Podcasts about harvest moon

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Sports Daily Full Show 30 September 2025

In this episode, we're sharing a feng shui qi forecast for the month of October 2025! First, we go over what's going on in nature and what you can expect energetically this month, and then Anjie shares an I Ching reading for the Holistic Spaces Podcast listener community. We also share how you can make the most of this month's energy in your home through feng shui.What we talk about in this episode:-Key dates to look out for this month in the moon's cycle and the Chinese solar term calendar-How to transition into the yin energy as we approach the end of the harvest, moving in darker days-How we can use this time to honor our ancestors-The arrival of the Harvest Moon on October 6th, the first full moon to follow the Harvest Moon-October as the month of Dog, offering supportive qi for those born in the year of Rabbit, Tiger and Horse…and much more!Mentioned in this episode:Our Free Feng Shui Energy Map EkitThanks so much for listening to the Holistic Spaces Podcast brought to you by Mindful Design Feng Shui School!-Sign up for our newsletter for exclusive complimentary special workshops and offers for our newsletter subscribers ONLY! -Make sure you're following us on Instagram for feng shui tips and live Q&A's.-Learn about our courses and certification on our website at: Mindful Design School.-Check out our older episodes on our Holistic Spaces Podcast archive.MORE QUESTIONSHire one of our Mindful design school Grads for a 1-1 consultation. We know so many personal questions come up. That's why you need a 1-1! Laura and Anjie offer all these freebies, but if you want to learn more it's time to ask a professional. learn more HERENEW EPISODES OF THE HOLISTIC SPACES PODCAST BY MINDFUL DESIGN ARE AVAILABLE EVERY MONDAY.Thanks so much for listening to the Holistic Spaces Podcast brought to you by Mindful Design Feng Shui School!Sign up for our newsletter for exclusive complimentary special workshops and offers for our newsletter subscribers ONLY! Make sure you're following us on Instagram for feng shui tips and live Q&A's.Learn about our courses and certification on our website at: Mindful Design School.Check out our older episodes on our Holistic Spaces Podcast archive.MORE QUESTIONSHire one of our Mindful design school Grads for a 1-1 consultation. We know so many personal questions come up. That's why you need a 1-1! Laura and Anjie offer all these freebies, but if you want to learn more it's time to ask a professional. learn more HEREORDER OUR NEW BOOK HERE

Find out how to see the biggest planets in the Solar System while they're big and bright, and find out what makes the Harvest Moon so special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Wrestling Mayhem Show 976, Sorg is joined by Brianna Bandz and Patreon Manager Bradley Ruthers. Recorded ahead of MV Young's “Harvest Moon”, the crew dives into Brianna's battle with Liberty, her wrestling journey, travel nightmares, and even Drew McIntyre's new role in Highlander. Other highlights include AEW's big Pittsburgh moment for Austin Carnes, Patreon banter with Bradley, and a look back at Brianna's early 880 matches (and the legendary Money Gun). What We Learned: • Bradley on the power of wrestling community. • Brianna on embracing confidence and proving herself. • Sorg on how 880 Wrestling prepares talent for anywhere. Watch the replay of Harvest Moon on IndyWrestling.us (YouTube) or stream it on IndyWrestling.network.

On Wrestling Mayhem Show 976, Sorg is joined by Brianna Bandz and Patreon Manager Bradley Ruthers. Recorded ahead of MV Young's “Harvest Moon”, the crew dives into Brianna's battle with Liberty, her wrestling journey, travel nightmares, and even Drew McIntyre's new role in Highlander. Other highlights include AEW's big Pittsburgh moment for Austin Carnes, Patreon banter with Bradley, and a look back at Brianna's early 880 matches (and the legendary Money Gun). What We Learned: • Bradley on the power of wrestling community. • Brianna on embracing confidence and proving herself. • Sorg on how 880 Wrestling prepares talent for anywhere. Watch the replay of Harvest Moon on IndyWrestling.us (YouTube) or stream it on IndyWrestling.network.

On Wrestling Mayhem Show 976, Sorg is joined by Brianna Bandz and Patreon Manager Bradley Ruthers. Recorded ahead of MV Young's “Harvest Moon”, the crew dives into Brianna's battle with Liberty, her wrestling journey, travel nightmares, and even Drew McIntyre's new role in Highlander. Other highlights include AEW's big Pittsburgh moment for Austin Carnes, Patreon banter with Bradley, and a look back at Brianna's early 880 matches (and the legendary Money Gun). What We Learned: • Bradley on the power of wrestling community. • Brianna on embracing confidence and proving herself. • Sorg on how 880 Wrestling prepares talent for anywhere. Watch the replay of Harvest Moon on IndyWrestling.us (YouTube) or stream it on IndyWrestling.network.

September – Corb Lund Autumn – Josh Abbott Band Soft September Night – Walt Wilkins Autumn Leaves (feat. Gena Britt) – Wilson Banjo Co. Harvest Moon – Neil Young Apples in the Fall – Anna Lynch Leaves – Co. Townes All That the Fall Leaves – Red June Fall – The Rose Line

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Originally presented as Episode 38, September 9, 2024 Our stories today highlight some lovely spectator experiences in the Village of Nothing Much. We'll settle into the joy of stepping back and observing. First, we'll stroll down to the park and toss a blanket over the grass, where we can listen to the crack of the bat as the inning passes in At the Diamond. Then we'll button up a flannel shirt, stop for a cup of hot cider, and climb to the top section in In the Bleachers. Finally, we'll settle in on the patio, around the bonfire as it snaps and crackles, and wait for the clouds to clear in Harvest Moon. Subscribe to our Premium channel. The first month is on us. 

Originally presented as Episode 38, September 9, 2024 Our stories today highlight some lovely spectator experiences in the Village of Nothing Much. We'll settle into the joy of stepping back and observing. First, we'll stroll down to the park and toss a blanket over the grass, where we can listen to the crack of the bat as the inning passes in At the Diamond. Then we'll button up a flannel shirt, stop for a cup of hot cider, and climb to the top section in In the Bleachers. Finally, we'll settle in on the patio, around the bonfire as it snaps and crackles, and wait for the clouds to clear in Harvest Moon. Subscribe to our Premium channel. The first month is on us. 

For the Full Harvest Moon: A Moonlight Bathing MeditationIn this episode, you'll be guided through a gentle, nature-inspired meditation practice designed to honor the full Harvest Moon, ease feelings of overwhelm, nurture resilience, and deepen your sense of connection with yourself and the world around you. Using the power of moonlight, breath, and stillness, you'll discover how simple moments outdoors can profoundly support your mental health.Take a pause, step outside, and let this moonlit meditation guide you into peace and clarity—listen now and feel the shift.Learn more and sign up for Nature's Reflection: A Meditation and Forest Bathing Retreat happening October 23 - 26 here: https://www.hambidge.org/workshop-schedule/natures-reflection-a-meditation-and-forest-bathing-retreatSign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/jjPrV2 to receive free mini meditations and soundscapes each week, along with creative musings and more.New episodes every Monday (just the meditation) and Thursday (a full meditation class).Learn more or contact me at https://www.merylarnett.com/. Thank you to Gordon Hempton for today's nature field recordings; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support. Find them at:https://soundtracker.com/https://www.instagram.com/itsbriannanielsenThis podcast explores meditation, mental health and the power of connection, offering guidance for caregivers, healers, and therapists facing compassion fatigue, burnout, and other mental health struggles through self-care, self-compassion, and resilience. With a focus on anxiety, depression, and overwhelm, each episode provides tools like meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, and grounding to cultivate clarity and reduce stress. Listeners can also experience nature-inspired guided meditations, designed to bring peace and balance in times of distress.

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September Witchcraft - Harvest Moon, Mabon, Heather & The White Hare In this episode, I'm stepping into the autumn magic of September — a time of gathering, gratitude and transition. We begin with the Harvest Full Moon, exploring its folklore and how you can weave its abundant energy into your craft. I dive into the lore of Heather — a plant long tied to luck, protection, and threshold spaces — and share its magical properties for spellwork and ritual. We celebrate Mabon, the autumn equinox, a sabbat of balance, harvest, and honouring the turning of the wheel. To close I read the folk tale of The White Hare — a story from Dorset legend filled with mystery and enchantment. Plus, I review The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins — a time-slip novel brimming with spirits, Cornwall's landscape and the whisper of magic. Whether you're preparing your altar for Mabon, gathering herbs beneath the Harvest Moon, or simply soaking in September's shifting energy, this episode will guide you deeper into the magic of the season. Harvest Moon Tarot/Oracle Spread (5 cards — can be done with tarot, oracle, or a mix)  The Harvest — What have I gathered this season? → What blessings, lessons, or abundance is ripe and ready to acknowledge.  The Gratitude — What deserves my thanks right now? → Where to pour appreciation to strengthen roots.  The Balance — What is seeking harmony within me? → What needs to be brought into balance at this turning point of light and dark.  The Release — What must I let go of before winter? → Habits, fears, or weights that cannot come with you into the darker half of the year.  The Illumination — What guidance does the Harvest Moon shine upon my path? → The wisdom or vision that lights the way ahead.  Harvest Moon Journal Prompts  What am I most proud of harvesting this year — in work, spirit, relationships, or self?  Where in my life am I being called to pause and give gratitude?  What feels “out of balance” in me right now, and how might I restore harmony?  What am I ready to lay down, release, or compost before the dark months?  If the Harvest Moon could whisper one message to me, what would it be?  What seeds of intention do I want to carry safely through the winter, to blossom when light returns? 

🔥 “¡Bienvenidos, criaturas del metal! Esto es La Hora del Rock, episodio 340, y hoy… ¡rugimos como nunca! Fernando Nadales, Zenón Pérez y Paco Jiménez al mando de esta nave sónica que atraviesa los cielos del hard rock, el heavy más salvaje y el metal que quema. Hoy repasamos el nuevo disco de Helloween, Giants and Monsters, y lo hacemos con la furia de Mastodon, el martillo de Vicious Rumors, y el fuego eterno de Sodom. ¡Prepárate para una descarga brutal! no hay tregua… ¡Esto es LA HORA DEL ROCK! Y recuerda: si te gusta lo que hacemos, comparte… así crearemos una gran familia rockera. STAY FUCKING METAL 🤘”Programa 340 La Hora del Rock Fernando Nadales Zenón Perez y Paco Jimenez. 1981 - Music From The Elder 10 - Escape From the Island. Mastodon - Discography2. Studio Albums2021 - Hushed and Grim12 - Savage Lands. Vicious Rumors - The Devil's Asylum (2025)4 - High Hell Hammer. Pretty Maids - Maid in Japan - Future World Live 30 Anniversary (2020)12. Kingmaker (Live). DEF LEPPARD DE EARLY YEARS 79-81Disc 12 Hello America (Remastered) Sodom - The Arsonist (2025)2. Battle of Harvest Moon. Nunez hidden track.(2025) Savaged (Spain)2025 - Rising6 - The Conqueror. Mob Rules - Rise Of The Ruler (2025)9. Coast Of Midgard. Helloween - Giants & Monsters (2025)4 We Can Be Gods. Helloween - Giants & Monsters (2025)8 Hand of God. Emboque El ganador (2016) Imkt - Sooner or Later (2025)8 Fun Fun Fun Helloween - Giants & Monsters (2025)9 Under the Moonlight. Death Angel - Wrath (Bring Fire) (Single) (2025)1. Wrath (Bring Fire). HEATHEN DEITY SATAN´S KINGDOMTHE SWINE LEAD THE SWINE.(2023) Ellefson-Soto (USA)2025 - Unbreakable9 It's over When I Say It's Over. Burning Witches - Inquisition (2025)9 - In For The Kill Helloween - Giants & Monsters (2025)2 Savior of the World Black Jack - XXI (2025)9 Battles at the Fore. Sacramento - Horizonte De Eventos (2015)4. Horizonte de Eventos. Helloween - Giants & Monsters (2025)3 A Little is a Little Too Much. Testament - Infanticide A.I. (Single) (2025)1 Infanticide A.I. WarKings - 2025 - Armageddon (Limited Edition)CD112 - Varangoi. kiss 1998 - Psycho Circus - We Are One. Koma7 - Aqui huele como que han fumao.(1996) W.A.S.P. - I Wanna Be Somebody (1984) BARON ROJO 1982 - Volumen Brutal (English)4. Termites Bloodbound - Creatures of the Dark Realm (EP) (2021)1 - Creatures of the Dark Realm Hartmann Twenty Times Colder.(2025) *SI TE GUSTA LO QUE HACEMOS COMPARTE,A SI CREAREMOS UNA GRAN FAMILIA ROCKERA STAY FUCKING METAL* SIGUENOS !!

