CHENNAI : The regular year-end reflection on videogame can wait till next week, along with the guilt and regret of things left incomplete in the past year. I’ve decided that this week, it’s time to distract ourselves with games that carry the essence of some of the keywords of this holiday season — “jolly”, “merry, “cheer”. But identifying wholesome games isn’t an easy task.
After spending a few days raking through PlayStation demos and free-to-play PC platformers, I have concluded that almost all of these wholesome videogames are reprehensibly childish. It’s quite hard to find any of us enjoying games without the entrenched darkness in them. And it’s even harder to find a cheery game with a storyline that could captivate an older generation. What are the ingredients then, for a purely positive game?
For Organic, a game without sinister and ugly out-of-world creatures. Take the game Chuchel, for example — the main character is a cute furry circle with hands and legs running behind a berry. It is reminiscent of everyday things — leaves rustling, a ball bouncing, and an atmosphere fit to be in a happy baby’s dream.
The upward pointing arrow indicates a limited amount of progression. Cheery games shouldn’t make you happy through their unchallenging nature. Platformers seem to be the hack that’s made its way into this genre, and Celeste is one of the more demanding games — the unlimited lives are an indicator of the countless attempts you’ll have to make before clearing a level. But the progression in difficulty isn’t a mandate. Stardew Valley has cracked the combo code with a relaxing, smooth farming simulator packed with some good music as well. But that’s not all there is to the game.
Stardew Valley has a intimate connection with the day in the life of a young adult, the protagonist waking up one day out of choice in a farm, after leaving his soul-crushing corporate job. The X is for the inexplicable element of depth, some mystery, a complication to make us feel like it’s not just another teaser like Candy Crush. The list would go on to include some lesser known indie games — Catastronaut, Lightfall, Mulaka and many more. It’s on us to find them and celebrate with some wholesome fun.