If you are lucky enough to get a decoy duck DIY recipe, then you too will be able to create your very own duck models! Although initially coming in a boring brown color when crafted, there are a variety of different ducks to choose from when customizing them.
After you’ve made and customized a few ducks, the fun begins! Sure, you could just build ’em a cute pond or place them on cliffs aesthetically, but where’s the fun in that?
Here are 10 really random things you probably didn’t think of doing with decoy ducks in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Hands down, one of the initial most disappointing things upon beginning playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the complete lack of Save Data Backup.
The Big N have been reluctant to add the feature for nearly a whole year now. Their recent ACNH summer update pt 2 trailer seems to demonstrate a change of heart. the trailer, which can be viewed below, mentions one of the features to be implemented in the imminent update, will be an Island Backup & Restoration feature.
It’s important to remember that not all good things come at once. And good things can take time. Therefore there will always be some who are disappointed in one of the latest updates/features. Ironically, many were pleading for even something like this to safeguard their ACNH save data.
When it was unsure if any save data backup would be a feature in ACNH Now that the Island Backup & Restoration feature has arrived some people are still wrinkling their nose at the somewhat primitive, and admittedly not foolproof new feature, even though using it may well save their bacon.
For those who were looking forward to the official Save Data Cloud Functionality used in many other Nintendo Switch Online games needn’t fear! As this will also be introduced to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, just a little later on. Both save data backup options offer players gifts, but the Save Data Cloud Funcitonality in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is believed to give/bring better gifts.
Custom Fireworks and Dreaming come to Animal Crossing New Horizons
If you haven’t already checked it out, the next update coming to New Horizons will re-introduce Dream Suit and custom firework patterns with weekly events! Take a look at the update right here.
There are so many wholesome games coming out this year! Let’s take a look at some of them together!
Garden Story
Garden Story is an upcoming social sim adventure RPG. With an emphasis on helping the residents of a broken island, this game is undoubtedly wholesome. The game is being developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games and VIZ Media.
The planned release window for the game is currently Spring 2020, although no official date has been given. The game will be released for Microsoft Windows, MacOS and Macintosh operating systems. An official price is yet to be announced.
About:
Players assume the role of Concord, who is a recently appointed village guardian. However, you will definitely be kept on your toes. Whether it be neighbours requiring assistance, or the sudden appearance of a strange rot that has seeped into the foundations of the once thriving island, Concord has his work cut out. Fortunately, he is not alone.
If you help friends with their problems, they’ll help you with yours. Care for the environment, explore new regions, solve puzzles, make new friends, and ultimately, help restore the grove to its former glory.
Features:
Whilst restoring arun down island, players are also able to explore and cultivate the islands four regions as ‘Concord the Grape’.
By fulfilling residents’ requests, fostering relationships with others, and making friends with fruity people, you may find that these people will help you out in return.
Take care of garden plots, gather resources, and ensure to upgrade your tools to allow you to take good care of your home.
Whilst solving puzzles and defending yourself against the insidious rot, you may slowly unral the mystery behind the island’s broken past
By depositing and cataloguing resources you can create a library featuring the island’s lore.
At your own pace, you are able to care for garden plots each day, choose to take a walk in the evening, or can concentrate on completing favors. The ball is in your park!
Experience new things and fill your scrapbook with usable perks and traits.
You can visit the game’s website here. Alternatively, you can check out their Twitter account here.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons ( Out now on Nintendo Switch )
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an upcoming social simulation game where you play as a human character living on a deserted island amongst anthropomorphic animals. Players can shop, socialise with the animals, and participate in activites such as fishing, catching bugs, gardening and decorating. Nintendo are both the developers and publishers of the game. Therefore it’s understandable that the game will only be released on Nintendo Switch. The game is set to release on March 20th 2020, and will retail for $59.99
About:
Tom Nook is ‘switching’ things up with a new business venture. This business venture is his exclusive Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package. Naturally, the Tanuki isn’t offering this for free. When you have landed on the island, you also find yourself landed with debt (yet again) by the tiresome tanuki.
Like in previous games of the franchise, players can participate in activities such as gardening, fishing, decorating, and interacting with a variety of NPCs (both old and new), etc. However, the game will also offer some new features. Examples include, collecting resources, crafting furniture and tools, new ways to interact with trees and flowers, more diversity in skin tones, outdoor stair, more multiplayer options, the handy ability to pole vault rivers etc.
Then of course there’s the tiny details that Animal Crossing fans quickly picked up on. These include, shirts with sleeves for villagers, overally realistic kneecaps for players’ characters, toe beans, and even shoelaces..
Features:
Embrace your fresh start by customising your character and home to your liking. Decorate the island’s landscape (even with furniture, if you so wish), to create your very own perfect paradise.
Utilise a brand new crafting system and collect materials to create a variety of furniture and tools.
