All posts tagged in PC
Jul 8, 2019
Donut County is a physics puzzle and adventure game developed by Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive. In this colorful game, there are adorable characters to meet and holes to throw them in. Not to mention – tons of trash to steal.
About Donut County:
You play as BK. He’s a raccoon – and a new hire at a startup. The startup utilizes remote-controlled holes to steal trash. It’s a pretty sweet gig for a raccoon until…BK falls into one of the holes.
Then he has to answer to his best friend – Mira – and the other (adorable) residents of Donut County. They’re pretty unhappy with BK because they’re now trapped 999 feet below their homes.
So, what do you do? You control a hole. Whenever you swallow something, the hole grows a little bit bigger. It reminds us of Katamari Damacy.
You also solve puzzles by combining different objects inside of the hole then launching them back out.
Key Features:
- Combine objects for surprising effects.
- Launch them back out to solve puzzles.
- Explore negative space.
- Ruin everyone’s day by devouring everything!
Watch the trailer:
Donut County is available on Steam, PS4, GOG, the App Store, and the Mac App Store. Get it for 33% off on Steam and GOG before the end of tomorrow, July 9th!
Want more games from publisher Annapurna Interactive? Check out the mystery game What Remains of Edith Finch – out for Nintendo Switch now! Like physics games? We recommend Totally Reliable Delivery Service or Heave Ho.
- Jul 8, 2019
Fans of Harry Potter and Little Witch Academia will be pleased to hear that there are currently two very exciting magic school games in development. Whilst Chucklefish’s game, which has the working title of ‘Witchbrook’ is still in its early stages, Ikenfell is much further in development. Ikenfell is expected to be released around June 2018.
Interestingly, both games use pixel game art, are simulation games, and are (obviously) set in a magic school. However, they both have unique art styles, with Chucklefish’s game Witchbrook having visual similarities to their very popular game, Stardew Valley.
Ikenfell
Ikenfell is a JRPG game which utilises turn-based and timing-based battle mechanics. These mechanics enhance it’s variety of characters and story development. It’ creator has said it’s art style was influenced by a plethora of games such as Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Earthbound (Witchbrook, Starbound, Earthbound, Warbound, everything-bound!), and Robotrek. The game also takes i nspiration from fictional teen series such as Harry Potter and Carry On.
The game’s publisher is Humble Bundle, and its platforms are PC, Mac and possibly Linux. Humble Bundle are helping to polish the game, market it, and will soon add it to Steam.
An update from the game’s founder talks of the release of a new game trailer at the beginning of 2018, so look out for that!
Currently, the game takes around 20 hours to complete (possibly more for less experienced players).
Story
Safina is invited to the magical school of Ikenfell for witches and wizards, leaving behind her slightly embittered sister Maritte, who doesn’t have magic powers. Safina soon becomes one of the school’s most notorious students.
However, Safina doesn’t return home one summer. She has gone missing alongside the school’s headmistress.
You play as Maritte, who goes to Ikenfell to find her sister and discover the truth of what exactly is going on.
The expansive school is full of ‘magic, mysteries, secret passages, hidden rooms, and many strange characters’ for you to explore.
Features:
- Magical duels within an original turn-based RPG battle system
- The ability to time your hits to increase spellpower and to block incoming attacks
- An expansive magic school, containing mysteries and secrets
- A variety of strange and interesting characters
- Hidden spell, items and equipment to aid you
- Friendship, rivalry and romance
Characters:
Witchbrook
Witchbrook is an up and coming RPG turn-based strategy simulation game in development by Chucklefish, the creators of Wargroove and publishers of Stardew Valley. Finn Brice, the founder and director of the game says that a formal announcement is “maybe quite a way off”. He also suggests that the game is around a three-to-four year project. The working title Witchbrook came from Chucklefish’s game Wargroove’s working title, Warbound.
