XboxOne – Random Game Reviews

Dysmantle

September 13, 2023October 20, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Dysmantle, developed by 10tons ltd. is a post apocalyptic RPG in which you can break nearly every item you encounter. As it says in the name of the game it’s all about dismantling everything you see. As you break objects down you will get resources used to crafter better equipment that can allow you to break down bigger objects. Thus you gradually work your way up from breaking living room tables and fences all the way to destroying cars and walls.

The story follows a main character who emerges from his bunker to discover that his island has been evacuated and the only inhabitants are the zombie-like ex-humans. Zombies will respawn every time the player replenishes their health at a camp site and the only way to permanently kill them is to enable a special signal on the nearby signal tower. As the story progresses you begin work on a spaceship that will get you off the island. The island itself is a huge open world map with different climates and dangers in each area.

Worth it?

The game is free on PS Plus Extra tier or will set you back around £20 brand new, £10 for a cheap CD Key. Overall it will keep you busy for upwards of 40 hours and if you’re a completionist can keep you busy for more than 60 hours. The constant breaking of items really doesn’t get old for some time and the desire to upgrade and improve tools and items also keeps you playing. There are a couple moments when you think the story is approaching it’s end only to find out that there’s more to be done, personally I found that dragged out the end a bit but I can also see how they give you more time to enjoy the game and gear up for the end game.

Overall a very satisfying game with an incredibly simple but satisfying gameplay loop and an amazingly detailed open world map with plenty of secrets and little side quests to discover. Definitely worth checking out and very addictive.

Tips

Always focus on upgrading your main dismantling tool and getting new ones when they are available (e.g upgrade your crowbar fully, then get the baseball bat and upgrade fully, etc)
Different tools are used for different types of object – tires for example require a sharp tool like the machete for example
Collect as much of everything as you can – all materials are useful, even leaves as you find out later in the game, collect as much as you can of all resources you encounter
Use the farms and make food, food provides permanent stat increases and buffs, food supplies are also handy with certain quests and collections in the late game. Don’t use food to restore health unless you’re really desperate
Do the puzzle tombs in order to get the orbs and install deadly transmitters, that way you can rush the signal tower in each region then know that each zombie you kill won’t come back
Get the lumber mill and smelter as soon as you can from the central region (729º, 491º and 576º, 458º). When you discover them you will get the blueprints for them and you can build them wherever you want
In order to open the timed chests you need to run directly to them from a campfire – the timer resets when you leave a campfire

Useful Links

Forager

July 28, 2023August 1, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Forager is a survival crafting game developed by HopFrog in which you start out on a single island with nothing but a pickaxe and a desire to “forage” everything around you. You start out simple – focusing on trees, rocks and berries. Gradually you expand your operations to include idle fish traps that will catch fish for you and eventually a smelter and the first crafting elements. The game allows you to expand by buying new islands adjacent to yours. As you expand you will find new materials and ways to upgrade your gear or build new machines to help you. As you establish yourself you can automate certain tasks and set your smelters or factories to constantly produce the materials that you need.

Every time you hit something you expend your energy, you can regain it by eating. Similarly, you start out with 3 hearts/health, if you get hit by an enemy that can drop to 2, certain foods will help replenish hearts. As you unlock islands you come across various puzzles and dungeons which will reward you with resources and ways to increase your health, damage or energy. Every time you level up you are also given a chance to spend your skill points on new skills. There are 4 main areas to spend your skills in, which are also the 4 main building types – industrial, farming, economic and magic.

Worth it?

The game is free on PS Plus Premium and also available via Xbox Gamepass, on Steam you can get it for around £15, but it’s frequently on sale for around £5. Overall that price seems fair – it’s a great little game, brilliantly simply with quite a bit of depth and very easy to get sucked into and lose hours. Once you get multiple machines and automation running the game is almost musical in its constant sound effects, it also has some great puzzles that are just the right amount of challenging. My single biggest issue with the game is that it seems that some of the trophies are broken on PlayStation (and possibly elsewhere) and it’s been a known issue for a while. It would be a great game to 100% but not getting that achievement really stung and killed the joy of it for me. It’s also worth mentioning that Forager multiplayer was in development but was canned due to some controversy around how the creator treated his team.