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Al and Kev talk about their favourite games this year so far Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:04:23: What Have We Been Up To 00:25:31: Game News 00:43:48: Story Of Seasons X Royal Zoological Society of Scotland 00:47:59: Mid-year Check-in 01:18:11: Outro Links Moonlight in Garland 1.0 Release Above Snakes Console Release Out and About Release Coral Island 1.2 Update Sugardew Island Dog Aether Wizard Life “Announcement” Trailer Fields of Mistria Merch Collection Story of Seasons x Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al. (0:00:36) Kev: My name is Kevin. (0:00:38) Al: And we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:41) Kev: Wooo! (0:00:43) Al: I’m back from my holiday. Hello. (0:00:45) Kev: You… from the Isle of Men… (0:00:49) Kev: I don’t know where you were. (0:00:49) Al: All the men. Yeah, I know that’s where I was. I love man, as usual. Yes, I’m back. (0:00:51) Kev: I don’t know where you were. (0:00:54) Kev: Okay. (0:00:56) Kev: Yeah. (0:00:58) Kev: The opposite of No Man’s Sky. (0:01:00) Al: Almanska, yeah. I’m melting because I got home and it’s apparently 25 degrees and that’s too hot for me. (0:01:01) Kev: Heh. Heh heh. (0:01:10) Kev: So, look, the people, you know a lot of Americans, (0:01:15) Kev: and we love to give you a hard time (0:01:16) Kev: because those are nothing numbers for us, (0:01:19) Kev: but I will say, you know, (0:01:20) Kev: I think something a lot of Americans easily overlook (0:01:24) Kev: is you’re pretty far up north. (0:01:26) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m further north. I’m further (0:01:26) Kev: Well, like latitude-wise, right? (0:01:28) Kev: Like you’re Canada north, which gets frosty. (0:01:32) Al: north than all America except that last (0:01:33) Kev: Yeah. (0:01:36) Kev: Yeah, so, you know, that’s fair, (0:01:39) Kev: But, but we’re still going to. (0:01:40) Kev: I’m laughing, you know. (laughs) (0:01:41) Al: Well, also, it’s interesting because like every time that someone like from a warmer (0:01:47) Al: place moves to the UK and then the experience, the UK summer, they’re like, oh, people weren’t (0:01:53) Al: just talking nonsense. It is, it’s different. And it’s hard to explain. I don’t know why, (0:01:59) Al: but it is just, it is, I don’t know. Like I don’t know, because I’ve never lived in (0:02:03) Kev: Wha- (0:02:04) Al: a hotter place. But all I will say is that lots of people who have lived in really hot (0:02:09) Al: places come to the UK (0:02:11) Al: and say that the heat is different. (0:02:13) Kev: Huh, I mmm. I don’t know I mean well (0:02:16) Kev: I will say this right like one thing you guys aren’t built for warmer temperatures generally speaking not like (0:02:23) Kev: Alright, so you know down here in the American South for instance, right? (0:02:27) Kev: We have air conditioning so you know you can go in a building and escape the heat (0:02:32) Kev: And that’s not always the case over there in there (0:02:33) Al: Yeah, my office is currently warmer than outside. So, but also I am ginger, so definitely not built (0:02:37) Kev: Yeah, there you go see so say yeah (0:02:43) Al: for heat. Yeah, yeah, I use factor 50 sun cream. All right. This episode we’re going to do, (0:02:44) Kev: Here’s biologically sensitive to pretty much everything (0:02:58) Al: uh, I think, I think Cody and Kevin insinuated that this episode would be the tales of the (0:03:03) Al: shower episode is not, that’s going to be in a couple of weeks, just because we’re having some (0:03:07) Al: scheduling things and, uh, you know, want to make sure we’ve, uh, the game has been played properly (0:03:13) Al: before it is covered. So that will be in a couple of weeks. Um, this week we’re going to talk about, (0:03:19) Al: we’re going to do a major check-in, see how we’re feeling about games for the year. Um, this is (0:03:24) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:03:24) Al: obviously not our game of the year episode that will be in five months, no, four months, four (0:03:30) Kev: Pudby (0:03:32) Al: More months! (0:03:33) Kev: That’s not I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that (0:03:34) Al: That’s how time works, apparently. (0:03:41) Al: It’s halfway through August, and that means it’s four and a half months to the end of the year. (0:03:44) Kev: That’s not true (0:03:46) Al: It also means it’s nearly my birthday, but anyway. (0:03:50) Kev: Well, so get the two-third year check-in (0:03:54) Al: We are going to… We’re just calling… I said mid, not half. I said mid-years, (0:03:59) Al: Yeah, so we’re gonna talk about what we would talk about again. (0:04:04) Al: And what we think might be in the running for Game of the Year this year. (0:04:08) Al: We’ll see. I’ll be interested to see whether we’re right or not. (0:04:12) Kev: All right, I’m first question have I played enough games to come up with three? (0:04:18) Al: Ah, who cares? Before that, we’ve got a bunch of news. But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:04:26) Kev: Oh (0:04:27) Kev: Okay, so (0:04:30) Kev: Okay, where should I start? Okay, you know, I’ll start with this (0:04:32) Kev: Okay, the battle cats mobile game with the funny you are our art in the cats. They’re goofy looking (0:04:39) Kev: I’ve discussed it on the show before (0:04:42) Kev: So that’s a game I go on and off and generally something draws me back to it and (0:04:50) Kev: The what is the number one crossover to draw me to any game out (0:04:54) Al: Oh wow, oh goodness. Number one. We had this exact same conversation a month and a half ago, (0:04:58) Kev: Number one (0:05:04) Al: and I can’t remember what the answer was, and I feel like I overthought it, (0:05:04) Kev: Probably (0:05:07) Al: just like I’m overthinking it just now. (0:05:09) Kev: You are I don’t know what but (0:05:12) Kev: It was probably the same because it’s crosses over the law. There you go (0:05:13) Al: Probably. Sonic. Ah, yay, I got it right this time. (0:05:19) Kev: Sanic in in in in the battle cats (0:05:22) Al: Sonic’s in Battlecat! (0:05:24) Kev: Yeah, it’s actually I forgot to bring it up last week (0:05:26) Kev: It was - it started two weeks ago from recording and today I think is the last day. Sorry listeners too late for you (0:05:33) Kev: He’s not but neither is (0:05:37) Kev: Hatsune Miku or (0:05:39) Kev: Street fighter, but they’re in there (0:05:40) Al: I don’t know. If somebody told me that Hatsune Miku is a cat, I would believe it. (0:05:48) Kev: you know, um, you know what, that’s fair. That’s fair. Um, here, let me, uh, as, as we do, I’ll, yeah, I’ll do the, the slack thread. (0:05:57) Kev: Um, uh, let me, I’m going to show you the art, um, because, so how these crossovers and battle cats usually work is, uh, there’ll be a banner of four characters, um, from the actual property crossover, whatever. (0:06:12) Kev: Um, uh, and, and so, yeah, the four. (0:06:18) Kev: Characters, um, and they went with the, the obvious ones, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow, the Hedgehog, because of course the poster children. (0:06:27) Kev: Um, but what’s fun is, uh, they’ll also introduce a series of cats, uh, as in the battle cats TM, um, that look like, or cause play as the other characters. (0:06:40) Kev: Um, and they’re quite goofy looking. (0:06:42) Kev: Um, I don’t. (0:06:42) Al: Why is there such a height disparity there? (0:06:48) Kev: I don’t know. That’s a good question. I don’t, I, that particular image, oh no, that, that particular image, I think it’s just, uh, just the, the framing, like it’s front to back. (0:06:49) Al: Like, shadow is meant to be… (0:06:56) Al: Well, no, I think, sure, for the actual sonic and shadow on the right-hand side, (0:07:02) Al: but on the left-hand side, the sonic cat is clearly like three times the height of shadow cat. (0:07:04) Kev: okay yeah oh yeah yeah okay so there’s a sonic cat that looks like shadow like (0:07:12) Kev: the regular cat like shadow cat but then you can evolve him and he turns into (0:07:16) Kev: this taller cat I don’t know why because it’s the battle cats they love to do (0:07:18) Al: Oh. Oh, so you’ll be able to get both of them as as tall or (0:07:19) Kev: weird things that’s why that’s your answer it looks like a twinkie with a (0:07:23) Kev: sonic cat yeah I’ve only seen Sonic’s evolution so I don’t know if the other (0:07:31) Kev: cats can evolve in tall forms or (0:07:34) Kev: weird forms but Sonic Cat does get weird he turns tall like a Twinkie but (0:07:40) Kev: yeah so yeah it’s I will say Battle Cats is pretty good with their collabs (0:07:46) Kev: because of course you get the characters but you also get stages which come with (0:07:52) Kev: full Sonic soundtracks there’s like four special stages that you can do on a (0:07:56) Kev: repeat in different missions and so it’s been a lot of fun the Sonic cast are (0:08:02) Kev: Actually quite quite good (0:08:04) Kev: The actual characters I pulled I got Sonic (0:08:08) Kev: So I’m happy. I got one at least (0:08:11) Kev: Calvin pulled tails, I believe but sadly we didn’t get the others (0:08:17) Kev: But what is nice these collabs will frequently come back (0:08:21) Kev: Well, maybe not frequently, but but they come back on some regularity. It is to be expected (0:08:26) Kev: So I’ll be saving up for the next time Sonic swings around but it’s it’s been good fun (0:08:32) Kev: I’m getting better and I do (0:08:34) Kev: Enjoy the game battle cats not just the the polls really got your whatever so it’s been nice to get back into the end (0:08:40) Kev: So yeah Sonic and the battle cats. It’s been a lot of fun. Oh, you know what there was an intro video (0:08:44) Kev: Let me find the intro video. Hold on. I’ll put it in you can watch it later (0:08:48) Kev: But but they did a little animation. It was good (0:08:52) Kev: So yeah aside from that, um, oh, you know what I finished monk the the detective show monk (0:09:01) Kev: It’s it’s good. I (0:09:04) Kev: Yeah, eight seasons so I kind of crushed it cuz I don’t know I’ve been binge watching but it’s like the regular show (0:09:10) Kev: I’ll watch when I get home or whatever (0:09:13) Al: Oh, it’s it’s old. I mean, I said it’s old. I mean, not super old, but like 20 years old. (0:09:16) Kev: Sorry, what was that? Oh (0:09:19) Kev: Yeah, yeah, well, that’s a thing they actually did I after I finish I have to watch (0:09:26) Kev: the (0:09:27) Kev: Sorry, I have to see (0:09:29) Kev: There’s a movie they’d made a movie in 2023 50 (0:09:34) Kev: years or so after the end (0:09:36) Kev: and I can’t wait to check that out (0:09:40) Kev: they have all the original actors they (0:09:43) Kev: look quite old but it’s still enjoyable (0:09:45) Kev: but yeah anyways my great series the (0:09:49) Kev: main actor Tony Shalab he’s he is such a (0:09:53) Kev: good actor like his performances are (0:09:55) Kev: just incredible easy recommend for (0:09:58) Kev: anyone but yeah the later seasons were (0:10:01) Kev: really good season sevens really good (0:10:04) Kev: it feels like they knew the end was (0:10:07) Kev: coming so they did a lot of stuff to (0:10:10) Kev: celebrate the series if you will so yeah (0:10:13) Kev: good good stuff was good (0:10:15) Kev: um let’s see other than that nothing (0:10:20) Kev: honestly not that much it’s been crazy (0:10:23) Kev: at work but thankfully I finally finished (0:10:24) Kev: this huge project and so I’ll finally be (0:10:26) Kev: able to partake in other things again (0:10:28) Kev: these upcoming oh wait wait one more (0:10:31) Kev: thing how could I tear a nail after my (0:10:34) Kev: last week I played the update their nail (0:10:36) Al: Oh yes. Nice. It’s just more of the same. (0:10:37) Kev: um it’s yeah turn out a good game still (0:10:40) Kev: good game the core still the same the (0:10:43) Kev: new levels the new line yes and no like (0:10:47) Kev: the center of the general purpose but (0:10:49) Kev: they introduce a lot of new mechanics (0:10:50) Kev: and and different kind of ways to solve (0:10:54) Kev: the puzzle I’ve been enjoying it of (0:10:56) Kev: course but let them fun thing they did (0:10:58) Kev: they’ll add new objectives even to the (0:11:00) Kev: old stages so let’s say I had a hundred (0:11:04) Kev: four all those areas I had a hundred (0:11:05) Kev: percent are not only like seventy five (0:11:08) Kev: percent because they had a new objective (0:11:10) Kev: so gives you a good reason to go back (0:11:12) Kev: and then try the old levels and have fun (0:11:13) Kev: with them again since it’s like a (0:11:16) Kev: procedurally generated level it’s you (0:11:18) Kev: know it’s fun every time so yeah a (0:11:20) Kev: tear in L it’s good all right out what (0:11:24) Al: Hmm. Not a huge amount because I’ve been on holiday and going on holiday with kids means (0:11:33) Al: not having a holiday. So I’ve not had a huge amount of time to do much, but I have started (0:11:36) Kev: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. (0:11:42) Al: playing Donkey Kong, Bonanza. I’m only like an hour or so in. I mean, I’ve got a good (0:11:47) Kev: okay (0:11:48) Al: idea of how the game plays, but I’m not like super. (0:11:50) Kev: yeah (0:11:54) Al: Super far through it. I got through the tutorial level and I’m kind of like half the way through (0:11:55) Kev: why (0:11:58) Al: the next set of levels. Yeah, mostly, mostly. I am very frustrated with the camera. It is (0:11:59) Kev: okay I’ve heard that game is good like really really good (0:12:05) Kev: mostly (0:12:13) Al: fine when you’re out in the open, but as soon as you get into any like tunnel or like go (0:12:20) Al: underground. It’s super not fun. (0:12:24) Al: a great camera for that. And I think the most frustrating thing is there was a section (0:12:28) Al: in the tutorial where the camera worked really well for underground. It like kind of zoomed (0:12:33) Al: out and you could see through the ground and it was like a really nice way. But it’s I’ve (0:12:37) Al: not seen it again do that since then. And I don’t know why they don’t use that camera (0:12:41) Al: when you’re underground because like you just end up like going up against the wall and (0:12:43) Kev: Hm. (0:12:47) Al: it gets really confused. And it’s really hard to see anything. And considering it’s a game (0:12:54) Al: where you’re like smashing everything up and you’re encouraged to make tunnels through (0:12:57) Al: the ground. I don’t know why they didn’t put more effort into that camera. Not that I can (0:13:00) Kev: is there an option for that i’m gonna guess no because it’s a nintendo game (0:13:04) Al: see. Yeah, not that I can see. There’s a decent amount of controller options, but nothing (0:13:07) Kev: nintendo doesn’t believe in options heck sometimes (0:13:15) Al: for changing how the camera works other than inverted camera. (0:13:19) Kev: do you remember in was it no sword and shield they hid the audio options on an item (0:13:27) Kev: you had to talk to an NPC to get it (0:13:28) Al: Oh yeah, that was a certain field. That was bizarre. And it wasn’t even the first area. (0:13:30) Kev: no it was like motor stoke yeah I’m (0:13:35) Al: You had to get up to Motorstoke, I think. Which is like a third of the way through the game. (0:13:40) Kev: pretty sure so that was there’s a couple (0:13:42) Kev: yeah you had to pass the wilder that’s (0:13:45) Al: You couldn’t change the volume settings until you were a third. It’s just bizarre. (0:13:48) Kev: crazy yeah yeah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (0:13:50) Al: And then you have to buy it. Yeah, that was a stupid decision. (0:13:56) Al: Like a lot of times with games, I’m like, OK. (0:13:58) Al: Sure, I don’t like that, but maybe that’s stupid, right? (0:14:02) Kev: Oh my gosh, yes, oh. (0:14:02) Al: That’s just that is literally an accessibility option, right? (0:14:05) Al: Like, come on. (0:14:06) Kev: Yep. (0:14:07) Kev: Oh my gosh, you know, I hate them, but I also love, because I just love trash fires. (0:14:16) Kev: I love bad stupid decisions like that. (0:14:19) Kev: Battle Cats actually has one. It’s like the single flaw in the entire game, because the game is very well made in my opinion. (0:14:25) Kev: And it’s a very minor, like very niche thing, but there’s, as you can imagine, (0:14:32) Kev: They have like a gallery or whatever, right? Go through the menu and, you know, go through the characters, see their stats, yada, yada. (0:14:39) Kev: Well, they have an enemy guide too, same thing, but the enemy guide is just a straight horizontal list. (0:14:48) Kev: There’s no pages, you can’t filter, you can’t search, you just have to go left to right through an entire (0:14:55) Kev: huge roster of enemies. It’s almost the worst. (0:15:00) Kev: Anyways options are good (0:15:02) Kev: Forgive people options people (0:15:04) Kev: Do good things (0:15:05) Al: So yeah, I think that’s, that’s about it. I mean, I’ve been watching through the Sandman (0:15:11) Al: show, but I’m not really talking about that because, you know, Neil Gaiman, awkward. So (0:15:15) Kev: Sand man, I wait. What is that? I don’t know what that is (0:15:18) Al: Sandman who’s a DC character at TCC, that one, but it’s the Netflix adapted it into (0:15:21) Kev: Oh, it is that one okay, okay (0:15:26) Al: a show. And they did the first season a couple of years ago, and then the whole Neil Gaiman (0:15:32) Al: and stuff, you know, because he was the one that wrote down, man. (0:15:34) Kev: Uh, yeah. (0:15:35) Al: And they were like, oh, oh, but they did manage to get the second season done without him. (0:15:44) Kev: Well, guess what, anything you do probably gives someone awful money. (0:15:44) Al: He’s almost certainly getting money for it, but whatever. (0:15:53) Al: Yes, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. It doesn’t make me feel better. (0:15:58) Al: Yeah, so I have been watching that and I’ve mostly been managing to ignore him. (0:16:06) Al: And focus on the show and it’s good. I like it. I enjoy the show. (0:16:08) Kev: sure sure that’s cool yeah it’s wild to me the the the you know years between seasons structure (0:16:18) Kev: that netflix does um I don’t know I just I find it crazy like I was at wednesday the wednesday show (0:16:25) Kev: that was a three-year gap and it was only eight episodes I think the new season that’s insane to (0:16:26) Al: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. (0:16:33) Kev: me you remember when shows I say this someone watching monk you’d get like (0:16:38) Kev: ish episodes of season every year isn’t that great 20 to 26 (0:16:42) Al: Well, you want to have a conversation? No, I don’t like that. (0:16:48) Kev: what what (0:16:48) Al: So, right, OK, so there’s two parts to this. One, do I wish the shows that I like released (0:16:52) Kev: okay (0:16:55) Al: yearly? Probably, if they could keep the quality up, yes. But do I wish that all series were (0:16:58) Kev: yeah okay (0:17:02) Al: still 20 episodes? Absolutely not. Why would I want 20 episodes when half of them are boring? (0:17:09) Al: right, give me the eight episodes that are good, don’t give me the more that (0:17:12) Al: you don’t care about, give me what you think you want, not something that is enforced by (0:17:17) Al: studios because they need year-round episodes, like we don’t need to do that anymore and I don’t (0:17:23) Kev: Mmm, I mean (0:17:23) Al: care for it. It’s like how it’s like, oh you know, like do you complain about the fact that episodes (0:17:32) Al: aren’t always, you know, was it 48 minutes long anymore because they don’t all have to fit into (0:17:36) Al: the exact same advert blocks. Now, (0:17:39) Kev: Mm-hmm. I (0:17:42) Kev: May kind of do (0:17:42) Al: you can take that too far, Netflix with your two and a half hour season finale of Stranger Things (0:17:48) Al: season four last time. That was too far, but other than that, I mean that doesn’t, you can have (0:17:48) Kev: Yes, yes (0:17:53) Kev: Exactly (0:17:58) Al: a middle thing which is not in the extremes there. I like when episodes aren’t like necessarily (0:18:02) Al: consistent because they want to fit in what they want to fit in, that they feel fits their artistic (0:18:07) Al: expression. I like that. (0:18:08) Kev: yeah okay sure I guess okay you know here’s the call here’s the here’s the qualifier right (0:18:13) Al: Do you really miss clip episodes? (0:18:18) Kev: is it good right which is a dumb thing because that’s the question right because let’s all right (0:18:19) Al: Yes, of course. (0:18:23) Kev: let’s yeah you can look at examples on both ends of the spectrum right um look at uh look at cora (0:18:30) Kev: right that that show could have used some more episodes for sure um that that first season needed (0:18:33) Al: possibly. I mean maybe they didn’t have anything else they wanted to put in it, right? Like… (0:18:38) Kev: at least a couple more episodes at first (0:18:41) Al: Yeah, I guess my point is not like, oh, I wish we didn’t have more episodes, right? I’m not saying (0:18:48) Al: that. Like, if there’s good stuff, I want to see it. But I don’t agree with the, oh, wasn’t it (0:18:53) Al: great when every show had 20 to 22 episodes and they were all the exact same length and they (0:18:59) Al: happened. No, I don’t. I don’t long for those days. I don’t. (0:19:02) Kev: Don’t know I got a monk. It’s been pretty good the whole time. I guess it did depends (0:19:04) Al: But I just, it’s just when you, when you got the like episode, that was the clip episode, (0:19:11) Al: because they had to put out an episode and they didn’t care. They didn’t want anything. (0:19:13) Kev: Monk did not do that actually crazy, but you sure yeah, yeah, but but okay. Yes, that’s just (0:19:16) Al: Sure. But most shows did almost every show did. And some of them did it better than others, (0:19:21) Kev: Yes, yes (0:19:22) Al: but you always, every time it happened, you rolled your eyes and went, Oh, here we go. (0:19:24) Kev: Yeah, okay, you know what you’re right (0:19:26) Al: And you watched it anyway, because maybe there was something that was actually going to progress the (0:19:29) Al: story. You don’t know. It might be fully clips or it might actually do something. (0:19:31) Kev: Sure (0:19:33) Kev: Eh, I guess (0:19:34) Al: But I mean, I think the, I think the, as you say, the complication is it depends on the show. (0:19:42) Al: It depends on what they’re doing. And I don’t think it’s, it’s obviously not the case that (0:19:47) Al: creators get to do what they want all the time. Obviously I’m not, I’m not suggesting that is, (0:19:48) Kev: Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, that’s (0:19:53) Al: but I think having more freedom for that, I think is a good thing in general. And. (0:19:59) Kev: Sure, you know, okay fine. I don’t need every show to (0:20:03) Kev: How should I put this? Okay? I don’t it’s not that I want every show to be 26 episodes every year or whatever (0:20:10) Kev: but when I look at (0:20:11) Al: The numbers just getting higher and higher (0:20:13) Kev: when I look at (0:20:16) Kev: Though the Wednesday series (0:20:18) Kev: Right episodes in three years that that seems like you know that it seems cheap for lack of a better word, right? (0:20:20) Al: So, I think, well, I mean, you say that cheap, like you pay for the subscription for Netflix (0:20:32) Al: when you want to get the stuff and you watch it and then you stop subscribing, right? I (0:20:34) Kev: Sure, sure. Yeah. Yeah (0:20:36) Al: think of those sorts of shows as in the same way that people complain about them because (0:20:41) Al: they’re structured like films, I think of them in that sort of way as well, right? Three (0:20:46) Kev: That that is true (0:20:47) Al: years, three years between a film and its sequels. (0:20:50) Al: Not an unusual amount of time, and eight episodes is longer than a film would be. (0:20:51) Kev: That is very true that that’s what that’s what I’m (0:20:56) Kev: You’re right, that’s that’s what I’m not thinking here because that that is more common nowadays (0:21:00) Kev: Isn’t it where a season of a show is really just an extra-long movie like the Marvel Studios shows? (0:21:06) Kev: You’re you’re right about that (0:21:10) Kev: Yeah, that’s a good point touche (0:21:12) Al: I mean Marvel have a problem with sequels in general just now, right? Like when was the last, (0:21:16) Kev: Ah (0:21:18) Al: you know, in we got three Iron Mans and I think it was eight years or something like that and (0:21:26) Kev: Yeah (0:21:26) Al: it’s now been what four years since Shang-Chi and we haven’t even got a second yet. (0:21:30) Kev: Yeah (0:21:31) Al: Like there is a real problem they have with sequels just in general which is a whole other (0:21:34) Al: conversation and is probably part of the reason that they’re not getting big box office numbers (0:21:35) Kev: Yeah (0:21:41) Al: because most. (0:21:42) Al: There are big numbers. (0:21:43) Al: We’re always the third in a series, you know, Iron Man one didn’t make a billion. (0:21:46) Kev: Mmm, that’s a good point. (0:21:48) Al: Iron Man three did make a billion. (0:21:52) Al: Just saying also, you know, it’s things like, you know, the Marvels being called the Marvels (0:21:52) Kev: Uh, yeah. (0:21:57) Al: rather than Captain Marvel two probably would have made more money if it had done that. (0:21:58) Kev: Yeah… (0:22:01) Al: Now, there are obviously other issues with that in terms of misogyny, but that was still (0:22:04) Al: there when the first film came out and it made a billion. (0:22:05) Kev: Yeah… (0:22:06) Kev: Yeah, exactly! (0:22:07) Kev: Right, right? (0:22:07) Al: Why did the mark? (0:22:08) Al: Why did Captain Marvel make a billion and the Marvels didn’t? (0:22:11) Al: And then there’s all this other complications. (0:22:12) Al: Well, nobody has any money anymore and COVID killed everything until blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. (0:22:17) Al: But Deadpool and Wolverine made a billion. (0:22:19) Al: That was the third in the series as well, right? (0:22:22) Al: Like they clearly can make lots of money. (0:22:24) Al: They’re just not doing what they used to do, which made them lots of money. (0:22:28) Al: They make a film and it doesn’t make a lot of money. (0:22:30) Al: And they go, Oh, well, well, let’s not make a second. (0:22:31) Al: But the whole point was your first ones never make a lot of money. (0:22:34) Al: It’s the second and third that make the money. (0:22:36) Al: And also which third film in the MCU made the least money, Thor. (0:22:42) Al: Or three. Why was that? (0:22:43) Al: Cos Thor 2 was bad. (0:22:44) Kev: It was really bad is it is it hmm (0:22:47) Al: Coincidence? (0:22:49) Kev: Have we are I’m thinking got you know on our discords and slacks have we argued which of the worst Marvel films (0:22:55) Kev: I feel like that that needs to happen. Oh (0:22:56) Al: I mean, it’s I mean, it’s Star of the Dark World, right? (0:22:59) Kev: I mean I (0:23:02) Kev: Okay, I don’t want to turn but it’s probably a rise probably dark world. Yeah, I’m struggling to think (0:23:06) Al: Eternals, I’m not trying, I’m not trying to say Eternals was one of the best, but it’s not the worst, not at all. (0:23:10) Kev: It’s not as bad as dark world. Yeah, I believe a dark world (0:23:12) Al: Absolutely not. There is, I don’t think there is an MCU film that is as bad as those. (0:23:18) Kev: Yeah, that was rough. Oh I miss (0:23:22) Al: Like, I mean, try and explain this plot of that film. (0:23:29) Kev: Yeah, yeah, no there’s (0:23:30) Al: Thor’s girlfriend gets injected with something, and he has to get it out of her, (0:23:32) Kev: And they and he used to fight dark elves (0:23:34) Al: and also his mum dies, maybe, I think. (0:23:38) Kev: Did she did I don’t know why but oh god (0:23:41) Al: You can know everything about that film, just from the bit where they go back in time (0:23:46) Al: and endgame to it. That is the only bit about that film that matters. (0:23:47) Kev: They were yeah, yeah, they really didn’t see good. Oh, yeah (0:23:50) Al: It tells you everything. (0:23:53) Al: In fact, there’s more, there’s more character progression and more heart in that scene when (0:23:58) Al: he goes back than there is in the entire film. You know, when he meets his mom and he’s sad (0:24:02) Kev: There is (0:24:03) Al: because he knows she’s about to die, you know, that is more than the entire film has. (0:24:05) Kev: Yeah, you’re you’re right I did enjoy that what 15 minute bit (0:24:10) Al: And then, and then he calls for his, then he calls from y’all near and it comes for him and he’s (0:24:14) Al: so happy. He says, I’m still worthy. (0:24:18) Kev: You’re right, that was better than the entire movie. You’re right. I (0:24:23) Al: I mean, I don’t know how they, how did they make that film so long when there’s so little that happens? (0:24:29) Kev: Don’t I don’t know. I just whatever well, I will say this Kat Dennings (0:24:31) Al: Anyway, you would, you would, you would have to have a, you’d have to have a, well, yeah, (0:24:36) Al: okay, true. I mean, that’s fair. She does improve any film. But you’d have to have a really good (0:24:38) Kev: Yeah, yeah, that’s correct (0:24:44) Al: argument to convince me that that’s not the worst film. I don’t think anything even comes close. (0:24:47) Kev: Yeah, okay, you know what fair fair. I’m gonna yeah fair. I haven’t seen fantastic for (0:24:53) Al: Anyway, what was my point? Yeah. Yeah. I was watching The Sandman and then I’m probably (0:24:58) Kev: Sandman (0:25:00) Al: going to watch Weddings day after that. Cause that’s, I need to, I need to watch that next (0:25:02) Kev: Cool I like the Adams family (0:25:03) Al: season. And then where else have we got Strange, Strange New Worlds, Star Trek. That’s coming out (0:25:09) Al: just now. Need to watch that as well. Name a Star Trek that doesn’t fit that description. (0:25:10) Kev: Oh (0:25:12) Kev: Is that the one with the hot guy I don’t remember (0:25:18) Kev: Oh (0:25:21) Kev: That’s a good point, but that’s a good point (0:25:22) Al: Anyway, that’s what we’ve been up to. Maybe I’ll have more to talk about Bonanza when (0:25:32) Kev: No, we did it (0:25:34) Al: next time we’ll see. All right. We’re going to talk about some, (0:25:36) Kev: Get to the end (0:25:38) Kev: I’m saying get to the end. There’s there’s good things in that game. Mm-hmm (0:25:40) Al: I don’t think I’ll do that in a week. I have heard that the story is good, but I’ve not got (0:25:47) Al: to any point that actually matters with the story yet. Yeah. Let’s talk about some. (0:25:52) Al: Game news. First up, Moonlight in Garland, which Kevin’s probably going, Oh, I can’t remember what (0:25:59) Al: that game is. I don’t recognize that name. Well, it’s coming out of early access on the 27th of (0:26:00) Kev: CORRECT! (0:26:06) Al: August. I mean, it’s pretty much it’s. (0:26:12) Kev: Ha ha ha use the mad libs the cottagecore game mad laser you just yeah (0:26:19) Kev: There I’m looking (0:26:22) Al: Seems like it’s less farming, more community building, and it’s like a kind of town slash (0:26:29) Kev: Yeah (0:26:32) Kev: Yeah, this has a very specific (0:26:32) Al: city rather than village. (0:26:38) Kev: Aesthetic to like mid-2000s. I don’t know a (0:26:42) Al: Yeah, I was thinking Polly Pocket, but like the characters from Polly Pocket rather than the (0:26:45) Kev: Pocket Polly like it’s weird. Um (0:26:50) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah exactly the characters right that’s exactly I’m talking (0:26:51) Al: action. Yeah, it’s funny that we both had the same thought that that shows you where it’s at. (0:26:57) Kev: Yeah, that’s so (0:26:59) Kev: Wait, is this the one where you can do crime? No, that might be a different one. We live in the city (0:27:02) Al: No, that’s not this one. That’s not this one. No crime in this one. (0:27:08) Kev: Gosh good old cottagecore. We’re in too deep. Oh, we’re in too deep (0:27:15) Kev: All right (0:27:17) Kev: Wait, so what was the actual news here? Are we at one point a release? Okay, August 27th (0:27:22) Al: Yes, 27th of August. Next, “Above Snakes have announced their console releases coming on the 4th of September.” So that is Switch, Xbox. (0:27:30) Kev: I’m kind of surprised they’re doing console’s release was that do we cover again I I don’t (0:27:35) Al: That was a Kickstarter stretch thing. (0:27:37) Kev: even remember did we come (0:27:39) Al: I don’t know if we did a proper one on it. We had our episode where we talked about the cultural… (0:27:46) Kev: Yeah, yeah, Nami on that, yeah, yeah, I remember that. (0:27:48) Al: I don’t want to say appropriation, the cultural questions around it. (0:27:52) Al: Shall we see? (0:27:52) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I do remember that. (0:27:54) Al: I don’t know if we actually covered that. (0:27:55) Kev: But, well, you know what? (0:27:58) Kev: Hats off to them if that was a goal (0:28:01) Kev: and they’re actually doing it, right? (0:28:02) Kev: Because even games that do release from Kickstarter (0:28:05) Kev: don’t always get to the console port when they promise it. (0:28:08) Al: Absolutely. Yeah, I should probably play at some point. I do have it. I own it on Steam (0:28:19) Al: because I backed it because it came out on that period of time where I was backing basically (0:28:24) Kev: everything before you (0:28:25) Al: every vaguely cottage core Kickstarter. I’m better now. I have not backed a farming game (0:28:33) Al: on Kickstarter since Autonomica. (0:28:38) Al: I went back in April. Yeah. I have backed two Kickstarters back then, but since then, (0:28:39) Kev: So your time on rehab was successful. (0:28:41) Kev: Good, good for you. (0:28:47) Al: but neither of them have been farming. (0:28:49) Kev: Nah, look at you, progress. (0:28:53) Kev: Well, hey, that’s September 4th. (0:28:56) Kev: Oh, I don’t like how close that is. (0:28:58) Kev: How’s it going so fast now? (0:29:00) Al: I don’t know. Time. (0:29:04) Kev: Time. (0:29:07) Al: Next we have Out and About. They managed to release this time successfully. This was the (0:29:10) Kev: Your comment. (0:29:15) Kev: This time. (0:29:19) Al: one where last week they tried to release, but they accidentally, or they realized they (0:29:23) Al: hadn’t clicked the access button, which put it into review, and then it took several days (0:29:24) Kev: They deleted the button. (0:29:30) Al: so now they have actually released their early access. Congratulations to Out and About. (0:29:34) Kev: good for them they did it I don’t know the game looks fine I guess it’s walking (0:29:45) Kev: through a forest looking (0:29:48) Al: Yeah, it’s doing something different. It’s not just like, it’s not farming, it’s foraging, (0:29:52) Al: and the idea is you’re exploring, and it’s another picture-taking one as well, but (0:29:58) Al: you’re foraging for things. It’s cute. (0:30:00) Kev: Yeah, it is. It’s, uh, it’s like, uh, what is it? Uh, the, the, the, the, the hike game. Um, I forget, it kind of reminds me of that, but a little more involved. (0:30:10) Al: Oh, a short hike. Yeah. It’s much more, you know, it’s 3D, third person view. No. Yeah. (0:30:12) Kev: Yeah. It’s the one. Yeah. But you know, you’re actually foraging. (0:30:16) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. It looks like an extension of that. Not necessarily better extension, but just, you know, kind of in that vein of ideas of just going through the woods and looking at stuff. (0:30:28) Al: I’m also comparing it to Alba in my head because it was kind of similar where you’re (0:30:35) Kev: Yeah, yeah that too yeah, um yeah, okay. Well hey good good for them. They found the button finally (0:30:44) Al: Congratulations. Next we have Coral Island have announced that their 1.2 update is out. (0:30:51) Kev: Okay, why why is there someone in a dinosaur suit? (0:30:56) Al: Why not? What a silly question! I’m guessing that’s one of the spooky costumes, cause. (0:30:58) Kev: How good (0:31:00) Kev: You know, that’s a good counterpoint, okay (0:31:06) Al: So the things that are coming in this update, multiplayer, they’ve revamped their romance (0:31:11) Al: progression, adding more hearts. You can get up to a heart event, sorry, you can get up (0:31:15) Al: to 15 hearts now with heart events. So 11 to 15 are after marriage, like the stargy (0:31:22) Al: ones added in like 1.4 or something, I forget. (0:31:27) Al: But they’ve also added spooky costumes, okay? (0:31:35) Al: Like, this is one of those ones that feels weird that this feels like (0:31:40) Al: something they wanted to do for 1.0 and just didn’t, but. (0:31:43) Kev: yeah that’s it that is very much what it feels like Mitch drew I guess good for (0:31:49) Kev: them that a gate got here like yeah I am NOT gonna fault them for that because (0:31:54) Kev: it’s a game dev is hard I don’t know if you know that out oh oh I like you I’m (0:32:00) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s fair. (0:32:02) Kev: looking I’m sorry I’m looking for the video some of the costumes the the NPC’s (0:32:06) Kev: rather pretty good there’s like a tinker the good chicken a Tinkerbell costume I (0:32:09) Kev: like that that’s good (0:32:11) Al: Yeah, there does seem to be a lot of care taken on these costumes. They’re not, they’re not just like generic things. Each person has like a unique costume and they’re all very interesting. The twins have almost the same costume, which is fun, but they’re not quite. They’re slightly different, which is based on, you know, their personality. (0:32:32) Kev: That’s fun to, yeah, that’s, yeah, I like that, that’s, that’s good, yeah, um, dressing (0:32:37) Kev: up your NPCs. (0:32:38) Kev: You know what, I take it that the dinosaur costume is a good idea. (0:32:41) Al: I’m trying to find them. So I’ve asked you motivates us that I found their spooky festival section of the video. I’m guessing that’s where you saw it. Well, I see someone as a panda. (0:32:48) Kev: Yeah, there’s near the start (0:32:51) Kev: All the twins. Oh (0:32:51) Al: I was near the start of the video. (0:32:54) Kev: Yeah, it’s near the start all that. I’m looking at the twin costumes. Those are good. Actually (0:32:59) Kev: They might be the best costumes (0:33:01) Kev: It’s a I don’t know. There’s like little blueberry monsters. I don’t know how to describe it better (0:33:09) Kev: That’s cool. What is that guy there? (0:33:10) Al: It’s definitely you have to see. (0:33:12) Kev: Yeah, there’s a guy in a black turtle. What is that is that supposed to be a costume that doesn’t look that’s just a (0:33:18) Kev: Guy in a sweatshirt and jeans. I don’t get that (0:33:22) Al: And yeah, OK, I don’t know what his I don’t know what Pablo’s costume is he trying to be Steve Jobs or something? (0:33:30) Kev: I guess with Shane. I don’t know. I don’t know (0:33:33) Al: I don’t know. (0:33:37) Al: Where’s this dinosaur costume you’re talking about? (0:33:38) Kev: Yo (0:33:40) Kev: Okay, okay, let me let me find it it’s in the video it was near the very start (0:33:45) Al: Oh, I’ve got it, I’ve got it, I’ve got it. Yeah, that’s, that’ll be a spooky costume, (0:33:47) Kev: You found it great (0:33:49) Kev: Yeah, it probably is I like it. It’s dumb. I like it what? (0:33:49) Al: because it’s pumpkins and lights around them. (0:33:55) Al: There are some silly costumes you can use as your player as well in the game that I’ve (0:33:59) Al: put on before. I can’t remember what I was dressed up as, but they, it’s not just like, (0:34:05) Al: they have a decent amount of player customization already. (0:34:08) Kev: Yeah, yeah. There’s also a collab with Fungi Swarm. (0:34:09) Al: Uh, yeah, that’s their game. (0:34:15) Al: Our other game, isn’t it? Um, uh, what, there’s, uh, redeemable items. Okay. (0:34:17) Kev: Yeah, it is. Which, yeah, but I think… (0:34:24) Kev: There’s a antler dog guy. I don’t know what that is, but, uh… (0:34:27) Al: Uh, a mythical pet outfit. (0:34:31) Kev: I don’t know what… I don’t… Okay, I don’t know what this creature is. (0:34:34) Al: “Razzi” or “Razzdi” (0:34:37) Kev: whereas the it’s an off. (0:34:41) Kev: It’s a blue reindeer dog. (0:34:42) Kev: I don’t know what else to describe it. (0:34:44) Al: Well, speaking of dogs, (0:34:45) Kev: Uhhh… (0:34:47) Kev: You! Ooh, good transition, tell me. (0:34:48) Al: for some reason we’re talking about Sugadoo Island again, (0:34:51) Kev: W-w-why?! (0:34:51) Al: this game. (0:34:53) Al: ‘Cause, dog, they’ve released a code (0:34:57) Al: that you can redeem in the game and it gives you dog. (0:35:01) Kev: But okay spotted dog, that’s (0:35:04) Al: If it’s anything like everything else in this game, (0:35:07) Al: you won’t be able to name it. (0:35:08) Al: It won’t do anything other than just follow you around (0:35:11) Al: like a blind rat, I don’t know. (0:35:14) Kev: I’m not sure how well blind rec could follow you but they do that is true you’ll fly like (0:35:15) Al: It’s not really turned on for metaphors just now. (0:35:22) Al: They have a good sense of smell. (0:35:28) Kev: a dog I have a dog they do follow you yeah that is true its name is spotted dog that’s (0:35:32) Al: Yeah, but with personality, I doubt this one a lot. (0:35:41) Kev: That’s it. (0:35:41) Al: That would, I mean I’d be surprised if it wasn’t just dog. (0:35:44) Kev: Yeah. (0:35:48) Al: Next we have Aether Wizard Life have released a what they’re calling their first announcement (0:35:56) Al: trailer but I’m confused because this game was announced multiple years ago so I don’t (0:35:57) Kev: Okay (0:36:00) Al: know how this is an announcement trailer. (0:36:01) Kev: And (0:36:02) Kev: It’s only for backers, which I don’t know you probably want to make that available. Oh, there is. Oh, okay. Let me see. Oh (0:36:06) Al: There’s a link to the actual video as well. (0:36:11) Kev: Yeah, there is. Okay. Yeah, that’s all right. I was like at the Kickstarter page (0:36:15) Kev: First of all, I don’t like this name at all. I don’t know if we covered this game, but I don’t like that at all (0:36:18) Al: No. (0:36:23) Al: This is, I don’t know if we’ve seen gameplay before. (0:36:26) Al: This is the first time seeing some of this stuff. (0:36:29) Al: The building of your house is basically (0:36:32) Al: exactly the same as the Spiritfarer building, (0:36:36) Kev: Yup! (0:36:37) Al: which I’m not complaining about because that is good. (0:36:39) Al: I like that. (0:36:40) Al: More of that, please. (0:36:40) Kev: Yeah, that modularity, it’s good. Build your castle. (0:36:44) Al: There are some, shall we say, thirsty characters (0:36:48) Kev: Oh, geez. Good. That guy, I mean, that one guy alone, he’s the worst offender. It’s the first one they show you, too. (0:36:59) Al: There’s yep, it’s uh, you’re gonna this is this is a weed game apparently (0:37:00) Kev: Good heavens. (0:37:06) Kev: Oh my gosh, that… Oh, shit. You know what? Fine. Lean into it. Just full thirst into it and just do it. (0:37:16) Kev: If you’re going to do it, go all in. (0:37:16) Al: Every game has to have a hook, I just don’t think that that is a unique hook. (0:37:22) Kev: True? That’s true. It probably worked for some people, not me, but… (0:37:27) Al: You’re definitely not you. Not you. Have you got to the other characters yet? (0:37:32) Kev: Yeah, I see the other characters like they’re (0:37:36) Kev: Is it this is hmm, this is a problem when everyone does it like everyone loses their (0:37:42) Kev: You know, it’s it’s it’s tough to stick out in the crowd, right? Like these just look generic (0:37:46) Kev: I don’t know the guy who looks like he’s dressing up like an elf (0:37:50) Kev: I don’t know and then why are there two in silhouettes? Why do you have to silhouette those characters? I feel like you shouldn’t (0:37:56) Al: for our secret. We’re going to tell you later. I don’t just like the character designs. The (0:37:58) Kev: Okay (0:38:01) Kev: There’s a girl with the ponytail of the sword (0:38:03) Al: character design’s okay. What I do find a bit weird is not the character designs and not your (0:38:11) Al: playable character design. They’re both fine. What’s weird is them both together in the same (0:38:17) Al: game. They look like very different designs. They look like they’re from different games. (0:38:20) Kev: They do (0:38:22) Kev: Right because yeah, cuz we’re looking at the (0:38:27) Kev: The oh (0:38:29) Kev: Yeah, yeah, you’re right. You’re right. Absolutely cuz these NPCs, you know very (0:38:34) Kev: Detailed sort of designs and and whatnot and you’re a little in the generic side (0:38:35) Al: much more detailed. (0:38:38) Al: I don’t dislike the playable characters design, it just feels, I think it looks bad purely (0:38:40) Kev: You’re right, I agree with it (0:38:44) Kev: Yeah (0:38:48) Al: because of how the other one. (0:38:52) Kev: you’re right it doesn’t you know what the problem is I as far as i’ve seen there’s no like (0:38:57) Kev: portrait art for your character right because yeah yeah yeah because it’s it’s a very different (0:38:59) Al: That’s what it is, it’s the portrait art of course I’m just yeah I’m looking at a bit of one of them in game and yeah they look, they look much more similar to your characters but the portrait art is so much more detail. (0:39:11) Kev: art style as as portrait arts are so frequently done but there’s not one for your your character (0:39:18) Kev: And so I don’t know it’s just I see I get what you’re saying. Absolutely (0:39:22) Kev: Um (0:39:24) Kev: But I mean even in the in-game art style like it’s there’s still a little more detail than your character (0:39:31) Kev: Because like your characters is (0:39:32) Al: It’s the face, there’s no nose. (0:39:33) Kev: Yeah, ooh, that’s a good point, right? There’s no facial features. It’s just like the eyes and the smile (0:39:39) Kev: That’s it on your the player character. You’re right. You’re super right (0:39:42) Al: Anyway, the interesting thing about this, I guess, is the magic stuff, and it does look quite detailed. (0:39:48) Al: So maybe that could be interesting. (0:39:50) Al: And then there’s some combat. (0:39:52) Kev: yeah there’s a lot of stuff going on here there’s an owl with the flower on its head and (0:39:58) Kev: I don’t even know what’s going on with these like skill trees or I don’t know there’s a lot going on here (0:40:03) Al: I think, I think they’re for like making new spells, possibly. (0:40:07) Kev: yeah honestly (0:40:08) Al: Look, I’m gonna, I’m gonna probably play it because I did back on Kickstarter, (0:40:12) Al: like the idiot that I was, but. (0:40:14) Kev: the the magic stuff I think is the bigger draw here that looks pretty interesting slash well done (0:40:19) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Agreed. (0:40:21) Kev: There’s combat (0:40:22) Kev: Magical creatures that looks fun (0:40:26) Kev: It’s wild the data will NPCs just they don’t even live up to that it’s crazy (0:40:33) Al: Next, fields of mystery, I have announced a merch collection. (0:40:37) Al: So, you know, go get your fields of mystery on merch, I guess. (0:40:40) Kev: is it good merch let’s see i’m looking (0:40:45) Al: So they they have a they have they have a pin. (0:40:47) Kev: oh goodness what is that the first the first one is the oh yeah yeah the first one they show you is (0:40:53) Al: They have a pin that you tilt and it changes between (0:40:58) Al: more clothes and fewer clothes. (0:41:00) Kev: Yeah, it’s it’s (0:41:03) Kev: Presumably it’s I don’t know the characters, but that’s datable guy and yet (0:41:07) Kev: You know you tilt it and it’s and now he’s shirtless cuz good heavens (0:41:11) Al: That’s the entire marriage. That’s all the marriage. That’s everything. (0:41:12) Kev: Oh (0:41:14) Kev: My god, it’s all that. I’m not good in the laundry. It’s just (0:41:20) Al: It’s just like the pen from Friends, which Joey had, and you click it, and the women’s clothes (0:41:27) Al: come off, right? Like, what is this? Why is this your only piece of marriage? And it’s two characters. (0:41:28) Kev: Yeah! laughs (0:41:37) Kev: Yes, too! laughs (0:41:38) Al: Two characters, one male, one female. (0:41:41) Kev: Oh, that’s incredible! laughs (0:41:41) Al: What a weird decision. (0:41:47) Kev: Oh, and… (0:41:48) Al: I need to go what I need to go read the comments. (0:41:49) Kev: Beholds in… it’s… why I need to understand how… because… (0:41:55) Al: Oh, people, people like this. (0:41:58) Kev: Oh, the first one’s “Lily, Take My Money.” Oh my goodness, these… oh! (0:42:05) Kev: This is why we’re in this cottagecore world, brain rot, dateable nonsense. (0:42:12) Kev: It’s your fault, commenters. (0:42:15) Kev: And what kills me is Fields of Mystery has that kind of 90s anime art style vibe. (0:42:23) Kev: You could play off that, right, for your merch, but no, we get to… (0:42:28) Kev: Two pins that take off the character’s clothes! (0:42:34) Al: odd decision it’s like they sit down and they go right okay we’re gonna make some merch what’s our (0:42:38) Al: first merch gonna be a poster no no not a poster like a t-shirt no not a t-shirt a pin yeah we (0:42:40) Kev: Apparently according to the commenters. (0:42:47) Al: could do a pin but what if it was a pin where they undress them I just I don’t I don’t (0:42:54) Kev: Ohh, look, alright, look, I mean, I mean, I tried to be delicate, I have kids gloves when I talk about these subjects, but look, this commenter here said it’s straight, it’s the fields of gooning. (0:43:15) Kev: Ohh, good heavens. Worst part is, it looks like it’s gonna be a huge success, so. (0:43:21) Al: Oh probably, probably. I just like what you I can’t imagine. It just it would feels like it would be even if you want it. It feels like embarrassing to own. (0:43:31) Kev: Well… (0:43:33) Al: And the whole point of pins is to show them off, right? (0:43:36) Kev: Yeah? laughs (0:43:38) Kev: You just make sure to always show it off at one angle and never ever move it to the other angle. laughs (0:43:49) Al: All right moving on to a very interesting story, a story of seasons. (0:43:54) Kev: - Yeah, okay, from the worst story to the best. (0:43:59) Al: It’s a little bit of shame we don’t have Cody on to talk about this but let’s go with it anyway. (0:44:04) Al: So story of seasons and well Marvelous, the company that makes, well they’re the European (0:44:12) Al: company that ports and not ports, they translate and publish the story of season games. (0:44:20) Al: I just know that Marvelous is the Japanese version of the company as well, (0:44:24) Al: they are the same company now aren’t they, I think. Anyway it doesn’t matter, (0:44:27) Al: anyway story of seasons company, the European part of it have made a partnership, they started in 2020, (0:44:36) Al: they

