LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
Overall, I liked Kingdom: Eighties, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Kingdom: Two Crowns. Kingdom Eighties feels like an experimental entry that tries new things and mostly succeeds without diverging too far from the core formula. If you are new to the series, this is a great place to start and then if it sticks definitely pick up Two Crowns. If you’re a series fan and don’t mind the solo experience, this is another addictive entry to keep you busy for a few game nights. Probably the only reason not to jump on is if you are all about the co-op. While I respect its absence, I still wish it was included. Still, if you need a short Summer project, Kingdom: Eighties is not a bad way to deal with those warm evenings.
Hidden Cats in New York is an excellent addition to the Hidden Cats games. It offered me a relaxing and fun distraction from everyday life for a few hours. I can only wait in anticipation for the next game in the series.
Everdream Valley is not flawless. There are some bugs, as is usual in this large game, where every little detail counts. But developer Mooneater is showing their commitment to the project by picking up the reported bugs and remedying them. That’s not to say that the bugs (aside from the ones that belong in the game) are plentiful; the only major one I encountered is that on Switch, you can’t move structures (yet). What I love far outweighs these things; I’m enjoying my time on my farm immensely. Plenty of different crops, fruit, animals and things to explore. The addition of the night visions, when you inhabit an animal’s mind, may seem like a strange thing to add, but it works. It gives Everdream Valley just a little extra!
Crime O’Clock is a well-put-together game that held my attention right until the last clue was found and the case solved. I liked having Eve’s help, and I loved the humour. Additionally, being a detective is incredibly satisfying when you solve a case, and all clues and the ticks fall into place to reveal the culprit. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a detective, and for players who like using their deduction skills, Crime O’Clock has crimes aplenty to solve.
Some people complained about Fall of Porcupine being uneven tonally. I don’t feel like that. The game looks light-hearted, but the topic is a resident caring for patients in a derelict hospital. For what it’s worth, I think that the tonal switches were handled beautifully. There is warmth, fairness, and humanity in the relationship between the characters, and for that alone, I recommend Fall of Porcupine.
I like Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story 2, but I can’t recommend it yet based on the bugs and glitches. The game has been in Early Access on PC, so I wonder if some problems have just transferred over to the Switch. I do hope all its issues get ironed out because bugs and glitches aside, this is an addictive experience once you get your head around all the mechanics. An experience that will clearly keep you busy for months and possibly longer to enjoy in small or long bursts. It’s clearly a good fit for the Switch, but it’s just not there yet. I’ll look to update this review once the bugs are ironed out. For now, keep it wish-listed.
Little Friends: Puppy Island is a delightfully cute game to play. It wouldn’t be a game I would rush out to buy it as it doesn’t offer any challenge, and I’m so much older than the demographic the game is aimed at. However, I can still see its appeal for players who like looking after virtual puppies, and the game is suitable for all ages.
The A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC is AMAZING. If you love the original game, you’ll love this even more. It’s a wonderful addition to the game and feels like a DLC should. I thought I was in love with the base game, but this has brought the original puzzles to a new level that I couldn’t have predicted. The changes made to the puzzles feel good; they feel like they fit with the base game, and A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers is just a seamless, wonderful addition to the original. I am so pleased with the DLC; it’s definitely worth the $6 USD price tag. I can’t recommend this enough!
Would I recommend Charade Maniacs? Yes, I would, but take this with the information that there are plot holes and that the story feels a little rushed. In the end, it didn’t bother me as much, but I can imagine that some people find the plot to be super important. The game does have great qualities, like world-building, and the characters were appealing. For this reason, I would recommend it. But play it at a slower pace
Overall, Mimi the Cat – New Friends is cute, uplifting, adorable, lovingly rendered, and a fun Sokoban. I love this game, and I feel like anyone who likes Sokoban will also love it too. There is a lot of heart on display, and it’s a beautiful way to immortalize some fur friends that are no longer with you. I would say that Mimi the Cat – New Friends is about five levels and a glitch fix short of being two thumbs up from me.
While Brain Show does have some kinks, it is a good trivia game. If you have a group of friends and a couple of controllers around, Brain Show will be a fun game to pass the time. What’s more, it has a solid foundation, which, if developed further, can become an excellent trivia game.
Silicon City does offer a challenge in building a city, but the framerate issues can be off-putting. Once the framerate issues are ironed out and a more intuitive UI implemented, I would not hesitate to give Silicon City an “I like it a lot” score, but until then, it will have to be an I like it score.
Forest Golf Planner scores a hole-in-one! The familiarity of cute pixelated characters and a straightforward, well-guided structure make this Kairosoft offering a truly delightful and enjoyable game.
Not long ago, I watched a film starring Nicholas Cage, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. There’s a scene where Nicholas Cage (starring as himself) is talking about his favourite films, and his fan, played by Pedro Pascal, says Paddington 2 (an excellent film which I recommend). Taken back by the response, Cage asks for more information, and Pascal explains the film made him want to be a better person. That quote is probably the best way I felt coming out of Smushi Come Home. On observation, some might not see the point of a game lacking significant challenges. I often feel this way while playing some walking simulators, but Smushi is one that lets the player go at their own pace in a stress-free setting. Explore as much as you want, engage with the quests or simply focus on the main mission. It’s so rare to see a game incorporate education well into the design by learning about real-life mushrooms. The biggest achievement of all is the game just made me feel good. As someone who works a high-stress job, it’s greatly appreciated. So absolutely buy Smushi Come Home, and then consider gifting it to your friend who needs a hug or a smush if you prefer.
Overall I like Nova Lands a lot, it has fun and engaging gameplay mechanics, and the gameplay loop is addictive. It’s the kind of game you want to return to after playing for a while. I enjoyed exploring and setting up the production line on the islands and building my home; also, watching the bots run around doing their work is surprisingly relaxing.
Trails of Trainspot is an enjoyable puzzle game for all ages. The storyline is fun and engaging, and the puzzles are challenging without frustrating the player while completing them. For fans of puzzle games, I’d recommend helping to place the tracks and giving Trails of Trainspot a go.
Marvelous did a great job on the remake, STORY of SEASONS: A Wonderful Life is a good game, even 20 years after its origins. You should be aware that STORY of SEASONS: A Wonderful Life tells the story of a farmer’s life. At first, there isn’t a huge variety of crops, fish and things to dig up. Still, your focus should be on trying to make the farm profitable and socializing with the people in the valley. The first chapter is only the intro. New things are introduced in the other chapters as well. And while your family expands, the other people in the valley get older, too and have their own stories. The management part of the game is deep, maybe even deeper than later Story of Seasons games. Soil quality is important, for example, and sometimes crops just wilt without any indication. The quality of milk is important and not constant over the seasons, and you can influence it by breeding your cow after a certain time. Overall, I think the fans of Story of Seasons will be pleased!
While Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 4 is by no means a groundbreaking game, it does what it intends very well. It offers the player a few hours of relaxing, unhurried puzzle-solving while also offering some interesting tidbits about some of Europe’s best places.
Avia Corporation is a minimalistic strategy game in more than one sense of the word. It’s minimalistic, from the graphics right down to the tutorial. Having played many similar games in the economic strategy genre, I wanted to like Avia Corporation. Unfortunately, that was hindered by a poor tutorial that doesn’t explain the game properly and a gameplay loop that feels uninteresting and dull.
I didn’t get too far into Logicats, but everything I played was unique and interesting though. While I personally don’t like Logicats, I still think it’s a very well-done game. If you think programming-style puzzles will appeal to you, I would try this little game. It’s probably one of the more polished indie puzzle games I’ve played in a bit.