My Time and Portia OlliOlli World Inscryption Stacklands Thronefall Stray Townscaper Kingdom Rush Dredge Bad North Plate Up Islanders Turmoil
THUG is my go to fall/winter holiday game for me. Recently got it for my ps2 but I remember fondly playing it with my cousin when we would go to visit family up north. Usually in the fall and winter holidays
chill games are still being made but nostalgia makes old games from certain points in your life more relaxing because of the comfort and familiarity
True I hate when people do this let nostalgia cloud there judgment
ywnbaw join the 43%
@@midirstormcat Okay but they're comment is still 100% correct though
@phlyphenix1601 they aren't smartass that thing ain't a woman and honestly it's point is generic
@@midirstormcat if y'all really cared about the children you wouldn't be treating them like scum of the earth
I just finished "A short hike", spent around 6 hours just exploring and goofing off. It was a really nice experience.
Yeah a short hike is awesome
I similarly liked A Short Hike ..... I have found my people
Such a good chill game
Nice chill game indeed!
Favorite game. Awesome chill game :)
Persona 5 was very chill for me. Mostly walking and talking. The combat is turn based so its wine friendly. The music, atmosphere and the characters make you feel like the game itself is a home
I kinda ignored JRPGs because I might do a video just about how cozy they can be, I've been playing Persona 4 lately and it definitely has that 'Saturday morning cartoon' relaxing vibe, always nice to turn the game on and hear the theme song.
Yeah I agree. When I was playing P5R, it was more a chill game to play before bed cause it was really relaxing.
@@ConnorJaBronie p4g was great, P5R was so cozy though, just vibing to the ish jazz? music, fighting shadows and walking around shibuya talking to friends.
I'm playing thru P4G and P3Fes (dipping back and forth between them) rn and it's defo a chill cosy vibe for me too, would love to see a video on JRPG's @@ConnorJaBronie
Thats one of my comfort games. Currently on my 4th run this time just trying to fully complete the compendium. Love games where i can play at my own pace. The little “take your time” in the loading screen actually got me to settle down
nice to hear that im not the only one thats overwhelmed with these ultra fast and competitive games, chilling out in a game is a bless rn playing FF9
I'm tired of the tryhards in general. I used to be like that playing Cod 4 Modern Warfare or Halo 2 trying to get level 50, but man, that was like 15 years ago! Seeing the entire industry pushing towards live service multiplayer full of tryhards who play 1 game incessantly is a total bummer. When I'm looking at multiplayer, I like cooperative PvE the most because those tryhards do not wreck the experience like they do in every multiplayer game today, if anything they enhance it and they are happy to share their tricks. Even the old school tryhards in hardcore Cod4 would show you their tricks, they taught you how to compete with them, confident they could still win.
Nowadays people hoard their tricks to win. A lot has changed. The lowest common denominator will pull out their gun and cheat, while the old gamers could get a whole lobby of CS players to forego using their guns for a knifes only match, or you could get an entire halo lobby(, or at least a whole team) to play sticks and smacks only. It's not that serious. But people treat it like so these days.
Why do you care what other people enjoy? Just... ignore competitive games lol. Chill games exist but when you constantly are looking at high-intensity games it's kinda hard to notice them
I enjoy fast games and chill with them just as well as true chill games. Ita about the flow. Competetive can be fun but I agree that modern Competetive is something else than older Competetive so i just play older MP competetive games but I don't mind chilling in some building/management game or adventure/puzzle games. To each their own.
@@penguinjay well for PvE, my go-to game is either Battlefront II (EA version) or one of the Halo Firefights (Reach, ODST, or 5)
I feel that. I like try-hard games every once in a while but battle royales and permadeath have become so common that I'm drawn to games like Battlebit where I can die 20 times in a row and it's not that big of a deal lol
I feel like death stranding was one
That's a really good one actually, I can't believe I didn't bring it up! I spent a few months playing it every day after classes and still didn't think to mention it :P
it's one of those games where the huge empty map actually works in favor of the game, being that the whole point is traversing the map on foot and working trough or around obstacles that are part of that terrain
Death Stranding helped me heal in a dark period of my life, beyond just being fun, and that’s the only game I can say that about.
