All posts tagged in Exploration
Oct 25, 2019
Book of Travels, created by Might and Delight, is a relaxing game where you can create your own character and backstory, as well as create your own story. There are no main goals or sidequests, and you don’t have to save the world. Just enjoy walking through beautifully hand-painted and calm pastoral environments alone or with a small group of friends. The game will be available sometime in 2020 for PC, Mac and Linux. You can even wishlist it now on Steam here. The developers say it will cost $30.00 on Steam “and wherever you buy Book of Travels, there will be no subscription fee.” They also plan to continue to evolve the world, its lore and its backstory, adding events and levels for years to come.
This unique RPG will focus on exploration and discovery in your own creative way. Players that choose to forge relationships and travel with companions will only have access to emotes and symbols. Through wordless communication, the developers hope the players will find unique ways to say a lot with very little. To take part in this fairytale world, you can back it on Kickstarter here and receive in-game items, and art as rewards.
For another game about exploring lush natural beauty like Book of Travels, check out my article here: Eastshade Coming to PS4 & Xbox One Vey Soon.
- Oct 11, 2019
Rokaplay, one of the publishers behind Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands, have just sent out their emails today (October 10th, 2019) with a link to directly download a free demo to your PC. All you have to do is sign up for their mailing list or join their Discord channel! As previously mentioned, this demo will be a stand-alone experience that takes place 1 in-game day before your big journey in the full game. Below is the entire gameplay footage and my experience playing the prologue which can be completed in under 2 hours.
Even though most of the trailers we have seen of Stranded Sails so far included a male protagonist, I was delightfully surprised that you could also choose to be female. You must start by going to sleep in your bed in order to rest for your sea voyage with your father’s crew. Meaning, for the purpose of this demo, the entirety of the story is that of a dream (a la Link’s Awakening). It’s also adorable that you will be guided by a talking parrot.
Controls are simple to use, and the guides where helpful.
Immediately I’m relieved with how simple the mouse controls are and rarely needing to use the keyboard. You can even have quicker access to everything, depending on how you like to play. All new things that you have learned will be recorded in the Handbook, controls will always be displayed until you have used them at least once, and the overall main quest tells you what you need to do! I find it so much more relaxing when everything is laid out for you like this.
Discover recipes, plant crops and make dishes for your journey!
This time, the parrot will give you your crafting station, cooking station, and bed. You’ll also have access to a barrel of apples that will never deplete which you can return to and replenish your stamina. Every action you take, even walking, will tire you out so you need to be prepared for long expeditions. Your main focus should be to find recipes outright or discover them by trying different combinations of food. I hope in the full version this will also not discard your items if you fail a recipe. The rest is straightforward as any farming simulation; dig with a shovel, plant your seeds, water your crops and harvest.
Explore and find materials to craft items.
You’ll start with only 3 slots to carry your dishes. However, you can unlock and expand with a larger backpack later. The first time you explore the island will be to catch some fish where indicated, which is also nice and simple. Then, when you get your axe, you can cut down the thorns that were in your way to access new locations. Once you’ve gathered wood, metal scraps and rope pieces, you can begin to craft kits and items to continue playing and reaching more areas.
Fight ghost pirates and find treasure!
Finally, inside a sinister cave, you’ll find your sword which can be used as a lever or a weapon to fight ghost pirates! When you touch totems inside the cave, a few enemies will surround you, all with their own unique abilities or fighting styles. It’s pretty handy that they are all color coordinated and it becomes easy to learn their moves in order to avoid getting hit. Also, don’t forget to look everywhere for treasure! Upon exiting the cave, you’ll find a rowboat on the beach. Take it for a ride and access new archipelagos with new items! When all is done, you’ll climb back aboard your shipwreck and wake up.
I had a lot of fun playing Stranded Sails: Prologue and highly recommend you try it out for yourselves before the full game releases on October 17th, 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch!
- Oct 6, 2019
Re:Legend by Magnus Games is a farming simulation RPG I’ve been waiting to play for quite some time! Thanks to the publishers at 505 Games, we now have a Steam code to try it out and tell you all about it! Re:Legend is still in Early Access and continues to receive patches and updates often and therefore, I decided to do this feature in sections over time. Below you will see a video of my first in-game day along with the befriending with my first Magnus!
Washed ashore on Vokka Island without memories…
Creating my character was a lot of fun because of the unique hairdo choices, the adorable aesthetics, and the vibrant colors. I was so excited to start farming and raising some Magnus that I haven’t put much thought into the story of Re:Legend. The first second of playing, your character gets tossed off a cliff. You’ve got my attention! Then, my first couple nights of sleeping in my bed, I’m being haunted by a ghost trying to tell me something. I’m assuming it has something to do with whatever we’ve forgotten and need to remember, how intriguing!
