All posts tagged in Review
Mar 7, 2024
Minami Lane, developed by Doot and Blibloop, is a wholesome little street management game set on a Japanese-inspired street. Build homes to attract new villagers and ensure their needs are met by providing food and entertainment options. Green spaces like parks and hot springs beautify the street, which makes everyone happy, too! Decorate each building by picking from a set of colors, and strategically place your buildings to create an inviting environment. Complete missions or engage in sandbox mode to get creative!
Gameplay
Minami Lane is one of those short, but sweet games that lives in your brain just waiting for you to pick it back up and play again. There’s not a lot to the game overall, and it’s about a 2-4 hour playtime type of game. However, it’s so pretty, so cute, and just perfect enough to keep your attention and drag you back for more. It’s easy to pick and learn. You can use only your mouse to accomplish things by clicking. There’s no complicated controls or convoluted mechanics.
The game is perfectly laid-back in concept and actuality. You can pause the day, let it run normally, or even speed it up if you prefer. Plus, you can check the missions for the level at any time. What I found really neat was being able to save each villager’s request for a change to the street, which helped me better accommodate them. For example, some villagers prefer more egg in their ramen, and some wanted more daisies at the florist. I could save each of those comments and come back to them after the day ended so I could update the inventories of each shop. No guesswork or having to make use of my trusty notebook!
The color palette really adds to the charm of Minami Lane, too. It’s soft and pastel so it’s easy on the eyes, but nothing is muddled looking. This extends to the color choices you can make for your buildings, too. Nothing too bright or flashy is available, though I would love to see a larger color palette option for buildings. You can even pick a color for the park, which changes the colors of the trees so you can go for a cheery springtime cherry blossom look, or fun fall cozy look. Throw in the soundtrack with its peppy, but pleasant sound and it’s a perfect mix of visual and aural.
Final Thoughts
I loved every moment of this game. The simplicity, the adorable graphics, the ease of use. All of it. Plus, you get to pet the cats that show up and they make that great little “brrrt” activation noise. Everything about Minami Lane is charming and wonderful, and I can’t recommend it enough!
You can find Minami Lane on Steam now!
- Feb 29, 2024
I got to experience the closed beta version of this game thanks to the developer and publisher!
If you missed the last time I talked about Time & Galaxy, then let me get you up to speed! This game is a vibrant, quirky visual novel where you play as the galaxy’s first robot reporter. You’ve just begun your internship at the renowned holopaper, Times & Galaxy, and you need to prove your worth. Take on different assignments and brush up on your journalism skills as you investigate the scene of a crash, interview contestants in a contest, or gather quotes from onlookers. Then, use the Build-a-Story tool to create your piece!
Gameplay
Times & Galaxy is a visual novel, so you just need WASD keys to move, and your mouse to click. Interact with your crewmates, as well as the people you want to interview using the mouse, and that’s it! It’s simple and easy to play, which is perfect for focusing on the engaging dialogue you’ll come across.
I was immediately captivated by this game. Every single character design is unique. Personalities are different from each other. Plus, you interact with over 100 different characters across the whole game. I experienced a limited closed beta version, so did not encounter all 100+ characters, but if you like visual novels, you need to! The characters I did get to interact with were fun to get to know. Some were grumpy, some upbeat, and every other flavor of personality you can think of. And all of the dialogue was interesting. Not a single conversation made me bored, so there’s clearly been a lot of thought and care put into this game. You can even flirt with people, or robots, or aliens! You, a robot, exhibiting flirting skills was possibly the highlight of interacting with folks, too.
I really enjoyed traveling to the different locations in Times & Galaxy, too. Each assignment let me see a small peak at the different planets in the galaxy. Not to mention, each assignment was super unique. One was a shuttle crash site where I examined the shuttle and interviewed people. Another was a cat show fluff piece where I got to visit with the cats and talk to their owners. I don’t think there’s a single thing in this game that I can call boring. It’s quirky, fun, humorous, and overall just great.
Visuals and Soundtrack
If you aren’t as charmed by the beautiful visuals as I am, then we need to talk. They are vibrant without being overwhelming and just fit the story and setting so perfectly. I couldn’t imagine playing this game without these lovely graphics. They’re clever and add so much life to what is ultimately a limited view of the galaxy. You spend most of your time on the ship or at specific places for your stories, often a single room or area. So, it’s important that the visuals (and dialogue) make an impact. And they do!
