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Food Truck Simulator and Aquarist are Coming to PlayStation 4 and 5!

Two new simulators – Food Truck Simulator and Aquarist – are debuting on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Food Truck Simulator is a game from the makers of the best-selling Gas Station Simulator, in which the player spins off a food service business on wheels. Aquarist is a realistic simulator that allows the player to create aquariums and run an aquarium store. The release date for Food Truck Simulator has been set for April 23, while Aquarist will be available from April 25 this year.


Polish company Ultimate Games S.A. is responsible for the development and release of both titles for PlayStation 4. Thanks to backward compatibility, both games also work on PlayStation 5.

Food Truck Simulator now on PlayStation. Grow your food truck business!

Culinary and business fans can test their skills in Food Truck Simulator, which debuts now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It's a game from Drago Entertainment, a studio known for its best-selling Gas Station Simulator, among other titles. The release date is set for April 23 this year.

Food Truck Simulator is a game in which the key theme is running your own food truck. The player manages a family business and faces the chance to rock the business, gain masses of customers and become the local food truck king.

The gameplay includes a whole range of different activities, without which there is no way to develop a mobile catering business. Thus, you need not only to take care of the condition of the vehicle and get to the chosen location, but also to prepare a suitable menu, and then take care of cooking and sales.

The developers have prepared a variety of city locations, a wide catalog of tools to choose from and - which is crucial in gastronomy - an extensive recipe database. The gameplay is further diversified by random events.

Food Truck Simulator is also available on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. As Ultimate Games S.A. announces, the simulator will also be released on Nintendo Switch in the coming months.

Food Truck Simulator (PlayStation Store): https://store.playstation.com/concept/10010192

Food Truck Simulator (Microsoft Store): https://www.xbox.com/games/store/food-truck-simulator/9ph79v6fc1sj

Food Truck Simulator (Steam): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160920/Food_Truck_Simulator/

Aquarist debuts on PS4 and PS5. It's a simulator starring fish

Aquarist will be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 starting April 25. It's a relaxing and realistic simulator in which the player runs an aquarium store and is involved in restoring old and creating new aquariums.

Aquarist is a game developed by FreeMind S.A. studio. The player is in charge of an aquarium store and performs various orders. The simulator offers extensive opportunities to create your own aquariums and manage the small ecosystems thus created. The gameplay also allows, among other things, to restore old aquariums.

In Aquarist, players will find many species of freshwater fish and plants. Progress in the game allows you to buy new fish, plants and aquarium items, including lighting and decorations, for example.

Developers from FreeMind S.A. have focused on a good dose of realism and attention to detail. In practice, the player must, for example, remember that the aquarium should be well balanced, and the aquarium must offer conditions suitable for specific types of fish.

Aquarist is also available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Aquarist (PlayStation Store): https://store.playstation.com/concept/10009885

Aquarist (Microsoft Store): https://www.xbox.com/games/store/aquarist/9nhv57km7rfb

Aquarist (Nintendo eShop): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/aquarist-switch/

Aquarist (Steam): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1430760/Aquarist/

    Article by: Susan N.
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    Exciting New FPS 'Mullet MadJack' Releasing on May 15!

    Porto Alegre – April 17, 2024 – The wait will soon be over for retro FPS enthusiasts and fans of classic anime! Mullet MadJack (Steam & trailer), the latest release from developer Hammer95 Studios and published by Epopeia Games, will be available to players worldwide on Steam this May 15


    Mullet MadJack immerses players in an engaging retro FPS experience with roguelite elements, transporting them to an anime world full of excitement. With a unique fusion of elements influenced by classic 90s FPS games, strategy, and intense action, this game promises to keep players entertained for hours on end. It's no surprise that it has garnered 150.000 wishlists, demonstrating the community's great interest in the title. Check out the brand new release date trailer and the gameplay trailer!

    ONE POLICE OFFICER WITH A MULLET, AGAINST A HORDE OF BILLIONAIRE ROBOTS! 

    In an exciting journey inspired by classic anime, you will be immersed in the cyberpunk world of Mullet MadJack, set in the 90’s... 2090s to be precise. Your mission is to rescue the world's most famous influencer from the clutches of a dangerous criminal organization comprised of powerful billionaire robots. 

