Recent reviews by Dore_miva

I cannot put this game down! The only reason I had to stop was because I suddenly couldn't see the computer screen to order stuff. So it's like the game is telling me to stop.

It's such a cozy game. There's a little bit of 'oooh~ a mystery~' aspect to it, but I don't care much about it. I'm just here for the gameloop. Juggling the shop and gas station does get busy as your popularity increases, but that's what makes it fun: checking the prices everyday to see if you can finally restock that item you're running out on;
giving the exact change at the cashier - occassionally giving a few $ too many; sleeping with low fuel in hopes that tomorrow's price will be better; saving up for that sweet, sweet upgrades; all of these are what hooked me.

I thought I'd get tired of the music, but I didn't. The music stop helps indicate that the day is about to end and I better ring all the customers out. Reminisce of Harvest Moon games when all music stops when night time comes. You're left with the silent night and the truck delivery that sends your goods.

I tried Discounty but that didn't hook me. This however, with the art style and the quaint area, the simple gameplay loop, somehow managed to get me addicted.
I really wish the full game was out, but I'm happy that they added save game in their new demo. I don't want to overplay the demo, however, in case I'll lose interest.
I don't usually buy games during launch due to bugs and whatnot, but I think I'll make an exception for this one.

I've been intrigued by this game for a while because a friend really liked the first game. So I finally tried it and it's been fun writing response letter and even getting letters back for my concerns.

But, as I read through the requests, some of these genuinely have ppl with life ending thoughts and hopelessness. Sometimes the request doesn't have enough context to give a proper response.
I'm not a therapist, so I can only do so much. I try to help give solutions / give a different perspective in the reply.

The game have a report system if someone's being mean. Now, I never call someone name, but I can see if my response might be a bit strict. Because, being kind doesn't necessarily mean being an echo chamber to their bad situation. If someone says "grr, I hate them so much", I don't think the kind thing to do is to encourage that hatred. But, this game sells the idea that sometimes ppl just need someone to listen to so they won't feel alone.

I understand the idea, but I wonder if it'll backfire if ppl keep on simply being kind and not encourage healthy changes. Then again, not everyone is a therapist here and with limited response, it's kinda hard to explain things. I'm a bit on the fence with this. Sometimes I avoid replying if I don't think I can give any advice (say, someone asking advice about an industry i'm not familiar with). Not to mention, these letter writers might have different cultures that your advice can't be applied to. Maybe I'm just overthinking this.

Then, there's also the fact that there's a sticker collection. Some ppl can be obsessed with it. I saw a letter that asks for it. I worry that this will make ppl reply without intending to really help, just give a template positive response in hopes they get a sticker they don't have yet.

As someone with people pleaser tendency, it's also bad for me because I want to reply to every letter. I want to help everyone in trouble. And I feel drained afterwards because I'd carefully think of how to reply to each letter. So I do limit myself to answering a few and then quit the game. Still, I can't help but think about the letters I wrote and worry about the other side.

Receiving words of encouragement and solution does feel nice. I've posted one request and got 3 back. 2 were helpful, one talks about their experience--which is also the point of this game, to be like "I've also been there". So that was interesting.

Knowing all this, it's a good place if you want to have small encouragement and feel good, but definitely do not use this to seek advice or think that this is the solution to one's problem. So, please be aware when you use this. Otherwise, it's a nice cozy lo-fi place to relax in. I really do like the music. And I like seeing the chains I subscribe to growing longer.

There are some connections that you'll make here, but it's fleeting and short. So don't expect to make long life friends here because that's not allowed (no, you genuinely aren't allowed to share your online id to connect outside the game). I'd still recommend it because it has nice ideas. But careful with how you use this.

There's something cozy about this game. Maybe it's the progress that you slowly make. Maybe it's the familiarity you will feel as you explore the dungeon many times. Maybe it's the unexpected NPCs you meet and the stories they tell that make you feel like this dungeon is alive. It's hard to pinpoint why I was obsessed with this game.