Influences on the game include a variety of old Nintendo console games (Earthbound again perhaps?), as well as games such as Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and 2D Zelda games. Although not the intention of Chucklefish, many people compare the game’s graphics to Little Witch Academia. However, Brice has said that Ghibli films such as Kiki’s delivery service (which look similar to Little Witch Academia) did influence the game’s art style.
Features:
- A day and night cycle
- Magic classes to attend
- Dating mechanics
- Folkore and exciting areas to explore
- Undisclosed “interesting gameplay twists.”
However, unlike Ikenfell, which is heavily story based, the developers want Witchbrook to have the appeal of Stardew Valley where players can simply enjoy being inside a charming world and make it their own.
Dating:
Similar to Ikenfell, Witchbrook allows players to have relationships with other characters and to go on dates with them. However, these don’t always go to plan, making the game more true-to-life, as opposed to the idealised romance often portrayed in other forms of media.
However, Brice reassures players that even though the developers want to hit home and capture what it’s like to be in school, they want to provide a nice kind of nostalgia for players. Therefore, interactions with other characters won’t be too difficult or ‘horrific’.
Ikenfell has been pretty much complete since late 2016, with the kickstarter campaign being set up to mainly fund:
- Vocals for battle and vocalists for some music tracks
- Additional battle animations and story animations
- Additional artwork for cut scenes and critical moments
- Any additional software and licences required for the above
However, Witchbrook still has plenty of room for development, influences and features.
What would you like to see in Witchbrook?
- Jun 18, 2019
Here Comes Niko is a light, breezy, and charming platforming and adventuring indie game currently in development. The studio behind this game is called Frog Vibes, which is made up of two team members. Stijn is the creator and music composer, and Lisa is the lead artist. Together they have come up with a bright and colorful world full of animal islanders that need your help to complete tasks. You can check out our previous article on Here Comes Niko here.
Frog Vibes was kind enough to take the time to speak with us and answer all of our questions (because we couldn’t wait to find out like everyone else)! We had to know more about what they are currently working on and the story behind Niko’s adorable design and how we can interact with this beautiful island full of talking animals. See below for our exclusive interview with some new and exclusive screenshots!
We’d like to thank Frog Vibes and let them know that we here at myPotatoGames are really excited about playing Here Comes Niko. The game that looks like we’d be taking a wonderful virtual vacation in the tropics.
Q&A with Frog Vibes – Creators of Here Comes Niko
[su_service title=”Can you tell us if there’s a story behind Here Comes Niko and a bit about the gameplay?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]The main story behind Here Comes Niko is that Niko is a new resident in the area of the game and has started a new life and job there. Niko’s job is to make others feel happy or help them with their troubles in a way. Doing this job, you will hop around islands to find people in need and explore the surroundings of Niko’s new living environment.
As for the gameplay it is very active and is based on running, jumping, climbing and other ‘active’ movements. Our goal is to make this a calm and fun game so the way of moving through the environments is smooth and fun, without many frustrations. This makes Niko accessible to both very skilled platform-gamers (who can do speedruns and other cool things if they like) and beginners or casual gamers![/su_service]
[su_service title=”Are all the islanders talking animals? We saw the cat one in the fishing GIF on Twitter and found it very adorable. ” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]All islanders are various animal, yes! The island that is featured on Twitter is called ‘Hairball City’ and has cat inhabitants. Other islands will have other species (some islands may have 1 species, others have different animals). Also note, all islands will have a handful of frogs on them too![/su_service]
[su_service title=”Speaking of fishing, what are some of the other activities you can do in this game?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]Activities we have now are fishing, volleyball, collecting/finding objects, and we have some more planned but will have to be a bit more into development before sharing or being set on those.[/su_service]
[su_service title=”Can we have regular conversations with all of these animals? Does Niko have a house and furnishings that we can interact with?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]All NPCs will have at least one small convo/text that is only for them. More important NPCs will have even longer text and varying text for their dialog. Niko does own a house with furnishings but we probably won’t have changeable furniture due to the game’s primary focus being platforming.[/su_service]
[su_service title=”What was your inspiration for the art style and overall idea for the game?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]The general thing is that Stijn and I both love Animal Crossing and Stijn is a fan of the Mario franchise (especially Mario Odyssey and other platformers). Where platformers often have frustrating parts or can be complicated, Animal Crossing lacks in active gameplay but has a super cozy and friendly feel. Niko hopefully fits in the gap between calming and active that doesn’t have the frustrations of being boring or too difficult.
