Cozy Grove has its first premium DLC – but unless you’ve been religiously playing since launch (or plan to keep playing for several weeks), it’s probably not going to be worth your time.
When we reviewed Cozy Grove last year, we had mixed feelings. We loved the laid-back nature of the gameplay. But we were frustrated by its limitations. There’s only so much you can do each day, and so your progress is slow and laboured. Nothing highlights that more than the addition of the New Neighbears DLC.
New Neighbears adds in four new bears to Cozy Grove. These new island residents will have new storylines to follow through which will likely take a number of weeks to see to their conclusion. The problem is these bears aren’t available instantly. They each replace a current bear on your island – so you’ll need to have finished their stories first.
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We’ve put around 50 hours into Cozy Grove, but we’ve not completed even one of outgoing bears’ storylines. That means we’re still a way off meeting the first of the new ‘Neighbears’.
It’s not all bad news, though. Cozy Grove‘s developer, Spry Fox, has been taking player feedback on board. While the new bears’ stories are longer than before, they’ll take less calendar time to complete. You’ll no longer need to wait around for days to get your hands on an object, for example. That means you should be able to make meaningful progress with each bear every time you log on to the game.
New Neighbears does offer some instant updates to the game, too. You’ll get some new clothing, which you can redeem straight away by checking in at the post office. You’ll also see butterflies fluttering around your island during the spring and summer months. That means there’s more stuff to collect for those who enjoy handing items into the captain.
There’s also a new song in the background music collection, an expanded clothing closet, and a special house cat.
If you’re new to Cozy Grove, or thinking of returning after putting only a bit of time in, there’s not much point in rushing to buy the New Neighbears DLC. This is an expansion purely designed for long-term players; those who have been checking into the game practically every day since launch. Still, for the rest of us, it’s nice to know that there’ll eventually be new bears for us to meet, if we want to.
Cozy Grove: New Neighbears is available now priced at ~£5.19. You’ll need the base game to play, which is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
