Recent reviews by nobleglobug

Played about 90 mins, but I also got this for $3. The translation is godawful, but the combat gameplay is surprisingly smooth and fun. Little secrets on the map are fun to explore and collect. Actually a decent 7/10 game so far.

It honestly reminds me of Bayonetta (flourishy hack 'n' slash w/ X+Y+Y+Y kind of skills to buy) + Monster Hunter: Rise (especially riding the giant bosses and using them to attack lmao) + Tenchu Z (some stealth mechanics and aesthetics).

Overall decently fun! Definitely feels like an older game, and it's hilariously thirsty in the outfits. I got pretty far in some cup swapping mini game, and ended up with some absolutely wild cat suits which is super funny. The thirsty part isn't my jam, but I can see it being for others. I just missed slashy type games like this and it scratched that itch for me, I'll just never use the quirky outfits. For sure a "on sale" kinda buy though.

This is just a demo but I actually can't stop playing it. I hope they come out with tons of customizations to make repeating rooms for tickets a thing! I adore games that have reward/incentive reasons to grind. The art style is SO CUTE without being too much on the eyes, and it's so cozy and zen.

It'll also never not be funny when I step in a trap and I have to go mop up my paste. I'm SO excited for release, this one's gonna be an instant buy for me!

To start, Fantasy Life for the 3DS was my absolute favourite game ever on that console, so take that with a grain of salt. That being said, I actually don't think you need to know anything about it for this game. The ONLY difference it makes, is that a good handful of Strangelings (little NPC followers who just give you skill boosts) are from the first game so you get moments of "HEYYY IT'S SO-AND-SO!" but there's nothing that impacts it beyond a moment of excitement and nostalgia.

Otherwise it's fresh, it's brand new, it's easy to hop into and incredibly cozy. My only worry is that about 40 hours into it, I feel like I'm eating up content fairly fast. I've been taking my time, and my classes are all hovering around Expert (I don't know where it ends, though) and a little bit of running around and you're already best friends with your NPC buddies. I do worry slightly that things might be very quick in this game, and part of me is hesitant to continue with the story because I don't want it to be over too soon. I could be wrong, but everything just feels very... Fast. And for the price, it does make me raise an eyebrow.

That being said! I haven't been this absorbed in a game in SO LONG, and it feels good to have something I actually wanna delve into again this hard.

Yes if: you like cozy games you can pick up and put down, you don't mind it being a little childish (they lean into it, it's FL's whole vibe), you like exploring different classes, doing dungeons, crafting, and resource management

No if: you're looking for something difficult, you hate grinding/repetitiveness, don't enjoy fetch quests, want something less Saturday Morning Cartoons

I am trying so, so hard to love this game. But almost 20 hours in, I gotta be real... This game is unbelievably buggy and tedious. The only reason I'm going to keep playing is because my friends are. It's just not my thing.

The bugs I hope they fix later. But they just kind of compound to a frustrating experience overall. Some are fine, like lips not moving in dialogue, NPCs being REALLY janky, friends suddenly T-posing everywhere and won't stop, etc. But some are way more frustrating, like sometimes I'll make an item and it'll just flat out disappear or enemies suddenly won't take hits, or I can't edit my base because I'm stuck in the construction screen. Everywhere you go is constant bugs to where it starts making the game go from funny to glaringly unpolished the longer you play.

The tedious nature of this game though I think is what kills it for me. Everything is so annoyingly difficult to do, that the balance of wanting to go out and collect the resource or do the quest vs how cumbersome it will be to do it, often doesn't feel worth it. I open the game to go "UGGHHHHH yeah no I really don't wanna do that." But... With every quest. It feels like a "grind" in the least fun sense possible. Everything you do, is just a *little* too annoying to want to do it, that overall the game feels like a punishment rather an enjoyment, then lacking the payoff to make it feel worth it.

There's also SO many QoL things it needs. So much of the UI or mechanics is desperately lacking clarity, and needing to sift through FAR too many radial menus to get to the option you need on too many things makes each little interaction feel like pulling teeth. It also misses a lot of other marks that other base building/survival games have. Like if you're base building and in that building screen, you shouldn't suddenly dehydrate and go into an incapacitated mode, etc. Again, just... Tedious.

Solid 6/10; if you love acting like the game is genuinely as hard as living in Dune, you'll probably like it. But it's not worth the money for me, personally. Not until they at least fix some of the things. If it wasn't for my friends, I'd seriously regret buying this at full price. Cheers!

Okay I've played a good chunk of the demo and I'm shocked how much I love this, haha.

Gameplay is super smooth: you type words to do things, very straightforward but chaotic with how fast it can get.

The story baffled me with how much I adored it. Literal love, heartbreak, theft, mafia shootouts, BETRAYAL. It's also funny as hell.

