News
Oct 5, 2023
I had the chance to try out the dotAGE demo recently, and I have to say that it was quite fun! In this game you play as the Elder. You had a vision of doom, so took several of your fellow Pips (people) with you in search of safety. You find an empty, but flourishing valley to restart life in, and it’s your job to ensure your Pips survive the events foretold by the Prophecy you saw!
dotAGE blends turn-based village building and rogue-like survival to create an engaging experience. There’s not a moment where I was bored playing the demo. Every moment is full of trying to prepare and survive. You’ll direct your Pips to complete tasks like gathering food, building new homes or other useful buildings, herding animals, growing crops, and much more. The goal is to build a thriving new settlement that can survive the doom foretold by the Prophecy.
Plus, each run of dotAGE will be different. The Elder’s memories are unclear, so what you experience in one run may not be what you experience in another run. This keeps the game fresh and replayable. You can also change the difficulty of your gameplay to further challenge yourself and master the game, or just enjoy a cozy pixel graphics city builder in the easier mode. It’s up to you!
Available Now
dotAGE is available now on Steam! You can check out the demo before buying, too.
Parkitect, Havendock, and Autonauts are other great resource management games to try!
- Oct 4, 2023
Next up in the Halloween recommendations is Mutazione!
Over 100 years ago, the “Moon Dragon” meteor struck a popular tropical resort town. Those who survived began developing unique mutations. At first, rescue teams tried to help. As they retreated, however, the survivors created a small isolated community called Mutazione. And now you play as Kai, a 15-year-old who’s traveling to the community to take care of her ailing grandfather, Nonno. Except, Nonno has other plans for Kai.
Spend your days helping grandfather Nonno as his health fails him. Make new friends with the other inhabitants of Mutazione. Even plant musical gardens and trade seeds with them. Also attend BBQs, boat trips, and band nights to get to know the town. But most importantly, embark on a journey to save the people from the lurking darkness. Secrets and betrayals simmer under the surface of this friendly community, and it just might tear them apart.
They survived an apocalypse, but they might not survive the small-town drama!
Available Now
You can find this charming supernatural story on Steam, Epic, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
More Halloween game suggestions can be found here!
- Sep 27, 2023
Play as Percival “Percy” Bilkin in this beautiful adventure puzzle game, Bilkins’ Folly. Percy is a treasure hunter on a mission to find out what happened to his mother and grandfather, both of whom mysteriously disappeared years ago. The problem is, his ship just got wrecked in a major storm, and now he has to find a new ship, reunite with his crew, and then resume his investigations. And of course, dig up hidden treasures along the way.
Bilkins’ Folly is a lovely narrative adventure that follows Percy and his trusty dog companion, Drayton. You’ll team up with your canine friend to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Percy’s family. Spend quality time with Drayton to level up your bond and earn points to spend on new skills. These skills can be used to clear puzzles. Also use Percy’s cartography skills to customize your map. This will help you solve puzzles, some of which you might need to come back to later in the game!
Socialize with the inhabitants you encounter, just remember they’ll remember how you treat them. Recruit aspiring sailors to join your crew. Fish for fun sea creatures and even enter treasure hunting contests to earn rewards. Play a number of different minigames in Bilkins’ Folly, too, like sheep herding, lock picking, and more!
And yes, you can pet the dog.
Coming Soon
Bilkin’s Folly is set to release in just 5 short days on October 2nd! You’ll find it on Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.
A Tiny Sticker Tale is an adorable adventure game you should also check out!
- Sep 20, 2023
If you haven’t taken a moment to check out Dredge, let alone play it, you really should. I have a review here that you can read, but it’s a spooky, cozy fishing adventure that really nails just about everything. You play as the captain of your very own fishing trawler as you explore a set of mysterious and remote islands, as well as the deep sea that surrounds them. Sell what you catch to the local markets, and spend your hard-earned money on boat upgrades that will allow you to carry more cargo, go faster, and fish deeper. While you’re at it, unravel the mystery surrounding the islands by talking to the inhabitants and completing missions. Just, be careful about being out at night. You might not enjoy what lurks in the darkness.
The Latest Update
Dredge has already released one paid DLC, called Blackstone Key, which gives players access to the locked workshop on Blackstone island, as well as a new engine option and talisman. However, the devs have recently released a new free update! This is actually their third free update, and this update includes some fun stuff, plus bug fixes.
This new update for Dredge now lets players customize their boat! After you acquire the dredge crane as part of the main quest line, you can head on over to Little Marrow where a new character has set up shop. The Painter will be able to make adjustments to the appearance of your boat. He starts with some basic options, but you’ll be able to unlock more as you discover paint ingredients. Dig through the different shipwrecks, including the new ones added with this update, to find different flags. You can then take those flags to The Painter to have them recolored and displayed on your boat. The Painter will also allow you to change the bunting that’s displayed (the little garland of triangle flags), including the color of it, too.
Previous Updates
The Painter being added is the biggest, and best part of this update. However, Dredge does now have crab aberrations, or crabberations as per the Steam update page. As well as a new filter to the Encyclopedia to display crabs, which brings me to the other two free updates. The first free update added map zoom and map pins, so you can set one of 50 markers in 6 different types on the map to have reminders for yourself. They can also be viewed through the Spyglass. The second free update added Photo Mode, so you can take pictures of the different creatures you come across. These include 10 new aberrations and 8 new types of wildlife, and now the crab aberrations! There’s also a Passive Mode, so you don’t have to worry about the things that lurk in the night for a more relaxing experience!
