All posts tagged in Adventure
Feb 23, 2023
In 2017, indie game developers Sidebar Games dropped an absolute gem of a game called Golf Story. It took a sport that I (and perhaps many of you) never really liked, and made it fun. Through quirky characters, off-the-wall dialogue, and oftentimes unhinged quest line, there’s a lot to love about Golf Story.
If you’re unfamiliar with Golf Story, you play as an unnamed male character who gives up everything he loves for his last shot at accomplishing his dreams of becoming a professional golfer. Golf is central to the game, but not the only thing players get to experience. Players fight skeletons, steal snow from a group of bandits, and complete other silly quests. There’s so many odd antics to keep players involved and entertained.
Then there’s Sports Story, the long-awaited sequel.
Sports Story Brings Back the Staples
This highly ambitious sequel picks back up with Golf Story’s protagonist, who is tasked with investigating the suspicious activities of golf giant Purestrike, as well as the Iron Dragons yakuza. Sports Story brings back the quirky dialogue and oddball NPCs that made its predecessor such a delight. Players get to meet the feisty Iron Dragons, haughty sports royalty, and even pirates!
Of course the golf element is back. Players get to compete in and complete a variety of full courses, mini golf courses, putting greens, and other challenges. You’ll encounter any number of difficulty levels, too. Track down or buy new golf clubs, as well as find golf balls with different abilities to help complete courses. Level up your golf skills, aim well, and don’t forget to take the wind into account while you plan your shots.
The Other Sports
Sports Story branches out beyond just golf, obviously. In fact, it includes volleyball, cricket, soccer, BMX riding, fishing, and tennis, which has its own whole side story. I was incredibly excited about the prospect of other sports. Sidebar Games really did a great job on the golf aspect, so I thought surely the other sports would be just as good. I was wrong
Luckily, many of the sports are side items, though you do need to complete several in order to level up your license to move on to other quests and areas. I think I dislike BMX biking the most. You press A to pedal and B to jump. Which means, I’m holding the controller awkwardly, and having to struggle to hit those two buttons as needed. You also need to tilt the bike with the left joystick as you come down from a jump. Landing flat allows you to continue pedaling with minimal stopping, while landing poorly causes you to bounce and lose precious time.
All of the other sports in Sports Story were troublesome, too. The activities you need to complete with them were fairly dependent on direction, but there was no way to direct the ball. The soccer minigames were few and far between, but weren’t too bad. The tennis, however, was the worst. At some point you enter the tennis academy to complete that long, tedious side story. You learn four different shots that use varying strengths and speeds, but there’s no aiming involved. So, completing minigames where you have to hit paper balls into a trash can, or aim the ball at targets is all up to which direction the ball machine happens to shoot the ball.
Some of the Quests Were Disappointing…
As much as I love the return to goofy that made Golf Story so charming, it’s simply not enough to carry a game. It helped ease the blow of all the other sports being so mundane. However, Sports Story used a lot of fetch quests to move the story forward. I’m all for some fetch quests as they can be useful, but this was more like Fetch Story than Sports Story.
Between the numerous quests and the humdrum sports mechanics, I found the game tedious to play and complete. It felt like Sidebar Games packed Sports Story full to make it feel like a longer play, but failed to make it great to play. And don’t get me started on the ending! I won’t outright spoil it for anyone hoping to play, but the ending was unsatisfying. It made the point of going through the story unfulfilling as nothing happens. The powers that be just decide they’re ok with the status quo for now, and that’s it, roll credits.
Final Thoughts
Even having finished Sports Story, I still desperately want to love it. Sidebar Games really knows how to bring golf to life in a fun way. They’re also great at delivering punchy, quirky lines that make characters charming in a weird way. If the developers had managed to make the other sports better to play, and nixed so many of the fetch quests, Sports Story would be great. As it is, it’s merely ok in my book.
Perhaps there was more going on behind the scenes than just the game becoming more and more ambitious than originally planned, and that contributed to Sports Story being alright. Players found a secret dev room hidden within the game that pointed at troubles within the team or company. Sidebar Games has since released some patches to remove that information from the game.
Ultimately, I give it:
You can find Sports Story (and Golf Story) on the Nintendo Switch shop.
If you’re looking for more golf fun, try Golf With Your Friends or What the Golf.