Inspiration for the art style also comes from Animal Crossing and Mario but mostly from art movements that both Stijn and I adore. Also, cute influences from things we have seen on Twitter. As for the added 2D elements to a 3D world, we decided on that because 2D it reflects exactly what we want; 3D models can have some confusing angles, but the 2D does not![/su_service]
[su_service title=”We at myPotatoGames love Animal Crossing and Mario games as well! Will there be any other items to collect in-game other than the previously mentioned coins?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]You can collect cassettes, which will have music of the game and allows you to change the music and the in-game sound systems. We also have 2 other collectibles: one which will have an impact on game progression and one that has an impact on the storyline. But I cannot give more information about those at this point in development![/su_service]
[su_service title=”That’s great! This next question is specifically for Stijn. We’ve listened to some of your pieces and they have a beautiful tropical feel. We’re you inspired by minimalist composers?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]The soundtrack is mostly by recent post-modern music, as well as Latin American music with a ton of other genres. I can’t think of any minimalist composers who directly inspired the soundtrack, but it’s very possible some minimalist traces have crept their way in.[/su_service]
[su_service title=”Finally, do you have a release date in mind for Here Comes Niko? What will be the platforms for the game?” icon=”icon: star” icon_color=”#8300ff” size=”32″ class=””]As for a release date, we’re currently discussing things but we will release some information when we know more! As for platforms, we are planning PC and possibly the Switch if there is enough interest in our game.[/su_service]
Be sure to follow them on Twitter by clicking here and on Discord by clicking here! Stay tuned with us at here at myPotatoGames as we give you the scoop on family-friendly and wholesome games!
- Jun 9, 2019
Microsoft is the largest press conference this year at E3 2019 with having shown over 60 games. This included 14 games from Xbox Game Studios and over 30 games premiering on Xbox Game Pass at launch such as Riverbond. Microsoft also talked about what’s next for Xbox. This included Project xCloud and their new console (Project Scarlett) coming the holidays of 2020.
Xbox Game Pass
Now there’s Xbox Game Pass for PC for $9.99/month which launches in open Beta today. They have already created 100 games and included the entire Master Chief Collection. You can get everything with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $14.99/month. Meaning, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live Gold Membership, and Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Microsoft Collaborations
Joining Xbox Game Studios’ family is Double Fine Productions that created games such as Psychonauts. A brand new trailer of Psychonauts 2 was revealed. Xbox also announced that they will be partnering with the legendary team at Smilegate to bring CrossFire to console.
New Games for 2020
Here are some ‘potatoey’ games we wanted to highlight as well as some interestingly cute additions to some AAA games. See below for screenshots and all of the release dates for both Xbox One and PC. We here at myPotatoGames are so excited that there were this many indie games to showcase. We also can’t wait to find out more and try them out.
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps releasing February 11th, 2020
- Minecraft Dungeons, an all-new action/adventure game coming Spring 2020 with 4-player local/online cooperative
- World Premiere: Build, care for spirit friends, explore, and learn how to say goodbye by releasing the spirits into the afterlife in Spiritfarer
- RPG Time: The Legend of Wright, an imaginative hand-drawn game coming to Xbox Store in 2020
- Xbox Game Studios: Microsoft Flight Simulator with very realistic visuals is coming in 2020 for PC/console
- World Premiere: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga covers all nine films and is coming in 2020
- Way to the Woods, is about a deer and a fawn on a journey through an abandoned world of the unknown to get home and is coming in 2020
- Totem Teller is about guiding a muse and gathering listeners and seeking tellers in beautiful, broken places and is coming in 2020
- Forza Horizon 4 LEGO Speed Champions Expansion available June 13th
- Gears Pop! Pre-register now on iOS and Android
Stay tuned with us here for more posts on E3 2019 press conferences and more happening now and until June 13th, 2019. We’ll bring you the best of wholesome, cute, and casual games! Of course we’ll also be on the lookout for Animal Crossing Switch! Check out our The Sims 4 Island Living announcement from EA Play yesterday.
