Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit is a relaxing sequel that’s perhaps a little too familiar

I had mixed feelings towards Cozy Grove when it released back in 2021. While it succeeded greatly at offering up a cosy game, it did feel rather monotonous after a while, having you repeat the same actions again and again. It also limited its daily playtime heavily, making it the type of thing you could only play for a short while each day before you ran out of new tasks.

As someone who doesn’t always have time to go back to the same games every day, it’s not a format that works. I like the option to play something when I have free time, even if that means playing the same thing for eight hours one weekend then never again for a few weeks. With Cozy Grove, that’s not an option. And its sequel, Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, which is out now on consoles and PC after a stint on Android and iOS, is very much the same.

So similar, in fact, that I had to check I actually was playing a sequel, and not simply some expanded-upon version of the original. Indeed, Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit gives you a different location and presents some new characters for you to meet, but ultimately this is a very similar experience that has you largely performing the same tasks. That means finding random items across the game’s world, crafting, completing quests to level up your friendships with the spirits littering the grove, and hearing their cosy stories.

There are some new tasks here, but nothing that makes Camp Spirit feel completely fresh. The only real innovation – if you could call it that – is a nod to PowerWash Simulator in that you can now use a hose to clean down dirty buildings. It’s a fun little activity but makes up a miniscule part of the whole experience.

I’ve been playing Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit on Switch, which feels like the optimum platform for the game. If you’re a fan of Animal Crossing and its ilk, you’ll undoubtedly find something to enjoy in the laid-back, relaxing gameplay offered up, with everything presented at a pace you can completely control. The nature of the game, playable in short daily bursts, means it’s suited to handheld, and I’m more likely to simply pick up my Switch for a quick wander around the Grove than I would be to boot up my PC especially to play it.

While I’m a little disappointed that developer Spry Fox didn’t try to evolve the experience of Cozy Grove a little more, at least you know what you’re getting with Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit. If you’ve played the first game before and enjoyed it, you’ll know exactly what to expect this time around: chilled-out gameplay, cute characters, and a glacial pace that you can’t rush through even if you want to.

If you’re the type of person who binge-plays your games, you’ll likely find the limitations here frustrating rather than endearing, but if you go into Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit with your expectations in check, there really is a heartwarming, cosy experience to be found.

Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2, PC and Android/iOS.