    In the future, vigilantes are addicted to dopamine, and to get their fix, you'll have to overcome deadly challenges in each skyscraper, floor by floor, all in pursuit of securing your own dopamine hit. Get ready to face each level and claim your dose of adrenaline. 

    As you progress through the building's floors, a crowd hungry for action follows your every move through live streaming broadcasts. This public exposure creates additional tension, increasing the pressure on you and the need to achieve increasingly more impressive feats. Your battle is not only for the liberation of the kidnapped influencer, but also for the preservation of your own reputation and the entertainment of those who are watching. 

    Get ready for a journey filled with dangers, thrilling challenges, and the aesthetics of the golden age of anime.

    "We love the golden age of Japanese anime from the 80s and 90s, and we want to pay tribute to that magical era with this game." says Alessandro Martinello, Game Director.


    What makes Mullet MadJack Unique

    • Exciting and dynamic combat: Race against time and infiltrate a building alone, overcoming each floor until you reach your objective.
    • Campaign mode: Clear floors filled with robots, and in crucial moments, execute ultraviolent finishes on your enemies to survive.
    • Survival mode: Utilize your skills in an endless mode and outdo your friends.
    • Unique visual and art style: The contrasting colors between black and vibrant neon evoke the aesthetics of violent and adult anime from the era of VHS tapes.
    • Engaging narrative: Set in an Old School cyberpunk world full of robots, the aesthetics of 90s anime merge with an action-packed environment.
    • Nostalgic soundtrack: Inspired by the synthwave genre, the soundtrack sets the tone and urban atmosphere of the game.
    • Evolve your character: Enhance your character with smart choices so that you can reach the top floor in the best possible time or you'll have to try again, all in the best Rogue-Lite style. But remember that each upgrade will affect how the game is played. 



    Technical details:


    ABOUT MULLET MADJACK


    Mullet MadJack is a highly fast-paced first-person action-adventure game designed for single-player. It draws inspiration from the Badass Old-School classic anime of the 80s and 90s, featuring a retro aesthetic and immersive gameplay that transports players back to the nostalgic era.

    The game features vibrant colors, memorable characters, and a unique story, providing an authentic experience for both gaming enthusiasts and anime fans alike.


    ABOUT HAMMER95 STUDIOS

    Hammer95 is a collective of 3 devs who love the aesthetic of old anime and aim to bring back that nostalgia!

    For more information, please follow our social media profiles:

    ABOUT EPOPEIA GAMES

    Epopeia Games is responsible for other games that have already been nominated for several awards, but now promises to innovate in terms of the farm game theme with its new release. Gaucho and the Grassland, which has already been awarded in the category: BEST REGIONAL ASSOCIATION GAME PITCH at the Big Festival 2022 in São Paulo, has a final release date planned for 2024, but in the future it will be released on other consoles such as Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4/5.

      Article by: Susan N.
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      Get Ready to Ship Products Out of a Wacky Factory in Ready, Steady, Ship!

      19 April 2024, Wroclaw, Poland + Vilnus, Lithuania | Untold Tales and solo developer Jollybits Games have announced the release of Ready, Stead, Ship! On PC, PlayStation and Switch.



      Ready, Steady, Ship! is a chaotic couch co-op delight where players team up and use various tools and equipment to rebuild the most convoluted and questionably designed factory conveyor belts.

      A minor delay in certification means the Xbox version of the game will launch on May 3rd, 2024.


      While Ready, Steady, Ship! is best played in 2 players co-op with a friend, an entire single-player campaign with stages tweaked or totally redesigned to be completed on your own is also included.

      Game Features:

      Multiple Tools, Various Solutions

      As you progress you’ll be given all manner of tools, equipment, and conveyor parts to overcome obstacles. Forklifts, cranes, springboard conveyor belts, packing foam dispensers, the list goes on and on.

      The Factory Keeps Getting Weirder

      From acid pools, space vacuums to rooftop gaps to clear, or just outright chaos on the floor. As you progress, the factory will throw tougher challenges at you with more complex conveyor belt builds.