Relax and enjoy the activities Animal Crossing is infamous for such as gardening, fishing, decorating and interacting with charming NPCs and more. However, they can now be enjoyed in fun new ways on the deserted island
Up to eight players can reside on one island. Four of these residents residing on the same island are able to play together simultaneously on one console
Up to eight players can play together on one player’s island via either online multiplayer or local wireless. (For more information regarding how multiplayer works, click here).
More information about the game can be found here.
An awesome selection Animal Crossing decals can be seen here.
For a selection of must-have merchandise, click here.
Information about US pre-order bonuses can be found here.
Information about UK pre-order bonuses can be found here.
Mineko’s Night Market
Mineko’s Night Market is an upcoming cat-themed crafting adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture. The game is essentially about friendship, choices, and of course, cats. The indie game is being developed by Meowza Games, and being published by Humble Bundle. The game will be released on a multitude of different platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Macintosh operating systems.The exact release date for the game is yet to be determined. However, the game’s official Steam page says that the game will be release in 2020. Fingers (and paws) crossed! ?
About:
Playing as Mineko, a girl who has moved to a superstitious fishing town inundated with cats, you will uncover secrets whilst assisting Mineko in becoming a successful young entrepreneur. This can be done by completing tasks, undertaking quests and gathering resources in preparation for the weekly night market.
Players can craft a variety of odd items, toys, and trinkets, which can then be sold to townsfolk (who are now your customers) at Mineko’s night market stall. After you’ve finished selling your items, you can explore the Night Market yourself, where you can play mini-games, eat unusual foods, and purchase collectibles.
The game allows you to explore distant lands by unlocking different types of transport (which include buses, bullet trains and cat carts). Each land offers new people to meet and unique things to do, dependent on the time of day and season.
There are 16 uniquely themed markets every year which all feature a stage event that you can partake in. Examples of events include Taiko drumming, karaoke competitions, sumo suit wrestling, and more!
The better you perform at the market, the bigger and better the market will become, which may well attract new townsfolk and even celebrity guests!
Features:
Players can explore the village and surrounding areas in order to discover a variety of rare resources and more importantly, make a bunch of new friends!
You are able to craft a variety of unusual items by utilising the resources you collect whilst exploring
Unleash you inner entrepeneur and barter with customers at the weekly night market to sell your creations
Wander around the night Market to discover a variety of curious culinary dlights and collectibles
Relive your childhood and take part in a variety of different Night Market games like cat racing, pachinko, and whack-a-tako
Solve the mysteries of the mysterious Sun-Cat Abe and Mount Fugu Island
For more information regarding the game, check out this interview with one of the lead creators of the game here. You can also visit the game’s website here.
Ooblets is an upcoming indie game that combines features of popular game franchises such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon. Initially, the game was going to be published by Double Fine. Ooblets will now however be developed and self-published by the game’s two main devs, who created a tiny game studio called Glumberland in order to do this.
According to the game’s latest Devlog, Ooblets will release this year, although no definitive date has been specified. It has also been confirmed that the game will release on PC and Xbox One. The price of the game has not yet been revealed.
About:
Ooblets is essentially a game where players have to balance farm life, town life, and the unexpected pressure of having to deal with numerous different Ooblets. On the plus side, you get the experience of helping to grow and train your ooblets, explore strange lands, and have dance-offs!
You might know that Ooblets is a game about farming ??, friendship ?, and collecting creatures ?
Starting a new life with a little rundown farm, you are able to improve, cultivate and customise this farm until it suits your liking
With a variety of hairstyles and clothing to choose from, you have complete freedom to customise your character
Break out your dance moves and take part in dance battles with both ooblets and fellow ooblet trainers alike
Explore the world of Oob and its variety of different locations, each with unique biomes, plants, characters, and ooblets
Plant ooblet seeds to grow your own friends. Eventually, they will bloom into baby ooblets
Join an Ooblet Club to match your personality
Upgrade your house and make it your own, with various decor and furniture to choose from
Unlock some funky new dance moves by levelling up your Ooblets
Acquire a variety of things whilst in Oob, including seeds, items, furniture, machinery, badges, and most importantly, friends.
Lots of awesome Ooblets merchandise can be grabbed here.
For more information about Ooblets, you can visit the Ooblets website here where developers regularly post updates in their devlogs. You can also follow Ooblets on Twitter and Facebook.
Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where players run their own sushi restaurant in a town filled with anthropomorphic animals. The game is being both developed and published by Catch & Release, LLC. No definitive release date has been given, but developers are pushing for a 2020 release. It willl initially only be released on PC via Steam, but there is the possibility of the game being released on other consoles also.
About:
Rolling Hills is a life sim game where you get given your very own sushi restauraunt in a small village. This restaurant has been offered for free by inhabitants of the village. The only catch is that you help to rebuild their town. Players will have their work cut out. When not occupied with the sushi shop, you also need to rebuild the town as promised and improve the lives of your neighbours. On the plus side, you’ll make friends along the way. If you’re lucky, you’ll also attract some new villagers.
