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All other video games not related to the main farming series - Pokemon, Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, and other indie-developed games.
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greensara
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Thanks for the suggestions all! I have heard of the majority of the them, but either didn't know about their town building elements or something else about them turned me away that I may or may not remember. Like Legend of Mana, I was interested in that before it came out but something I don't remember made me change my mind. Guess I will give these another look. I had never heard of Little King's Story before, it looks very unique.
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Bluie
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Legend of Mana is less town building and more placing areas down on a map for the best result. That being said, your home base has some customization elements, though limited. As you play you'll unlock more, but there's a orchard for growing fruit (the fruit grown depending on which seeds you combine), a farm to raise monsters as party members (that are caught via the fruit you grow or using other materials you find), and a forge for making better weapons and magic spells. It may or may not scratch your itch, but there is a lot offered content wise, especially for a 20+ year old PSOne game.

Also +1 for Little King's Story. It's also available on Vita with a completely different art style, but the gameplay is exactly the same (it's basically Pikmin, but building a kingdom instead of fixing a ship). It's one of my few Platinums as I loved it so much I wanted to do literally everything in it.
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Kikki
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Okay, I'm not asking for a genre recommendation this time, but rather, I have specific questions about games released in the past several months, if anyone here has played them (I know some have, in some cases.) I've been considering these games for a while and still feel like I'm missing sufficient info.

Harvestella: Does it feel like you can take as much time as you want in any part of the game, or are there many deadlines to meet that push you along faster than you might want to go if, say, all you want to do for a while is farm, or if you'd prefer to run through the story exclusively for a bit, etc. How much freedom does it give you in how you go about progressing (and the pace you do it at)?

Crisis Core: I didn't play the original, and I don't know about the newly-released remaster either. I'm a bit afraid to look anything up about it in case of spoilers, since it's a remaster of an old game. Does it have turn-based combat? Does the remake run smoothly? Does it tie in to the old (original) FFVII or does it tie into FFVIIR, more...or does it not make a difference? I haven't noticed anyone saying they played this.

Life in Willowdale: Is it super buggy? As much as some said it was on release? I know it's gotten at least one or two patches.

Astroneer vs No Man's Sky: Has anyone played both, enough to feel like they can contrast the type of gameplay? In theory they're both universe + planet explorers and base builders, but I've heard the gameplay of each is actually fairly different. I've even read about it before but I still don't really get it, they look like very similar games to me, except that Astroneer leans a little more into the 'cute'.

I'll stop there :)
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Mikodesu
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In my experience with the game, Harvestella never railroads you into anything. Main quest cutscenes are the only that will play automatically, but aside from what happens at your house, you'll always see a marker on the map and can just avoid it until you're ready.

Side quests, even. If you don't initiate a quest, it will not start. If an NPC is involved in more than one quest, you pick from a menu which you'd like to initiate. There are some quests that won't trigger until you've advanced the plot, but that's to avoid spoilers for areas you haven't unlocked yet, which is fair.



I'm probably not qualified to talk about Astroneer vs No Man's Sky because I haven't seen either played much since they were first released, but iirc Astroneer leans more heavily into the base building side of things and less into the free roaming, exploration bit. (I'd compare gameplay to My Time at Portia, but with less plot and [pretty sure] no combat.) No Man's Sky was big on the going to random planets in various star systems deal. More exploration, less base building. Base building has been built out quite a bit in later updates, but the game wasn't designed around base building to the degree Astroneer is.

The only other thing... I don't know anything about the quality, but No Man's Sky does have a longer main quest now...
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Kikki
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Thanks, Mikodesu. So then, oversimplifying...Astroneer leans a little more into the simpler/cuter, with more base-building and less exploration, while NMS is more about exploration, has prettier graphics (less cute but possibly technically superior) and a longer or more defined plot.

I thought maybe the changing seasons of Harvestella might force you to rush plot or farm aspects, but wasn't sure.
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Has anybody played Necrobarista? It's got great reviews and even some awards and it's visually striking and I like VNs. That makes it sound like a no-brainer, but I rarely fit in with the prevailing opinions. I'm so easy to turn off, and I don't know how to parse reviews from complete strangers. I often love games that the majority hates, and hate games that the majority loves. I'm a genuine contrarian...even in high school I'd reject the trends that everyone else was following BECAUSE everyone else was following them...but apparently it works out that way naturally, too. I usually don't even KNOW what's popular or not until well after I've formed my own opinion on games.

