Hello there, my dear Patron! Nice to see you here in our latest Newsletter looking back at all that happened on the site since then, starting January 25th of 2021 until January 31st of 2021.
So if you haven’t had time to read in the past weeks, here’s all that was published, all wrapped in a nice package. So get yourself a cup of coffee (or tea of course), kick back and enjoy!
Reviews
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Review (Switch) – Two Thumbs Up
Adventure RPG (US $59.99| EU € 59,99| UK £49.99)
Yvonne: Sometimes readers ask me which my favourite Atelier game is. A difficult choice to make, as there are many aspects that influence my choice. I like older games because of the English voice acting, though I wasn’t a fan of the adventures being timed. Too often I had to restart because when counting the days I had left it seemed clear I could never play the game to its end. But there’s also the synthesis and battle system to consider.
I always answer that each has its own charm. I really like Ryza’s synthesis system, but I’m not a big fan of the battle system, being more a fan of turn based battles. But when you look at the sheer size of the adventure, the attention to detail, all the things you can do in the games and the bond you build with the characters, I do think the Ryza games are the best.
Heaven’s Vault Review (Switch) – We Like It a Lot
Puzzle Adventure (US $17.99 | UK £14.99 | EU €15,99)
Lillith: Quibbles aside, I did greatly enjoy Heaven’s Vault. All of its major design choices are artistically brilliant without sacrificing the more visceral thrills of its gameplay, something which many other “games as art” titles have an unfortunate tendency to do.
It’s a bit on the longer side – especially if you play through it twice, which is encouraged by the developers – but it’s well worth it, especially if you play it cuddled up on the couch during what remains of winter.
Bonkies Review (Nintendo Switch) – We Like It a Lot
Puzzle Party Arcade game (US $14.99| UK £12.99 | EU €14,99)
James: When you look at a game like Bonkies it’s hard not to smile. Cute graphics, sounds and a puzzler that is highly enjoyable to play particularly if you can enjoy it with someone else. No monkey business here, the developers have created a wonderful experience which is sure going to bring smiles to many people’s faces, who I’m sure could really do with it in these challenging times.
TOHU Review (Nintendo Switch) – We Like It a Lot
Puzzle adventure (US $13.49 | EU $12,99 | UK £11.99)
Paula: If you’re looking for a solid fun point-and-click title then look no further as that is exactly what fans of the point-and-click genre will find in TOHU!
TOHU is a great adventure that will engage you right from the start, with it’s classic gameplay mechanics. And a lovely soundtrack that does a brilliant job of adding more detail to the whimsical world through its music and sound effects, with satisfying puzzles that you’ll need your thinking cap on for.
The Choice of Life: Middle Ages Review (Switch) – We Like It
Adventure Board Game: (US $4.99 | EU €3,99 | UK £3.99)
Paula: This is a pleasant game where you choose your adventure style. It’s great for a quick play through or for longer play sessions depending on how your choices affect your characters health.
There is replay value in the game as you try to get all the titles, and see the different storylines through to the end. It may be simplistic in looks but there is an entertaining game for players to have a few enjoyable hours with, for the few pounds the game costs in the eShop!
Golden Force Review (Nintendo Switch) – We Like It
Action Platformer (US $19.99| UK £17.99 | EU €19,99)
James: If you like your 2D hack and slash games with challenging gameplay Golden Force is well worth picking up. But if you’re picking this up for co-op I’d say be careful. Also, additional difficulty settings and less gold grinding to get new items would have made this experience more accessible for a wider audience.
That being said, Golden Force does have that retro old school feel of pattern recognition that will appeal to some gamers. Plus it has the coolest old man character I’ve played as in a video game in recent memory. Nice work.
Ziggy the Chaser Review (Nintendo Switch) – We’re Not Sure
Action Arcade (US $7.99| UK £7.19 | EU €7,99)
James: Ziggy the Chaser is a game that is a bit like Pac Man if it had ugly 3D character models and gameplay that feels slower and lacking the additive feel of an arcade title. There is room here for a better experience but what is on offer feels a little too plain to recommend fully.
Otti the House Keeper Review (Nintendo Switch) – We’re Not Sure
Puzzle Strategy game (US $8.99 | UK £7.19 | EU €8.99)
James: Otti the House Keeper may not be the biggest looker but its gameplay has some interesting ideas that make for an enjoyable blend of tower and defense and puzzle. Sadly the Otti port to Switch is not as strong as PC. Control issues, both touch and button based, make the experience more frustrating than it should be.
Look at the PC version which seems like it could easily run on most laptops. It also has a free demo on Steam but be careful with the Switch version.
Editorials/ News
Sunnyside Kickstarter Campaign
Another Kickstarter Campaign on our radar is Sunnyside, a farm life simulation game. The developers for Sunnyside, RainyGames, are a small international indie development team. A Kickstarter campaign is underway to fund the game for release on PC the in the first half of this year, with plans for the console release of the game to release later in the year.Get ready to grow lots of crops and tend to animals!
YvoCaro Plays: Engaging Employees Through Games
Patron Only
I am a firm believer of the power games have to bring people together. It can be used to engage employees who have to work from home too! So, I’m gonna try to get my colleagues playing mobile games together. Let the games begin!
Castaway Paradise is coming to Switch
A long, long time ago I heard about a new game on mobile that clearly had been inspired by Animal Crossing. Dutch company Stolen Couch had made Castaway Paradise, a blocky looking game that had the same kind of gameplay as in Animal Crossing at its heart. The game was free to download, so the micro transactions kind of killed it for me back then. Now though, the game is coming to the Nintendo Switch, to be published by Rokaplay. I’m very curious to see on release date (April 29th) if the game still is fun!
