All posts tagged in Nintendo Switch
Feb 28, 2024
I previously mentioned the adorable upcoming farm sim with a dark and gloomy twist called Grimshire. That’s actually the second game for indie developers Acute Owl Studio. Their first was a lovely little cafe management game called Bone’s Cafe! In this game, you play as Bones, a necromancer who runs their very own cafe. You’ll learn a variety of recipes, decorate and upgrade the cafe, and engage in some unsavory activities all in the name of success!
Bone’s Cafe appears to be an average cafe management game on the surface. There are 97 different recipes for you to learn. Design your menu each day to satisfy the different types of customers that come in. Arrange the seating area and kitchen to suit your needs, as well as decorate with different themes. However, this game has a grim twist to it. Some of your recipes need meat, and the only way to get that is to lure a customer to the corner and harvest them! Do it stealthily so you don’t scare off the rest of your customers or you’ll lose money. And if you need help cooking and serving food, use your necromantic powers to summon minions. They can be assigned to different cooking stations, as well as set to serve customers their orders.
Play this slightly bloody, yet charming cafe game solo or with up to 4 players!
Release Date
Bone’s Cafe is available now on Steam and Switch!
- Jan 31, 2024
Cat Cafe Manager by developer Roost Games is an adorable and casual cafe management game full of cats, decorating, and fun customers. You return to the little village of Caterwaul Way, home to your grandmother’s old cat cafe. You’ve recently inherited the place and it’s your job to renovate it to get it back up and running. Impress the locals with your business savvy, while befriending and caring for the local stray cat population. Even adopt out the cats to forever homes!
Graphics
I really enjoy the visuals in Cat Cafe Manager. It looks like a hand drawn game, and the backgrounds and character designs all feel unique. They fit in with the sleepy little village vibes and enhance them, even. Every visual works together to create the cozy vibe that this game goes for. The cats are adorable, too. Plus, the main characters each have their own designs and personalities. The regular customers are just carbon copies of each other, which works for this game as they only serve to earn you money. Their designs are nice, though. You can tell who is a fisherman, a witch, and so on.
The Gameplay
Cat Cafe Manager is a fairly short game, clocking in around 10-15 hours depending on your play style. It’s reminiscent of Diner Dash, which I played a ton of growing up, just without the time constraints. Instead of dashing around as fast as possible to appease customers and keep them happy, you can take your sweet time taking orders, preparing drinks and food, and delivering to customers. There’s no reason to rush around. Everyone is there to relax and enjoy their time. Plus, they want to hang out with the adorable cats you’ve collected. However, it is a bit grindy and repetitive. Day in and day out is filled with opening shop, serving customers, buying resources, rescuing cats, and upgrading the shrine’s upgrade trees. That’s it.
You get to lay out your cafe’s floorplan yourself, so you can create the perfect little space to suit your needs and design vision. It’s a nice touch to the game to give you almost total freedom from the get-go. Cat Cafe Manager also lets you decorate the space using several different sets of furniture and appliances. However, the decoration options are severely limited. I want spooky, moody wallpaper and flooring to match the harvest and vampire tables, but that doesn’t exist. It’s all up-beat and perky pinks and greens, which are perfect for a plant-heavy cafe, or there are other unsuitable colors. This type of game should be heavy on the decor options, especially when sets are a thing already. The sets should go all the way into walls, floors, etc.
Another element to Cat Cafe Manager is hiring staff to help you in the cafe. This is useful if you’re tired of running around taking orders, making items, delivering to tables, cleaning, and making friends with the local strays. The staff can be tasked with any of those things, taking a load off your plate. However, it really veers into idle game territory once you do that. There isn’t much need for you to do anything besides befriend cats and shop for necessities or decor when you have staff. So, if you’re looking to be more hands-on, don’t hire so many staff members, or any at all.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I did enjoy Cat Cafe Manager. I did struggle with keeping the desired items stocked so customers could order them, but that could just be a skill issue. The different types of customers are very well interconnected with the rest of the game, otherwise. Each type pays in a certain kind of money, which can then be used at specific shops in town. Having different types of currency added a level of necessary management that the game otherwise doesn’t have since it’s so laid-back. Sometimes the item collision boxes were annoying as they aren’t very apparent, but caused me to get stuck on tables and chairs that didn’t appear to be in the way.
