Yvonne van Geloven's Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
This isn’t your average Visual Novel, no over the top romance with hot guys, but a more realistic approach to friendships and potential relationships in old age. Though in some of the chapters, realism is far away! Poignant, sad at times, and with some dollops of sarcastic humour Later Daters makes for a special game. A pity that it’s so short, even with the DLC added.
The game might get repetitive after a while as there are no other sim elements included, though leveling up and the constant stream of new items does keep you interested. Keep in mind that Pretty Princess Party is primarily aimed at a younger audience, but if you are looking for cute and colorful laid back gameplay you might be interested as well. I’m pretty sure it will make a fine addition to many Christmas stockings!
When I reviewed the mobile game on the iPad I wrote: “I can’t help but think that this game would be a wonderful game to add to the Switch library”. I got my wish, Evolution is a great board game turned into a video game. It will give you the choice of what platform to play on, depending on the money you want to spend and your eyesight!
With Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Gust and Koei Tecmo have delivered again. This new game can be played on its own, though you’ll have to learn a lot to master it all in a short time. For me, there’s never a dull moment in the game and I love the new additions like the Exploration Diary. You won’t be surprised that Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is the best of the best for me.
Harvest Moon: One World isn’t part of the long standing series of games that went on under the name Story of Seasons in the West some years ago. Nevertheless, it focuses on the same game idea and audience. While I’m not sure it’s a good idea to seek competition with Story of Seasons by releasing in the same month, I did like my time in One World. Is it as good as as Story of Seasons games? No it’s not. In comparison the world feels empty and the characters a bit flat. The dating scene could use some sprucing up too. But judged on its own by this farming simulation fan I can honestly say I enjoyed it. The developers tried out some novel ideas, like the Expando-Farm. And not having to bother with scrolling through your pocket for the right tool: the game always does the right action at the right time. An excellent range of various crops and a new way to get your seeds. The farming itself really felt fresh to me. So even though I wonder if the price point isn’t a bit high and the opinions on the internet vary quite a bit on Harvest Moon: One World I must say it kept me playing for quite some hours. But I want to add, keeping my comments above in mind, the game should have been offered at a significant lower price point than the competition’s game.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has all the important elements accounted for. There’s farming with a wide range of different crops and seeds, you can take care of animals, there’s mining and fishing, you can craft items in Makers, there’s a huge town with many people to befriend or romance and it wouldn’t be called Pioneers if there wasn’t a lot to explore too. Plus, a nice little feature is added in the form of the Sprite Village and the various special areas you can visit there. Finally there is some online gameplay added into the mix, though I do feel that could have been fleshed out some more. Overall, a very complete package that will sometimes leave you wishing for more hours in the day, in real life and in the game. There’s so much to do, that Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is not only a farming simulation game but also a management game. The only way to let the farm thrive and have time for all the other activities is to plan ahead and make use of your little factory of Makers and recipes for crafting as best you can. As I love a good farming simulation game and am in my element in management games, it’s not difficult for me to give Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town it’s rating. The game has the right rhythm of keeping you interested by adding more new things at the right time too. I know there are more good games in the genre available on Switch, but in my opinion, this one is ace!
No matter how I try, these reviews of Atelier games always end up being long….so if you read all the way through, then thank you for sticking with me. Atelier Firis: the Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey ticks all the boxes of a great coming of age story with good synthesis and turn-based battles. This game has a great sense of exploration in this open-world and makes for interesting and extended gameplay. The prologue is too long (3 hours!) and Firis is a bit of an airhead, but overall: I like it a lot
It’s fun to follow the journey Gust is making with their Atelier games from the Arland trilogy to the Dusk trilogy and now the Mysterious trilogy. And what’s more: all these games are now available on the Nintendo Switch in their definite edition. Atelier Sophie: the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX starts the series off in the direction of more sim-like elements, and presents us with a lovely “slice of life” story. No wars or terrible happenings, but a good interesting storyline following a girl who wants to learn how to be a great Alchemist.