Given Mr Young's insane amount of releases in recent years, I suspect this maybe one fans have skipped. You shouldn't. In a banner year for live performances from Young (Glastonbury etc), this attendant studio album is one of the most ramshackle he's ever made, but its full of idiosyncrasy and Young in the now. Unusually specific personal lyrics, churning garage rockers and several gentle ballads, that show he has lost none of his ability to craft melodies and songs as pretty as Helpless or Harvest Moon.

Side Quests is back and so is host Danomak! He is a writer, streamer, YouTuber and young man maintaining the farm he inherited from his grandfather! The game he is talking about today is Harvest Moon by Amccus and Natsume Inc. You can also find his YouTube channel here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Spotify! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here!

Al talks about Tamagotchi Plaza to Kevin Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:34: What Have We Been Up To 00:21:32: I Know What You Released Last Month 00:23:38: Game News 00:42:07: See How Many Of The Top 10 Steam Games Kevin Can Guess 00:52:10: Tamagotchi Plaza 01:12:25: Outro Links Gaucho and the Grassland Release Wandering Village 1.0 Release Cottonville Release Tiny Garden “Summer Breeze Content Update + Cosmetic Pack” Disney Dreamlight Valley “The Storybook Vale - Part 2: The Unwritten Realm Update” Len's Island Post 1.0 Roadmap Stardew Valley Top rated game on Steam Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. (0:00:34) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:36) Kev: My name is Kevin. Supposedly. (0:00:37) Al: And we’re here, we’re here, supposedly. (0:00:40) Al: Why? What’s what has happened? (0:00:40) Kev: I don’t know. I’ve just… I mean, I’ve never seen the documentation to back it up. (0:00:46) Kev: I’m just saying. (0:00:46) Al: You’ve never seen your birth certificate. (0:00:47) Kev: Birth certificate? No, I don’t… I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen it now. (0:00:51) Kev: If… Yeah, I mean, I probably had to dust it out for something. (0:00:52) Al: Wow, have you seen your driving license or your passport? (0:00:56) Kev: Oh, yeah, you know what? Sure. I guess driver license. Yeah, all right. (0:01:01) Al: Is this Kevin, Kevin, is this where we find out that you’re undocumented, Kevin? (0:01:06) Kev: You know, I’d be a surprise to me too. But here’s the fun part is it doesn’t matter anymore. (0:01:13) Al: Well, that’s device very true. (0:01:22) Al: All right, and we’re here today to talk about cartridge code games, because I didn’t get (0:01:23) Kev: Oh, you know, I can keep that gym in. (0:01:33) Kev: and not nothing (0:01:34) Al: through that sentence. (0:01:36) Al: Is that how this episode is going to be? (0:01:38) Kev: That’s supposedly where you’re talkin’ to me (0:01:41) Al: I need a holiday. (0:01:42) Kev: Well, well, you’re close to one, aren’t you? (0:01:44) Al: Good news! (0:01:46) Al: All right, this episode, we’re going to talk for a very short period of time, (0:01:51) Al: and you’ll understand why later. We’re going to talk about Time of Got You Plaza. (0:01:57) Al: Spoiler alert, don’t play this game. Before that, we’ve got some news. We have what we’ve been up to. (0:02:07) Al: But first of all, wait, do I normally do that in that order? I know what you released the (0:02:11) Al: the last months before what we’ve been up to. (0:02:11) Kev: Isn’t it normally what we’ve been up to first usually? Yeah (0:02:14) Al: I think it is, yeah, OK, right. (0:02:16) Al: Yeah, let’s do that. (0:02:17) Al: Ah, why, why? (0:02:18) Al: It was a section and it just it just moved the title, not the whole section. (0:02:19) Kev: I was destroying (0:02:22) Kev: He’s destroying the show live on on air (0:02:23) Al: Stupid thing. (0:02:25) Al: I’d love to destroy some show notes. (0:02:28) Al: So we’ve got before that, we’ve got some news. (0:02:30) Al: We’ve got I know what you released last month. (0:02:33) Al: But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:02:36) Kev: Um, let me think here, um, not yeah, I (0:02:42) Kev: Okay, so a lot of the usuals. Um, a little busy this week. Um, uh (0:02:48) Al: running away from ice agents. Sorry. I really should not joke about that because the ice will (0:02:50) Kev: Yeah, oh no, yeah, yeah that is a genuine concern every day (0:02:57) Al: hear it and they’ll come for you. We can clip it for the slack. (0:02:58) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah (0:03:03) Kev: The joys of being (0:03:05) Kev: Yeah, the joys of… (0:03:06) Kev: being a brown skinned boy in America right now. (0:03:13) Kev: There’s an ex… (0:03:15) Kev: So… (0:03:17) Kev: It feels like a lot of these ice raids are in the workplace, right? (0:03:21) Kev: And so, mine just feels extra, like, odd because I work for a Chinese company, Technica… (0:03:28) Al: Oh no. Oh no. (0:03:28) Kev: Well… (0:03:29) Kev: I mean, they are… (0:03:31) Kev: They have a… (0:03:33) Kev: Incorporation… (0:03:34) Kev: They are incorporated here in America, right? (0:03:36) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:03:37) Kev: They are in separate American companies. (0:03:39) Kev: But, you know, the HQ is in China, so… (0:03:41) Al: And let’s not let’s not pretend like technically an American company would stop any rabid anti-Chinese (0:03:41) Kev: You know, there’s a… (0:03:48) Al: people in America doing anything, you know? (0:03:48) Kev: Oh, yeah! (0:03:49) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. (0:03:51) Kev: For sure, I’m just saying, like, there’s… (0:03:53) Kev: There’s a few layers, extra fun layers to this equation. (0:03:54) Al: Yeah. (0:03:57) Al: As always, they’re not going to come for you in that case, because they’re only coming (0:04:00) Kev: Yeah. (0:04:03) Al: for the manual laborers, right, because they’re the only ones that– (0:04:06) Al: be illegal, obviously. That’s true. That’s true. Oh, goodness. (0:04:08) Kev: They’ll run out eventually. We’re still in year one. (0:04:14) Kev: I live in Georgia. I mean, I’m in the blue area of Georgia, but it’s still Georgia. (0:04:19) Kev: Southern. (0:04:21) Kev: Oh, good. (0:04:21) Al: Oh, a happy, happy podcast. (0:04:25) Al: What have you been up to, Kevin? (0:04:28) Kev: Well, while I’m not sweating my legal status, even though I was born here, (0:04:34) Kev: Um, I’ve been, I’ve been playing. (0:04:36) Al: I mean, who knows whether that counts or not anymore? (0:04:38) Kev: Uh, according to some people in certain positions, I’ve been, uh, I’ve been playing card games, uh, a lot of card games in the past week. (0:04:50) Kev: Like, yeah, a lot of the usual stuff, but, um, Marvel snap. (0:04:54) Kev: We got the, the fantastic Ford season, um, the, the like, uh, based off the new movie, um, that’s coming up. (0:04:58) Al: Ah, yes. Is that July then? Cool. Any good cards? (0:05:02) Kev: Yeah. (0:05:03) Kev: Yeah. (0:05:03) Kev: That’s the July season. (0:05:05) Kev: And okay, there’s two (0:05:08) Kev: Okay, so (0:05:10) Kev: Yes. Okay. First of all, the season pass card is is mr. Fantastic, but the Pedro Pascal version (0:05:17) Kev: so one you get the bonus of Pedro Pascal at first I was I was (0:05:22) Kev: Hesitant about Pedro as mr. Fantastic. I don’t get me wrong. I love Pedro (0:05:26) Al: Yeah, you were being racist about him, yeah. (0:05:28) Kev: Yeah, but but just mr. Fantastic so like the whitest white boy you’ve ever seen right and now I’ve been I’ve been I’ve warmed up (0:05:36) Kev: to it. In fact, I’m down. (0:05:38) Kev: For the revision, let’s let’s just retroactively put Pedro Pascale in all the Mr. Fantastic (0:05:43) Kev: appearances. That’s what I’m down for. The cards pretty dang good. Marvel Snap is reaching (0:05:53) Kev: to play. It feels like it’s reaching to play. So there’s just it’s just going bananas, like (0:05:58) Kev: the power levels going up, which, you know, in most card games, that’s what you have to (0:06:02) Kev: do because you have to keep releasing new cards that people want to buy. But the other (0:06:08) Kev: Interesting tidbit, okay, I can’t remember when they introduced it or (0:06:12) Kev: if it’s always been there. (0:06:15) Kev: So you know that there’s a season pass in Marvel Snap, it’s the big thing. (0:06:18) Al: Yep. I am aware. (0:06:20) Kev: There’s the premium season pass, that’s where you actually pay the money and (0:06:25) Kev: you get the card, right? (0:06:26) Al: Yeah. Yeah, that just unlocks 10 extra levels, right? (0:06:26) Kev: Because the season pass, every player gets it, but (0:06:29) Kev: you don’t get half of it until you pay the $10 or whatever. (0:06:32) Kev: All right, do you remember there is a super premium? (0:06:38) Kev: That’s what it was originally. (0:06:38) Al: Yes, you’re going to tell me it’s now different. (0:06:40) Kev: So X number of months ago, they said, okay, now if you get the super premium, (0:06:46) Kev: you will get this variant, right? (0:06:49) Kev: And for people familiar in Snap, variants are a big thing because they’re your (0:06:52) Kev: flare, I guess technically it can unlock a card for you if you don’t have it. (0:06:58) Kev: But it’s nice, it’s not mandatory. (0:07:02) Kev: It’s an existing card or whatever, but it’s just a little extra icing on top, right? (0:07:08) Kev: And so I was like, okay, sure, that makes sense. (0:07:09) Kev: A nice little extra bonus if you get the super premium. (0:07:12) Kev: I never got the super premium because I didn’t want to pay $20 for that. (0:07:18) Kev: But now they have finally, they’ve pushed the button, (0:07:24) Kev: they’ve crossed the line, they broke the glass. (0:07:27) Kev: There is a brand new card in the super premium version. (0:07:30) Al: Oh no. No disaster. (0:07:32) Kev: Yep, and the optics aren’t great because I don’t. (0:07:38) Kev: No, if you remember a couple of weeks ago, I talked about there was a mode where they (0:07:41) Kev: introduced a new card, but it was basically impossible to get the card just playing for free. (0:07:46) Al: Yeah, you had to have like 500 matches or something. (0:07:49) Kev: Yeah, something like that. (0:07:51) Kev: Yeah, so people were already up in arms about that. (0:07:54) Kev: And that was about a month ago or so. (0:07:57) Kev: So now they’ve got this, so it’s just very clear that the devs or the higher ups, whoever, (0:08:04) Kev: There’s pressure being put on the game to make it (0:08:07) Al: » Yep. I don’t know any other games like that, but yep. (0:08:08) Kev: more pay to win, right? (0:08:10) Kev: I mean… (0:08:12) Kev: Yeah… (0:08:14) Kev: Yeah, I know. (0:08:16) Kev: Completely novel idea. (0:08:18) Kev: But yeah, they’ve done that finally. (0:08:22) Kev: And the worst part is it’s a pretty decent card. (0:08:24) Kev: So… (0:08:26) Kev: The Fantastic Four, all the new versions that will come out. (0:08:30) Kev: A lot of them revolve around this… (0:08:32) Kev: It’s a mechanic that’s existed since the start of the game, (0:08:36) Kev: They, they kind of labeled it. (0:08:38) Kev: End of turn. (0:08:39) Kev: Um, it’s just an ability that activates at the end of turn. (0:08:43) Kev: Um, for like, right. (0:08:44) Kev: So like Mr. (0:08:45) Kev: Fantastic, he gives like a card in your hand, like a plus one power or something. (0:08:49) Kev: End of turn. (0:08:49) Kev: Right. (0:08:50) Kev: And then some of the other fantastic four members, um, they all have. (0:08:50) Al: That’s different, because that’s not what Mr. Fantastic was before. (0:08:55) Kev: No, right. (0:08:56) Kev: He was an ongoing, he boosted other ones, but yeah, this new version (0:08:58) Al: Yeah. (0:08:59) Kev: just boost cards in your hand. (0:09:01) Kev: Um, I’m trying to remember, but there were cards that had this kind (0:09:04) Kev: of ability at the beginning. (0:09:06) Kev: Um, like sunspot, sunspot. (0:09:08) Kev: One right end of turn he would gain a power right um so (0:09:08) Al: Yes, yep. (0:09:12) Kev: So it’s basically that idea, but they just like okay. We make an official label now (0:09:17) Al: Yeah, because I think they were just like random things it was just like it would say (0:09:21) Kev: Yeah (0:09:22) Al: in the description what it happened because I think the other there was I guess you know (0:09:23) Kev: Right (0:09:26) Al: Red Hulk was another one that would do that it would it would give you it would gain power (0:09:27) Kev: Yeah exactly exactly (0:09:32) Al: based on what you didn’t use I think I can’t remember or the opponent used yeah yeah otherwise (0:09:33) Kev: Or what the opponent like if they didn’t use the other energy yeah (0:09:38) Kev: Yeah, but exactly right there were a handful of cards that did that but they they and this was I don’t know a couple months (0:09:43) Kev: ago they they codified that well this season they’re pushing that like all the think three of the four (0:09:49) Kev: Have or at least three of the four have end of turn abilities and the super premium card (0:09:57) Kev: Is the fantastic car? (0:09:59) Kev: And the fantastic car gives a boost to end of turn cards, so it works in this whole (0:10:06) Kev: Fantastic. (0:10:08) Kev: That’s a decent card and it looks fun and cool, but it’s behind this extra paywall. (0:10:16) Kev: So, that’s got people riled up, unhappy, myself included. (0:10:16) Al: Mm-hmm. Not great (0:10:22) Kev: So, and again, the worst… (0:10:24) Al: Side note… (0:10:26) Kev: I’m sorry. (0:10:27) Al: Side note, there’s… you say it’s the fantastic art. (0:10:30) Al: Have they done non-living beings before? (0:10:34) Kev: Uh, well, I mean not counting robots. Um, no, I don’t think so. Like that’s the first like vehicle sort of thing (0:10:40) Al: Yeah, because they’ve done like, obviously, like, they’ve done like ego and they’ve like, (0:10:41) Kev: No, I think yeah (0:10:45) Al: they’ve done like other celestial beings and stuff like that, but like, (0:10:47) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:10:49) Al: yeah, and you write robots and stuff, but I don’t like, (0:10:51) Kev: Don’t sentient beings (0:10:52) Al: the fantastic car doesn’t even like, pretend to be sentient. (0:10:56) Kev: No, no, it is just a car right it’s just a vehicle (0:10:58) Al: Yeah, it’s literally a car. (0:10:59) Kev: Yeah, that one that flies but still (0:11:02) Al: They’re running out of people already, is that the problem? (0:11:03) Kev: Yeah, no (0:11:05) Kev: I (0:11:07) Kev: Don’t think they’re running out because Marvel has a lot of dumb characters, but you know the the ones people get excited about maybe they’re (0:11:17) Kev: They’ve been going a little fast (0:11:20) Kev: They did actually a while back they introduced a new card called skills (0:11:26) Kev: Which are not not characters. They’re just like so (0:11:30) Kev: The a lot of the dr. Strange spells were called (0:11:34) Kev: skills they introduce some magician type characters who generated skills in your in and (0:11:41) Kev: Skills they when you play them, they just disappear they they have a cost they they play them they have an ability and they disappear (0:11:47) Al: Yeah. (0:11:49) Kev: So they don’t stay and generate power on your board or whatever (0:11:53) Kev: And so they introduced that so that that was kind of like their first really like okay, we’re introducing some new cards that aren’t just characters (0:12:01) Kev: But yes the fantastic cars for it as I can tell (0:12:04) Kev: It’s like the first one that’s like a piece of equipment or or vehicle or whatever (0:12:05) Al: I, I just remembered, I just remembered Thanos gives you the Infinity Stones. (0:12:09) Kev: Yeah, oh (0:12:11) Kev: Yeah, there you go. Yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, that’s just true those aren’t characters. Yeah (0:12:14) Al: It was not the first, and I don’t need people telling me, “Oh, technically the (0:12:18) Al: Infinity Stones have a consciousness.” (0:12:25) Kev: But yeah (0:12:27) Kev: So it’s it’s a wild time and the worst part is Marvel snap is still in my opinion good like the game is good though (0:12:34) Kev: Cakes are still solid (0:12:36) Kev: It’s grown so much that you can kind of play whatever you deck want you want now (0:12:42) Kev: I’ve said that a handful times and still true, right? (0:12:44) Kev: But I said that because there there were errors of snap where we’re they were dominated by certain archetype or a certain card or whatever (0:12:44) Al: Mm-hmm Oh (0:12:49) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah (0:12:52) Kev: Right, we don’t see that as much now. There are no real problem (0:12:57) Kev: children (0:12:59) Kev: But but maybe because of that I don’t know but they’re (0:13:04) Kev: They’re pushing harder for the pay to win like give us money (0:13:08) Kev: So that kind of sucks especially because again, I like the game. It’s still enjoyable in my opinion (0:13:13) Kev: The games are still six turns. They’re fast. They’re there because he can play lots of different types and and and archetypes and it’s fun (0:13:23) Kev: But so yeah, I will keep playing until like I don’t know what we’ll see i’m the frog in the boiling pot and all that (0:13:29) Kev: we’ll see (0:13:32) Kev: But other than that, the other… (0:13:34) Kev: A big card game I’ve been playing. (0:13:42) Kev: Marvel Rivals Season 3. I need to do that in grey. (0:13:45) Kev: I don’t know if you saw it, but… (0:13:47) Kev: Sorry, it’s just so I thought. (0:13:49) Kev: I’ll report on that when I do play it. (0:13:53) Kev: Magic the Gathering. (0:13:56) Kev: I’m still playing the Arena, the online version. (0:13:59) Kev: And Final Fantasy sets still going strong and all that. (0:14:02) Kev: I tried drafting for the first time. (0:14:04) Kev: Online, but it’s still drafting. (0:14:07) Al: Is that is that a built in feature of Arena? (0:14:34) Kev: If you pick a card you want out of your pack and then you pass the cards to the next person and you know (0:14:40) Kev: Everyone kind of swaps packs and everyone keeps selecting out of these different packs until you have a pile of your own cards from all (0:14:47) Kev: These different packs (0:14:49) Kev: and (0:14:50) Kev: So it was always a novel idea. I never tried it before but I know something very weird about like, okay (0:14:55) Kev: I have this pack. I don’t want to share the cards. Why am I giving you my cards, but (0:15:01) Kev: But it works out because after you know the (0:15:04) Kev: packs are going around and rotated and all that like you have a deck that you (0:15:10) Kev: know there’s X number of packs and from that you’ve actually built the deck that (0:15:14) Kev: kind of sort of works if you know what you’re doing right and everyone’s kind of (0:15:18) Kev: on the same playing field because everyone’s opening all these new packs (0:15:21) Kev: nobody has any you know bringing in any existing cards or whatever so it’s kind (0:15:27) Kev: of a levelish playing field um bit of luck in there of course depending on (0:15:31) Kev: what you open or whatnot. (0:15:34) Kev: it’s a fun novel idea. And so on Arena, the version I play, the actual drafting part (0:15:43) Kev: is done with bots. You don’t actually do it with the other players. So that’s nice because (0:15:48) Kev: you don’t have to, you know, there’s not a timer or anything, you know, you’re just like, (0:15:52) Kev: okay, here, I think about it, pick what I want. Or if you know, if you need to go step away, (0:15:57) Kev: go to the bathroom, whatever you can, right, there’s no pressure to actually finish the draft (0:16:01) Kev: in X number of minutes or whatever. (0:16:05) Kev: But then when you build your deck, then you go, uh, you play against actual other players who’ve done the similar, um, drafting process. (0:16:12) Kev: Um, so, um, it, yeah, it’s an awful experience. (0:16:16) Kev: I think it’s fun actually. (0:16:18) Kev: Like I get it now with the appeal of the drafting. (0:16:20) Kev: Um, and, uh, but yeah, it’s, it’s good. (0:16:24) Kev: Final, the Final Fantasy cards was so good. (0:16:25) Kev: I, I, I’m angry at how good they are. (0:16:29) Kev: Um, the two, um, but I, at the very least I stayed clean. (0:16:34) Kev: I haven’t any money into magic for in a hot minute. (0:16:38) Kev: Um, and at least not any for anything for Final Fantasy. (0:16:42) Kev: So I feel good pounding myself on the back for that. (0:16:44) Kev: I’ve stayed strong. (0:16:45) Kev: Um, but yeah, other than that, um, nothing, nothing else. (0:16:50) Kev: I can’t, man. (0:16:51) Kev: Oh man. (0:16:51) Kev: Have you seen the master’s costume, Pokemon masters, the costumes lately? (0:16:56) Al: I’ve seen some of it. (0:16:58) Al: I’ve not really kind of been paying too much attention. (0:16:58) Kev: Did you see the, did you see the, the Larry, the vacation layer? (0:17:04) Kev: Oh, okay. (0:17:04) Kev: Hold on. (0:17:05) Kev: All right. (0:17:05) Kev: I’m going to make the usual slack exclusive thread. (0:17:08) Kev: Um, um, but yeah, it’s a, uh, uh, they gave Larry a, a, uh, Hawaiian, like a (0:17:18) Kev: lowland themed, um, uh, vacation suit and masters. (0:17:23) Kev: It’s very funny. (0:17:24) Kev: Um, uh, they also got summer Cynthia. (0:17:28) Kev: So she’s, I believe five or six variants of Cynthia now, because guess what? (0:17:34) Kev: Popular. (0:17:34) Kev: Did you know that Al? (0:17:35) Kev: Did you know she’s popular? (0:17:36) Al: Hm hm hm, whaaat? (0:17:37) Kev: Um, um, Skyla got a fun suit with jump off. (0:17:43) Kev: Um, yeah, masters is good. (0:17:45) Kev: The big, I haven’t dropped money on it in a while, but I, I want those costumes. (0:17:51) Kev: So yeah, I can say. (0:17:52) Kev: So that’s me all gotcha, all, all gambling, all card games. (0:17:56) Kev: What about you? (0:17:56) Kev: Al, what gotcha and gambling have you been up to lately? (0:18:00) Al: Oh, just my usual Pokemon, right? (0:18:02) Al: Although I’ve not put any money in since Go Fest. (0:18:03) Kev: Yeah. (0:18:05) Kev: I heard about that, that last episode, you got your training. (0:18:06) Al: So, yeah. (0:18:08) Kev: Gimme, gimme, gimme gold in the, in the, in the Dakota, get her weren’t yet. (0:18:13) Kev: I’m, I need to know, is she free? (0:18:16) Kev: I need to know. (0:18:19) Al: think so. I don’t think so. No, what have I actually been playing? Let’s see. I’ve been (0:18:20) Kev: Yeah. (0:18:26) Al: playing Tamagotchi Plaza and when I say playing, I played about half an hour and then searched (0:18:31) Al: online to make sure I wasn’t missing anything before I sold the game. More about that later (0:18:36) Kev: Wow, that’s fast. (0:18:37) Al: on in the episode, but that’s your, yeah it is. I have never, I’ve never stopped playing a game (0:18:46) Al: that fast and not been like, “Ugh!” (0:18:49) Al: This just isn’t for me, and instead being like, “This is just a bad game.” (0:18:52) Kev: Oh I’m excited, I’m excited to hear about this later. (0:19:00) Al: And I’ve also been playing some Land’s Island, slowly, obviously, because if you’ve listened (0:19:06) Al: to the previous episode, listener, you will know that I am not playing on my Steam Deck, (0:19:11) Al: which is how I normally play games, Steam Deck or Switch 2, while watching TV with my wife. (0:19:19) Al: So I’ve got to play it at my desk, and I don’t like doing that, right? Who wants to be sitting at (0:19:24) Al: your office desk playing games? So I’ve just been doing it for a couple of hours a week, (0:19:26) Kev: Alright. I get it. It’s undecided, but maybe. But hey, I mean, good for them, right? Yeah, (0:19:31) Al: but I have been enjoying that, I think. I think I’m enjoying Land’s Island, I think it’s a fun game. (0:19:42) Al: Yeah, I mean, I’m still annoyed about the controller support, but other than that, (0:19:47) Al: I think I’m enjoying it. (0:19:48) Kev: yeah. Yeah, that, that, I mean, that’s, that’s very fair. I’m with you on that boat. I want (0:19:53) Kev: controllers for my games, by and large. (0:19:56) Kev: I did not grow up a PC gamer so, um, you know, obviously I can do, you know, point (0:20:02) Kev: and click or management type games. (0:20:04) Kev: There’s no problem on the mouse, but like the people who do shooters and stuff like (0:20:07) Kev: that on the, the, on the mouse and keyboard, I don’t get it. (0:20:11) Kev: I can’t, I can’t, it’s, it’s beyond my poor comprehension. (0:20:17) Kev: But hey, good for lens Island. (0:20:18) Kev: Like that was a journey, but they got there. (0:20:21) Kev: Um, they, they, yeah. (0:20:23) Al: something like that. They got somewhere anyway. All right, I think that’s it. I’m just kind (0:20:27) Kev: They did stuff, they improved, they improved to some measure, I’m told. (0:20:37) Al: of waiting for Donkey Kong, to be honest. (0:20:38) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I don’t blame you. It’s like that game looks very good and shocker and yeah, yeah, I (0:20:44) Al: Yeah. Soon. (0:20:48) Kev: Wish he had more transformations. That’s it’s like the big thing. We’ve only seen three. Maybe there’s more (0:20:52) Al: Well, there might be more like surely they would have shown (0:20:55) Kev: Yeah, well the question is (0:20:58) Kev: Like what’s a good number right like because you know, obviously (0:21:02) Al: Yeah, like ten would be too many probably like that feels over (0:21:06) Kev: Yeah, right (0:21:09) Kev: And there’s probably gonna be some super transformation for the final fight because that feels like a thing this they would do (0:21:13) Al: Of course, of course. (0:21:16) Kev: But like normally I’d say I know five is a good number not counting anything finale spectacle transformation (0:21:23) Al: Well, let’s see what happens, but I’d be surprised if they’ve shown us everything. (0:21:28) Al: Let’s put it that way. We’ll see, but we will see. (0:21:32) Al: All right, well, let’s get into I Know What You Released last month. (0:21:37) Al: A quiet month, apparently, June was. I don’t know how I missed this out of the episode from (0:21:42) Al: two weeks