All posts tagged in Pixel art
Oct 12, 2018
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he solo developer of Stardew Valley (Eric Barone of ConcernedApe) has recently made an exciting announcement. Stardew Valley will soon be available on iOS and Android! The game will be coming to iOS first, and will be released on the app store (where it can be pre-ordered) on the 24th October. The mobile version of the game is being overseen by London-based studio The Secret Police.
About Stardew Valley:
Stardew Valley is a Harvest Moon-reminiscent RPG farming simulation with pixel graphics. Developed by ConcernedApe and published by Chucklefish, the game was very well received. It currently holds a 10/10 rating on Steam where it also has ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reviews.
Some of the game’s features include:
- Raising animals, growing crops and improving your farm
- Improving skills in 5 different areas (farming, mining, combat, fishing, and foraging)
- A variety of complex characters, places, enigmas, and secrets to discover
- Diversity in character customization and dating
- Over two hours of original music.
The game is already available to play on a wide variety of platforms including:
- Microsoft Windows
- Linux
- Mac OS
- PS4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
- PS Vita
About Stardew Valley for mobile:
Unfortunately, online multiplayer farming will not be available on iOS and Android. The port will, however, include all of the single player content from the recent 1.3 PC update.
The mobile versions have been optimized for touch screens, and contain a new UI, new controls, and a new menu system. Additionally, upon the game’s launch, players will be able to transfer their PC save data to iOS via iTunes.
Priced at $7.99 and with no in-app purchase options, the port is seemingly good value for money.
Eric Barone has said that the Android version of the game is nearly complete. He has also reassured gamers that work on multiplayer updates for consoles will be unaffected. This is because the console updates are being handled by teams separate from those working on the mobile versions.
- Aug 12, 2018
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]icontier is an upcoming pixel art-stylized miniscape RPG. The game’s retro 2D art style, alongside its life simulation elements, make it comparable to Stardew Valley and the original Harvest Moon games.
Picontier is designed by indie label SKIPMORE, who are best known for their Fairune and Drancia series titles. It is being published by Flyhigh Works Co., a company established in 2011 that specializes in localizing Japanese, English and Chinese titles.
It has recently been announced that the PC version of the game will be released via Steam this winter. Whilst FlyHigh works did not mention other platforms in their recent broadcast, the game has previously been announced for PS4, Switch, and 3DS.
About:
Picontier is a mini RPG game that allows players to enjoy slow-living on a whimsical island after being washed ashore. Its life simulation elements include farming, crafting, fishing, and mining. Like Stardew Valley, the game also appeals to the more adventurous of gamers by offering excitement. In this instance, players can journey to the dungeons to fight monsters. Additionally, the game contains a charming story and a variety of strange island creatures to communicate with. The game therefore seems to tick all the boxes where depth is concerned.
- Apr 28, 2018
A few months ago for my Games and Digital writing module at university, I found myself sifting through hundreds of game art images to add to a Pinterest board which demonstrated the aesthetic of a hypothetical video game. As well as discovering lots of amazing concept art on Deviant Art, I stumbled across two games currently in development that I never knew existed. The first game was HK Project, a neat cyberpunk themed game where you explore a futuristic Hong Kong as a cat. The second was Eastward. I was captivated by the beautiful art style of Eastward, and really wanted to share my discovery with readers of My Potato Games. My only issue was that no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find a lot of information about the game. Aside from a website post by game developers Pixpil Games dating back to 2015, and a greenlight page for the game on Steam (which was last updated in 2016), the game remained rather elusive. I pondered over whether the project was even still active, and decided to put the game out of my mind.
I thought nothing more of the game. That is until I logged into Twitter two days ago. To my greatest surprise, Chucklefish had announced that they were partnering with Pixpil Games to complete Eastward! Since then, a lot more information regarding the game has become available. We have high hopes for Eastward, as Chucklefish are the masterminds behind popular farming sim Stardew Valley, as well as the highly anticipated magic school game, Witchbrook, which you can read more about here.
Chucklefish’s blog contains the following information about Eastward:
Eastward is an adventure game combining RPG elements, with a visual style inspired by 90s Japanese animation. The game was built around pixel artist Hong Moran’s original intricate post-apocalyptic pixel designs, and the team’s joint love of the Mother and The Legend of Zelda series, inspiring them to create a narrative-driven RPG with a soft sci-fi storyline.In the not-too-distant future, the world around is falling to ruin, as the human population shrinks to an all-time low. You play as a hardworking digger named John, who discovers a mysterious young girl in a secret facility underneath his digging site. After being exiled from his village, John must guide this girl through dangerous decaying cities, inhabited by hordes of monsters and a quirky cast of characters!
Eastward’s emotional story and beautifully rich and vibrant world has been brought to life using a combination of 3D lighting and retro-pixel style artwork, powered by a game engine of Pixpil’s own making. Development on the game started in 2015 with only 3 studio members, and since then has grown to match the game’s ambition, also bringing on board the talents of soundtrack composer Joel Corelitz (Hohokum, The Unfinished Swan & The Tomorrow Children, Gorogoa) and sound design from Irish studio, Hyperduck Soundworks.
Additionally, the game has a swanky new trailer!
Chucklefish have said that updates will be given on the game’s progress in due course. To stay updated, you can follow @Eastwardgame, @Pixpilgames, and @ChucklefishLTD and of course @myPotatoGames on Twitter.
For more games from Chucklefish, check out their upcoming magic school game, Spellbound aka Witchbrook here.
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