- Dec 29, 2022
Farm, Tame, and Ride
Paleo Pines is an upcoming game that definitely has an Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley-like feel to it, but with dinosaurs!
Customize your character, and embark on a journey to a peaceful little island where pioneers live peacefully with affectionate dinosaurs. On the island, evolution went a different direction – “survival of the kindest” – and resulted in a world where humans and dinosaurs live together in harmony. Much to the delight of the residents of the island, you’re the last known descendant of the Flute Whisperer. Together with your Parasaurolophus, Lucky, you’ll build a ranch, make friends with residents, and discover the history of your lost ancestors.
Explore the various biomes of Paleo Pines. From the flowery fields of Veridian Valley, to the canyons of the desert, there’s no lack of space to roam around. There are a number of cute wild dinosaurs that roam the biomes, too. Gain their trust through building pens for them to frolic in, feeding them their favorite foods, and giving them nose pats! If you build enough trust with them, they may even help you with your farm chores, like digging rows and harvesting crops.
You’ll also be able to change your clothing via your wardrobe. Plus, your ranch is fully customizable. Create the perfect paradise for you and your dinosaur friends. Decorate your yard, or fill it full of planting rows. Your ranch is yours to make how you wish!
No Release Date
Unfortunately, there is no planned release date available at the moment. However, you can Wishlist it on Steam. You can also follow Paleo Pines on Twitter, where they frequently post little development updates. The Dev Blog for the game is a great place to look at updates too.
For more dinosaur fun, check out this list.
- Dec 8, 2022
Endless Seasons and Romance
In case you’ve missed seeing anything about Wylde Flowers, here’s my review on it, but Wylde Flowers is a relaxing, and enchanting simulation game where you play as city girl Tara. Having spent her childhood in Fairhaven, Tara isn’t unfamiliar with the small island town, but is brand new to the concept of farming and caring for animals. She’s willing to learn, though, in order to restore Grandma Hazel’s farm to what it once was. That’s why she’s back in Fairhaven, after all.
That’s not all though. Tara’s also a new witch! As it turns out, it runs in the family, and Grandma Hazel is a witch too. Now, Tara must learn how to live life in a small town, restore the family farm, and learn how to brew potions and cast spells. And do all of this while building friendships with the people of Fairhaven, solving the mysteries of the island, and potentially dating a new love interest.
One of the downsides in Wylde Flowers, which I mentioned in my review, is that once you’ve reached Spring 2, that’s it. You’re no longer able to change the seasons. So, if you haven’t gathered enough of the seasonal items throughout your play through, then you’re out of luck. There’s also a distinct lack of romantic interactions with your partner, especially after marriage.
However, the developers over at Studio Dry Dock listened to fans and will be releasing the Endless Seasons and Romance update, free, across all platforms. With this update, players will be able to change the seasons at will, as many times as they wish after completing the story! So no more worrying about content you missed. Plus, you’ll be able to take your partner on dates around town, and deepen your connection with repeatable affection animations.
Update Coming Early 2023
The free Wylde Flowers update is planned for early 2023, with no specific date given. You can find the game on Apple Arcade, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.
- Nov 30, 2022
Uncover the Mysteries of Bermuda
Down in Bermuda is a pleasant and colorful little puzzle game featuring Milton, the adventurous airplane pilot. A bizarre and abnormal storm has swept through Milton’s path and has left him stranded on the infamous islands of Bermuda for decades. Milton will have to work to overcome a number of different obstacles in his search for a way home.
Milton has discovered he’s trapped inside a baffling time bubble, and needs your help to escape and get home. He’ll have to overcome creatures of the deep, as well as crack various codes. Collect mysterious orbs, and also solve a number of puzzles on 6 of the islands of the notorious archipelago. Can you help Milton find his way home and escape the beautiful, but mystifying island?
Available Now!
Down in Bermuda is available now on numerous platforms. You can find it on Steam, Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Epic Games, Humble Bundle, and GOG.
Here’s a throwback to the 15 Most Wholesome Games on 3DS.
- Nov 24, 2022
Farming, Magic, and More – take a look my review of this magical game.
Wylde Flowers is an absolutely enchanting game with an incredible story line. In it, you play as Tara, a city girl who has just moved to Fairhaven to help her ailing grandmother with the farm. Unfortunately, the farm is in disrepair since grandpa passed away, so it’s up to you to restore it to its former glory. You’ll learn the basics of running a farm from Grandma Hazel, and the townsfolk will help you learn more advanced concepts. They’ll also prove to be a wonderful community to get to know.
