Science fiction stories — from books to TV to film — are very often about more than just explosions and weapons that go pew-pew-pew. But in the gaming world, finding a science fiction game that really captures something without violent conflict is tricky. In the modern era, we’ve got cozy games like the 2021 masterpiece Sable, in which exploration in a Dune-like world is made even sweeter by a wonderful score from Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast.
But, if you want to talk about retro-sci-fi coziness within an utterly wonderful game, then we have to travel back in time exactly 30 years to the heyday of LucasArts. Yes, the Star Wars games of the 1990s from LucasArts were groundbreaking, but it’s tough to describe the stressful nature of Dark Forces or Rebel Assault as “cozy.” However, in 1995, LucasArts released an original science-fiction puzzle game with an incredible and oddly relaxing narrative. It was called The Dig, and it might be the best example of a cozy sci-fi game ever.
