The Game Of Life 2 Switch Review
Mazie Wingeier
A Wonderful Life, however, has been hotly-requested for a touch-up, as my partner/her brother have been clamoring for it for ages. Nostalgia is the driving force here, as quality-of-life updates are just the icing on the cake. So, now that this remake is finally here, does it recapture the heart of adults who plugged away at it as kids?
The aforementioned gameplay loop in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life rewards players by opening up so many things to do as days go by. You could go visit the Excavation Site where Carter and Flora are digging; you can dig yourself and find some treasure if you can spare the time/energy.
Alternatively, you can work on your relationships and track how much your desired partner loves you. All this can be fruitfully explored since your farming duties typically only take about half of an in-game day to complete.
My partner got their hands on this game, and revelled in its quality of life improvements whilst experiencing nostalgia from enjoying the game on Gamecube. Meanwhile, I found myself grasping the gameplay loop and feeling the farm getting better as I found a lot of things to do in the meantime.
A review code was kindly provided courtesy of Marvelous Interactive for the purpose of our Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life review. If you enjoy farming sims, be sure to check out our Rune Factory 5 review and join the Qualbert Discord to chat with us all about Story of Seasons!
Lindsay picked up an NES controller for the first time at the age of 6 and instantly fell in love. She began reviewing GBA games 20 years ago and quickly branched out from her Nintendo comfort zone. She has has developed a great love of life sims and FMV titles. For her, accessibility is one of the most important parts of any game (but she also really appreciates good UI).
To unlock exterior customization, you need to have decorated inside houses ten times and have had three villagers move in. Once it is unlocked, all you have to do is interact with the white sign in front of any house. This brings up a menu, from which you can demolish, move, or apply a new roof and wall
When I first heard that I'd be reviewing a game called Metamorphosis, I made some joke in my head about this game being based on the classic Franz Kafka story. The joke was on me, because that's exactly what this game from developer Ovid Works is based on. While the Kafka story is filled with lessons about the greater meaning of life, I'll admit that I hadn't thought about it since I studied it in college a decade ago. After all, I was juggling school and a GameFly internship that would eventually lead to becoming Senior Editor at Shacknews. But I remembered enough that the game's concept had me intrigued. And there's definitely something here, assuming you can get past some of the bugs. (No pun intended, I swear.)
For anybody who ever read the Kafka story, the plot for Metamorphosis might sound familiar. You're playing as Gregor Samsa, who is going through his morning routine and just trying to get to work. However, something fantastical happens as he's getting ready. He becomes a bug and it happens so gradually that he doesn't even notice until he's trotting around his house on tiny legs.
Where the game's plot diverges somewhat from the source material is that there seems to be a crime scene unfolding in the house, as well. Gregor's close friend Josef is being arrested by police, so Gregor must try and get back to his human body in order to find out what's happening. The end goal appears to be a mysterious tower that the world's insects reference frequently. There's plenty of time for Gregor to run through the world as he witnesses the awkward dialogue between Josef and the police. (An officer at one point just tells Josef, "You... are arrested." Oof!) But if there's an issue I noticed throughout the first half of the game, it's that characters will frequently talk over each other. While it may reflect reality that a conversation between Gregor and another bug and Josef and the police would be happening simultaneously, it's brutal to follow the multiple dialogue strings at the same time.
After becoming an insect, Metamorphosis becomes a puzzle-platformer and starts to feel more like Lewis Carroll than Franz Kafka. Players will explore a world that seems to go back and forth between reality and a strange twisted universe within the house's walls. More often than not, you'll be solving puzzles within the house doing favors for some of its insect denizens. This will often involve fetch quests that require navigating mundane objects that are suddenly much bigger than you while mastering some of Gregor's bug-like abilities. The key ability involves using sticky substances to latch on to walls and ceilings. Some of the puzzles are charming, like an early game one that has Gregor attempt to get Josef's attention by operating a nearby music box.