Boring
Not enough Oldskool jungle DnB 🎉
Session Skate Sim really helped me come back to my chill gamer side. The soundtrack is really chill, just filled with lofi and reggae music, the goals are really only there to give you something to do when you run out of ideas, and a lot of the character interactions just boil down to "hey, you should get a clip on this rail, that'd be really cool!"
I can absolutely imagine a younger me inviting my friends over to play games of skate inside Session, and even today I find myself booting it up after work when I don't wanna have a brain aneurism playing online games. I believe indie games are gonna be the next wave of chill games and I really really hope Tears of The Kingdom brings back high budget chill games.
bomb rush cyberpunk is a recent indie game which is basically a spiritual successor to jet set radio
Sable is like the ultimate chill game. Just flying around a gorgeous cel-shaded desert on a glider, exploring old spaceships and talking to quirky NPCs while Japanese Breakfast plays in the background.
Thanks for that recommendation, just bought it and love it.
That sounds amazing and I already own the game. Definitely gonna check it out now!
i also just happen to own it, i’m totally gonna give it a try!
Love the max payne pfp
Playing the yakuza series has been pretty chill, I meet random strangers and go on insane adventures, find hidden items or easter eggs and i can resume the main story whenever i want to
Death Stranding exists, is really cheap on Steam rn, and is in fact really chill to play through. The thing? People keep screaming at it like it's some sort of bullshite arthouse nonsense, while in reality, it isn't it. Playing through Death Stranding was one of the most unique experience I had, and it was in a good way. The experience of navigating the rough terrains, with only the sound of your own footsteps, the wind blowing and occasionally, the rain alongside you. Suddenly, you find yourself facing a cliff, you look around and find a structure another player had left behind, and you used it to continue your journey. When you finally come to your destination, you're greeted by people you've helped. And even though they're just NPCs, after that lonely journey, just hearing another human's voice is enough to warm you up. You feel... connected. It's brilliant, the gameplay might not be perfect, and certainly is not for everyone, but it achieved what it aimed to be. It was relaxing, engaging, emotional. To anyone reading this, PLEASE give Death Stranding a chance, don't listen to the review bombs, experience it yourself, you will love it if you're looking for a relaxing experience, free from the endless adrenaline rush of modern video games.
Thank you, Mrs. Kevin. For everything.
These sorts of games definitely don't exist from larger studios now, older games just feel more fun because they weren't so focused on making the grandest adventure story with a zillion hours of content, they were just aiming to be FUN at their core. I often find that modern games have their parameters polished to such a minute degree that a lot of the smaller quirks from older games that made them fun simply do not exist - be it in aim of more realism or simply to be as polished as possible - and I really feel like that is what takes away the fun a lot of the time.
Smaller scoped games simply cannot exist from larger studios today, its almost always massive sprawling open world this or 1000 hour content filled that. So little room for 10 hour games that are just fun, and those that are shorter tend to be very highly polished and/or filled with a thousand things to do just to boast that there is X amount of content in the game.
The industry needs to focus on being fun again. I don't see it really ever happening again though.
oh and even most large studios fail at the grandest adventure with a zillion hours of content, indie devs still beat them at that
@@Z.O.M.G"if you can't make it good, just make it big, and if that doesn't work, make it controversial."
NEW FORMULA for majority of the gaming industry. They are having to destroy IPs in the pursuit of controversy at a telling rate. Almost every single franchise is getting destroyed for outrage marketing purposes. That tells me almost beyond a shadow of a doubt that the games are very big, and not very good. I see countless reviews where people spend 100 200 300 400 even 500 hours in a game, then go to Steam and say how they regret that time, and that the game is just bad at the core and they were coping bc the sunk cost fallacy. I trust those experts.
