Yvonne van Geloven's Reviews
As I mentioned in the intro, I was looking for a Style Boutique-like game. Fashion Boutique does have a bit of store management included, but it lacks stock management. You don’t shop for clothes keeping an eye on fashion trends. In this game, you make the clothes yourself by doing mini-games. That can get repetitive but luckily once a pattern is mastered, you don’t have to do the mini-game for that particular item anymore. The game has wide variety of things to unlock and expand, and works hard to keep the gamer entertained. It’s visually not as pleasing however, and feels a bit empty and rough around the edges. In the end I do like the game, keeping in mind its intended younger audience. You can easily fritter away the hours while working on your stock and keeping your customers happy. I do feel that the American price is fair, but the European price point is a bit high for my taste.
Love romantic stories? This is one with a twist. Not into overly romantic? This visual novel brings an interesting story to the table, so it may still be one to go for. Can you tell I’m loving this game? Aksys have a tendency of bringing us the best visual novels, and Café Enchanté is no exception.
It’s a pity the game is let down by the translation. It feels like they didn’t pay enough attention to that, giving it a good translation would make the game much more enjoyable. Which brings me to my conclusion: I’m a bit torn. If you like fashion and you are into the anime style, then I’d say this is a good game. Not a great one, for that it needs more spit and polish. If you want your fashion game more along the lines of Style Boutique, then maybe this isn’t the one for you. Still, SELFY COLLECTION is very much about making combinations with the 5,000 items you can collect and about making your own avatar amazing. Even though I’m more on the Style Boutique side, I like the dress up factor.
What influences my opinion is that this is, after all, a platformer at heart. The challenges got more difficult the farther I went in, to a point where I despaired of ever progressing. But, it doesn’t seem fair to reflect the fact that I’m awful at platforming gameplay in the final verdict. So I will say: if you like platformers and like a bit of food for thought, this is a great game. If you are bad at platforming, then you may have to find someone in your family to help you along in tight spots to enjoy the entire story.
Looking back at Emily’s review of Country Tales, I couldn’t help but notice how similar the games are. It’s just a new theme, but the rest of the gameplay seems the same. I can only confirm what she concludes: if you like these kinds of games, and want to have another fix of making the right choices to get it all done, this is a nice new one. It doesn’t however add anything new to the genre. For myself, I can conclude I like management games of the city builder type better. Because of that, I am going for a neutral verdict.
The music is Batu ta Batu is good, something of the contemplating kind, sometimes more rousing. I must admit I turned the sound down in endless mode, only made me more rushed. The game’s graphics are fairly simple and the gameplay looks easy. The game is harder to master then it looks though. If you are a fan of these puzzle games it offers a lot of fun gameplay and lots of content.
A Short Hike offers a wholesome experience for a small price. Though the game is short, it’s worth every penny. Put yourself in Claires shoes (do bluebirds wear shoes?) and explore this lovely landscape. Meet all kinds of characters and help them in their quest. Most of all: glide through the air, truly as free as a bird!
A game that keeps me playing for just one more turn, and then one more, even when I’m tired after a long day is a great game in my book. Niche – A Genetics Survival Game isn’t a game for everyone. Of course, you can dive in and just create your family without keeping the genetics in mind. But the deeper I delved, the more the game appealed to me. Notebook at the ready, keeping track of what genes I wanted to strive for, making choices to make the gene pool stable and strong. I love it. So if you like a game that you can sink your teeth in, and you love planning, strategising and playing around to get the best results, then Niche is your game. No fighting (well, aside from defending yourself from a predator), no violence, taking your time and trying to get a thriving tribe of Nichelings while exploring the surroundings. It will make for many, many hours of gaming fun.
I am enjoying my time in Mineral Town. The game is charming, the characters feel real and who can resist those round cute chickens and cows? No doubt this game will bring many happy memories to gamers who started their gaming life playing this game on their GBA. If, like me, you have never played it before, you can expect a good farming sim on the Switch. It doesn’t have the building aspect of later Story of Seasons games and if you are a Stardew Valley fan, you may find it too light hearted. But Friends of Mineral Town is a good Story of Seasons entry with heaps of nostalgia to boot.
