All posts tagged in Adventure Game
Feb 29, 2024
I got to experience the closed beta version of this game thanks to the developer and publisher!
If you missed the last time I talked about Time & Galaxy, then let me get you up to speed! This game is a vibrant, quirky visual novel where you play as the galaxy’s first robot reporter. You’ve just begun your internship at the renowned holopaper, Times & Galaxy, and you need to prove your worth. Take on different assignments and brush up on your journalism skills as you investigate the scene of a crash, interview contestants in a contest, or gather quotes from onlookers. Then, use the Build-a-Story tool to create your piece!
Gameplay
Times & Galaxy is a visual novel, so you just need WASD keys to move, and your mouse to click. Interact with your crewmates, as well as the people you want to interview using the mouse, and that’s it! It’s simple and easy to play, which is perfect for focusing on the engaging dialogue you’ll come across.
I was immediately captivated by this game. Every single character design is unique. Personalities are different from each other. Plus, you interact with over 100 different characters across the whole game. I experienced a limited closed beta version, so did not encounter all 100+ characters, but if you like visual novels, you need to! The characters I did get to interact with were fun to get to know. Some were grumpy, some upbeat, and every other flavor of personality you can think of. And all of the dialogue was interesting. Not a single conversation made me bored, so there’s clearly been a lot of thought and care put into this game. You can even flirt with people, or robots, or aliens! You, a robot, exhibiting flirting skills was possibly the highlight of interacting with folks, too.
I really enjoyed traveling to the different locations in Times & Galaxy, too. Each assignment let me see a small peak at the different planets in the galaxy. Not to mention, each assignment was super unique. One was a shuttle crash site where I examined the shuttle and interviewed people. Another was a cat show fluff piece where I got to visit with the cats and talk to their owners. I don’t think there’s a single thing in this game that I can call boring. It’s quirky, fun, humorous, and overall just great.
Visuals and Soundtrack
If you aren’t as charmed by the beautiful visuals as I am, then we need to talk. They are vibrant without being overwhelming and just fit the story and setting so perfectly. I couldn’t imagine playing this game without these lovely graphics. They’re clever and add so much life to what is ultimately a limited view of the galaxy. You spend most of your time on the ship or at specific places for your stories, often a single room or area. So, it’s important that the visuals (and dialogue) make an impact. And they do!
Pair everything with the great soundtrack and Times & Galaxy has really nailed what it was aiming for. The music fits each scene and situation perfectly. It doesn’t overwhelm, either. You’re not listening to the same track over and over again. Nor is anything obnoxious. Each track fits well where it is and sits perfectly in the background like it should.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t have Times & Galaxy on your Wishlist already, what are you waiting for? It’s so charming and funny. The characters and situations are fun. The visuals are gorgeous. The soundtrack is great. What more could you ask for from a game?
I give it:
You can find Times & Galaxy on Steam!
- Feb 29, 2024
Your farm in Peppermint Falls by JellyFrog Games is like no other farm you’ve encountered. You’ll grow blueberry muffins, harvest gummy bears from bushes, and nurture ice cream in the winter seasons. Raise farm animals like cows that produce strawberry milk and collect chocolate eggs from your chickens. The town is small, but cozy, and offers much more to do than just farming, too. Cook delicious meals, experiment with alchemy, go mining for resources, or even fish for some fun aquatic creatures. You can even battle monsters or work in the town’s cafe! Don’t forget to forge relationships with the townspeople, too. Learn their backgrounds and earn some great friendships, or even start a family with someone.
When you tire of the small town, set out on an adventure to explore the wide world of Peppermint Falls. Your house, which is made of pancakes, can walk, and will ferry you around the different biomes of the world! It’ll accompany you to the furthest corners of the world and patiently wait for you to complete your adventures. It’ll even sprout new rooms from time to time. While exploring, perhaps you can uncover what happened to the original inhabitants. The world used to be ordinary and not covered in confectionary creatures, after all.
Release Date
Peppermint Falls is coming to Steam sometime soon. Add it to your Wishlist now!
- Feb 28, 2024
Lightyear Frontier by developers FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios is a peaceful open-world farming sim set on a planet at the edge of the galaxy. Live a quiet life on this breathtaking planet as you settle into farming and exploring. So, hop into your customizable mech and see what this alien planet has to offer.
Lightyear Frontier combines modern technology with classic farming. Customize your mech with fun paint choices and use a variety of tools to accomplish tasks. Need to plow some land and water seeds? There’s tools for that! You can also unlock new things through upgrades, making your mech more powerful. Raise a variety of fun crops and trade them for credits or materials to be used on building up your homestead. Explore the gorgeous planet to discover the planet’s past and gain lost knowledge. While out exploring, take time to nurture your relationship with nature by cleaning up the environment, removing invasive weeds, and replanting trees you harvested.
Play this lovely farming sim solo, or with up to three of your friends. Create your perfect homestead, and uncover everything your new home has to offer!
Release Date
Lightyear Frontier is coming to Steam and Xbox March 19th!
Check out Sugardew Island, another upcoming farming sim!