- May 30, 2019
Robert Tatnell , developer of Hokko Life, is hard at work and adding new features and designs every day in his studio, Wonderscope, based in Stockholm. If you haven’t already heard of this game, you can get caught up with us here. We here at myPotatoGames are so excited to play this game and wanted to share with you all of the progress that has been made thus far. Therefore, below we’ve given you the recap from the developer himself for 2018 and a look at his latest updates from March 2019.
2018 Devblog Recap
- The main town area got built, at the beginning of the year it was a one-room demo, but now there’s a whole town!
- There are also mine and forest areas that are randomly generated each day, full of lovely resources!
- Speaking of resources: resource gathering and crafting got in!
- You have a backpack now to store stuff!
- The game is now aimed at a PC/Mac release initially, so a bunch of control stuff got changed to fit this decision.
- Fishing!
- Player Customization!
- Painting tool for making T-Shirts, Wallpaper and flooring!
- Dig holes! Weeds!
- Villagers can now move in if you’re good enough friends with them!
- Villagers give you tasks to do!
- A whole bunch of new villagers got added!
- I started getting sound FX into the game!
Recent Updates – Devlog 2019 Start!
Below are the updates from March which include: improvements on the tools for customizing furniture, improvements on conversations with the villagers, and new information on shop interiors and inventory, and more.
Customizing Furniture
The developer has been testing different “drawers” that contain all the pieces you can add to your creation; much like in a real-world workshop. Improvements to furniture creation were made by adding a very handy menu system so as to be able to categorize certain paints and materials.
There seems to be many options of material designs to work with and apply to your furniture which include: wood, metal, earthen, cushions, paint, and dyes. You will also be able to point and click anywhere, alternating between placing an object and editing it. As mentioned previously by the developer, you will also be able to scale the size of your own furniture when creating it. Moreover, you can see in the image that certain shapes are provided.
Dialog Options
Dialogue options are being reworked to give less of a “randomly generated” feel in favor of a more personalized approach. This ensures there’s more interesting variety in dialogue than there was before by giving you a selection of replies.
If you’re an Animal Crossing fan, then you probably enjoy chatting up the locals every day. Therefore, this new feature is sure to please! The overall dialogue system is still in the works but so far it’s exciting to have the option to choose different text and get different options every now and again. The developer ensures that there will be a little more variety in the player and character conversations. You can also see that it’s possible for you to change and create the outfit the characters are wearing and to take requests for items! One can only hope that they are also given audio of adorable nonsensical gibberish for dialogue.
Shop Interiors and More
The interior of the shops will now have all of their inventory laid out and on display. You can walk up to each item and interact with them before buying. The contents of the shops change every day, so you can look forward to checking what’s new as often as possible. Shopkeepers will have set hours and will otherwise have the store locked. You can find them roaming the town or enjoying certain activities when they’re not working. Robert Tatnell also added new animations for mining and fishing which you can read in more detail with the link to his official website here. There, you’ll find all his devlogs which include all the details of his journey from 2018 to present.
For exclusive information about Robert Tatnell and Hokko Life, be sure to check out our interview with him! There’s a lot of new information you will not want to miss!
- Apr 23, 2019
Deponia is a dumpster diving point and click adventure game. This game has been out since 2012 on Steam and has received very positive reviews. As of April 24th, 2019, you can now own this game on your own Nintendo Switch!