Make your restaurant successful by collecting different recipes and buying ingredients. You can then use your profits to profit the town. Watch your town improve and better the lives of townsfolk, customers and yourself through the actions you make.
Features:
Assume the role of a novice sushi chef and start a brand new life in your very own sushi restaurant (which fortunately happens to be equipped with a fully-automated conveyor belt)
Make new friends and socialise, whether you want to hang out at the cafe, participate in a role-playing game, or show off your knowledge (or not) at trivia night
Improve your restaurant by acquiring furniture and uphold your end of the bargain by building public works projects across town
Train and utilise your very own sushi robot to help keep your restaurant running… Your loyal lackey will even cover for you after switching the game off!
Head down to the river and go fishing for fresh sushi fish. Also, you can be a model citizen and use the magnetic rod to reel in trash.
Grow yourself some fresh vegetables by building garden boxes
You can follow the progress of Rolling hills on Twitter here.
Hokko Life
Hokko Life is an upcoming cute and cozy village life simulation game. The game is being both developed and published by indie game developer Robert Tatnell. Hokko life will be released for PC via Steam at some point this year. The cost of the game is not yet known.
About:
Hokko Life begins with your player stepping off of a train. Having taken over your very own (albeit a little dusty and old) workshop, you are free to craft and create to your heart’s content.
The quiet village which you now call home needs your expertise. Help tocreate an endearing town for those who live there. Armed with paint and tools, design, build and decorate new homes for your new friends.
Players are able to craft materials and combine them however they wish. This allows you to create new and amazing furniture and items for the town. By collecting flowers and mixing paints, you can then use them to design wallpapers, flooring and even clothing.
With plenty of choice, you could design a bright flowery wallpaper set, or instead opt to create an urban-industrial furniture collection. Whatever your taste, with a workshop at hand, you have complete freedom when designing a town for the villagers.
Features:
Chop, mine and dig for resources by venturing out to the forest or the abandoned mine. After bringing those resources back to town, you can craft them into materials that are usable in your designs.
Gather materials, head into your workshop and put your own spin on each item you make. The design table lets you build your own furniture. Here you can combine various shapes and materials using a simple yet powerful editor.
Design a variety of wallpaper, flooring and T-Shirts for you and the villagers to wear. Feel like a famous fashion designer and get everyone in town wearing your bespoke designs.
Enlist the help of the local builder in order to begin expanding the town. You get complete freedom over where buildings are located and then need to ensure they are ready for new villagers to move to town.
Customize both the interiors and exteriors of any home. Release your inner interior designer and pick designs and place furniture to create a home your new friends will adore.
Turn any plot of land into a place where plants and vegetables will grow. When your produce is ready, you’ll be able to sell it.
Enjoy quiet moments at the various fishing spots located in Hokko and expand your fishing collection. The fish have unique habits, and so players will need to vary their approaches. Similarly, each catch provides it’s own challenge when you reel them in.
Hokko is home to a wide variety of different insects. These insects can be caught and added to your collection. Be sure to keep a eye out, as some may be hiding in a bush.
Click here to check out an exclusive interview with the game’s solo developer.
Developed by Peachy Keen Games and published by Whitethorn Digital. Calico is a magical, relaxed and family-friendly simulation game where players are given an opportunity to run their very own cat cafe. The game is expected to be released on Steam at some point during Summer 2020. The game will most likely release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and MacOS shortly afterwards.
About:
Calico came about due to the game developer’s obsession with cats, magical girls and fluffy animals. However, wanting to create a game that would appeal to everyone, she also included creatures such as lizards, birds, deer, raccoons, dogs, turtles, red pandas, foxes, etc.
She then shares about how she wanted to publish a game that would make players feel ‘soft, happy, cuddly and cozy’. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, she has said in an interview that she just wanted to create a game where the only goal is to have the best time possble.
However, simply running the cat cafe is not the only things that players can do. The game also incorporates enjoyable aspects from other popular gaming franchises such as Animal Crossing. Similarities between Calico and Animal Crossing include the simulation aspects of both games, and the ability to place furnitire and decorations in your buildings. A perk about Calico however, is that the animals will not leave, the shop never closes, and crops never die.
Features:
As all animals are interactive, players can explore the village to find cats and other animals, including raccoons, deer, dogs, turtles, red pandas, foxes, lizards, etc. The animals can be befriended, petted and played with
Players can ride on giant cats ( as you do? )
Run your café by filling it with animals, furniture and yummy café eats!
Use magic potions to change your animals and environment
Meet magical girls, witches and other townspeople who you can help and befriend
Little Witch in The Woods
Little Witch in The Woods is an upcoming life simulation RPG. The game is currently in development by Sunny Side Up Games. No official release date has been given, but the developers are aiming for fall of 2020. They plan to release the game on Steam, and are hoping to release the game on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
About:
Little Witch in the Woods is an adorable fantasy RPG. You play as a super cute witch named Ellie. Close to graduating from witch school and becoming true witch, Ellie must experience the life of a witch as an apprentice. This involves moving to a new town and living in a witch’s house in a forest. Upon arriving to the town however, she is inevitably disappointed to find the in a state of disrepair, and a town which is virtually empty.