ago, which is when I was meant to do it, but apparently I did. (0:21:46) Al: Just three games released. We got Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma. (0:21:52) Al: I haven’t played that. (0:21:53) Al: We’ve got Lenz Island 1.0. (0:21:55) Al: Obviously I’ve played that. (0:21:56) Al: And we’ve got Tamagotchi Plaza. (0:21:58) Al: Please do not play that. (0:22:00) Kev: I’ve played none of these games one day. I’ll play a room factory game. I would like to I (0:22:08) Al: Yeah, I feel like I could- (0:22:08) Kev: Mean (0:22:10) Kev: Yeah, I mean it’s it’s story of seasons, but more anime juice up the anime they said (0:22:16) Al: It’s much, I would say it’s much more like, it’s a combat game that just happens to have (0:22:21) Al: farming in it, rather than, especially now, I think you could probably argue in the four (0:22:22) Kev: sure okay sure yeah yeah sure and you know what that makes sense like you’re (0:22:27) Al: and before days, that it was Harvest Moon with, with combat, but now I think it’s definitely (0:22:34) Al: focused the other way around. (0:22:39) Kev: gonna do two series differentiate sure why not long as they have the cow all as (0:22:42) Al: Yeah, yeah, different cow, but yeah, all right. (0:22:45) Kev: well (0:22:49) Kev: Wait, it’s a different they don’t use the story of Caesar’s cow (0:22:50) Al: Well, I don’t think so. (0:22:53) Kev: Oh, no, never mind. It’s all it’s almost don’t care (0:22:58) Al: Yeah, because they don’t have standard animals in Unfactory. (0:23:00) Al: They have like other animals. (0:23:01) Al: So it’s kind of like a lion cow, but you will love the name. (0:23:04) Kev: Oh, huh, I’ll check it out. Okay, I’ll see a (0:23:08) Al: It’s called a buff-a-moo. (0:23:11) Kev: buffer (0:23:13) Kev: Let’s see. So like a buffalo but a buffer. Okay. Oh (0:23:19) Kev: Okay, that’s oh wait no that is a while (0:23:23) Kev: Mmm the design is kind of cute, but it also makes me think of the the girl dog from from (0:23:30) Kev: Full metal alchemist. I don’t like that (0:23:32) Al: Well, there you go. (0:23:38) Al: All right, we’re going to get into some news and we are going to start off with Kevin’s (0:23:38) Kev: Okay, that’s that’s an interesting camera (0:23:44) Al: favorite news. (0:23:45) Al: Gaucho and the Grassland have announced that they’re releasing on the 16th of July. (0:23:51) Al: You may notice, Kevin, that is basically now. (0:23:54) Al: When this episode comes out, it will be out. (0:23:55) Kev: that is when this episode comes out I will be playing this game probably i’m assuming it has (0:23:59) Al: Yeah. (0:24:01) Kev: controller support that’s that’s the the uh kind of the line in the sand for me great well yeah (0:24:04) Al: It says it has feel controller support, but I don’t know whether I can trust that or not. (0:24:12) Kev: you know that’s a good point too but um yeah I don’t know what can I say it’s still the same like (0:24:19) Kev: every trailer just continues to deliver the same promise you are being a cowboy that’s it (0:24:25) Kev: it and I like it’s a fun yeah yeah the the the the art style is cute kind of that overcooked (0:24:26) Al: Kevin was sold the moment he saw the first thing about being a cowboy, he was like “I’m sold, (0:24:30) Al: I don’t need to know anymore!” (0:24:37) Kev: the looking art style um but yeah I get you get to yeah and I can see that you you get to lasso (0:24:40) Al: It’s doing a little bit of the Animal Crossing curved world as well. (0:24:47) Kev: cows like that you know they knew that’s the activity you want to do you throw you have your (0:24:51) Kev: Europe, you’re the last of the count, so they… (0:24:55) Kev: I’m sold. (0:24:56) Al: Yeah. I need to know how it feels. Right. Because the controls for that, it could either be interesting or just horrific and terrible to play. So it’ll be interesting to see how that goes. (0:25:08) Kev: uh you’re right and it’s gonna be a very delicate like thing to get right so we’ll we’ll see um (0:25:17) Kev: tune in because I promise you you will find out on this show thoughts on about this game (0:25:20) Al: It does have a demo. (0:25:23) Kev: one form or another it does I won’t play it i’m just going in blind i’m going all in (0:25:30) Al: Next, we have Wandering Village. They have announced that they’re exiting Early Access. (0:25:38) Al: They’re releasing their 1.0 this week on the 17th of July, one day after Gaut you on the (0:25:44) Kev: That’s right after. I only have one day if I want to play Cowboy if I want to do this. I will not do that. (0:25:45) Al: grassland. (0:25:53) Al: And that is going to Steam Switch, Xbox and PlayStation all on the same page. (0:25:57) Kev: What a wild trailer because you have your huge dinosaur with the village or whatever on top (0:26:02) Kev: in the trailer. Oh okay, I didn’t know that. The art style is interesting because it’s 3D but like (0:26:03) Al: on onboo, I believe his name is. (0:26:11) Kev: 2d characters and and like (0:26:14) Kev: It’s not octopath like (0:26:16) Kev: It’s a full like CG 3d looking world, but the characters look like flat paper. It’s it’s it’s very interesting (0:26:25) Kev: Dynamic the thing is bad. Just interesting. But yeah is you have that and then you have people with like (0:26:32) Kev: Bane masks and then people (0:26:36) Kev: Burning the whole village (0:26:38) Kev: Forest for some reason. I don’t know. There’s a lot going on here. It is fascinating (0:26:44) Kev: And coming out on all consoles and everything that’s good good for them. That’s that’s impressive (0:26:49) Al: Yep, continuing this week’s releases, (0:26:54) Al: we have Cottonville is releasing on the 17th of July. (0:26:58) Kev: They’re just making up for last month by everything out one week as they stay. (0:27:03) Al: Everything on the same day. (0:27:06) Al: This was originally a Kickstarter, but apparently the Kickstarter was banned. (0:27:12) Al: And so now it’s just, yeah, so goodness sake. (0:27:12) Kev: B-band? (0:27:16) Al: Let me let me read what it was. (0:27:19) Al: There’s a statement on it. Here we go. (0:27:21) Al: This was back in the 15th. (0:27:21) Kev: Oh goodness. (0:27:23) Al: Dear Community, it says titled Kickstarter Update. (0:27:29) Al: Dear Community, firstly, we would like to sincerely thank you for your incredible (0:27:33) Al: support and participation in our first Kickstarter campaign. (0:27:36) Al: It genuinely means the world to us. (0:27:38) Al: Unfortunately, due to an oversight on our part, our Kickstarter campaign was (0:27:43) Al: suspended for unintentionally breaching Kickstarter’s guidelines. (0:27:47) Al: As a result, all contributions have been fully remembered. (0:27:49) Al: We are very grateful for the support gathered and to out show appreciation to all our backers (0:28:14) Al: and we are working on the very best solution to how to reward your contributions. (0:28:20) Al: Thank you again for your amazing support and interest in Cottonville. It truly means so (0:28:22) Al: much to us. While this was our first experience with Kickstarter and it did not go as planned, (0:28:27) Al: we’ve learned a lot. We’re looking forward to future campaigns now armed with valuable. (0:28:34) Kev: that didn’t answer my question. Why? Were crimes committed at any point? Maybe. Unintentional (0:28:40) Al: So I wonder, so it looks like what they did was they cancelled the Kickstarter and created (0:28:43) Kev: crimes? (0:28:52) Al: a new Kickstarter, and I’m wondering whether that’s the rule they broke, like you can’t (0:28:58) Al: recreate a Kickstarter or something like that. (0:29:00) Kev: Mm-hmm. I can see that that makes sense (0:29:03) Kev: Yeah, I’m big. Why well, why would they do that in the first place? I don’t know (0:29:08) Al: Don’t know, is this game a scam? I don’t know. (0:29:10) Kev: big (0:29:14) Kev: That I mean there’s the other fact that they are making the game without Kickstarter anymore (0:29:20) Kev: That’s the I did these are very weird flags. I don’t know. They’re red flags. They’re just weird flags (0:29:29) Al: » They are definitely flags. (0:29:31) Kev: Yeah, and the wildest part is it’s for this game that (0:29:38) Kev: Like isn’t for me. It feels very Facebook (0:29:42) Al: Oh, yeah, I hate the look of the game into it. (0:29:42) Kev: like gamey (0:29:45) Al: So it’s from it’s from the publisher Red Deer Games who have done such games (0:29:51) Al: such as Sprout Valley, Garden Buddies. (0:29:54) Kev: Monocats, I don’t know any of you wait no in a Sprout Valley (0:29:56) Al: And a bunch of other things that all definitely look like scam games. (0:30:01) Kev: And is this money laundering very possibly you (0:30:05) Al: I mean, Sprout Valley was a game and it was a fine game. (0:30:10) Al: Garden Buddies, I’m pretty sure we didn’t. (0:30:12) Al: It’s a publisher, not a developer, right? (0:30:16) Kev: yeah look i’m the game dev people oh it’s a public oh the publisher sure well okay exactly (0:30:23) Kev: well exactly the more reason to believe it may be money laundering the devs are maybe legit and (0:30:28) Al: Although, well, so this is where it gets interesting, is Cottonville is developed by the publisher. (0:30:39) Al: I think it’s their first game that they’re developing, rather than publishing. (0:30:40) Kev: you’re right it is you’re right um well that’s um (0:30:49) Kev: this is very strange and again if it were like a game that you know looked better you know that (0:30:58) Kev: being that might be one thing but it looks so I don’t know it just it just feels very weird (0:31:08) Al: it does. It is very weird. It does have a demo. Will I play the demo? Who knows? We’ll see. (0:31:08) Kev: the way the characters are always looking at you. (0:31:10) Kev: Straight up the camera, I don’t like it. (0:31:22) Al: Will I buy the game? Probably not, but I guess it depends how the demo goes, I guess. It’s (0:31:24) Kev: I also probably own that. (0:31:29) Al: just, yeah, those animations are so weird. [sighs] (0:31:32) Kev: Yeah (0:31:33) Kev: it (0:31:35) Kev: Comes out same day as wandering village, which noticeably feels much less possibly a scam (0:31:42) Al: Well, that game’s already out, it’s just not out in 1.0. (0:31:46) Al: All right, rounding out this week’s releases, (0:31:52) Al: Tiny Garden have announced their Summer Breeze content update (0:31:57) Al: and cosmetic pack are releasing on the 17th of July. (0:32:02) Kev: It’s our I don’t know. I gotta think of a barbenheimer equivalent cotton (0:32:07) Kev: wandering garden, I don’t know (0:32:10) Al: Best bet is, I think it’s the same week as Barbara Naimer happened. (0:32:13) Kev: Really that’s incredible (0:32:13) Al: Yeah, because it was definitely July and I think it was this week. (0:32:18) Kev: Yeah, my favorite thing about barbenheimer like I mean both movies are fine or whatever but people kind of under their breath were like (0:32:23) Al: Two years ago. (0:32:25) Kev: But barbie was a little bit better though (0:32:27) Al: Oh, it absolutely was, yeah, I enjoyed Oppenheimer, but it was it was not as good a film. (0:32:29) Kev: Yeah (0:32:36) Al: But I look, I’m not saying it’s a bad film, but I mean, Barbara. (0:32:43) Al: It was my film of the year that year. (0:32:44) Kev: I mean, the two lead roles kind of killed it in every aspect. (0:32:52) Al: Yeah, yeah, 21st of July, it was I was right, it’s the same week. (0:33:00) Al: So this would be Gaucho Wandering Cotton Garden. (0:33:07) Kev: yep there you go glad we found our episode title (0:33:07) Al: Oh, OK, fine. (0:33:11) Al: Yeah, new content pack DLC for Tiny Garden. (0:33:18) Al: If you’re enjoying that game, it was such a cheap game. (0:33:21) Al: I suspect this will be paid. (0:33:22) Al: It’s DLC. It does look like it’s paid DLC, so I mean, go support it. It’s good. (0:33:29) Kev: - Yeah, there you go. (0:33:31) Kev: That’s a cute idea of like, it’s all cosmetics. (0:33:36) Kev: Whole game is cosmetics, right? (0:33:38) Kev: So like introducing these packs, that’s a good idea. (0:33:42) Kev: And it’s like there’s some, (0:33:44) Kev: like you can grow palm trees and wait, (0:33:47) Kev: no, there’s new mechanics. (0:33:48) Kev: Hold on, they’re saying new mechanics. (0:33:48) Al: So I think so if I if I understand it correctly, the new plants and new mechanics are a free (0:33:49) Kev: Oh, oh music. (0:33:55) Al: update and the cosmetics are the DLC. (0:33:58) Kev: Uh, okay, that makes sense as it should be good for them (0:34:02) Al: That is the correct way to do things, yes, I agree. (0:34:04) Kev: Pokemon (0:34:10) Kev: But good for them good for you tiny garden you little garden that (0:34:15) Al: We also have an update for Disney Dreamlight Valley. (0:34:19) Al: I feel like these are coming out all the time and also I care about them less and less. (0:34:22) Kev: I mean it’s yeah yeah that’s that’s good that’s called diminishing returns and (0:34:30) Kev: and that’s what happens when you have Disney with a bajillion IPs and (0:34:36) Kev: whatever and and the worst part is like I don’t know I most of these don’t feel (0:34:43) Kev: like big story expansion I mean a lot of them are but I don’t know just I look at (0:34:50) Kev: other games like look at the mojo (0:34:52) Kev: games right when the new contents there’s big story chapters and stuff to (0:34:57) Kev: do these I don’t know maybe it’s all because it’s existing IPs like I don’t (0:35:05) Kev: know it just doesn’t have the same hype around it maybe it’s because it’s too (0:35:11) Kev: saccharine they can’t they can’t go crazy they can’t have the chapter where (0:35:16) Kev: or Scar eats Remy from Ratatouille. (0:35:20) Al: I, yeah, I wonder if, because obviously they’ve done this thing where the DLCs have been split up, (0:35:25) Al: so this update is called the storybook veil part two, the unwritten realm update. (0:35:32) Kev: Okay. Okay, one name. (0:35:38) Al: And I kind of feel like maybe it would be better if they just did all the DLC (0:35:42) Al: for the storybook veil at once, right? Because we talked about this before, where I don’t think I’d be (0:35:50) Al: booting up Stardew every two months if there was a new update, but the way that he bundles it all (0:35:54) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:35:56) Al: together in an update every two years or three years or whatever, means that I’m super excited, (0:36:01) Al: because it’s like, oh, it has been years since I’ve probably played the game, let’s go in, (0:36:05) Al: we’ve got loads of new content, I’m really excited for that. Whereas this is just constant, here’s (0:36:10) Al: new update. And I suspect they’ve probably got numbers to show that this keeps people invested, (0:36:18) Al: Right. Like if we talk about. (0:36:20) Al: I wouldn’t want one big update every two years for that, but I don’t know. (0:36:25) Al: It’s a difficult one, but I don’t even play the game anymore. (0:36:25) Kev: Uh-huh, well I mean, yeah I’ve never played the game so I’m just completely talking without (0:36:30) Al: So who might it complete? (0:36:36) Kev: any frame reference. (0:36:38) Al: What that’s not what we do (0:36:44) Kev: So we say right after declaring cotton fields a scam without having touched it or planning (0:36:48) Al: No, I did not, excuse me, I did not, I would like to clarify, as per my lawyers have just (0:36:49) Kev: to. (0:36:55) Al: told me to do, I, lol, I did not claim that the game was a scam. I asked whether it was (0:37:03) Al: and felt, it said it felt a little scammy. That is all I’m saying. I, yep, that is very (0:37:08) Kev: - Feel of a scam. (0:37:12) Al: different to claiming it is a scam. It feels scammy, it’s not the same thing. (0:37:14) Kev: - True, true. (0:37:16) Kev: Yeah, true. (0:37:18) Al: This one has, so this update, what does this have? The final part of the story for (0:37:26) Al: the storybook veil, which is Maleficent and Hades doing some stuff. (0:37:32) Al: Who’s the new characters? Is that Peter Pan? (0:37:33) Kev: It’s embedded, looks like it. (0:37:37) Al: And who else is with Peter? Is that Aurora? No, not Aurora. What am I talking about? Who is that? (0:37:44) Kev: Trying to see that is (0:37:44) Al: I just saw the colour of dress. (0:37:47) Kev: Wait, who is that? Is that a player character? That might be the player character. I don’t think I recognize (0:37:49) Al: Oh, that’s the player character, that would make sense, right? And a monkey? Who’s the monkey? (0:37:53) Kev: Yeah, I know (0:37:57) Al: I can’t see, this image is so small. (0:37:59) Kev: It is I’m trying to yeah, that’s just a pet monkey (0:38:03) Al: And for some reason, the patch notes don’t mention characters other than Maleficent and Hades. (0:38:09) Al: Like normally they list, I don’t think so. (0:38:09) Kev: Wasn’t Peter Pan already added? Oh (0:38:14) Kev: Okay, I don’t know I don’t know it says yeah there become pals with Peter Pan you’re right yeah, I don’t know that’s just a pet monkey (0:38:18) Al: Oh, here we go. No, I there is Aurora, right? So venture into the pages of a storybook to uncover Aurora in an enchanting dream style, in addition to her regular (0:38:26) Kev: There’s a guy who looks evil with wings. He looks cool. I don’t know what else (0:38:34) Kev: And that dog on Peter Pan (0:38:36) Al: Anyway, whatever. There’s an update. I don’t think you need us to explain. (0:38:42) Kev: There’s Eric’s dog - what’s the best dog in Disney movies we should we should make it ranking (0:38:50) Al: That sounds like a greenhouse episode. All right. (0:38:53) Kev: Best pets for Disney (0:38:56) Al: We have two more news updates. The first is Lens Island have released their post 1.0 roadmap. (0:39:04) Kev: Mm-hmm is the bro map just say take the money and run I’d applaud somebody if they said that (0:39:05) Al: So, first of all. (0:39:06) Al: I mean, they had a Kickstarter that if they were going to take the money and run it would (0:39:15) Al: have been back then. (0:39:16) Al: So they say the rest of July will be post release bug fixing. (0:39:21) Al: In August, there will be a community feedback update. (0:39:22) Kev: Sure (0:39:25) Al: I have community feedback. (0:39:26) Al: Give us proper controller support. (0:39:29) Kev: There’s the the developer livestream you see you can yell at them in real time. Thank you (0:39:34) Al: Also, silly question, is that not the whole point of early access, (0:39:37) Al: is to get community feedback and update it based on that? (0:39:39) Al: Like, why are you waiting until after 1.0 to do that? (0:39:42) Al: Whatever. (0:39:42) Kev: It’s fine, it’s fine (0:39:44) Al: And then in December, they will be releasing a major content update. (0:39:48) Al: No information on that. (0:39:49) Al: Just there will be stuff and more coming in 2026. (0:39:51) Kev: So I was about to say, so the roadmap is we’re going to work on it, maybe. (0:39:53) Al: So it’s a pretty loose. (0:39:58) Al: You know. (0:40:01) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:40:03) Al: the update is. (0:40:04) Al: We’re going to bug fix, and then we’re going to add some changes, and then we’re going to (0:40:08) Al: have a new new content. And it says December. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t this year. (0:40:10) Kev: listen to people yeah yep we’ll see I mean but they’re gonna continue to (0:40:23) Kev: support it which I mean every game does now because games or service did you (0:40:28) Kev: know that out (0:40:29) Al: Yes. And let me double check. (0:40:32) Al: But I think this is, let me double check something. (0:40:38) Al: And they do just seem to have. (0:40:40) Al: So I am not aware of another game that they’re working on just now or anything else. (0:40:46) Al: I thought I was aware of one, but no, I think that’s a different company. (0:40:50) Al: So maybe they are just planning on continuing work on Lenz Island. (0:40:55) Al: I I doubt that that is going to be continue to be. (0:40:59) Al: And final piece of news, Kevin Stardew Valley is now the this Stardew Valley is now the (0:41:05) Kev: » Yeah, that’s correct. (0:41:18) Kev: Hmm, yeah, yeah this this one scares me (0:41:27) Al: top-rated game on Steam. (0:41:29) Al: Iso. (0:41:29) Kev: That scares me (0:41:35) Kev: Steam has a lot of games on it. I’ll I (0:41:39) Kev: Know there has to be I know there has to be a number one (0:41:44) Kev: Like but it just feels so surreal that the game that (0:41:49) Kev: Not that we care about per se but that is so close to us because of this podcast like (0:41:55) Kev: That’s the number one. That’s wild to me (0:41:58) Al: So have you don’t click on the don’t click on the link to the top 250. (0:42:03) Al: Have you looked at it at all? (0:42:04) Al: I want to check. (0:42:04) Kev: No, I’m not. (0:42:05) Al: OK, so let’s do a little let’s do a little game. (0:42:08) Al: See how many of the top 10 Kevin can guess. (0:42:11) Kev: Oh, there’s a bajillion games on Steam. (0:42:15) Kev: I don’t know. (0:42:17) Al: Think of games that people like. (0:42:17) Kev: All right. (0:42:18) Kev: OK, OK, Portal 2 is number two because that’s the one that (0:42:21) Al: So, yeah, so we know that we’ve got two already. (0:42:21) Kev: got me dethroned. (0:42:23) Al: We’ve got Stardium and got Portal 2, number one and number two. (0:42:25) Kev: Oh, well, let’s see. (0:42:28) Kev: And here’s part of the question, right? (0:42:30) Kev: How is this calculated, right? (0:42:32) Kev: Because if a game has 5.0 review (0:42:34) Al: Yeah, so I suspect you have to get above a certain amount of, let’s put it this way, (0:42:35) Kev: But only has 100 reviews (0:42:37) Kev: It’s probably not hitting the top (0:42:39) Kev: Even though if it is really good you know (0:42:45) Al: I will give you a clue, every single one of the top 10 has over 100,000 volts. So it’s (0:42:51) Kev: Okay. Sure. (0:42:52) Al: at least some kind of popular game. Nope, that is number 14. (0:42:56) Kev: Sure. Okay. Like, uh, I know Baldur’s gate three is up there. (0:43:01) Kev: No, it’s Baldur’s gate three is really wow. (0:43:04) Al: Yep, number 14 with 8.73. I will say it’s very crowded at the top, right? So 8.73, (0:43:08) Kev: Wow. I, wow. I’m, I’m. (0:43:14) Al: compare that to Stardew at 1, 8.87, right? Like there’s not a lot in it, they’re all very close. (0:43:21) Kev: I’m not gonna get a single guess here (0:43:23) Al: I think you will keep going. I think you will get some wrong, but I think you’ll get some right. (0:43:27) Kev: Okay, see yeah cuz I mean like okay, I’m trying to think oh, this is hard right because a lot of games (0:43:35) Kev: Are really good, but they’re ports right like (0:43:38) Kev: Spider-man is now on Steam if I recall right the spider-man 1/2 are they (0:43:42) Al: Definitely not up there. It was not it was not a very well-received port because it was very bad. (0:43:48) Kev: Yeah, that’s true I forgot about that right (0:43:48) Al: I don’t I can’t even see them in the list. Let’s see where we’ve got Spider-Man. (0:43:51) Kev: Like uh see this is the thing (0:43:53) Al: The first Spider-Man is 140 and Spider-Man 2 is not. (0:43:58) Kev: Great that’s fantastic see this is the thing like I have to think about I don’t think about steam as much as (0:44:07) Al: Would you like some clues? (0:44:09) Al: I can give you some. (0:44:10) Kev: Is one of them Stanley parable (0:44:10) Al: They all. (0:44:12) Al: It is not there. (0:44:14) Kev: God yeah, okay. Yeah, I don’t know this is oh (0:44:17) Al: Let me let me give you a clue. (0:44:19) Al: Let me give you a clue by giving you genres. (0:44:19) Kev: Okay, okay. (0:44:22) Al: So we have what number three, the genre is open world survival craft. (0:44:28) Kev: Oh my goodness. Oh god. Is it power? No! (0:44:32) Al: No, it is not power world. (0:44:33) Kev: I’m kidding. I know it’s not power. (0:44:35) Kev: What is it? (0:44:38) Kev: Did, oh, what is the name? (0:44:40) Al: Our world is 241. (0:44:41) Kev: Is Umamusume pretty derby? Did it skyrocket to the top? (0:44:47) Kev: Do you know what I’m talking about, Al? (0:44:48) Al: I have no idea what you’re talking about. (0:44:52) Kev: Okay, oh man, I’m happy. (0:44:54) Kev: Dale is going to be thrilled. I brought it up on the podcast. Okay. (0:44:57) Al: Right, let’s stick to this. Open world survival craft, think of a game, a very popular game, (0:44:58) Kev: I’m okay. I’ll bring it up. Fine. Fine. That is no, cause that’s not on steam. Um, hug. (0:45:05) Al: that people like. What was that? Just say it. It was not Minecraft, no. I was tempted (0:45:11) Kev: See, no, cause Minecraft’s not on steam. Yeah. Yeah. No. Cause Minecraft’s not on steam. (0:45:18) Al: to say it’s open world survival craft, but not that one, thinking you were going to think (0:45:22) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. No. (0:45:23) Al: Minecraft initially. It is not correct, but it’s not Minecraft, but it is. (0:45:26) Kev: Is it? (0:45:28) Kev: AHHH! Is it um, oh gosh, I just I’m not a steam person. I don’t know these as well. Um, I what is? Oh my gosh. What is? (0:45:37) Kev: What is this? (0:45:38) Kev: What is that one horror-y game? (0:45:42) Kev: The four or something like that? I don’t remember. Just tell me. I don’t know. You’re gonna fail all these out. (0:45:44) Al: No, no, what? I don’t understand. It’s not Minecraft. It is 2D. (0:45:50) Kev: Oh wait. Oh (0:45:52) Al: Come on! Terraria number three! There we go! (0:45:52) Kev: Terraria! Oh my gosh. Terraria. Oh duh. Wow, I’m stupid. Yeah. (0:45:58) Kev: Terraria, duh. How did I not think that? Yeah. Wow. (0:45:59) Al: You will not get number four. I have never heard of this game. People Playground? (0:46:04) Kev: Well, I don’t know what that is. Um, okay, okay. (0:46:07) Al: Neither do I. It’s a sandbox game, apparently. Number five. Zombies. (0:46:13) Kev: It’s not it’s not art. It’s not gonna be an RE game. It’s (0:46:15) Al: No, but not far off. You’re kind of in the right game’s circle. (0:46:18) Kev: No, it’s I mean (0:46:26) Kev: I mean is it dead by I mean I don&am