What really got to me, though, was that upgrading the shrine in town didn’t visually appear to change anything. Cat Cafe Manager emphasizes that you’re restoring the shrine by running the cafe and adopting out cats, and does give you upgrade trees to buy into. However, it doesn’t ever visually look run-down, nor does it look improved as you “restore it”. That would have been a super satisfying addition to the game.
This game is cute, but not extremely engrossing. I give it:
You can find Cat Cafe Manager on Steam and Switch!
- Jan 24, 2024
Princess Peach: Showtime! is a cute entry in Nintendo’s Mario franchise. This time, you take on the role of Princess Peach as she embarks on her very own adventure full of mystery and abilities. One day, Princess Peach and some Toads attend a show at the Sparkle Theater, but before they can enjoy the performance, The wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch show up to cause chaos. Now it’s your job as Peach, accompanied by the theater’s guardian Stella, to save the play from the villains!
Use the power of Stella’s ribbon to go up against the Sour Bunch in order to reclaim the stage. Stella’s ribbon isn’t enough, though, and you’ll need to employ some other abilities to help. Princess Peach: Showtime! will have you transforming into Swordfighter Peach, Detective Peach, Pâtissière Peach, Kung Fu Peach, and many other transformations to save the day. Each transformation brings unique abilities that will help you dispatch the Sour Bunch, as well as overcome obstacles, and return the show to its rightful stage!
Release Date
You won’t have long to wait for Princess Peach: Showtime! This adorable entry in the Mario franchise comes out March 22nd on Switch.
If you haven’t, take a look at Paper Mario: The Origami King and my personal favorite, Super Mario Odyssey!
- Jan 10, 2024
Neva is the moving tale of a young woman named Alba. Play as Alba as she sets out on an emotional journey about identity and growth. With her wolf companion by her side, she’s searching for a new home. The world is being overcome by dark forces, and those forces also threaten to overwhelm the pair at every step. Determined to defeat the darkness, you and the wolf cub will explore a dying world in search of a new home. As your journey goes on, the cub will grow from a rebellious cub, to an adult who seeks to forge his own adult image, challenging the relationship he has with you. Although you love your wolf companion, his growing up strains your friendship. It will take love and compassion to overcome all obstacles.
Armed with courage, steadfastness, and fortitude, will you make it to a new home safely and together?
Release Date
You can find Neva on Steam where you can add it to your Wishlist. There is currently no release date, though. It’s also been announced for Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.
Mirth Island is another heartfelt adventure.
- Jan 10, 2024
Moonstone Island is an open-world creature collecting life sim full of adventure and encounters. You move to an island in the sky as part of your village’s traditions to set out learning alchemy. Aside from alchemy training, you’ll befriend people, explore hundreds of procedurally generated islands, farm, brew potions, and tame spirits!
On your adventures, you’ll meet a host of new people whom you can befriend. Work to become a member of the community, but listen to your heart, too. Some of the NPCs are dateable. So, go out on some fun dates and perhaps even fall in love! Travel via balloon, broom, or glider to Moonstone Island’s hundreds of unique islands featuring different biomes. On those islands you’ll discover secrets and find over 70 types of spirits to tame. There’s even dungeons you can challenge to earn upgrades and treasures. And when you’re not out and about, take some time to relax at home where you can customize everything, as well as build your own little farm.
Ready to set out on a new creature-collecting adventure?
Release Date
You can find Moonstone Island on Steam now. A Switch version is expected sometime this year!
Take a look at Autonauts and While the Iron’s Hot, too!
