[Preview] Fae Farm – A first look at Phoenix Labs’ enchanting life sim
Posted on 1 year ago by Elias in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Phoenix Labs recently hosted a preview event for their upcoming Switch-exclusive Fae Farm. As only the second game from the developer, it takes a drastically different approach than the team’s first hack-and-slash monster slayer Dauntless. Coming from frantic combat and vicious creatures, Phoenix Labs instead chose a more relaxing and winding experience. Aiming for “cozy,” the mark has been hit fairly well, as upon joining the event I saw the players simply wandering their farm and watching butterflies meander along the fields.
More: Fae Farm, highlight, Phoenix Labs, top
[Preview] Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is bonkers, deeply strategic fun
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was one the plucky plumber’s most unexpected and off-the-wall adventures in a long time when it released in 2017; it quickly became one of my favorite games on the Switch thanks to its simple but satisfying tactics and its delightfully quirky vibes. I was excited to have the opportunity to play its upcoming sequel, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, for nearly four hours at a recent Ubisoft preview event, where I experienced large chunks of the game’s combat, exploration, and story across a handful of different in-game planets. So far, what I’ve played of Sparks of Hope has me feeling confident that the game will be a substantial evolution of everything that made Kingdom Battle so special, and it seems poised to be Mario’s most memorable adventure in quite a while.
[Preview] Hindsight
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
What if the physical objects of every day life, the possessions we hold close, were actual windows to the past? It’s a question that many have thought of as we fiddle with theories of time travel and reminiscing about the days of old, and is also the question that starts off the summary for Hindsight, the new narrative-driven adventure game developed by Joel McDonald and published by Annapurna Interactive. Heirlooms, hand-me-downs, and gifts from loved ones all hold some sort of sentimental value to all of us, regardless of what the object in question may be, and we’re immediately transported through our thoughts to a specific time or memory of a person. What Hindsight does is take that in a more literal sense and uses that as a gameplay mechanic to drive the story forward of the protagonist, Mary, who ultimately faces a part of life we all have or eventually will: handling the belongings of loved ones who are no longer with us. Speaking to McDonald, we had the chance to peer into the game a bit – specifically the second chapter of the game – and get a feel for how the game functions, what it ultimately aims to do, and why this was an important project and story to tell.
More: Annapurna Interactive, highlight, Hindsight, top
[Preview] Roots of Pacha is a deceptively deep village builder set in the Stone Age
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Whenever a new farming-themed game hits the market, the big question that always seems to come up is: what does this game bring to the table that hasn’t already been done by the juggernaut that is Stardew Valley? A lot of times the most obvious difference between games in this genre is the setting, and Roots of Pacha – an upcoming farming game/village builder from indie developer Soda Den – is setting itself apart by going all the way back in time to the Stone Age. During a recent gameplay demo at Summer Game Fest, I got to chat with Soda Den co-founder and lead developer Timo Dadony about just what their upcoming game is trying to accomplish.
Crucially, Roots of Pacha’s unique time period seems to play more of a role in how the game plays rather than merely being set dressing. The game tasks players with building up a clan of villagers at the outset of human innovation, back when very few tools even existed. From this starting point, players will “help your clan develop the ideas that shape humanity” through multiple eras of history all the way through the Iron Age. And while farming is certainly a part of that – as well as inventing the various pieces of equipment to make that happen – it also includes things like developing culture, arts, and even religion as part of a growing society.
More: Crytivo, highlight, Roots of Pacha, Soda Den, top
[Preview] WrestleQuest wants to be an RPG for everyone, not just wrestling fans
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
2017’s Golf Story proved that there is a market for sports-themed RPGs, and Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest is attempting to bring a similar style of retro-themed gameplay and role-playing to the sport of wrestling (or wrasslin’, if you prefer). Rather than taking a serious simulation-focused approach, WrestleQuest leans hard into the absurdity and humor that often takes place in the sport in real life and cranks it all up as high as possible. I had a chance to check out the game at Summer Game Fest recently, and although I don’t yet have a full sense for just how deep WrestleQuest’s RPG mechanics will go, wrestling fans will certainly find a lot to love here.
