Jul 15, 2022Indie Highlight
The Ranchers is an open-world country-life sim for 1-4 players online. Ranch, grow crops and fruit trees, cook with many recipes, craft machines like in My Time at Sandrock, build your house from scratch, go fishing and hunting, enter mines and fight monsters. All of which can be done, including quests, in multiplayer!
The game has more realism and creative freedom that makes it unique. Example, you can decide how to cut down a tree. Meaning, by using an axe, your car, explosives, or even guns. The animals you get to raise have the usual cows and chickens, but also ones not seen in typical farming sims like peacocks and turkeys. Pets include cats and dogs but if you back the game now on Kickstarter, you can have a pet tiger!
There are many villagers around to meet and befriend. You can also find love, move in together, and start a family. There are various vehicles you can drive to make deliveries, transport your animals, explore, and visit said friends. They all have different speed, handling, acceleration, passenger capacity, storage capacity, and fuel needs. Types of vehicles range from bicycles, motorcycles, yatch, scooter, etc!
Feb 3, 2020Animal Crossing
There’s only one thing that can make playing Animal Crossing better, and that’s playing it with friends! Therefore fans of the franchise will be pleased to know that New Horizons features both local and online multiplayer. In a recent notice from the official Nintendo website in Australia, it was announced that:
*Up to 8 players with registered accounts on a Nintendo Switch console can live on one shared island, and up to four residents of one island can play simultaneously on one console.
Please note: only one island can exist per Nintendo Switch console, irrespective of the number of user accounts registered to or copies of the game used on one console.
One Nintendo Switch and one copy of the game is required for each unique island. Alternatively, up to eight people can play together on one island via local wireless or online play. Local wireless play requires one console and one copy of the software per player.
So to clarify, that’s three different ways to play with friends:
Whilst not yet officially confirmed, gameplay from Nintendo Treehouse E3 2019 and trailers suggest that local multiplayer (using one console) will work in the following way:
It is not yet confirmed or denied by Nintendo, however it is to assume that the Switch will need to be docked, with each player owning a joycon, in order to play with others using one system.
In regards to online multiplayer, developers have stated that the Nintendo Switch Online App will likely be compatable with the game. This could mean that voice chat will be available when playing online, making gameplay easier and more fun .
It seems that Nintendo have put a lot of effort into co-op play in Animal Crossing New Horizons, something that has made New Leaf so enjoyable for many years after its release. Trading with players from all over the world and exploring other towns has breathed new life into New Leaf even 7 years after its initial release.
Make sure to pre-order your copy of Animal Crossing New Horizons and to invest in a sufficient number of joycons, as Animal Crossing New Horizons will be coming to Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020.
The new Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch Edition is also now live on Amazon!
Check out all the adorable merchandise announced so far for New Horizons, including this adorable AC themed Gardening kit and this super cute Choco Egg that comes with some of your favorite characters!
Dec 10, 2019News
Thanks to Nintendo’s live-stream today of Indie World Showcase, we got to see some pretty exciting indie games coming in 2020. My favorite announcement was a new survival game set in the Escapists Universe: The Survivalists, created by Team17. You can play alone or in co-op with up to three friends and explore, build, and craft together! Survive the island, a procedurally generated sandbox world, on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam in 2020.
The best part about The Survivalists is that you can tame monkeys and have them help you with building or fighting off enemies! Managing these adorable monkey employees working for bananas properly will make all the difference in braving the wilderness! Also, look at the little monkeys with their little spears and coconuts. Look at ’em!
The island is alive! Your newfound home will change with day/night cycles as you explore and uncover its secrets. Hunt (or be hunted by!) animals for food and meet the local inhabitants, who aren’t necessarily pleased to see you. Get quests from a Mysterious Stranger or find them washed up on the shore. Prepare to trek into a procedurally generated wilderness, with a variety of biomes, for an adventure that’s unique to every player.
Finding the perils of island life too much or just looking to share your building expertise with friends? The Survivalists has you covered! Complete joint adventures, gain loot, trade and ultimately survive together and as you and up to three fellow castaways explore an island paradise.
If you’re in need of a builder, a lumberjack or even a soldier, the monkeys on the island can be tamed and trained to help you with everyday tasks or back you up on raids to a fanatic camp! The Mimic System means a wide variety of functions can be performed by your banana loving friends, with monkey management becoming key to surviving the island’s challenges.
The secret to survival is to make the most of the resources around you. Whether that’s piecing together a primitive axe to chop wood or mixing up a refreshing fruit smoothie to keep the hunger at bay, you can discover recipes and expand your options across food, item or structure crafting trees.
Looking for an epic sword to hang on your hut wall or want to lay waste to encroaching hostiles? What you seek could be in one of the many temples scattered around the island. However, getting your hands on the loot won’t be easy so any would-be raiders will need to prepare for their treasure hunting crusade.
Nov 9, 2019News
Nintendo has just surprised us with a game available now, as of November 8th, 2019, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The Stretchers is a physics-based cooperative (1-2 players) action and puzzle game developed by Tarsier Studios (Tearaway Unfolded). You’re medics tasked with saving residents struck by the Dizzies and delicately (not really) bring them to the ambulance! There’s just something about physics-based games, such as Grabimals, that’s way too funny.
The world has a bad case of the Dizzies—residents dizzied by Captain Brains—and only you can rescue them! Work with a friend in co-op or skillfully control two medics on your own to overcome the physics-based puzzles of each madcap mission. Either way, how you go about it is totally up to you, whether you work together to transport many Dizzies at once on a stretcher or work in parallel by splitting up dragging the Dizzies to the ambulance one by one. As you play and replay missions, you’ll complete bonus objectives and uncover hidden collectibles with hilarious results!
