The first two scenes are pretty simple and give you an idea of how it works. Then it gets a bit more complicated. Always very accessible though and the way the system works makes sure you can keep track of everything. The copy/paste way it works is really pretty nifty.
How did you play this?
There was a nextfest demo
Thanks Geggis for taking the time to write these up.
I’ve run across an interesting game called WW2 Rebuilder:
It’s by the same people who did Train Station Renovation if anyone is familiar with that. The premise is that you arrive at an area that is in dire need of renovation. You go around cleaning up debris and junk. Once that’s done, you have to complete a series of tasks to restore the area to the way it once was. As you do that you earn credits, which can be used to upgrade your tools so you can complete your tasks faster or more efficiently.
I find this type of game a chill experience on par with Power Washer Simulator in that there’s no time pressure and for the most part completing the challenge is not terribly difficult. So it’s a good game to play while watching tv or other videos. Or for just relaxing and building stuff.
They’ve modified the formula a bit with some storyline elements: it’s set in the aftermath of WW2, so the locations are here and there in Europe, and you’re cleaning up areas that were destroyed during the war. In addition it seems that at certain points you see ghostly videos of the venue before it was destroyed. In the demo there is some audio relating to the events that caused the destruction. These hooks make you a bit more invested in the game. In addition, they’ve added collectibles to the locations, so you can run around to try to find posters, letters, memorabilia and the like. I don’t believe these are required to advance but again, it’s a feature that promotes a little more engagement with each site.
I thought the game had been released but I see that on Oct 7 they announced it was being pushed back to deal with some crash bugs and localization. So the release date is officially “coming soon.” There is a demo that lets you play through the tutorial and the first level.
What a unique concept!
Apparently I own Train Station Renovation?? Huh. I’ll have to check it out.
Another friend of mine is currently playing and digging this! When he mentioned the name I was like ‘I know that from somewhere…’ then aha! Left_Empty :)
Butterfly Soup 2 is out and available for free! These are classic indie visual novels (only very slightly interactive) with wonderful characters and dialogue. The second game appears to pick up with the same main characters–four Asian American high school girls who start a baseball team. The creator of the game not only has a great sense of humor, but injects a lot of details about the home lives of these kids and the unique pressures and expectations their parents and schools place on them.
I highly recommend both games. And they’re completely free. Each one is a few hours long. Even if you don’t usually play visual novels, if you like great characterization and slice of life storytelling with a lot of humor, you should check it out.
I did, and I typically hate puzzle games.
Just heard a podcast–The Besties–that talked about this Early Access game–DAVE THE DIVER. You explore underwater and catch fish for half the game and then serve them at the sushi bar (Tapper-style) for the other half. But apparently its method of storytelling and immersion is really well done. Note the ~3000 reviews and Overwhelmingly Positive rating.
sigh, another Wishlist item.
That does sound great. I’d be all over it if it wasn’t in Early Access.
I finished the podcast segment, and they said it absolutely doesn’t feel like Early Access, for whatever that’s worth. But clearly the team has more features in mind. Anyway, worth looking forward to if you’re not into EA.
Hopefully the full game will also add more pixels. Looks a little pixelated right now. :-P
cool, I’ve always liked that concept. Reminds me of that other game where you ran a shop but would have to go out into dungeons to find loot that you would than bring back and sell in your shop. I think it’s called Reccetaur or something like that.
Yeah, Recettear. There was also Moonlighter recently.
That one didn’t draw me in as much for some reason.
There was a little mobile game called Weaponshop that had a similar mechanic that I liked a lot.
We Who Are About To Die came out on the 14th, and I’ve seen a few videos pop up on my YouTube stream.
It’s a gladiator game that combines some action elements with a ton of sim features. You earn money and fame by fighting in the arena, and you use those elements to buy gear, train, heal yourself, curry favor with patrons and all that. There are RPG aspects in that all sorts of stats and skills are tracked. Skills will improve with use. There are a number of different character origin stories that have different win conditions (for some it’s earning a set amount of fame, for others it’s a certain number of kills, and so forth).
It’s also a roguelite in that your gladiator is expected to die sooner or later, and there are permanent progression aspects (for instance, you can send money to your heirs so that when they start out they have a bankroll). I believe you can also send gear to your heirs too.
Most impressive is that it was developed by one guy over seven years… that’s a lot of work! It’s obviously not as polished as a AAA game but it’s an impressive effort for sure.
Splattercat did a good overview of the game.
I’m enjoying it so far.
I just had one match where you obtained weapons from whatever the crowd threw into the arena. Partway through the battle someone hurled in a meat cleaver and… it stuck in my head.
The combat takes some learning, but there are some neat tricks you can do with it. If this keeps getting better through Early Access then it could end up being genuinely special.