      2 Player Couch Co-op Delight

      Grab a buddy and get this line moving double time! NOTE: This game supports local couch co-op on consoles only and Steam Remote Play Together via PC. There is no dedicated online multiplayer mode. The game also has a dedicated single-player campaign.

      Easy and Responsive Controls

      Ready, Steady, Ship! is built around responsive yet simple controls, so almost anyone can quickly and easily join the fun.


        Article by: Susan N.




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        Planet Crafter - PC Review


        Planet Crafter by developer and publisher Miju Games—PC (Steam) review written by Valerie with a copy provided by the publisher. 


        Estimated reading time:  6 minutes.


        The game opening music has a light-hearted discovery aspect to it that enticed me into the game and onto the planet. Planet Crafter is an open world, space survival, crafting and terraforming game that has given me tonnes of fun and aggravating situations as you read through this review.

        Other than the fact that the name of the game said 'crafter' and 'planet', I was immediately hooked. So much to explore and so much to do! There's so many ways this organized and yet scatterbrained adventurer can gather, access and use in this game that when I hit a snag I find my way around it, or get right into it. The hostile environment is the only enemy I have to deal with.

        When you open your eyes into your first view, you are greeted with a Mars type planetscape out the door of your crashed escape pod. You are given supplies in a crate and a tool you have to upgrade to progress through the game. You are a convict who in turn for becoming a 'planet crafter' for Sentinel Corps has her/his sentence commuted. Oh! And there's more to this story in this game as you'll find out once you get a pair of items built! I find that awesome how they implemented the story into this game!


        One of the things that bugged me was not having a tool belt on my hud to access my food by hitting a number key. I am so used to that in other games that it frustrated me a bit in my learned process of healing myself quickly. So—ya, my first game I died and started a new one. This time I used the relaxed mode so I could work through the segments of progressing through the tiers of living and exploring.

        The main reason I died in my first game was from not hitting certain markers of progression that you can keep track of by logging screens. Imagine yourself as an astronaut in your newly built space station where everything has a purpose and everything is tracked, logged, and accounted for. So, the computer that would be keeping track of your station's systems are screens in this game. They look sleek and spiffy when set up on furniture that you do have access to at the beginning. All you need is to gather the resources needed to build them.

        Next we come to the resources. They are scattered all over the place and here's the other part that aggravated my progress. You don't have much inventory space when you start in this game. It was a challenge to gather and use in an expedious way that I longed for even just one item to stack in a batch of 5. I just have to keep in mind that each game is unique and you can't have everything that other games account for. However, as I think further on that thought, maybe they accounted for that later in the progression! One can hope! At least I know that storage isn't a problem, and you can label them!


        Power. Everything in my base needs power to run and yes I am a numbers person as well, so I was very thankful for a screen to cover that, but I still use my head to add and subtract as I went along. I am so grateful for solar panels and was very glad to use them in this game. They helped in both balancing my power use and the space I took up laying down my power grid. Of the earlier items you unlock is a beacon. I noticed that as you mark more places with those beacons that you can't turn any of them off leaving just the marker on the map instead for reference.

        The graphics in this game are well suited and I'm glad they made the resources like iron and magnesium look like it came from someone chipping away at an ore mine and leaving them lying around for me to pick up. A few times I did wish for a third person view of myself in my space suit, but maybe I'll see that later as I explore further or pop into my friends game. Yes, there is multiplayer now and I am looking forward to that once I get more experience in my own game and learn all the ropes I can.

        Ok, another thing that made my teeth grind is damage. I'm used to repairing buildings that get beaten upon by a meteor shower which happens in this game. Not a dent or a scratch appears, but there is some of the rock that actually penetrates your base thereby stopping you from getting to, let's say, your newly made 'garden' room. It does clear away when the shower stops and more resources are left lying on the ground for easy pickup and use. However, adding another layer of stuff to do in this game might put my brain on overload for multi-tasking and getting through content.