This episode was originally released on 6/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 92 we open the summer season with a trip to Coney Island, Brooklyn. The New York city summer locale was frequented in radio programs and by radio performers. It was also, in the days of wireless telegraphy, an important station location for Guglielmo Marconi. Highlights: • Marconi's last link • André Baruch Gets His Radio Start at Coney Island • Allen's Alley Opens the Summer • Connee Boswell Sings • The Crime Club Uncovers a Coney Island Murder • Irma and Jane Go To the Beach • Broadway Is My Beat • Vincent Price in Coney Island • Jean Shepherd Stops By • We Take the Subway Home The WallBreakers: thewallbreakers.com Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts. To support the show: patreon.com/TheWallBreakers The reading material used in today's episode was: On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio - by John Dunning Network Radio Ratings, 1932-53 - by Jim Ramsburg As well three tremendous internet resources: Charles Denson's History Project at ConeyIslandHistory.org David Sullivan's Heart of ConeyIsland.com Jeff Stanton's research at Westland.net/ConeyIsland On the interview front: • André Baruch, Larry Dobkin, Lou Krugman, and Herb Vigran, were with SPERDVAC. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com • Hans Conried, June Havoc, Vincent Price, and William N. Robson were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio. These interview can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org. • Elliott Lewis and E. Jack Neuman were with John Dunning for his 1980s 71KNUS program from Denver. • Vincent Price and Allen Reed spoke to Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com. • Fred Allen was a guest of Tex and Jinx on November 24th, 1954. • Connee Boswell was interviewed by Lee Phillip in 1963. • And Morton Fine was with Dan Haefele on August 9th, 1988. Selected music featured in today's episode was: • Under the Boardwalk - by the Drifters • And Shine on Harvest Moon - by Joan Morris & William Bolcom

