Chelsea
Dec 28, 2022
An Equally Quirky Sports RPG Sequel to Golf Story
Remember Sports Story, the unconventional sports RPG game by Sidebar Games and sequel to the off-the-wall Golf Story? It was announced 3 years ago, and was originally slated for a mid-2020 release. Sidebar Games announced in August 2020, that the game would unfortunately be delayed. Sports Story had grown into a highly ambitious project, and they wanted to ensure every element made it into the game.
In Sports Story, you play as the same main character introduced in the first game. He had given up golf as a kid, but wants to get back into the swing of things. The story in the sequel is a direct continuation of the story from Golf Story. You’ll still be able to embark on a golf adventure in varied locales both ordinary and fantastical. However, the game includes far more activities than just golf.
You’ll enter a renowned tennis academy to become a tennis pro, but you’ll also get to do things like mini-golf, BMX, cricket, volleyball, and even fishing. Make friends, and even enemies, in your quest to become a sports great. Explore dungeons, commit espionage, play mini-games, find buried treasure, and even meet the queen! Don’t forget to compete in the Decasportathon to make Coach proud.
And of course, there’s no lack of the signature quirkiness that made Golf Story so great.
Now Available!
Sidebar Games announced on December 23rd that Sports Story is now available! You can pick up the highly anticipated game on Nintendo Switch!
In case you’re unfamiliar with Golf Story, be sure to check it out. It’s a fun, silly game.
- Dec 23, 2022
Craft, decorate and farm as much as you like alone or with your friends in a fun co-op experience.
The last Nintendo Direct May have been a while ago but it brought a lot of exciting new game announcements. From a new Zelda game, to Pikmin, Kirby, and so much more, there’s a ton of games for players to get excited about.
What I’m personally extremely excited about is the upcoming game Fae Farm a Nintendo Switch exclusive farming and life sim game. There isn’t a ton of information out about it yet, but the little we do know looks great!
Located on the island of Azoria, gather 3 of your friends to play in local wireless or online play to start a magical fae farm together! Customize each of your characters with different physical characteristics and fun clothes. Tend your crops, craft items, or explore the beautiful island of Azoria.
Learn magic and use it in everything you do –fighting enemies, exploring, or tending your farm. Enter dungeons and ruins to uncover the secrets of Azoria’s past. Meet and befriend the variety of townsfolk to learn their stories and complete quests. You can even decorate your Fae Farm homestead with many different decor items!
Coming Spring 2023
This fun title has no specific release date yet, but will be on the Nintendo Switch in the Spring of 2023.
In case you missed it, here is the Nintendo Direct video so you can catch up on all the other game announcements.
Rune Factory meets Final Fantasy
For more even more farm sim fun, check out Harvestella an absolutely stunning take on the farming genre with a sprinkle of Final Fantasy.
- Dec 22, 2022
Calico Receives a New Free Content Update Today!
In case you’ve missed it, Calico is an adorable community sim game where you’re tasked with restoring the town’s cat cafe. Fill the cafe with cute kitties, fun decorations, and delicious pastries. Don’t worry though, this isn’t your typical fast-paced cafe. Calico is a laid-back, low stress game.
Today, Calico received a new, free content update. It not only adds new animals and mini games, but addresses some bugs too. Plus, there’s some updates to the graphics.
Calico is currently available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Epic Games, Humble Store, Itch.io, and Game Jolt.
Pawesome Edition Patch Notes
Feature Updates
- Added over 25 new cooking minigames!
