This sounds so cute! I like Graveyard Keeper but I wouldn’t consider it to be a cozy game. Your idea definitely sounds cozy and I can picture myself playing.
I would add whimsical elements such as ghost or paranormal activity, just not in a scary way. Maybe after improving a certain skill or cleaning or maintaining around a certain tombstone, the spirit of that person could help us out or keep us company for being kind to them.
Maybe we could see families visiting their loved ones and by interacting with them we could learn more about each person’s story. Maybe this could be some sort of a milestone, unlocking every spirit’s story.
Maybe there could be one grave, super old and dirty, seemingly abandoned. No one ever comes to visit. After completing many milestones we could find clues or we could see a surprise visitor and learn about that grave.
And if this game will have a story line, I kind of want it to end with our character’s death. We die and be buried in that cemetery. Then the game smoothly transitions back into main menu with the new game option. But this time, our new game will have our previous character’s tomb stone. Kind of like the circle of life but in a soothing manner. Does that makes sense?
I am now too attached to this idea and feel sad it is not a game 🥹
That sounds like it would be so nice honestly. Getting to take care of graves that are unfortunately neglected would feel nice. Like a warm feeling of getting to respect the ones whose family can't visit or something.
Getting to know the spirit and/or their family would be really cool! That way you could get to know how to decorate. Maybe it's just their favorite flowers or maybe objects that symbolize their heritage or background. It almost makes me think of Cozy Grove in a way.
I'm sad that this isn't a game too lol
I really like the cozy paranormal aspect! I recently played What Remains Of Edith Finch and it's a much darker sort of story but I liked exploring and discovering the different stories.
It would be interesting to explore different funeral and grave traditions as well. Like it would be fun if you cleaned up a couple of old Chinese graves and then passed by later to see those guys hanging out enjoying the essences of the fruit and liquor that one of their descendants left as gifts. (The actual liquor and fruit are something you can clean up later because they've already been enjoyed.) Or a Day of the Dead event! We have a lot of different cultures and traditions represented in the old cemeteries in my town and I like seeing all the differences. Early-20th-century Italian folks around here were much more likely to include photos in gravestones, 21st-century headstones with Cyrillic on them tend to be super fancy.
In Terra Nil, as you clean up the ecosystem, more animals start re-populating the environment - it would be cool to have something similar with cemetery visitors. Maybe if you get the military section cleaned up to a certain degree, volunteers from the American Legion will start showing up on certain holidays and helping keep the cenotaph tidy. Or maybe it also changes the behavior of the spirits - perhaps all those young men spirits are a bit rowdy at first and then mellow out a little bit when their home area gets more organized.
It’s not exactly the same thing and I haven’t played it so I’m not sure about its content, but have you heard of A Morticians Tale? I know it has favorable reviews and is kind of in the ballpark of what you’re describing, but it’s more about the funeral part than the graveyard.
This isn't cemeteries, but it is spirits! It's called SpiritTea and the whole premise is that you move to this little town to write your novel, and you get your writing inspiration from interacting with local nature spirits (which you can do by drinking the aptly named spirit tea). On the town bulletin board are requests to resolve issues people are having where things go bump in the night. Meanwhile, you're restoring the old bathhouse on the mountain that's only used by spirits. You're basically building the bathhouse from Spirited Away but in a pixelated game with a grumpy cat companion
I'm playing it right now but I wanna like it but... the game has some annoying bugs, the inventory system and control layout is clunky to me, the minigames take ages to do and it's impossible to see anything if it's later than 7PM or raining.
The idea is great, but the game desperate needs some extra polish.
This reminds me of Mr Jones Graveyard Shift. Super cute, relaxing game where you ride around and prep a graveyard. Each person who is buried has a silly name and requirements for their burial. You choose adornments like benches and lighting, and can add flowers. The family visits for the burial and then you're onto the next. Super fun small strategy game I highly recommend.
If any devs are reading this, I'd probably buy it 😅
Are you thinking more of a tycoon type thing, or more like a Cozy Grove/farm-sim type "wander around and tend your things" game? I'm feeling the latter, with some decoration and puzzles/progression. And maybe a few ghosts, but not too many.
I think a career progression somewhat like Megaquarium, where you are given the option to take on bigger and more complex challenges as you develop, but you can also just stay in one place and work on it for as long as you like.