As an Etrian Odyssey player (up to the 5th game), I'm gonna compare these two a lot.
I enjoyed this stlye of dungeon crawling where you move through the map step by step. Unlike EO however, you get to choose when / from where you fight your enemies. No random encounter.

The battle style itself isn't that different from any RPG but I do feel like it's easier to level up different class for you to try compared to EO. Sure, this makes it longer and I could simply NG+ once I finished but, knowing myself, I wouldn't touch this game once I finished it. So, I opted to switch out class and, later on, building 2/3 different 'team'.

Figuring out the map is part of the fun. While it can be frustrating, I enjoyed unlocking those shortcut after forcing myself to fight one more batch of enemies.
The graphic is strangely cozy. You get used to it and soon it becomes familiar.

It's nice to feel that there's progress even as simple as seeing the item you found be shown at your 'camp'. Seeing all your character there is also a plus.
Being able to choose and unchoose your skill tree is also a big plus. EO makes you lose a level if you reset your skill and makes me not want to try out new skills because of that.

Overall, it's an enjoyable game that I easily sink into and lose hours in.

I got this as part of a bundle and I played this solo.

At first, I liked the whole brewing potions that you slowly gain as you play and how you'd need specific potions to progress the game. Then...that's it, really. The puzzle itself is ...pretty simple, but I did check guides to figure out what to do to charge the fire gem. There are enough variety of puzzle types for such a short game, so there's that.

I'm not liking the way the book talks to me, the way he acts makes it feel like this is a bad LARP experience, so when you reach the final ending and things became life or death question ...it kinda fell flat. I'd be happy I just leave the room and my book congratulated me for finishing an escape room event. That's the overall vibe I get from his 'acting.'

Speaking of ending, I saved before I chose the 'unknown' and when I reloaded to get the 2nd ending, I couldn't continue because the game took me at the starting area, and the door that leads to the ending room is still closed behind the tetra triangle door. Meanwhile, all my items are gone. So... yeah... thanks buggy game.

Speaking of bugs... the achievements are also very buggy!! I drank all the potion, read all the lores, inspect all the curios, but I guessss since I stopped playing midway and didn't finish it in one go, the game doesn't register the stuff I did prior to my next load/play time. Had to spend some time to re-read/inspect all the stuff I had found. Thanks, buggy game.

I didn't try the multiplayer because I have no friends, but with such a short playtime and puzzles that aren't exactly hard... Idk why you'd play it with up to 4 people. It feels like a level from Escape Academy / Escape Simulator, even they sometimes have issues with bottleneck puzzles. Can't imagine this one.

The size was 7G and it made me think that the game would be complex, long, and just... more fun...
I guess it's for the graphics? Maybe it's for the smooth potion making? But it's not like the place is "breathtaking". It's a wooden house with bricks and cellars and such. I'm not a game dev so idk if that would affect the size but I've played enough (escape) games for comparison.

idk, I wanted to like it but it's a meh for me.
Borrow the game from a friend. Or play it under 2 hours to see if you'd like it so you have an option to refund it.

It's a typing game with a funny take about isekai.

Gameplay-wise, I like that the difficulty increases as the levels go on not just via longer words but through the new enemies and bosses as well.
There's an achievement where you have to play each levels 5 times, also so that you unlock the locked up cats, and while there's a chance for it to be repetitive, I was pleasantly surprised that the boss' dialog were different each time. It adds to their characters and you get to know a little bit about their motivation.
Each run is slightly different depending on which path you choose, so if you're lucky, you can easily go through a level without fighting any enemies and go straight to the boss after simply opening treasures or harvesting catnips.

While I didn't mind the 5x repetition each level, it did feel like a drag when we reach the ending, simply because the pacing as we meet the boss suddenly became so slow. The boss was also the only one in 3D-esque art style, completely different from the cutesy 2D style the rest of the characters have. I don't mind it, but it sure is funny.
The final fight has some dialogs and while it does add to the dramatic ending a good rpg / story needs, after I experienced it once, that's enough. The 2nd time I played it, it felt like such a drag. I wish there's a skip cutscene. Thankfully, I unlocked all the captured cats after the 2nd run and I realized, I can simply lose my HP midway because the game considered me starting the level as 'entering the castle'. Thank goodness for that workaround.