Overall Forager is a great game that will make time fly and keep you hooked for at least 10-20 hours while you complete the majority of it. The simple graphics and musical sound effects make it a great experience.

Tips

You can get void items by building a void portal from the sigil maker, unlocked via the magic skill tree
Build multiples of your industrial buildings and split stacks across them in order to get materials faster
Buy sigils from the markets in the late game as a way to quickly grind bosses
Don’t bother with the pet skill until later – it just gives you a pet, nothing more
Most quest lines require a rare item that can be found by digging in dig spots (small holes in the ground), which randomly spawn on uncovered ground
Geology is a very useful early skill to target in order to improve your coal production
Vaults and Banks can also be useful early game in order to store items and generate passive income
Combine quarries with mining lasers to automate the workflow
Magic is useful early game as it will add fairies to the world which can instantly replenish your hearts and energy
Dump your inventory at the museum

Useful Links

Wiki: https://forager.fandom.com/wiki/Forager_Wiki
Full Puzzle guide: https://www.neoseeker.com/forager/guide/Puzzle
Kinguin Cheap CD Keys

Megaquarium

July 18, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Megaquarium is an aquarium management and simulation game from Twice Circled. The game lets you take control of an aquarium and you must manage various aspects to grow it into a thriving attraction. This includes designing the layout of the aquarium, selecting and caring for a variety of aquatic animals, hiring and managing staff, and keeping the visitors happy.

The game features various aquatic species, each with its own specific needs in terms of water quality, food, and tank conditions. Ensure that the needs of the fish are met, which involves managing water quality, temperature, and other factors. There are also constraints of the available space and budget, making strategic decisions regarding expansion and investment.

As you progress through the game, you earn money from ticket sales and can use this to purchase new tanks, fish, and decorations. There are new technologies and equipment to be unlocked that allow for more complex and efficient aquarium setups. The game includes a campaign mode with 10 increasingly challenging scenarios as well as a sandbox mode where you can build the aquarium with fewer constraints.

Worth it?

On Steam the game will set you back around £10 on sale (although it can be quite expensive if not), while on PS4 you can get it for as little as £4.49. The game is quite addictive and allows for a good deal of customisation of your aquarium setups. One thing it lacks (at least on the PS4 version) is a consistent autosave feature, which given there are some occasional crashes (on PS4) makes it very frustrating when you suddenly lose a huge amount of progress.

The simple low poly art style and vibrant colours do make it quite fun to look at and you can zoom in to view your aquarium as if you were one of the guests. Overall the game has the ability to keep you playing for hours despite it’s surface level simplicity. The decoration and customisation options will let you make the aquarium of your dreams (that you probably never had). If something can be done for PS4 crashes and autosaving at a regular interval it would be a must play.

Tips

Use zoning to efficiently distribute staff.
Staff’s traits will make them better at certain jobs – for example memory is good for cleaning and repair works, while empathy and precision is good for feeding and the gift shop.
Upgraded pumps can power multiple tanks, allowing you to have a big control room that supplies 2 or 3 tanks.
Place seating and bins throughout the aquarium.
Check the guest thoughts to monitor your prestige – if somethings is wrong in one of the tanks you will lose prestige whenever guests see it.
When choosing podium talks go for prestige ones as that’s the hardest to earn.
Keep fish and tank decorations varied to avoid guests getting bored.