        Once you find a wreck to search for resources and food you will notice a lot of scattered ship parts and furniture that make navigating through the wreck a little more challenging. Back to those scattered items; I was sad to find out I couldn't salvage or recycle them. Only designated items that your tool interacts with to tell you if you can or can't and how to go about deconstructing it.

        When you unlock the map then the world's yours to explore and terraform into a living and breathing planet! One thing a friend of mine found not appealing about the map is the arrows at the bottom for searching around it. Clicking them takes up time where using the mouse to right-click and hold on the map to move it around would be better.

        You are also aware from the outset of the game that your oxygen, health and energy gets used up fast at the beginning and then slower as you unlock upgrades to your equipment and suit. There's also fall damage, so make sure you keep your footing and your eyes peeled for cliff edges as you run around.

         

        This game is amazing from a team of six people from France. Miju Games, you are an awesome team to make such an expansive world that is keeping me on my toes to survive as well as my adventurer’s spirit to explore. I love the building aspect which appeals to my organizational habits to hold all my items as I find them. I’m also a bit of a pack rat so having that space to put all my ‘finds’ makes me very happy.

        If you’re a fan of open world and survival with base building, you’ll love this game even with it’s little hiccups that had bothered me. Miju Games did a fantastic job captivating base builders and terraformers like me and my friends. I can't wait to see what else is in store from them!

         


        Score: 8.5 / 10


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        Challenge Your Skills in Color Road on the Nintendo Switch!

        April 8th - Warsaw, Poland | QubicGames has announced that Color Road by Voodoo will be released for the Nintendo Switch on April 12.

        Official eShop Description:

        Race around the track and collect the balls of your color to get as far as possible! Sounds easy? You wish!

        Each time you jump over the ramp, the color of your ball changes! Pay close attention to the color of your ball and only touch the balls on the track that match yours. If you don't succeed, the ball bounces, and the game is over! As if that wasn't enough, the further you get, the faster your ball will start moving, and you'll have less time to react!

        Looking for a greater challenge? Look no further! Up to 45 different challenges await you! Get a certain number of points in time, change the ball's color 10 times, or smash 15 red balls! You'll be rewarded with ball skins and roads for completing these challenges!

        Play with a friend to compete in multiplayer mode and see who gets the farthest!


        Features:

        - roll the ball on the road as far as possible
        - only touch balls of the same color as yours
        - watch out for gates and color-changing ramps
        - face off against another player in local multiplayer mode!
        - complete all 45 challenges
        - change the skins of balls, tails, and roads
        - collect coins to buy additional lives
        - train your reaction time to perfection!

        How far will you be able to roll the ball? It's time to start the challenge!
        Article by: Susan N.
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        Dinosaur Polo Club Welcomes Amie Wolken as CEO!

        WELLINGTON, New Zealand – April 10, 2024 – Dinosaur Polo Club, the award-winning team behind Mini Motorways and Mini Metro, the best-selling minimalist strategy traffic management sims with nearly 12 million combined players, welcomes Amie Wolken as CEO following the handover from former CEO Chantelle Cole, who now serves as Programme Director for the NZ Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) at NZ On Air.



        Amie Wolken steps into Dinosaur Polo Club’s CEO role after more than four years at Wētā Workshop’s Game Studio, where she most recently served as Studio Director. Prior to her work as Studio Director, Amie was the lead game programmer for Tales of the Shire and developed augmented reality experiences, including The Makeup Mirror at Wētā Workshop Unleashed and Dr. Grordbort’s Boosters for the Magic Leap 1 AR device.


        In 2015, Amie co-founded GEO AR Games, best known for Magical Park - an augmented reality product created to encourage children to actively engage with the outdoors using mobile devices. Now as CEO of Dinosaur Polo Club, Amie joins the studio helming Mini Motorways and Mini Metro, where she will fit right in with the team’s distinctive game style and people-first culture. Be on the lookout for upcoming updates and news from these titles and more as the Mini series expands!


        “I’m incredibly excited to be welcomed as the newest Dino,” said Wolken. “Expanding on the success that this talented team has had with their Mini games is a huge opportunity! Dinosaur Polo Club is the coolest little studio in the coolest little capital in the world, and I can’t wait to discover what we do next.”