I like that I can get catnip from the rescued cats. I enjoy going around the kingdom(?) collecting 'Hero taxes' from them. It does max out on 9999 catnips, so be sure to use them on buildings before reaching the cap. Then, there's an achievement about using cheats..? How does one naturally find that? I had to consult discussion post to find it.

So, I found this game during the typing fest and I tried the demo and I like it. The demo also mentioned that the save file is carried over to the full game if/when I buy it. So I bought it.
I continued at level 2, but I didn't receive 'complete tutorial' achievement. No matter. I'll just finish the game and start a new game to get it. But it didn't work. While the game warn you that they'll overwrite the save file, I didn't get the 'tutorial' achievement, and I have unlocked all of the buildings and cats as if I'd finished the game. However, the playable levels were locked, just like it used to be when I started the game. I have no idea how to unlock it. I am simply stuck with an unobtainable last achievement, with levels that is now 'broken' so to speak (at the moment of writing this comment).
I am not tech-savy enough to go through the files within the computer to wipe out the save files, and frankly, I don't care enough to do so. I've finished the game. I've 'unlocked' all achievement except one. I uninstalled the game.

There really isn't any end-game to this typing game and I'm not really looking for it. It was a nice, short, experience. I enjoyed it, sad that there's some bug that prevents me from 100% the game, but is happy to move on nonetheless.

I played the 3DS version and put in 100+ hours in that one, even got the DLC. So when this game was announced, it was a for sure buy... although I did wait for winter sale.

The game kept the familiarity of its predecessor, but made things so much more convenient with the teleportation system. Although it is quite a shame that they don't let us teleport to the different basement levels, since they've already allowed us to teleport in front of the dungeons.

Tbh, I'm not as interested at the story compared to the 3ds version. It felt like there's a lot of unneccessary padding. The backstory between the bird and the professor was a bit much, but I do appreciate that we can skip the cutscenes, which is something I ended up doing midway. The story style, similar to the 3ds, felt like it's written / performed for children, with an obvious bad guy and silly jokes here and there. You'd connect the dots way faster than the characters and now you just wait for them to figure things out. While the deeper mystery is kept quite well, the earlier reveal wasn't as surprising when you know it's coming.
I suppose, in that way, this game is definitely for all ages. Kids can enjoy the story and cutscenes, I can skip them and still get caught up by reading the quest summary.

The map itself felt small and big at the same time. With the previous game, there's no multiplayer area, so the world needed to be big when you start to travel from one place to another. They're all connected on foot. However, this game introduces a new map that is sort of unrelated to the main story but is big and can match your level as you 'upgrade' them. This does seem like it's intended for end-game content, same goes with the sappling dungeon mechanic and the recent free dlc.

I personally don't participate in the multiplayer, but it's an option for those who like to play with other people. The game already allows you to get party members within the game and, since I played the previous installment, I recognized them! It was fun to see familiar faces be called into this world and have them roam around the HQ.

The HQ itself is a new addition. Ever since Harvest Moon and the likes allows one to decorate the whole town, every game starts to follow. Including Fantasy Life. It's a neat idea, but holy moly it's freakin' expensive! You want to build a bridge? That'll be 2000g. You want to move it, or change the design? Pay up. You want to relocate your villager's house? Relocate a farm? Your house? The guild? Pay, pay, pay. Building and relocating costs money. Redesigning costs money. The only thing that's free is changing the shape of your land and placing decorations that technically costs money since you need materials to make them.