The bar is low. So many games get praise for not being hot garbage, for being a passable product. Most the time, they are not that good when the dust settles. Time is a great filter for hype trash. When a game is not the shiny new thing, and it has to stand on its own merit some years later, that's when I end up playing the ones that stand the test of time. I don't buy games that lean on outrage marketing, they are entirely a product of their time, a trend to chase then quickly discard.
I feel that Connor could have given a better definition of what makes a game "Chill" because if ToTK is "Chill" then so is Red Dead Redemption 2. It doesn't really get much more chill than hunting, fishing, and riding horses. Definitely a large studio game and definitely a grand adventure with zillions of hours of content, but it's a game which emphasizes "Chill" mechanics. You're encouraged to get lost, talk to strangers, enjoy the scenery, and experiment with mechanics. The missions are easy and the gameplay is simple. I've been playing the same save for like 3 years and am only 50% complete, and that's because it's a chill game.
He never said "smaller scoped games" are chill, because he included Skyrim and ToTK. Neither of which are small in scope. I'd say Yakuza 7 is a pretty chill game, with simple turn-based mechanics with an immersive and quirky world. Vampire Survivors is pretty chill. Valheim is pretty chill. Rain World is pretty chill. Risk of Rain is arguably pretty chill. Stardew Valley is pretty chill. I'd say most racing games are pretty chill, especially ones with free-roam.
There's tons of games I'd say fit the label of "chill" that all came out after the PS3/360. I'm always seeing people play games like Subnautica and Outer Worlds which seem pretty chill. City-builder games seem chill. Games like Lethal Company seem pretty chill. People seem to like Dave The Diver.
Maybe I just don't fully understand what a "chill game" is but there seems to be a ridiculous amount of them. Power Washer Simulator? Eurotruck Simulator? Train Simulators? Teardown? There's so many of these games, we must just have different definitions of chill.
Bungie literally made fun their main goal in making the halo games. Halo never had a hyper competitive focus. I’m so sick of people gaslighting that nostgila is the reason people praise these games when the reality is they where just better.
@@penguinjay based
I remember coming home from school as a kid, taking off my shoes, turning on the ps2, and playing Tony hawk's pro skater 3.....man those were some good times
Glad you touched on Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. Yakuza 8/LAD Infinite Wealth is gonna have a whole animal crossing-esque chill zone separate from the main game, which itself has plenty of comfy side content outside the main plotline.
In a lot of ways, the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series seems like one of the last remaining bridges between the chill game era and the current era. The stories get intense and extremely involved, but at nearly any time, you can put that on hold and play golf, bowl, sing karaoke, etc. All of which is done almost entirely at the player's discretion.
Let me recommend these chill games with a purpose: A Short Hike, The Touryst, A Little to the Left, Untitled Goose Game, The Stanley Parable, Zen Bound, What the Golf, Snipperclips, Retro City Rampage, Windosill, The Beginner's Guide
Just wish listed all of these! Thank you for the recommendations :)
Personally, for me, it's Spider-Man 2 (2023). I just can't get enough of swinging around on my 100 percent save file and stopping random crimes while listening to youtube on my phone
Pikmin 4 is a solid chill game. Tetris effect as well. Would anyone count Shenmue or the Yakuza series as chill? Because I sure do. Sure it can be tense and action packed, but 90% of the time I'm just bowling to win a chicken that I can then make a manager at my real estate business, or protecting Michael Jackson from zombies, or beating up a gradually tougher ladder of dudes for stealing some kid's Dragon Quest game.
which game can i protect michael jackson from zombies in 😭
@@miken8962 Yakuza 0
@miken8962 Yakuza Zero. You meet Stephen Spielberg during the same mission. Afterwards you can recruit them to the real estate minigame as well. Best manager is still the chicken though. His name is Nugget.
Been playing Tetris effect and Yakuza 0. Kinda funny to find these comments.
was just thinking the yakuza games are pretty chill
there’s a new Jet Set Radio in development rn so chill games aren’t completely dead.
I really miss linear, mission based games where the objective is to go from point A to point B or clear X enemies. I know there are still games like that but it's either 2D or Indie games.
