I was just watching the ZP for Elite Dangerous where Yahtzee said it was a good game to relax and listen to a podcast with. Day Z or Minecraft immediately came to mind. I looked up Elite Dangerous, and it was a little pricey for what I can afford, but I was wondering if anyone knows if there are any more games that have long periods or mundane gameplay where you are accomplishing something, but at the same time space out and relax for a little while.
Mundane but Relaxing Games
- Thread starter bdeamon
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Gnomoria and Banished are two big ones that I can think of.
Gnomoria is like a graphical lite version of Dwarf Fortress where you spend a lot of time planning out elaborate builds.
Banished similarly is all about setting tasks for your townsmen and waiting for them to complete.
They are both fun games but they have very long stretches of nothing really happening but you staring at the screen waiting for the tasks you assigned to be completed and resist the temptation to overload the work queue.
Gnomoria is like a graphical lite version of Dwarf Fortress where you spend a lot of time planning out elaborate builds.
Banished similarly is all about setting tasks for your townsmen and waiting for them to complete.
They are both fun games but they have very long stretches of nothing really happening but you staring at the screen waiting for the tasks you assigned to be completed and resist the temptation to overload the work queue.
Viscera Cleanup Detail.
You play a janitor going through fairly typical video game environments after the evil minions and action heroes have done their thing, mopping up all the blood and incinerating the giblets.
It's oddly relaxing and satisfying.
There's a bit of humour to it as well. There's something wryly amusing about finding "PLEASE HELP US" written in blood on a wall, and just being all, "Dum-de-dum, better mop that up!"
You play a janitor going through fairly typical video game environments after the evil minions and action heroes have done their thing, mopping up all the blood and incinerating the giblets.
It's oddly relaxing and satisfying.
There's a bit of humour to it as well. There's something wryly amusing about finding "PLEASE HELP US" written in blood on a wall, and just being all, "Dum-de-dum, better mop that up!"
Viscera cleanup detail, i'd recommend aswell. Its quite zen to mop your way trough the alien bits and blood.
Plants Vs Zombies, i know it might sound bad, coming from EA and all. But the original is just a fun little timewaster.
FTL : Faster than light. Space exploration and combat in a fun interface. Does get a bit intense at times, but it'll get you through. Has some zen background music.
any of the Hacker games. Has no learning curve so you better prepare to die a lot in the beginning. But get's fun once you get the hang of it.
papers please. A game where you look for the minute errors on peoples passports and stuff. Visually pleasing and there's no need to turn on the sound so it's perfect for podcasts and the like.
Plants Vs Zombies, i know it might sound bad, coming from EA and all. But the original is just a fun little timewaster.
FTL : Faster than light. Space exploration and combat in a fun interface. Does get a bit intense at times, but it'll get you through. Has some zen background music.
any of the Hacker games. Has no learning curve so you better prepare to die a lot in the beginning. But get's fun once you get the hang of it.
papers please. A game where you look for the minute errors on peoples passports and stuff. Visually pleasing and there's no need to turn on the sound so it's perfect for podcasts and the like.
For me, relaxation is living up only to the expectations I set for myself. So I relax with games like Animal Crossing or Minecraft--where you more or less set your own pace and have your own goals in mind. And you can pick it up or put it down whenever you want. Either that, or a game I'm extremely familiar with and can basically just do by rote, like Portal or Pokemon.
That's kinda how I feel about playing 4x games at times. Sure, every so often you have to settle a new colony/city/planet, build improvments, click on the research tab, but unless you're actively at war or building up to one, you don't really a lot of game time is watching your civ grow.
At least that how I feel playing Civ5 right now, now that my civ is humming along smoothly.
Though sometimes I play puzzle/adventure games to scratch that itch, most of which aren't timed.
At least that how I feel playing Civ5 right now, now that my civ is humming along smoothly.
Though sometimes I play puzzle/adventure games to scratch that itch, most of which aren't timed.
Honestly you can't go wrong with RollerCoaster Tycoon. It really is just a delightful game and its on steam for like $5
I agree with this 100%, I love playing VCD and listening to a Podcast or a TV show.Zhukov said:
The only other game I can think of that comes close is Faster than Light, and that depends entirely on how you play. If you aren't really concerned about winning, i.e. beating the final boss which is extremely stressful, I find the game oddly calming. But it could be stressful if you get at all concerned about winning since your luck can change on a dime.
Little Inferno. An art game where you purchase various items and burn them in a fireplace. It is what I typically play if I can't sleep.
Dear Esther or Vanishing of Ethan Carter spring to mind. You can just wander around and take in the sights if you want. They are beautiful games.
When I think of relaxing games, I usually retreat to my many puzzle games that I have stashed away on my iPods and Android phone.
However, since I'm still hooked on Pokemon X and Omega Ruby, playing other games on handheld devices doesn't seem that appealing.
So instead, I play Dr. Wario, a mini-game found on WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! on the WiiU Virtual Console.
I got the WarioWare title because we didn't have any "pick-up-and-play" games for the GamePad only, and after I unlocked it, I tend to play it from time to time when I have a few minutes to kill.
However, since I'm still hooked on Pokemon X and Omega Ruby, playing other games on handheld devices doesn't seem that appealing.
So instead, I play Dr. Wario, a mini-game found on WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! on the WiiU Virtual Console.
I got the WarioWare title because we didn't have any "pick-up-and-play" games for the GamePad only, and after I unlocked it, I tend to play it from time to time when I have a few minutes to kill.
Yep, gotta agree with this guy. There was nothing better than turning my music folder on shuffle, loading up Bejeweled 1/2/3 and doing endless mode, just zoning out and matching gems. My old stoner buddy said Bejeweled was her favorite past time after smoking.Johnny Novgorod said:
My vote goes to something like Torchlight 2, which is as seamless a flow experience as I have found. Prison Architect is a promising simulation where time disappears - a bit like the inmates from my first attempts at a secure facility - HMP Leaky.
Space Rangers 2 is a left-field choice where the turn-based space combat and the Elite-style trading can be broken up with bizarre and badly translated text adventures. Skip the robot RTS unless you like real-time attritional warfare that can last an hour without the ability to save mid-level.
Space Rangers 2 is a left-field choice where the turn-based space combat and the Elite-style trading can be broken up with bizarre and badly translated text adventures. Skip the robot RTS unless you like real-time attritional warfare that can last an hour without the ability to save mid-level.
Seconding this. My friends give me crap for seriously playing ETS2 but it's the perfect relaxing game for me; it requires a constant yet undemanding level of attention and it's the best game out there for listening to the radio/podcasts with. Anyone doubting should download the demo and give it a try, it's not for everyone though.Bad Jim said: