5 Games for November that Balance Spookiness and Coziness

With another October turned November, fall chills set in that require games of maximum coziness to combat them. At the same time, some of us just aren’t ready to give up our Halloween spirit(s). If you’re caught in this dilemma, here are five games that I think manage to balance both coziness and spookiness in their own strange ways.

1. Don’t Starve Together

Whether you actually embrace the togetherness of Don’t Starve Together or just choose to play by yourself, it’s the perfect candidate for games that are dually comforting and frightening. If you’re not already familiar with it, Don’t Starve Together is a wilderness survival game filled with strange and endearing creatures and biomes. As the title implies, your job is to not starve--but also to not lose all your health and sanity. As the seasons change, not only will your surroundings and resources change with them, but so will your needs. This game provides a full survival experience from the comfort of your own home and gaming console.

How is it spooky, you ask? The game puts pressure on you in a multitude of ways. Aside from maintaining your core needs (health, hunger, sanity) and building up a supply of resources, you also have to evade or defeat a variety of hostile mobs. Even the night itself is hostile, always requiring a torch if not a proper campfire to keep you safe. Some of these mobs are fairly frightening when they’re chasing you down, and the same goes for the shadows that creep up on you and your fire through the night. 

If you’re thinking that these elements sound stressful, let me add on some aspects of the game that are comforting as well! While some mobs are out to get you, there are plenty of neutral and passive mobs that make exploring worthwhile. My personal favorites are Chester and Glommer, who will follow you around if you carry the right items, offering you companionship even if you play single-player.

Your sense of comfort should grow as you establish a base and build helpful tools. Peak coziness comes into play once you build a crockpot; you know you’ve done something right when your hunger is replenished by a hearty, virtual crockpot stew.

2. Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods invites you to step into the world of twenty-year-old Mae Borowski, a bipedal cat and college dropout, as she returns to her hometown and parents’ household. This adventure game focuses on the exploration of not only the town, but the characters within it (and their relationships to Mae).

While Mae and her friends have their own personal troubles, Mae also realizes that her hometown is troubled in itself, with several strange occurrences that lend the game its eeriness. I’ll spare you the details of these occurrences--they are there for you to discover on your own, and I certainly hope you will.

As you try to unravel the town’s secrets, you’ll take comfort in Mae’s friendships. Whether it’s a silly hangout with Greg, a serious conversation with Bea, or just stealing a pretzel snack for some recently befriended rats, there are many moments for you to find endearing.

3. Cult of the Lamb

If you're looking for a game with cute critters, Cult of the Lamb has you covered. Build up a following of colorful little animals, while you yourself play as the adorable ringleader of them all: a lamb saved from the slaughter who now seeks revenge.

In this game, you do it all! Build a base, find a following, gather resources, unlock amenities and powers... You can finetune the exact ratio of scariness to coziness by choosing how to treat your followers. Will you inspire your followers, or will you intimidate them? Will you serve up a Tasty Fish Meal when they're ready for lunch, or a Bowl of Poop?

4. Speed Dating for Ghosts

Speed Dating for Ghosts is the crossroads between wholesome and fearsome. It’s all the regular cuteness of a dating simulator, just with dead people as your dates! While the average dating simulator lets you get to know your virtual date’s life, this game lets you get to know your date’s life and death--if they like you.

The coziness and spookiness levels in this game depend on how well you and your dates get along, really. If you get along swimmingly, you can expect a deeper connection with beautiful and sometimes bittersweet conversations. If your date isn’t going as planned… Well, that’s where things can get a bit spooky. A dozen potential dates, each with diverse lives and deaths--why not see if anyone’s your type?

5. Cozy Grove

If you’re a fan of Animal Crossing yet wish the games were a little haunted, I’d like to introduce you to Cozy Grove. Like Animal Crossing, you help your neighbors with tasks, collect new items in a fashion comparable to AC’s museum, and play each day synced up to real time (unless you change your console’s date to skip ahead, of course).

Unlike Animal Crossing, you’re a spirit scout, ready to help spirits find closure and peace in the afterlife! Also, the aforementioned spirits are quirky, anthropomorphic bears. And other (nonanthropomorphic) animals. And little imps.

You should know it checks the “coziness” box off our list based on the title alone, and the haunted island adds a special, spooky touch. If you have the patience for games that take place in real time, I definitely recommend it.

Overall, I wish you a lovely November no matter what games you’re playing this month. Happy gaming!