        “We’re so thrilled to have Amie join our evolving team as we look ahead to what the next few years hold for our studio and our games,” said Robert Curry,  Co-Founder of Dinosaur Polo Club. “She’s worked on incredible projects with talented people from all over the country, and we know she’s going to lead Dinosaur Polo Club to bright places.”


        For more information on Amie and the titles Dinosaur Polo Club has created, please visit the Dinosaur Polo Club website, follow @MiniMetroGame on X as well as the studio on XFacebook, and Instagram, or search for #MiniMotorways and #MiniMetro on social media.


        About Dinosaur Polo Club


        Dinosaur Polo Club is an independent game development studio based in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand. Founded in 2013 by brothers Peter and Robert Curry, the studio first made waves with their award-winning and BAFTA-nominated debut Mini Metro. Created in collaboration with Disasterpeace and Jamie Churchman, Mini Metro explores relaxed and minimalist subway design. The second game developed by Dinosaur Polo Club introduces a brand new type of city management with colorful road-building and resource management found in Mini Motorways. Combined, Mini Metro and Mini Motorways make up two parts of an expanding Mini-series with more to come. 


        With an inclusive and supportive culture that believes in giving back to its creative community, the studio has grown and is now home to nearly 30 dinos as it works on new titles with relatable simplicity.

        Article by: Susan N.
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        Experience Ancient China in Pathless Woods on Steam!

        April 3, 2024 - Aniya Games is excited to announce that Pathless Woods is out now on Steam Early Access at a price of $19.99 USD | 19.50 EUR and with a 10% discount during the first week. The game introduces players to a vast open-world experience, merging the essence of ancient Chinese culture with sandbox survival gameplay.


        Pathless Woods draws players into a world that reflects the rich cultural and architectural heritage of ancient China. Players are invited to embark on a journey where they can construct everything from simple bridges to magnificent pagodas, gather resources, engage in traditional Chinese farming, and protect their homelands from adversaries. Pathless Woods also introduces a co-op multiplayer mode, allowing friends to come together to explore and enjoy a world where adventure meets tranquility.
        The developers at Aniya Games said: “In a market flooded with many similar games in this genre, Pathless Woods' distinguishes itself with its unique ancient China theme. It combines elements of construction, exploration, and survival in a beautifully crafted world. There's a wealth of content to explore and engage with, and we're genuinely looking forward to seeing the creative endeavors our players will undertake in this world!”

        Main Features

        Build Your Dream Home - Let your creativity take center stage and craft beautiful structures that capture the spirit of ancient Chinese architecture. From simple wooden homes to grand mansions and pagodas, the sky's the limit!

        Co-op Multiplayer Adventure - Join forces with up to three friends in an engaging co-operative experience. Explore, build, and survive together, with each contributing in their own special ways to the collective adventure.


        Endure the Wilderness - Carve your own path and withstand the forces of nature alongside the threats posed by inhabitants. Adaptability is key, as you use the environment to your advantage to thrive.

        Explore the Mysteries - Immerse yourself in breathtaking sceneries and engage with the local NPCs while unraveling the secrets hidden within ancient ruins. The journey is filled with potential discoveries and treasures waiting to be found. 

        Protect Your Homeland - Prepare for the continuous menace of the Jaer cultists, determined to disrupt your tranquility and deplete your resources. Remain alert and protect yourself and your allies from their unyielding assaults to safeguard your land and preserve your quality of life.
         
        Farm & Harvest - Embrace traditional Chinese agricultural practices to cultivate your crops, mastering the art of water irrigation, fertilizer use, and temperature control. Enjoy the rewards of your harvest, indulging in the exquisite tastes of Chinese cuisine.


        ABOUT ANIYA GAMES STUDIO

        Aniya Games Studio is formed by a duo based in Guangdong, China. They began their journey as individual creators and found companionship in each other along the way. United by a shared passion for gaming, they have created Pathless Woods, a game inspired by the essence of Byron's poetry. The game seeks to capture the serene joy found in untamed nature, offering players an endless spring of inspiration and a canvas for unbridled expression within the natural world.
        Article by: Susan N.
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        Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes - PS5 Review

        Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes by developer Rabbit & Bear Studios and publisher 505 GamesSony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher. 

        Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes. 


        With our appreciation to all JRPG fans

        - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes 

        I don't think there were better words to lead into this adventure. I have waited a long, long time for what is essentially the spiritual successor to the Suikoden series by no other than those that made those original incredible journeys possible. 

        I also want to thank Rabbit & Bear Studios for their work, especially the late Yoshitaka Murayama who passed away in early February. Their work will forever mean the world to me. It was hard to not tear up starting off this adventure and knowing they wouldn't get to hear just how much I, and I'm certain hundreds (ok thousands, but it's Hundred Heroes) of others, loved their latest work and are extremely grateful for it's experience. Thank you for all of these incredible adventures. 

        Now that I’ve managed to wipe away a few more tears, between writing this and going through the epilogue and the credits, what do you need to know before getting started? Not much actually. While I strongly recommend playing the prequel Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising, because it’s fun, it's not necessary to fully understand everything going on in Hundred Heroes. What is worth mentioning is that if you do, you'll get a better understanding of certain characters and get a few small bonuses for importing your save data.

        Otherwise? This is a complete love letter to JRPGs of old and new. It was hard to not keep smiling throughout and it has a feeling of coming home. Other than a few good adventures in the last few years like Chained Echoes and Rise of the Third Power? “They don’t make them like they used to”. Likable and detestable characters? Check. Mini games? Check. Fishing? Check. Larger dungeon maps with save points right before things are about to get real? Check. Castle Town to rebuild from the ground up? Better Believe it! 

        Hundred Heroes has everything a classic Suikoden would have had and then some. Where Hundred Heroes really shines though is in how it takes that classic JRPG feeling from the PS1 era and makes it feel at home all the way over in 2024. It's smooth. It has quality of life features that are unlocked as time goes by. Not everything is just given to you, you'll have to explore and go out of your way for some of these. 

        Starting off with the story, while conceptually nothing new, it is well told through the variety of characters that join up with our main protagonists. The “Evil” empire comes to lay claim to the land and a band of meddling heroes rise up to fight them. It gives you focus, it gives you directions, and with a hundred heroes to uncover? Plenty of different perspectives and motivations!

        If you've played through Rising, then some of the names will ring a bell. For returning potential recruits, it's nice to see how far they've come or what they’ve been up to in between. For returning bad guys, it just makes you want to show them just what the forces of good are made of. And by that I mean a good old fashioned butt kicking. Our main protagonists however, are solely from Hundred Heroes. Nowa, Seign and Marisa. CJ, Isha and Garoo from Rising are present among so many others, but only one has a bit of a front row seat. The others are yours to discover. 

        Of our three protagonists, you'll mainly be in control of Nowa and his journey. From the first day on the job as a member of a local watch to leader of an entire resistance turned alliance against the forces of the empire, it's a wild ride with ups, downs, laughs and tears. It's not to say that Seign and Marisa do not get their own limelight and specific scenarios that are theirs and theirs alone, but unlike Suikoden 3 where there's an even split of the three protagonists and their chapters, plus the castle building interludes with its own side protagonist, this is Nowa’s show. 

        For the show itself, there's a set curtain rise and fall. Everything in-between depends on how much effort you put in. At a few strategic points, you'll be told to go explore and recruit more allies. Whether you recruit one or six, it doesn't matter. It's really up to you. Obviously you'll want to recruit them all, or you should want to recruit them all, but if you want to play on hard mode and limit your options, that's a choice as well.

        What's neat about those you can recruit is how they are going to be useful to you. Can they participate in battle? Are they more of a support role? Or are they simply there for base operations? Each character has their strong points and what I truly appreciated was that just because you recruited someone in the opening hours doesn't mean they become useless in the final ones. I had a party member from start to finish just because of how seriously hard they can kick the enemies. And I literally mean kick! 

        To get from curtain to curtain, you'll need to cross roads, forests, towns, cities, mountains, caves and enemy encampments. Each of these have their secrets so it's always worth looking absolutely everywhere as you're never quite sure what you can find. New equipment is nice, but speed shoes or an ally that boosts your movement speed by double? That will really help you get moving. Best part? And what a lot of other developers can learn from, faster movement speed does not mean more battles. It just means more ground covered between battles. THANK YOU! 