Pair everything with the great soundtrack and Times & Galaxy has really nailed what it was aiming for. The music fits each scene and situation perfectly. It doesn’t overwhelm, either. You’re not listening to the same track over and over again. Nor is anything obnoxious. Each track fits well where it is and sits perfectly in the background like it should.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t have Times & Galaxy on your Wishlist already, what are you waiting for? It’s so charming and funny. The characters and situations are fun. The visuals are gorgeous. The soundtrack is great. What more could you ask for from a game?
I give it:
You can find Times & Galaxy on Steam!
- Feb 14, 2024
Tiny Boutique: Fashion Game by TinyBoxGames is a wonderfully adorable mobile game with pretty pixel graphics. In this game, you run a little boutique that services customers looking for fresh new outfits and accessories. Each customer will have a request for a whole outfit or just some accessories. You can buy the requested items to fulfill the order, or dress each customer in something else. You want to make sure you send them off in something they love, though! As you make sales and earn money, you can buy upgrades to make the boutique comfortable and cuter. Choose different themes for your shop, decorate your home, and customize your character, too!
Graphics
I love how cute and simple Tiny Boutique looks. The pixel graphics lend a nostalgic charm to the game that is enhanced by the varied character designs. Your customers all look unique with different outfits, fun hairstyles and colors, and some really cute clothing requests. The color palette used throughout the game is lovely, too. It’s not quite all pastel, but none of it is super bold or harsh. It’s easy to look at and play.
Gameplay
Overall, Tiny Boutique is a delightful app to play. You put together outfits to please customers, upgrade your shop, decorate your home, change the theme of the shop, and that’s it! It’s a simple game that focuses on exactly what it advertises. This isn’t one of those bait and switch types, like is common in mobile games. It’s a breath of fresh air, really. Plus, having a fun fashion game is great.
There are some ads in Tiny Boutique. You have the option to watch some ads to get customers into the building faster. You can watch up to 10 ads daily. Each ad brings in 8 customers, which means you can call in a total of 80 customers a day. Otherwise, customers trickle in every 20 minutes or so, making this game a very casual, relaxed experience. There are no time limits or speedy service rewards. Just some good fashion fun!
Final Thoughts
While Tiny Boutique is simplistic, it’s perfect for taking some time to just relax with a game. It’s easy to learn, easy to pick up and play, and fun!
I give it
You can find Tiny Boutique on Google Play and the Apple App Store!
- Feb 8, 2024
A Tiny Sticker Tale by developer Ogre Pixel (the same devs who made Lonesome Village) is a cute and cozy little adventure game with a heartwarming story. Play as Flynn the donkey, as you explore Figori Island. You’re there to search for your father. Things aren’t quite what they seem, though, as everything is a sticker! You’ll complete quests and manipulate your environment to solve puzzles by using the stickers you collect. Move a bridge to get across the river. Find a bird’s egg. Even decorate your very own home with cute decorations!
The Story
There isn’t much of a story to A Tiny Sticker Tale, actually. You start the game by hopping off a boat onto Figori Island. There, you speak to a rabbit NPC who teaches you how to manipulate the stickers in the world, but also mentions you’re looking for your father. That’s it. That’s all the backstory and information you get about why you’re here in the first place. Of course, having a story at all isn’t necessary for a successful game, and I don’t think the lack of story impacts this game. Nevermind that the game is a solid two hours of gameplay, so it’s not bogged down by too much exposition or cut scenes.
Gameplay
A Tiny Sticker Tale is simple to learn and easy to play, which makes it a great little palette cleanser between heavier games. You move around the island, collect stickers, solve puzzles, and complete quests that are often fetch quests. That’s it! There’s no complicated mechanics. Nothing is hard to understand or do. It’s a great game idea that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s reminiscent of my childhood and using sticker books for entertainment.
The characters you encounter add life and warmth to the world. They each have a reason for needing help that makes you feel good about performing good deeds. But what really adds to the overall heartwarming feel of A Tiny Sticker Tale are the graphics and soundtrack. The cartoony nature of the art is charming and adorable. They’re inviting and easy to look at, while the soundtrack sits perfectly in the background accompanying you on your journey.
