Creature Comforts and the Joy of Discovering Coziness
Get cozy preparing for winter by stocking up on handmade crafts in the adorable woodland world of Creature Comforts.
There are some solo games that have been pointed out to me over the years, and I sometimes wonder how they escaped my notice. But I think I have a contender for the biggest blunder on my part… Creature Comforts! Just prepare yourself, because I think this game may have been made for me? Ha ha! I got this one right to my table as soon as it arrived!
Game Overview
Game Name: Creature Comforts
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Roberta Taylor
Artist: Shawna J.C. Tenney
Publisher: Kids Table BG
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
This is a delightful and leisurely stroll through the seasons, where dice are used by animal workers. In a clever twist, not all values are known ahead of time… Getting ready for winter is risky! Yet it all comes together with absolutely lovely artwork, crafts, and fun mechanics!
First Play
January 14, 2024
Complexity
3
Latest Play
January 16, 2023
Expansions
2
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
45 Minutes
High Score
67
Game Area
36" x 24"
Low Score
56
A Delightful Village
I went into this one with a pretty good understanding of what to expect, yet I wasn’t quite prepared for the level of cuteness. Remember my cuteness overloads? This did it!
Yet it wasn’t necessarily as light as I thought it would be, which I mean in a very positive way. There was a lot more going on with all of the worker placement spaces.
Granted, this is likely an excellent introduction to these sorts of mechanics, but the game has a lot more to it.
Admiring the village board and cards took a bit of time as I delayed reading the rules to just appreciate the coziness.
Interesting Dice
Action spaces provide fairly straightforward options, ranging from collecting resources and trading to building improvements and learning how to craft comforts.
The neatest part of this system are the dice. Some action spaces do something with specific values. At a glance, it probably seems like a case of just deciding what’s best.
A-ha! Yet workers are placed when only 2 of 6 dice have been rolled. There are some very tricky decisions to make.
I was also pretty excited about how few workers I had to place… Every round required lots of careful thinking!
To the Fox’s Den
There is nothing lacking in the retail edition, yet I decided to get the wooden resources as one of my rare upgrades.
How cute! All different animal families are present and able to outfit their homes for the winter. I hemmed and hawed for a bit after landing on these happy little foxes.
Does the giant worm do anything in the solo mode? Not at all, since it serves as a first player token, but don’t even think I was leaving that in the box. Look at the eyes!
Before I knew it, I was floating through the months and seasons, trying to help the foxes get cozy for winter.
Prepared to Hibernate
Maybe these foxes weren’t going to hibernate with all of their winter sports equipment… Ha! Yet I ended up with a lovely mix of comforts and improvements at the end.
It was rather challenging in some respects, too. Never was I backed into a corner, thanks to the lesson tokens earned when the dice didn’t quite work out. Such a nice detail!
The solo scoring also follows a sort of descriptive text based on some criteria, which was even more adorable.
My first attempt came with the pleasant label of Frostily Prepared Protector of the Village. Still room to get better!
How Do You Miss Out on Made-For-You Games?
I ended up narrating my plays out loud to myself, thanking the visitors at the inn or bidding them farewell at the end of each month. That may sound silly and nonsensical, yet I was in my coziest mode and having the most fun! Everything was relaxing, even when the dice didn’t pan out. And need I go into detail about the fantastic animals and artwork?
When looking at how I skipped over this one for a couple of years, there isn’t a single factor. Maybe I labeled it as too easy or lightweight at one point, and assumed the price wasn’t going to be worth it. It’s certainly not a cheap game and has some areas that might feel slightly repetitive… Yet I continue to say that this one matches me nearly perfectly!
Any time this happens, I enjoy the pleasant surprise of missing the initial excitement and finding something to enjoy. It’s very hard to keep up with every single new solo game release in this hobby, and I’m a firm believer in being able to find wonderful experiences years down the line. Good news for me, as I can’t rush out and buy every game all the time!
An Inn of New Faces
It’s hard to single out the best part of my plays, yet the guests at the inn were certainly near the top of my list!
Each one offers a unique ability that affects that month or happens immediately, and they have various ways to gain or trade resources… Or even stories and coins. Neat!
I loved thinking about the discussions that went on, or what sorts of tales they might share when in the village.
Although the deck isn’t enormous, there are enough that each play feels different. Besides, it’s always nice to see a friendly face returning in the future. So many smiles!
Replacement Foxes
Maybe I had the upgraded wooden components, but you all know me… I had to take it one step further! Some of my newest Calico Critters arrived to check out the cozy village.
Despite being classified as fennec foxes, they looked close enough to reside in the woods! Pardon me while I pause to smile and laugh at this photo for the hundredth time…
That’s when you know you’ve doubled down on the cuteness overload. I knew this was going to happen. Ha!
In short, I fell in love with everything going on with this game in so many ways, as did these fuzzy foxes!
Listening to a Story
Leave the Calico Critters alone for just a minute, and they scatter! I found this little pair hanging out at the inn, listening to a tale told by this expressive frog.
Maybe he wasn’t offering up stories during the actual game, but when you have a captive audience, that’s when you dig up those old yarns about the biggest pond flies.
Another unexpected bonus about the wooden resources? The fact that I could stand these story tokens up. Ha ha!
I suppose I can go ahead and say that the inn’s visitors were definitely a big part of why I loved the game so much!
Lively Discussions
Well, at least these little fennec foxes had the dice assigned correctly at the Owl’s Nest! Low rolls were really useful here to draw a pair of comforts from the deck.
Yet listening in here, it sounded like there was discourse over whether it was proper to try to craft the socks or toys. Excuse me? Did anyone see the pot of tea over there?!
Allegedly, according to the owl himself, this ended in the ultimate decision to learn how to craft the socks.
Ultimately, socks could be used as backup toys, thanks to the concept of sock puppets. Clever foxes, indeed. Ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 & 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 56, 67 (2 Losses)
I set myself a very high victory threshold, although I liked the idea that I needed to work a little harder for a win. How cute! My second outing turned me into a Deliciously Well-Stocked Protector of Maple Valley. It made sense with my awesome soup and bread combination! I was also excited to pull off the bonus requirement for the fairy garden, where I stored each resource. Such a cozy game that I’m so glad I looked at some more and added to my collection!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
6
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is simply adorable and downright pleasant in a way that makes the table presence so wonderful.
- Gameplay is light and breezy without being simple, as the limited workers and unknown dice values are central.
- The back of the rulebook serves as a reminder about all of the major rules and sequence, which is fantastic.
- Different guests at the inn introduce unique conditions during each month, which can change strategies quickly.
- Months pass by in a leisurely way, but there is a clear progression and need to get everything done before winter.
- Despite play time taking a bit longer than expected, the experience is calming and relaxing in a very joyful way.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some components are not compatible with the solo mode, and some of these make small card decks even smaller.
- There are not a lot of unique improvements, and it seems like some are much better choices than the rest.
- Since the solo mode is about high scores, there isn’t a solo opponent to block spaces, which might have been nice.
- A lot of comfort cards rely on each other for better scoring, yet it can be difficult to have the right ones show up.
Victory Conditions
Score 70+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Build 4 improvements.
Score at least 60 points.
Craft at least 10 comforts.
Score at least 70 points.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Creature Comforts? Are there any other extremely cozy solo games you enjoy? I’m grateful to everyone who recommended this one to me for months… Technically, I gave in to peer pressure, yet it’s in a very positive atmosphere with the solo community. Now to keep on making this one look as lovely as it truly is!
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