Befriending my First Magnus, Draconewt!
I’m eagerly awaiting the next update which will include the use of controllers for the game because that is my preference whenever action or battling is involved. The only other difficulties I had was taming the Draconewt as it wasn’t clear that “remaining in the middle” meant going the opposite direction of the arrow shown. Moreover, once you’ve given the required food to a Magnus to raise their affection toward you, you have to mount them and calm them. Personally, I find that to be a bit of a chore if I’m going to try and “catch em’ all”. However, your cave/barn area does seem rather large with dividing rooms so I can’t wait to see a bunch of Magnus roaming around!
What Lies Ahead
When exploring my farm, there is a decent plot size for gardening, a pond area to keep some fish, a crafting area for better gear, and a hot spring to replenish some stamina! The map of Vokka Island alone will take a lot more exploring, so all of Ethia will keep me busy questing for quite a long time. I’ll definitely have to be better prepared to go out there again because dying means returning to the town’s hospital (and to the next day), and your Magnus returning to your farm. So far though, I’m in love with every villager I’ve met and can’t wait to get to know them better, especially Emilia. I’ll also do anything for those little penguin villagers.
- Sep 21, 2019
Farm Folks is a farming simulation RPG developed by Overgrown and published by Crytivo. The creators say they were inspired by the classic Harvest Moon series, and now after a successful Kickstarter, they will be bringing this game in late 2019/early 2020 to Steam (wishlist here) and Crytivo (pre-order here). Farm Folks have it all; farming, raising animals, fishing, mining, relationships, exploration, and more! If you’re interested in what the developers have been up to since our previous article, read on below.
If you didn’t get the chance to make a pledge on Kickstarter for all of the awesome rewards, Crytivo offers different tiers for pre-order purchases, the largest costing $89.99 but includes the following: Unicorn Cow Pet, Beta Access, Digital Art Book, Name in the credits, Pre Alpha Access, Full Game, Digital Strategy Guide, Wallpapers, Alpha Access (now available), Steam Key, Silver Backer Badge, and Soundtrack.
What’s New and What’s Next
The developers recently published a devblog update announcing that they have made big improvements to their core game mechanics as well as some bug fixes. Right now they are working on some changes for their crops, mainly the fact that there will now be diseases and auras! On that matter they say the following:
- “We’re working on adding a few different types of diseases to the game. Each will affect your crops in a slightly different way, and require a different kind of pesticide.”
- “On Softshoal Island, some species of crops have a mysterious aura surrounding them. These provide various benefits to nearby crops, such as reduced disease chance, faster growth, increased yield, or a better chance at a bumper harvest!”
Since the pre-Alpha, they have implemented weather; Sunny, Rainy, and Stormy. They’ve also added a diary to record all major and minor events (there will be a story), more buildables to unlock more areas to explore, and new animation for the farm animals. Speaking of farm animals, the developers have done away with gates and have allowed players to be able to pick up and throw their livestock! But what I’d love to learn more about most of all, are the new creatures native to Softshoal Island called Molo! They look like an adorable combination of floppy-eared rabbits and little pink piglets!
We’ll keep you updated as the developers continue to post weekly news about their progress with Farm Folks. If you can’t wait to get farming now, check out the Nintendo eShop sale, including My Time at Portia!
- Sep 17, 2019
Jenny LeClue, created by Mografi, is about being a detective, crime-solving, and helping Jenny make some tough choices along her adventure which will ultimately shape her destiny. Now the developers have announced that the game will be releasing on Steam, GOG, and now Apple Arcade on September 19th, 2019! That’s only a couple of days away for us to be able to investigate the strange town of Arthurton. There isn’t a release date yet for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions but there’s a possibility they will be coming later this year. For more information about Jenny LeClue, check out our previous article here.
Thanks to Apple Arcade, the indie developers of Mografi have expressed that they can launch with the localization in 14 different languages, and original music by SCNTFC. SCNTFC, AKA Andrew Rohrmann, has composed and produced the soundtrack for Oxenfree, along with other amazing indie games.
New Release Date Trailer
As you can see, I, Henry, love to play mystery games like these ones here! Moreover, I have to say, I’m pretty good at getting to the root of things!
- Sep 6, 2019
A Short Hike is a little peaceful exploration game about hiking up a mountain. As of July 30th, 2019, sole indie developer adamgryu (adam robinson-yu) released his adorable relaxing adventure game for PC, Mac, and Linux on Steam here and Itch.io here. The game is only $7.99 US and is already receiving a large amount of very positive reviews.