As the school is grading how well Ellie completes various tasks, she must explore the mysterious and magical region to gather the ingredients necessary for her potions. These potions can be used in other ways in the game too. Many of the ingredients can be acquired from obliging plants and creatures. The more rare ingredients can be obtained in the nearby village, where a curious bunch of NPC’s reside. By helping them out, they will reward you with ingredients, and some useful items as well.
Additionally, lending these characters a hand improves your relationship with them, and allows you to upgrade the small village. The game’s NPC’s, each with their own stories can sometimes move in or out of the village. It is possible to date these NPC’s, but they may not be human..
Features:
Experience life as a witch apprentice in a mysterious fantasy world
Explore the game’s mysterious and magical village and region
Connect with a variety of plants and animals in a unique ecosystem
Gather the the ingredients required for potion-making from obliging plants and animals. Rarer ingredients can be obtained as rewards for helping out NPC’s
Create a variety of different potions such as the: Healing Potion, Clean Potion, Tickling Potion, Twinkle Potion, Sneezing Potion and Hush Potion
Meet the handful of residents in the the small village, each with their own story.
Upgrade the village into a larger one by lending a helping hand to its inhabitants
Woo NPC’s enough, and you may find yourself a lifelong partner (although it may not be a human)
Check out an interview with the game’s developers here. You can follow the developers on Twitter here.
Alchemic Cutie is a wholesome pixel-art-stylised RPG set on a colourful Island named Wimba, where you players can tame wild jellies. The game is in development by Vakio and Viridian Software, and will be published by CIRCLE Entertainment this summer. Alchemic Cutie will be released on itch.io. and Steam. A price has not yet been announced.
About:
Set on Wimba island, players get to tame slime-like creatures called Jellies. There are over 4,000 visual styles for jellies, each with unique traits and statistics. Players will have to meet the needs of their Jellies, which inlcude hunger, energy and happiness. Raise the perfect jelly companions and you may be in with a chance of claiming the top prize in one of the game’s eight competitions. In order to improve your jelly’s abilities, you can use alchemy in order to create special items with various powerful affects or to change items into something more rare and powerful. When you’re all jellied out, you can explore the island and uncover its secrets. In the village you can chat with its inhabitants and choose whether to form friends, or if you’re so inclined, rivals.
Features:
Explore Wimba island and discover various jellies, items and quests
Wander around a village and befriend the quirky, entertaining, and complicated characters that live there
Utilise the Jelly raising and alchemy systems available for players to master
Participate in a total of 8 fun jelly competitions where you can show off your Jelly raising skills and win medals
Utilise the game’s modding feature and add your own villagers, quests, items, maps and more to grow Wimba Island. You can even build an island your own
Release day modding support
Share Jellies with others using special codes
If you would like to receive updates regarding the gaem, or share your modding creations after the game’s release, you can do so by signing up to the game’s ‘Cutie Club’ here.
Peaceful Days
Peaceful Days is a farming RPG simulation game reminiscent of Harvest Moon games. The indie game is being developed by Nhat Nguyen and published by Nhat Nguyen and Huiyin Studio. According to the game’s Steam page, Peaceful days is set to release for Microsoft Windows on August 31st 2020. It is currently priced at £7.19.
About:
Heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series, Peaceful Days is a farming simulation set in the attractive Aurora Town, which is located by the sea. Living up to its title, the game appears to be peaceful and wholesome. Players have the freedom of character customisation and farm customisation too! Players can build friendships with the town’s inhabitants, become an important addition to the small seaside town, and participate in a variety of interesting festivals. Additionally you are able to build your very own farm from scratch. In your spare time, you are free to discover fish that you have not yet caught, spend time in the mine to discover ores necessary to upgrade your tools, play minigames, solve puzzles plus more.
As of February 3rd, an early access version of Peaceful Days became available on Steam.
Features:
The ability to customise your farm, with 15 different types of buildings to choose from
The ability to customise your character
Players can receive various requests from the town’s inhabitants, including making deliveries, searching for items or part-time jobs etc, with the game’s request system
Minigames
Festivals to participate in
The ability to raise a variety of different animals, waiting for you to unlock
Grow lots of crops every Season
Uncover secrets about the town
The presence of mine puzzles waiting to be discovered over at least 20 mine floors
Created by Marvelous and XSEED, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a remake Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, which was initially released for Game Boy Advance back in 2003. No longer working with Natsume, Marvelous have rebranded their farming games, hence the change from the original game title. The game was recently released on July 10th in countries such as the UK, and is set to release on July 14th in the US. The game is playable on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Story (of Seasons)
Despite there now being a rather saturated farming simulation game market, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town still manages to earn a place amongst popular games such as Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia. In my personal opinion, it even manages to surpass such games in certain ways due to it’s adorable simplicity. The game features a charming close knit town, harvest sprites with unique personalities, and is unburdened with too many anxiety-provoking features.
