Jan 11, 2024Snack Size News
Magical Harvest is a farming and life sim with a magical twist and fantasy races of people. Set in the fantasy world of Hyldena, a magical accident erased magic from the world. Magical plants and creatures disappeared as a result. This lead to scarce food supplies and despair. Even the gods have turned their backs on the living, but perhaps you can help restore magic to the world and save everyone.
In Magical Harvest, you run your very own farm. Grow and harvest different crops, both normal types and unique ones. You’ll discover their magical evolutions, too. You’ll also encounter 27 different breeds of animals, including dragons, that you can crossbreed. Fish for a variety of fish species, then cook them up in some tasty dishes. Get to know a variety of characters, each with their own personalities and backgrounds, and fall in love with one if you’re so inclined. And of course you get to design and create your dream farm!
You can find Magical Harvest on Steam, where you can Wishlist it. It does not have a release date yet.
Fae Farm is another magical farming sim you might like.
Jan 11, 2024Indie Highlight
Gaucho and the Grassland is a charming farm game where you grow crops and breed animals. Collect the necessary resources to build your farm, and craft what you need to complete quests. Even build homes for NPCs as you explore the land. Then, solve mysteries as you embark on this grand homesteading adventure.
With Cusco, the dog, and Alazão, the horse, embark on an adventure to collect the necessary materials to build your farm. Cusco will use his keen sense of smell to hunt down hidden treasures of Gaucho and the Grassland. Alazão will haul you around the map, plus he’ll herd some animals for you. Utilize your lasso to capture animals, too. Can’t have an empty barn, after all! Build your homestead exactly how you want it and in whatever biome you choose using the build mode. Then, dive into the Latin American folklore present in the game by getting to know the mystical beings and their realms.
There’s a lot to do and uncover in this game!
Gaucho and the Grassland is listed on Steam where you can add it to your Wishlist and check out the free demo. There is no release date available.
Check out Farmwand and Little-Known Galaxy while you’re at it!
Jan 10, 2024Reviews
The year is 1986 and you play as Meredith Weiss as she takes a step back from her busy tech career to deliver mail in her hometown. Lake follows Meredith as she returns to her lovely home town of Providence Oaks, Oregon, a sleepy lake-side town with just a few residents. You’re filling in for your dad for the next two weeks as you explore the town and get to know the residents. Some are friendly new faces, and some are familiar pals you grew up with. Deliver mail during the day, then spend your after work hours keeping to yourself or hanging out with friends. There are no wrong or right answers in this game, but they all shape your experience!
I found Lake to be somewhat frustrating at first. You walk SO slowly, and there’s not a ton to do besides deliver mail and talk to people. Then I realized, that’s the point. In a world full of high adrenaline platformers and fighting games, this one forces you to slow down and enjoy the simple things in the world around you. There are no cell phones or modern computers to distract you. You deliver mail in a gorgeous town, build relationships with the townspeople, and just take in the scenery. Plus, driving around is fun, and the autopilot feature allows for some great sightseeing.
This is an ideal walking simulator, really. The mountains in the distance paired with the lovely wooded areas of town, and the idyllic small-town are so peaceful and perfect to just stroll through. The sun shining adds a relaxing atmosphere to the unhurried little town. Plus, there’s no timer or clock to compete with. Lake doesn’t have you on a schedule to deliver to each house by a certain time or within a certain limit. You can just get to it when you get to it, so take the scenic route around the lake! When you’ve finished your mail route and any side tasks you want to complete, you can return to the post office to end the day. Then, you’ll have the chance to hang out with friends or chill out at home. Rinse and repeat.
The graphics in the game aren’t top tier, mind-blowing by any means. However, the scenery is still beautiful. Providence Oaks is adorable, and driving through some of the tree-lined roads is highly cathartic. Lake’s homes and their yards border on perfection, which makes them a little too cookie-cutter, but they’re well designed. The character’s facial features seem a little plastic as only the eyes and mouth move, but they’re always well dressed. The clothing choices often scream ‘80s, which helps with setting the time period. Otherwise, there isn’t a ton that makes the game feel like it’s in the ‘80s besides some of the movie posters at the rental store.
As for the audio, Lake’s mail truck is equipped with a radio that plays country-pop songs. Thankfully, you can toggle the radio on and off, because the songs are far from my idea of enjoyable. They often were too loud for my tastes, too. I would have much preferred some ambient muzak or lo-fi jams, but these songs are fairly on-brand for the time. They felt overpowering, though. The music didn’t fade into the background and mix with the scenery to create the perfect relaxing experience.
Overall, I really enjoyed Lake. It was relaxing and set in a gorgeous area. I know many people had issues with glitches early on, but I’m guessing they’ve been patched out by now as I had no issues. Engaging in a short story delivered through character interactions made it easy to learn who people were while getting some backstory on Meredith, too. Plus, no timer or clock lets me chill out and explore and get things done at my own pace. It really allowed me to just take in the scenery.
