In this case:
I’ve played this briefly when it launched, but was annoyed that for people playing solo the map outside your bases fully resets every time you save and load, I’d prefer if the areas I cleared of the fog would stay cleared. I get that in a multiplayer setting it’s better to reset because then everyone has the same opportunities to get loot/xp, but my map-clearing goblin brain was disappointed.
Unless they’ve changed it, but last I’ve heard there were no plans for that.
Other than that it was a lot of fun already at EA launch, probably got even better by now.
I’ve been trapped in a Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time addiction ever since that came out. I’m a huge fan of the original 3DS game, but it was kinda forgotten by gaming history. And now we have a much bigger and more polished game for more platforms! For those who haven’t heard of it: it’s a bastard child of singleplayer Final Fantasy XIV and Animal Crossing. Very cute and cozy, mercilessly addicting, simulates the experience of having ADHD incredibly well.
This is how it typically goes: you want new furniture for your house. You’re out of a specific kind of wood that’s needed, so you go to a place that has it. On the way there you see an NPC with a quest - some poor farmer is besieged by overgrown carrots, and wants you to kill 10 of them. Might as well, it’s only a slight detour. You kill the carrots, and then help yourself to some more crops on the farm, and get a rare carrot that you need to cook a dish to advance your Chef Life! Better get to that immediately, before you forget. You go back to town and cook the dish. You still don’t have that new furniture you set out to get.
About the only thing I don’t like is that the story quests are less weird than the original game, everything else is a straight upgrade.
Fair warning: lots of roguelikes on this list. Just seems like the devs of these games really like 2d non-demanding visuals. And I don’t know how low do you need to go, so check these individually.
Don’t even need a sale for Moonring, which is a retro turn-based RPG, completely free. Runs on a potato.
Original Monster Train should work decently well, it’s 90% off.
Shogun Showdown is really cool, 50% off. Necesse is a very fun Terraria-like, coming out of EA in like a week and on sale now.
Look into Reus 2, very fun, but it’s got some more visual effects so may be a bit too much. Same with Astral Ascent, one of my fave action roguelikes but, well, it’s action. Needs a decent framerate. Same with Dead Cells, Cult of the Lamb and Chronicon - great games, 2d, but may require a basic dedicated video card or a beefy integrated one.
Spellcaster University is not a forever game but it’ll be fun for a while.
Cook Serve Delicious series is really good. You can start with 1, they are each a bit different.
Cross Code if you want an RPG. Citizen Sleeper or Road Warden if you want an RPG that’s borderline a visual novel. Slay the Princess if you straight up want a visual novel.
Library of Ruina and Lobotomy Corporation if you’re a masochist who likes a good story.
Then there’s eternal classics like Stardew Valley, Balatro, Terraria,FTL, Into the Breach, Slay the Spire or Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.
And on the incredibly niche side of things, I recommend Intergalactic Fishing and Rings of Saturn.
Hopefully something from this list catches your fancy!