You can sell tools and weapons you get as you explore so at some point, money won't be a problem, but when I started out, decorating becomes the least of my concerns because I'm poor. There's also a limit to how many villager's house you can build in the place, so you can't house everyone. Some of them will have to be homeless. Each villagers have their own personal decor, so it's nice to see their interior sense when you house them. They also have a special dialog during the first time you gave them a house.

Farmer and Artist are newly introduced here. They're locked behind the story progression, which is fine but because of that, they do feel a bit detached from the rest of the Life. Even if you need them for cooking, some of the ingredients aren't available unless you rank up your Farmer Life and you're better off buying them from the shop. It's not that expensive.
Artist is also only for side quest and house decor. It overlaps at times with carpentry or even cooking, strangely enough, because now you can build 'decoration' via cooking.
You do have a Gallery in HQ where you can display and sell them, but it simply feels like busywork.

I love the new skill points that they introduced compared to the old 'skill' or level mechanics in the previous game. Being able to set your own list in the menu is a convenience I never knew I needed.

There are a few new things that the game introduces that I find odd and underwhelming but it does not outweigh the improvement this game introduced. I tried going back to my 3ds and it didn't feel as fun anymore now that I know I can switch Life at any moment's notice.

I tried the demo and it hooked me.
This game manages to scratch the perfectionist itch that I get by having those % rewarded by making the item as close to the drawing as possible. Granted, I have only played in Apprentice mode and getting from 99 - 100 % seems to depend on the game's mood at times.

The game doesn't hold your hand much in what's the "right" way to smith what you need. Sure, they have the obvious material blinking at you in your forge, as well as being listed in the order. But there are times when you just have to guess based on the drawing. They don't tell you how to connect the parts, you just have to assume that the stick needs to be a bit longer so you can rivet it into the others.

I do wish that the game makes it easier to see what material you need; the blinking can be a bit hard to see for me at times. Perhaps a button that can immediately gather the required items in place while allowing me to add the extra item bonuses.

I find myself restarting a 'level' when I forge the steel wrong; the axe in the early level really stumped be, but it was quite a rewarding challenge once I got it as close as I could.
Once I find out that I can just cut the steel to the right shape, it saves a lot of hammering time. Still, there's something about doing minute tinkering juuust to get the shape right that makes you forget how much time has passed.

I do like that each avatar have a back story, although I'm not sure how different it affects the narrative. I'm currently playing as an Orc blacksmith and no one seems to care...that I am one. No prejudice here, I guess.
Still, I do find myself skimming through the story beat. Not because it's bad, but because I am here for the gameplay. I don't need to know why you're asking me to make a pitchfork, but a pitchfork I will make for you, sir. Just pay me the gold and fame on your way out, thank you very much.

The music is soothing, it does get repetitive eventually, the epic battle might be a bit too much for such a peaceful blacksmithing activity but I do play while listening to podcast anyway, so this gets pushed to the background.
The audio for the Minstrel is...definitely a choice. It's giving me 90's voice coming out from an old speaker. The dwarf has a better mic/audio processing. Not sure with the others.

Overall, I am enjoying this game when I want to zone in and ignore reality.

I mean, get it during a sale.
It's a nice puzzle game entry. It's simple and the chapter kept clues and the puzzles contained to an area. You can get by quickly if you have a good memory because I never felt like I needed to write down a solution to the puzzle like I do with other puzzle games at times.

Oh, I did get surprised on chapter 4. That was a nice twist to an otherwise repeating flower+clue-finding pattern from the first 3 chapters.

I did enjoy blooming all the different seed flower because they are all so unique, especially with the fog flower and rust remover . From those two flowers, I felt like the game is set in a whimsical fantasy aspect. Of course these plants can do these. Of course this can make the plant bloom. Which I have no problems with. I actually enjoy the world building.

What annoyed me was the constant head bashing with "The world is patriachy. Men look down on women. Men bad. Women great." message. At first, I felt bad for Ms Green. I do agree that she doesn't need to be married and I genuinely rooted for her work as a biologist to be recognized. But the game kept telling me over and over that men looked down on, not just her but other women she knew.
(I do personally loved the insult of 'blind leading the blind').