Final Thoughts
Overall, A Tiny Sticker Tale is an enjoyable experience. It’s a cute little game worth the few hours it takes to play!
I give it a
You can find A Tiny Sticker Tale on Steam and Switch!
- Jan 24, 2024
If you aren’t familiar with Blue Oak Bridge, it’s a farming sim set in a fantasy world full of magic and unique creatures. You’re washed up on the shores of Eloria with no memory of what happened to you or even where you are. The townspeople are more than happy to welcome you into their charming little village and help you get on your feet. Not everything is quite as peaceful as it seems, though. Trouble is brewing and you find yourself smack in the middle of it all.
Story and Characters
The overall story and delivery of the story in Blue Oak Bridge feels a little less than cohesive. You wash up on the shores of a foreign land with no memory of what happened. You’re integrated into the town and find yourself in the middle of solving problems that none of the locals seem to want to solve. There’s no really compelling argument made for you to be doing all that work. You just… do. Games need a reason for you to be the one single handedly taking on the burden of restoring things for it to be engaging.
Otherwise, the characters are cool. They’re varied in appearance and personality, while still feeling like they belong to the same community. The character designs are pretty unique for both their portraits, map icons, and overworld sprites. It adds flavor to the game that you don’t always see. They also have fun dialogue when you talk to them. However, the NPCs do talk in a dialect akin to Simlish, and it’s fairly obnoxious to listen to. I would have preferred them to not be voice acted with the nonsense language.
Controls and Gameplay
Blue Oak Bridge is ultimately clunky in its controls. Movement is odd, and aiming your farm tools appropriately is borderline luck based. Trying to water a pad of crops is even worse. It’s like the sensitivity is turned up on the mouse and you’re trying to click at a very specific spot. The watering outline jumps around wildly until you find that exact sweet spot. The nice thing is there’s a strafe button to make using the hoe and planting easier.
The map is clunky. It’s difficult to see what a building is. The character icons show the area they’re in, but not where in the area. So, you can see if a character is in town, at the beach, in the woods, etc. However, you can’t see where in each of those areas they are. That’s fine outside of town, but in town, it can be a real hunt to find who you’re looking for.Their icons also don’t pop up with their name, so you better memorize what their icons look like, and they’re designed differently than their portraits or sprites! Map doesn’t even show your location, so you’re forced to learn every bend and curve of every area, especially the town, which isn’t laid out in a grid pattern. All of these elements just make using the map more of a headache than it needs to be.
Blue Oak Bridge also has some weird glitches that don’t break the game, but make it a little less enjoyable. Fish can glitch out and totally disappear as they’re coming for your hook. And if the body of water is situated at the bottom of the screen, your toolbar covers up a lot of the fish. Thankfully, the fishing minigame is easy and laid back and doesn’t make me want to pull my hair out (looking at your Stardew Valley).
Visuals
Overall, Blue Oak Bridge is pretty. Your farm plot is nice and big with gorgeous grass textures, several different kinds of trees, wild flowers, and a river. It’s a cozy, idyllic little piece of land perfect for starting a farm. The other areas of the fairly small map are nice, too. The mines have different “themes” every 10 levels, and some of them are borderline ethereal. I loved the lighting and overall feel of some of the mine levels. The beach areas are nicely done too, as is the swamp. All three areas feel appropriately beachy or swampy. The snowy mountain area is very small, and doesn’t contain much besides a house, pond, and snow. Plus, the animals are adorable, there’s some really nice decor, and the town looks great.
So, What is Good?
Outside of the character designs being unique, and the graphics being gorgeous, the story being cute, and fishing actually being relaxing, there’s some other stuff that Blue Oak Bridge got right. A lot of what this game got perfect is in the little things like chores. It seems to me the developers looked at all the farm sims out there and improved on certain aspects.
Naturally, you start out with different tools like the axe, pickaxe, watering can, and hoe so you can work on your farm. The watering can doesn’t need to be refilled. Just water away. Drown your crops if you want to, but you won’t be running to a well to refill! Of course, using tools costs stamina, much like every other game out there, too. And surely we’ve all been there when we’re mining rocks and just completely miss the rock we wanted to obliterate. Well, in this game, missing your mark doesn’t cost you stamina. It’s great to not be punished for your goof ups!