Useful Links

Kinguin Cheap CD Keys

Death Stranding

May 3, 2023May 2, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Death Stranding, designed by Hideo Kojima and published by Kojima Productions in 2019 was one of those games you constantly kept hearing about. Namely because of how bizarre and weird it was. The game really lived up to its reputation for weirdness – set in a post apocalyptic USA after an event known as the Death Stranding has occurred. The game doesn’t explain much in the beginning, but a few things are immediately clear – rain (known as timefall) makes time go faster on whatever it touches and there are dangerous invisible creatures known as BTs. You also quickly learn that any corpses must be burned otherwise they will attract BTs and cause a massive explosion known as a voidout.

The first parts of the game leave you with so many questions and a desire to understand and learn more about this bizarre future. The country is non existent and your mission is to journey from the east to the west coast of the USA in attempt to reconnect the bunker-like cities into what is known as the United Cities of America (UCA). In this future world there are ways to print almost anything on the so-called chiral network, however some items need to be delivered between cities by porters, this is where you come in. Playing as Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) you embark on this epic journey piling your backpack up with hundreds of kilos worth of cargo and travelling the desolate landscape and connecting cities.

The game challenges you to navigate all sorts of difficult landscapes while balancing the cargo you carry and dodging hostile factions and BTs. You can build and connect to other online players’ structures that will help navigate the world.

Worth it?

This really is a blockbuster game by all definitions of the word – the star studded cast features names like Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, Guillermo del Torro. All these and the brilliant vision of Hideo Kojima to create a really unique gaming experience. The game and story present an interesting commentary on society and human connection and elements of satire – especially considering how the whole game revolves purely around America without hardly any mention of the rest of the world, which is also presumably experiencing the Death Stranding. Ironically the game world itself is based on Iceland’s natural beauty (and it does a great job of recreating it). The game is a lot more than simply a Amazon/Deliveroo simulator.

The game will easily keep you busy for over 35 hours and even more if you try to 100% it (it took me 99 hours). The game really leans into the common gaming trope of delivering and transporting items by making you a very real delivery-man with a bag piled high with hundreds of kilos worth of cargo. The gradual addition of weapons and buildable structures introduces other familiar gaming tropes like stealth and combat which are also executed quite well. Having both humans and BTs as enemies provides a good variety of gameplay – stealth tactics or outright guns blazing against human enemies and stealthy navigation around the invisible enemies that are BTs. Interestingly the game can really be played as a fully stealth game (with a lot of walking and sneaking) or as a more combat heavy game in which you take down powerful BTs every time they pull you off your vehicle.

Overall this really is a unique game in many aspects – from the outlandish and bizarre story to the game mechanics of balancing boxes and avoiding damage from timefall. There are some minor issues like the readability of the GUI at times the blue hue and tones can make certain elements hard to see and at times menu navigation itself can seem a bit cumbersome. But aside from these very minor issues the game is absolutely worth playing, it’s also a fairly easy platinum trophy on PlayStation (and free with the mid tier Plus). The beautiful landscape and varied gameplay will keep you busy for hours.

Tips

Always read your mails – especially when you are trying to get some of the preppers to join the UCA – if they are stuck on 1/2 stars make sure to sleep and read your mail.
Bigger loads of cargo will give you more likes and help you level both people and yourself up faster
You can unlock backpack customisation by building up your relation ship with Southerland (South Knot City)
You can unlock the backpack cover which will cover and protect some of your cargo from rain or snow – this can be achieved by raising the Collector Prepper to 2 stars
You can unlock Grenade Pouches by completing order N37 and reaching 3 stars with the Cosplayer
Exo-skeletons are very useful for navigating the world – especially the all-terrain skeleton, you can obtain rank 3 of that by working with the Roboticist.
There are 56 total memory chips (3 aren’t displayed in the data collection part).
Avoid killing MULEs or terrorists. If you kill them you need to dispose of their bodies in a nearby incinerator or else they might cause a voideout which can basically kill you (makes you restart from a save point).
Armor plates drain battery.
Late game look to establish good zipline routes as they are a quick and reliable way to get around the map, especially the mountainous areas.
Completing the pizza delivery missions unlocks very powerful weapons, if you play aggressively then make sure you do these.