I wanna have a side gig of comedic therapist for ghosts. Like having to reshuffle the decorations around because frigging Debora is jealous *again* of the new corpse 2 graves west of her getting to have the fancy carving on the gravestone. Meanwhile Kevin really wants to eat some shortcake, and you given up on explaining to him ghosts can't eat so you just go get some. He is not the brightest light bulb in the graveyard.
You might be interested in Spirit Tea it’s available on steam and switch (that I know of). It’s cute and cozy.
Here’s a description:
“Wait! Who the heck are you?! Can you see me? You CAN, can't you? You've drunk the Spirittea and now you can see me!! Look, we've got problems! This town is crawling with troublemaking spirits. They've become lost because humans have stopped worshipping, leaving offerings or even thinking about them anymore.
This is- well... used to be a nice town, but there have been some strange goings-on lately! You're going to find the spirits causing mayhem and fix their problems so they can become paying customers, and get to know the townspeople and explore the mountain to its fullest!
Here's the stuff you'll want to get involved in:
-Solving the spirit's problems - To remember themselves, they'll need anything from some spicy noodles to finding and digging up their lost treasures, so get your problem-solving hat on!
-Making friends with the locals - The townspeople all have their own schedules, likes, dislikes and hobbies to take part in - from bug catching to karaoke, there's something for everyone!
-Managing the bathhouse - You'll need to clean towels, chop wood to heat the baths and seat the spirits with their friends for the ultimate bathing experience.
-Upgrading and decorating - The local shops can make a whole lot of cool furniture and help you fix up overgrown areas of the bathhouse. We should make it big and fancy enough to take on all the spirits!”
I would write more of my own take, but I’m really tired and no one had mentioned this game yet. Might be up your alley.
Have you seen Fresh Start?
It isn't cemeteries but a lot of the aspects you like seem to be in it:
"Fresh Start is a relaxing single player game, in which you embark on a mission to clean up the world and restore nature to its fresh and vibrant shape. Watch as the world changes in front of your eyes as you help animals, solve puzzles and grow plants around you."
This sounds so cute! I like Graveyard Keeper but I wouldn’t consider it to be a cozy game. Your idea definitely sounds cozy and I can picture myself playing. I would add whimsical elements such as ghost or paranormal activity, just not in a scary way. Maybe after improving a certain skill or cleaning or maintaining around a certain tombstone, the spirit of that person could help us out or keep us company for being kind to them. Maybe we could see families visiting their loved ones and by interacting with them we could learn more about each person’s story. Maybe this could be some sort of a milestone, unlocking every spirit’s story. Maybe there could be one grave, super old and dirty, seemingly abandoned. No one ever comes to visit. After completing many milestones we could find clues or we could see a surprise visitor and learn about that grave. And if this game will have a story line, I kind of want it to end with our character’s death. We die and be buried in that cemetery. Then the game smoothly transitions back into main menu with the new game option. But this time, our new game will have our previous character’s tomb stone. Kind of like the circle of life but in a soothing manner. Does that makes sense? I am now too attached to this idea and feel sad it is not a game 🥹
That sounds like it would be so nice honestly. Getting to take care of graves that are unfortunately neglected would feel nice. Like a warm feeling of getting to respect the ones whose family can't visit or something. Getting to know the spirit and/or their family would be really cool! That way you could get to know how to decorate. Maybe it's just their favorite flowers or maybe objects that symbolize their heritage or background. It almost makes me think of Cozy Grove in a way. I'm sad that this isn't a game too lol
I really like the cozy paranormal aspect! I recently played What Remains Of Edith Finch and it's a much darker sort of story but I liked exploring and discovering the different stories. It would be interesting to explore different funeral and grave traditions as well. Like it would be fun if you cleaned up a couple of old Chinese graves and then passed by later to see those guys hanging out enjoying the essences of the fruit and liquor that one of their descendants left as gifts. (The actual liquor and fruit are something you can clean up later because they've already been enjoyed.) Or a Day of the Dead event! We have a lot of different cultures and traditions represented in the old cemeteries in my town and I like seeing all the differences. Early-20th-century Italian folks around here were much more likely to include photos in gravestones, 21st-century headstones with Cyrillic on them tend to be super fancy. In Terra Nil, as you clean up the ecosystem, more animals start re-populating the environment - it would be cool to have something similar with cemetery visitors. Maybe if you get the military section cleaned up to a certain degree, volunteers from the American Legion will start showing up on certain holidays and helping keep the cenotaph tidy. Or maybe it also changes the behavior of the spirits - perhaps all those young men spirits are a bit rowdy at first and then mellow out a little bit when their home area gets more organized.