Blue Oak Bridge also doesn’t waste your stamina when you’re reached 0. Many farm sims will have you pass out and start the next day with less than full stamina, but not this one! Once your stamina reaches 0, that’s it. That’s where it stays. If you try to perform an action that costs stamina when you’re already at 0, the action just doesn’t happen. There’s no wasting stamina and no overdoing it! Both made the game that much more pleasant.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Blue Oak Bridge isn’t a bad game. It’s pretty and has some unique things to set it apart. It also appears the developer is still working to add to it, which is great. I just didn’t connect with the story or felt the desire to track down characters to get to know them because the map is so obnoxious. Poor controls make things difficult, too. I want to love this game, as it feels like it has potential, but falls short in my eyes.
I give this one
You can find Blue Oak Bridge on Steam.
- Jan 3, 2024
Sprout Valley is a cute farm sim where you step back from the busy city life to live out a low-stress life farming. Play as Nico, the sweet little cat character who just wants to live a peaceful life. Gather resources to improve your island life. Plant and harvest a variety of crops. Explore neighboring islands to collect resources and encounter random shops. There’s even some fun NPCs for you to encounter and get to know!
Story, Audio, and Visuals
Sprout Valley is a pretty simple farming sim. There’s about 15 hours of story gameplay to play through, and it’s mostly farming and resource gathering. This isn’t a deep, story-rich farm sim like Coral Island, Stardew Valley, or Wylde Flowers. There is no exciting lore to infer or theorize about. What you see is what you get.
And I *love* that about this game. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the deep story games, too. It’s just that sometimes you want something simple; something that’s easy to pick up for a few minutes to play, then put it down to continue later down the road. And that’s what Sprout Valley is. It’s perfect for casual gaming. Its focus on farming and resource gathering lets me just mindlessly grow crops or harvest fruit, then go about my day as normal.
Plus, the pixel art with its great color palette that isn’t too bright or bold is one of my favorite aspects. Paired with the audio that isn’t super memorable, but doesn’t overshadow anything, it’s a good combination. I enjoy playing Sprout Valley when I’m winding down for bed because it’s simple and easy to play, look at, and listen to. There’s no tension to raise my blood pressure, or spike my adrenaline and wake me up. Just chill music with some chill farming to relax me.
Controls
The controls, on the other hand, are less than ideal. Sprout Valley seems to rely heavily on players having prior gaming knowledge, and especially prior farming sim/exploration knowledge to get controls and the idea of the game down. There isn’t really a tutorial and purpose right out the gate. Unfortunately, not everything feels intuitive. So even having played farm sims prior to picking up this one, it took time for me to figure out and get used to the controls.
Crafting isn’t too bad, though. Sprout Valley even has multi-crafting, which a lot of games lack. You can select the number of items you wish to craft at the crafting table. However, ordering multiple items is a pain. There is no multi-ordering with a few clicks. You have to repeatedly click to get to the number of items you want to order. You want 100 carrot seeds? Click 100 times! Less than ideal, and slows down your dreams of creating that massive flourishing farm, but not game breaking.
Final Thoughts
Despite the weird controls and lack of multi-ordering, I’ve really enjoyed Sprout Valley. It’s the perfect casual game. It’s adorable, relaxing, calming, and doesn’t have frustrating fishing mechanics or minigames. Nothing is overly complicated or too in your face. It’s laid-back and so cute.
I give it
You can find this adorable game on Steam, Switch, Android, and iOS.
- Nov 9, 2023
Witchy Life Story is a vibrant visual novel where you play as a sassy witch sent to save a town’s harvest festival. You have exactly two weeks to work your magic (literally) and help the residents of Flora with their problems so they can make the festival a success. Reside in a small house outfitted with witchy items, and tend to the small garden attached to the house. Collect plants and flowers from that garden to use in your spells and rituals. Your choices matter, too. Take time to get to know the villagers and carefully help them, or perhaps cause some chaos instead! And who knows, you might find a little love in your short stay.
The Story and Characters
I am absolutely enamored by Witchy Life Story. It’s a short little game, but it is abundantly clear the developers put a lot of love into it. The story is sweet and simple, but so engaging. The characters are wonderfully crafted, too. Your own character is sassy and witty, with an outgoing personality. You’ve been sent to Flora because their “I’m a genius” attitude has gotten them in plenty of trouble. You need to prove to your teacher, aka grandmother, that you are worthy of finishing witch training.