        As for battles, there are a few varieties. Normal battles, the ones you'll spend most of your time with, play out in an initiative turned based affair. Split between a front and a back row of three participants, enemies included, those with the fastest speed will go first unless an action dictates otherwise. From there, characters fall into three classes, short, medium or long range attacks. Short range should be the front, long in the back, medium wherever they are best deemed for action.


        In terms of actions, characters can simply attack, defend, shield up or dodge, use skills or magic. Skills and magic come from the combination of permanent and optional runes that can be equipped for all sorts of various functions. Armor piercing attacks, wide spread fire or darkness attacks, healing winds and water, stacking up your own armor or HP valudes. Runes can basically do it all, the only limit is how many a character can equip and the level of the rune that can be equipped. 

        If this wasn’t already enough, and there is a long list of possibilities as the adventure moves forward, there are also gimmicks that can appear. What’s a gimmick? Gimmicks can be anything from a treasure chest with an item that can be opened to a game of whack a mole against a boss. It could be hitting a level to let the water out of a room and use a harpoon that was just hidden under the waves. Or? It can be a set of icicles that form above your heads giving you the opportunity to defend yourself before they drop for a decent amount of damage. 

        Once you win? Experience points! Oh, so glorious experience points. Again making me smile, Hundred Heroes uses the classic 1k exp limit from Suikoden. Every level requires 1k exp to be accumulated. The higher the level? The less you get. The lower the level, the faster that they can be caught up as long as they survive the fight. I always enjoyed this system and was happy to see it back as it makes it very easy to keep track of numbers, especially when there are so many characters to choose from.

        If this wasn’t enough, you’ll also have to go through war scenarios. United under important characters in the story, each squad or legion will again have its own strengths and weaknesses. Each legion also has its own abilities that can be used in order to turn the tides in your favor. Increasing strength, boosting defense, provoking enemy legions to turn towards a specific one instead of their initial target. While very limited in use, these are worth saving for when you think the moment is right. Sometimes? That moment is right out of the gate! 

        Finally, there are duels which I was also very happy to see return. Duels are… dicey. Each character has a health bar and three actions. Attack, Counter, Break. Attack is basically throwing caution to the wind and going for it. Counter is to try to take as little damage as possible when you know an attack is coming. Breaks, unlike the other 2, are only available once a gauge has been built up and ready for use. It’s also possible to screw this one up so just make sure that it’s the right time to use it. 

        Outside of all of these exploration and story plot elements, there are all, and I mean alllllllllll the distractions that you could want. And then some as I finished Hundred Heroes and still haven’t unlocked them all. Card games, its own spin on Beyblade known as Beigoma, fishing and more. Seriously, not only is there a ton of mainline and side quest content, there are all of these options on top making you wonder, just what else can you find once you explore further into the world?

        Some of these are completely off the beaten path. Others are literally where you’ve already walked before, you just need to walk there again. And some are quite literally at your front door. You never know where things will come from which is what makes this really neat. Walking, running, moving twice as fast or teleporting, exploring the world isn’t just a one time thing and plenty opens up as you move forward in the adventure. 

        So it’s a bit here that I have one of my biggest issues. I CAN’T FIND THE DAMNED WHEEL-EYE BREAM TO GET THE FISHERMAN TO JOIN. I don’t know if this fish is luck based, or if I’ve just seriously not found its fishing location yet, BUT WHERE IS IT!? Because of that, I have at the time of this writing, three or five people to recruit that need that one fish to be given to this one person so that I can set up this one node in my castle town. I have everything else after that, but without this one key random fish? I can’t move that forward. 

        Short of these small blocks in progress, which can also affect the exploration of certain areas, everything else is damned near solid. Do I wish the speed of battle was a bit faster? Yes. Do I wish that the auto-dialog could be toggled on and off as needed instead of through a menu? Yes. And, do I wish that item transfers would be batch instead of one by one, again, yes, but, these are all very small things that you can just accept and move on.