You’ll also unlock additional hats, costume colors, and furniture for your home base by exploring mission areas and the world map. When you receive a distress call, don’t be afraid to get curious and experiment. You never know what hilarity will ensue, whether it’s the laugh-out-loud writing or yet another unexpected slapstick situation. But don’t let the levity distract you from your ultimate mission: to stop the evil mastermind Captain Brains and the spread of his chaotic Dizzies!
You can purchase the Stretchers on the Nintendo eShop here for only $25.19!
Nov 1, 2019Indie Highlight
It looks like I’ve strangely made it my mission to find multiplayer games where the premise is “chore-like” if it were a real-life scenario. Not only do I find these types of games hilarious, but I’m also certain that they’ll make for great fun with friends. Especially if they are anything like Overcooked. May I present to you, Tools Up, a cooperative game about renovating homes. Paint walls, lay some tiles, move a bit of the furniture around in some pretty weird places. Developed by The Knights of Unity and published by All in! Games, Tools Up is coming soon in late 2019 for Steam, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Gather up to 4 players for this fun couch co-op experience for people of all skills! Renovate the apartments in the mysterious skyscraper while the tenants are away. Be sure to follow their wishes left behind on the blueprints. Tear off wallpapers, bring down walls, bust down doors, and cover the floor with vibrant carpets and panels – just be sure to do it in time and clean up after yourself!
For more information about this game, you can check out the official website here.
Oct 30, 2019News
Ever since I first discovered publisher Planet Digital’s article on their new acquisition of Cooking Mama, with a upcoming Switch game titled Cooking Mama: Coming Home to Mama and found that the Australian Classification filed for the rating of Cooking Mama: Cookstar by publisher Planet Entertainment and developer First Playable Productions, there has been some confusion with other news outlets scrambling for more information.
I have been in contact with the CEO of Planet Entertainment, Steve Grossman, and have received confirmation that Cooking Mama is coming to both PS4 and the Nintendo Switch in 2019 and that they will be publishing a press release in two weeks from now with new footage and a trailer. Hopefully this will clear everything up. Unfortunately, the European Amazon site has leaked some screenshots and information about the game as it is listed right here for pre-order. Although the information within the listings has since been removed, see below for the details and gameplay features from Google’s German-English translation I was able to get.
Cooking Mama is back with their awesomest and funniest video game adventure ever. Cooking Mama: CookStar is a brand new Cooking Mama experience designed specifically for console. Cooking Mama: CookStar offers over 90 incredible new recipes for players to master. The menu ranges from classic Japanese recipes to the most delicious home cooking and the culinary soul comforts of today.
Cooking Mama offers something for every taste. Not a carnivore? No problem! For the first time, Cooking Mama offers both traditional and vegetarian recipes: Burritos, Bibimbap, Bubble Tea, Baked Alaska, Poke Bowls, and much more. Explore the diverse menu to find out what suits your taste. Don’t think you have what it takes to become a master chef? Don’t worry, Mama will take care of it! Just follow Mama’s instructions to create delicious and decadent treats that you can share with your friends. Chop, mince, cut, and dice! With Mama’s help, you can become the greatest cook in the world.
I’ll continue to keep in touch with our contact and post when I have more information and when the official announcement is made!
Sep 27, 2019News
Since I last mentioned Onsen Master’s Kickstarter a couple of weeks ago, a few announcements have been made by the indie developers, Waking Oni. For one, the Kickstarter campaign has been funded 100% with the first stretch goal unlocked. The first stretch goal included additional skins for your playable character Mu. See below for news on this hot spring management game coming to PC and Mac sometime in 2020!
This is most exciting news as Whitehorn Digital are the indie publishers behind Calico; the adorable simulation game filled with magical girls, cats, and a cafe! With their support, the developers of Onsen Master can now bring the game to consoles! A more official announcement of platforms and release dates will be coming at a later date. For now, the aim is to bring Onsen Master to PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a backer of the Kickstarter, you’ll soon be receiving a survey asking your preferred platform version.
The developers have announced that for the past month, they have been working on couch co-op for Onsen Master. They have just started testing an iteration with multiplayer now and it looks to be coming along nicely! Both players will each be controlling their own Mu (main character) which makes the stretch goal mentioned above a lot more fun to play around with. Meaning, you’ll be able to differentiate yourselves with additional costumes to wear during gameplay.
More information on the co-op feature will be coming soon as the developers are still uncertain on how it will be implemented saying the following: “Be it through the Main Story or the straight to the point Arcade Mode, you and a friend will soon be able to tackle rejuvenating the Onsens across Izajima!”
Look forward to finding out more as I keep a close eye on this frantic indie game inspired by Spirited Away and Overcooked where you greet customers, mix your ingredients, and heal their ailments!
Aug 27, 2019News
One of the greatest multiplayer cooking simulation games, Overcooked 2, probably needs no introduction. The developers Ghost Town Games and the publishers at Team17 have revealed the 3rd and final DLC of their Season Pass. Each DLC can be purchased separately but the DLC so far included in The Season Pass are priced at £14.99/€16.99/$19.99 and include Night of the Hangry Horde and Campfire Cook Off. Now that pack also includes Carnival of Chaos which will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One on September 12th, 2019!
As per usual, this DLC will include new chefs, new kitchens, and new recipes! This time the theme is that of a literal and figurative circus which includes carnival foods such as hot-dogs, doughnuts, and maybe popcorn. In the reveal trailer we see a strong-man and jugglers, as well as one of the players blasting out of a cannon! This game will probably have us all breathing fire! Get it, fire-eaters? We here at myPotatoGames are also loving the adorable pupper Kevin in the corner hanging out with a balloon animal.
For all of our articles pertaining to Overcooked, you can click here. To purchase the Season Pass on Steam or to learn more about it, go here.