#xbox review

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Little Kitty, Big City

The “animal goes wild” subgenre of video games is usually focused on chaos in an open world, be it Goat Simulator or Squirrel with a Gun. But genres can be very wide, and can take a basic premise in other directions. Little Kitty, Big City takes the concept of playing as a cat lost in a city, and turns it into a mellow, nonviolent metroidvania.

Read more...

[theuniverseisaconspiracy]

MOVIELAIR SOAP2DAY ALTERNATIVE

Introduction: The Demise of Soap2Day: Introducing Movie Lair: https://movielair.cc/  Zero Ads, Seamless Experience: No Registration or Payment Required: Stream or Download for Later: User-Friendly Interface: Legal and Ethical Considerations: Conclusion:

Soap2Day Shut Down: Embrace Movie Lair as the Ideal Alternative for Free Streaming

The recent shutdown of the popular streaming site Soap2Day has left many movie and TV show enthusiasts searching for a reliable alternative. In the quest for a platform that provides a similar experience with an extensive library of content, Movie Lair emerges as a prime choice. With its vast collection, ad-free streaming, and user-friendly interface, Movie Lair offers an exceptional viewing experience without the need for registration or payment.

Soap2Day, known for its provision of free streaming of movies and TV shows, has been met with legal actions and subsequent shutdown. Authorities cracked down on the website due to copyright infringement concerns, as the platform hosted unauthorized content, violating intellectual property rights. As a result, users are now seeking a trustworthy alternative to fulfill their entertainment needs.

Amidst the void left by Soap2Day, Movie Lair stands out as a compelling choice for streaming enthusiasts. Offering an impressive catalog of over 100,000 movies and TV series, Movie Lair ensures that users have access to a diverse range of content spanning various genres, languages, and eras.

Soap2Day Alternative https://movielair.cc/ 

One of the standout features of Movie Lair is its commitment to providing an ad-free streaming experience. Unlike numerous streaming platforms that interrupt viewing pleasure with intrusive advertisements, Movie Lair allows users to immerse themselves in their favorite movies and TV shows without any distractions.

Gone are the days of complex sign-up processes and subscription fees. Movie Lair eliminates these barriers by enabling users to enjoy its extensive library without requiring registration or payment. With just a few clicks, viewers can start streaming their desired content effortlessly.

Movie Lair caters to different preferences by providing two convenient options: streaming content online or downloading it for later viewing. Whether you prefer to watch movies and shows in real-time or save them for offline enjoyment, Movie Lair offers the flexibility to accommodate your needs.

Navigating through Movie Lair's extensive collection is a breeze, thanks to its user-friendly interface. The platform's intuitive design ensures that even casual users can quickly find their desired movies or TV series, making the overall streaming experience convenient and enjoyable.

While Movie Lair offers a free streaming experience, it is essential to clarify that the legality of streaming platforms can vary depending on your jurisdiction. Ensure that you comply with the laws and regulations governing online streaming in your country, as unauthorized access to copyrighted content can have legal consequences.

With the demise of Soap2Day, Movie Lair emerges as a viable alternative for avid movie and TV show enthusiasts. Its vast content library, ad-free streaming, user-friendly interface, and the absence of registration or payment requirements make it an attractive option. By embracing Movie Lair, viewers can enjoy their favorite movies and shows without compromising on convenience or quality

[s2project]

Xbox Adaptive Joystick Review

The latest in Microsoft’s accessibility focused controllers, the Adaptive Joystick builds on the form factor the Wii Nunchuk, with a similar setup of an analog stick with triggers, and the addition of four face buttons. Like the controller it’s imitating, the Adaptive Joystick is intended to be paired with another controller, either a standard Xbox controller, a selection of licensed third party options, or preferrably, the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Even with the added face buttons, the Adaptive Joystick only has enough buttons for half a controller, without any of the menu buttons. It can still function as a standard Xbox controller when wired, and with some tweaking you can take one of its seven buttons and turn it into six more, expanding its possible use cases.

By using the Xbox Accessories app to assign a button as the Shift button--in my case the stick click-- you can assign secondary functions to the other buttons. For example, you can have the default binds act as the left analog stick, face buttons and right side trigger and shoulder buttons, then click or hold the stick to swap the functions to the right analog stick, shoulder and trigger buttons, dpad, or menu functions. This can enable you to play many simpler games with a single hand, with the additional face buttons only accessible when needed. For my personal use case, I used it to play several shoot-em-ups, with the trigger buttons allowing me to place the main buttons at my fingertips, with my thumb handling the movement and bombs.