What's wrong with 2D and indie games?
@dibby1045 2D games play completely different. Also, it's not that indie games are bad, but many of them don't feel immersive or they feel cheap. I'm not saying that they all are like that, but a lot of them are
AC6
@@tsumikiayato1560 yeah, ac6 is literally like that and it's bad...
@@AManChoosesASlaveObeyslol it's objectively not bad tell us more about how you couldn't clear the tutorial mission.
I literally had a friend, whose name was actually Kevin, that I'd play T rated games with (Star Wars Battlefront II to be precise) when I wasn't allowed to at home, so there was a lot of "thank you Mrs. Kevin's mom" whenever I got to do that. My chill game back in the day was SSX3. Couldn't get more relaxed and chill than that for me when games were designed for fun over function.
I know SSX 3 is still very arcady, but i find it really chill to ride from the top of the mountain to the bottom.
SSX On Tour is great also, better than steep. It's awesome to just ride 15-20 minutes top to bottom. You can even do it coop. IDK why I didn't like SSX3 like I did at the time. The bar must have been very high in terms of quality for me to cast it aside, but I own that one on gamecube. If you haven't played it, I'd recommend it to supplement your SSX fix. Gamecube version also has added mario characters and set pieces.
I love 1080 degree avalanche its even more arcadey but its so freeing to rushing down the sloop while chill tracks like SQUIDD Just like that along with harder tracks
Thought this said sex 3
@@brain_cell as a kid i got in trouble because i went to my friends house and came home telling my parents that we spent all day playing a game called Ssx tricky but my parents thought i said "sex tricky" and so i got grounded and they called his parents to chew them out for allowing us to play mature games, and then his parents were like "its a snowboarding game for playstation thats rated E" and then everytime i would go over to their house afterwards our dads would joke about "no sex games this time, right boys?"
theres no way the amazing snowboarding game of my childhood has 2 sequels that ive just learnt about now
edit: my bad, played SSX 2012 on xbox 360 and didnt know there was SSX games before that
I've recently been playing Cyberpunk 2077 as a cosy game.
I just walk around Night City. It's strangely relaxing.
Yeah.And now i just chilling in metro of Night City .Sad thing they didnt made it perfect with opening doors and people leaving and coming.
look up videos of Watch Dogs games where its just a character moving through the city but with visual mods on its so pretty
the first game is from 2014 an holy shit
Slime Rancher 1 & 2 one of the more newer chill games that I feel like ticks all the boxes
love that i immediately recognized the jerma tony hawk pro skate clip near the end LMFAO
Escapism winning out over relaxation, largely.
My favourite chill games have always been Mirrors Edge: Catalyst and Skate 3 because I would spend hours going around doing shit and finding cool routes while listening to music (usually Mac Demarco, Whitey or Little Barrie for maximum chill). Those games got me through some of my lowest points as I could just think about my life and my situation while my hands are on auto-pilot. Those play sessions have given me inspiration to write songs, books, or even just make positive changes in my life.
A recent chill game I played is Gravity Rush. I kept smiling as I played that game last December. I saw some old favourites in this video like Sonic Adventure 2, Little Big Planet, and MGS2. But what I almost never see get mentioned is Wave Race: Blue Storm for the Nintendo Gamecube. I loved that game as a kid, and there are no jetski racing games on the market now, so there is no way for me to get that same experience these days.
1:28 never realized how much Galaga sounded like a Temple OS hymn
"Olli Olli World" and "a Short Hike" have been great callbacks to those "Chill" games imo. games that just have great gameplay loops that don't take too much brainpower to play. I think Indie Devs still know what's up in that regard at least
I think rogue-likes/dungeon crawlers are actually pretty chill sometimes. Perma-death adds pressure in a way but it also makes each session it’s own little individual adventure. Every time you pick up the game you start something new that you know will be over and done with once you stop, there’s no real commitment.