Al and Kev talk about whether or not farming game remakes are worth it. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:08: What Have We Been Up To 00:38:42: Game Updates 00:58:01: New Games 01:11:11: Farming Game Remakes 01:51:29: Outro Links Research Story 1.0 Tiny Garden Switch Info Go-go Town “Tourist Trap” Update APICO Physical Edition Farming Simulator 16-bit Limited Edition Romestead Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al. (0:00:34) Kev: My name is Kevin (0:00:36) Al: And we’re here today to talk about Cottagecore games. (0:00:39) Kev: You woo supposedly the word on the street is it says on the box (0:00:46) Al: Does it? (0:00:47) Kev: That’s odd, yeah, it does it what does the websites I’m assuming it does (0:00:51) Al: I don’t know. This is a good question. What does it say on the website? (0:00:54) Kev: You know, we’ve never done (0:00:55) Al: It says farming. It says a podcast about farming simulators. (0:00:58) Kev: Well, there you go, I guess we were lying somewhere, you know one of these days (0:01:00) Al: Yeah, classic. (0:01:04) Kev: Not days we should do in April fools and switch it up (0:01:07) Kev: Or we talk about I don’t know something else. I guess we kind of do that sometimes but you know something really different (0:01:12) Al: Something, something else. (0:01:14) Kev: Yeah (0:01:16) Kev: We talk about gotcha games, I mean I already do but you know all in oh (0:01:23) Kev: Yeah (0:01:24) Al: Hello. We are going to talk this episode about, I want to have a discussion about remakes. (0:01:25) Kev: Hello listener (0:01:34) Kev: We don’t oh (0:01:34) Al: Specifically remakes of farming games. (0:01:38) Kev: Oh, that’s well hmm. I mean it’s still in the neighborhood like there’s stuff to be discussed for sure (0:01:47) Al: Well, that’s why we’re doing it. (0:01:51) Al: I don’t tend to have topics that I don’t think I’ll have much discussion. (0:01:55) Kev: That is died and I believe that’s factually not true (0:02:00) Al: Wow, how dare, how dare you, how very dare you. (0:02:04) Kev: Oh (0:02:06) Al: Before that, we have a bunch of news, but first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:02:13) Kev: Okay, let’s see here when I wrote things down (0:02:16) Kev: Okay, Marvel snap. Okay, I should have talked about this earlier because it ended this week, but I mean all snap goes (0:02:22) Kev: It’s good the the new Fantastic Four (0:02:27) Kev: Season with cards based off the movies coming up (0:02:30) Kev: They’re just doing a whole new season like first step family (0:02:34) Kev: First steps whatever but but that’s coming so you know and that looks good (0:02:38) Kev: But I didn’t talk about maximum voltage overdrive or whatever that thing was called (0:02:45) Kev: You played snap outs been a minute. Did you play maximum voltage? (0:02:49) Kev: Do you remember that mode at all? (0:02:50) Al: I think it was around when I was playing, but I don’t think I played it. (0:02:54) Kev: Uh-huh (0:02:56) Al: I did the Deadpool Diner and I did. (0:02:59) Kev: Yeah (0:03:00) Al: There was one other one that I did, but I don’t think I did maximum. (0:03:02) Kev: Okay, so (0:03:04) Kev: So yeah, every once in a while snap introduces these like alternate modes with different rules or different words or whatever (0:03:12) Kev: And so one that they’ve done is called maximum voltage (0:03:16) Kev: and previously maximum voltage was a three-turn game instead of six turns and (0:03:20) Kev: They would give you a random amount like two to four energy every turn like extra so it was you know (0:03:27) Kev: Not just the one two three four (0:03:29) Kev: So you had you could play cards quickly and you had to do on three turns (0:03:34) Kev: It’s a it’s a different pace a game. It’s fun even shorter. I liked it (0:03:41) Kev: Well this past week or two they did maximum voltage overdrive or overcharge whatever’s over something (0:03:50) Kev: Where it was a four-turn game (0:03:53) Kev: The same rules of okay, you get random two to four energy every turn (0:03:59) Kev: on top of what you already have (0:04:02) Kev: But they (0:04:04) Kev: Also filled your deck out with like was it eight or twelve extra random cards in your deck (0:04:10) Kev: Those extra cards had lower costs and higher power (0:04:15) Kev: So it was it was a wild ride because it was a lot of like kind of RNG really right what you get (0:04:22) Kev: It’s hard to build around like, you know real strategy around it (0:04:26) Kev: and you know, I (0:04:28) Kev: I enjoyed it enough. It was fine enough. You know a lot of people don’t like RNG sort of (0:04:34) Kev: modes or strategy so you know I don’t think as popular as other ones but at (0:04:40) Kev: least they tried something right like I always did they say hey try it and then (0:04:43) Kev: we’ll see how it goes but the bigger fiasco was the rewards because when they (0:04:52) Kev: have these side missions they’ll give you usually like a sort of bonus currency (0:04:56) Kev: or side currency or whatever specific for that mode with a shop or reward tier (0:05:01) Kev: or something like that. (0:05:04) Kev: In this case they gave you a shop, you could earn let’s just call them vault points or whatever they were called. (0:05:08) Kev: And so there was a new card in the shop. (0:05:12) Kev: Kid Omega, I don’t know who that character is but they had a decent enough ability. (0:05:16) Kev: But regardless, so yeah, it was a new card and very cool and all. (0:05:24) Kev: But here’s the thing, for the first time ever in one of these side modes, you could not earn the card for free. (0:05:32) Kev: Um… (0:05:34) Kev: Well, I guess you technically could, but… (0:05:36) Kev: So how it works is every eight hours you get a set of three missions, and you get X number of points for it, right? (0:05:44) Kev: Well, people did the math. (0:05:46) Kev: If you did all the missions, every single set of three for every eight hours for the entire duration of the thing, (0:05:52) Kev: you would still have to win 500 games, I think it was, to earn enough points to earn the new card. (0:05:57) Al: That is so many games. (0:06:04) Kev: But… (0:06:04) Al: I don’t think I’ve ever won 500 games combined in the, like, what, combined what, six months (0:06:06) Kev: Yeah, totally. (0:06:14) Kev: I mean, I might be there with you. (0:06:18) Kev: But yeah, so that was wild. (0:06:24) Kev: And a lot of people were up in arms about it, as you can imagine, and I think understandably so. (0:06:30) Kev: Also, because Marvel Snap, traditionally, has been… (0:06:34) Kev: Play-ish where or at least you if you played enough you could get a decent pool of cards or you could get work (0:06:40) Kev: You know the new cards they were releasing if you kept up you could (0:06:45) Kev: You could you could play for free (0:06:48) Kev: the boat the money was either spent on generally speaking on (0:06:55) Kev: Cosmetics, you know variants and bundles (0:06:57) Kev: I guess the season passed you could unlock a new card and that’s ten bucks a month and like that (0:07:02) Kev: But they would drop for free later (0:07:04) Kev: So you didn’t have to do it. But anyways (0:07:08) Kev: Point is that a lot of players feel like the the snap devs are kind of leaning a little more into (0:07:15) Kev: You know pay to win or pay to get the new cards (0:07:19) Kev: So that was a big (0:07:20) Kev: Yeah, big big bit a little bit of fiasco (0:07:25) Kev: and (0:07:26) Kev: Yeah, it’s over now. We went to another mode called sanctum showdown, which is but it’s much slower paced modes fun (0:07:35) Kev: They’re playing it safe. No crazy (0:07:38) Kev: Expensive card or whatever but (0:07:40) Kev: It’s interesting to see (0:07:43) Kev: kind of a shame that they you know, they’re a little money hungry, but (0:07:48) Kev: Cuz though otherwise the game I think is in still in a decent shape (0:07:52) Kev: They’ve released so many cards like I think it’s almost in a state of we can play whatever you want more or less (0:07:59) Kev: But yeah, I mean I’m still playing it. I’m still enjoying it. I did not get the kiddo-megan card (0:08:05) Kev: You know, it’s wild. I saw somebody with that card on day one (0:08:08) Kev: Which means they must have put a lot of money or gold or whatever. Yeah, there’s always an I found the whale. Oh (0:08:08) Al: Hmm there’s always one. There’s always one. Yeah (0:08:16) Kev: Speaking of not having money or wanting money (0:08:20) Kev: Yes, let’s talk about unicorn overlord. So I reached the end of what’s called best stories. That’s the beast land (0:08:30) Kev: Campaign area there’s basically like five countries in the game or whatever and each one is kind of (0:08:34) Kev: Its own little chapter if you will write its own little story and arc and so I reached the end of the best stories chapter (0:08:41) Kev: Which is fine and all the villain was a rat man a rat where rat I guess. I don’t I don’t know how to describe it (0:08:50) Kev: You know, I’ll show you a picture (0:08:52) Kev: but (0:08:53) Kev: And so I enjoyed it. It was a fun chapter. I think the Beast people were cool, but what is funny and (0:09:00) Kev: I can feel it. I learned about this (0:09:04) Kev: When I went online because it felt something felt like it was changing the writing in unicorn overlord who was pretty alright (0:09:12) Kev: Up until around now because they really just kind of did not give the the rat man’s name (0:09:19) Kev: His name was Elgore and he kind of had an interesting story (0:09:23) Kev: The rats were generally oppressed people and he wanted to rise up and then you know, he became a general (0:09:29) Kev: So it’s kind of an interesting story and there was some evil the evil bad guy team (0:09:34) Kev: We’re doing experiments on him yada yada (0:09:38) Kev: But it was really really rushed. And so I kind of looked into it and it turns out (0:09:45) Kev: That oh (0:09:47) Kev: Hold on one second now (0:09:49) Kev: my mic (0:09:51) Kev: Sorry, there we go. Sorry. My mic had a hiccup and I think we’re good now while checking (0:09:57) Kev: double-checking (0:09:58) Al: Sounds fine to me. (0:09:59) Kev: Yes, okay. I lost a few seconds of the recording, but okay. I’m okay (0:10:03) Kev: I don’t know, at least the– (0:10:03) Al: It’s fine now. (0:10:05) Al: Zoom is pretty good at like starting out. (0:10:05) Kev: Yeah, all right (0:10:09) Kev: Well, anyways, so I looked up that why it started feel rushed and turns out that the unicorn (0:10:15) Kev: Overlord development ran out of money and basically the director producer they started funding it out of their own pocket (0:10:22) Kev: so apparently this last (0:10:25) Kev: quarter or so of the the game is gonna feel very rushed and (0:10:30) Kev: There’s no time for story anymore. Which is sad but (0:10:34) Kev: That said the game is still (0:10:38) Kev: Entertaining. I like it. It’s fun. Yeah, like unicorn overlord to two thumbs up from me (0:10:45) Kev: Let’s see (0:10:47) Kev: So yeah, so that’s good. Um, oh, okay follow up from last week (0:10:50) Kev: So we spent a little time having a fun little chat about magic the gathering and capitalism and the $1,000 (0:10:58) Al: Like 20 minutes. (0:10:59) Kev: pack of set of four packs (0:11:02) Kev: and it was all started as you may recall because (0:11:04) Kev: I was looking at the, or you know, the Final Fantasy set of Magic the Gathering cards came out, (0:11:12) Kev: and I did not want to buy them because I didn’t want to spend them, or spend the money for them. (0:11:17) Kev: Well, this week I bought the Final Fantasy card set from Magic the Gathering, virtually, virtually, there’s my caveat, haha. (0:11:26) Kev: Uh, no, I did not spend money, but… yeah, haha, virtual versions of my cardboard. (0:11:27) Al: Oh, wait, that’s that’s even that’s even all right. (0:11:30) Al: I was going to say that’s even worse if you bought digital cards. (0:11:35) Kev: No, no money spent. So I’ve been, I’ve played Magic the Gathering Arena, though that’s the online client. I fired it up to get in there and try. (0:11:43) Al: Good game. I’ve not played in a long time, but when I was playing, I was doing a lot of arenas. (0:11:49) Kev: Alright, it’s good. It feels comparable, I think, to, you know, Pokemon TCG live. (0:11:54) Al: Oh, I think it’s way better. (0:11:56) Al: I think it’s way, way better. (0:11:57) Al: I think the I mean, it’s been a while since I played it. (0:12:00) Al: But in my experience, the app was much less slow in menus and the effects were much better. (0:12:05) Kev: Yeah. (0:12:08) Kev: I agree with that. It is much, much more polished, right, overall. A little fancier. And you’re right, a little less laggy. (0:12:17) Kev: But, yeah, but I mean, the point is, it serves as a decent online, you know, substitute for the paper game. (0:12:26) Kev: So I got some, yeah, Final Fantasy cards there and played a little, doing a choco bow deck. (0:12:33) Kev: I’m really upset (0:12:35) Kev: Those cards are really good, art-wise and gameplay-wise (0:12:42) Kev: They have, because I mentioned I was playing Final Fantasy, the proper FFTCG (0:12:49) Kev: That game doesn’t have equipment cards (0:12:51) Kev: Magic the Gathering does, so Magic the Gathering can include iconic items and weapons (0:12:57) Kev: Like the Buster Sword, or a cup of instant noodles from Final Fantasy XV (0:13:04) Kev: So I’m more…a little… (0:13:05) Kev: I’m jealous that Magic did it so well. (0:13:07) Kev: Whoever…the people working on the Final Fantasy set, they really love Final Fantasy. (0:13:13) Kev: They have Souplex the Train as a card. (0:13:17) Kev: People who know FF5 understand that reference. (0:13:25) Kev: But yeah, I mean, I try to… (0:13:27) Kev: I’m still thinking about it. I’m looking at it. (0:13:31) Kev: The card’s proper. I’m not gonna buy it yet. (0:13:35) Kev: Oh, it’s been…I’ve been craving it. It’s a siren song. (0:13:38) Kev: So I had to…you know…I had to at least do it virtually to enjoy it a little. (0:13:46) Kev: But I digress. That’s what I’ve been up to this week. (0:13:50) Kev: What about you, Al? What’s going on? (0:13:52) Al: Well, let’s see, what have I been up to? (0:13:56) Al: Shock surprise. (0:13:58) Al: I have been playing some Mario Kart World up. (0:14:00) Kev: Yeah, you’re going for it, man. Getting all those knockouts here. I’ve seen your progress. (0:14:04) Al: Yes, so update on that. (0:14:07) Al: I have done all of the Grand Prix’s 150, three stars and all of the knockout (0:14:13) Al: all of the knockout tours, 150, three stars. (0:14:19) Al: and I have done enough in free. (0:14:22) Al: Rome to unlock mirror mode. (0:14:25) Kev: Okay. (0:14:27) Al: And I have unlocked all of the costumes. (0:14:30) Kev: Oh, you’re- you’ve done it all almost pretty much at this point. (0:14:33) Al: I am still missing three characters. (0:14:36) Kev: Wait, wha- oh. How d- uh- uh-huh. (0:14:38) Al: But that’s because they are the Kamek characters, (0:14:43) Al: so you have to be on a specific course (0:14:47) Al: and someone use the Kamek behind you on that specific course. (0:14:50) Kev: Uh, okay, I did notice that I got some kamiks and I think I got kamiks characters out of that. (0:14:53) Al: There’s a chance that you get one that character, so. (0:15:00) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:15:01) Al: So I’ve got most of them, but I’m still missing three of them. (0:15:04) Al: And it’s like they are dreadful to try and force like the bet. (0:15:08) Kev: Yeah, who are they? (0:15:10) Al: How who am I missing? (0:15:12) Al: Let me check my spreadsheet. (0:15:14) Al: I am missing Rocky, wrench. (0:15:18) Al: Peepa and Swoop. (0:15:20) Kev: Oof, oof, oh man, I like swoop. (0:15:21) Al: I have the rest of them. (0:15:22) Al: So that’s I have that’s 15 out of 18 characters unlocked (0:15:26) Al: and 103 out of 103 costumes unlocked. (0:15:31) Al: So, yeah, and I’ve got all the vehicles as well. (0:15:36) Al: All 40 of them. (0:15:37) Al: So I am going to I’m definitely going to do. (0:15:40) Al: I’m definitely going to start doing mirror modes. (0:15:42) Al: I really want to restart all the mirror modes (0:15:45) Al: before I get too much muscle memory for specific courses. (0:15:46) Kev: Yeah. (0:15:49) Kev: Mmm. (0:15:50) Al: Right, because that that’s when it becomes really hard. (0:15:52) Kev: Yeah, you’re right. (0:15:53) Kev: That’s an excellent point. (0:15:53) Al: But I’d love I’d love to three star mirror mode (0:15:56) Al: because I’ve never restarted every mirror mode in a Mario cart. (0:16:00) Kev: I mean you’re like there, you’re wide as well, right? You’ve gone the 90%? (0:16:06) Al: Yeah, it’s I guess the thing is it’s just about like time now, right? (0:16:10) Kev: Uh-huh. (0:16:10) Al: Like we’ve got two and a bit weeks until Donkey Kong comes out. (0:16:15) Al: That’s basically my deadline, right? (0:16:15) Kev: I was about to say, that’s the deadline, right? (0:16:17) Al: Like if it’s if I’ve not done it by (0:16:20) Al: Donkey Kong coming out, it’s probably never happening. (0:16:23) Kev: Yeah, well, maybe they’ll release some DLC, but I understand what you generally say. (0:16:28) Al: Yeah, but at that point, I don’t I think at that point I’ll play the DLC, (0:16:31) Al: but I don’t think I’ll go back and try and do the other mirror modes. (0:16:31) Kev: Yeah, it’ll be out of your system, I get it. (0:16:34) Al: Right. (0:16:36) Al: So we’ll see. We’ll see how I feel. (0:16:38) Al: But I’m going to I’m going to at least try and see how far I get. (0:16:42) Al: But obviously it’s quite few and, you know, I can see I should be able to do them. (0:16:47) Al: Right. Because I’ve done one hundred and fifty. (0:16:49) Al: I should be able to do mirror mode. (0:16:50) Al: I don’t think I’m in use to them enough that I will cause problems. (0:16:53) Al: Although maybe there’s a couple of courses that are recreations of previous ones, (0:16:58) Al: like the Mario Bros circuit, which is just like the continuation from the one (0:17:00) Kev: Yeah (0:17:03) Al: and since the sna is- (0:17:06) Al: right? That one might be trouble because I suspect I’ll have muscle memory for that course (0:17:06) Kev: Yeah (0:17:12) Kev: Sure sure (0:17:12) Al: but we’ll see, we’ll see. I’m gonna try and we’ll see how I go (0:17:17) Al: and I think that’s all I was considering. So have you done much free roam? (0:17:22) Kev: Not too much myself now (0:17:25) Al: So you’ve got the P switches, you’ve got peach medallions and you’ve got the question mark blocks. (0:17:27) Kev: Yeah (0:17:29) Kev: Yeah (0:17:32) Al: the only one that’s actually like shown on the map. (0:17:36) Al: The P switches where each course has a certain number of P switches and it shows you how (0:17:38) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:17:40) Al: many you’ve got. So I’m considering doing the P switches, but there’s no way I’m going (0:17:47) Al: to look for all of the peach medallions and all not not P switches sorry the question mark blocks. (0:17:52) Al: It’s not the P switches the question mark blocks. There’s no way I’m going for the piece all the (0:17:56) Al: P switches and all the peach medallions. I’ll probably do some more just playing around in (0:18:00) Al: free roam and if I see some I will do some, but I’m not going to go out my way to get (0:18:04) Al: every day because it’s like (0:18:06) Al: 300 P switches or something it’s mad how many there are I’m not going to do (0:18:08) Kev: Yeah, you don’t want to collect all the Koroks? (0:18:12) Al: all of them definitely not but I can see myself doing all the question mark (0:18:17) Al: blocks just because they’re like clearly like there’s six on this course six on (0:18:22) Al: this course six on this course I could see myself doing that but I’m not I’m (0:18:28) Al: not going all in on that at this point right like we will see (0:18:31) Kev: man. I gotta say the free roam is a little disappointing from what I’ve experienced and (0:18:39) Kev: seen. I was really hoping for, for lack of a better word, secrets, right? Little nooks (0:18:47) Kev: and crannies you could explore that, you know, you wouldn’t experience on a race or whatever, (0:18:52) Al: - Yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:18:53) Kev: right? Like in, you know, shooting for the stars, like even a handful of courses not in any of the (0:19:01) Kev: pre-write, you know, unofficially labeled, like you enter a cave and all of a sudden (0:19:06) Kev: there’s this little racetrack down there. Stuff like that, but anyways, yeah, there’s not much (0:19:12) Kev: going on other than unlocking mirror mode, I guess, on free roam. Although I do like the (0:19:20) Kev: Princess Peach Castle, the window easter egg, that’s fun. (0:19:23) Al: Yeah, yeah, it’s I will agree that I think free roam is a little bit of a disappointment, but yeah, I am still very much having fun. (0:19:35) Al: And I will definitely be playing this with people in person a lot. (0:19:40) Kev: I’m sure. I mean, it’s Mario Kart. It’s built for that. (0:19:41) Al: No, it’s 100% worth. (0:19:44) Al: Yeah, it’s 100% worth it, especially as, you know, it was what, like 30 quid in the bundle, right? (0:19:49) Kev: Yep. (0:19:50) Kev: Exactly. (0:19:50) Al: Like it was very much worth that. (0:19:53) Al: And just, it is, I still stand by it’s the most fun to control the, with the new physics reactions. Like I feel like all the other ones will feel quite stiff going back to them. (0:20:04) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t think (0:20:10) Kev: Yeah, I yeah, I don’t think a lot of people are gonna push back on that it does feel very good to control (0:20:16) Kev: I agree (0:20:19) Kev: Yeah, it’s it’s I mean it’s Mario Kart right like it’s still gonna be good (0:20:22) Kev: It’s a but it is funny though that you know insert the the Simpsons sheep gif when Donkey Kong bonanza comes out (0:20:28) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely. That is going to be like a couple of weeks of just (0:20:34) Kev: Yeah (0:20:37) Al: like that’s the only thing I’m playing. Yeah. And we, has the direct been since we recorded (0:20:39) Kev: It looks so good, I only more (0:20:44) Al: our last episode? I can’t remember. Super fun. I’m so excited for this. I think it’s (0:20:44) Kev: I I can’t remember. We haven’t talked about it either way, but that’s uh (0:20:51) Kev: that’s a (0:20:52) Kev: good looking direct (0:20:53) Al: really, yeah, I think they, that was a great direct because it shows (0:20:58) Al: it kind of confirmed a bunch of the stuff we already knew while also giving us enough (0:21:03) Al: to be like, oh, there’s more. Right. And, and I think it’s really, I think it’s really (0:21:09) Al: good looking. Like I love the different effects that you get in transforming into other animals (0:21:16) Al: and also having Pauline basically be like a parrot on your shoulder. Right. It’s really (0:21:22) Kev: yep it’s it’s so good I i love the online reaction that we the internet gave of like you (0:21:23) Al: fun. (0:21:30) Kev: know the trifecta of uh was it ralph and vanellope uh sully and boo and now we’ve got dk and pauline (0:21:38) Kev: you know big guy and then little girl um it’s it’s fun (0:21:38) Al: Look, it works, right? Like why, why break it? Why try and fix it if it’s not broken, (0:21:47) Kev: Exactly. It’s great. Um, yeah, I’m I’m very pumped. Uh, (0:21:52) Kev: for uh uh the the game or general, I guess. Um, it’s I’m a (0:21:59) Kev: little disappointed that we don’t get the animal buddies (0:22:02) Kev: per se. I mean, I know Rambi’s in there and and it’s kind of (0:22:06) Kev: in there, but you know, it’s it’s the functions been replaced (0:22:09) Kev: by your transformations and the transformations are cool. I (0:22:12) Kev: won’t lie. Um but uh I don’t know. I’m a guy who likes Rambi. (0:22:17) Al: Well, look, I don’t have any real history with the previous DK games other than trying them and not enjoying them. (0:22:23) Al: So I don’t particularly mind. (0:22:27) Al: I’m not a lower muncher. (0:22:30) Kev: Sure, I mean, it’s not even like lore stuff because that’s uh, that’s just uh, you know, I guess mechanics or (0:22:38) Kev: Gameplay traditions, whatever. But if you want to talk about lore, I mean we can get trying to you know (0:22:43) Kev: We can try figure out why on earth (0:22:48) Kev: Does how is Pauline hanging out a DK? How does that timeline work? (0:22:52) Al: Well, I think everything lines up if you just ignore the original DK game. I don’t think (0:22:59) Al: anything else is a problem. I think it’s only that. And I think that this ties in so much (0:23:00) Kev: Yeah. Which… (0:23:05) Al: better to Odyssey, because why would Pauline be the mayor of a city that’s named after (0:23:11) Al: her kidnapper? But she would be the mayor of a city that’s named after her hero. (0:23:12) Kev: Yeah, I like the way you think there that’s a good point, yeah, but and also like this (0:23:28) Kev: is even more so than Odyssey cuz I mean Paulina was in there was you know, she’s first time (0:23:32) Kev: back in forever or whatever but she’s you know, she has a starring role finally, that’s (0:23:40) Al: Yeah, my I also I have another theory that it might be time (0:23:47) Kev: All right, oh well there you are now we’re talking let’s get into that Zelda split timeline (0:23:55) Al: Well, I don’t even think it needs to be a split timeline, right? (0:23:58) Al: Like, if something happens and she gets shot forward and then she goes back in time after this, (0:24:04) Kev: Oh, I like it. I like. (0:24:05) Al: you know, she could still go through the whole thing, because the thing is, right, (0:24:09) Al: Pauline in Donkey Kong, that’s not this Donkey Kong, that’s Cranky Kong. (0:24:14) Kev: that is cranky kong who does exist yeah oh I like that that’s clever yeah there you go all right I like it (0:24:15) Al: So, you know, she’s obviously from the past. (0:24:22) Al: Or, or, here’s another suggestion. (0:24:25) Al: If Donkey