- Added sales bonuses based on minigame speed and score
- Added new animals! (Owl, Cow, Goat, Opossum, Chicken, Alpaca, Sheep)
- Added ability to customize wallpaper and floor of café
- Added new “Outline Potion” rewarded by Prism Break Quest (if you previously finished this quest it will appear in your inventory)
Bug Fixes
- Fixed player getting stuck in swimming animation
- Fixed falling through the ground while dismounting birds
- Fixed inventory preview of some garden furniture
- Fixed some animals appearing to sink into the ground
- Fixed some cases where animal physics and petting were configured wrong
- Fixed issues with teleporting or entering furniture mode while player was in a chair or bed
Miscellaneous
- Improved graphics and new outlines
- Added setting for automatic camera rotation
- New improved UI for character creator
- Improved furniture mover selection, and the ability to place furniture on top of other furniture
- Improved player movement and jumping
- New, improved sound effects, and rebalanced sound effect volume
- Character creator now closes faster if you don’t change skin or face texture
- Renaming animals no longer reloads entire animal journal
- New redesigned café kitchen
- Added new grass
- Animals now run faster
- Improved textures for some animals
- Made all menus compatible with mouse clicking
- Improved button prompt images when playing with an Xbox controller
- Improved performance
For more cat-based fun, checkout other adorable kitty games like Kitaria Fables, Little Kitty, Big City, and Cat Quest II.
- Dec 21, 2022
It’s that time of year where the weather gets a little frightful, and while many people are cozying up with comfy pajamas, and hiding from the weather under warm blankets, it’s the perfect time to play some fun games. Some of you may even be looking for some games to celebrate the winter festivities with. Luckily, there are a few that feed that cozy holiday need. Cozy Grove, Hokko Life, Ooblets, and Disney Dreamlight Valley are all perfect to get into that holiday spirit with.
Cozy Grove
In Cozy Grove, you play as a Spirit Scout, and are camping on an ever-changing haunted island. Wander around the forest, discover secrets, and help the local ghosts. Meet and befriend dozens of characters and ghosts. Explore each character’s story. Collect spirit animals, craft decor, go fishing, and so much more.
And Cozy Grove has a Winter Festival! The festival runs from December 20th to January 23 every year. While it’s active, you can get winter festival themed decorations, clothes, and other items. You can meet snowfolk, craft and give gifts to the bears, and challenge the imps to snowball fights. You can even lure special winter cats into your cat beckoner!
So, dress in your favorite Winter Festival attire, gather some gifts, and go have a snowball fight to celebrate the holiday season!
Cozy Grove is available on Apple Arcade, Steam, Epic Games, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Playstation.
Hokko Life
Hokko Life is an Animal Crossing-inspired life-sim. Spend time building the town and filling it with your favorite villagers, catch bugs, go fishing, and befriend the villagers. What sets this one apart from Animal Crossing, though, is the creative freedom you have! You get to build buildings with the help of the resident builder, and place them wherever you wish. You can also customize the interiors and exteriors of each home by placing furniture you’ve crafted and painted. Use the design table to change the shape and materials of your crafts, and paint them to suit your tastes and vision. Even the clothes can be painted
Paired with the seasonal snow, Hokko Life is a great game to play to get into the holiday spirit, or even just the cozy winter mood. Your town can be redesigned for free, so you can make it the winter wonderland of your dreams! And don’t forget about the seasonal store.
Hokko Life is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and Xbox.
Ooblets
Ooblets is another charming, but weird little game that involves farming, collecting creatures, and dancing. Spend your days growing otherworldly plants on your currently ramshackle farm. Collect pieces of furniture and other design items to use in decorating, and turn your farm into a beautiful homesteading paradise. You’ll also collect and raise odd little creatures called ooblets. Grow your team of alien critters, and compete in dance-offs with them.
Much like the other games, Ooblets has a seasonal Wintertime Event that starts every December 1st, and ends December 31st. Players can travel to Badgetown, where they’ll find the Wintertime Event display. Find and collect the festive bobbles found on the ground around Badgetown, then exchange them at the Wintertime Event gotsapon machines to get an array of wintertime clothing goodies.
Ooblets is available on Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, and Xbox.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Last, but certainly not least, is Disney Dreamlight Valley. Another cozy village life-sim game, Dreamlight Valley offers that classic Disney charm by giving players the opportunity to interact with their favorite characters. Players can spend their time gardening, cooking, fishing, home design, and much more. Complete quests and unlock the doors to the Dream Castle to help the characters return to their homes
Disney Dreamlight Valley is running a seasonal event from December 18th to the 31st called Gift of Giving Event. During this event, players can visit the castle to find a beautiful Christmas tree where they’ll be able to unwrap presents starting December 25th. Each gift will have a fun holiday-themed item. There are also festive quests and festive fishing for players to complete. Plus, players are getting creative in the Frosted Heights area, where they’re taking some beautiful holiday-themed photos.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, Steam, Playstation, and Apple Arcade.