Of course, farming isn’t the only new thing Tara will learn. As it turns out, Grandma is a well-respected witch in the local coven, and Tara’s also a witch. She’ll learn to cast magic spells and craft potions to help with things like growing crops or restoring her energy, and more! All while building relationships with the townspeople, possibly finding love, and solving the mysteries of the island.
Farming
Wylde Flowers is pretty straightforward as far as game-play goes. You run a farm that needs to be repaired. You’ll utilize Parker, the town woodworker, and Natalia, the town blacksmith, quite a bit in order to fix up the farm. Otto, the local fisherman, will give you a lesson on fishing, and eventually you’ll be able to buy livestock from Marty, who is also new to the town.
The crops and flowers you’ll be able to grow are seasonal, until you build the greenhouse. You’ll then be able to use the crops in recipes you can cook in your kitchen, many of which will help you in becoming friends with the townsfolk. Unfortunately, the space you’ll have to grow crops and flowers is limited. The greenhouse only has 5 plots, while the first outdoor garden you have access to can potentially hold around 11 plots. It will depend on your creativity in how things fit together. It’s almost like playing Tetris, with more unusable spots. When you finally open the large garden, you can fit about 27 plots there.
It’s certainly no Stardew Valley in farm size, but it didn’t pose any problems for me. Crops grow within a few days, and when you control the seasons (more on that later), it’s easy to just grow everything you want per season.
Magic
The magic system is a fun addition to a farm sim (though I’d say farming is the secondary bit to this game, while the story is the main thing). You’ll learn spells to make it rain, create thunderstorms, freeze time, reverse time, grow crops faster, make crops yield more per harvest, and much more.
I think my favorite part of the magic system is being able to ride a broomstick as a way to fast travel. While the playable map is fairly small, it’s still a great mechanic to get to unlock. Even better is the incorporation of magic into it. What’s not fun about getting to ride a broomstick across town?
My one complaint with this system is the ability to occupy your cat familiar, Cleocatra. While it’s a fun mechanic, and does play a part in the story, it’s not as useful as I’d hoped. It’s used once in the story, and that’s the only time it’s necessary to even be a cat. It’s also a pain if you don’t know how to do it, like me. When you become the cat, there’s no way to cancel the spell, unless you go to sleep. So, use it wisely, if you do choose to use it more often.
The Townspeople
The townspeople of Fairhaven are possibly my second favorite thing about Wylde Flowers. The cast is wildly diverse. From Kim, who is of Japanese descent and identifies as nonbinary and isn’t sure how to navigate beginning a relationship, to Amira who’s super flirty from the start. There’s even Cameron, the local leader of the League of the Conscious Mind center (*cough* can you say cult *cough*) with his sketchy past and charming personality.
Each character you’ll encounter in Wylde Flowers has their very own personality and rich back stories. Even better is each one is fully voice acted. And I don’t mean one guy and one woman change their voices to act out each character. Everyone has their own unique voice actor to capture the personality of the character. It’s hard not to feel the charm and beauty in individuality with this cast. You even have the chance to date and marry one of seven romanceable characters. So, take your time to get to know everyone, and see who you’d like to date, or just build meaningful friendships with everyone. The choice is yours!
The Story
I won’t go into detail about the story line, because it’s what Wylde Flowers is all about and I want all of you to experience the joy of progressing through it, but this is my favorite thing about the game. It seems so simple at first. Tara arrives in Fairhaven to take over and restore the family farm as Grandma Hazel is no longer able to take care of it. Then, Tara discovers Hazel, and herself, are witches. Tara is welcomed into the local coven, and is tasked with discovering the secret identities of each coven member after she’s gained their trust.
After that, Tara spends her time restoring the farm, exploring the mines, raising crops and livestock, and delving into her magical studies. However, she’s also working to solve the problems and mysteries that the small island town faces. And all of this while building relationships with the townsfolk, or even dating.
You and the coven are in charge of turning the seasons, which means you can progress as fast or as slow as you wish to, within reason anyway. You won’t get the opportunity (or appropriate spells) to change the seasons unless you progress the story, but when you reach that point, it’s all on you to initiate the change. So, take your time helping out the town with the bulletin board requests, exploring the mine, fishing, farming, and talking to everyone.