Summer in Mara is a simulation adventure of the kind that the Switch still needs more entries of in its library. When you debate whether or not Summer in Mara is for you, you have to keep this in mind: you don’t play the game to go from A to B. You don’t play it to just to do all the quests and live the adventure. No, you do the quests to make the Home Island of Koa more beautiful, more bountiful and a real home. And meanwhile, you discover new islands, learns the story of new people and live through new adventures. We have all been a little spoiled in simulation gaming by Animal Crossing: New Horizons but you must remember this game is made by a small studio. It is clearly a project of love, so well made into the little details. Yes, there are some bugs to repair and there are some parts I’d like to see added, like a fully functioning inside of Koa’s home. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that I love playing it:
A very refreshing puzzler, with a fun combination of story-line and RPG elements. The game works well on the Switch, so it’s a good game to play on the go or for “just one more puzzle” during your morning cup of coffee. A funny story-line, a dollop of humor in the writing, many, many puzzles, and a nice way of including the puzzle element. I have to say that Piczle Cross Adventures is a game that should be on every puzzle gamer’s Switch!
To be honest, they are all pretty much the same aside from the touristic value. So if you are new to the series and want to see if it’s for you, I’d say go for the first game, A Paris Tour. Just for the sole reason of pricing: the first game is now € 4,99, the second € 6,99 and this one € 7,99. I’m having fun playing the puzzles again, but I would have liked it if they had introduced something new. It’s the same modus of porting the game as is to the Switch, with the same problem of the super responsive button. But if casual gaming is your thing, the kind of little puzzle that will accompany your morning cup of coffee, then I’d say give it a try. I feel it will be money well spent for hours and hours of logic gameplay in the Travel Mosaics series.
Don’t go into the game thinking you’ll do some mindless gaming. Because of the mixed up timelines, familiar faces and tie-ins between the three couples Half Past Fate needs your attention. Like I did, you’ll no doubt have a favorite couple. Whether it’s Rinden and Mara, Bia and Milo or Ana and Jaren, all the stories are interesting. If you like story based games, solving puzzles and are in the mood little romance to go with it, you really can’t go wrong with Half Past Fate.
You could say that this third game of the Dusk series is the best one, with the movable camera and so many familiar faces that you already know from past games. I however would be hard pressed to choose the one I love most. It would feel like pointing out my favourite child! Maybe I should conclude that Atelier Shallie offers the most for your buck, as the storylines of the two heroines differ enough for you to play the game twice. If you like turnbased RPG with crafting included, and aren’t afraid of lots of texts, these three games are great ones to find out if you are an Atelier fan yourself.
Marooners is party game that made its entrance on the Nintendo Switch. Visualy, the game looks good. The characters are cute, and the levels look well designed. The idea of the gameplay is a good one, but for me, it was just too frantic and quick paced. I can imagine this game being a hoot for younger kids, but for us it didn’t feel very satisfying. Combined with the price, I feel the game is too costly for what is offered.
The Nintendo Switch has a large collection of logic puzzles in its library. Games for when you don’t feel like button mashing, don’t feel like tending the farm or jumping from platform to platform. OmoTomO is a new addition to the eShop, one that not only helps you exercise the grey cells. Plus, it’s also designed to feel like you are in a Zen garden: time for some peace and quiet!
The storyline is different, and the fact that both protagonists spend their time working for a company sometimes makes it feel more like a management game. But the characters that accompany you on your assignments are likeable and each have their own story to tell. The fans of the series will see many familiar faces, like Marion, Linca and Wilbell. I like the interaction between Escha and Logy and the mystery that has to be unraveled. The visuals, gameplay, soundtrack and combination of synthesising, battling and the story made it into a great experience for me.
If you are an Atelier fan, Atelier Ayesha is a good addition to your collection. In every Atelier game the synthesis and battle system is slightly different. Still, I feel Atelier Ayesha is the game that made an impact on me mainly because of the story. Plus, every Atelier game is unique because of the character, and Ayesha really is my kind of girl! So I’ll stick to my verdict from all those years ago:
Over the years I have been known to enjoy my management games: simulation games where time is of the essence and trying to manage your own business in the best way and fastest way you can. Somehow, most often the action takes place in a restaurant of sorts, serving customers their food, prepping it as quickly as you can and make sure the customers leave happy. In 2019 three games that follow that same formula came to the Nintendo Switch: Food Truck Tycoon, Burger Chef Tycoon and Pizza Bar Tycoon. Now, the three games are bundled into one and have landed once again on the Switch. Let's see how these management simulation games hold up!
Waku Waku Sweets: a cooking game that came to the 3DS in 2018, and followed on the Switch that same year. The most well known cooking game is Cooking Mama, one that my daughter loves to bits. But now that Waku Waku Sweets on Switch has landed in retail as well, let’s see how this “other” title holds up: is it a clone, or does it bring something new to the table?