Deponia is a story about a young man, Rufus, who lives his life in mountains of trash in the garbage dump. One day, Rufus finds a lovely women who fell from the city in the sky, known as Goal. Rufus comes up with a scheme on how he will be able to stay with this woman and live with her in the heavens and leave behind his dumpster life.
This is a point-and-click game that will take the user on a journey through this whacky world. There are hours of dialogue and challenging puzzles to solve.
Deponia is available on the Nintendo Store as of April 24th and is $39.99. For more new games coming out on the Switch, check out Cafeteria Nipponica!
- Apr 15, 2019
My Time At Portia has officially been released on PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch! In this article, we are going to look at the key differences between the PC and Console versions as of the initial launch. Even though the two versions are very similar, there are some very noticeable differences on the console.
This review is based on an early Playstation 4 Version of My Time At Portia.
No Voice Acting
When I first sat down with My Time At Portia for PS4, I noticed a HUGE difference between the two games – NO voice acting. When you go into the character creation on PC, there is an option to choose your voice/accent but on console there is none. None of the characters have voices in the console version which is an interesting change.
Having played the game for over 40 hours on PC, I ended up reading everything in the voices I know and love. Even though I noticed no voice acting, I honestly preferred it. In the PC version, the voice acting isn’t complete and whenever a text box isn’t voiced, I feel like it takes me out of the game. With not having to worry about switching between the two and just sticking with no voices, I felt like this was a very good decision made my the developers.
My in-game husband Arlo has an Australian accent on PC but is now a silent, mysterious type. Even More Breathtaking Graphics
In the PC version of My Time At Portia, there is major fog filter. I personally ended up modding the game to get rid of this fog which made the game a lot more crisp, colorful, and beautiful. The great thing about the console version of My Time At Portia is that there is LESS FOG! When I started up the game, I noticed that the colors on PS4 are way more vibrant than the PC.
Controls
As with any game switching from PC to console, there are major differences in the controls. Even though the controls were confusing at first, I quickly became familiar with them.
As of right now you are not able to change the key bindings on the controller. Jumping being “Circle” takes a little time to get used to as it doesn’t feel natural. It would be nice to change some of the keys as they were a little different than what I’m used to in games.
All the controls are conveniently labeled. Long Loading Times
Unlike the PC version, the game on console has extremely long loading times whenever you enter/leave a building. These loading times can take you out of the game. However, as of last week the developers announced improved loading times on Nintendo Switch which may help. Hopefully they will be announcing the same for PS4 in the future.
Pre Order Bonus
As of right now, the PC version doesn’t come with the Housewarming gift set that came as a pre-order bonus for the console versions. The developers have mentioned adding something similar into the game so everyone can have access to the items in the future but there is no further information as of now.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was very impressed with the PC to console port of My Time At Portia. They made some really great decisions on eliminating voice acting and lightening the fog filter. These few differences have made such a big impact in the game that I would highly recommend switching to the console version.
My Time At Portia is available to purchase on the PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch e-shops. It is also available for purchase on Steam for those that want to stick with the PC version. Have fun exploring the beautiful world of Portia and Happy Gaming!
- Apr 14, 2019
My Time At Portia will be released this Tuesday, April 16th on Xbox, PS4, and Nintendo Switch! Don’t forget to pre-order now to receive your special housewarming gift set.
What will the housewarming gift entail?
- Jacket and Ripped Jeans (Outfit)
- Lion with Wings Statue (Furniture)
- Cuckcoo Station Clock (Furniture)
- Rainbow Jelly (Consumable)
- Dried Beef (Consumable)
- 500 Gols (Currency)
If you haven’t played My Time At Portia yet, check out our review of the game HERE and if you’d like to hear more about the console release, check out the article HERE.
For more information about My Time At Portia and how it compares to the PC version, stay tuned to myPotatoGames. We will have a comparison article ready for you come launch day!