It does have rather stylish looks, but I don't even know what it's about and looking around hasn't enlightened me much. I avoid anything that looks like it might let loose with spoiler bombs, so what story info I get tends to be a bit scanty.

Also, anyone know of many GARDENING games? Not farming in general...gardening specifically. It can be more about growing, or about decorating, or both. I know of Gardenscapes (which I actually really like) and I know of an upcoming Steam game, Garden Life, but gardening games seem to be relatively thin on the ground.
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Bluie
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I have. I'll be honest, I hated 80% of it. The concept is good, some of the characters are good, the music is fantastic, the game's art style is charming, but the writing and main character are awful. It comes off as really pretentious, and every character seems to have the same 'voice'. Everyone quippy, insomuch the game never takes a breath from the cast quipping at each other. The main character is particularly bad as she's supposed to be this woman who runs a cafe for souls who've yet to go to the afterlife and she treats some of them nicely while others she exploits for personal gain. The overall tone is just everywhere.

With that being said, it's like a 6 hour game, so you're not committing too much if you want to play it. You know me by now and that I'm a heavily jaded gamer, especially towards visual novels, so my 'standards' for the medium are very high. A lot of people like the game, but there's a fair amount of people who also share my opinions, so yeah. *shrugs*
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Kikki
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Bluie wrote: Jan 31, 2023 8:52 amEveryone quippy, insomuch the game never takes a breath from the cast quipping at each other.
Ew. I hate when writers are too impressed with a bit of their own 'quirky' dialogue and end up slathering it on so thick that every character seems the same. It's one of the reasons why I continue to not opt for Ooblets, in spite of it ticking a lot of my boxes. I've seen some dialogue and it all reads the same, no matter who it's coming from. After all, if everyone is quirky, NO ONE is quirky. That's kind of the point of quirkiness. It has to be out of the ordinary to BE quirky.

I suppose it might be possible to create lots of characters who are each differently quirky, but I can't think of any examples where something has worked that way.

Necrobarista is rather expensive for a 6-hour game. I mean, if you love it SO MUCH it seems borderline life-changing, then it'd be well worth it for the depth of the experience (plus you'd probably want to replay it) but hours-of-enjoyment are an important metric of game pricing for me. Especially since money is a lot more pinched for me than time is. I want to get a lot of play hours out of my dollars.

Thanks Bluie :)
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Kikki
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Has anyone played Luigi's Mansion? For some reason, it looks more appealing to me than a Mario game. But they're the same kind of game? (It's on sale right now so it caught my eye again.)

Also wondering if anyone has played Potion Craft. (Not Potion Permit...Potion Craft.)
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Mikodesu
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Is it Luigi's Mansion 3 we're talking about?

I've played the original, and 3. Original is very cute, very short. 3 might be better value if you have someone to play with, since the game is built around co-op. 3 also has a lot more visual variety. The original is set in a mansion (go figure), so you have pretty much the limit of what a haunted house can provide, visually. 3 is in a hotel, and the devs went ham on the visuals. It's also just...a lot prettier?

Gameplay is all centered around the ghost vacuum (no platforming). Neither are all that difficult, except one boss toward the end of 3. That's only if you're playing alone, though. Playing with somebody else makes it a lot easier.


I'd also be interested to hear if anybody has played Potion Craft. :) Another one of those really thoughtful, detailed indie games.
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Kikki
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Thanks Mikodesu. :) I really only know of the one on Switch, so probably 3? Sounds right.

I haven't heard much of anything about Potion Craft so far, and I can't get a feel for it from screenshots, so it's definitely one that'd be nice to hear a firsthand account of.
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Kikki
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Okay, I asked about Harvestella once I think, but because it is ON SALE at the moment (-30%) until March 30th on Switch and until March 26 or 27 on Steam, I'm redoing the demo to see if I can make up my mind.

If you've played the game...the demo allows you do play to the end of the second chapter, OR until you've played 15 days...whichever comes first. So, what would you aim for to get the best picture of the game? Should you rush through the story as fast as you can to make it to the end of Chapter 2 before the 15 game days are up? Or should you just take your time with farming/whatever you want for those 15 days and not worry about seeing all the story you can before time runs out?

I didn't feel like I was going to make it to the end of Chapter 2 with the way I played the first time around. The demo has been updated since I first played, though, so perhaps the time adjustment is in now.
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Mikodesu
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Me again. :lol: Hopefully somebody else can chime in this time with a different perspective.

