Yvonne van Geloven's Reviews
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
There really is too much to tell about Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. As always, new abilities and additions keep unfolding, even when you are many hours into the game. Like greenhouses to sow seeds tied into the weather conditions. I haven’t finished the main storyline yet, but I’m having a stellar time with Sophie and Plachta. Enough mystery to make me want to push on, waiting for a happy reunion and exploring to my heart’s content. Meanwhile, I dive into lovely visuals and a stellar soundtrack. Once again it will be difficult to decide which my all-time favourite Atelier game is!
I have pondered the rating I was going to give Behind the Frame. I enjoyed playing it immensely, I love the whimsical atmosphere and the intriguing storyline. The puzzles aren’t overly difficult but I don’t mind, it made it feel wholesome to me. The game is short, but when it ends I really wanted more because of the story behind the painter and the old man. It certainly challenged my creative mind, as I keep thinking about what exactly I had been witnessing. The price tag on Switch for Behind the Frame is along the lines of the Steam price, but you should know that the mobile version is about half the price. Due to the fact that it’s a touchscreen game, I do wonder if that wouldn’t be the best version to go with. This is a game for fans of wholesome games with a whimsical and nostalgic feeling.
Sorcery! is a classic fantasy novel and game rolled into one. The elements all fit together. The storytelling is ace, there are many, many choices to make all leading to a different storyline. It’s the kind of tale where you have to remember who you met along the road, pick up keys you find, try to find magical elements and more. It’s like you are stitching loose pages of a book together in the order you want them to be. The graphics are gorgeous as is the soundtracks. If you have never played a Sorcery! game and you love your fantasy books, this is a lovely one to go for. And even if you have played the chapters before, it’s great to have them all rolled into one.
When you start with BunHouse, I can imagine someone looking for action and entertainment being disappointed. However, this is just my cup of tea: a management game about a topic that I love. This is the first game I ever played that actually feels as if you’re really gardening. When I have the bunny sell the plants, you see the root system and it fits with the actual way a plant’s root system looks. For example, one of the Forget-me-not is an actual clump, straining for a bigger pot. This tells me that Patrick Gauthier really paid attention to his plant knowledge. BunHouse is a great management strategy game, that is cute at the same time. It’s coming to the Switch as well which is great news, as it works well in handheld. For how it performs on the Steam Deck, and the game itself, I can only give it one verdict.
Windosill is fun and unexpected and you can let your imagination run wild. Don’t rush through it to solve the puzzles but take time to try it all. It’s short, if you rush through it, very short. But as I already highlighted that’s not the point of Windosill. Your child in your lap, trying it all out together and marvelling at what you see, hear and feel. That’s how it should be played. The price for the Switch version is higher in comparison to the iOS and Steam versions. But the game isn’t just ported, it is fully adapted for the Switch. It now has multiplayer added and a collection of lovely sketches from the developer. Having said that, it’s still an experience that I wished had lasted longer!
Refreshing my memory after playing the first game with these new puzzles, I repeat my verdict for Madorica Real Estate 2 – The Mystery of the New Property. There isn’t any other puzzle game on Switch quite like it. The combination of challenging puzzles, the use of paper floor plans, QR codes and silly ghosts is unique. Play this escape room puzzle adventure alone and get the feeling of great achievement when you get rid of the ghost. Or play it with friends or your kids and have great fun together. The first ever interview we did on LadiesGamers was with Takashi Hamada (you can find it here) and I’m glad he brought us another great puzzler.
Garden In! does scratch the gardening itch without getting your hands dirty. More than that, it is a casual game that will appeal to fans of the simulation genre. There is a nice collection of seeds to collect and bring into bloom; there are various rooms to work in, and things to take into account, like soil and the sort of vase or pot you use. By growing more and more plants, you can fulfil your achievements and get even more customization options. I love this game. As I couldn’t play it on the Steam Deck, I can only wish Garden In! will eventually make its way to the Nintendo Switch as well, where it will be a day-one buy for me!
With the third, and, judging from the title, last Atelier Ryza game, Gust has done it again. Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is another gaming experience the fans will absolutely love. And even if you’re not a fan yet, this is an excellent title to jump into; watch the prologue in the game and see that the Atelier games are wonderful adventure RPGs. The main quest will keep you occupied for many, many hours with an excellent story, mysteries to solve, making stuff with alchemy and fighting monsters. It’s easy to get lost in this huge world and ‘smell the roses’. But unless you’re in a hurry, that may even be the best way to play, as it will give you many, many hours of good gaming fun. What could be better, travelling with friends on another grand adventure?
Are you looking for something sweet, short and innovative? Then, this little hidden object adventure is for you, offering great gameplay. Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra stands out in its genre because of the novel way music is used. Finding all the cats, but also finding which Tired of peering at the screen? No problem, just move on to the next landscape, and no need to get frustrated by having to find them all. You might find, however, that you can’t resist taking one more good look. Do you feel the game should be longer? Well, next year, the Shy Dog Hidden Orchestra will start performing, too!
It will come as no surprise that I love Logic Town. It runs smoothly, the puzzles are great, and the variety keeps it fresh. Being busy with restoring the town, venue after venue, adds a nice touch and a goal to strive for. If you like your logic puzzles, I believe you can’t get any better than this!
There are two conditions for someone to enjoy Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons. First, you have to like nonogram puzzles. Second, it helps if you are a fan of Story of Seasons. If these conditions apply to you, as they do for me, you can’t get a better nonogram puzzle experience than in Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons.
Playing SummerHouse, I am reminded that a game doesn’t have to be grand or intricate, nor does it need a deep storyline. In SummerHouse it’s just you with a set of pre-made elements with which you build a house. Or a castle. Or a hotel…or even Bagend. Your imagination is key when you get to work, building the little neighbourhood just like you envision it. No stress, no goals and no time, just your own creativity helped along by a collection of building blocks.
Distant Bloom has a lot of elements that attract me to a video game. Exploration, crafting, managing seeds and turning a barren landscape into a lush environment. Giving your crewmates little gifts ups their friendship levels. All of this is set against an unusual scene of an alien planet and an alien crew. The Assistant and KEi.Ki are busy bees and it’s very satisfying to make the sick planet, plants and animals healthy again, just by sowing seeds. Collecting strange-looking seeds that produce interesting plants adds an extra incentive to Distant Bloom, as well as unraveling the mystery. I am really loving my time in the game, and I love the little humorous touches in the conversations between the crew mates and quirky things like adding a trademark sign to the Exomulti. Oh and…. did I tell you you can pet the animals?
Let's recap here: a small development studio, an amazing looking game that has lots of depth to it. A great story line and puzzles that exercise the grey cells. An added element of narration making it even better. Main characters that instantly make you feel protective. A long enough adventure with the right price tag. And even when I have other games waiting, Woven is taking over my entire spare gaming time. I think you know what I'm going to say next: this game deserves all the attention it's surely going to get. For me, it just has to be the highest praise, this is one of the best games I have played this year!