Any simpler game is a good use case for the Adaptive Joystick, making retro systems like the NES, PC Engine, and Megadrive very playable, with turn based RPGs or visual novels good options to relax with. A dpad might be preferable in this situation, but for casual play the analog stick is good enough, with similar tension and response to a standard Xbox analog stick, and the ability to change how rapidly the stick responds through the Xbox Accessories app.

If that’s still not enough controls for you, you can pair it with another Adaptive Joystick to get the second half of the controller, or pair it with any of the previously mentioned full size controllers. This is where you can remap the buttons, save and load controller profiles, and turn on Xbox Assist to combine it with other controllers. Previously named, Xbox Copilot, it was renamed after Microsoft’s push to add its “AI” machine learning tech into all its devices, so you may find older resources still calling it Copilot. The option to enable Xbox Assist is nested under the more options icon, shown as three dots. When enabled, it will take your connected controllers and make them all read as a single unit.

This can allow you to control movement with one controller, while performing actions with the other. This is also how you’ll pair two Adaptive Joysticks together, if you’ve directly connected both of them through USB. A pair will still be missing enough buttons for the menu functions, so you’ll need to set Shift modifiers, or use a keyboard or additional controller to access everything. If you’re someone who enjoys using Nintendo’s Joycons in a split configuration, you might enjoy this setup.

By decoupling the two halves of a controller, it also allows you to set the buttons wherever you find most comfortable, not limited by the form factor of a standard controller. Like the Xbox Adaptive Controller, the Adaptive Joysticks have a standard mounting thread for camera accessories. This allows you to mount it on a tripod, table stand, webcam or microphone arm, or attach wrist straps and other accessories.

With this you could say, mount an Xbox Adaptive Joystick on a camera arm, then swing it in and out to access the controller as needed, or mount two of them to set up as your mech cockpit controls. The Adaptive Joystick’s thumbsticks have a similar tension and size as standard Xbox controllers, which allows you to use different thumbstick caps and toppers.

Options like the Kontrol Freeks can raise the height and add grip for better precision, or you can decorate it with various themed caps. Microsoft also offers a free design service that allows you to choose from a variety of shapes and heights, then download the files for 3D printing. There’s also an existing industry of independent creators who design similar products.

I’ve been personally testing the Adaptive Joysticks with the Thumb Soldiers, which provide various shapes to cater to different abilities and experiences. The mushroom cap is my current favorite, which dramatically expands the surface area, allowing both quick and precise movements, or changing the grip style to control the stick while having better reach for a claw style grip on the triggers. There’s also shapes designed for racing games, or flight stick style experiences.

Paired with the 8bitdo Lite SE Xbox controller, each can cover the other’s weaknesses. The Adaptive Joystick allows you to more easily hold the trigger buttons while operating the joystick, while the Lite SE can lay flat for fightstick style access to the rest of the controls, as well as providing two remappable TRS ports for adding external switches.

The Adaptive Joystick is ultimately a niche accessory that’s intended to supplement, rather than replace a controller, but with a little ingenuity, a wide number of games can be made playable with a single unit. It’s initial appearance seems limiting, but it’s got much more potential to explore.

[quiettime3]

Chants of Sennaar

Chants of Sennaar is a beautiful game, no doubt about it, but it isn’t a case of style over substance at all. Beneath the gorgeous graphical choices and soothing colour tones is a brilliant adventure through an unfamiliar world, learning a number of languages as you go. Players control a traveller attempting to translate between various languages and peoples within this new realm, discovering a deep and fascinating history as they begin to understand the cultures around them.

The constructed languages (or ‘conlangs’) used within the game are a total thrill for any linguistics nerds out there (myself included!) and provide a really unique puzzling experience as you try to pick up the meanings of various symbols through contextual clues. Each language has their own grammatical structure as well as their own scripts, and it’s really gratifying to figure out a full set of the symbols and communicate properly with the locals. The story elements are no slouch either, though it does rely quite a lot on player interpretation, given the language barrier inherent to the game.

There are a few frustrating stealth-based sections, but they shouldn’t stall experienced gamers for too long. No guesswork is required for any of the solutions, but trial and error is greatly encouraged through the journal system, which will confirm correct answers and allow you to easily label your suspicions on the meaning of each symbol as you go and change them on the fly. It’s a spectacularly pretty game with a tight grip on its theme and an excellent execution - what is there not to love?

