All posts tagged in Xbox Series X
Aug 29, 2022
Run a Courier Service While Uncovering Secrets in The Courier
With the incredible popularity of cozy games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, it comes as no surprise that others have tried creating their own versions of comfortable, cozy games. A large part of that has been various flavors of farming games. However, for players looking for something different, there is The Courier. Created by indie developer Crescent Moon Games, comes a mail delivery and puzzle game with a cozy, mysterious atmosphere.
Welcome to the island of Orda, a very peculiar and mysterious place. You play as a woman who is the courier of the island. She runs her very own mail delivery service on this curious island. Follow a compelling story line as you interact with the residents of the island. Uncover the many dark secrets of the island and deliver mail. The more mail you deliver, the more secrets about Orda you’ll discover.
Explore an open world full of beautifully crafted areas. Sling newspapers at the front steps of home. Also solve exciting environmental puzzles. Use different vehicles to get around the island as you deliver mail to residents. Explore on foot, by bicycle, by boat, or even by hang glider. Complete challenges, missions, and even mini games. Spend time fishing, walking dogs, mowing lawns, or even shearing sheep.
Coming Fall 2022
Although there is no specific release date for The Courier as of yet, we hope it’s soon! The game is expected to release on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
A Little to the Left is another casual, relaxing puzzle game to check out.
- Aug 26, 2022
Restore the Magic, Garden, Fish, and More
Disney and Pixar characters once lived in harmony in picturesque Dreamlight Valley. That is, until the Forgetting happened. Memories were severed by the growth of Night Thorns, and the inhabitants were left with nowhere to go. Feeling hopeless and lost, they locked themselves inside Dream Castle.
Now, it’s your job to return that magic to Dreamlight Valley. Play as a unique, customizable character. Spend your time gardening, cooking, fishing, and so much more. Embark on an adventure to restore the magic to Dreamlight Valley. Unlock the doors of the Dream Castle to return the characters to their homes. Forge friendships with characters and experience their rich backstories. Discover secrets as you complete quests, and earn rewards. You will even be able to design your own home and design the valley however you wish!
Early Access Available November 6th
Dreamlight Valley will be free-to-play when it releases in 2023. Early Access opens November 6th, but that isn’t free. However, players can choose from three Early Access packs: Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, or Ultimate Edition.
Standard Edition will include 2 wearable items, 9 furniture items, 3 design motifs, and 8,000 moonstones currency.
Deluxe Edition will include all Standard Edition cosmetic items, plus 10 decoration items, the Celestial Sea Turtle companion, 7 wearable items, the Deluxe Jersey and matching Mickey Mouse Donut Headband, 3 design motifs, and 14,500 moonstones currency.
Ultimate Edition will include all Standard and Deluxe Edition cosmetic items, plus 15 decoration items, the Royal Fox companion, 2 wearable items, the Ultimate Jersey and matching Mickey Mouse Donut Headband, 3 design motifs, and 20,000 moonstones currency.
For another upcoming magical life sim game, check out Witchbrook.
- Jul 7, 2022
Forge Friendships with Disney and Pixar Characters in this Life-Sim
We have even more great news from the recent Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase for those that love games that include established beloved cartoon characters from other franchises. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a simulation and adventure game where you create your very own avatar and solve puzzles and encounter challenges in order to rescue Disney and Pixar characters and bringing them back home.
With the help of the new residents, you can collect, craft, and rebuild the Valley. The neighbourhood is yours to fully customize with creative landscaping and thousands of themed decorative items. This even includes the interior of your very own home where you can use bought items or the Touch of Magic tool to create your own designs. Furthermore, you can hangout with NPCs such as Goofy, Rapunzel, Buzz Lightyear, Moana, and more while fishing, cooking, gardening, etc!
Releasing in Early Access September 6th, 2022 on all Platforms
Disney Dreamlight Valley launches on all platforms September 6th, 2022 in Early Access. You may be wondering how you can play an Early Access game on the Nintendo Switch. The answer is with a Founder’s Pack. More on that will be announced in detail at a later time. For now, you can Wishlist the game on the Nintendo eShop here, or get more information on the other platforms here. The full launch date (out of Early Access) is still sometime in 2023.
You can also expect to be able to continuously check back for more in-game content with its live service. Meet new characters in the Valley, check out the latest clothing and furniture collections in Scrooge’s Store, and complete challenging in-game events! Hopefully, Disney Dreamlight Valley will be our latest fixation for a while to come since Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
- Jun 11, 2022
Find Items, Explore an Island Filled with Frogs, Solve Puzzles, Farm, and Fish
Time on Frog Island has a new trailer via the Guerrilla Collective 3 announcing its release date this summer! This adorable adventure game starts like most of our beloved island sim games; a shipwreck. This particular and peculiar island is filled with frogs!
Seek out or trade for materials to fix your boat, solve puzzles, find hidden treasure, and go exploring! While running around, fishing, farming, concocting new brews, and talking to frogs, you’ll learn new abilities and new ways to help you traverse the island.
Launching July 12th, 2022 on Consoles and PC
The game is published by Merge Games (Pixelshire) and developed by Half Past Yellow. You can take a look at the adorable new trailer of a character assembling letters to spell out the release date of July 12th, 2022 below! Time on Frog Island will be releasing on (links provided) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).
