All posts tagged in Simulation
Dec 1, 2018
Initially released on Steam back in 2016, 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.
Game 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.
Stardew Valley has obtained a 10/10 rating on Steam, received numerous ports for a variety of platforms, and is still a chart topper on the Nintendo Switch eShop. It’s, therefore, safe to say that the game is highly regarded and popular.
The highly anticipated multiplayer update for the PC version of the game was released on 1st August 2018.
Multiplayer update features include:
- The ability to play with up to 3 others in online co-op
- A 3-day travelling festival where farmers can come and go as they please
- A mysterious new winter event that enables farmers to start a new ‘secret’ collection type
- Farmers who have made great progress will be given the opportunity to help out a townsperson
- New character events
- Changes to the Skull Cavern
- Ability to change your profession
- Ability to craft signs
- New outdoor decorations
- Introduction of the auto-grabber, an expensive item that automatically harvests milk and wool
- Introduction of garden pots. Garden pots allow you to grow any crop inside year-round
- A new crop that only grows indoors
- Fireplaces and new furniture
- Ability to put a hat on your horse
The solo developer of Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe) has previously announced that the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game will also get a multiplayer update eventually. The developer has confirmed in tweets and updates that the co-op will not be cross-platform. As disappointing as this is for fans to hear, the decision is understandable.
Whilst an exact date hasn’t been given, the game’s publisher (Chucklefish) has recently confirmed that Stardew Valley for Switch will be next to receive the Multiplayer update. Having been submitted for final approval, it is expected that the update will be available either by the end of the year or in early 2019.
- Nov 30, 2018
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ans of the RollerCoaster Tycoon games (which simulate theme park management), will be pleased to learn that a similar game entitled Parkitect is now available to play on Steam.
Parkitect is a sandbox theme-park construction-management game for Windows, Mac, and Linux. After a two-year early access period, the game was released worldwide yesterday, 29th November 2018.
Developed and published by Texel Raptor, Parkitect shares the premise of RollerCoaster Tycoon games: To build a successful theme park. Players are able to build rides, design and manage the park, and tasked with keeping their guests happy.
Parkitect differentiates from RollerCoaster Tycoon in that it offers players features such as:
- Staff buildings
- Resource depots
- Hidden staff-only areas
- A branching map system
Parkitect can be purchased on Steam, where it currently holds a 9/10 rating and has very positive reviews, for a modest price of $29.99.
With the abundance of negative reviews expressing disappointment in Atari’s RollerCoaster Tycoon World, could Parkitect be destined for success like the popular 2016 game Planet Coaster?
- Nov 23, 2018
[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures (RCTA) is an upcoming amusement park simulation game developed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Developers of the popular RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, Atari, have announced that RCTA will be available in Europe on the 29th November, and in North America on the 13th December.
Despite criticism over Atari’s need to crowdfund RCTA, as well as concerns that the Switch console won’t do the game justice, Atari has said that the game is “built from the ground up to take advantage of the Switch’s best features.”
Features:
- 3 Exciting Game Modes: Adventure, Scenario, and Sandbox.
- An all-new Event System in the game’s Adventure Mode
- 7 Types of Customizable Coasters: Wooden, Steel, Winged, Hyper, Inverted, Dive, and Accelerator.
- More than 50 vibrant colors to choose from when customizing rides, roller coasters, shops, and restaurants.
- Improve the landscape of your park by placing and altering paths, foliage, and river tiles.
- 4 Distinctive Park Locations: Alpine, Moon, Canyon, and Tropics.
- Over 200 rides, restaurants, shops and decorations available for placement.
- Intuitive JoyCon and Touchscreen Controls provide freedom to play how you want.
- Seamless play between dock mode and handheld mode lets you play anywhere!
- Runs at 1080P docked, and 720P in handheld mode.
The game can be purchased digitally through the Nintendo eShop, or as a physical copy from retail outlets. UK Switch owners can pre-order the game at Argos for £39.99.
- Nov 14, 2018
The publisher of My Time at Portia, Team 17, have released an all-new crafting trailer for the upcoming game.
My Time at Portia is an upcoming sandbox RPG game with farming, crafting, gathering and mining elements. Upon starting the game, players arrive in the charming town of Portia where they seek a fresh start. Upon inheriting your Pa’s run-down workshop, which contains only a Workbench and a Workshop Handbook, the aim is to make your workshop the best around.
Sharing similarities with games such as Yonder and Stardew Valley, the gameplay of My Time at Portia is definitely very crafting-orientated. However, the game also offers players the chance to interact with quirky characters, grow crops and raise animals, and uncover the secrets and mysteries of the post-apocalyptic Portia.
A popular Early Access version is currently available to play on Steam whilst we await the official version and console versions. Whilst an official release date for the game has not yet been announced, the crafting trailer could imply that the wait is almost over! - Oct 28, 2018
About Forager:
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]orager is an upcoming indie game that is being developed by HopFrog and will be published by Humble Bundle, who will also publish Ikenfell and Mineko’s Night Market. Forager was initially released for free on itch.io, where it was well received. After a year of development, the game will soon be available to buy from Steam, the Humble Store and the Nintendo eShop. Whilst no set release date has been specified, the game is scheduled for release during fall 2018, meaning we should hopefully be able to play it very soon!
Described as an “idle game that you want to actively keep playing”, Forager is a 2D open world game inspired by exploration, farming and crafting games such as Stardew Valley, Terraria and Zelda. The game contains a variety of lands and biomes to explore and players can craft, gather resources, uncover secrets and even build a base.
Features:
- Gather, collect and manage resources.
- Craft useful items & structures.
- Build and grow a base out of nothing. Buy land to expand and explore.