- Dec 14, 2023
Christmas is fast approaching! I don’t know where the year has gone, but it’s been full of a load of great new games. Some I’ve played, and many more I’m hoping to play at some point. I bet many of you will receive a lovely new Switch for Christmas, too. And that means you’ll need games for your brand new console. So, here’s a short list of some great new farming games to go with your Switch.
Roots of Pacha
Roots of Pacha is an absolutely adorable farming and life simulation game by developer Soda Den and publisher Crytivo. You get to customize your very own character and be a member of a thriving stone age community. Discover ideas to improve the village, grow and harvest crops from seeds you find in the wild, befriend a variety of cute animals, get to know your fellow tribes mates, and much more.
Fae Farm
Fae Farm is a beautiful farming sim where you cultivate crops, craft items to decorate your home with or sell, and care for adorable farm animals. Befriend a varying cast of townspeople, and even romance some of them. Plus, you even get to venture into the faerie realm, where you’ll see faeries and fantastical creatures not seen in the human realm. Even delve deep into the mines to collect resources, fight enemies, and uncover mysteries!
Palia
Palia is a free-to-play cozy MMO all about farming, cooking, fishing, and exploring. Immerse yourself in a beautiful new world full of interesting characters and compelling storylines. Expand your homestead and build a gorgeous home for yourself. Craft a number of different furniture and decorative items to make your home suit your tastes. You can play solo or with friends, or even party up with strangers, and play at your own pace!
Paleo Pines
Paleo Pines is a charming dinosaur farming game. 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. Tame other dinosaurs using your flute-playing skills. Build enough trust with them and they’ll help you with your farm chores!
Wylde Flowers
In Wylde Flowers, you play as Tara as she starts her new life in the town of Fairhaven, located on a small rural island. She may be a city girl turned farmer with little outdoors experience, but she has the can-do attitude needed to help Gramma Wylde take care of the family farm. Learn how to plant and care for crops, mind animals, and gather materials like mushrooms and wood. You’ll also learn to fish, craft items, and all about magic! Craft potions to help you on the farm, or in your quests. Fly your broomstick around town. Even control the weather and the seasons!
- Dec 6, 2023
Ready for another base builder? Because we have SteamWorld Build today! This is another strategy sim where the world is dying, and it’s up to you to pioneer a new city. Featuring a Wild West theme, and some creative steamfolk (essentially robots) taking the place of generic humans, this game offers a unique story. Your goal is to build a thriving city, uncover lost space-age technology, and make sure your citizens have their needs met!
SteamWorld Build offers an in-depth base-building and management experience with five distinct maps to choose from. Dig deep into the underground world full of ancient technology that might help society survive. Collect ore while you’re down there, and gather resources above ground to help craft your successful society. Even attract some wealthy robots and engage in trades at the local train station. Ensure you keep your own good flowing to create a prosperous city. And don’t forget to manage your steamfolks’ needs. Their survival is key, but their happiness is just as important!
Release Date
SteamWorld Build is available now on Steam, Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation!
Synergy is another end-of-the-world type base building and management game you should check out! - Nov 16, 2023
Autonauts is a quirky little game with adorable low-poly designs. It combines the best aspects of farming, crafting, production, and resource management into one fun game. You’re a space explorer, and have set out traveling the universe to colonize new planets and automate production.
Start your Autonauts adventure by collecting sticks and stones. Your colonization plan begins with the bare basics! Craft simple tools using blueprints, and slowly build up your army of workerbots. These bots will help you in your efforts to colonize the universe. Use a visual programming language to teach your bots so they can be tasked with different jobs. Teach them how to cook, build, fish, farm, and care for your animals. Even expand your endeavors further by creating colonists that your workerbots can help through their jobs!
Now, Autonauts has some fun features that have been added since release. There are tons of bot scripting abilities, plus refinement updates that were requested by players. There’s a faster way to share bot codes, too. Upgraded storage transporters help level up your production. Then, there’s the Settlement Mode, which challenges players further. You’re must build a Metropolis with only 300 bots!
Available Now
You can find Autonauts on Steam, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox now!
Neon Noodles is a game about automating a food factory if you’re interested in more automation games!