Useful Links

Kinguin CD Keys
Wiki: https://deathstranding.fandom.com/wiki/Death_Stranding_Wiki
Memory Chip Guide: https://www.ign.com/wikis/death-stranding/Collectibles_Guide_-_Memory_Chips#Memory_Chip_56
Memory Chip Map: https://www.powerpyx.com/death-stranding-all-memory-chip-locations-collectibles/
PS4 100% Trophy guide: https://psnprofiles.com/guide/9355-death-stranding-trophy-guide

VampireSurvivors

March 14, 2023March 29, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

VampireSurvivors developed by Poncle is a roguelike bullet hell survival type game for mobile, PC and Xbox. Similarly to a lot of the other such games you try and survive against endless waves of enemies (well around 30 minutes of them) and you collect and upgrade various weapons and equipment as you do so. Get a specific weapon and it’s corresponding piece of equipment and you can upgrade the weapon to an ultimate version. There are 5 main levels and as many bonus/challenge ones. As you play the game you can find and rescue other survivors which become characters you can play with. Each character starts out with a specific weapon but will be able to acquire other weapons as they level up.

In each level you can collect gold coins, these will let you get upgrades that apply to all levels and characters. As you work your way through the achievements list more and more of the game will be unlocked. You will find new characters, new weapons with new ultimate versions, new levels and challenges.

colourful bullet hell image with swarms of enemies

Worth it?

A simple but effective survival bullet-hell game with some really fun and well hidden surprises. There is also a good deal of humour in the naming of weapons and items (like the Candelabrador candelabra). The game is free on mobile and also ad-free (unless you want an additional life when you die). On PC it will set you back around £3.99 and there some DLC which will give you access to new levels and characters.

The collection of characters and the methods by which you unlock them are quite addictive and make you want to try each and every one of them out. The sheer amount of items there are to unlock – from game modes to weapons and additional features give the game a great amount of replay value. Each level usually lasts around 30 mins, which is a touch on the long side and sometimes the game might not save your progress if you close the app if you’ve had to do something else. However, the game works perfectly in offline and also in portrait, making it perfect for time killing. Overall if you’re a fan of bullet-hell survival games then this is a great one to add to your collection.

Tips

Learn the weapon evolutions and collect items/weapons accordingly.
Destroy torches and braziers for food and coins.
Upgrade your permanent upgrades using coins.
Some levels will have items on the floor, use these to get your ultimate weapon upgrades right.
Find the Milky Way Map in order to unlock the pause menu map which will show you the locations of items in the level.
In order to get to the coffin in Gallo Tower, look out for a glowing mirror on the left side of the level (around the area where the arrow points you to) that will get you through to a small room where the coffin is.

Useful Links

Evolutions: https://vampire-survivors.fandom.com/wiki/Evolution
Play for Free on itch.io: https://poncle.itch.io/vampire-survivors
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.poncle.vampiresurvivors&hl=en&gl=US
Wiki: https://vampire-survivors.fandom.com/wiki/Vampire_Survivors_Wiki
Kinguin CD Key

Sundered: Eldritch Edition

February 23, 2023March 29, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Sundered: Eldritch Edition developed by Thunder Lotus Games (the same team behind Jotun) is a metroidvania game with stunning graphics. The story follows Eshe who finds herself in a mysterious ancient ruin where she is bound to Trapezohedron, an ancient force that allows her to fight her way through the world she now finds herself permanently trapped in.

The game follows the standard metroidvania recipe of 2D platforming, non-linear progression and various weapons and upgrades scattered around the world, each potentially unlocking other areas of the map. In Sundered every time you die (or return the the start area) you get to spend all the shards you’ve collected on permanent upgrades and face the newly randomised map again. Key rooms remain in place but the various paths to get there may change. The enemies aren’t overly diverse but are stronger in later areas, you will also find they sometimes attack in hordes which will have you mashing buttons while you cling on for dear life.