These are some great additions to an already great game. Plus, Dredge announced their next paid DLC, Ironhaven. This DLC will feature the mysterious Ironhaven Corporation who’s looking to establish a drilling operation in the area to revitalize the towns. Their ultimate goal, however, is unknown, and you may yet uncover it through meeting new characters and helping the company build its operation!Available Now
You can find Dredge on Steam, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox!
- Sep 14, 2023
Palia is a free-to-play cozy MMO all about farming, cooking, fishing, and more. Expand your homestead and build a gorgeous home for yourself, while you’re at it. Play solo or with friends and immerse yourself in a beautiful new world full of interesting characters and compelling storylines.
August 10th, 2023 saw Palia enter the Open Beta phase, and the developers over at Singularity 6 have spent a lot of time patching bugs. This month also saw the very first game-wide event called the Maji Market. Players are able to set off mesmerizing fireworks, buy some tasty treats, complete a few quests, and take part in the Chappa Chase!
What’s New
Now, Palia has had its first update since entering Open Beta, and it’s got some fun content. Players can now explore the Temple of Flames and complete the bundles it has. Finish all four bundles to receive the very special Ancient Rock Garden item that can be placed in your yard. The fabled Kitsuu will visit the rock garden, and you can offer up items to it once a day for a chance at some rewards. Even more fun is that players can now befriend Tau, Hassian’s canine companion. You’ll even receive a cute Tau plushie for completing his friendship quests!
That’s not all this Palia update has to offer, though. You can pick up a brand new furniture set, the Emberborn Set. In celebration of the Temple of Flames being added, this new set is a beautiful, fiery addition to anyone’s home. Zeki’s Wondrous Machine has new items for you to win, too. And you can now multi-craft recipes on the workbench, which is such a relief to me. I couldn’t efficiently flood my plot of land with torches before! Players can now grow corn and spicy peppers in their gardens, as well as cook a number of new dishes:
There’s also some cosmetic shop updates, which you can read about, as well as a list of fixed bugs, and a list of known bugs that are being worked on. You can access all of that, plus the full patch notes here on their website!
- Sep 13, 2023
I’ve previously played the cute Everdream Valley, and written a review. At the time, the game was far from a finished product. It was pretty empty and had some other issues. Even as I wrote the review, the devs, Mooneaters, added some features that improved the quality of life of the game. And now, they’ve released a roadmap of new features they intend to work on implementing!
October Update
October brings a great update that includes fast travel! One of my chief complaints was how big the Everdream Valley map is, making adventuring a little tiresome because running everywhere was the only option. The developers have been listening, though, and fast travel is certainly an exciting new addition that will improve the game. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. You’ll get access to a new lawnmower tool that allows you to tidy up lawns and hedges. Which sounds like a great way to further decorate and personalize your farm. You’ll be getting new plants to decorate with too! Add some charm and vibrancy to your little farm with a riot of natural colors.
Then there’s my favorite part. A Halloween event! Get spooky with fun new items and decorations. Even get dressed up in costumes. I can’t wait for that. There’s nothing like making your home cozy with pumpkins and ghosts. Perhaps the best update, however, if the addition of multiplayer! That’s right, you and your friends will be able to team up to play Everdream Valley together. There’s no word now on how many people can play in multiplayer as the feature is currently in beta, but even just making it two players would be great.
Roadmap
As for the rest of the intended updates, here’s the list straight from Everdream Valley’s Steam page:
- Aug 17, 2023
Welcome to the fabled Grimoire Groves! The witches just couldn’t wait to move to the beautiful magical forest. According to old myths, the forest is full of magical creatures and plants. But when the witches arrived, they realized something was off about their new home. The forest spirits are absent and there are only a few plant creatures around. They should be abundant! Not all hope is lost, though. With some dedication, a little investigation, and useful magic, the witches ought to be able to restore the groves!
Play as one of those witches and embark on a journey in a fantasy world to restore the forest of Grimoire Groves. Spend time unlocking magical spells to complete your very own grimoire. Mix and match the spells to find the perfect combination of magic for you. Even work on mastering the balance between all four elements.
Then, use your magic to grow a variety of plant creatures. They look cute, but they’re certainly demanding! You’ll need to master control of your magic, learn critical timing, and even use careful positioning. It’s your job to learn and understand the needs of the creatures of Grimoire Groves in order to harvest the fruit they produce. That fruit will be used in crafting new spells and items.
It’s also up to you to find the hidden mystical spirits of Grimoire Groves. They need a new home, and your cottage is awfully cozy! Decorate your home to help boost their powers, and yours, so they can bring balance back to the forest. Perhaps even unravel the mystery of the fabled rainbow sock!
Coming Soon
Grimoire Groves is coming soon to Steam and Switch!
Craving more witchy games? Wylde Flowers, Witchy Life Story, and Witchbrook are all great options!
- Aug 16, 2023
Just under a month ago, the Neopets Team announced the nostalgic pet sim game was undergoing a lot of changes. This includes new management. You can see the full announcement and information here. There were also promises to overhaul the website and bring it back to life. And they’ve already made good on one of those promises.
Games! We can play the full library of games again! The Neopets Team have announced that Ruffle, a Flash Player emulator, is now being used on the website. This emulator allows you to get back to playing all of your favorite Neopets games to earn those sweet, sweet Neopoints. Here’s the official statement about it:
I’m personally most excited about getting back to playing Meerca Chase!