I don't mind reading 5 letters indicating that; rejection letter, aunt setting her up, letter suggesting publishing her work under her uncle'name, complains from her friends, and 1 more. I think that's enough to paint the picture. By the time I picked up a letter mocking her gender, I was frustrated. "I get it. I got the message, thank you. Move on please."
While I'm happy with the epilogue, let us not ignore that she started rich so... having some manor money does help achieve one's dream XD

I'm not saying these discrimination didn't happen irl or in game, but if you want it whimsy, keep it whimsy. If you want to make a commentary, don't make me overeat it. As a woman, I got the message on the first few letters.

However, reading the letter is fun. I did enjoy seeing the snippet of romance going on between her two staff. I read all of it in a fancy British accent. Played it while streaming it to my bf so had to read them outloud.

The manor is very cozy. I kept sitting down on the different seats I found just because it felt so comfortable to do so.

I wish I was smart enough to figure out all of the puzzles and hidden snowman without a guide, but thank god for a guide that allowed me to finish this game without missing a thing!

Coming in blind, I enjoyed the music, the vibe, and was pleasantly surprised by my first log float trip. I love how the little movements caused sounds to play. I love how you can reset and undo movements. I like the funny quips for each exhibitions. I appreciate the little hints they give on how to solve an island.
I did get lost once or twice as the map gets expanded and it was tricky to find out the locations that I haven't gone to (even if they have those footprint guide, sometimes it doesn't show up anymore).

I ended up starting a new save file and made sure I played it everyday so I won't forget where my progress was / what my plan was when I quit the game. As I played this at night, I did get sleepy a few times because of how soothing this game is. It's definitely an expedition worth going through.

This game is a great way to discover books that I haven't read. Which is a lot.
I thought I might have a hard time recommending books because I'm not an avid reader but reading the summary and the customer's requests has been quite enjoyable for me. It becomes a mini puzzle. Sure, it kinda takes out the 'cozy' aspect when I have to try to solve it correctly , but there isn't much consequence for failing / ignoring these requests [except for the achievement that requires you to get it right]

I love hearing the life updates on the named npc and I feel like I'm actually settling in this new town. I kinda wish I can just visit them anytime or click on them as they visit and talk about something random instead of the usual 'good morning' 'goodbye' that I do to everyone. Seeing familiar faces walking towards my shop gets me excited. It also took a while for me to realize that the color of their clothes corresponds to the book genre. Doh! Which I thought it's pretty neat.

The game is definitely meant to be taken slo~wly, and I say this because 4 seasons exist so if you miss a category that you can only get in Summer, well...there's 3 seasons you need to pass through before you can try again. But, every season has its own beauty and events, so while the days may seem slow and intimidating, try to enjoy it. Don't be like me and stress out.

I love getting new decorations for my tiny shop. The Flea Market randomization kinda sucks though. I didn't have enough money to buy additional shelf and it hasn't come back since. Not sure how often they're supposed to go back since it's been a month since I last saw it. I do love going to the market because I get to talk to a lot of the NPC and I like that you can't purchase from their store when they're purchasing from yours XD

Speaking of decorations, it's surprisingly hard to make enough money to splurge on them. I guess that's why the game is endless because you do need to save up for the next Flea Market. At most, I can only buy 2-3 items while still having money in my savings. I haven't even bothered buying paint since I'm focused on getting the decor. Maybe I'm just stingy but I don't want to not have enough money to buy books.

I like reading the newspaper. There must be nothing happening in the town most days that the journalist would report on my earnings, but I do somewhat prefer that compared to the usual window pop up with info on how much I earn etc. Having it written on the newspaper feels very...on brand of the game, somehow.

While I did get addicted by the game when I first started it, I started to get overwhelmed when I have to plan and change the genres of my books before the next day. The days also felt a bit slow now that I'm in Autumn, not sure why. I haven't gone back to it yet, but when I do, I know I'll enjoy the cozy aspect of it.