As you progress through the game and acquire new skills you will also come across elder shards. These will give you an interesting dilemma that determines the end outcome of the game – you can chose to corrupt your skills moving you towards the dark and corrupted side or you can destroy the shards for a random skill upgrade and a pile of shards to spend on upgrades. As the story progresses and you defeat more bosses you learn that the ancient Eldritch powers that once inhabited these ruins were at war with the Valkyries – humans with advanced technology set to destroy the magical beings. You fight corrupted versions of both factions as you navigate the ruins.

dark and red screen with some flames in the middle — Sundered_20230131215627

dark and red screen with some flames in the middle, a character engulfed in a red beam — Sundered_20230131215627

Worth it?

I am personally not a major platformer player or fan of metroidvania style games, but the artwork on Sundered really pulled me in. The Thunder Lotus team has some serious pedigree in terms of other games like Jotun: Valhalla Edition and Spiritfarer. The artwork on Sundered: Eldritch Edition really hits the mark. The gameplay and combat mechanics are also really satisfying, especially as you get more and more powerful and unlock the various skills. I did find the charged attacks a little hard to use and the enemies can get a little repetitive (especially when the mini-bosses are just more powerful versions of them). The choice between corruption and purity adds a nice bit of depth and replay value to the game – making you think about your choices and the path you would like to take.

Brand new the game will set you back around £15.49, but it’s available for free for PS Plus Extra tier and often on sale for quite cheap on other platforms anywhere from £1.50 on Kinguin to £12 on CDKeys. You will get decent playtime out of the game (around 10-15 hours) and it even has a reasonable amount of replay value in terms of which path you end up choosing. There is even an option to play up to 4 player co-op (if you have enough controllers) in Magnate of the Gong (not the full game). Overall I would seriously consider picking this game up and if you’re a metroidvania fan then absolutely check it out.

Tips

You can destroy your elder shards in order to get a large amount of shards and a random skill upgrade (this is unlocked in the skill tree and you have to upgrade your way to it).
You can use elder shards to corrupt your powers making them more powerful or giving them key modifications.
Corrupting the gravity boots is particularly useful as it allows you to crawl up any wall that you come into contact with (rather than having to start at its base with just the boots).
Sometimes it’s worth just running through an area in an attempt to unlock a shortcut or to get to a specific perk.
The gong room in the left/2nd area is much easier to complete once you have the grappling hook.
Check out the complete guide on corrupting or incinerating shards below.
Getting the skill that allows you to see treasure on the map will also show you the locations of secret elder shards scattered throughout the world.

Useful Links

Complete guide to corrupted and upgrades abilities: https://www.player.one/sundered-guide-abilities-corrupted-upgraded-elder-shards-final-boss-118701
Game on CDKeys
Game on Kinguin
Wiki: https://sundered.fandom.com/wiki/Sundered_Wiki

The Crew 2

January 24, 2023January 24, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

The Crew 2 is an open world racing game developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft. The game features 16 different types of races ranging from airplanes to dirt bikes to hovercraft and power boats. It takes place in a scaled down version of the United States and allows you to race in big cities or through the countryside and some of America’s most famous landmarks. There are hundreds of races to chose from, each with 3 difficulty settings as well. Completing races will award you with followers (essentially XP for levelling up) and new parts for your vehicle, allowing any vehicle to be upgraded and compete with other higher tier vehicles. You don’t need to be familiar with the first game in order to get stuck into this one. There is some loose story, which is basically irrelevant, although admittedly it has some pretty epic cinematic moments at times.

There are 4 main types of races – Street, Off-road, Freestyle and Pro Racing. Each of those has 4 sub-categories depending on the type of vehicle:

Street – street, drifting, drag, hypercars
Off-road – rally raid, motocross, rallycross, hovercraft
Freestyle – aerobatics, demolition derby, jet sprint, monster truck
Pro Racing – powerboat, air races, touring car, alpha grand prix

There are also Live Xtreme events – probably one of the games more unique and exciting features, in which you race in several disciplines with an almost seamless transition between vehicles. Once you have completed 50% of each race family’s races you can take on the boss for a chance to earn an ultimate vehicle. There are also hundreds of skill challenges and various other types of races available, including weekly events in which you compete for the highest score on a series of events against other players from around the world.