Your character has inherited a farm from their grandfather which they used to visit as a child. Entrusted to restoring it to its former glory, you are entasked with raising both crops and animals.
Character Customization
A slight disappointment upon beginning the game was the lack of character customization. With only 3 different skin tones to select from and 2 character options from 2 genders (4 character options in total), the game seemed quite out of touch, and I found myself not relating to my character like I had in Stardew Valley.
For me, the gameplay experience was therefore somewhat comparable to living the lives of the pre-made characters and families in The Sims games. On the upside, a variety of different outfits, some of which are absolutely adorable, can be changed into. To do so, you simply need to interact with the mirror in your home.
Plot & Gameplay
Moving onto the game’s plot; there isn’t one. At least not in the traditional sense. However, players can watch their farm grow, as well as mine, forage, and fish. Players can also explore Mineral Town and its shops, meet the townsfolk there, make friends, and even find a potential marriage candidate if they so desire.
A nice element of continuity is that the child your character spent time with during childhood summers returns part way through the game, and is a marriage candidate.
Additional features include seasonal festivals and events, often occurring with mini-games that players can participate in. Examples include the Cooking Festival, the Frisbee Festival, the Cluck Cluck Festival, plus more.
A very much welcome addition to the game is the introduction of same-sex marriage. In the original game, players could only become best friends with NPC’s of the same sex of their character. Other changes include the introduction of two new marriage candidates, Jennifer and Brandon. Another cool feature is the introduction of a coffee cow, which produces coffee that players can harvest.
When in certain places at certain times/circumstances, players can also watch entertaining little cut scenes unfold. From gossiping, to acts of flirting to family squabbles, these cut scenes give an insight into characters’ personalities, and can also liven up the game when farming becomes a little monotonous.
Graphics
The aforementioned cut scenes utilize 3D graphics, just like the rest of the game. This a move from the 2D sprite art of the original game. The use of 3D graphics in the remake is controversial. Some have argued that the 3D graphics appear simplistic and ‘cheap’. Others, however, have shown approval of the game’s chibi-like art style, great resolution both docked and undocked, as well as it having a consistent 60 FPS.
However, from a personal standpoint, I can definitely see why the default Nintendo Switch cursor is 2D and not 3D. You can change the cursor to 3D, but I’d really suggest otherwise unless you fancy a floating box as a cursor…
Sound
I was confused to say the least upon starting the game, as I am accustomed to background music when playing farming simulation games. On the very first day of gameplay, there was no background music (BGM) whatsoever, which was rather unsettling. I messed around in settings seeing if there was a way to ‘turn it on’, but to no avail.
However, there was BGM from day 2 onwards, which also changes with each season. I then realized that the absence of music on day 1 was due to a lapse in my attention during the game’s introductory speech with the mayor. He had said that the first day there was a day to rest, and I assume the lack of BGM was to symbolize that.
A feature I found pretty cool (albeit a little eerie), is a chime at 8pm, followed by an absence of BGM and featuring the occasional hoot of an owl. This is helpful, as it is quite easy to get absorbed into all of the daily tasks and got to bed late. Going to bed late will mean that your players oversleeps the next day.
TL;DR 8pm is Bed o’clock.
Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town Tips and Tricks
1x bag of seeds actually covers 9x tiles of tilled soil, as opposed to 1x tile, which I wrongly assumed.
Pay attention to instructions and accept the mayor’s tutorials. It took me until nearly autumn of year 1 to realize I had to hold down the Y button on my Nintendo Switch to water more than one crop at a time with an upgraded watering can..
Befriend the 7x Nature Sprites that live in a quaint hut behind the church as soon as possible. By giving each of them gifts that they like, your friendship with them will increase. Once you have enough hearts of affection for a sprite, you can ask them to assist you on your farm (the level of affection required was 3x hearts in the original game.
Don’t chop down the fruit tree directly in front of your house as this is a source of honey, which can be used to befriend Nature Sprites. However, don’t panic if you do, as you can speak to Gotts to buy more fruit trees.
Each Nature Sprite’s favorite gift is the grass type that corresponds to their color. This is the ideal gift, as your fruit tree will only spawn 1x honey from the tree’s beehive each day. However, not all types of colored grass can be found all throughout the year. Since most Nature Sprites seem to like honey and fruit, these can be gifted to the Sprites whose corresponding grass color is in season.
In order to cook and participate in the cooking festival, you will need a kitchen. To have a kitchen (and also to obtain a fridge), you will first need to upgrade your house.
If you get stuck or are looking for tips, you’re in luck! A the game is a remake of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (and an authentic one at that!), you’ll likely find helpful information on existing guides for the original game.