        So on a final note, I hope you’re ready for just how much love and care has been put into Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes. The music as the kids nowadays call it slaps. Battle musics, epic scores, exploration softness, it has it all. To top all of that off, every, single, character has a voice. I did not expect this going in, but everyone, regardless of how big of a role they play, has a voice and it just makes the adventure that much more awesome to experience and have the emotions carry over. 

        Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is truly a love letter to JRPG fans. Whether you’re just getting to experience this style of adventure now, or you’ve been around long enough like some of us who could happily call this Suikoden VI, this is for you. Awesome story telling, great dialog, amazing music and plenty of gameplay options, there is no reason not to dive into Rabbit & Bear Studios' excellently penned love letter. 

        Score: 8.5 / 10

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        Botany Manor - PC Review

        Botany Manor by developer Balloon Studios and publisher Whitethorn GamesPC (Steam) review written by Valerie with a copy provided by the publisher. 

        Estimated reading time: 4 minutes


        Yay! A puzzle game fell into my lap recently and I'm here to say I did finish to 'The End' and roll credits!

        In Botany Manor, you are Arabella Greene of a long line of Greenes and a retired botanist. In this puzzler game you play in first person view. No you don't have an actual hand in view to pick up and inspect items, just the key commands and click of the mouse.

        I am impressed by the puzzles which gave me a feel like I was in a derivative of a Myst game (another all time fave series of mine). Even though the puzzles were fast to get through, I still had an enjoyable time reading and learning about the plants in England.

        You start the game in the conservatory where you are given a book to record your research. You seek out the seeds, clues, and locations where they are from which gets entered into the book. With that seed you plant it in a pot and figure out how to make it blossom! As you complete the page about that particular plant, you go on to the next one. The book you record your research and clues in is divided into chapters. A great way to introduce more brain teasing puzzles to solve and progress you along. At the very beginning of the book is a maps section which is a big help in solving the puzzles.

        The setting of the game is in a Victorian English Manor, quite the sprawling building of rooms with peaceful outdoor areas. The gardens, conservatory and orchard net some nice surprises as you progress through a book that you fill out with your research/clues on the various plants. There are not one, but two ponds here where one is enclosed in cement, while the other is in a natural setting.

        Life back in the 1800s was a lot of hard work and peaceful times. Botany Manor brought back memories of my anticipation of receiving a letter in the mail. Something I still experience with a couple of friends who feel the same way. I loved the use of these letters to impart clues and the story of Arabella with her passion for botany. Throughout the game you realize Arabella had the drive and did all that hard work only to hit a barrier that a lot of women faced during that time period.

        The music was so relaxing that I must admit to 'resting' and taking in the views a lot. Many screenshots have been taken too! With the music was an abundance of sound from running water to birds singing that brought out some olfactory memories of a manor I had visited years ago, and the smells associated with that time.

        I absolutely loved that section with the camera and flash powder! Awesome as that's my trade and I adore any photographic paraphernalia! I remember at a museum here in my town where they had a similar setup and the story of how the flash powder caused the photographer to sneeze and knock his setup over.

        I loved the artwork both in the game and of the game design. The artist that I also embody as I paint in watercolor from time to time was a joy to see around the manor. I long for my own painting room, alas, not to be had for a while, but I can dream as I played the game. Throughout the game I experienced that calm that comes with an organized life of a scientist appealed greatly to me throughout my progress through the game.

        A few times I went overboard in picking things up and placing them in other spots, but that made me feel right at home! Part of gardening to me is creating an asthetically pleasing and peaceful area to sit and enjoy. One can ponder one's own life and what is to come next.

        All in all, if you want to relax and enjoy a few mental challenges for a couple of hours, go get this game. Balloon Studios put out an awesome game and Whitethorn Games gave us all the means to buy a copy to play. My only little wish is that there were more puzzles as I am a puzzle hound! Great story suitable to the times, and the location and scenes were soothing to my ragged and haywire senses the day this dropped in my lap. I forgot all about my problems each time I opened the game to continue on after my regular daily tasks.



        Score: 9.5 / 10



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