Worth it?

Overall the game is every completionist’s dream. With hundreds of races, challenges and vehicles to collect – it will keep you busy for a very long time. One criticism was that certain types of race had a lot less events compared to others – street races seem to vastly outnumber all other types of race and it would be nice to see a few more events for some of the more niche vehicles like monster trucks, motorbikes or hovercraft. While the open world is truly gigantic and there are quite a few events and challenges around it, it can feel a little too big and a bit empty at times. The always online mode of the game also means you can’t pause and walk away from a race because you will get kickedd from the server.

The weekly events give players a reason to keep returning to the game, giving it decent longevity (aside from a completionist approach to the game). There are also seasonal events with a new one being announced just a few days ago – adding new races and challenges to take on. The follower and rank system is a nice touch, allowing you to upgrade earnings or vehicle performance as you increase your rank. The full price game is not worth it by any means (over £40), however you can often find it on sale for as little as £6.99 for the base game, if you are on PS Plus Extra it is available for free. The game will keep you busy for a considerable time, especially if you’re a fan of racing games or a completionst.

Tips

Hold L1 & R1 (or equivalent) to reset your vehicle onto the road.
You receive car parts after each race so don’t rush to teleport away until you’ve received them.
You can spend skill points every time you increase your rank – invest in skills that gain you more bucks as much as possible.
Don’t spend money on vehicles in the early game and once you have amassed some wealth make sure you buy the vehicles you need for new race types first – aiming to have one of each vehicle as soon as possible.
The New York hypercar race pays the best, however also takes really long, the other money grinding option is the Uber Dam powerboat race, which is very quick to complete.
Remember to pull back on your joystick (tilt back) when using a boat to go at higher speeds, let go of this for more control and better steering.
Use nitro to recover from mistakes or in stretches when you can use a lot of it in one go.
You can get an overview of all completed and uncompleted races from the activity menu, which is easier to navigate than the map.
You can customise your racer’s outfit at Home.
When loot gets sent to your HQ mailbox you need to go to one of the 4 race types HQs (where you buy vehicles) and look for the mailbox section where your unclaimed loot is stored.
Once you’ve acquired good car parts you can start to scrap green and blue parts to generate spare parts, which can be used to tune top tier (yellow) car parts.

Useful Links

Wiki: https://thecrew.fandom.com/wiki/The_Crew_2
Kinguin Cheap CD Keys
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thecrew2/

Planet Coaster – Console Edition

January 4, 2023January 3, 2023Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Planet Coaster developed by Frontier Developments was released in 2016 and saw a lot of success since then as a spiritual successor to RollerCoaster Tycoon. The game did so well it was followed up with Planet Zoo in 2019. As should be obvious from the title, the game is all about managing a theme park and building some truly amazing rollercoasters. The game’s campaign mode has 12 scenarios with 3 objectives in each. Generally this takes around 10-15 hours to complete, after which you can look at challenge mode maps where you have to manage your own park by starting out with a limited amount of cash and building up from there. Alternatively if you just want to mess around or build without the limitations of cash you can always try the sandbox mode.

The game offers a huge variety of of coasters and theming options. From classic wooden and children coasters all the way to high speed steel winged coasters with inversions and loops. The themes also include classics like pirate, adventure, spooky, sci-fi and festive. The theme editor allow for the creation of highly detailed and unique scenery, there is also a Frontier workshop showcasing some of the finest creations by other players that you can add to your own collection and use in your own parks. The workshop also features various parks and rollercoaster designs uploaded by others, however you may find that quite a few of these aren’t compatible with console due to the more limited performance.

Worth it?