But rewarding enough to keep playing due to satisfying mechanics/meta progression
I really miss coming home from work, cracking a beer and playing skate 3 for like 30 minutes and just having fun and shutting my brain off. hard to find games these days that don't expect your full undivided attention for 1,000 hours.
I think the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series + spin-offs really fit the mold of chill games. I mean, you can spend hours just playing quirky side quests and mini games.
Yakuza zero is one of my all time favorite games
Ace Attorney is super relaxing to just turn your brain off and playthrough.
Whoa, a new NakeyJakey video. This is great original work and an interesting video concept.
I just started playing Jusant today, you climb a giant mountain and it's super chill, highly recommend if you're looking for something relaxing!
you have something special with this channel, keep up the amazing work
Skate 2 was the game i played the most on PS3. It was my "relax" game. I just came out of High School and College and decompress playing it or just before going to sleep to relax my mind.
Skate2 was that game i always pull out if i needed to kill time before going out,relax after coming back, wait for friends or pretty much any situations were i got time. It was THE game that answer all my question and allow me to play video games without having to use my brain. It was all free flowing body reactions without brain thinking about it. It was natural you just let your brain blend into the game itself into a continuous never ending combo of emotions and tricks skating the whole city without even noticing it drinking some beers or wine.
Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley are another chill games FOR ME. They are farming games, but i played them so much i know how to do everything so me and my friends just end up talking about our lifes while doing chores,drinking some beer and such, is also one of the only games that makes my girl friends and dude friends enjoy it time together because is a game for everybody. Another chill game is FrostPunk. Played so much i just do everything mindlessly
Skate 2 free skate is such an underated gaming experience, just endlessly skating a city, no objective no timer no real points, just chilling and living. More games should strive for that really
Imo the popularity of Dark Souls and similar games is what killed chill games
One of my favorite chill games is "Free Running". It was released back in 2007-2009 on the PS2, Wii, and PSP, but it is now also on Steam (and currently on sale for 89 cents!). It's very chill, once you get the hang of the controls. Just running around and finding new routes you can take through the levels is really fun.
Dang I had that game on my psp and I forgot about it! I should give it a try soon enough, it was very fun!
@@joelchrono It is indeed very fun. I've played it a whole lot. If you're interested, I've got a couple videos on my channel about it, showing off some crazy stuff you can do.
Oh, I remember that. I found it really strange that there only ever was one game that tried to be "the Pro Skater of Free Running" when it was such an easy recipe for cool gameplay and awesome lines.
@@TheHeavyshadow I know, right?? I've always wanted a "Free Running 2" or even a spiritual successor or something. But, despite searching for such a game, there just doesn't seem to be anything that captures the same feeling of flow and freedom that FR does for me.
@@superhc0 Yeah, I suspect when Mirrors Edge, Dying Light, Assassin's Creed became big most studios were like "Nah, there are already mainstream Parcour games. No need to make another one."
And thanks btw. for the 89-cents-tip. I tried emulating the game a couple of years ago but that work. But the actual port runs quite well.
ECCO THE DOLPHIN MENTIONEDDDDDDD THATS A DUB, good video
I would say Jusant thats a really good one to me tbh in this year so calming playing it
I have so many memories of just having *FUN* on n64, ps2, and 360. I have played a lot of stuff on xb one, ps4, and switch, but the magic is certainly gone, and on top of having much more real life stress, games seem to have become more stressful as well. Thankfully we have gaming youtube, which as a whole is now far superior to actual video games
I'm curious, have you tried Sea of Thieves and Grounded? Or Forza Horizon 5?
I think the problem is that gaming media focuses far too much on AAA single-player titles and not on chill games.
i’m always on skate 3 it’s so calming
Love this video I like a short hike as a nice little short chill game
great video 😁 my favourite chill game this year was yakuza like a dragon those games just feel like youre hanging out in a city and random shit just happens all around you
I was entertained, so I subscribed.