Replay Value
As the game is rather slow-paced (as is the norm for Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games), it is unlikely you’ll immediately want to replay the game. Personally, it is the type of game I’d return to a year or two later, when my terrible memory has forgotten all about it and it’s like getting a brand new game!
Personal Overview
Albeit slow-paced, one of the most appealing things about the game is that there is always something to do. The phrase ‘not enough hours in the day’ really does ring true. With the only real danger/threat in the game being collapsing from fatigue, the game is definitely family-friendly. In comparison to more modern farming simulation games, some may feel that the game is too simplistic. But sometimes simple is better, especially when it comes with fond childhood memories, wholesomeness and a pinch of modern-day relevance.
The Pros
Only take up 999mb of space to download on Nintendo Switch
The most adorable of animals
If you see a beehive you don’t need to run for your life
The Cons
Little character customization
Gameplay lacks some features that more modern farming simulation games have
The 3D ‘curse-or’ of doom
★★★★
Big thanks to XSEED Games andMarvelous USA, Inc. for providing myPotatoGames with a copy of Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town!
With the latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons update comes a variety of new features and characters. However, the update also introduces two new themed sets into the game. The first is the Mermaid set (which resembles the Mermaid set in New Leaf), and the second is the Pirate set. Both consisting of various items of clothing and furniture, here are all of the Mermaid and Pirate items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and how to get them.
The Mermaid Set
About Pascal & His ‘Porpoise’ In New Horizons 😆🚪🚶♀️
Pascal is a philosophical nomadic otter who first appeared in Animal Crossing: Wild World. In previous games, Pascal would usually trade pirate-themed furniture for the scallops that he ‘otterly’ loves. However, as mentioned below, Pirate-themed furniture is now obtained from a different visiting NPC. Pascal is notorious for his laid-back demeanour, and parting words of ‘wisdom’.
How To Get Mermaid-Themed Items
Pascal may appear when players find scallops whilst diving for deep sea creatures. Scallops can be found at any time of day, and all throughout the year.
To dive (and swim), the Nooklings give this little tutorial when you buy your first wet suit from them.
Pascal didn’t show up for me personally upon finding my first scallop, but he did the day afterwards. If you discover a scallop, there is a chance that he will pop up in the water nearby and offer you a trade. If you give him the scallop, he will give you a mermaid-themed DIY recipe or clothing in return. Likely busy contemplating the meaning of life someplace else, Pascal won’t appear more than once a day.
Every Item In The Mermaid Set (And The Crafting Materials Required For The DIY Recipe Items)
The Pirate Set
About Pirate Gulliver
Gullivarrr is a special seagull NPC who will occassionally wash up on your island once you have completed the recent (ver. 1.3.0.) update, and also have purchased a wet suit. Gullivarrr wears pirate attire and highly resembles the seagull NPC Gulliver. Whilst Gulliver wears a sailor costume instead, many people thought that Gullivarrr was Gulliver in a pirate costume. This initial theory was supported by both gulls washing up on your beaches, both needing help getting missing communicator parts, and both giving your player a reward for doing so.
However, dataminer Ninji, who correctly predicted the museum expansion, return of Redd, and the ability for players to swim/dive, has said that the two seagulls are separate characters. With Gullivarrr having a different temperament and different speech to Gulliver, this does seem to be true. Additionally, as well as the differing attire, Gullivarrr has blue x-shaped pupils and dark circles around his eyes which Gulliver doesn’t.
How To Get Pirate Items
Like Gulliver, Gullivarrr will ask for your help in communicating with his crewmates. However, instead of digging up five communicator parts from beach areas, you will instead need a wet suit to go diving for just one communicator part. If you find the part and return it to Gullivarrr, he will mail you a random pirate-themed item in the mail the next day. Whether a good thing or a bad thing, you won’t receive the same item twice.
Locomotion is a cute railway-themed puzzle adventure game. Both the developer and publisher of the game are a small UK indie studio Polyfox. The objective is to guide a train through a variety of different worlds to reclaim your gold which has been stolen by an alien. Here’s what you should know about Locomotion on Nintendo Switch.
About
Initially released on Steam on May 10, 2019, Locomotion has received positive reviews and holds an 8/10 rating on Steam. It is currently on sale with a 20% discount until July 9th. You can purchase it here.
Featuring 52 increasingly difficult levels, you must guide your train to the exit of each level, whilst also collecting gold, solving perplexing puzzles, and avoiding along the way.
Features
Guide your train through 52 levels that increase in difficulty. The levels divide into 4 worlds, each with different themes.
Reclaim the stolen gold hidden within each level to help the frantic train conductor.
Safetly navigate your train to each exit whilst encountering mechanisms, dangers, and inconveniences. Examples include lifts, switches, pressure plates, magnets, fans, crumbling blocks, exploding carriages, plus more, as you ‘make tracks’ through the game.
Experience awesome isometric views and a distinct and dynamic soundtrack that changes throughout the game.