Pros:

• Real sense of achievement when solving a puzzle

• Stunning to look at

• Every language feels unique and makes sense in the context of the game world

Cons:

• Stealth sections can be annoying if you fail them more than a few times

• It’s easy to forget parts of the scripts between sessions if you take an extended break

[fogaminghub]

🚢  Get ready to step aboard the Karnak in the upcoming game, Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile! 🌊 Set in the captivating 1970s, join Hercule Poirot and Jane Royce as they unravel an intriguing murder mystery. This game promises fresh surprises, dual perspectives, and stunning locations! 

📅 Coming in 2025, you won’t want to miss it! 

[prototypesteve]

Me: “So how does my year in review look?”

Microsoft: “I mean… surely you know…”

Me: “Pretend like I don’t know.”

Microsoft: “You played three games. One of them is barely even a game, it’s more like a work simulator. And the other two had like 20 hours of story gameplay, but then you logged hundreds of hours of errand-style side quests. Tell me you were at least on your trainer bike while you did all that.”

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360)

They made hoverboards fun and exciting, then the fans made it actually playable.

After Zero Gravity, Sonic Team were apparently not done with the Riders series. Not done using it for motion control experiments, that is. The next and final instalment was a launch title for Microsoft's ill-fated Kinect motion sensor accessory. This camera apparatus could track a player's full body and so you needed a large, empty area to play your games in, which has never been practical for me. So I considered this game essentially lost media as far as I was concerned, until I recently learned about a mod that reworked the game for traditional controllers that I could use on an emulator. The updated version of this patch was buggy but the original release worked a treat and I was finally able to experience this title.

Compared to previous entries, the plot is very low-stakes. Eggman is hosting another racing tournament in disguise, shenanigans ensue. The cutscenes are merely static character portraits, the dialogue nothing but banter and posturing with the framing device of Omochao reporting on the racing for a TV broadcast. But the strength this has over prior Riders games is including a broader range of the cast, with Teams Rose and Dark being involved and playable in their own story modes in addition to the usual Heroes and Babylon stories. Well, Team Dark is missing Omega and substitutes a random eggbot who is more than it appears in perhaps the only notable story development. And Team Rose is Amy, Cream, and... Vector... so Team Sonic Racing wasn't the first to randomly force him in to fill out another team, or to have a weird addition to Team Rose.

As for the racing, from what I could tell from the tutorial, there's a lot of actions you need to be able to do. It seemed complex and the pace of gameplay quite fast for something you control just with various body motions to an unresponsive IR sensor grid. In other words, compared to Zero Gravity it didn't feel as compromised by the control scheme, and translated reasonably well to a controller, so it's a shame they never officially offered that as an option. The game reviewed terribly at the time on the basis of its controls, but with a pad in hand I had a fun time. Sure it was easy most of the way through, but by the very last stages it did even offer a decent challenge.

There's no drifting, but a heavy turn assist helps with cornering. There's a boost function that drains your air meter, as well as a "lean forward (tilt control stick up) to go faster" mechanic. Stunts are done in Zero Gravity style, by jumping at the right time off a ramp, although you can spin to do a better trick (not supported in the original mod release). Arm flailing is a factor, where you can lean to grab rings that are just off the course, throw items that skew a little more Mario Kart in their effects while still being unique, rub steam or splatter off your screen, or grab poles to swing around and take shortcuts. As a power character you can punch to destroy obstacles, and flight characters have to have arms outstretched to remain airborne when necessary. It sounds exhausting but all these functions are mapped pretty well to a controller in the mod, and I got to grips with them quickly. And while it may sound overloaded with gimmicks, I thought it was a better balance than the previous games of keeping up your pace while doing them, or being ignorable entirely.

It may sound like I'm being contrary but this quickly became my favourite of the Riders games. Because it expects you to be flolloping around, it's so much more forgiving and I found I wasn't constantly struggling against the game and its demands. It integrates a mission-like structure into the campaign so most of the time you're doing various objectives and single-lap runs of the courses in story mode, which moves things along at a quick pace. It also looks gorgeous, the environments varied and ultra-colourful, helped of course by being in HD for the first time. The tracks have fun setpieces like toboggan or minecart sections, jumping onto rooftops, or surfing while being pulled by a dolphin.

