Uplifting/happy games

All other video games not related to the main farming series - Pokemon, Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, and other indie-developed games.
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Kikki
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Okay, we've had a couple of topics on games that are soothing/relaxing, and I think we once even had a thread on games that are easy/nice to play when you're not feeling well...but I'm not sure we've had one specifically for games that make you feel positive/upbeat/cheered up.

Do you have any? I'm not sure that I do, to be honest. I'm not easily depressed, but on the flip-side, I'm not easily excited or filled with joy, either. I find a lot of things beautiful, particularly in nature itself, and very happy in their way, but uplifting? That's a tough one. It's my topic, and yet, I'm not sure I can contribute anything to it.

Genre doesn't matter. Any game that made you feel better about life in general, or your life in specific, or that just gave you so many warm fuzzies. And this may sound contradictory, but it doesn't necessarily have to have been a happy game...sometimes the way people respond to tragedy can be amazingly encouraging. (Though do include a warning if the game actually contains a lot of tragedy!)

On that level, the only one I can think of right now is Cold Steel 1 & 2, which had some very sad moments, but also has such a strong friendship theme... even though there is also romance, I found it encouraging, to play a game that placed an even higher value on friendship than on romance, because it's so rare, and I get so very tired of all forms of entertainment trying to convince me that to be its deepest, love must somehow involve your genitals.

Anybody got a game that had a happy impact on you/made you feel better about the world or etc?
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greensara
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It's kind of hard for me to nail down what games I would term as positive or uplifting specifically for me. There are games I very much enjoy, some I hate, and the majority I am rather apathetic to, but few I'd actually associate with being uplifting/happy/etc.

Most games that come to my mind have more to do with nostalgia and who I played with than the game itself, like TMNT, Mario RPG, and the old Paper Mario games with my older brother. I also think of Animal Parade and the first Pokemon games I got my husband to play together with me. Even Number Munchers and Oregon Trail bring back some good times in the green screened computer lab, but I wouldn't likely play them now, lol.

I suppose on the lines of maybe light hearted and chill vibes, I have always really liked the Yoshi games, even though I typically hate platformers. The baby Yoshis in Yoshi Story got me hooked, while the winged Yoshi mode in Woolley World was impossible to get frustrated with. I don't know why but the cuteness makes it hard to be in a bad mood, at least for me. Other than those, I can't think of anything else specifically right now.
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Kikki
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It's difficult to think of uplifting games, isn't it? Just about any other emotion, and I think it'd be easier to come up with a list. But I only mentioned one game (well, two connected ones) and the reason why I found it encouraging is very specific to ME, so it's not like I'd recommend it willy-nilly as an uplifting game to play.

I'm not really sure what other people would name. That's why I decided to ask. :)

I'm also tempted to ask what people think are the funniest games/games that made them laugh out loud the most. But that can always be another topic later. (I think it'll be easier than this one, though.)
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Journey is this game for me, but YMMV.
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Mikodesu
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It probably depends heavily on the person...but the best two I can think of would be Celeste and Wandersong, for similar reasons, but in different ways.

Celeste isn't an easy game, but the narrative themes of self acceptance and overcoming combined with the difficulty of the platforming make for a very deep cathartic release on finishing the game.

On the other hand Wandersong kind of is an easy game - largely for the lack of a fail state. Its uplifting aspect is its general message, still kind of centered around self acceptance and the idea that heroes take different forms. (Plus it's cute, laugh out loud funny at times, and the Bard is the perfect main character for an uplifting story. Everybody needs somebody like them in their life!)

If my Switch weren't acting up I think another playthrough of Wandersong would do me good with how I've been feeling. :lol: Good game.
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Code_Name_Geek
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Hm, that’s a difficult question. I think I could answer it quite easily if we were talking about books, but I’ve never thought of it in regard to games until now.

If any series is uplifting for me, it‘s Pokémon. The moment that especially comes to mind is in Omega Ruby when I boot up the game and take off into the air on my Latios - for some reason, that particular moment is very uplifting. I get a bit of that feeling in Sword too, when I’m just riding around the wild area collecting watts and items off the ground. I think these moments are uplifting because they have a feeling of “coming home” to a place I’ve spent so much time in, almost like how it feels to walk into a former school (but frozen in time to the last time you were there).

Another more recent game that has had that effect on me is Persona 5. I played it during a bit of a low point and felt a particularly intense connection with one of the main characters who was struggling with some of the same feelings I had been dealing with, which greatly affected the way I thought about those feelings. I think it was the friendship and the slice of life segments that make it so uplifting to me, and even though the overall tone of the game is pretty dark it has a rather uplifting message that has stuck with me more than almost anything I’ve played.
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Kikki
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It all depends on how you define 'uplifting', too, I guess. For me, some of what I've seen described here qualifies the game they are speaking of as 'comforting' or 'nostalgic', which I don't equate with being uplifting, but each person can only go by their own definition.

Music is definitely the most uplifting form of entertainment in the world, imo, followed by books. In gaming it seems pretty rare. It's very rare that a game makes me feel better (more positive) about life/humanity, perhaps because they have nothing to do with the real world, and are in fact an escape from reality, whereas music and books (even though the books may be fantasy) sort of...take you further into little pieces of it.

There are moments of Xenoblade Chronicles X that are uplifting, probably due to the overall plot of teeny-tiny humanity struggling to survive the vast, cruel universe's relentless attempts to render them extinct. A lot of that games shows individuals as tiny, very flawed bugs, struggling on the endless ground, only to be crushed underfoot. But moments when everyone being able to focus on one critical thing brings them all together until they become something huge and unstoppable, and humanity rises from the muck and ashes of the past like a phoenix...okay, it's a total fantasy, but it still makes your heart swell. Guess I can count it, too.
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+1 for Wandersong. That game is delightful.

I will admit I am a huge sucker for tragic stories and bittersweet themes in games, but I can't consume the drama all the time. For when I need something fluffy and uplifiting, I usually go the the Atelier games. While all of them cover stories that are all about reaching your goal and getting your happy ending, I'd say Ryza does the best in presenting said goal and watching the character grow. Escha&Logy also does it very well, albeit in a less colorful world with more stakes.

I think my favorite type game to get me out of a funk and help me feel better is anything 'creature capture'. Pokemon, Yokai Watch, Monster Rancher, World of Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter Stories, Dragon Quest Monsters, Xenoblade 2 (yes, this counts!) - you get the picture. IDK what it is, but I love building parties of my favorites or just having the option of choosing favorites rather than being stuck with the same old JRPG party. However, the gameplay attached has to be good and my tastes (which is why the like of Sushi Striker doesn't make the cut) so it's not always easy to catch my attention. I am always up for game likes these, so I never care when there's clones, because if they're good clones, the more the merrier!

This is probs why I like the Fire Emblem series so much in hindsight. Massive casts to pluck favorites from.
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