I can't wait for the full release!

Before their latest update, I'd probably have said there's not quiiiite enough to do. I'd have rated it a solid 7/10. Enjoyable, but wanting to drag out content to try and make it last longer.

This latest update and giving us TONS more to do, and adding the option to speed up customers showing up is a GODSEND. I enjoy the new level of chaos during the day; prior the update it was just a bit too slow to keep my attention. Absolutely a 10/10 now, because I keep losing hours at a time playing this game running around trying to do everything (even with the help of my fairies) -- and I LOVE it!

I'm on Tavern level 10 or so, and this game is just plain addicting. I love all the little mini games everywhere, and feel like a lot of games in this genre are missing that little Cooking Mama-esque experience of getting to make and pour the stuff yourself.

Faerie AI is also good, also unlike other games where I get frustrated because they get stuck on walls or don't really do their jobs and bug out, they genuinely help you. Though I feel bad for the cuties when I deliver an order while they're still on their way -- please know little faeries, I still love your help and appreciate you LOL.

Some things I would offer though:

- An updated way to see how many you actually have of an item instead of just in reserve. If I have 20 sausages hanging on the rack but none in the basket, it'll say I have zero. But I really have 20. I'd love it if there was a slightly more inclusive way to keep track of this.

- A notification that a thief is in your tavern like other event types would be cool. I didn't even realize they could show up to rob you when you're closed (I was out exploring and decorating to come back and see a guy running with my stuff, the chump!). I wonder how many I plain missed among the serving and cooking chaos -- and while I don't mind losing stuff, it'd be a lot more fun if I could be notified to catch them more often.

- Items falling off of stuff or getting bumped around. I'd love to snap plants onto tabletop centres, or actually be able to put stuff on dressers/shelves/the top of the fireplace without them getting ragdoll kicked around everywhere. Having a "place down" option instead of just free dropping them (similar to other furniture types) so they stop getting thrown about would be REALLY awesome.

Overall TLDR:

Since the new update this game is even better, and I'm adoring where it's headed. A solid genuine tavern manager game where you feel like you're putting in the work. Charming with tons to do, and a satisfying progression system. Easy to pick up and play for an in game day, or binge for a few hours.

This demo is exceptionally cute, and the tutorial really helps. I suck at these kind of puzzles but always found them super fun anyways. The do puzzle -> get furniture -> decorate with said furniture is REALLY satisfying. Not to mention dressing up my little ratto!

Also thank you for the IRL rodent pictures in my mail. CONSUME RODENT CONTENT. That is all. 10/10. Cannot wait to buy.

(Also the controls on PC are really easy to learn and I appreciate that! Thank you devs for such a cute game!)

I was actually waiting for this game to come out to replace my somewhat disappointment in AC:NH (that being said I do have 600 or so hours in it, thanks pandemic). Instead, what I was treated to was something more like Breath of the Wild.

I didn't expect there to be so much exploring, puzzles, crafting, questing. I'll admit, if only Animal Crossing had let me engage with the other villagers so much, I might have kept playing it. I'll list some pros and cons for the cozy gamers like me who are just looking for whether it's the right fit for the price tag:

__Pros:__
- Decorating is SUPER cute and easy, it makes me excited to collect pieces of sets. I'm loving the aesthetic of all the items!
- You can change your character literally anytime and for free (there's mirrors everywhere too!). This is even encouraged because characters will unlock palettes which you can use to change your fur colour.
- Unlocking things is actually fun! It gives Dreamlight Valley friendship tier rewards.
- No storage or inventory limit, so gather EVERYTHING you see all the time (you'll need it).
- Multiplayer was super cute! I enjoy it so far, and I love that you have quests to do together to raise your friendship level with that player (like both taking selfies in front of specific objects or completing races) rather most games where there's no interaction.
- You are rewarded for exploring SO MUCH. Peek in every nook and cranny, it's worth it!
- The puzzles are way too cute and fun. I missed things like these in cozy games.

__Cons:__
- You are relatively time-gated to things; one of the early quests requires you to unlock a snorkel, which is locked behind a character at a later friendship level, and you can only give 3 gifts an IRL day. So it does make getting specific things you need for quests a little annoying if you've taken off a whole day from work to play and get stuck needing to wait (hello, it's me haha).
- Some things aren't very straightforward and a bit confusing that lead to minor frustrations, like not being able to place an item on a table in decoration mode. You have to back out, then interact with the table. A few things like that where they just don't really make any sense. But they're not bad and far and few in between.
- CINNAMAROLL GET BACK HERE STOP TELEPORTING WHEN I FAST TRAVEL TO YOU LEMME GIFT YOUU--

__Could Go Either Way:__
- There's no currency, you just trade materials you've gathered around the island for clothes/furniture. While cool, I do enjoy having other ways to achieve things in most games (like whether they allow you to outright buy something, or if you wanna craft it for cheaper, etc.). I think it's a neat concept, but got a bit frustrated with it needing very specific items.
- Items respawn once an IRL day, from what I read. While they do allow you to grab quite a few things that it feels pretty good -- I'm only in my first day so we'll see if there's other ways as I progress -- it's also a little frustrating when you've cleaned off the beach but you need another sand dollar or something for an outfit and now you have to wait until tomorrow.