Free Riders kind of fulfilled the promise of what I wanted the series to be, for the first time. Fast-paced and bombastic, not overly punishing or bland. It's such a shame that that lively energy had to be locked behind an impractical peripheral gimmick. The assets were all there for a potential conversion or fourth instalment that takes the strengths but makes it play like a normal video game that people can actually play... but alas. As is often the case in the Sonic series, it was up to the fans to fix what Sega had broken, and I'm very thankful to Rei-SanTH for doing so in this case (please fix not being able to turn right on v1.1!).

[krissiefox]

Klonoa: Door To Phantomile (Xbox One) Review

Klonoa was one of the many, many colorful plat-former games that captured my imagination as a youngster, but I had never managed to get myself a copy on PSOne when games for said system were much easier to come by. Thankfully, my wife found it re-released on the Xbox One and bought it for me!

The rest of the review is below the cut!

The game stars Klonoa, an adorable little rabbit-dog creature on his quest to save his world from Ghadius, a spooky guy with a cool bird mask who wants to turn the land into one big nightmare. Joining Klonoa is also his best friend Huepow, a little water bubble guy, and he will also make many other friends along his quest.

The game plays on a 2d plane but uses 3d graphics and twisty curvy level designs, which makes for a very fun feel to the world and it's movement. Klonoa can do little flutter jumps with his fluffy ears, and use his magic ring to grab items and capture enemies, which he can then toss or use to do a jump boost.

The gameplay is very solid and the controls are great, though every once in a while the game threw a really difficult puzzle or fight at me, which could get frustrating. Thankfully the game includes both a normal and easy mode, so if a level is too frustrating you can always switch off to easy mode which is much more forgiving as it gives you more health, infinite retries and more reach with your magic ring.

The game's art and music are fantastic and mesmerizing, with tons of cute characters and bright varied environments. Even most of the enemies are pretty freakin' adorable and colorful.

Outside of the occasional difficulty spikes, I can't really think of any other criticisms. It's just that damn good. This one comes highly recommended from me, and if you get this modern Xbox One version it also comes bundled with Klonoa 2! As far as how this compares to the original version of the game, I only played the demo of that one - so I can't say for sure - but I assume it's just as good, though I am not sure which features from the new version it will have.

[pigeoncorpse]

Pardon the shitty quality but I'm losing my mind a little over these Persona Collection reviews...

[dandylion-virtual-adventurer]

Seems about right.

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Worms Clan Wars / Worms Battlegrounds

Worms Clan Wars could perhaps be compared to Worms World Party – a small update from the previous game featuring a bigger focus on multiplayer. While its additions are, to its credit, far more substantial than World Party, Clan Wars is best seen as a refinement on the previous game and its bounty of new ideas. That said, there’s been more than enough improvements made that it wouldn’t be a mistake to pick it up even if you have Revolution in your library. So long as you find a deep discount for it, at least.

Read more...

[tooaverageofagamer]

REVIEW: Inscryption – Daniel Mullins Games

Release Date: 19th October 2021 Available On: PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Genre: Indie Game, Card Battler, Rogue-Like, Card Game, Story Rich, Puzzle, Horror

Review Length: Short (~600 words)

Review Spoilers: Minor

---------------------------------

Gameplay

Inscryption is an Indie horror, rouge-like, card-battling game. If you want to draw similarities with card-battle games, think of Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokémon cards, but a more simplified version that still requires some strategies. But with all the ways you could possibly play, you’d be sure to find your own cheesed style. Personally, I am not the best at strategy-based games or card games, the hardest card-battle game I’ve played was Club Penguins Card-Jitsu back in the day, but I found Inscrytion to be fun and immersive, even if a little frustrating at the start.

The game is played in ‘Acts’. Act One would possibly bring the most frustration to an average gamer or someone who just isn’t familiar with strategy card games, and as I am both; I was frustrated at the beginning. But, once you’ve ‘failed’ a few times in the first Act and find yourself falling into the game challenge more and more, it can become fun, and you can start to pay attention to the details that the game you and the game will slowly become easier as you gain insight into the fights and bosses presented to you.

The game is filled with puzzles, most are not necessary to the game, but it may help you have better cards to play with or unlock more of the lore of the game.

Once you’ve completed the game for the first time, you unlock challenges that can make gameplay more difficult, if that’s your masochistic jazz.

Story

As to not give away too many details as this is a story-dependent game that should be unspoiled for the average gamer.