Kong, if Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong are both Donkey Kong, then maybe Pauline. (0:24:32) Al: This could be a different Pauline. Maybe this is Pauline’s daughter. (0:24:35) Kev: You know, I mean, that’s well established, right? Bowser Jr. looks just like Bowser when he’s a baby, I guess, so you know. (0:24:45) Al: Pauline Jr. (0:24:46) Kev: Pauline Jr. could be! (0:24:49) Kev: Although, okay, you know what? You know what? I’ll even point the bat at the stands here. (0:24:54) Kev: I bet we get little Pauline here as a character in Mario Kart World War 2. (0:24:58) Al: I hope so. I do hope there is some stuff coming, so I saw someone note that some of the characters (0:25:06) Al: have lots of costumes, and some of them have almost none. In fact, some of them have none. (0:25:11) Al: And the interesting thing is, one of the characters that has almost none is Donkey Kong. He only (0:25:12) Kev: Yeah. (0:25:16) Al: has one costume. Just before a Donkey Kong game comes out, suspicious. So are we interested (0:25:17) Kev: It is very strange considering, you know, he’s… (0:25:21) Kev: Uh-oh, uh-oh! (0:25:28) Al: in a Mario Kart World update coming with some Donkey Kong costumes to encourage you (0:25:34) Kev: I mean (0:25:36) Al: to be interested in the new game? Maybe. Yeah. And we obviously have all the baby characters, (0:25:37) Kev: If if it feels like the most obvious dough in the world, right, um, so yeah (0:25:46) Al: so would we get a young Pauline, as well as the babies that we’ve got of the other characters? (0:25:48) Kev: I like it (0:25:51) Kev: How cute (0:25:51) Al: We don’t have Pauline at all. Oh no, we do have Pauline. But also Pauline only has one (0:25:53) Kev: We do it, Paul (0:25:58) Kev: Like a generic racer costume, so there you go (0:25:58) Al: costume. So, you know, the two of them, both in an upcoming game. You know, I will be very (0:26:05) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah (0:26:09) Al: disappointed if there’s not. But this makes you wonder what else could be related to things, (0:26:11) Kev: I you know that’s I don’t think you’re being unreasonable (0:26:16) Al: right? Birdo only has two costumes, so that’s an interesting one. Could there be a Birdo (0:26:22) Al: thing coming up? Who knows? Lakitu only has two costumes, and there is an update to… (0:26:28) Al: Why can’t I remember the name? Goodness me. Mario Party. Which Lakitu obviously has a (0:26:34) Kev: Which Mario what okay? (0:26:40) Al: big part in Mario Party. Maybe I’m stretching at this point. Who knows? But we’ll see. I’m (0:26:41) Kev: Yeah (0:26:48) Kev: We we will see I think that’s the end that’s all we can kind of say really um (0:26:54) Al: I’m sure we can say much more, but let’s not. (0:26:56) Kev: Well, well, okay, yeah, you know, I will say this like each his legs still make me very uncomfortable. I (0:26:59) Al: Fair, very fair. (0:27:03) Kev: Don’t like it (0:27:05) Kev: Get in the car. Don’t look at those freak. Yeah, no, no, I don’t like it. That’s (0:27:08) Al: Don’t put him on a bike. (0:27:15) Al: He should be in the cloud cart. (0:27:19) Al: That’s the only one he’s allowed to be in. (0:27:20) Kev: Yeah, you really or you know, I don’t care I (0:27:23) Al: No, I’m just saying. (0:27:26) Kev: Look, I don’t care if it’s like (0:27:29) Kev: Horrendous I don’t care if it’s horrendous like animation clipping just (0:27:35) Kev: Just stick the the dang (0:27:36) Al: The cloud around every cart you put them in. (0:27:40) Kev: Yeah, yeah, when he’s the bike it’s just clipping right to the cloud (0:27:45) Kev: Okay, you make it it’s worth it (0:27:50) Al: All right, so that’s my car. (0:27:52) Al: I’ve also I don’t want to talk too much about this, but I do want to mention it. (0:27:58) Al: I’ve opened Lens Island again and started playing that. (0:28:02) Al: So for context, I originally backed on. (0:28:06) Al: Kickstarter and I started playing it when it first came out, but it had no controller (0:28:11) Al: support and basically was horrible to use on the steam deck. (0:28:16) Al: So I have started playing it again, and it is less horrible to play on the steam deck. (0:28:24) Kev: But that’s always the bar we want less horrible (0:28:25) Al: And I think that’s as far as I’m going to go on this comp on it just now. (0:28:33) Al: I will probably go into it a lot more in the next. (0:28:36) Al: episode, probably, but no promises. (0:28:38) Kev: Okay, fine. Okay. (0:28:43) Al: So that is a thing that is currently happening that I am not going to give any opinions on right now. (0:28:52) Al: But finally, we are recording this on Saturday, the 28th of June. (0:28:57) Al: I have just finished the first day of Pokémon Go Fest 2025 Global. (0:29:01) Kev: Oh, is that what’s going on? Okay. (0:29:03) Al: That’s what’s today. (0:29:04) Al: Yeah. So, uh, I had. (0:29:06) Al: Fun. I got a few hours where I was allowed to remove my (0:29:14) Al: responsibilities from children and just go play Pokemon in Edinburgh. (0:29:17) Al: And yeah, I got a good amount of stuff done and I enjoyed that. (0:29:20) Kev: Cool. What is going on? What are they releasing? (0:29:24) Al: This is the Crowned in Shield form Zacian and Zamazenta. (0:29:30) Kev: Wait they weren’t in there already that’s weird, but okay (0:29:32) Al: No, they had the base forms, but not this Crowned in Shield form. (0:29:37) Al: Uh, because they’ve got to release them separately to make the most money, right? (0:29:42) Kev: - Oh, yeah, yeah. (0:29:46) Al: But yeah, so, uh, yeah, I think they did this one a lot better than the previous (0:29:52) Al: other forms, because with Curum and with, uh, oh, what’s the other one? (0:29:59) Kev: Uh, uh, uh, Nick Asma. (0:30:03) Al: Nick Rosma, thank you. (0:30:05) Al: with both of them. (0:30:06) Al: You have a certain amount of energy you need to get to fuse them, but if you separate (0:30:15) Al: them, you have to use the same amount of energy again to fuse them again. (0:30:21) Al: It’s like a thousand-fuse energy, or whatever they call it. (0:30:25) Al: I can’t remember and I don’t care. (0:30:26) Kev: Yeah, that’s correct (0:30:29) Al: Once you fuse them, you use up that thousand, but you get like a hundred per raid that you (0:30:33) Al: do. (0:30:34) Al: raids to get enough defuse once (0:30:35) Kev: Okay (0:30:36) Al: set of them. And then if you’re like, “Oh, I fused the wrong one”, and you unfuse it, (0:30:37) Kev: Yeah, oh (0:30:42) Al: you then have to do another 10 raids to do it. But of course, those raids were only available (0:30:45) Kev: It sounds like a lot (0:30:48) Al: for one weekend. They’ve never been available again, so you can’t get the energy anymore. (0:30:55) Al: It’s dreadful! (0:30:56) Kev: That sounds like a lot. (0:30:58) Al: Well, the good thing is that Zamasenta and Zacian, once you turn it into crown form, (0:31:04) Al: If you revere its form, you can… (0:31:06) Al: you can then do it again without using any energy. (0:31:09) Kev: Sure, okay. Okay, I mean, that’s that’s definitely nice. I just, man, I just got to say I didn’t go that long at all. But hearing how like, because I think Megas were kind of the first one where you had, you know, special mega energy or whatever. Like, it’s, oh, it doesn’t sound great. Just the oddest. (0:31:33) Al: The the Megas actually I think is a lot better than it was when it first launched. (0:31:38) Al: So like you you can get one free mega for each of your mega Pokemon once a week. (0:31:45) Al: So once you’ve done the initial one, every week, you can do it once for free. (0:31:49) Al: You only have to pay more energy after the first one (0:31:53) Al: if you want to do it faster than that. (0:31:55) Al: And as you get up the power, like once you can level up the mega and once you get (0:32:00) Al: Mega level 3. It matters. (0:32:04) Al: How much it costs so like every if you were to do it every single day, you wouldn’t be using a huge amount of energy so it’s it’s not it’s it’s much better than it was initially launched and I get why you know it is a bit frustrating that you still have to use it energy at all but it’s a lot less annoying you also get energy if you walk with them as a buddy and stuff like that so you know it’s it’s fine it’s fine it’s these fusing ones that are the most annoying because it’s like. (0:32:33) Al: I know have my necrosimas and my cutums fused and I can never unfuse them because I would never be able to fuse them again right like it’s just that’s it if you chose the wrong one tough and it’s really annoying because one of them I did choose the wrong one and but there’s nothing I can do about that I’m stuffed and that’s just what I have to live with. (0:32:40) Kev: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. (0:32:46) Kev: Oh, no! (0:32:50) Kev: Ugh. (0:32:52) Kev: Oh, that’s rough. That’s rough, buddy. (0:32:53) Al: Still. Yeah, that is life but yeah so there’s actions Amazon to was done much better and I got shiny. (0:33:03) Al: And I got my energy and I’ve I’ve powered them up so nice powerful Pokemon looking looking great my shiny shield was it shield form kind of what it’s called and they have new adventure effects so. (0:33:04) Kev: Yeah! (0:33:10) Kev: Yeah, that’s the game! (0:33:18) Kev: That’s cool, that’s good. (0:33:19) Al: There we go. (0:33:22) Al: And they can also be used because they’re when they’re in that form they can be used at power spots, which normally only dynamics Pokemon can be used a pair of spots, but of course you can’t you can’t. (0:33:33) Al: And they can also be used in Dynamax session and Amazon to but when they’re in that form you can use them a pair of spots so that’s fun. (0:33:44) Al: So yeah, I probably do a little bit tomorrow as well because it was Amazon to things action tomorrow, but which is a bit annoying, but if you got the ticket for go fest you do get enough energy to do one of one of the dogs, so I do have enough to do as action, but I probably want to get enough to do another one. (0:34:02) Kev: Sure. Well, I am glad that you’re enjoying it. (0:34:03) Al: Continuing to enjoy Pokemon go despite everything. (0:34:07) Kev: I don’t… (0:34:11) Kev: This, well, that’s kind of, uh, I mean, that’s just a blanket save these days. (0:34:20) Al: They keep trying to ruin the game, but I still somehow enjoy it. (0:34:24) Al: All right, let’s talk about some game use a woo. (0:34:31) Kev: Oh, wait, wait, back up. (0:34:32) Kev: I’m sorry, I just– (0:34:33) Kev: I don’t know why you just clicked something in my mind. (0:34:34) Kev: I forgot. (0:34:35) Kev: I want to follow up my Magic the Gathering thing. (0:34:39) Kev: So as I look, you know, I was dipping my toe in the MTG pool. (0:34:44) Kev: Guess what’s the next secret layer? (0:34:45) Al: I don’t know. (0:34:46) Kev: You know me. (0:34:48) Al: Ah, ah, ah, pressure, um, unicorn over the light! (0:34:53) Kev: Haha, oh, oh, that’d be so (0:34:54) Al: No, ah, no, um, let’s see, so Kevin, something Kevin would like. (0:34:59) Al: Well, it’s not going to be like anything Nintendo. (0:35:02) Kev: No, no it’s just very funny hearing that. (0:35:04) Al: Wait, is it? (0:35:06) Al: No. (0:35:08) Kev: I didn’t intend, I didn’t intend, life log Nintendo Pass. (0:35:09) Al: Well. (0:35:12) Kev: You don’t like Nintendo things, um, but it won’t, uh, MTG, I gotta say, it wouldn’t be (0:35:15) Al: I mean, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that’s the opposite of what I thought, Kevin. (0:35:19) Kev: in there. (0:35:20) Kev: Yeah, okay. (0:35:21) Kev: Yeah, okay, yes, yeah, I know what you’re saying, but the way it came in my ears, it’s (0:35:21) Al: What I thought was, oh yeah, it could be, you know, you like Nintendo stuff. (0:35:25) Al: And I was like, oh no, but they’re not going to do something with Nintendo. (0:35:27) Al: That was my point. (0:35:30) Kev: It’s not too funny. (0:35:31) Al: Trying to accuse me. (0:35:32) Al: Accuse me of not thinking you like Nintendo stuff. (0:35:34) Al: Ah, no, I’ve not got anything. (0:35:39) Al: Nothing’s coming. (0:35:40) Kev: Ow! The lowest hanging fruit! Gotta go fast! (0:35:44) Al: Oh, Sonic. (0:35:45) Al: What? They’re doing Sonic, Magic the Gathering? (0:35:47) Kev: They’re doing- okay. (0:35:49) Kev: Yeah! Dude, they already did SpongeBob! Who cares? (0:35:53) Al: What? This is what one out all these cards look so good. (0:35:54) Kev: Oh, you missed that! SpongeBob’s in magic! Oh, yeah! (0:36:02) Kev: Don’t they? (0:36:03) Al: Oh, no. Oh, no. (0:36:04) Kev: They look- that’s- that’s the exact reaction. (0:36:10) Al: I don’t want this. Well, no, I do want this. (0:36:14) Kev: And you- and- oh, my- like, Shadow- (0:36:15) Al: I managed to not even look at the Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings ones somehow. (0:36:18) Kev: Oh- oh, yeah. (0:36:20) Kev: Shadow looks busted. It’s insane. (0:36:24) Kev: They’re no big the cats, so point against them for that. No cream, either. (0:36:28) Kev: But overall, it’s- it’s in their- (0:36:31) Kev: Ugh, Sonic’s ability, ‘cause you know, when they have an ability, they have a little, like, name for it. (0:36:36) Kev: It- it’s literally “Gotta go fast.” (0:36:38) Kev: You know “Gotta go fast” isn’t even from the games. (0:36:40) Kev: It’s just from the, uh, the- the dub intro of an anime. [Laughter] (0:36:45) Al: Yeah, I’m not particularly surprised. (0:36:48) Kev: Oh, yeah, Sonic’s going to magic. (0:36:50) Kev: It’s- ugh. I don’t like it. I’m- I’m- I’m- oh, dear. I’m cooked, as the children would say. (0:36:58) Kev: You know, Unicorn Overlord, it- wild as it- it’s not in Magic the Gathering, but in- they have one of those- (0:37:04) Kev: What is it? I think it’s, like, the Overlord edition. You know, one of the big fancy collector’s editions. (0:37:08) Kev: There’s actually a whole (0:37:10) Kev: building card game inside that it’s wild (0:37:16) Kev: Yeah, card games are my vice. They’re my legal addiction. Sonic’s coming to magic (0:37:16) Al: And will this be coming and will this be coming to arenas? (0:37:28) Kev: uh good question I don’t know arena is very weird because arena has (0:37:39) Kev: arena is kind of its own environment it has exclusive arena cards it has its own formats (0:37:45) Kev: and i’ll tell you the the bad ones we’re getting a spider-man set in a few months (0:37:51) Kev: that the spider-man set cards are coming to arena but not with spider-man full (0:37:58) Kev: they’re going to replace them with whatever generic magic card characters or whatever (0:38:02) Al: What? What does that even mean then? (0:38:05) Kev: it means they didn’t get the license to use it digitally (0:38:07) Al: What would be the point in adding the cards then, if they’re not the cards? (0:38:11) Al: So they’re gonna have like the same effects, but not use any names for Spider-Man. (0:38:14) Kev: yeah yeah you you get yeah you get pied or arachnid avatar I don’t know (0:38:18) Al: That’s so stupid. (0:38:20) Al: Just don’t do it. (0:38:28) Kev: uh good old magic together I i joined just this year what a good time to get into this game (0:38:36) Al: Update, I have downloaded Magi the Gathering Eraser. (0:38:39) Kev: yeah oh we gotta play some games um all right let’s go to non sonic base oh or is there (0:38:44) Al: Yes, yeah, news, game news. No, no, no, no, there’s obviously not. Research story have (0:38:47) Kev: is there sonic base news maybe not yet one day it’s inevitable (0:38:56) Al: announced that their 1.0 is coming the 21st of July, so it has been a long time coming. (0:39:00) Kev: Okay (0:39:02) Al: Let’s see, when did this first come into Early Access? February 2023 was when this launched (0:39:04) Kev: Yes, oh wait research, so I don’t know I heard something else okay that that is exciting (0:39:11) Al: in early access. (0:39:12) Kev: Research work takes forever to ask Cody. That’s why the 1.0. It’s it’s forever (0:39:14) Al: So, maybe we need to get our second harvest on this after the 1.0 is out. (0:39:18) Kev: It’s the equivalent of getting their PhD congratulations research story (0:39:23) Kev: I’m sure Cody isn’t triggered by this at all (0:39:31) Kev: Okay, so wait we got let’s see what is the date on the oh July 21st there (0:39:38) Kev: It is but it’s available on the on a beta branch. That’s weird. What do you mean? (0:39:43) Kev: 1.0 will be available in beta before one point (0:39:45) Al: No, no, that’s so. So that’s before launch, you’ll be able to play the beta. (0:39:48) Kev: Yeah, I know that that’s very weird to me like (0:39:52) Al: Well, OK, I see what you mean. I see what you mean. I see what you mean. So (0:39:57) Al: it’s not actually that uncommon in software development where you go, this is our beta for (0:40:05) Al: 1.0 or 1.1 or whatever. That is not that uncommon, actually. I think it’s less common in games, (0:40:07) Kev: Sure. Yeah. Sure. And I mean, like, you know, public betas and test servers, (0:40:12) Al: But it’s definitely something that you see quite a lot. (0:40:18) Kev: like they’re common and I’m not saying it’s unheard of, but I don’t know. (0:40:21) Kev: It just feels weird, especially in game dev, like the 1.0 is the big fitting, right? (0:40:25) Kev: So, uh, I don’t know, but whatever, um, but hey. (0:40:28) Al: You still have to pop the game you can’t just play it’s not just anybody can play it like it’s public (0:40:33) Kev: Yeah. (0:40:34) Al: But public for people who have paid for the game, right? (0:40:37) Kev: That’s true. Good point. (0:40:40) Kev: All right. But hey, it’s here. (0:40:42) Al: Tiny garden the content the (0:40:45) Al: Featured game of last week’s episode have released a statement regarding the Nintendo switch version (0:40:52) Kev: I didn’t think I’d ever hear a statement from Tiny Garden. (0:40:56) Al: This is this is great. I’m just (0:40:58) Al: going to read some of the statement because I don’t think I can really (0:41:01) Al: summarize it better than they have done. “We wanted to clarify some questions (0:41:06) Al: that have arisen regarding the Nintendo Switch version of Tiny Garden. We have (0:41:09) Al: been vague and perhaps not communicated with you as well as we could have, for (0:41:14) Al: which we apologize. We did not want to cause you unnecessary concern or bore (0:41:18) Al: you with technical details. The truth is that the Switch version of Tiny Garden (0:41:23) Al: will be ported by an external company. As we are such a small team it was very (0:41:28) Al: hard for us to do everything in-house. The problem here is we’ve not yet found a (0:41:32) Al: company that can port the game with the polish and quality that we feel (0:41:35) Al: comfortable with. Both our publishers Super Rare Games and us want to deliver (0:41:40) Al: the best possible version of Tiny Garden on Switch. However, we did not (0:41:43) Al: anticipate that this porting would be so complicated.” Hey, I could have told you. (0:41:48) Al: We’ve seen this before. (0:41:50) Kev: What are you talking about? (0:41:52) Kev: It’s katrossi katronfi, it’s fuckies! (0:41:56) Al: And then they go into details about complaining. (0:41:58) Al: About their game engine and that’s the reason. (0:42:02) Al: Sure, fine. (0:42:05) Al: It’s funny because it’s like, oh no, we didn’t know it would be complicated to bring it to a (0:42:10) Al: console. Like what did you expect? Like these things are always complicated. (0:42:14) Kev: Well, yeah, I mean anything game dev is complicated pretty much anything dev software dev is always complicated (0:42:19) Al: Yeah, exactly. (0:42:21) Kev: Well, look here. Here’s your free advice tiny garden people call biting studio (0:42:27) Kev: Those are the guys who make cassette beasts that except beasts is on Godot. They brought it to switch (0:42:32) Kev: It’s awesome on switch. There you go (0:42:33) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s the thing. I suspect if you do it in Unity or Unreal, I suspect (0:42:42) Al: it is slightly easier because they are obviously like larger companies use them and so therefore (0:42:51) Kev: They’re established. (0:42:53) Al: need the console support to be as good as it can be, right? Because otherwise there (0:43:00) Al: There would be big problems because Godot is. (0:43:04) Al: open source and therefore more likely to be used by smaller teams, and they are less likely to be focusing on consoles at all more likely to be focusing on just PC because that is the easiest for. (0:43:18) Kev: Uh-huh (0:43:18) Al: I mean, it’s just the easiest to develop for full stop right because there’s no gatekeeper right like that has has been the case for a long, long time. (0:43:20) Kev: Yeah, I mean yes, yes, that’s correct (0:43:26) Kev: And probably will always be the case because just the nature of the beast so yeah (0:43:28) Al: Exactly. (0:43:29) Al: Exactly. (0:43:30) Al: Exactly. (0:43:31) Al: So there’s, they’re probably simplifying. (0:43:33) Al: Things in what they’re saying, you know, these things happen. (0:43:40) Al: I would like to clarify again, please, if you’re backing a game on Kickstarter, if you (0:43:47) Al: want it for console, don’t back it on Kickstarter, right? (0:43:50) Al: Like just, just like it’s the console is always like, it is when the Kickstarter happens normally, (0:43:59) Al: the way that it is happened is there is a working version of the game. (0:44:03) Al: It may not be final. (0:44:04) Al: It may not have all the content, but they have a game and it can run on PC. (0:44:08) Al: There will be nothing running on console at that point. (0:44:11) Al: And it’s very likely, unless they are a team that have ported to console before, it’s very (0:44:16) Al: likely that they have no idea what they’re doing with consoles at all, right? (0:44:20) Kev: Yep. (0:44:21) Al: And this, this isn’t meant to be harsh on them. (0:44:24) Al: This is just a fact that if you have, if you’re not a console developer, you do not know how (0:44:29) Al: complicated it is. (0:44:30) Al: I am not a games developer, right? (0:44:33) Al: I’m a web developer. (0:44:34) Al: And even in web development, there are things that if you don’t know how it works, it is (0:44:38) Al: so much more complicated than you realize. (0:44:42) Al: And there are just certain things that are more awkward. (0:44:45) Al: And if you haven’t started development on it, you don’t know how complicated it is. (0:44:49) Al: And it is likely not going to be done until the game is finished. (0:44:52) Al: That’s the other thing, right? (0:44:55) Al: Even Stardew Valley still doesn’t get updates out day and date on console, right? (0:45:00) Kev: Yeah. (0:45:01) Al: and stardew valley (0:45:03) Al: is one of the biggest indie games, full stop. (0:45:06) Kev: Yeah. (0:45:07) Al: It’s not like he’s only on his own anyway. He has a team that he works with, he worked with (0:45:12) Kev: Nice. (0:45:12) Al: porting companies before, he has done many different things, and even he can’t do it. (0:45:20) Al: It takes so much work, even big companies struggle with that. (0:45:26) Al: It is rare for a game to come out at the same time on PC and console unless you are one of (0:45:31) Al: of the biggest games and they will. (0:45:34) Al: Completely different teams working on the PC version, working on the switch version, working on the PlayStation version Xbox is different because they’re like the Microsoft of well, pretty much Microsoft have done so much work and I, you know, I’m the first to jump on Microsoft a bad bandwagon, but Microsoft have done so much work to make putting games to Xbox so incredibly easy it’s not. It’s still not just as simple as click a button. It does. (0:45:36) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:45:41) Kev: Yeah (0:45:44) Kev: They are a PC (0:46:03) Al: It does it, but it is so much easier than any other console. If you have an existing PC game, especially if you’re using the tools that Microsoft give to make the game on PC. (0:46:07) Kev: Sure. Yeah. Well, I mean, guess. Hi. Hey, I’m still holding out for mighty number nine (0:46:15) Al: All that being said, all that being said, never back a Kickstarter for a switch game. Just don’t do it, right? (0:46:25) Kev: on the 3DS. Uh, but. (0:46:31) Al: I have, I have, when I, when I bought my steam. (0:46:33) Al: Dick, it was so good because it meant that I could go through and like change (0:46:37) Al: all of my kickstarters to use to steam codes instead of switch get codes. (0:46:41) Kev: Mmm, yeah, at least (0:46:41) Al: And you get the game a year before, right? (0:46:44) Al: It’s just every, every, every single one is there’s none of them. (0:46:49) Al: Not a single game that I have backed on Kickstarter has released (0:46:53) Al: on switch at the same time as steam. (0:46:54) Kev: year you’re not wrong not at all ah well you know what though in this (0:47:03) Kev: particular case there’s an easy way to fix this you know what you don’t even (0:47:07) Kev: have to release on the switch tiny garden just so you know what we’re (0:47:11) Kev: canceling it we’re investing everything into the playdate port and we’re all in (0:47:12) Al: Honestly, a Playdate port would probably be quicker, because it would have to lose features, (0:47:17) Kev: we’re good all is forgiven (0:47:24) Al: right? It’s not going to be the same, the graphics are simpler, like honestly, if they started now (0:47:31) Al: from scratch, they could probably get a Playdate version out before they could port their version (0:47:34) Kev: Well, well there you go, Tiny Guard. The path is there. (0:47:34) Al: to Switch. I’m not joking. They would of course get a fraction of the sales, right? There are (0:47:42) Al: Playdates. Yes, it does. I love the Playdate, it’s so good. I just wish I played it more. (0:47:44) Kev: the dozens look I mean I might join the dozens I’ll say that (0:48:00) Kev: Yeah (0:48:05) Al: As far as I can see, the only number I’ve seen on Playdate sales was in May of last year, (0:48:10) Al: They said 70,000 have been sold (0:48:12) Al: But that was one year into it, and we’re now a year later, so who knows

