All posts tagged in PlayStation
Dec 13, 2023
Step into Percy’s shoes as he embarks on an adventure to find his missing relatives in Bilkins’ Folly. With your beloved dog Drayton by your side, explore a series of odd islands while digging up buried treasures and solving puzzles. There’s something weird and foreboding going on with the disappearance of your grandfather and mother, and you’ll need to discover what it is!
The Visuals
Bilkins’ Folly awed me with its beauty and witty charm. The character designs and scenery are absolutely delightful. Colors pop without being overwhelming. Animations are done well, and move smoothly. The dog moves and feels like a real dog, and the setting transitions beautifully from one area to the next. The whole thing is visually just charming and gorgeous.
Drayton and Other Characters
Bilkins’ Folly almost immediately equips you with a trusty companion named Drayton. What I really love is that the Drayton is useful and not just an annoyance. He doesn’t simply follow you. He’s a lovely dog that will sniff out buried treasure as you walk by it. Plus, as you level up his skills, he can help out in more ways. IWhat really endears me to Drayton is that he never got in my way. Being able to walk through him helped with that, but it was refreshing to have a useful companion that wasn’t a hindrance.
And yes, you CAN pet the dog!
Characters look, and act, different from each other, too. There’s no mixing up someone with another character. Each one has their own engaging backstory. They also speak their own version of “Simlish” speech and I love it. It sounds like utter nonsense, but lends a bit of levity to the whole thing.
Puzzles
You know what else awed me? My apparent lack of puzzle solving skills. I thought I was a great puzzle solver, but Bilkins’ Folly proved me to be otherwise! There are so many different types of puzzles and riddles, though, you’re bound to have a great time. From seek and find items, riddles, maps showing where to dig, cryptograms, and so much more are in this game.
There’s not really a way to be permanently stuck, either. The game is set up so that even if you come across a puzzle now, it may just need to be solved later. Your tools or hints may not be complete until later. That leads to a lot of running around, but it’s great for sight-seeing! The running around does get exhausting, though.
Final Thoughts
If you love vast amounts of puzzles, Bilkins’ Folly is for you. The delightful visual and fun characters make for an engaging game, too. Plus, the overarching story is interesting and gives the whole thing an ultimate goal. It’s a great combination of elements!
I give this:
You can find Bilkins’ Folly on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation now!
- Dec 13, 2023
Are you looking for a simple, but gorgeous exploration game with no combat? Then Submerged: Hidden Depths is perfect for you! This game is a self-described third-person “relaxploration” adventure where you simply explore a the ruins of a world. You take on the roles of Miku and Taku. Miku is cursed with a mysterious power that she’s determined to use for good, and Taku simply doesn’t want it to tear them apart.
Submerged: Hidden Depths will take you on a relaxing, low-stakes journey through the submerged ruins of a drowned city. There, you’ll discover the crumbling remnants of skyscrapers and streets as you search for the secrets of what happened. You’ll encounter obstacles along the way, and will need to solve puzzles to overcome them. You’ll simultaneously learn the story of the brother and sister pair as you explore the ruined city, too. Plus, you can collect items and upgrade your trusty boat!
Ready for your laid-back adventure?
Release Date
You can find the game on Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox now. And while Submerged: Hidden Depths is a sequel, it’s not necessary to have played the first game. However, you can find the first game, Submerged, on Steam, too!
Eastshade is another beautiful walking simulator.
- Dec 13, 2023
In As Far As The Eye, you play the role of the wind guiding the Pupils as they journey to the center of the world. It’s your job to manage their resources, their buildings, and their whole lives. Direct them to a bigger and better life in order to make it to their destination while surviving life and the rising waters that threaten them. Ensure they survive and thrive!
The roguelike tribe system gives As Far As The Eye a fresh feel each play through you take on. Plan out the route the Pupils will take to reach the center of the world. Not every route spells disaster, but each one holds its own special discoveries. Explore and search points of interest along that path to discover long lost treasures, and even meet allies along the way. And before you head on to the next spot, harvest resources, build your mobile village, and stock up on necessities!
As Far As The Eye reminds me a lot of dotAGE, which I absolutely loved. They both lack enemies, and instead pit you against random events that threaten the survival of your people. You overcome these events by preparing your people, in this case the Pupils, appropriately. Instruct the Pupils to conduct research that will improve their skills in agriculture, crafting, scientific and mystical arts. You’ll also want to improve your Pupils through the job system, as well as upgrade buildings for better results.
Will your Pupils survive?
Release Date
You can find this charming game now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch!
The Wandering Village is another beautiful nomadic base-building game!
- 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 23, 2023
Spells & Secrets is a magical roguelite adventure where you must free the Academy of Greifenstein from the magical creatures that have overrun it. You’re a young wizard who’s just gone off to school at the esteemed academy to learn more about your magic. However, on your first night there, something strange happens and now the school is a mess. Magical creatures run amok in the halls, your fellow students are lost in the ever-changing rooms of the school, and there’s something a little more nefarious going on.
The Story
Spells & Secrets sets up a very basic story from the beginning. Again, you’re a young wizard who has arrived at the Academy of Greifenstein to learn about magic and improve your abilities. You’re then dropped right into the problem of the school being overrun with magical creatures. After that, the story unfolds as you progress through each dungeon level and encounter fellow students and even some of the bad guys. It’s a pretty standard “good vs. evil” situation. Someone has caused chaos at the Academy, it’s just a matter of sussing out who did it.