I wouldn't call Metamorphosis a precision platformer by any means. You don't need to be a skilled player to make some of the game's jumps or avoid the many obstacles hidden within Gregor's house. That doesn't make Metamorphosis' performance issues any easier to swallow.
Yes, I encountered frame rate hitches and performance lag throughout my time with the game. Some came during my conversations with some of the world's characters. Others came at much more irritating times, like when I was trying to make a long jump. It wouldn't say it ruined my experience with Metamorphosis, but it certainly made it a lot more aggravating.
I'll say this much, if you try and play Metamorphosis as a substitute for a book report, you'll probably fail your English class. But as a game that's inspired by Kafka's classic tale, this is not bad at all. The platforming is competent, the puzzles can get creative, and the characters are often interesting. The downside is that the performance lag can't be ignored and sucks a lot of the fun out of this game. The other thing worth noting is that this is a very brief adventure. Even novices should have little trouble getting through the full story in anything more than four to five hours.
I don't know if I'll see more games inspired by classic existential literature. Is a gaming adaptation of Camus' The Stranger on the way? Who knows? But for what it is, Metamorphosis is a pretty fun way to experience an all-time classic story.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch code provided by the publisher. Metamorphosis is available now on Steam, the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store, and Nintendo eShop for $24.99. The game is rated T.
Bottom line: The game provides a beautiful experience for those who enjoy thought-provoking themes, adorned with gorgeous colors and incredible music. If you enjoy great writing, crafting, and building relationships with other characters, it's a great buy.
For a cute game, it delves into some surprisingly adult topics about morals, ethics and dealing with illness. As someone who enjoys psychology and the things that make people tick, Spiritfarer was a grand time. The relaxing, simple gamplay loop made this perfect for playing on my Nintendo Switch.
Spiritfarer boasts a gorgeous, hand-drawn art style that has often been compared to the style of Studio Ghibli films. As someone who isn't a huge fan of dark, monotone color palettes in games (such as Hollow Knight), the use of pastels and brilliant blues is a breath of fresh air. For a game that takes place mostly on the ocean, this game's style never got boring to me. The various islands strewn throughout the map are also distinct, with Asian-inspired themes, dark mining caves, and even contemporary towns with a Parisian flair to them.
You know a game's music is special when it blends so seamlessly into the gameplay that you find yourself feeling emotions, only to realize that the music was affecting you. The music that plays while you sail, as you're in different towns, and when you bring spirits to the end of their lives is always appropriate, using string instruments to tug at my own heart's strings (pun intended).
Spiritfarer is a game centered around small, mundane tasks to achieve several larger goals. Fortunately, it does its best to make sure that I never feel like my time is being wasted. Players are rewarded for collecting all 89 recipes, the different types of fish and wildlife, gemstones and other materials. There were also areas that allowed for me to farm harder-to-get items, like through the traveling turtles, and I could fast-travel using the bus stops manned by a charming sea lion.
Despite the day-night-cycle, I never felt like time was running out, as you're never punished for taking your time to complete tasks. My second spirit, Atul, asked me to make him some fried chicken. I had to jump through an incredible number of hoops to get chicken to for him. But I wasn't rushed, my relationship with him didn't suffer, and he was incredibly grateful once he got it. A lot of games with an artificial day-night-cycle, like some farming games, can be stressful for me, but Spiritfarer lets you unravel everything at your own pace.
I was disappointed to discover that a lot of important context to Stella's story and her relationship with the spirits was hidden within an art book. This information gives insight into how Stella came to know these spirits when they were alive. This story didn't have to be hidden, it could have been incorporated by hiding it away within the world, and it seems like a bit of a slight against people who did not purchase physical merchandise.
Spiritfarer is an incredibly touching experience that provoked me to think about death, loss, grief and living your life to the fullest. The art style, writing, satisfying crafting mechanics and the quality-of-life features made me not want to put it down. Even with the missing story elements and infrequent performance issues, I never got tired of it. It was beautiful, heart-breaking, and most of all, enjoyable. I would say that it's one of the best games I've played on the Nintendo Switch, hands down.
d3342ee215