If you enjoy walking simulators with little to do gameplay-wise, and enjoy slower games, this is for you!
I give it:
You can find Lake on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Jan 10, 2024Indie Highlight
Neva is the moving tale of a young woman named Alba. Play as Alba as she sets out on an emotional journey about identity and growth. With her wolf companion by her side, she’s searching for a new home. The world is being overcome by dark forces, and those forces also threaten to overwhelm the pair at every step. Determined to defeat the darkness, you and the wolf cub will explore a dying world in search of a new home. As your journey goes on, the cub will grow from a rebellious cub, to an adult who seeks to forge his own adult image, challenging the relationship he has with you. Although you love your wolf companion, his growing up strains your friendship. It will take love and compassion to overcome all obstacles.
Armed with courage, steadfastness, and fortitude, will you make it to a new home safely and together?
You can find Neva on Steam where you can add it to your Wishlist. There is currently no release date, though. It’s also been announced for Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.
Mirth Island is another heartfelt adventure.
Jan 10, 2024Indie Highlight
Moonstone Island is an open-world creature collecting life sim full of adventure and encounters. You move to an island in the sky as part of your village’s traditions to set out learning alchemy. Aside from alchemy training, you’ll befriend people, explore hundreds of procedurally generated islands, farm, brew potions, and tame spirits!
On your adventures, you’ll meet a host of new people whom you can befriend. Work to become a member of the community, but listen to your heart, too. Some of the NPCs are dateable. So, go out on some fun dates and perhaps even fall in love! Travel via balloon, broom, or glider to Moonstone Island’s hundreds of unique islands featuring different biomes. On those islands you’ll discover secrets and find over 70 types of spirits to tame. There’s even dungeons you can challenge to earn upgrades and treasures. And when you’re not out and about, take some time to relax at home where you can customize everything, as well as build your own little farm.
Ready to set out on a new creature-collecting adventure?
You can find Moonstone Island on Steam now. A Switch version is expected sometime this year!
Take a look at Autonauts and While the Iron’s Hot, too!
Jan 10, 2024Indie Highlight
Homestead Arcana is set in a stunning world where deadly Miasma threatens life. You play as a farmer witch who settles on the land that this mysterious Miasma corrupted. Spend your days discovering the secrets behind the appearance of the Miasma, as well as caring for your farm by planting and harvesting crops. Then, heal the land of the deadly mystery plaguing it.
Explore areas of Homestead Arcana that are covered in the dangerous Miasma to go toe-to-toe with deadly creatures. Learn why the Miasma came about, but also find fun new things! Venture into the corrupted land to find new plants, seeds, spells, and recipes. You might also find some useful knowledge along the way. Prepare those spells to ready yourself for your toxic adventure.
Homestead Arcana is currently available on Steam and Xbox!
If you’re looking for more witchy games, check out Witchy Life Story, Spells & Secrets, and Grimoire Groves.
Jan 4, 2024Indie Highlight
Welcome guests to your cozy little inn on the shores of a beautiful lake in Alpine Lake! Build and decorate your inn. Explore the beautiful mountainous alpine region with a faithful companion. Help the local community, fish, and grow crops for recipes too. Don’t forget to entertain your guests to keep them happy!
Only your imagination sets the limit for your new inn. Take control and build your cozy business from the ground up. Literally! Create your ideal floor plan, build walls, throw on a roof, and you’re ready to get decorating. Engage with unique characters and their interesting backstories as they check in to your inn, and provide them with their own slice of heaven in the comfort of their own room. Then, explore the expansive alpine region available to you in Alpine Lake and uncover treasures and resources. Even take your adorable dog on a hike with you! Support the locals by sending your guests to their businesses. And grow your own farm, cook, fish, craft, and take photos in your spare time!
Alpine Lake is coming to Steam sometime this year!
Little-Known Galaxy is another farming sim with a different look to it!
Jan 4, 2024Snack Size News
Inspired by classic tabletop roleplaying games, Baladins is a choose your own adventure perfect for all skill levels and ages. Set out on a quest as one of the Baladins: the cook, the luxomancer, the dancer, or the pyro. Their quest? To entertain the masses, of course! Wander from town to town to fulfill this mission as you make choices that will shape your story.
Each character brings their own unique set of skills to the table, and you can further improve them by making choices and picking up items. None of your decisions are inherently good or bad, but every single one shapes your outcome. And if you prefer to play with others, you and up to three friends can play together online or locally! Plus, whether you play solo or cooperatively, Baladins offers gameplay that you can complete at your own pace. And of course, there’s a dragon!
Baladins is coming to Steam this year!
Ages of Cataria is another choose your own adventure!