All posts tagged in Casual
Jun 9, 2022
New Ghost Bears and New Environments
The first Cozy Grove is a game about camping on a haunted island with a real-time day/night cycle mechanic like Animal Crossing. As a Spirit Scout, you’ll wander the island’s forest each day, finding new hidden secrets and helping the local ghosts. Activities include: collecting spirit animals, crafting decorations, going fishing. The developers, Spry Fox, have just announced that they are currently working on Cozy Grove 2.
With the sequel underway, that means there won’t be any more major updates for Cozy Grove. Although, you can read the rather extensive post-launch updates here, if you’re interested. So far, all we know is that the sequel will have “a bunch more new ghost bears, in new environments. And Flamey. And Scoutmaster Blake.”
Cozy Grove 2 is in Early Development
Cozy Grove 2 is still a ways away with an unofficial launch estimate of late 2023. For now, you can check out its predecessor on these platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic Games.
- Jan 21, 2020
Mineko’s Night Market is an upcoming cat-themed crafting adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture and is essentially about friendship, choices, and of course, cats. The indie game is being developed by Meowza Games, and being published by Humble Bundle, who will also publish upcoming games Forager and Ikenfell.
The exact date for the games release is yet to be determined, though the creator mentioned that it may possibly be early this year. I thought I’d provide everyone with a detailed article on everything we know about this cute cat-filled creation!
What is the game about?
Playing as Mineko, a girl who has moved to a superstitious fishing town inundated with cats, you will uncover secrets whilst assiting 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!
What sort of stuff can I do in the game?
Some features of the game include:
- Explore the village and surrounding areas to find rare resources and make new friends
- Craft peculiar items with the resources you find around the world
- Barter with townsfolk at the weekly Night Market to sell your creations
- Explore the night Market to discover unusual culinary dlights and collectibles
- Play and compete in a variety of Night Market games like cat racing,
pachinko, and whack-a-tako - Uncover the mysteries of the Sun-Cat Abe and Mount Fugu Island!
How much will it cost?
The price of the game is still TBA.
What platforms will it be released on?
- PC
- Mac
- Nintendo Switch
When will it be released?
The Nintendo website claims that the game is ‘coming early 2019’ to the Switch console. As the PC and Mac versions were in the works first. However it was delayed until 2020 with no concrete release date, however let’s hope we can all play the game this year!
Is there any game merchandise available to buy?
Yes! The following items can be purchased whilst you (im)patiently await the game’s release:
- Mineko and the cats T shirt from theyetee.com
- Abe the Sun-Cat pin from theyetee.com
- Mineko pin from theyetee.com
- Mineko’s Night Market poster from theyetee.com
- Mineko’s Night Market Cutaway Cats and Rice Art Print (limited stock)
I sat down with Brent, developer behind the game for an exclusive interview last year. For some more sneaky details on Mineko’s Night Market, make sure you check out the interview here.
- Aug 8, 2019
Mineko’s Night Market is an adorable cat themed indie game.
Mineko’s Night Market is an upcoming cat-themed crafting adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture and is essentially about friendship, choices, and of course, cats. The indie game is being developed by Meowza Games, and being published by Humble Bundle, who will also publish upcoming games Forager and Ikenfell.
The exact date for the games release is yet to be determined, though the creators recently announced that more news are coming and the game is currently in full time development again. If you are just as excited about this cat-tastic game take a look below for everything we know so far about the game!
What is the game about?
Playing as Mineko, a girl who has moved to a superstitious fishing town inundated with cats, you will uncover secrets whilst assiting 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!
What sort of stuff can I do in the game?
Some features of the game include:
- Explore the village and surrounding areas to find rare resources and make new friends
- Craft peculiar items with the resources you find around the world
- Barter with townsfolk at the weekly Night Market to sell your creations
- Explore the night Market to discover unusual culinary dlights and collectibles
- Play and compete in a variety of Night Market games like cat racing,
pachinko, and whack-a-tako - Uncover the mysteries of the Sun-Cat Abe and Mount Fugu Island!
How much will it cost?
The price of the game is still TBA.
What platforms will it be released on?
- PC
- Mac
- Nintendo Switch
When will it be released?
The Nintendo website claims that the game is ‘coming soon’ to the Switch console. As the PC and Mac versions were in the works first, based on recent news it’s likely that a release on all three platforms is happening sometime in 2020 or 2021 – this.
Is there any game merchandise available to buy?
Yes! The following items can be purchased whilst you (im)patiently await the game’s release:
- Mineko and the cats T shirt from theyetee.com
- Abe the Sun-Cat pin from theyetee.com
- Mineko pin from theyetee.com
- Mineko’s Night Market poster from theyetee.com
- Mineko’s Night Market Cutaway Cats and Rice Art Print (limited stock)
I also had a chance to wit down with Brent, developer behind the game for an exclusive interview last year. For some more sneaky details on Mineko’s Night Market, make sure you check out the interview here.
