Convenience Stories shares a similar style to all the Kairosoft games. There is a reassuring familiarity of bright colours, cute pixelated characters and wholesome humour. There is a complexity to Convenience Stories; some of the terminology and concepts could do with a little bit more explanation. However, there are some great autofill processes which make the game much more accessible for different ages. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of running my own convenience stores.
Sharing a similar style to all the Kairosoft management simulation games, Pocket Academy 3 has the reassuring familiarity of bright colours and cute pixelated characters. However, I would have liked a little more guidance at the start of the game – if you are unfamiliar with the Kairosoft style, you will need a little perseverance to get started. Pocket Academy 3 is complicated. In order to help your students achieve their dream careers within the target time, you need a strong strategy to level up skills and gradings and a lot of thought as to which event will maximise your rewards whilst keeping within budget. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems it’s just luck as to whether tours and graduations are successful. That said, I really enjoyed the challenge, even if it was a little frustrating at times.
Pupperazzi is a relaxing and charming game to play. The overall adorable nature of playing with, patting and taking photos of all the different dogs easily outweighs a couple of frustrations within the game.
Although the controls are slightly awkward, Railway Islands – Puzzle is a fun little puzzle game. There are a few challenging levels to test your puzzle-solving skills, but every level, regardless of complexity, gives an air of satisfaction when completed.
Has Digimon World: Next Order made me a Digimon fan? No. I’ve got a love/hate relationship with Digimon World: Next Order. I love the strategy involved in Digivolution, the auto-battling suits my gaming style, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the vast map. However, I found the unpredictability of death slightly distressing, the relentless cycle of caring for and retraining my Digimon frustrating and the unbalanced questing disappointing.
There isn’t a huge amount of gameplay in Blanc, but what you get is an incredible, emotional journey about friendship. This two-player game transports you to a wintry landscape and immerses you in a heartwarming adventure. The graphics and music work in harmony to create a truly delightful game.
Jumbo Airport Story is great fun to play. There is something amusing about seeing little pixelated characters weave between the airport terminal buildings, sweating as they rush to get to their planes. There is a constant flow of activity, which is a very enjoyable and slightly addictive way to spend some time.
Cubic Light is a delightful minimalistic puzzle game. Although not overly challenging, it is satisfying to complete.
Memorrha is a game of two halves. A fantastic start, with a steady flow of puzzles (which can be solved with logic or trial and error). In addition, there are some amazing locations to travel through and enjoy. The second part, still featuring marvellous graphics and clever puzzles become a little too repetitive.That, combined with performance issues, didn’t make it enjoyable. I wish Memorrha had ended at the hidden sanctum and left me wanting more. Instead, it continued and fell short of my expectation.
For me, Sonority hit all the right notes. The ingenious mechanics used to solve puzzles, the gradual introduction of more complex melodies and the delightful graphics and storyline were a joy to experience.
Package Inc is a simple management simulation game which works well on a handheld Nintendo Switch. It’s great for whiling away some spare time – not overly taxing, but it’s complicated enough to require concentration.
One of my criteria for a good game is the desire to replay it, and the need for more – and Kukoos: Lost Pets is a really good game. The four worlds are so different and creative, and the creature’s abilities are refreshingly varied. It was an absolute delight to play and watch. I’m looking forward to replaying the levels and finding all those secret spots.
Once Upon a Jester is a great little game. It is well constructed, packed with jokes, and words of wisdom and has a feel-good vibe. The music is a highlight, with great beats and catchy tunes. I wish there was more replayability, as creating your own mini-play is excellent, but the story and jokes get a bit repetitive after the first couple of run-throughs
As it says in the title, My Fantastic Ranch is fantastic. A management simulation game, with a graphical style and subject matter that would appeal to younger players, but not to the exclusion of others. Although you can only have a limited number of creatures on your ranch, there is still plenty to do and keep you entertained. The festivals and some of the achievements are particularly challenging and require more thought than you imagine. I’m looking forward to continuing my adventures in My Fantastic Ranch.
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch has taken me on an emotional rollercoaster. At times, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing it – galloping around the wide and varied landscape (the scenery is stunning), planning and building my estate. At other times, I’ve plummeted into an abyss of despair, dangling in mid-air with no option but to reset, and losing hours of gameplay as the autosave didn’t work properly. This is a brilliant game but it needs a lot of improvement to reach its potential. The publishers said that all versions are going to receive additional development to improve quality and fix some bugs. However, at the time of publishing this review, it’s not clear when that content will be released and what will be fixed. So until then, I can’t give this game any thumbs up.
Although the game is aimed at fans of the HORSE CLUB brand, Horse Club Adventures 2: Hazelwood Stories is a delightful adventure simulation game which will appeal to many younger gamers. I’ve never had a great passion for horse riding, but I thoroughly enjoyed galloping around and participating in virtual horse events. The main quests are not overly challenging, but the mini games do get harder as you progress through the various levels.
TEMPUS has moments of brilliance, some of the puzzles are cleverly constructed and satisfying to complete. However, the console controls for moving the on-screen cursor are too frustrating to make the overall experience pleasurable.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a delicious party game, without the need for a party. Making it ideal for younger players and offline play. The controls are simple and the graphics mouthwatering. It is unlikely to keep you consumed for hours, but definitely one to have a nibble with and would be entertaining with online or local friends. Do watch out on your next shopping trip though, a rather large, gooey, chocolate cake somehow made its way into my trolley!
For some, the game might be a bit prescriptive. But it’s based on an animated children’s TV programme, so it needs to be playable and enjoyable for that audience. This would be a great introduction to the adventure puzzle genre for younger players. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. I didn’t need to know anything about the TV series to engage fully with Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova.
I really wanted to like Yum Yum Cookstar. I enjoyed the bright colours, some of the recipes were inspiring and the music was fun, but overall the game failed to keep me engaged. Learning the techniques was repetitive and took the joy out of making the recipes. There was a distinct lack of balance between the number of actions per mini-game and number of mini-games per recipe. The long loading time between each recipe step just made the whole process tedious. This was a game that promised so much but failed to deliver