Considering the game came out in 2016 it has held up very well and as the console version was a little more recent it will still set you back around £17-20 if you get it on sale. As for the PC version you can find CD Keys for around £5-10 which is definitely worth doing. The game is an amazing playground in which to let your creative juices flow. The editor allows for some truly awe-inspiring builds and the only limit is one’s patience and imagination. Naturally the PC version will always be superior due to access to the steam workshop – this is issue is slightly alleviated for consoles by the presence of the Frontier workshop, although even then certain maps or builds won’t work on your console. Controls have been fairly well adapted for console, although when creating more detailed props/scenes it can be a bit tricky at times. The new approach to theming and the way props and decorations are created really do make this game stand out and cement is place in a long line of theme park simulation games.

Tips

Some props are grid based others can be freely placed – you can tell these apart by the grid in the background of the image.
If a ride’s queue scenery is at 100% you can charge the maximum for tickets (this will still depend on the ride’s prestige).
Sending staff on training courses will boost their happiness, but will also mean you need to probably raise their salary.
You can smooth a ride out by selecting a part and then selecting adjacent ones by holding X (PS) – you can then select the smooth option from the quick action menu.
Free camera allows you to zoom in and look at things even closer.
Make sure your staff rooms are within a reasonable distance for staff.
Use work rosters to manage where and how your staff work – especially useful for janitors.
After around 10 year of operating a ride will become a “Classic” meaning it will be at its highest prestige level – allowing you to charge the most you can for it.
A good rollercoaster with high values and good prestige can charge around $20-25. Whereas flat rides will vary from around $7-15 depending on the ride.

Useful Links

Planet Coaster Wiki: https://planetcoaster.fandom.com/wiki/Planet_Coaster_Wiki
Kinguin Cheap CD keys
JLW Games – YouTube series on challenge map, highly detailed parks: https://www.youtube.com/@JLWGames

Townscaper

December 16, 2022December 16, 2022Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

Townscaper is a city building game like no other, made by developer Oskar Stålberg (creator of Bad North as well). The game allows you to build a procedurally generated city. The game is set on a warped grid allowing for some interesting curves and narrow streets as you build your city. The building process itself is also remarkably simple – just tap to add a block, short hold to remove one and long hold to change its colours. The rest is all up to you. There is no objective, pressure or complexity to the game just an open sandbox for you to create your colourful (or monochrome) island city. As you add different pieces existing ones will change leaving behind houses, terraces, gardens and all sorts of little details to discover. You can choose from 15 beautiful pastel colours spanning the colours of the rainbow and make some truly fantastic creations.

Worth it?

Generally speaking, the game will set you back around £4.99 which can seem a little bit steep for what’s essentially a city painting app. However, when you observe the detail and appreciate the effort that has gone into the game you appreciate it more and more. It is a great mobile game and perfect time killer. You can spend hours perfecting and tinkering with your city and 5 mins can quickly turn into 20-30. The decision not complicate the game with actual “gameplay” like resources and management does leave you with a slight sense of longing, but equally helps it preserve its truly zen vibe which will leave you feeling relaxed. It would be interesting to see this with different architectural styles, colour pallets, vibes and building variations – for example a spooky abandoned building or medieval castle. The concept feels like it has infinite potential. If you can get it on sale you can save around 15-20% on it, but either way it’s money worth spent for the zen garden that Townscaper is.

Tips

Tap to add block, short hold to delete a block, long hold to change colour to the currently selected one.
You can turn on the grid to see what certain positions may look like – look out for the ones that form the centre of certain warps.
If you don’t interact with the screen for a bit the UI will hide (if you have the toggle on).
Check night mode and mess around with the position of the sun.
You can make a lighthouse by building a standalone tower of 3 or more blocks.
You can make grassy areas by surrounding an area with houses and having the middle free, do so with different colour houses and you will get some nice walls and fences within the green area.