- Mar 24, 2019
Looking for some time to relax and just take it easy? Well, pick up a mug of your favorite hot chocolate and enjoy some time at the Marshmellow Day Spa!
In this mini-game brought to life by four developers, you are a marshmallow that runs a day spa and fills jacuzzies with hot chocolate for other marshmallows. You run and jump while collecting different milks, chocolates, and toppings to put into each customer’s private spa. Combining all of these ingredients makes the perfect cup of hot chocolate and leaves the customer happy and relaxed.
This game has a nice relaxing charm to it and has a very simple concept. It’s nice to play something that you can pick up for a few minutes, relax, and then go on with your day.
Pamper yourself and relax with a cup of hot chocolate. Download Marshmellow Day Spa for free here! For more relaxing games, check out our list for the Most Calming Games to Cozy Up and Help You Relax! Happy Gaming!
- Jan 14, 2019
Sure, Animal Crossing can be wholesome. Initially aimed at children, and classed as a family-friendly game, why wouldn’t it be? However, if you look closely enough/play it enough, you might question this wholesomeness. The series can be surprisingly dark at times, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly.
And so, here are my top 10 examples of times where Animal Crossing got dark. If you want more Animal Crossing fun, check out our 10 Examples of Absolute Savagery in Animal Crossing.
1. Chill dude. ????
2. Do not mess with Isabelle. ????
3. What a weird dream am I right? ????
4. Why are you not more concerned?! ????
5. Even more creepy when you look into what a Kappa is… ????
6. Well at least she’s honest..? ????
7. There should be some items that Nintendo disclude from villagers’ vocabulary… ????
8. ^^^ ????
9. Nice and toasty like… ????
10. Wut. ????
Have you ever experienced the darker side of Animal Crossing? If so, let us know in the comments.
- Nov 30, 2018
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ans of the RollerCoaster Tycoon games (which simulate theme park management), will be pleased to learn that a similar game entitled Parkitect is now available to play on Steam.
Parkitect is a sandbox theme-park construction-management game for Windows, Mac, and Linux. After a two-year early access period, the game was released worldwide yesterday, 29th November 2018.
Developed and published by Texel Raptor, Parkitect shares the premise of RollerCoaster Tycoon games: To build a successful theme park. Players are able to build rides, design and manage the park, and tasked with keeping their guests happy.
Parkitect differentiates from RollerCoaster Tycoon in that it offers players features such as:
- Staff buildings
- Resource depots
- Hidden staff-only areas
- A branching map system
Parkitect can be purchased on Steam, where it currently holds a 9/10 rating and has very positive reviews, for a modest price of $29.99.
With the abundance of negative reviews expressing disappointment in Atari’s RollerCoaster Tycoon World, could Parkitect be destined for success like the popular 2016 game Planet Coaster?
- Nov 23, 2018
[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures (RCTA) is an upcoming amusement park simulation game developed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Developers of the popular RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, Atari, have announced that RCTA will be available in Europe on the 29th November, and in North America on the 13th December.
Despite criticism over Atari’s need to crowdfund RCTA, as well as concerns that the Switch console won’t do the game justice, Atari has said that the game is “built from the ground up to take advantage of the Switch’s best features.”
Features:
- 3 Exciting Game Modes: Adventure, Scenario, and Sandbox.
- An all-new Event System in the game’s Adventure Mode
- 7 Types of Customizable Coasters: Wooden, Steel, Winged, Hyper, Inverted, Dive, and Accelerator.
- More than 50 vibrant colors to choose from when customizing rides, roller coasters, shops, and restaurants.
- Improve the landscape of your park by placing and altering paths, foliage, and river tiles.
- 4 Distinctive Park Locations: Alpine, Moon, Canyon, and Tropics.
- Over 200 rides, restaurants, shops and decorations available for placement.
- Intuitive JoyCon and Touchscreen Controls provide freedom to play how you want.
- Seamless play between dock mode and handheld mode lets you play anywhere!
- Runs at 1080P docked, and 720P in handheld mode.
The game can be purchased digitally through the Nintendo eShop, or as a physical copy from retail outlets. UK Switch owners can pre-order the game at Argos for £39.99.
- Nov 14, 2018
The publisher of My Time at Portia, Team 17, have released an all-new crafting trailer for the upcoming game.
My Time at Portia is an upcoming sandbox RPG game with farming, crafting, gathering and mining elements. Upon starting the game, players arrive in the charming town of Portia where they seek a fresh start. Upon inheriting your Pa’s run-down workshop, which contains only a Workbench and a Workshop Handbook, the aim is to make your workshop the best around.
Sharing similarities with games such as Yonder and Stardew Valley, the gameplay of My Time at Portia is definitely very crafting-orientated. However, the game also offers players the chance to interact with quirky characters, grow crops and raise animals, and uncover the secrets and mysteries of the post-apocalyptic Portia.
A popular Early Access version is currently available to play on Steam whilst we await the official version and console versions. Whilst an official release date for the game has not yet been announced, the crafting trailer could imply that the wait is almost over!
