While there aren’t many areas, each one is fueled by a drastically different idea with special goals. Movement is key, and controlling Hat Girl feels great as she zips around on her scooter, double jumps, dashes and slides across areas that look straight out of Nintendo’s GameCube. Although it’s rough around the edges, Gears for Breakfast understands what made games from that time charming, tossing players into stylized and vibrant worlds that perfectly encapsulate the simple beauty of that aesthetic. A Hat in TimeĪ Hat in Time is a lovely platformer that takes inspiration from Nintendo 64-era 3D platforming titles like Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. Every animation and high-pitched noise brought the biggest smile to my face, and working together with adorable looking strangers to unlock new areas and discover secrets is unforgettable. Sky is a lovely little game about silently communicating with others through adorable emotes, little sounds you can emit by pressing a button, and holding hands as you skip through its cloudy aesthetic. It’s grim and admittedly not the most jolly of endings, but every moment before this is the exact opposite. There’s no way to survive this encounter your death is inevitable. The final act of the game has the player running around a nightmarish hellscape littered with the corpses of fellow players who perished before them, and your only choice is to put every last bit of your energy into saving their souls with your light. Sky: Children of the Light is a game about the inevitability of death and the glory of rebirth, pushed along by the player’s run-ins with a mysterious entity enveloped by darkness. Each soundtrack is upbeat and bursting with fun mechanical sound effects, with one even accompanied by adorable robotic vocals singing “I’m Your GPU” in a song that is unreasonably catchy. It features a ton of references to classic and modern Sony exclusives, along with a collectible area for every piece of hardware the company has ever put out. If you’re a fan of PlayStation and its extensive history, this game will make you smile. Astro’s PlayroomĪstro’s Playroom is the epitome of lighthearted fun without a darker core. Every title on this list brought me happiness and still make me smile upon reflection.
The following are games that can make you happy without the baggage surrounding it, offering good vibes and joyous themes at the forefront. We’re not looking to highlight games like this today. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has a colorful aesthetic and adorable character designs, but its story is occupied by a darkness that revolves around trauma and overcoming grief.
There are plenty of experiences out there with a jolly exterior, but once you crack its shell, what lies underneath is anything but happy.