Your dialogue throughout the game proves just how salty you are about this predicament. Additionally, the different characters with their own, varied personalities and it makes for a really fun visual novel experience. Some are lovable, some are reserved, and others have anxieties and troubles that make them super relatable. Witchy Life Story blends the fantasy witch life with real-life problems like a lack of confidence in your leadership abilities, or worrying over all the work that you need to get done by a deadline. It brings a sense of familiarity while still making things magical and fantasy.
I enjoy the choices that can be made throughout the game, too. During your conversations with the villagers, you can pick responses. These responses and choices shape the path you take in Witchy Life Story. Run through the story playing the contrite little student witch and put all your effort into appeasing the villagers. Conversely, cause a little chaos like the mad genius you really are! Better yet, do both. Run through the story a few times to discover some fun differences as you sow chaos in the village, and even romance different characters.
Final Thoughts
Aside from the wonderful story and great characters, Witchy Life Story really nails the art, too. It’s beautifully enchanting. The village is equally charming and inviting. The character designs are cute and everyone has their own personal style. There isn’t much to do outside of tending the garden, crafting spells, and talking to the villagers. It’s a visual novel, after all. The story is the focus, and it really shines in this game. Overall, it’s a gorgeous, heartwarming experience that I’d recommend everyone play! I can’t recommend it enough.
Overall, I give it a:
You can find Witchy Life Story on Steam!
Coffee Talk 2 is another great visual novel you should take a look at! - Oct 18, 2023
dotAGE has you playing as the Elder of a village who has had visions of a doomed future. You take a handful of your villagers, called Pips, to seek out a new valley to settle in the hopes of overcoming these dooms. You need to guide them in working hard to prepare for what these dooms have in store.
With worker placement mechanics inspired by board games, dotAGE’s turn-based roguelike survival has you building a brand new village to suit your villagers’ needs and their survival. Each turn you can assign each Pip to a specific task like collecting food, chopping wood, or healing ailments. You can also train them in different professions as you upgrade your buildings to bigger and more useful things. You need to be careful and thoughtful in how you place your buildings as managing resources is imperative to survival. Once you end your turn, the Domains will take their turn and unleash increasingly powerful events on your village!
Can you survive them all and find out what’s causing the apocalypse?
Simple, but Wildly Engaging
When I say this game is addictive, I mean it’s addictive. It’s one of those games where you can pick it up and put it down at any moment because it regularly auto-saves, which makes it great for killing a few minutes of time. However, I’ve sat down fully intending to pay dotAGE for all of 20 minutes, and find myself still playing two hours later repeating “just one more turn” to myself.
Visually and game-play wise, it’s a really simple game. dotAGE has a cute pixel graphic style and simple sound effects. Plus, you navigate the research menu to unlock new buildings to build. Navigate the build menu to pick what to build. Click an already existing building to assign a Pip to a job. Then, click End Turn to advance the day. That’s it. There is the Agepedia which logs the different buildings, events, Pip traits, etc that you come across while playing, but that isn’t necessary for playing. It’s not a super complicated game, but succeeds in holding my attention for chunks of time!
And if you’re a fan of ActRaiser? Then perhaps you should try out this game. It has a very similar feel to it with the city building aspect.
Final Thoughts
There are difficulty levels you can choose from, which really makes dotAGE great. I’ve been playing an Easy campaign and still having a hard time keeping up with the dooms! However, it’s a great place to start to learn how to play the game and get a feel for what it’s like. Then, as you become accustomed to it, you can move to the harder difficulties. It’s perfect for testing your resource management and survival skills and challenging yourself!
There are games that I play through and remove from my computer to free up space. Many of those games I’ve loved, and will likely play again. Stardew Valley, Terraria, Core Keeper, and Raft being the main ones. Then there are games that live on my computer indefinitely because I can, and will, pick them up randomly to play. They’re essentially immortalized in my head and on my desktop. dotAGE is now one of those. I struggled hard to finish my first campaign, having up to 31 Pips only to end the game with 8, but I loved absolutely every second of this game.
Overall, I give dotAGE
You can find dotAGE on Steam now!
Heard of the Story? is another city builder you ought to checkout! There’s also Fabledom, The Wandering Village, and Gourdlets!