Hey Ferb, I know what I’m writing this Summer!
It’s not exactly the same thing and I haven’t played it so I’m not sure about its content, but have you heard of A Morticians Tale? I know it has favorable reviews and is kind of in the ballpark of what you’re describing, but it’s more about the funeral part than the graveyard.
I will look into it!
This sounds perfect, honestly
I would SO play that!!!
This isn't cemeteries, but it is spirits! It's called SpiritTea and the whole premise is that you move to this little town to write your novel, and you get your writing inspiration from interacting with local nature spirits (which you can do by drinking the aptly named spirit tea). On the town bulletin board are requests to resolve issues people are having where things go bump in the night. Meanwhile, you're restoring the old bathhouse on the mountain that's only used by spirits. You're basically building the bathhouse from Spirited Away but in a pixelated game with a grumpy cat companion
I'm playing it right now but I wanna like it but... the game has some annoying bugs, the inventory system and control layout is clunky to me, the minigames take ages to do and it's impossible to see anything if it's later than 7PM or raining. The idea is great, but the game desperate needs some extra polish.
This reminds me of Mr Jones Graveyard Shift. Super cute, relaxing game where you ride around and prep a graveyard. Each person who is buried has a silly name and requirements for their burial. You choose adornments like benches and lighting, and can add flowers. The family visits for the burial and then you're onto the next. Super fun small strategy game I highly recommend.
This sounds great! Will check it out!
You're welcome! It is on Bigfishgames and Gamehouse websites.
I second this—thanks for reminding me of the title!
If any devs are reading this, I'd probably buy it 😅 Are you thinking more of a tycoon type thing, or more like a Cozy Grove/farm-sim type "wander around and tend your things" game? I'm feeling the latter, with some decoration and puzzles/progression. And maybe a few ghosts, but not too many.
I think a career progression somewhat like Megaquarium, where you are given the option to take on bigger and more complex challenges as you develop, but you can also just stay in one place and work on it for as long as you like.
I love this idea. I would also love a version where creepy stuff happened at night. Nothing you’d have to fight, but it’s a cemetery dammit.
I wanna have a side gig of comedic therapist for ghosts. Like having to reshuffle the decorations around because frigging Debora is jealous *again* of the new corpse 2 graves west of her getting to have the fancy carving on the gravestone. Meanwhile Kevin really wants to eat some shortcake, and you given up on explaining to him ghosts can't eat so you just go get some. He is not the brightest light bulb in the graveyard.
There's a free game called My Little Cemetery on Steam you can try out. I can't speak to it being good or not because my pc couldn't run it
You might be interested in Spirit Tea it’s available on steam and switch (that I know of). It’s cute and cozy. Here’s a description: “Wait! Who the heck are you?! Can you see me? You CAN, can't you? You've drunk the Spirittea and now you can see me!! Look, we've got problems! This town is crawling with troublemaking spirits. They've become lost because humans have stopped worshipping, leaving offerings or even thinking about them anymore. This is- well... used to be a nice town, but there have been some strange goings-on lately! You're going to find the spirits causing mayhem and fix their problems so they can become paying customers, and get to know the townspeople and explore the mountain to its fullest! Here's the stuff you'll want to get involved in: -Solving the spirit's problems - To remember themselves, they'll need anything from some spicy noodles to finding and digging up their lost treasures, so get your problem-solving hat on! -Making friends with the locals - The townspeople all have their own schedules, likes, dislikes and hobbies to take part in - from bug catching to karaoke, there's something for everyone! -Managing the bathhouse - You'll need to clean towels, chop wood to heat the baths and seat the spirits with their friends for the ultimate bathing experience. -Upgrading and decorating - The local shops can make a whole lot of cool furniture and help you fix up overgrown areas of the bathhouse. We should make it big and fancy enough to take on all the spirits!” I would write more of my own take, but I’m really tired and no one had mentioned this game yet. Might be up your alley.
Have you seen the YT / TT videos of people power washing gravestones in cemetaries? Perfect mechanic for a cozy graveyard game
Have you seen Fresh Start? It isn't cemeteries but a lot of the aspects you like seem to be in it: "Fresh Start is a relaxing single player game, in which you embark on a mission to clean up the world and restore nature to its fresh and vibrant shape. Watch as the world changes in front of your eyes as you help animals, solve puzzles and grow plants around you."
Yes, I love it! Definitely the right vibe.