Being a PC gamer for a lot of my childhood, I was never exposed to the more colorful, zanier games of the first few generations of consoles. Later on, my gateway back into gaming was playing those grey-looking, sometimes samey late PS3 games. I'm not gonna lie, I had a blast playing a lot of them, but I remember having to break things up with something like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Flower, The Cave, or Steamworld Dig.
The weird thing is that as the indie scene blew up, I started playing less and less of them, so now I have this huge backlog of smaller, often cooler games that I never got around to playing. I made a promise to myself that in 2024 I would still play the bombastic, story-heavy AAA titles that I love, but sprinkle some indies as well.
My favorite is a short hike if you haven't played it do yourself a favor and play it and feel the stress melt away
Can see the naked jackcobc influence in here
I feel so cool right now, when you mentioned getting wine and sitting on the couch, my first thought was "My chill gamw is Skate 3." Only for you to agree. Epic taste, my bro.
Lol the Baldur's gate don't hurt me part really cracked me up
I rarely play single-player games but I find sekiro quite chill. Hearing that deflect sound and few runs at Gauntlet of Strength: Mortal Journey is just hits the spot.
Lmao isn’t Sekiro one of the most difficult games of all time?
@@kiing_ty once you get hung of it. It is one of the easiest game.
Great vid! Does anyone know the ost that starts at 0:54 ?
There’s actually a ton of chill exploration/crafting focused games released monthly.
Death Stranding, Judgement, Diablo 3 off the top of my head
The chillest unchillest game franchise I have ever seen is the Fallout series, and I recommend you to play it.
Just play Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Thats all the games you need to get into the franchise, then play whatever you want if you feel like it. Just play them, and you 'll understand what I mean with unchillest chill.
Amazing video. Loved it from start to finish. Hope your channel gets big!
My favourite chill games have to be the original Spyro trilogy, easily. One thing I have to definately highlight are the homeworlds you travel to. Although in Spyro 1, most of the homeworlds are filled with enemies and the like, the homeworlds themselves feel magical and alive. They feel and look like places I would love to go to and explore, which is one of the core themes of all 3 games. In Spyro 2 and 3, the homeworlds are much more chill but just like the first game, really encourage exploration. The biggest compliment to these homeworlds as well is the music. Stewart Copeland nails it with his music. In Spyro 2 especially, all the homeworlds have a theme of melancholy to them. They are so relaxing.
i think you need to reinterpret what chill means. because some of the games you listed aren't chill really. i think what you're trying to go for is "fvck around" games. a game you hop into and there's no expectation of completing something substantial. it's up to you whether you want to go hard in katamari or just roll for a bit, same for skyrim you can choose to go in a hunt for a dragon to complete a story quest or you can just go and run a random direction and explore cave.
Really well made vid.
The Final Fishtasy XIV reference is also appreciated
I attribute the loss of chill at least in part, to the swarm of progression systems that have been crammed into AAA games. Gamerscore, daily login bonuses, exp meters for your global ranking, etc. There's so much extrinsic reward attached now. A match isn't just 'a match' now, it's a report card that affects the future of your account.
I think that's why indie games are so good at getting away from this sort of noise, this constant overhead. That's a huge extra layer of programming that they just can't or won't do -- so the intrinsic fun of each session takes center stage instead.
that's why I always replay far cry 3... Its a game that has really chill gameplay, and after a bunch of replays the story is already engraved in your brain that you can play it listening to podcasts or music, its so good.
Thankfully, there are plenty of indie studios that fill the chill void.
Jet set radio is kinda stress at times bro
ok but ecco is the least chill game once you get past the first stage. That shits a survival horror nightmare!
Speaking of chill, you’ve got a really chill video style! I dig it.
my favorite chill games are the ones that are very easy to speedrun
my go to example is sonic rush, its just fun to rush through the level because i know quite well but not enough to not leave any surprises
im just on autopilot playing the game while just being a little bit on my toes its perfect
So chill games definitely still exist you just don't see them in the forefront. I think it's two fold: 1- Studios are trying to make each game more than the last one so over time the games are becoming more and more just long, playable movies. 2- Internet culture has given rise to the idea that if you become good enough at gaming, you can either be a pro at the game or can stream the game and make a lot of money. So there's a huge push to be more and more competitive. Even games like COD which were designed for the casual player have turned into highly competitive games. The big game studios see dollar signs in this so they push their games to be more competitive to create more viewership. I keep a playlist of games that I've found are very chill for me so I can hop on them whenever I need to relax and am not up for an insane, epic story at the moment.
Riders republic is chill af
I love your essay but i don't get what you mean with chill due to the large scope you cover, however i can recommend dave the diver, It's a great mix of progression and fun.
Another game named “Dredge” is also another good game. Chill game with Eldritch horror Themes lol
Skyrim: a game so chill that half the map is covered in snow and ice
1:25 idk why, but this reminds me of Five Iron Frenzy - Wizard Needs Food Badly
me and my buddy sunk so many hours into skate 3 during quarantine, funnily enough some of my happiest memories in gaming when everyone else was freaking out and depressed.
When I was a kid Roblox and Pokemon were my chill games…
As an adult they still are.
They may not be the most cinematic or high fidelity graphics games out there, but they’re perfect for just unwinding after a long day.
Ironically, your video is one of the chilliest videos i have watched in a while.
I swear nakey jakey really inspired so many RUclipsrs. This whole video felt like I was watching someone trying to imitate him a lot. Good video tho
I've been playing Tinykin, which is just epitome of chill game. Just a pikmin like collectathon, literally 0 stakes. I've also been playing Cobalt Core, a deckbuilding roguelike set in space, and that one I'd highly recommend!
Love your analysis here, and dude congrats on this vid popping! Well deserved
Elite dangerous: (most of the time)
*"Am i joke to you?"*
Bro the only time I ever got to play Jet Set Radio Future was at Target when my mom would leave me at the game section to do her shopping, and it’s still one of the funnest games I’ve ever played
I recently played Bomb rush cyberfunk and it had that similar chill feel and has Jet Set Radio vibes. Honestly, I feel like games like this that are made by indie studios that grew up on these type of games are the future.
One game I always find myself going back to and chill actually is GTA V. Going into a solo Online Lobby, taking that T20 or Osiris and just driving around listening to Non Stop Pop. That my definition of chill.
The Kevin’s mom part was the most nakeyjakey inspired shit I’ve seen😂
I honestly believe the vision of T.H.U.G.'s park editor is something that makes for a superior voxel game to even minecraft. It was just held back by hardware limitations.
I always loved getting home and skating around the map listening to the soundtrack of tony hawks, still doing it till today
This is the most chill video I've ever seen
Current favorites: Cities Skylines, Session, Anno series, Guild Wars 2 (wandering the open world skyrim style), Jurassic World Evolution 2, No Man's Sky
honorable mentions: Euro Truck Simulator 2, Intergalactic Fishing, Kingdoms and Castles, Majesty, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Railroad Tycoon 3, Stronghold series, Tropico series, X series
Chill games still exist they just got a different name (Cozy Games). Even AAA tiles got chill elementals too them.
Superflight kinda nails that extreme sports but chill thing.
This year i've played a couple new chill games like Sable, Bomb Rush Cyberpunk, a short hike or Golazo 2 and it was fantastic zoning out and enjoying them
This was a chill video
When grooses theme came on i thought i had a alarm set. Grooses theme is my alarm sound
Love this video essay! ❤
There are many hidden gems of chill games that take some time to stumble upon. to name just a few:
My Time and Portia
OlliOlli World
Inscryption
Stacklands
Thronefall
Stray
Townscaper
Kingdom Rush
Dredge
Bad North
Plate Up
Islanders
Turmoil
I feel like anyone who can’t find chill games, isn’t looking all that hard.
This is the first time I've seen bomberman footage played next to bomberman music
they never left
We got graffitis and balls lol: 2:36
THUG is my go to fall/winter holiday game for me. Recently got it for my ps2 but I remember fondly playing it with my cousin when we would go to visit family up north. Usually in the fall and winter holidays