Or, if you’re reminiscing on the end of the year, take a walk down memory lane with 10 Forgotten Animal Crossing Features That Made The Game More Charming And Fun.
- Dec 15, 2022
Cook, Explore, and Play
Clouzy is the world’s first cloud daycare, and you run it! That’s right. Those beautiful, fluffy clouds you see floating in the sky? They’re sentient, and charming creatures! And in this magical world, the clouds require quite a bit of care and attention. It’s a big task, but you’ll learn as you go.
Part of caring for these adorable creatures is cooking for them. You’ll need to learn their preferences and how to cook their favorite items. Go out into the world and search for the freshest ingredients to use, and whip up some tasty dishes for the clouds. They need food to fuel their playtime, after all. Playtime is something else you’ll have to figure out. Each cloud has a preference for playing, too. You’ll also need to play peacekeeper sometimes, and prevent storms from brewing.
If you ever feel overwhelmed by your work at the daycare, you can always go for a walk! Clouzy features a beautiful and colorful open world to explore. Discover a variety of different biomes in your travels. Solve puzzles, find hidden secrets, and make discoveries about the world. You’ll also be able to restore towering structures. And don’t worry about doing anything alone. A companion cloud will help you out!
Available Now!
The Cute cloud daycare game Clouzy is currently out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, Xbox, and Itchi.io.
Don’t forget to check out My Fantastic Ranch or Critter Crops!
- Dec 14, 2022
Run Your Very Own Teahouse
Welcome to charming Pekoe, where you are the newest resident in town. You’re also the new owner of the local teahouse. Being the owner of a teahouse come with its own challenges, but don’t worry too much. As you play, you’ll learn all about teas and how to successfully run the teahouse.
Not only do you brew the teas to serve, but you’ll learn how to harvest tea leaves too. Learning what leaves on which plants to pick, and when it’s the best time to harvest them will help you create the best teas for your customers. There are also numerous ceremonies and rituals to perform, never mind the many different types of tea you can brew and recipes you can combine! Plus, it’s full of adorable cats.
There are over 10 unique cat characters in Pekoe for you to meet too. Serve them up the teas you brew, even the experimental ones! Just remember each character does have their own likes and dislikes. Visit seven different teahouses to learn from each one, and different beautiful tea cups to serve your drinks in. And don’t forget about your teahouse. You can upgrade it and customize it to suit your tastes! Unlock new items as you help the townsfolk while you play, and make your teahouse comfy-cozy.
Coming 2023
Sadly, the adorably relaxing Pekoe won’t be released until sometime in 2023. There’s no specific date listed. When it does come available, you’ll find it on Steam, where you can currently wishlist it.
For more cat game fun, there’s Mineko’s Night Market, Cat Cafe Manager, and Cats and Soup.
- Dec 8, 2022
Endless Seasons and Romance
In case you’ve missed seeing anything about Wylde Flowers, here’s my review on it, but Wylde Flowers is a relaxing, and enchanting simulation game where you play as city girl Tara. Having spent her childhood in Fairhaven, Tara isn’t unfamiliar with the small island town, but is brand new to the concept of farming and caring for animals. She’s willing to learn, though, in order to restore Grandma Hazel’s farm to what it once was. That’s why she’s back in Fairhaven, after all.
That’s not all though. Tara’s also a new witch! As it turns out, it runs in the family, and Grandma Hazel is a witch too. Now, Tara must learn how to live life in a small town, restore the family farm, and learn how to brew potions and cast spells. And do all of this while building friendships with the people of Fairhaven, solving the mysteries of the island, and potentially dating a new love interest.
One of the downsides in Wylde Flowers, which I mentioned in my review, is that once you’ve reached Spring 2, that’s it. You’re no longer able to change the seasons. So, if you haven’t gathered enough of the seasonal items throughout your play through, then you’re out of luck. There’s also a distinct lack of romantic interactions with your partner, especially after marriage.