I think with Harvestella, most of the game's bones are there in the demo, you just have to know that they're all going to expand and grow as things go on. The story gains depth and complexity, the combat gains depth and complexity, etc. Farming really doesn't...they tried with farming. Stayed pretty satisfying for me, just very basic.

I do wish you could have gotten a taste of quests before demo's end, though. That's a big part of the game. Quite a few story relevant characters have big chain quests similar to heart events which can be pretty good, and every town you visit has side quests, some of which are longer chain quests too. Some are actually pretty high quality by RPG standards.

That being said, I don't think there's any one thing to focus on. It's more of a...try to experience as much as you can. Harvestella is more than the sum of its parts, but that only counts if you like what's already there, and just need/want it to be MORE. (Maybe if you can, try out fishing, see if you hate it. I did a LOT of fishing in my playthrough. It's not necessary, but it's how I spent a lot of days when I wasn't dungeon crawling, and it's a good income supplement. Never did figure out how to break that economy. :| )
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Kikki
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Mikodesu wrote: Mar 18, 2023 10:01 pmThat being said, I don't think there's any one thing to focus on. It's more of a...try to experience as much as you can. Harvestella is more than the sum of its parts, but that only counts if you like what's already there, and just need/want it to be MORE. (Maybe if you can, try out fishing, see if you hate it. I did a LOT of fishing in my playthrough. It's not necessary, but it's how I spent a lot of days when I wasn't dungeon crawling, and it's a good income supplement. Never did figure out how to break that economy. :| )
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback; doesn't matter if it all ends up coming from the same person. (Lots of answers are great but one is a heck of a lot better than none!)

I usually hate fishing in games. I think I tried it in Harvestella, but I don't remember it at all, so whether I tried it or not last time is a bit moot. I liked the farming quite a bit, at least as far as the mechanics went. I wasn't fond of the combat, iirc, though it was fine. I wouldn't be any too thrilled with it becoming more complex, though. I don't do well with complex combat.

The thing about tackling the demo that keeps stopping me is that I don't know how to get the most out of it. The first time I assumed it'd be best to try to get through to the end of Chapter 2 before the 15 days were up, but I found myself extremely rushed and it didn't seem like I was going to make it, so I ended up just quitting and never going back since I won't put up with a game stressing me out. (Games are NOT supposed to provide stress, imo. Quite the opposite!) However the demo did get an update, so I'm assuming they added the clock adjustment they made to the full game, so perhaps that would be better now.

Still, the demo data carries over to the full game. I don't want to rush through the first two chapters just for the sake of getting through them in 15 game days. But since side-content doesn't seem to be in the demo, it's like you can't play to the best no matter what you do while you're using it, so it's a waste to carry over that data at all. I feel like the demo may present the worst aspects of the game while leaving out some of the better ones. Maybe I shouldn't bother playing it at all and just make up my mind without the demo, one way or another.
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Mikodesu
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Every bit helps, I suppose! :) Glad I can do a little bit to make things easier.

If it helps at all, you don't have to engage with the complexity of the combat. The game encourages you to, but it's not a requirement. (Except in boss encounters, I guess. Those ramp up slowly, though.) Going and beating FEARS, if you remember meeting those in the first dungeon, is never, ever a requirement. You can always just level up, which mostly comes naturally by way of resource collection. (I think the first boss made this pretty clear so I won't consider it a spoiler, but boss encounters are to some degree level locked, but Harvestella is kinda like BotW in that you can bring as much healing as your inventory holds.)

The only other thing to consider with combat may be the dungeon structure. Every dungeon has the same setup as the first, just with different mechanics sprinkled in. (ie you still have to loop around to unlock shortcuts and warp points later in the dungeon.) With time slowed down from the original demo, I never felt rushed. There was usually even time for fishing or harvesting resources to use up my stamina after the day's dungeon crawling was over.


In terms of making your mind up, though, the more I think on it, you may never get the full experience of what the main game feels like from the demo. The time constraint feels a lot more rushed than the full game, and the lack of side quests and character story quests takes a lot of the meat out of the game. I see why the devs had to cut things off when they did, but it's only after the demo is over that the game really starts. The demo gives you the feeling of "this COULD be good" where after that point is over, it starts to really BE good.

If you've got the "this could be good" feeling, I think that's probably all you need to know. The final question is what price you feel comfortable with. Worst case, you could sit on it until next winter and use it as a farming game with a good story to help get you through the icky days. By then I'm sure the sales will be chunky.
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