----

__YES IF:__ You wanted Animal Crossing to be *more* (this is literally what I was hoping AC would have been), you like raising friendship levels and reading funny dialogue, you like Sanrio characters or the aesthetic, you like exploration and puzzles (there are LOTS), you like decorating/dressing up, you don't mind being time-gated.

__DO NOT IF:__ You liked time travelling in Animal Crossing. You actually have to be patient in this game and just wait or do other things (like fishing, cooking, bug catching, etc.). I enjoy that the game makes us slow down and think more things could use that actually chill pace. For those who like to just get everything and move on, you'll be too frustrated and likely won't enjoy it. OR if you do not enjoy the exploration or puzzle atmosphere of Breath of the Wild (albeit this is much, much easier).

----

Overall, it's SO much more fun and cute than I expected! Holy wow I don't regret the price tag at all. I can easily see myself playing this for hundreds of hours over the course of me owning this game. I wish I could keep playing more, but getting to play since I woke up has been awesome! Cheers to the devs, this is such a robust and incredible game so far! Can't wait to see where it goes! -- 8/10!

This reminds me of my early days playing free browser MMOs, or when you'd come home after school and lose hours playing stuff like OG MapleStory.

I can't speak for any servers 'cause I only want to play this with my close friends in a private lobby, which was also really easy.

Combat so far is really smooth and simple. Hit with left click, parry with right click, and toggle auto-target on and off with middle mouse wheel. It's VERY easy to get the hang of and feels really good playing it.

Everything feels fast and I mean that as a compliment. Running, hitting things, jumping. Nothing feels slow and clunky which is a MASSIVE bonus to this type of gameplay/combat.

Dungeons are so cool! I love the old-school feel of puzzle aspects and that dopamine of checking your inventory to see if something that dropped is better than what you have on you.

Overall yeah, I'm really loving this game despite some of the hilariously awkward horny moments (like my character getting on all fours and putting her ass in the air for the butt slider... VERY weird for me, but definitely got a laugh). So if that's your thing, also a plus. But I'm indifferent. I'm just here for cool dungeons. But the characters ARE cute despite the very hilariously exaggerated... Assets.

I played this for a good chunk of time when it was released on its own launcher, long before it came to Steam.

TLDR: 8/10. Great gameplay loop. Decorating is fun. Other players are your best/worst enemies.

The Great:

Your classic farming/gathering/crafting loops are really relaxing and well put together, decorating is super robust and there's tons to make/buy, characters/world/lore absolutely chef's kiss like I LOVE all the tiny details, multiplayer with FRIENDS is great. Most strangers are super nice and helpful. Lots of new stuff like keeping the Maji Market running is a nice touch, and the underground market with hotpot and stuff. Absolutely A+.

The Meh:

The map is really big which can be amazing, but running to and from places is exhausting compared to other games considering there's no mounts or speed boosts even if temporary (that I know of).

Cosmetics prices feel reaalllyyy disgusting especially with how fast they seem to be able to get those out, but not fix bugs. I know you need to make money but $20~30 outfits is absolutely wilding out here when you have so many bugs still in the game. I'm down for buying stuff to support devs and have spent money on this game 'cause I like it, but give us some nice things for like $3~5 like some cute standalone hairstyles or singular items that aren't masks nobody will wear. The sets are genuinely bonkers both in frequency and price.

There's so much that sometimes it's... Overwhelming to figure out where tf this one recipe was you saw in a shop was, or what the heck this other thing does, or where to get that. So basically just have reddit/google/etc. open on your other monitor to constantly be looking stuff up. This doesn't bother me at all though but I know some people hate that.

The Bad:

You STILL can't sell furniture even though you need to craft a sh**load of it to gain other crafting recipes from the same type (this includes treasure chests you find in the world).

Multiplayer with strangers can be absolutely aggravating because about 80% of the time they won't wait for you for flow trees so you'll get locked out of gameplay because you can't get there in time OR good luck trying to hunt some sernuks because a bunch of people are running around with bows and sniping them all when you just need some meat.

Also FENCES WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME. I understand why nobody has them in their fkn homes when I tour them lmao.

------------------------

Again overall, the game really is fantastic in a LOT of regards. But I can see why some people are salty about some things. Definitely suggest at least trying it out. Cheers!