- Feb 22, 2024
Set out on a vibrant interplanetary adventure as the very first robot reporter for the Times & Galaxy. You’re just a simple intern for the solar system’s most trusted holopaper. You might be able to keep your job if you do it well, though! Take this unpaid opportunity to get the scoop on exciting situations like shuttle crashes, intersolar cat shows, even space ghost funerals. Write great stories and impress your coworkers, and you just prove you’re worthy of the newsroom.
Your job in Times & Galaxy is to get the necessary interviews (there’s over 100 characters!), find clues, and investigate the scene. There’s always more to a story than what appears on the surface, too. So whip your conversational and investigative skills into shape to get all the answers. Then, piece together your story with the Build-a-Story tool. Your choices impact the quality and tone of your story, plus how your editor and readers interpret the article. The reputation of the paper is at stake, too. When you’re not busy with assignments, get to know a unique cast of humans and aliens that serve as your crewmates and coworkers. Or spend some time in the Garden where you can plant seeds to restore its beauty and take a relaxing break.
Do you have what it takes to become more than just an intern?
Release Date
Times & Galaxy is listed on Steam and set to release some time this year! There is currently a demo available.
Little-Known Galaxy is another interstellar game coming soon to Steam.
- Feb 21, 2024
Dreaming Isles by solo developer YawningDad is an upcoming cozy life sim perfect for discerning players looking for more than just farming! You find yourself shipwrecked on an island with an abandoned farm. You possess no memories of your past, but you’re determined to not only survive, but thrive on this unfamiliar island.
Set out on an exciting adventure full of farming and sailing as you explore a variety of different islands in Dreaming Isles. Restore an old, abandoned boat to set sail in the open seas. Side with the pirates of the Global Trade and take down the other organization by using the cannonballs you grow and craft. Yes, grow! Your crops are unique and can be used as ammo in your conquests! Plus, you’ll learn spells that will help you in your adventures. Just don’t forget to get to know your fellow islanders. You might even fall in love!
Release Date
Dreaming Isles will release on Steam some time this year. The developer plans to release it on the Switch and Xbox if there’s enough interest!
Don’t forget to check out the adorable Wish Upon a Llama, too!
- Feb 21, 2024
The Hidden Art of Innkeeping is a lovely pixel graphics innkeeping game by developer SeaPhoenix. Play as Elinor who is visiting a beautiful small town. After a particularly disastrous stay at the only beachside hotel in the area, you decide to convert an old farmhouse to an inn. Of course, renovating an old building isn’t cheap! So, you accept a loan from some mysterious tycoon that demands you pay up by the end of the month. Now you need to renovate the inn and make it turn a profit in order to earn enough money to pay back that loan.
Meet a cast of vibrant, fascinating guests as they come to your new inn. The Hidden Art of Innkeeping features biologists, adventurers, a pirate, and even a vampire. You might even see some familiar faces from the prequel game. Spend your days exploring and gathering items like paintings that will be displayed in the inn. Discovering these items will help you understand the past and who the former owner was. Complete different quests for the townspeople, and even recruit some new villagers. Then, spend time renovating your new inn and turn it from a dilapidated old farmhouse to a beautiful, luxurious inn. Configure the guest rooms, hire employees, stock your supplies, and create some tasty meals for your guests.
Will you be able to repay the loan in time?
Release Date
The Hidden Art of Innkeeping is listed on Steam. You can add it to your Wishlist, but there is no specific release date. It’s projected for some time this year.
Alpine Lake is another upcoming cozy innkeeping game you should check out!
- Feb 15, 2024
Zipp’s Cafe by developer The Wild Gentlemen is a cozy noir interactive fiction game full of love, betrayal, and coffee. You run a cozy cafe in between a city of animals and a district of insects. Talk to your customers to learn their stories. Cook some unusual dishes, prepare coffee, and even get involved in some shady dealings. Ultimately, you’re just trying to start a new life while searching for love and some revenge.
Similar to Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2, Zipp’s Cafe features a small cast of quirky characters that regularly visit your cafe. Play in full color or noir mode as you get to know 5 different characters and get caught up in their lives, whether you like it or not. They’re all connected somehow, and you might just find out how by listening to their stories. Brew and serve coffees and teas. Prepare unique meals to serve your customers. Even do the dishes, because someone has to. You might even find love, and lose it. Choose if you’ll move on or seek revenge!
Release Date
Zipp’s Cafe is currently available now on Steam!
- Feb 15, 2024
Project Real is a pixel-graphic sim that immerses you in a robust life sim experience. Set out on a journey on Serena Island and live a wonderful life full of choices and interactions. Explore the world, start a career, attend fun events, and get to know the townspeople. Even complete collections and sell items you find while exploring. Plus, decorate your home and customize your character to really fulfill your dreams.
Project Real aims to set itself apart from every other life sim out there by offering an extensive career system. You can become a fishing expert, run your own restaurant, or even become a jeweler who creates your very own designs, and more. There’s a wide variety of career choices for you. There’s also a diverse cast of characters to meet and get to know. Every conversation and every choice you make will influence your overall destiny, too. So, choosing wisely would be smart!
Release Date
This cute game is available now in Early Access on Steam!
Moonlight in Garland is a lovely city-based life sim full of apartment-living, getting to know your neighbors, and more!