- Level up and learn new skills, abilities, and blueprints.
- Solve puzzles, find secrets and raid dungeons!
- Achieve anything you want! The choice is yours, you set your own goals to work towards!
New Features:
- New lands and biomes (Deserts, Graveyards, Snowy Mountains, Volcanoes, and more!)
- Combat mechanics have been added! (Dungeons, Bosses, Raids, Night time invasions, etc).
- NPC interaction. Find quirky companions to trade or talk with.
- Farming mechanics, including caring for animals and the harvesting of all sorts of crops and herbs.
- Archaeology mechanics. Play as a professional secret-finder as you raid ruins, dig for artifacts and display your findings in your own museum!
- Alchemy & Rune Inscription mechanics. Allowing you to go all in on the crazy wizard fantasy, destroying big masses of resources with a single bomb or creating trees out of nothing with a powerful spellbook.
- 16+ new skills to learn and master, in a free-form upgrade system that allows you to customize your experience as you see fit. This brings the number of skills up to 64 total, each unlocking new items, structures or gameplay modifiers!
- Random events have finally been added!
- New resources, objects, structures, animals, puzzles, secrets and more! More EVERYTHING!
- Steam only features!
- Oct 25, 2018
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]attails, which is a feline-themed simulation RPG game available on Steam, will soon be playable on Nintendo Switch, it has been confirmed.
Developed and published by Falcon Entertainment for PC, Mac and Linux on December 1st 2017, the game has garnered very ‘paws-itive’ feedback since its release. Through the eyes of a cat, Cattails allows players to hunt for food, interact with other cats, gather herbs and explore an expansive world.
Features:
- Join one of three unique cat colonies and become friends or enemies with its residents
- Hunt for mice, squirrels, rabbits, and more anywhere throughout the open world
- Find new treasures in the wild as the seasons change
- Date and marry one of twelve eligible cats
- Raise a litter of kittens and bring them with you on your adventures
- Dig for riches in dangerous caves
- Fight in battles to secure your colony’s land claims
- Hundreds of unique ways to customize your cat’s coat & eye colors and accessorize
- Upgrade and customize your personal den
- Fun seasonal festivals where you can compete to win prizes
- Create your own colony of cats and customize it to your liking
Kotaku have said that “Cattails looks like Stardew Valley, except cats.” and IGN have said that Cattails is “an adorably silly game, but one that’s also a lot of fun.”
Tyler Thompson, the founder of Falcon Entertainment, has made the following statement:
“We are extremely excited to bring our first game to the Nintendo Switch system. We hope that players, new and old, will share in our enthusiasm for introducing Cattails to a whole new audience of console gamers.”
The game is scheduled to be released for Switch in just over a month on November 29th. Whilst the price of the Switch version has not yet been announced, the game currently costs $14.99 USD to purr-chase on Steam.
In the meantime, why don’t mew check out the paw-some cat games already available on Switch.
- Oct 7, 2018
Animal Crossing: ‘New Leak’
A new leak by LootPots suggests that Animal Crossing for Switch could potentially hit the shelves as early as Q1 2019.
The site, which is notorious for its Nintendo news and reviews, states that “information from one of our sources suggests that Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch is most likely set for a late Q1 or early Q2 (calendar year) release date.”
“Which in layman’s terms means sometime around March/April 2019. The game is also rumored to be targeting a suggested retail price of €59,99.“
However, with no confirmation from Nintendo regarding the game’s release date, this information should be treated as a rumour.
About Animal Crossing:
Animal Crossing is a franchise infamous for its community-based life simulation games with anthropomorphic characters. Developed and published by Nintendo, the first main series Animal Crossing game was released in Japan for Gamecube back in 2001. Whilst various spin-off games have been released, the most recent main series game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, was released for Nintendo 3DS in 2012. Whilst there are no specific objectives in the games, players are encouraged to participate in activities such as fishing, socializing and errand-running, shopping etc.
Whilst very little is known about the content of Animal Crossing for Switch, it is highly likely that the game will feature notorious fat cat Tom Nook, who starred in the game’s September Nintendo Direct reveal trailer. Additionally, the presence of Isabelle in the Nintendo Direct Super Smash Bros. Ultimate trailer suggests that she could also be making a return.
More to follow!
- May 25, 2018
Finally!
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ans of The Sims will be pleased to hear that EA Games have finally announced the release of a long-awaited The Sims 4 Seasons expansion pack. Fittingly, the expansion pack (that will be released for PC and Mac on June 22nd), will be entitled The Sims 4 Seasons.
Features of the new expansion include
- Four different seasons. Prepare to wrap-up for winter, or swelter in the summer sun.
- Seasonal Activities. From summer pool parties, to winter ice-skating.
- Calendar and Holiday Celebrations. Celebrate traditional holidays as well as creating your own. Exchange gifts with friends and family, maintain traditions, and even entertain special guests.
- Gardening Career. Green-fingered Simmers will even be able to start a career in gardening, as either a botanist or a flower arranger.
The new addition to the beloved series is described in more depth here, in a light-hearted manner which the kooky series is notorious for.
EA games have already made the game available for pre-order. The game can be pre-purchased here for £34.99.
Fans have impatiently waited since 2014 for a season-themed expansion, and have only recently been graced with the pet-themed expansion pack, The Sims 4 Cats+Dogs.
Pets and Seasons aren’t the only things we’ve had to wait for. Upon it’s release in 2014, there was an outcry over the game’s lack of pools and toddlers. This lead to a hasty patch from developers, in order to appease the aquaphiles and broody hens.
The Sims 4 may be lacking in certain elements, but snow makes everything better right? ❄