At the start, you’re unsure of who you are and just assume you’re playing a blank-slated husk character that represents yourself, which is later proven different. You’re placed in a darkness-encased environment with a strange character that introduces you to their card game in an almost Dungeons & Dragons Games Master manner. The attitude this darkness-encased character has is kept throughout this Act. Once you’re allowed to explore your environment a little, you’re allowed to really intake your enclosure and partake in the puzzles it presents you.

The story is well put together, enraptures, and lets the player piece the story themselves without it being spoon-fed to them. As the game continues into its further Acts, you feel an “Oh woah what” sensation as you start to piece the story together with the snippets you gain access to.

You can unlock more background lore details to the story of the game in the later Acts, but it isn’t necessary to fulfill your average gameplay experience but might be fun to unlock in further playthroughs or if you want to have in-game downtime to explore.

I love both major and minor characters that are introduced to you as you play. They all keep the story heavy-duty glued together nicely. The characters all mesh and conflict with each other well. It’s a joy to watch their interactions with each other and the player, especially once the twists and turns start.

Art Style/Music

Inscryption is beautifully put together. The art style throughout the game changes dramatically, but it does not cause any conflicts to the player's gameplay experience as the Acts progress. I personally LOVE most of the art styles that present themselves in this game.

The music in Inscryption is beautiful to listen to and even have their own little easter eggs if you listen to them closely enough. Act 1, I believe, has the best themes for it environment and bosses, but Act 2 also have great themes also. Some of the tunes might be a bit jarring to listen to at the beginning with their sharp tones and rumbling bases. But once you really get into the vibes and understanding of characters in the game, they’re amazing to engross yourself into the world of inscryption and uncover its story.

[minor spoilers from tune theme names below]

My top songs from the Inscryption OST would be:

1. The Trapper

2. The Scrybe of Magicks

3. The Four Scrybes

4. Deathcard Cabin

The whole of the Inscryption OST is available on Spotify.

Final Comments

I honestly enjoyed Inscryption, especially once I really started to understand and get into the gameplay and story. The story and art styles are the real cream of this crop and really bring the story together.

I highly recommend this game to an average gamer or if you want to try out a card-battling/rogue-like game for the first time.

Cheers,

The Average Gamer ---------------------------------

If you want to chat or get Spoiler-esque game insights, feel free to PM me!

[zoomvis]

COINCIDENCE?? Probably

[nerdyadoptee]

Mask of the Rose: The NerdyAdoptee Review

PUBLISH DATE: June 8, 2023 PLATFORMS: Windows, macOS, SteamOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch (launch); PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (unspecified later, post-launch)

This is the game I've been waiting for.

Mask of the Rose is a visual novel from UK-based Failbetter Games, developers of Sunless Skies, Sunless Sea, and Fallen London. I've long followed Failbetter's work because of their commitment to worldbuilding. All of their games share a common universe, an alternate Victorian vision of the 19th century world, with generous helpings of the unexplained, the supernatural, and even dashes of Cthulhu-esque cosmic horror. London has sunk underground, and the residents of London have lost contact with the surface. In this dark world (nicknamed "the Neath"), we encounter things that are familiar (the Queen is still around, although she's become curiously reclusive) along with the less familiar (what exactly are the "Clay Men?").

This world has been built by Failbetter over three games and thirteen years, but Mask of the Rose doesn’t require any previous knowledge or experience with their games. A character creator allows you to choose your character's background, silhouetted portrait, and how others address your character, from "Captain" to "My Lady" to "Citizen." In addition to the gender inclusivity of the character creator, it's wonderful to see Failbetter give the player the option to specify the kind of romance they're looking for in this visual novel. You can pursue friendships only, seek romantic relationships, physical relationships, or both--and choosing any of those options doesn't prevent you from seeing certain endings or lore, it just gives the player agency in this quite personal choice.

From there, we're introduced to the world and its wide and diverse cast of characters. Going into almost any detail risks ruining the discovery that is such a beautiful part of Mask of the Rose, but I'll at least say that the characters in Mask of the Rose feel complex and unique, each with their own voice and desires. The gameplay loop revolves around choosing how to spend your time--like with other time-management-style games, you can't have conversations with everyone. In each conversation, you're making dialogue choices that have an impact on the people you speak with and on the character you're building over time. The choices are well-written, and show an insight into the complexity of conversation and tone that is often missing from less thoughtful visual novels.

Each day in Mask of the Rose is split up into a Morning and Afternoon time, adding weight and stakes to each playthrough: do I try to get the exhausted pastor to spend more time with a mutual friend, or do I cozy up to the streetwise merchant who seems to know what's going on behind the scenes? More importantly, WHOM DO I WANT TO SMOOCH?

