If you’re a fan of rhythm games, have you ever played Rhythm Heaven? :) RH Fever for the Wii, and RH Megamix for the 3ds are some of my faves in the genre. They’re standouts and somewhat unconventional rhythm games based around animations. Very cute and fun and towards the end of the games challenging. I believe emulators are available for both on Debian. Dolphin for Wii emulation, Citra for 3ds. Citra has officially been discontinued by the original dev team, but forks are around for it.

On switch there’s Animal Crossing, Yoshi’s crafted world, Super Mario 3D world and Odyssey are both fantastic and cozy. Let’s go Eevee and Pikachu are incredible and have a very warm idyllic vibe imo.

Haven Park and A Short Hike are both pretty cute and cozy

I am a fan of rhythm games and cozy games like stardew valley

how about Minecraft and/or Terraria?

Dinkum is fucking great if you’re a fan of stardew and animal crossing

Also, I’m not sure if this one is up your alley since it’s neither a rhythm game nor like stardew valley, but Rain World is such a beautiful piece of art and atmospheric. It feels alive and brutal. Even then, I still find a lot of cozy moments in this game.

Hey! Sorry you’re feeling shitty. I just finished Cassette Beasts while I was down with COVID. It’s a fun, different take on the Pokemon formula with a cool aesthetic. Perhaps not the absolute coziest, but still cozy in my book.

I recently discovered this adorable little indie point and click adventure game called Read Only Memories. The basic plot is that you’re a struggling freelance journalist living in a crappy apartment in Neo-San Francisco in the year 2064. Human genetic and cybernetic modification is widely available, and some jackasses have decided to spend their time protesting outside the clinics that provide it. They claim it strips away the very things that make us human, whatever that may mean (editorialism mine – the game, strangely, goes to great lengths to allow the player to choose either, or neither, side in this conflict through dialogue options, although the vast majority of characters you meet will have the same opinion I did). Also, ROMs (personal voice-activated robots – think ChatGPT with legs) are fairly commonplace and can be seen everywhere from individual households to the police force. They’re highly conversational though not particularly human.

Anyway, one day, you wake up, and one of these robots is standing at the foot of your bed. You’re somewhat surprised by this, since you’re way too broke to afford one. The robot introduces themself as Turing, a top-secret project to create a truly sapient ROM, who has just witnessed their creator being kidnapped and broke into your apartment during the night to ask for your help to solve the case.

I’ve only gotten to the second chapter so far, but I’m loving it. It is very cute and very queer and does not shy away from the gritty realities of its subject matter. I don’t want to spoil too much, but there’s one conversation where you find out why the genetically modified person who’s been a bit of a dick to you got genetic modifications and the major struggles they went through to get it, and I do not think the allegory could have been more obvious if the entire screen turned into a giant trans flag.

Also Turing is adorable. And you can hug them. Also the music is incredible.

It’s an incredible game and you should totally play it ^^

Okay hear me out… Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead. There’s something really entrancing about checking off the to-do list to become a mutant polymath in a solar rv bus made of scrap. You can even collect blahaj.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure has got cute, cosy and wholesome in spades.

Sayonara wild hearts is a fun rythm game with a lovely aesthetic. I like that it is quite forgiving at the beginning so as to not frustrate, but still challenging when you try for the highscores

Not sure if anyone mentioned it already, but The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is really cozy and nice. You play as a witch that got exiled and is mentally not in a good place but then you get to do all kinds of badass witch stuff. It is inclusive of trans women and I had to cry a lot when I found out midgame.

Maybe not what you’re thinking about but I quite like playing crusader kings 3 when I’m feeling like that and maybe you will too. It’s kind of expensive with all the dlcs though so you should just get it here for free instead: https://fitgirl-repacks.site/crusader-kings-3/

if you haven’t torrented anything before (I’m assuming you probably have though since you have Linux) you’ll need this to download it: https://www.qbittorrent.org/download

Unpacking is a zen puzzle game that involves the process of unpacking possessions from boxes and fitting them into a new home. The game, available on various platforms like PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, allows players to create a satisfying living space while uncovering clues about the life they are unpacking. Through eight house moves, players experience intimacy with an unseen character and unravel a story through the items they unpack. Unpacking received positive reviews and won several awards, including two BAFTA Games Awards and Game of the Year by Eurogamer[2][3][4]. It offers meditative gameplay without timers or scores, allowing players to explore domestic environments and discover a character’s story through the items that accompany them to each new home[3].

Citations: [1] Unpacking https://store.steampowered.com/app/1135690/Unpacking/ [2] Unpacking: a zen puzzle game about unpacking a life https://www.unpackinggame.com [3] Unpacking - Apps on Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en&id=com.humblebundle.unpacking [4] Unpacking (video game) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unpacking_(video_game) [5] Unpacking for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site for Canada https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/unpacking-switch/

I know it’s a bit of a clique at this point, but if you enjoy platformers, and especially if you want an emotionally compelling story, I’d reccomend Celeste, there’s also a lot of trans allegories within the game, if you’re up for that. It’s on Steam and Switch, among other things, and is a pretty good indie game made by a trans woman

Sable!! Beautiful and cozy artsyle and and it’s a satisfying puzzle platformer.

Citizen sleeper (it is supersweet, but sad and not cozy. It’s just way good and trans coded)