Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit

I’m 45 days into my Camp Spirit journey. It’s a great game that I make time for every day. Making money is a bit grindier in this sequel; in the original you just planted as much fruit as possible, turned it into tincture, and got rich. I miss easy mode, but there are a lot of profitable recipes in this version, so purchasing in-game storage hasn’t been too difficult. The discord community is really helpful with finding ways to make coin. The game play is similar to the OG; you run around helping bears find peace in the afterlife while trying to get yourself back home. The themes are similar, but different enough from the original that the stories are engaging. This one is very modern; the first bear is a podcaster stuck on the influencer treadmill. Another story line is about the stresses of landing VC funding and keeping the wheels of a business turning. I’m guessing that Spryfox is writing from life. Update day 120-ish: I love it so much. The stories are rich and complex. Spryfox made insightful changes to how bears progress that are so hopeful and also emotionally real

I’m loving the game overall! The aesthetic has updated beautifully (and the og was already a beautiful game). I enjoy the way bear memories are explored - the way they move around the island, show memories at Flamey, and how progress works in smaller story arcs to feel very satisfying. A major downside to the game is the use of “they” for the player character and so many NPCs. Especially one of the early bears specifically emphasizing it and giving some speech about pronouns. Feeding into the psychoses of those with body dysphoria is highly problematic, and I continue to play somewhat uneasily, worried that this or another problematic thing will chafe to the point I must quit. Smaller notes include: Pros: -I love the diagonal set-up to everything, and how dynamic the decorating looks with that different perspective. -The slow-burn play style is so enjoyable, and it’s great for me to not feel the pull to play for long hours. -The controls are smooth, and the new arching indicator for throwing objects is great for having a better idea where my stuff will land. -Quirky, memorable writing for dialogue, letters, and companions. Cons: -As mentioned, pronoun ambiguities that hurt people. -The items are too easy to find. The glow around them seems like too much of a hint, especially when there’s an actual hint machine. -Can no longer chain decorate with stacked items, like lamps or fences. You have to open the menu every time to place a single item. I’m so so glad to have more Cozy Grove even if it means it has to be on different platform. It’s been adapted so well to mobile!!

I was a big fan of the original Cozy Grove and I had high hopes of Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit. The slow pace of the story was never an issue because you could always farm and build up resources to sell and upgrade your storage capacity / tent and create items. Decorating your tent and the island was fun. However, Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit has nerfed and slowed down even the money making ability now. Items are harder to make and sell for a lot less money. The creators just updated the game to stop players from being able to recycle quartz gemstones for money because they said it was a waste of resources. We’ll, if I could “waste resources” today I could upgrade my backpack today. But now I have to jump through hoops to create higher class gems, then go buy a limited amount of furniture from Kit or Darla and then resell it to them to make any money. It will take me a week to do this because there are only a few items Kit sells everyday and Darla isn’t there everyday with her limited items. It’s way too much time and effort for a simple backpack upgrade. I introduced two of my daughters to Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit so we could enjoy it together, but the slow pace on everything has caused them to lose interest. Unfortunately, I’m very close to losing interest myself.