WrestleQuest takes the concept of idolizing one’s heroes to a literal interpretation, as the protagonist of the game – Muchacho Man – lives in a world where there are giant statues of famous wrestlers scattered all over the place. If you’re familiar with the major names in the history of modern wrestling – Macho Man Savage, Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, etc. – you’ll run across quite a few cameos in the game that you can interact with in some capacity. These real-life athletes act as the main protagonist’s guiding sources of inspiration as he tries to get his wrestling career up and running.
More: highlight, Mega Cat Studios, Skybound Games, top, WrestleQuest
[Preview] Glitch Busters: Stuck on You is a magnetic, clever shooter designed for co-op chaos
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
As someone who mostly plays single-player games, it takes something special for me to really get excited about digging my heels into a cooperative-focused experience. Glitch Busters: Stuck on You, an upcoming cartoon-styled third-person shooter with platforming and puzzle elements, seems to be checking all the right boxes. Not only does it have a striking and vibrant art style that plops 2D character cut-outs into a colorful 3D world, its clever use of magnets as a gameplay mechanic made Glitch Busters one of the most fun games that I played at Summer Game Fest.
[Preview] Desta: The Memories Between is dreamlike strategy dodgeball game where words can (literally) hurt
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
I’ve played games about dodgeball, and I’ve played games set in the subconscious dreams of their protagonists, but I would bet money that Desta: The Memories Between is probably the first game to combine those two concepts. It seems like a strange marriage at first glance, but after sitting down with one of the game’s producers to see the title in action at a Summer Games Fest media event, I’m at the very least intrigued to see how it will all play out.
More: highlight, top, Ustwo Games
[Preview] A Little to the Left makes organizing household objects satisfying
Posted on 2 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
As much as big, cinematic games tend to steal the show around this time of year, perhaps the most interesting game I played at Summer Game Fest this year was A Little to the Left. It’s a quaint, tactile puzzle game about arranging and straightening everyday household objects. The title is a passion project for Max Inferno, a two-person studio that has been developing the game for a little over a year now.
More: A Little to the Left, highlight, Max Inferno, top
[Preview] Time on Frog Island
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
It seems with every passing year we get more and more creative minds in the indie space expanding certain genres and what it means to perceive gameplay within them. One of the more popular areas of growth and reach we’ve seen in recent memory is through the guise of simulators – whether they may be farming sims, life sims, etc. – and how their flexibility can create such a creative playground for forward-thinking ideas that make for cathartic, memorable, and almost addictive experiences. Time on Frog Island, formerly known as Trading Time: A Croak Tale, is next up in a slew of releases in an ever-growing genre that seems to push ideas and the concept of sims forward with each new title – however inspired they may be by the giants of the genre – and it’s a pleasure to have had an early look at the game on Switch to see just where the minds at Half Past Yellow lie and how they’re making their version of what it means to be stranded on an island and having to start from scratch.
[Preview] Neon White is a stylish perspective on speedrunning, parkour, heaven, and hell
Posted on 2 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Interviews, Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Annapurna Interactive has long been one of my favorite publishers with a catalog that’s unrivaled thanks to some of the most unique and memorable games the medium has seen. I’ve always said they’re the video game equivalent of what A24 is to film, and their ability to consistently bring together and showcase talent from a wide array of indie developers is what will always make them stand out within the industry. It’s no surprise then that they’d once again work together with the ever-evolving, consummate artistry that makes of the foundation of Ben Esposito’s creative intellect for his new Switch game, Neon White. With credits under his belt showcasing works across What Remains of Edith Finch, Tattletail, and Donut County, it’s clear that there’s no way to describe his work other than eclectic and forward-thinking, and with our recent invitation to see him personally present Neon White to journalists, it’s clear that the game is set to be another big hit with a game that’s as exciting and refreshing as it is fast and flashy.
