Harvestella is a game full of immersive environments, beautiful music, and an engaging and meaningful narrative for both its world and main characters, which is enough to redeem the game's more mediocre elements. There are several areas of Harvestella, like it farming, animations, and social simulation elements that would have greatly benefited from more depth and care put into them, but despite these flaws the game manages to be incredibly addictive. It's easier to notice these issues when comparing Harvestella to games like Rune Factory, but standing on its own Harvestella is a fairly strong title that's worth players' time. It may not be perfect, but it's very easy for players to fall into a "just one more day" loop in Harvestella nonetheless as they uncover the mysteries of its universe.
While players shouldn't go into Monorail Stories expecting a Telltale Games-level of branching storylines, it's a simple and charming title that despite its elements of conflict is an overall relaxing player experience. The replay aspect of the game ensures nothing ever feels too high stakes - if players make a mistake, they can simply readjust their approach the next time around. While the repeated playthrough element may not be for everyone, it's an interesting concept that's easy for players to jump into for short play sessions. Although sometimes repetitive, Monorail Stories tells a mostly engaging and charming story that seems to have a bright future ahead of it.
The Sims 4 High School Years truly excels when it comes to building personalities for teen Sims, and wonderfully captures teen moments like asking your crush to prom or starting drama online. Although somewhat dampened by its large amount of useless set pieces, the world of Copperdale is quite beautiful and the perfect setting for high school. The lack of depth and functionality in some elements of The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack is particularly disappointing because of how deep other features of the game go, but the title does an excellent job overall of encapsulating most of the key parts of adolescence.
Although developers have noted fixing the issue, given the fiasco that surrounded the release of the incredibly broken My Wedding Stories Game Pack and the time it took to be patched, fans should undoubtedly be wary of the bug's status upon the official release of The Sims 4 Werewolves. However, the contents of the Game Pack is incredibly solid, and if the issue is resolved it will stand as one of the strongest Game Packs yet. The Sims 4 Werewolves showcases what is perhaps the most outstanding occult The Sims 4 has seen 7 years into its lifespan, and offers players a huge amount of cute clothing, useful items, and ways to tell their own werewolf stories.
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a focus tool game featuring lofi music to help gamers unwind and complete real-life tasks. Gamers can collect Spirits, customize living spaces, and facilitate real-life tasks.
Though short, the time players do get to spend in the world is made immersive and engaging through its diverse map, classical soundtrack, and ambient nature sounds. It's definitely one of 2024's most relaxing puzzle games so far, and I found myself thinking about Arabella and her strange plants even after I'd finished the story. Because of its length, some players may wish to wait for a sale to pick up Botany Manor, but it's an undeniably charming title that's great to explore and unwind with.
The plight of the goblins and their allies vacillates between heartwarming and viscerally upsetting, with deft storytelling that's nearly impossible not to be enraptured by. Though some bits drag, the game's strategic depth, beautiful environments, and adorable tiny details like the fact goblins sometimes trip as they run across the landscape greatly help offset this. Goblin Stone as a whole is an incredibly creative undertaking, and has a lot to offer any fantasy, turn-based strategy, or roguelite fan.
Though largely surface-level, a lack of depth isn't necessarily a detriment for a release intended to be this lighthearted. It's a game where players can steal thousands of dollars as a turnip in a ten-gallon hat using a gun fashioned from a frog, and that's enough in its own right. The series' foray into the roguelite and shooter genres is a largely triumphant one, and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a more than worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.
Roots of Pacha doesn't entirely reinvent the wheel when it comes to the simulation genre, but it puts an interesting enough spin on things that it still manages to feel like a breath of fresh air compared to a typical farming title. The style is charming and the emphasis it puts on community truly makes progress feel more rewarding than usual, and creative use of the prehistoric setting makes for a world that's easy to want to keep coming back to. Roots of Pacha is equal parts engaging and relaxing, and is a great option for any players looking to experience a new twist on a well-trodden formula.
This title's gorgeous visuals, great sense of humor, and creative crafting make it much easier to overlook the areas in which it falls short. The game weaves a delightful tale full of feline-centric magical realism that's truly delightful, and it's possibly one of the best releases for cat lovers since Stray. Despite its flaws, Mineko's Night Market is perfect for any player looking for a creative and relaxing world to get lost in.