However, the developers over at Studio Dry Dock listened to fans and will be releasing the Endless Seasons and Romance update, free, across all platforms. With this update, players will be able to change the seasons at will, as many times as they wish after completing the story! So no more worrying about content you missed. Plus, you’ll be able to take your partner on dates around town, and deepen your connection with repeatable affection animations.
Update Coming Early 2023
The free Wylde Flowers update is planned for early 2023, with no specific date given. You can find the game on Apple Arcade, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.
- Dec 7, 2022
Cook Colorful Creations
In Yum Yum Cookstar, you’ll join chef Yum Yum in the kitchen to learn and create a variety of wonderful dishes. Take time to learn different cooking techniques from something as simple as cracking an egg, to knife skills, and even frying or grilling. There’s not a shortage of cooking techniques.
Once you’ve learned the appropriate cooking skills, you can make a fairly large assortment of recipes. There’s fun rainbow-color desserts like Rainbow Waffles and Unicorn Cupcake Cones. There’s also some savory dishes to prepare, like Falafel Pita, Sushi Burrito, and Japanese Summer Noodle Salad. Then, you present your creations to the judges to receive a score. It is a competition, after all!
Gameplay
The overall gameplay for Yum Yum Cookstar is fairly easy. You get a few options on what controls to use on the Nintendo Switch, which I found useful. I used the touch screen and Joy-Con controls. So, mixing and the swiping mini games were done via touch screen, while others like rinsing used the thumbstick, and baking used the Joy-Con buttons. While my rhythmic abilities are lacking, the touch screen made it easier for me than trying to use the buttons for everything.
You’ll need to learn some cooking techniques before you can work on recipes. Then, as you complete sets of recipes, you’ll unlock more cooking techniques, which unlocks more recipes to cook. You can learn each technique in a tutorial level with an unhurried atmosphere and no pressure. You can also revisit the technique’s tutorial to replay it at any time if you need a refresher.
After you’ve finished learning the techniques, you’re ready to cook the real recipes! Both The techniques and recipes involve playing a mini game. Many of the cooking techniques are rhythm-based mini games, which is fun. There’s a playful and unique soundtrack for the game that’s both relaxing and upbeat. I unfortunately am not rhythmic, so I never scored perfectly!
I would have liked to see more variety in mini games, though. It gets fairly repetitive the longer you play, because the techniques are always done one specific way. For example, stirring is always swiping left and right, swiping up and down, and making circles on the screen. There’s no change in that, or the order it happens during the mini game.
The Judges
The personalities of the judges are almost as wide an array as the different types of recipes. Max Picante is the fun, light-hearted judge who’s easy to please. Basil Wellington is the snobby restaurant critic who demands absolute perfection and will test your skills. Then, there’s ambrosia, the pop star who is the middle ground between the other two judges and gives a more fair assessment.
What’s fun is that National Lampoon is responsible for the lines the judges say throughout the game. And sometimes, they throw out some funny responses. The disappointment I’ve gotten when I’ve failed tasks has been entertaining.
Final Thoughts
Yum Yum Cookstar is bright and colorful, and a perfectly casual game with the choice to have a no-stress play through. Or if you like a challenge, there’s different difficulty levels to try. It did fall a little flat for me, though.
The cooking techniques were repetitive, though that makes it easy to practice the activities to get perfect scores! Sometimes the number of mini games per recipe made it feel like an eternity making that recipe. My biggest complaint, though, is the long loading screens that occur between each segment of cooking and each segment of cut scenes. That really made the game feel like it dragged on. There’s some really fun art to look at on the loading screens, though!
However, the variety of recipes Yum Yum Cookstar has is wholly welcome and enjoyable. The vastly different personalities of the judges made their scenes entertaining, and it gives the game a competition feel. Overall, it’s a pretty good game to just pick up and play when you have a moment to fill, or are bored but aren’t looking for something more involved.
Epic Chef is another cute cooking game to checkout!
