YvoCaro Plays

YvoCaro Plays: Virtual reality and impressions of Portia

Time to sit down for another YvoCaro Plays. As always, these blurbs are mostly about the video games I’m currently playing. Unedited thoughts that spring up in my mind, mostly game related. And sometimes a random train of thoughts starting with the game and ending somewhere completely different.

It’s only fair to warn you that spoilers sometimes are included. If you like these bits of gaming thoughts you can find the previous ones here

My Time at Portia first impressions

As I wrote this week, we have a release date for My Time at Portia! I’ve funded the Kickstarter and have been following the game for 1,5 years. So I’m really pleased the release on the Switch is close. And even more chuffed that I have a review code already, giving the game a spin.

First thoughts then: it looks every bit as good as expected. Pathea Games, a small independent developer based in Chongqing, China was clearly inspired by the magic of Studio Ghibli. The game plays well too, the camera let’s you look around without any inhibitions, and the world is huge. I’m currently doing my first assignments, need to get my workshop licensed.

It takes a bit getting used to the workings of things. I have a derelict house, but also a worktable outside for my crafting. And what is great: I have an Assembly Station to make bigger objects based on a handbook. That part clearly reminds me of the original My Sims on the Wii. Remember how the building worked there? Here you get the outline and have to fill in the parts needed. Love it.

There are a lot of people in town to interact with, and like you’re used to in games like Harvest Moon, set times for when you can go in shops etc. From the first, there are two dungeons available to explore for materials.

The only gripe I have is that loading times are sometimes long. Not on all actions, but for some. But I do know that an update is already planned shortly after release, so maybe they will work it out.

I’m going to gather some more impression for you next week, so stay tuned. For all of you simulation game fans: keep your eye on My Time at Portia. This will be our next time-sink until Animal Crossing arrives!

A proud moment: I really was YvoCaro for a moment

Nintendo released some more footage for the new VR Kit: a lot of mini-games you can play in VR using cardboard and your Switch. (find the new trailer here). Leave it up to Nintendo to come up with a novel way of doing this!

So when I had the chance this week to experience VR myself I decided to do it, even though it always takes some courage to step up. For fear of miserably failing of course. I was at a convention at work, where we had the chance to do all kind of techy stuff. One of my co-workers gave it a try and was impressed, with his fear of heights, of how scary it was to walk the plank.

They strapped the device to my head, and there I went: in an open elevator, soaring to dizzying heights. The landscape around me was beautiful, Zelda Windwaker style. And at the top, when the lattice gate opened, I saw it. A big diamond at the end of a narrow plank. Well, as a gamer I couldn’t let this go, now could I. So I stepped on the plank, and balanced my way to the diamond. Gotcha!

Amazing at how real this feels, and when encouraged to step beside the plank it felt even weirder: as if I would surely plunge in the abyss. My colleagues were impressed, and that was all I needed. You don’t play video games every day without results!

 

2 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing the video Yvonne!
    It doesn’t look like my thing though, I would probably manage to break my ankles on that ‘ledge’/ beam.
    My boyfriend is fascinated with the whole VR thing and can’t wait till it’s affordable for not super rich people, and some cool games and apps come out for it.

    1. Lol, you’d be surprised at how real the beam felt. I’d imagine it’s a bit like the holodeck in Star Trek! Now wouldn’t that be something. Instead of manning the controls in a game, we would really be in it!

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