By bringing Death end re;Quest to the Nintendo Switch with all DLC included I’m pretty sure this is the ultimate package. The game, in my opinion, is foremost a Visual Novel with an intriguing storyline and many hours of gameplay. Be prepared for lots of reading and some interesting ideas when it comes to battle but also, you’ll have to stomach the violence. To me, that’s where the game failed. Yes, good stories come with horrible plots and they can still engage. But I don’t want to be witness to blood spattering, crunching bones and prolonged suffering. Though the story kept me hooked, I can’t overlook that.
The original game was released in 2018 and it was the first ever Atelier game to make it to the Switch. Back then I felt that it was a pity that this would be the one to serve to Nintendo gamers as a first experience. Protagonists that are not the most lovable girls I’ve met in the Atelier series and no English voices. I must say though that some of the chats the girls have are quite funny. But, replaying it now in the order of the Atelier Mysterious trilogy I feel more kindly inclined. I can see how Gust tried for an open world approach in Atelier Firis and though they abandoned that in this game, they made up for it using the Mysterious Paintings. Even though I liked the two earlier games, Atelier Sophie and Atelier Firis, just a little bit more, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: the Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is still a lovely game in an amazing series.
Stray Cat Doors 2 is a lovely game, gorgeous looking visuals, a nostalgic sweet feeling to the adventure and great puzzles to solve. Just the ticket when you get home from a stressful day at work and want to relax. If you like Escape Room games this one might be for you if you don’t mind the cutesy feel. If you like wholesome gaming and solving some light puzzles, this is definitely one to go for. The only minor remark I have is that the English translations could be better. But Pulsmo did a great job once again, expanding on the great gameplay of the first one!
Nature Matters is a great looking logic puzzle game, with relaxing background music. The perfect game to go with a nice cup of coffee in between your daily workload. Quick to jump in, do a few levels and jump back out again. A little more variance in the levels would have been appreciated, but overall, if you like your logic puzzles: be sure to check this one out. It’s currently on sale till June 16 in various country, so you could find lots of puzzle fun for a small price. After playing, you can judge for yourself if you are more attuned to nature!
Arcane Arts Academy is a good fit on the Nintendo Switch with the multiplayer added if you can manage the button control. Personally, I much preferred to use the touchscreen though. The price for the Nintendo Switch version is lower than the full price on mobile which is a plus! I wouldn’t advise playing Arcane Arts Academy as a relaxation game, as you need your full attention and clear mind to manage the often frantic levels. What is nice though is that you can adjust the difficulty in the settings allowing you to gain the stars you need to pass the level more easily. The story is good, and the challenge is great, as it always in these perfect mix of simulation/management games. If you like these type of games I’d say you can’t go wrong with Arcane Arts Academy at this price point.
Bear’s Restaurant is a game about loss, regrets, redemption and death. But it’s also about the power of love that will conquer it all. This is no relaxing and laid back story, but one that will make you sad. It will stay with you for a long time, particularly because of the beautiful ending. If you like story-driven games and aren’t afraid to explore deeper feelings, then give Bear’s Restaurant a try. It’s available on mobile where you can try the first part for free, unlocking the rest and the sequel story, The Nihility, being a paywall. The Nintendo Switch version has everything included! It feels strange to measure how much you like such a sad story, but the way the developer manages to bring such a deep story in a relatively simple way is pretty amazing.
Epistory: Typing Chronicles is a beautiful game with a good story, lovely puzzles, exploration and nice battles. You can play it to learn how to touch-type, but it’s not a necessity. I urge you to play it just for fun! Use a keyboard and broaden your vocabulary or use the Switch buttons: both work wonderfully. The origami world of Epistory: Typing Chronicles is gorgeous, seeing new parts of the world literally unfold is magical. The soundtrack is a good match to the feeling of wonder and the storytelling is great. There can only be one conclusion for me.
It may have been just me, but the puzzles were very challenging. Often in point and click games, it’s a matter of following the reasoning behind the puzzles, and I found that to be hard. Which made me lose my patience and influence the fun I had playing in a negative way. It might be a good idea to play the first game before this one to get more of a feel for the story. And if you like your point and click adventures, and are good at them, you might step into the ‘90s and give it a try!