Whilst exploring the assortment of levels and worlds, untangle a story of loss, revenge, and of course, unidentified flying objects.
The family-friendly game will cost $10.99, and releases on the Switch eShop on July 30th 2020. You can find out more information about the game as well as pre-order it here.
Level-5 have recently announced that a HD version of Professor Layton and The Lost Future launches for mobile this month. Set to release on both iOS and Android devices on the 13th July, the game is an enhanced port of the Nintendo DS version, which released over a decade ago! As a HD port, the game will have significantly improved graphics and cutscenes in comparison to the 2008 original version.
Chronology & Plot
Professor Layton and The Lost Future is the third game in the first Professor Layton game trilogy. However, the first trilogy chronologically takes place after the events of the three games in the second trilogy. A little confusing, but the puzzle games are enjoyable nonetheless.
Just like the chronology of the Professor Layton games series, the plots can also be slightly confusing initially, albeit very clever. However, the mystery of each game always becomes clear by the end of each game, owing to the sharp-witted Professor Layton.
In a nutshell, Professor Layton and the Lost Future starts with the professor receiving a letter from his apprentice, Luke. This may not seem strange, but the ‘Luke’ writing the letter claims to be from ten years in the future. He initially thinks that Luke is playing a trick on him, until he recalls the events of a week ago. At an unveiling ceremony of a supposedly fully-working time machine, a disaster occurs. The time machine explodes, and a number of people have disappeared, including the Prime Minister.
Deciding to follow the instructions of Future Luke, The Professor and Luke head to a clock shop on Midland Road. After a seemingly small earthquake-type experience whilst inside, the duo are dumbfounded upon exiting the shop. To their utter disbelief, their surroundings are entirely different, and they discover multiple things that suggest that they have travelled into the future.
Dubious as ever, the Professor is determined to uncover what exactly is going on. He’s certain that he is not in fact in a future version of London. However, he is not certain of who he can trust.
A more in-depth plot synopsis as featured in the official Level-5 ‘The World of Professor Layton’ book.
Key Features
HD cutscenes
An intriguing and captivating plot
Numerous puzzles that span over time
A plethora of interesting characters to meet
Three unloackable mini-games that can be accessed via the Professor’s trunk
Some of The Main Characters
Professor Layton
Luke
Future Luke
Flora
Dimitri
Celeste
Bill Hawks
Don Paulo
Inspector Chelmey & his assistant Barton
The Three Minigames
The Toy Car Minigame
The Parrot Minigame
The Picture Book Minigame
A brief explanation of the three Minigames you can play. This was also featured in the official Level-5 ‘The World of Professor Layton’ book.
In celebration of the HD remake of the game, Level-5 are hosting a competition. You can create a piece of artwork relating to Professor Layton and The Lost Future and then post it to Twitter with a short sentence on why you chose to create that specific piece of art. The winner will receive a diorama of Professor Layton’s office, alongside a pure gold Professor Layton art card. Five runners-up will also receive a pure gold art card. The competition closes on the 31st July. You can find out more about the art competition here.
I recently covered some of the features that players could look forward to on July 3rd as part of wave one of Nintendo’s summer update. These included the ability to wear wet suits and snorkels, go swimming and diving, and meet ‘new’ characters. Now that the update has landed, more detail and clarity has become available. Therefore, here is everything to know about the exciting new additions to arrive with the Animal Crossing: New Horizons summer update.
How To Update & Some Words From Isabelle:
In order to obtain the perks of the summer update, you will need to ensure that your game is updated to version 1.3.0. To complete the update you will need to:
Ensure that your Nintendo Switch console is connected to the internet
Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons from your console’s Home screen
You will be given an option to update the game. Select this.
The game will proceed to update, and then load as normal.
You will know that the update has been successful if you see ‘Ver. 1.3.0’ in the top right-hand corner of the title screen.
Additionally, you will then receive the following message from Isabelle:
How To Get Your Free Snorkel:
You will receive a free snorkel in your mailbox as a reward for updating your game. However, snorkels are purely cosmetic, and you will only need to be wearing a wet suit to enter the water.
How To Get Wet Suits & All Current Known Types:
Wearing a wet suit will allow your player to enter the ocean, swim around, and to dive.
You can obtain a Horizontal Striped wet suit from Nook’s Crany for 3,000 bells (they are found in the tools section of the shop). The colors of the wet suit available will vary each day. Currently, the Horizontal Striped wet suit is available in red, blue, yellow, and black.
A Leaf-Print wet suit is also available to purchase. This style also comes in four different colours, light blue, purple, yellow, and green. The suit can be ordered from the Nook Shopping catalogue for 3,000 bells.
The final type of wet suit available is the Nook Inc. wet suit. This longer-length suit can be redeemed for 800 Nook Miles at the Nook Stop terminal.
How To Get Different Colored Snorkels & Every Current Known Type:
As previously mentioned, you will receive a free snorkel in your mailbox after updating your game. The color you receive appears to be random (I got pink).