About A Short Hike
Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Follow the marked trails or explore the back-country as you make your way to the summit. Along the way, meet other hikers, discover hidden treasures, and take in the world around you. (Description from Steam bio)
Key Features
- Explore the island any way you like. Choose your own path to follow and see where it leads you. You never know what you might stumble into!
- Hike at your own pace — there’s no need to rush to the summit! Take your time fishing along the river banks or swimming by the lakeshore.
- Collect hidden treasures to reach new heights. Try taking a dive off the mountain peaks to soar above the forests.
- Chat with the other hikers you meet along your route. You might be able to help each other out!
- Listen to a lush original soundtrack by Mark Sparling that progresses dynamically as you explore the wilderness.
For more information about A Short Hike, you can go to the official website here. Furthermore, if you enjoy playing short and calming games, check out our review here: Solo Islands of the Heart Review – An Introspective Journey About Love.
- Sep 6, 2019
The developers of Critter Cove stressed with us last update the importance of the visual design for their underwater environments. You will be spending a large amount of the game exploring to depths of the sea as your main role is that of a salvage ship captain collecting fun and interesting resources below. The adorable critters that live on Critter Cove hire you to explore these beautiful underwater areas so that you can get what they need to upgrade their shops and homes, but also to make gifts for their friends.
Since our last update and interview with Gentleman Rat, the creators of Critter Cove, we have indeed been treated to beautiful animations of the sea and some diving on their Twitter page. We here at myPotatoGames were in such awe that we wanted to know exactly what they’ve been up to lately. The developers have been kind enough to send us the following information along with some quality screenshots!
New Toxic Biome
As you might already know, there will be a wide range of dive sites to explore including shipwrecks and ruins of sunken cities. Now we get to take a look at one of those dives sites currently in progress; a toxic biome! If you brave these hazardous environments you’ll gain access to special resources. Many dive sites will often have their own challenges to overcome by using the right equipment and special tools. For example, in order to dismantle an engine, the player must first acquire a wrench. You may have to go looking in several different locations like this in order to complete certain projects for the town.
How to Find and Prepare for Dive Sites
When you’re steering your ship around the open seas, you might notice clues on the surface indicating that there’s something directly below to discover. For example, an oil slick on the surface might indicate a sunken vessel below. When this happens, jump off your ship and start searching! After upgrading your ship later on, you’ll eventually be able to use a sonar device to help you with finding these treasures. You should also speak with the NPCs often as their will let you know of any rumors or tales which can lead to new locations. Finally, there are all sorts of charts and maps available for purchase from both legitimate and not-so-legitimate sources.
Find out what special outfits or equipment upgrades you will need for particular dive sites before you go exploring as some sites will be too deep, too cold, or too toxic. Rebreathers will help increase the time you can spend underwater and toxin sealed wetsuits can protect against poisonous and cold waters. Selecting the right equipment for a dive is essential to ensuring the dive’s success.
Don’t forget you can take some adorable companions as crew mates with you on these expeditions! Stay tuned with us as we learn more about Critter Cove which is currently in early development.
- Aug 31, 2019
Any game that says it will allow us to ‘shape the world under our feet like clay’ has our attention. Astroneer first released, digitally-only, on Steam and Xbox One in February of this year. During that time, this space-exploration game has maintained a ‘very positive’ rating across over 34,000 reviews on Steam. And now we have the great news that the game will release onto PS4 as well! You can buy a physical copy of Astroneer for Xbox One or PS4 on November 15th, 2019.
You can watch the PS4 announcement video right here. It doesn’t have a lot of gameplay content! But watching one little pioneer-astronaut play with his buddy (literally!) via PS4 controller was really cute.
Game Features
- Reshape the ground under your feet as though it were made of clay.
- Survive on and explore carefully crafted planets that can be entirely deformed and traversed.
- Snap together components and objects to build bases and vehicles.
- Play with friends in 4 player online drop-in/drop-out co-op.
- Discover and uncover the mysteries of the solar system
It should be noted that the one consistent note of dissatisfaction with this game was in its multiplayer aspect. Glitches plague the multiplayer feature, even according to many of those who love the game on Steam. We don’t yet know if that will change as the game releases for PS4.
We’re quite excited to play this space exploration sandbox game. Let’s build bases on every planet and shape each world to suit its own unique style! We can’t wait to join PC and Xbox One players and see what is possible in Astroneer on November 15.
If you like games of space exploration, where you can build bases on the planets you visit, you might want to get a good look at Kerbal Space Program 2.