Useful Links

Oskar Stålberg Twitter: https://twitter.com/osksta?lang=en
Oskar Stålberg’s Blog with similar concept playgrounds: https://oskarstalberg.tumblr.com/
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.OskarStalberg.Townscaper&hl=en_GB&gl=US
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/townscaper/id1549531491
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/
Website: https://www.townscapergame.com/

Slime Rancher

October 2, 2022October 2, 2022Random Game ReviewsLeave a comment

The Game

With the recent release of Slime Rancher 2, I went back to the original to see where it all began and what all the hype was about. As the name suggest Slime Rancher (developed by Monomi Park) is a game that revolves around farming and exploiting adorable (but sometimes dangerous) slimes. You explore the open world vacuuming up unsuspecting and rare slimes after which you bring them back to your ranch where they are stored in corrals and fed various foods in order to obtain their most valuable resource – plorts. Each different kind of slime will drop its own kind of plorts, different plorts sell for different prices and those will fluctuate depending on how many you’ve sold recently and the in-game economy.

If a slime eats another slime’s plorts you will get a so called Largo slime – an extra large hybrid slime of the two types (producing 2 types of plorts) these larger slimes are harder to handle as they can’t be sucked up as you can only move one at a time. The danger with these slimes is that if they eat a third type of plort they can become tar slimes – a destructive and dangerous slime that can quickly decimate your ranch and other slimes. As you progress in the open world you will also find Gordos – special extra large slimes that need to be force-fed in order to unlock portals and keys to new areas of the map. New and sometimes dangerous slimes are discovered as you progress as well – some explosive, others radioactive.

Worth it?

Generally speaking the game will set you back around £10 to £15, although with Slime Rancher 2 being released recently I would expect this to drop soon (the game is available for free as part of the PS Plus Extra tier too). Overall the game takes around 14 hours to complete depending on what you focus on, if you’re not out there overfeeding gordos and unlocking new areas it will take you a lot longer (but then again there’s so much to do on the ranch that I don’t blame you). The game is very good at keeping you busy constantly – the “one more day” moment is definitely there and can easily absorb you for extended periods of time. The game concept is simple but very effective and there are plenty of things to unlock and do – from timed challenges to crafting and research. The open world presents a bit of a traversal challenge and sometimes can feel as if you’re trying to break it with some of the areas you can jetpack to, the ability to unlock portals and quicker routes is also helpful as navigating the fairly big open world can get a bit tedious, especially if you have to go anywhere near water with an inventory full of goodies as falling in water will cause them to all be lost.

The game is a fun and generally relaxing experience, exploring and discovering new areas can seem scary but is also actually quite chill as even the more dangerous slimes can be vacced up quite easily or you can always run from them. Even if the farming element gets a bit repetitive, the open world and lore take you on quite the adventure. If you’re after a chill farming type game with some really cute slimes then it’s definitely worth checking out.

Tips

Unlock the jetpack early
Feed a slime its favourite food for a double plort yield
Feed a gordo its favourite food and you only have to feed it half the amount of food
Tars spread faster at night
Complete daily quests for cash and special rewards
Get the water tank upgrade early and always keep it full – water instantly kills tar slimes
Phosphorous slimes only appear at night and will die if exposed to sunlight
Farming largos allows you to get 2 types of plort from one corral
Store and sell plorts when their price is high (when you sell a large amount the price will then drop for some considerable time)
Get a farm going early on
Getting high walls or a net on your corral can help prevent slimes from escaping (they will try to escape if there’s food nearby)
Do not give a largo a third type of plort or it will become a tar
You can unlock new areas to expand in by unlocking the overgrowth or the grotto (you can take care of phosphorus slimes in there without a solar shield
Completing quests for other ranchers on their ranch can eventually unlock even more area to expand to and other special prizes

Useful Links

Gordo locations: https://slimerancher.fandom.com/wiki/Gordo_Slimes/Locations
Wiki: https://slimerancher.fandom.com/wiki/Slime_Rancher_Wiki
Kinguin Cheap CD Keys