The next type of snorkel is the Nook Inc. snorkel which can be obtained for 500 Nook Miles at the Nook Stop terminal.
I was initially disappointed, as after checking Nook’s Cranny and the Able Sisters’ store, it seemed that these two types of snorkels were the only choice you were given.
However, after a sneaky bit of time travel, I discovered that the Able Sisters stock the snorkel as an accessory, and when they do, they have a variety of colors to choose from. These include grey, red, pink, yellow, green, and blue. Therefore don’t be disheartened if you’re unhappy with the snorkel color you received in the mail, as you can purchase a more preferable color at the Able Sisters’ store.
How To Swim:
To enter the water, simply ensure that you are wearing a wet suit, and press the A button at the water’s edge on the beach, or from the edge of a rock next to the sea. To swim around, simply continue pressing the A button, and use the joystick to choose which direction to swim in.
The Nooklings will give you a brief tutorial on swimming and diving when you buy a wet suit from them for the first time.My first time going into the sea! 😀
How To Dive:
If you spot a stream of bubbles in the water, it means that a deep sea creature is located there. To obtain the creature, you will need to dive for it. Simply swim over to the stream of bubbles, press the Y button to dive, and then press A to swim towards a black spot. Once you reach the spot, your character will obtain the creature. Ensure you are close enough to a stream of bubbles before diving, as your character will eventually need to resurface for air.
Donating Deep Sea Creatures To The Museum:
You can donate any deep sea creatures that you find to Blathers at the museum. After donating your first deep sea creature, you will then be able to donate multiple creatures at once in the future. Any donations will be exhibited in the aquarium section of the museum alongside the other fish.
Can I Swim At Night?
Whilst your in-game ‘mom’ would most definitely disapprove; yes, you can go swimming at night too.
Can I Swim During Winter?
Branded a ‘summer update’, those in the southern hemisphere may have wondered if you would also be able to swim, considering it is currently winter for y’all. But worry not, whilst you may be freezing your barncacles off, you can participate in the exact same new features as those in the northern hemisphere.
Can I Swim In Rivers Or Other Bodies Of Water Besides The Sea?
Unfortunately not. I tried taking a dip in both a river and my (decoy) duck pond to no avail. It seems swimming is limited to the sea only, and honestly? I’m rather salty…
About Pascal:
Pascal the ‘philosophical’ otter has returned, and may appear when players find scallops whilst diving for deep sea creatures. On a side note, scallops can be found at any time of day, and all throughout the year.
Pascal didn’t show up for me personally upon finding my first scallop, but he did the day afterwards. If you discover a scallop, there is a chance that he will pop up in the water nearby and offer you a trade.
If you give him a scallop, he will give you a Mermaid Furniture DIY recipe in return. Likely having a busy schedule comprising of the contemplation of life “maaan”, he won’t appear more than once a day.
The Mermaid Series:
The Mermaid Series (which naturally looks great with shell furniture), consists of the following items:
Mermaid bed
Mermaid chair
Mermaid clock
Mermaid dresser
Mermaid floor
Mermaid lamp
Mermaid screen
Mermaid sofa
Mermaid shelf
Mermaid table
Mermaid vanity
Mermaid wall
In order to craft the mermaid series DIY furniture from Pascal, you will need to collect various shells and pearls. This, in combination with Pascal’s unknown spawn rate, means completing the set is likely to keep players busy for a good while.
About Pirate Gulliver:
After updating your game to Ver. 1.3.0, there is a chance that instead of washing ashore in his usual Sailor’s outfit, Gulliver may be wearing Pirate attire instead. If this occurs, he will still request your help in communicating with his crewmates. However, instead of digging up five communicator parts from beach areas, you will need a wet suit to go diving for just one communicator part.
Upon returning this communicator part to ‘Pirate Gulliver’, he will mail you a piece of pirate-themed furniture or clothing as a reward. You will receive the item the next day, just like you would when helping him on other occasions. It is not yet known if helping ‘Pirate Gulliver’ contributes towards unlocking the Golden Shovel like helping regular Sailor Gulliver does.
A New Seasonal Item Is Available:
Under the seasonal tab of the special goods section of the Nook Shopping catalague, a new item has become purchasable. The new item is called ‘Bamboo grass’, can be purchased for 3,080 bells, and has been added in celebration of the Japanese festival ‘Tanabata’. Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, celebrates the meeting of deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, and takes place on July 7th this year. The Bamboo grass item will be available to buy until July 31st.
Very Punny, Nintendo…
It ‘a-piers’, that with the introduction of new creatures, players will get to ‘sea’ even more terrible puns. You ‘dolphin-itely’ ‘cod’ do better than that Nintendo. SMH.
I'm a 21-year-old Journalism with Creative Writing student who likes to: play video games, write stuff, read apocalyptic fiction, and absorb the entirety of Netflix.
I can often be found wasting my money on kawaii things, or meowing at cats until they meow back.
Aug 11, 2020
