I’m afraid I’m in a real pickle here…as you know I choose a game each month that I liked most. And because of my motto of gaming where the mood takes me, that was never much of a problem. Most of the time I jump from game to game after a few weeks, although there are some games that I stick with longer then some. The good ones are often revisited when I feel like it, much like getting back with an old friend.
This month though it’s a challenge to choose a game of the month. That’s because the game of the month of May is still the game that I play every single day, every available moment. Zelda, Breath of the Wild, has truly been a breath of fresh air for me. Who would have thought that I’d stick to it for so long, and enjoy it so much too? So, this didn’t leave me much gaming time otherwise.
I still played some HayDay on my iPad but decided to force myself not to go back to the game, as it costs me too much time. Valuable Zelda time, to be precise. Not opening up my farm for a day or two takes care of that addiction, and left me enough time to wander through the wild again.
I’m not going fast, taking my time exploring. But I have conquered two Divine Beasts, the Divine Beast Vah Rutah and the Divine Beast Vah Rudania. I loved the puzzles they presented, I didn’t like the boss fights though. But I managed, both in the first try. I’ve just arrived in Kokorok Forest yesterday, to get some more weapons slots from Hestu.
The only other game I played this month has to be the game of the Month by default, right? But, it’s a good game that deserves this spot too. My Game of the Month July is Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy.
Another charming Layton entry
The game is available on iOS and Android for the price of $15,99 or € 17,99. And as the game is supposed to be the same on mobile as on the 3DS (which will be released this fall) you might argue that it’s a good price. Still, I do think this price is too high a hurdle for newcomers to the serie. In my opinion they should have made the first chapter free!
Anyway, from what I’ve played of the game so far I’m pleased. Pleased to see that Katrielle does a good job of stepping into her fathers’ shoes. This still looks and feels like the Layton games we know and love, and Level-5 has handled the move to mobile almost flawlessly. The visuals are great and the gameplay works well on mobile.
The dialogue of Katrielle with talking dog Sherl is funny, the characters are quirky as we have gotten used to in Layton games. The puzzles aren’t easy in my opinion, though in some cases they are just a bit cheesy. Overall though, another good Layton entry. A worthy Game of the Month!
Looking back in time, these are the July Games that I chose in the past years:
2015 Minecraft (Vita version) First I was baffled at what exactly I had to do in a minecraft game, but after getting the hang of it ( or at least, getting my first glimpse of what the game can be like) I found it hard at the time to put the game down. Which is a sure sign as far as I’m concerned of a good game. Read more of my thoughts about the game here.
2016: Pokémon Go It’s been a year since Niantics’ big hit was released, and what a big hit it was! Recently they celebrated it with a Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago (where not everything went as planned…) and released their first Legendary. The gamer base who still plays regularly will no doubt have gotten a lot less, but it’s still a game that speaks to a lot of people.
What would be your favorite game for July? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming games, or are you engrossed in one of the big hits that recently found it’s way to the Switch, like Splatoon 2? I’d love to hear from you!
I saw Layton on iPad the other day and was tempted to download it, as I have never played a game from this series. Puzzle games tend to make me feel stupid though, so I bought MiiTopia instead. Can’t say that I regret my choice because the game is funny and cute. Maybe a bit too casual for hardcore RPG players though.
Making the first chapter of Layton free would have been an excellent idea! I’m just happy it was a full game as opposed to a half-baked Layton game. There are things I don’t agree with (the case structure), but I love the characters, especially Katrielle!