- Jun 9, 2022
Jump Outside the Pages of a Book
During Devolver Digital’s showcase for The Summer Game Fest 2022, one game stood out as colourful and wholesome. The adorable adventure game features some 2D moments inside a storybook, then transitions to a 3D “real-world” realm.
The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends. The goal is to stop the villain of the book from rewriting the happy ending. You’ll come across many challenges such as: solving puzzles, boxing badgers, and flying with a jetpack!
Coming in 2023 for PC and Consoles
The Plucky Squire is developed by All Possible Futures and published by Devolver Digital (Fall Guys). The game will be releasing in 2023 on the Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), PS5, and the Xbox Series X.
- May 26, 2022
Fly on a Magic Broomstick, Explore an Open-World Island, and Deliver Packages to Friends
Not only are we getting Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara in 2022 from studio Chibig, but we’re also getting Mika and The Witch’s Mountain! Together with developers Nukefist, Chibig will basically be bringing us Kiki’s Delivery Service as an adventure game. Who wouldn’t want that?
In Mika and The Witch’s Mountain, you play as Mika the witch delivering packages to townspeople on a magic broomstick! Since you’re still in training, with every successful delivery, you will earn upgrades to help you navigate this sandbox island. Not only will flying be a bit of a challenge, but so will be protecting your packages from the elements!
On the island, there are also secrets to uncover along with the overall narrative. Even the townspeople will have interesting stories to tell as you get to know them better!
Coming in 2022 on Steam and All Consoles
You’ll be able to soar the skies later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (Steam).
- Dec 13, 2019
We may not have gotten more Animal Crossing: New Horizons information from last night’s (December 12th, 2019) The Game Awards, however Nintendo is still teasing us with social media posts letting us know that something is in the works. Nintendo also seemed to have already shown us the bulk of their games coming next year (2020) with the Indie World Showcase from last Tuesday. That’s not to say there weren’t any amusing highlights during the 3-hour long live-streamed event!
The Game Awards was the biggest we’ve ever seen with live orchestra performances and an appearance from the band Green Day. Even though there weren’t any World Premieres of wholesome ‘potato games’, I’ve listed my favorite moments of the show below. Potato Highlights, if you will.
Muppets and Untitled Goose Game Moment
Thanks to Geoff Keighley’s hard work of putting together The Game Awards, we all got an early Christmas gift that was Untitled Goose Game and The Muppets Show crossover. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker came on the stage to announce the winner of the Games for Impact, which GRIS took the award for. Not only were the Muppets live on stage, we also got a hilarious video, Untitled Beaker Game, which made my whole night. I only wish that the developers House House could make this game a reality. I’d pay good money for that DLC.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Smash Bros Ultimate Win Awards
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ended up taking the big award home (Game of the Year) during last night’s The Game Awards 2019, however a couple of Nintendo games also won in different categories! Most notably, Super Smash Bros Ultimate won Best Fighting Game and Luigi’s Mansion 3 won Best Family Game! I’m so happy for Luigi’s Mansion 3 because it was one of the best games I’ve played this year and Polterpup is a good boy.
Reggie’s Speech on Indie Games
Ex-CEO of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, was present at The Game Awards 2019 and announced the award for Best Independent Game. Before the winner was named, he gave a very passionate speech about the importance of indie games and how every game developer starts out as “indie”. These games are the future and I have definitely found quite a few gems over these past few months! I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Biggest Surprise: Bravely Default II on Switch
This exclusive Nintendo Switch game announcement came quite out of nowhere with very little details. Bravely Default and its direct sequel Bravely Second: End Layer were amazing 3DS games by Square Enix. Bravely Default II seems to be an entirely stand-alone game with different characters but in a familiar world where there are “Heroes of Light”. My guess is they might be starting to create a numbered series like Final Fantasy. We can expect Bravely Default II to release sometime in 2020.
Xbox Series X Holiday 2020
The Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, came on the stage to show us the new Xbox console coming next Holiday Season (2020). We have known for quite some time that Microsoft has been working on their next generation console code-named Project Scarlett, but now we have the real name; Xbox Series X. The specs are as follows: 4K visuals at 60FPS, with possibility of up to 120FPS, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and 8K capability. For more information on the Xbox Series X, you can go to Xbox’s official website here.
Game Festival Favorites
If you haven’t had the chance to try out the dozens of free demos available on Steam thanks to a new project by The Game Awards called The Game Festival, you should head over there now! The Game Festival allows you to try out demos that you normally would only see at conventions and events that you may not get the chance to attend in-person. Now, for only 48 hours (which started early December 12th, 2019), you can try out quite the wholesome list.
My first game on the list was SkateBIRD and can say that this tiny hawk is poised to replace the champ of skateboarding themed video games. However, what really surprised me was how much I enjoyed playing the demo for Roki. Finding items and figuring out how to use them to move on to the next puzzle was truly a fun experience. I also want to know more about the story and what’s with the creepy vibe I’m getting. Another game worth mentioning is Spiritfarer. The gameplay footage we got to see at Gamescom 2019 is the same but what I didn’t know was how a second player can play your cat companion Daffodil! Both of you can also go around hugging everyone and its so wholesome.
Finally, I also really enjoyed Moving Out and its physics-based mechanics, and Chicory for its clever use of the paintbrush for platforming puzzles and the nostalgic feeling I got of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Both games are also local co-op games!