The question I have is why am I, a literal magical novice and child, the one who’s responsible for fixing the issue. I’m traversing the dangerous hallways of the school in search of my fellow students, fighting monsters, and encountering the bad guys. Meanwhile, the Spells & Secrets adult teachers are chilling outside in the courtyard prepared to sell me spells and upgrades so I can get further in my dungeon crawling. Surely one of the experienced people should help me! Silly adults.
Overall, I enjoy how the Spells & Secrets story unfolds as you progress. You don’t have all the answers, and you don’t always get them quickly. It takes time to earn enough for new spells and upgrades. Plus, without those upgrades and new spells, it can be difficult getting through dungeon levels. Some of those creatures are unforgiving! I also appreciate the lack of hand-holding. There is a tutorial, but you’re not interrupted frequently by cutscenes or new game mechanics. You just get to blast through some rude creatures.
The Gameplay
I won’t pretend I’m incredible at fighting games, and Spell & Secrets has only proved that further. It took me several runs of the first floor before I managed to progress to the second floor. It can be frustrating, but that’s part of the draw of roguelites. It’s certainly easy to see when you’ve made upgrades to your repertoire, too. I went from struggling to blasting through creatures like they were nothing. So, it offers a very satisfying experience, despite the repetition. You feel like you’ve earned it once you progress.
I enjoy the variety of spells in Spells & Secrets, too. Each one has a different effect, while also deploying in a different way. Magic Missile is just a bullet of magic you shoot at the enemies. Freeze comes out in a spray of icy clouds, and so on. It’s easy to visually see which spell is which when scrolling through them or deploying them against enemies. Being able to build on their capabilities is satisfying too. Improving the power of Magic Missile absolutely made my runs easier to complete. And adding different spells that have different effects allows you to combine the powers of your arsenal to more efficiently defeat enemies. It lends a sense of creativity and strategy to the game.
enemies. It lends a sense of creativity and strategy to the game.
Final Thoughts
Besides the fighting, you can join what appear to be like school clubs. There are four for you to choose from, and it helps give you an objective outside the main storyline and dungeon crawling. You can even earn different clothing items to further customize your character. Spells & Secrets is overall a roguelite dungeon crawler with a sprinkling of socializing and other fun. I personally think it’s a fun combination!
I’d recommend this game to anyone who enjoys the idea of being a magic-slinging wizard. Overall, I’d give it:
You can find Spells & Secrets on Steam, Switch, and PlayStation now!
- 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!
- Dec 10, 2019
PlayStation’s State of Play just finished live-streaming today (December 10th, 2019) and if you missed it, you can check out the 20 minutes video below. Some exciting release dates were given, announcements of games coming to the PS4 were made, and one interesting new VR game has caught my attention.
Release Dates
State of Play kicks off with Untitled Goose Game. It has already been released on the Epic Games Store and I’ve had a chance to play it on the Nintendo Switch and really enjoy it. Now this hilarious stealth game is coming to the PS4 on December 17th, 2019! The more platforms the better!
Dreams is finally releasing!
Another one of my favorite surprises was that of a release date for Dreams. Dreams, by Media Molecule, allows you to basically create your own game for yourself and others to enjoy, and has been in Early Access for quite some time now. However, look forward to exploring worlds of limitless imagination on February 14th, 2020.
A couple of other wholesome game mentions where that of Superliminal, a puzzle game inspired by forced perspective, which is not only available now on the Epics Game Store, but will be available on the PS4 sometime in 2020. We also have a date for Kingdom Hearts III’s DLC, Re-Mind, which is January 20th, 2020. This new DLC will feature new playable characters like Kairi! You can play a free demo of Kingdom Hearts III if you haven’t played it already, with more information on that here.
Paper Beasts
Paper Beast is a VR adventure game coming soon in Q1 2020. We got to see some footage where you can immerse yourself in a simulated living world. You can interact with the environment and what appears to be origami-like creatures! To learn more about Paper Beats, go here.
Finally, we were told to expect some more gameplay videos and reveals during The Game Awards happening this Thursday, December 12th, 2019! I’ll definitely be there to catch the epic live-stream!
- Oct 8, 2019
Sony has recently announced that its next-gen console will be named PlayStation 5.
Big surprise, there (wink). Not only that, but we also got the official release date as being the holiday season of next year. Looks like we can already start planning our shopping lists. From the recent news release, we got lots of great details that tell me I know for sure its going on mine.
First of all, the fact that the new gens will be switching to SSD’s (solid state drives) is already enough to convince me. Loading times didn’t use to exist back in the day, and may finally be disappearing again. The solid state drives will be dramatically faster than the hard-drives that we’re rocking today, to say the least. The PlayStation 5 will revolutionize gaming, and surely be the big ticket item of next Christmas.
Possible design of PlayStation 5 The new feature that I am most excited about is the evolution of the PlayStation controllers. The PlayStation 4 already switched things up with features in a controller that had never been seen, like voice controls and a motion sensor pad.
The new controller will have “adaptive triggers” that can alter the sensitivity and resistance of your triggers and joysticks based on the actions being performed. For driving games, this will mean that you can actually feel the difference between wet terrain and dry. You will really notice the difference when you hit a puddle at high speeds now.
The new controller will look like the DualShock 4 shown here. For all you crazy shooters out there, you will now feel the difference of trigger pull depending on what gun you are using. This will add a level of immersion that I can only dream of as of yet.
For more in depth details about the PlayStation 5, you can check out the exclusive interview on about the console on the official Wired website!