Ahem. Excuse me.

Mask of the Rose has so much story to uncover that one playthrough isn't sufficient. You're trying to solve a mystery, you're trying to uncover more about London's peculiar new surroundings, and you're trying to matchmake your friends, and you might be looking for romance for yourself. A playthrough generally takes me about 3-4 hours, and although I've done multiple playthroughs, there's still more to discover. I'm excited to learn more about each one of the fascinating characters, and I'm further drawn in because Mask of the Rose weaves a tale that touches upon so many elements of 19th century English society, from British global imperialism and colonialism to class struggles and privilege.

While I love the writing and Mask of the Rose's visual novel gameplay (and unique "storycrafting" mechanic/minigame, which is another gameplay pillar), I did run into a few frustrations. I would've appreciated an option to fast-forward text I've already seen. Mask of the Rose helpfully provides a fast-forward option, but it's too easy to accidentally skip past new dialogue and lore. In a game that demands multiple playthroughs, a smarter fast-forwarding option is a really unfortunate omission. I also felt like the time management aspect felt very constraining; it could be my own lack of intuition and understanding, but I sometimes found progression dense or unforgiving. The subtlety of Mask of the Rose is a strength, so I’d love if hints or some kind of help could be an option that players choose to turn on. More days and levels of signposting to clues would go a long way to making me even more excited about future playthroughs.

Overall, I'm smitten by Mask of the Rose. It's the game I've been waiting for because I've wanted to explore this world for a long time, but have struggled with the gameplay and difficulty of Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. If you share a love for evocative writing and thoughtful worldbuilding, you've got to get Mask of the Rose.

Be sure to tell me whom you smooch!

[gbhbl]

Game Review: Still Wakes the Deep (Xbox Series X)

One of the most immersive horror games in recent times, Still Wakes the Deep can be simply summed up as John Carpenter’s The Thing but set on an oil rig. Yet, as exciting as that is, a simple summation does little to explain the emotional heft that the story has, nor does it truly convey the depressive terror that the environment creates.

One of the most immersive horror games in recent times, Still Wakes the Deep can be simply summed up as John Carpenter’s The Thing but set on an oil rig. Yet, as exciting as that is, a simple summation does little to explain the emotional heft that the story has, nor does it truly convey the depressive terror that the environment creates. Focusing on story and characters over action, developer…

[somekidnamedkai]

So I got potion permit a while ago and have been playing it.

And it just makes me see how spoiled I am with all of my other farming games like Stardew and Story of Seasons

It’s not that its a bad game, it’s just that there’s only a few romanceable characters, one of who is practically as a child. She’s 19 apparently but she looks and acts like the literal child characters.

And then the characters have like no dialogue. They have 9 dialogue pieces total, 3 per friendship stage.

I love it but you can’t make characters with 10 sentences. Some of these are the blandest characters I’ve met. Some of their personal stories and quests are good, like Cassandra’s.

But some just make their characters even more blander.

Idk, it’s a fun game. You’re a chemist and make potions and heal people, and you forage for everything and are restoring the area to its former glory. But if you’re looking for friendships and romance it definitely isn’t something I’d suggest.

Also, you have to grind SO MUCH for everything. And your energy goes down fairly fast, especially at later stages, so it takes a long time. I make jokes that TWST is grind central but this game takes that to an extreme.

You spend more time collecting materials than actually having a story, and not in the way that oh you get a quest and have to grind. You have to grind, get 5 sentences of dialogue then have to grind even more.

It’s like all the collecting you do is the story and the dialogue is a side part. Like how the friendships are.

Also another part I was spoiled with is the actual friendships taking part in the game. Friendship doesn’t do anything in this game except for unlock 3 more sentences of dialogue for the character.

And maybe I’m pointing out all the obvious things that are different from stardew because Stardew is one of my favorite games, BUT I have seen multiple people saying “its like Stardew Valley but better”

Where is the better?? Or the like Stardew Valley? It’s an Indie game with foraging and “romance” but that’s where the similarities end.

There’s not even seasons in the game. Like you’d think if someone says a game is “like” Stardew there’d be seasons, but no.

3/5 stars.

The three stars are for

1. Doctor Strange enemies to lovers. I will bash on the crap ass romance, but I love Matheo, so yeah.

2. I really enjoy being a chemist and making potions

3. From what little story we do actually have, I’m enjoying it. There’s a lot of good lore behind all that grinding.