Fae Farm is a game that's easy to sink many hours into, and with post-launch content already planned, it's exciting to think about what the future holds for the already expansive title.
At first, the balancing act of Do Not Feed The Monkeys 2099 can feel quite overwhelming. Health decays at a faster rate than in the original, much to player detriment, and managing to keep it at a viable level while also paying the Council, buying new cages, and viewing feeds at their active times is quite the challenge. However, similarly to games like Papers, Please, it's very doable to make incremental progress each run, and the payoff that comes from things like the title's both hilarious and thought-provoking dialogue and the payoff from either helping or hindering primates makes Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 a worthwhile experience.
Just as with the original, Coffee Talk Episode 2 can be played through a second time to unearth new secrets and earn new achievements, offering a great deal of value for its small price tag. At its core, this title is more of an experience than a game, with small bursts of brewing peppered throughout a visual novel. Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly won't satisfy all styles of player, but it's perfect for those who enjoyed the original and any fan of cozy games looking for a rich new narrative.
At a $129.99 price point - or $149.99 for the Deluxe edition - Hot Wheels: Rift Rally may not be worth the investment for those without ample course space, particularly because making varied track layouts is a big component of keeping the game interesting long-term. However, the title's incredibly varied campaign and diverse environments pull a lot of weight in this regard as well, and the way it manages to transform a room is truly impressive. For any long-time fans of the toy brand or players looking for a new kind of racing experience, Hot Wheels: Rift Rally is a perfect fit.
Because so much of Growing Together centers around expanding existing in-game mechanics and interpersonal minutiae instead of entirely new experiences, it's easy for the EP to come off as shallow at first glance. This DLC will undoubtedly be divisive simply due to the many different ways fans of the franchise like to play. However, the boundless narrative potential and amount of new content and depth for all age ranges makes The Sims 4 Growing Together a perfect fit for family-oriented Simmers.
As time goes on and Thomasina becomes haunted by strange dreams and flashbacks of her past alongside some disturbing encounters in Bewlay, the cosmic horror elements of Hob's Barrow slowly come to the forefront, leading to the game's harrowing conclusion. With a recent resurgence of the point-and-click genre, this game is a great example of how to do the style justice. Although it's occasionally stifled by less-than-stellar quests, the overall storytelling, acting, and general ambiance of The Excavation of Hob's Barrows make it well worth a player's time.
At its core, Wylde Flowers is much more of a narrative-driven social simulation game than a game about farming and other such activities. The surface-level nature of some of the game's elements could be a problem were it not for the fact that Wylde Flowers absolutely excels at the story it's trying to tell utilizing a brilliant cast of characters. With Wylde Flowers, players get an eclectic game where they can brew potions and cast spells while somehow also enjoying a fairly grounded, small-town life alongside unique characters. While it may not be the most complex title on some fronts, Wylde Flowers succeeds at telling a bewitchingly beautiful story.
Despite these few flaws, Ooblets is an incredibly strong title that combines several genres into one deeply cute and satisfying experience that stands on its own. Ooblets is not a game to be strategically min-maxed or sped through, and the lack of stakes in the game - particularly the fact Ooblets can't die - is incredibly welcome, encouraging players to take their time. Ooblets is hands-down one of the most unique simulation games of the last several years, and offers a truly creative new take on cozy gaming.
Whether players are looking for their next strategic obsession or just some steampunk circus fun, Circus Electrique offers an experience almost every type of tactical fan can enjoy.
Despite this handful of shortcomings, Bear & Breakfast offers exactly the experience most players will be looking for with the title: the ability to play as a cute bear managing quaint bed and breakfast establishments in the woods. Players can continue to complete challenges for their resorts outside of direct story progression to earn rewards like clothes for Hank that add hours of additional gameplay to the title, and can spend as much time as they like making their resorts the perfect experience for guests. Bear & Breakfast is an incredibly cozy game that manages to capture the best strategic elements from the management simulation game genre while still staying true to its intended tone.