The downside is that you only get to experience one Spring, one Summer, one Fall, one Winter, then what I’ve deemed the Eternal Spring. You’ll change seasons one last time to Spring, and that’s it. You can play indefinitely after you finish the story line, but you better stock up on seasonal finds each season.
Final Thoughts
I LOVED Wylde Flowers and will absolutely be replaying it again and dating everyone I can. Even despite some of the minor irks like the cat transformation and the Eternal Spring. I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s perfect for cozy gamers, is absolutely beautiful, and a whole lot of fun. And any game that gives me the name “Cattleclysm” as a preset option to name my cow with is great in my eyes!
Check out another farm sim review we’ve done for Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town!
- Nov 21, 2022
Explore a Strange Countryside and Create Spells
Wytchwood is a curious crafting adventure set in a land of gothic fairytales and fables. You play as the witch of the woods, an old and eerie being surrounded by mystery. You’ll get to explore a bizarre countryside in a quirky, but beautiful storybook art style. Grow, gather, and harvest weird ingredients like toxic toadstools, eyes of newt, and bottled fear. After that, use those ingredients to research spells and brew some magical enchantments. Then casts spells and curses to help you in your adventures.
Explore the captivating allegorical world of Wytchwood to uncover new characters, discover new creatures, and seek out their fantastical narratives. You will even get to pass your judgment on a varied cast of characters and creatures. Turn the greedy folks into frogs, and curse the wicked! After all, how else will they learn the moral of the story if they’re not taught by you? You’ll also need to use your wit to solve puzzles to best the monsters in the woods.
Available Now
Wytchwood is available now on the usual places like Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Playstation. It is also available on Epic Games, GOG, and Humble Bundle.
For more witchy games, have a look at Little Witch in the Woods, Witchbrook, Witchy Life Story, or even Wylde Flowers.
- Nov 19, 2022
Restoration, Exploration, and Horses
Enter a beautifully crafted open-world game where you find yourself vacationing at your aunt’s home. However, you arrive to find the once grand stud farm has now fallen to ruin. You are the only one who can restore the farm. You face a terrible challenge, but you aren’t alone in your endeavors.
Befriend the townsfolk who will help you and complete quests to rebuild the once glorious family farm. From the woodsman to the architect and craftswoman, there’s no shortage of useful villagers to forge friendships with. Perhaps you can even get in the good graces of the prestigious Fèlix family.
You can also journey across the vast open-world wilds and discover the hidden secrets of the island all while on horseback! Ride up the coastline, gallop through the forest, or adventure through wide open fields.
In your adventures around the island, you can find wild horses to tame, ride, and care for. You will even be able to breed your own horses. Select the perfect creatures to receive the finest horses with characteristics, personalities, and colors you want! Take your most admirable steeds and see how they measure up in competitions.
Coming soon to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam PC
French publisher Microids and German developer Aesir Interactive announced this exciting new open-world horse game is now available. Players can find it on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam PC.
For more open-world goodness, check out Tchia and Palia.
- Nov 11, 2022
Sing, Crack Jokes, and Impress Audiences
Best friends Sok and Jester have hatched a plan to steal the Royal Diamond. In order to achieve this, they’re starting an improv show to outperform all the other acts – including their rivals Bok and Hofnar. Only being the best performers will win them an invitation to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle in the Royal Palace, where the king keeps his diamond.
You will play as Sok and Jester as they journey across the kingdom to achieve their master plan. Meet a cast of fully voiced, goofy characters, perform improvised shows, and sing your hearts out. Somewhere along the way, Sok and Jester discover the freedom and joy of musical theatre! Will the pair give up on their master plan, or will they continue to try and strike it rich?
Embrace the creative freedom given to you. Each show you perform is explicitly different. You get to decide how to wow your audiences to try and make it to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle. And as you journey through Once Upon a Jester, you’ll discover some adorable, hand-crafted locations like cozy Dorp Town, dark and mysterious Woudwoods, and Stad City, who’s obsessed with the radio. You’ll also be treated to a catchy, original soundtrack through your gameplay. Are you prepared for some overt silliness and fun gameplay?
Available Now!
Once Upon a Jester is available now on Nintendo Switch and Steam.
For more silly fun, check out Alpaca Ball.