Al and Kevin talk about Tiny Garden Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:25: Anti Relationship Drama Rant 00:05:34: Actual Intro 00:06:56: What Has Kevin Been Up To 00:16:46: Anti Capitalist Rant 00:30:31: What Has Al Been Up To 00:42:44: Game News 01:03:41: Tiny Garden 01:18:27: Outro Links Len’s Island 1.0 Update Sun Haven 2.5 Update Moonstone Island “Evolutions” Update Disney Dreamlight Valley “Mysteries of Skull Rock” Update Snacko 1.0.1 Update Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time “Roguelike” Update Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home coming to Steam/Consoles Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. (0:00:34) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:35) Kev: My name is Kevin last I’ve been told (0:00:37) Al: And we’re here, and we’re here today to talk about Cottagecore Games. (0:00:42) Kev: Cottage core games whoo (0:00:45) Al: Oh, (0:00:48) Al: oh, we are here. (0:00:51) Al: We’re going to talk about when we are here, I’m alive. (0:00:54) Kev: No (0:00:54) Al: So if I sound tired, this episode is because I’ve had a very busy Saturday. (0:00:58) Al: We were meant to record on Sunday, (0:01:00) Al: to schedule a meeting with me on a Sunday instead. (0:01:04) Al: So I’m doing that. It’s not a work thing. (0:01:06) Al: Don’t worry, I’m not doing work at the weekend. (0:01:08) Al: But it wasn’t really a meeting I could get out of. (0:01:11) Al: So we rescheduled to Saturday, the day that I have all of the family stuff. (0:01:15) Al: So much stuff, way too much stuff. (0:01:15) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:01:17) Al: So I am here and I’m alive. (0:01:18) Kev: Now he’s getting his performance review from his family tomorrow, that’s the me (0:01:26) Al: I saw I saw a TikTok of a couple who do like weekly. (0:01:30) Al: Weekly Relationship Review and people like people got so annoyed about it and I’m like, I don’t understand why you’re annoyed about this. (0:01:38) Al: It’s not they’re not like judging each other and giving each other a right, a raise. (0:01:44) Al: They’re they’re discussing the things that they’re they’ve done and they’re discussing what they’ve got coming up this week and they’re seeing if there’s anything they need to plan and talk about. (0:01:44) Kev: - Yeah. (0:01:52) Al: This is a very good thing to do. (0:01:54) Al: And I think a lot I think the world will be a lot a better place if a lot more people who were in relationships did. (0:02:00) Al: This but I know most people who are in relationships don’t even want to be in those relationships. (0:02:02) Kev: - Yeah. (0:02:05) Al: Miserable people, measurable people who just want to mock somebody and I think the world would be a better place without those relationships. (0:02:15) Al: So but but hey, I actually love my wife. (0:02:16) Kev: Ohhh, goodness. (0:02:18) Al: So sue me. (0:02:22) Kev: I’ll come out guns blazing this episode, um… (0:02:25) Al: I just I get so annoyed with the boomer joke of like all my ball and chain. (0:02:30) Al: My wife is like, OK, like leave them then. (0:02:32) Kev: Yeah, it (0:02:37) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:02:37) Al: I just I show and why are you staying there? (0:02:40) Al: I mean, this is why your kids are terrible people, because you they don’t know what a family looks like, because you’re just going to hate your your partner and resent them for it and then take it out on your children. (0:02:53) Kev: Yeah, it’s it’s fascinating. Well, I mean obviously one the you know that attitude mentality has somewhat shifted to a degree (0:03:04) Kev: but it’s fascinating just (0:03:06) Kev: To you know, there’s been studies done and whatever I’ve read some stuff like because you know back in the day (0:03:12) Kev: You your dating pool was limited to pretty much whoever was in the neighborhood, right? (0:03:14) Al: Hmm. Yeah, yeah. Least objection will prepare us on my street. (0:03:19) Kev: Right (0:03:21) Kev: Yep, right, so you know (0:03:23) Kev: That kind of environment leads to the ball and chain mentality, right? (0:03:29) Kev: But you know current day and age with the online and the you know, generally easier ish travel (0:03:39) Kev: Obviously that’s no longer the case (0:03:42) Al: Also, you can be single, right? Like, I’m not saying it’s easy, right? Like, as someone who has (0:03:45) Kev: You can’t sure (0:03:48) Kev: Yeah (0:03:49) Al: basically never been single, right? Like, I got married when I was 22, like, I, you know, (0:03:51) Kev: Uh-huh (0:03:56) Al: been with, well, first got together with my wife when I was 16, right? So, like, I am not a single (0:04:02) Al: person. I have very rarely been a single person, but you can do that. That’s the thing you can do. (0:04:08) Kev: You, you can. Yeah. (0:04:09) Al: Like, if you hate someone, you don’t have to- (0:04:11) Kev: You can. (0:04:12) Al: you don’t have to spend your time with them! You can just not, and you can have friends instead. (0:04:14) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. (0:04:16) Al: And I suspect, if there were more people who didn’t stay in loveless marriages, (0:04:21) Al: then maybe being single would be less terrible as well, because there would be more single people. (0:04:24) Kev: Yeah, yeah, well again, you know the culture back then very different right like marriage was (0:04:25) Al: Crazy idea. (0:04:32) Al: Yeah, but it’s not a solved problem. There are still a lot of miserable people, (0:04:35) Kev: It is not you’re right you’re (0:04:36) Al: and there’s a lot of people who think that marriage is just one of the things you have to do. (0:04:40) Kev: Yeah, you know you’re right that pressure is absolutely still there um yeah (0:04:46) Al: Quite often external to the person who’s being pressured into it, I suspect. (0:04:49) Kev: Absolutely absolutely (0:04:55) Al: Friendships are important, and we need to have friendships and not assume that the only (0:04:59) Al: relationship that matters is a romantic one. There we go, I’m done. (0:05:02) Al: One name. (0:05:02) Kev: Okay, well, you know, yes, these are true. You’re saying things that are true and not particularly objectionable, but you know, you’re, you’re arguing against the hundreds of years of weird cultural nonsense so yeah, yeah, so. (0:05:17) Al: Well, there is that. (0:05:20) Al: Listeners, listeners object to it. (0:05:22) Al: I want to see your arguments for why everyone should get married. (0:05:26) Al: I will vehemently disagree with them because they’re stupid, (0:05:27) Al: and you probably don’t believe them. (0:05:29) Al: But give me them anyway. (0:05:30) Al: It’ll be fun to have an argument. (0:05:32) Kev: That’s what we do on this show. We argue against. (0:05:35) Al: We’re going to talk about Tiny Garden this episode. (0:05:37) Al: So this is the… (0:05:37) Kev: I thought we were here to delve into culturally in a relationship mechanics. (0:05:43) Al: It’s a relationship episode. (0:05:45) Al: Kevin, tell me about like. (0:05:47) Al: Tell me about your relationships, and no don’t I don’t I don’t think I don’t think the pod needs to hear them (0:05:49) Kev: Oh, yeah, I mean, that’s it. Well, romantic ones, that’s easy. They don’t exist. Otherwise, well, that’s, that’s, yeah, okay. (0:06:03) Kev: Okay, moving on, um. (0:06:04) Al: I don’t think I don’t think the podcast needs to hear your therapy. (0:06:08) Kev: Yeah, no, that that is little of my therapist is for him. Okay, I love my family but good heavens I can’t live with them can’t live without them sort of deal. (0:06:19) Kev: Yeah. (0:06:19) Al: Can’t live with them, have to live with them. (0:06:21) Kev: Yeah. (0:06:22) Al: We are going to talk about Tiny Garden. (0:06:24) Al: It is the Polly Pocket farming game. (0:06:26) Kev: Yep. (0:06:28) Al: Kevin has not played it, he thought about playing it and never did. (0:06:31) Al: I have played it a little bit. (0:06:34) Al: And so it’s going to be a reasonably… (0:06:36) Al: Kevin watched some videos. (0:06:37) Al: You watched some videos, right? (0:06:38) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I mean it’s not like it’s a particularly in-depth game, right like yeah, so even (0:06:43) Al: No, no, let’s start. (0:06:44) Al: Well, let’s save that. (0:06:45) Al: Save that for the, save that for the, save it for the pod. (0:06:46) Kev: Okay. All right. Well, okay (0:06:48) Al: We’re already in the pod. (0:06:49) Al: Save it for the appropriate section, Kevin. (0:06:52) Al: Before that, we have a bunch of news. (0:06:54) Al: This has been a reasonably busy Newsweek. (0:06:56) Al: But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:06:59) Kev: Okay, not a lot of work as I tend to do because I’m I don’t know work (0:07:07) Kev: but (0:07:08) Kev: aside from that, let’s see here um okay you know i’m gonna take a brief second to (0:07:14) Kev: talk about zone the zone zero my segment for nobody but me um so the 2.0 update came out (0:07:16) Al: Go for it. (0:07:20) Kev: I didn’t have internet when it did but I have internet again i’ve caught up i’ve done the 2.0 (0:07:25) Kev: stuff and you know it’s added a lot of stuff that anyone who plays the game might be interested but (0:07:31) Kev: for people who don’t it did i’d be talking nonsense the the big thing I think is interesting (0:07:36) Kev: is kind of the tonal shift. (0:07:38) Kev: So Zenless Zone Zero, the 1.0, the chapter 1, whatever, the first year of the game, (0:07:46) Kev: it was the aesthetic, the tone of it was very, it’s going to sound very like 2000, like (0:07:55) Kev: OTS, you know, that decade specifically. (0:07:59) Kev: People have flip phones and they’re still like CRTs and stuff like that. (0:08:04) Kev: And it’s very sci-fi heavy. (0:08:08) Kev: The main characters are hackers. (0:08:11) Kev: And there’s these like monsters that spawn out of fake matter called the ether or whatever. (0:08:19) Kev: Anyways, the point is it’s very sci-fi heavy. (0:08:21) Kev: That’s the tone and not like super futurama or Jetsons futuristic sci-fi, just like current, (0:08:30) Kev: you know, more current day looking tech. (0:08:34) Kev: But that’s the tone. (0:08:35) Kev: I’m just comparing it to like Genshin is much more fantasy based. (0:08:38) Kev: I’m just painting the picture because they shifted the tone in 2.0, the protagonists join a temple of monks like you know like, sort of a, gosh I wish I had the proper names, (0:09:05) Kev: But you know the stereotypical like (0:09:08) Kev: Temple out in the mountains where monks are trading wonder martial arts and mysticism and that sort of thing (0:09:15) Kev: And so that’s that’s kind of the direction they’re going with (0:09:20) Kev: There’s a new like city area that you’re spending your time in. It’s very much based off (0:09:26) Kev: that kind of (0:09:28) Kev: Not so rural Japan China, but like out in the mountains sort of area (0:09:34) Kev: So it’s a very different feeling from the (0:09:38) Kev: Bay City, which is very like (0:09:42) Kev: Metropolitan lots of big buildings and skyscrapers and whatever that that one feels more like I don’t know Beijing (0:09:49) Kev: I guess you know very modern type China and this one is a more this new area. This new tone is much more traditional (0:09:57) Kev: Chinese (0:09:59) Kev: And you know, it’s it’s it’s fun. I’ll nothing’s nearly wrong (0:10:03) Kev: It’s just I don’t feel so different because the whole first year of the game (0:10:07) Kev: your your tacker person. (0:10:08) Kev: and you you you do hacker things and now you’re training to be a mystic very very odd to me at least but but but anyways regardless the game is still fun I’m still playing it yada yada so that’s that let’s see what else Pokemon unite all Kremie came out all Kremie is great it’s a supporter it does all the things you’d want it to do it it decorates and heals your team it’s unite it creates (0:10:28) Al: - Ah, nice. (0:10:30) Al: - Ow, creamy. (0:10:38) Kev: it’s a giant cake and stands on top of it and it just spreads globs of healing whipped cream to all your teammates I like all Kremie it’s very fun I mean I like all Kremie the Pokemon period and it’s great and unite so yay all Kremie um let’s see other than that uh oh you know I’m gonna take a second here to talk about card games okay so (0:11:08) Kev: you probably don’t keep up with magic the gathering years have you heard anything about magic the gathering recently mm-hmm okay okay okay yeah yeah yeah (0:11:12) Al: I used to play a lot of magic when I worked in an office because there was a magic (0:11:19) Al: league there, but I’ve not kept up basically since 2019. I’m aware that there’s been a lot of (0:11:28) Al: crossover sets recently. There was a Doctor Who one, I believe, A Lord of the Rings one, (0:11:32) Al: a Final Fantasy one, so I’m aware that they’re doing a lot of crossovers just now and there are (0:11:38) Al: many opinions about that shall we see. (0:11:38) Kev: y’all (0:11:40) Kev: there are many opinions. So the Final Fantasy one came out a week ago, I think, the Final (0:11:42) Al: Right, yeah. (0:11:46) Kev: Fantasy crossover set. And this one is a particularly contentious set for two reasons. One, it is (0:11:55) Kev: what they call a standard set, meaning that it is in the card pool. In previous crossovers (0:12:03) Kev: sets, they would kind of, you know, they wouldn’t be standard legal or tournament legal or whatever, (0:12:08) Kev: You know, they’d be kind of more for funs easy. (0:12:08) Al: Oh, interesting. Okay. (0:12:10) Kev: Or, you know, just for between friends or whatever, right? (0:12:12) Kev: This one is in, in your face, like in the card pool. (0:12:17) Kev: And a lot of people aren’t happy about it because there’s the (0:12:19) Kev: crossovers have been so prevalent lately. (0:12:22) Kev: Um, but you know, that that’s, that’s one discussion. (0:12:26) Kev: The other issue that isn’t less of opinions and more just like out cry (0:12:32) Kev: outrage, um, is the insane pricing. (0:12:37) Kev: uh… because magic the gathering has gone through the roof (0:12:40) Kev: in terms of cost (0:12:41) Kev: uh… (0:12:43) Kev: so okay you know here out for comparison (0:12:46) Kev: uh… any other game pokemon yugioh (0:12:49) Kev: work on a whatever (0:12:51) Kev: a pre-constructed deck they go out to the store and buy off the shelf (0:12:55) Kev: can be let’s say fifteen dollars on average us_d (0:12:57) Al: Mm-hmm, yep, yep. (0:12:58) Kev: okay (0:12:59) Kev: uh… it is what it is just maybe (0:13:00) Al: Science, science fair, science fair. (0:13:02) Kev: yeah right it’s it’s it’s fine (0:13:04) Kev: you know dig to get you started to a product that you can actually start (0:13:08) Kev: start playing the game, right? (0:13:10) Kev: In Magic the Gathering, so they come out with commander decks, you know, there’s different formats and command is the popular one (0:13:18) Kev: That’s that’s their primary like pre-constructed deck thing that comes out (0:13:25) Kev: Right now they came out or it was just last year they had updated the MSRP to be about you believe (0:13:32) Kev: $45 (0:13:34) Al: Oh, for a… because a commander’s 40 cards, is that right? Oh, a hundred, right? Okay, sorry. (0:13:35) Kev: USD (0:13:40) Kev: To be fair it is it is a bigger deck right, but it’s in my opinions (0:13:42) Al: My bad. A hundred cards for for $45, that’s wild. (0:13:46) Kev: You know (0:13:47) Kev: It’s pricey. It’s it’s very pricey, right? (0:13:51) Kev: I’m just you know, I think that illustrates the scale of like how much magic costs now, right? Okay (0:13:57) Kev: Final fantasy set because they know final fantasy is popular people (0:14:02) Kev: They know a Hasbro Hasbro is the the current owner of the magic franchise and makes these pricing decisions (0:14:10) Kev: They know people are gonna be excited. They marked up the MSRP for the Final Fantasy set (0:14:19) Kev: The a (0:14:21) Kev: Commander pre-con for Final Fantasy is I believe 70 USD MSRP (0:14:28) Kev: I’d say that because a lot of (0:14:30) Kev: You know, it’s a lot of local card games and shops that will run carry these products (0:14:36) Kev: they will mark up their products anyways even if there is an MSR (0:14:40) Kev: so you know these things are going through the roof like over $100 and (0:14:45) Kev: whatnot and so it’s insanity and that’s not even the premium they came out with (0:14:51) Kev: these premium versions of these decks where like the everything’s foil or (0:14:54) Kev: whatever those are 125 MSRP I think something ridiculous so so obviously you (0:15:04) Al: Hmm. Yeah. (0:15:08) Kev: You know, they are just… (0:15:10) Kev: They are just robbing the customers blind, and obviously people aren’t happy, but they are still selling like hotcakes because I don’t know, that’s the magic of players I guess. (0:15:20) Kev: As I’ve been on record, I have dabbled in magic, but I’m not very keen on those prices, so I don’t pick up a lot. (0:15:28) Kev: But, I do like Final Fantasy, and here’s the kicker, right, if the cards suck, that’d be easier just to not play, but a lot of the cards are good looking, or they look fun to play or whatever. (0:15:40) Kev: So, the temptation is there. (0:15:42) Kev: So, what I did is instead of buying any Final Fantasy stuff for magic, I went back to the actual Final Fantasy trading card game, which I need to remind people actually exists. (0:15:54) Kev: It’s still going, it’s still coming out with stuff. (0:15:56) Kev: So yeah, I did a game night with some friends, and we played out of not wanting to spend money, we dusted off some Final Fantasy decks, and that’s it. (0:16:10) Kev: That was fun. And man, the Final Fantasy TCG, it’s pretty good. (0:16:14) Kev: I like the rhythm of the game, it’s not insane or busted right now. (0:16:18) Kev: And the cards, it’s a very weird thing, but the card stock, they’re very thick and durable, it’s not a flimsy paper cardboard thing. (0:16:26) Kev: It’s very nice, it feels almost plastic-y. (0:16:30) Kev: But anyways, yeah, I picked up and played some Final Fantasy TCG, that’s fun stuff, just because magic’s insane. (0:16:40) Kev: I’m not gonna do that again right now. (0:16:42) Kev: But that that’s that’s all I’ve been going on not not too terribly much. What about you l what you’ve been up to? (0:16:46) Al: Well I want to go on an anti-capitalist rant first. So your comments about them, you know, (0:16:49) Kev: I mean as we do (0:16:56) Al: marking up the stuff, it reminds me of a thing I’ve been annoyed about recently, where people (0:17:04) Al: will go “oh everything’s expensive” and then other people go “oh that’s just supply and demand” (0:17:09) Al: as if supply and demand is like some inherent law of physics that means that (0:17:16) Al: the price is out of our hands. The demand is high therefore the price must be high. (0:17:23) Al: Yeah that’s not how that works. It’s not like the price is determined by, you know, (0:17:29) Al: what a seller wants to sell for it and what a buyer wants to buy for it and meeting somewhere (0:17:32) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:17:34) Kev: Right. (0:17:36) Al: where, you know, if they try and put it too high then people won’t buy it blah blah blah etc etc. (0:17:40) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:17:41) Al: And supply and demand just says that as demand, as supply increases… (0:17:47) Al: and demand decreases, no, is that what I said? There’s a point in the middle where they meet (0:17:53) Al: and you’ve got like a ideal price, if you will, based on the amount of supply and the amount of (0:17:53) Kev: Yes (0:17:57) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:17:59) Al: demand. And all really supply and demand means is that if there’s a high demand and a low supply, (0:18:05) Al: they can charge basically whatever they want, right? Like that is how it’s not like the price (0:18:12) Al: has to be sold for a certain point, right? Like they just go, we know people are (0:18:16) Al: going to buy it, therefore supply and demand says we can charge more, and we’ll get more money. (0:18:22) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:18:23) Al: Right? Like that is just how it works. And I just, it gets really frustrating when people are like, (0:18:27) Al: “Oh, it’s just supply and demand.” As if, “Oh, don’t look at me. I’m not the one deciding the (0:18:32) Al: price. Supply and demand is deciding the price.” What are you talking about? That’s not how this (0:18:38) Al: works, right? Like we decide prices, and if people think it’s too high, and they don’t buy it like (0:18:45) Al: you have done. (0:18:46) Al: enough people did what you were doing, they would have to decrease the price to sell (0:18:48) Kev: Yeah. Well. (0:18:50) Al: it. (0:18:51) Al: But of course, we are willing to spend the money. (0:18:54) Al: Enough people are willing to spend the money that they can just sell it for whatever they (0:18:58) Al: want and people will keep going up. (0:19:01) Al: You know, it’s like how, it’s the reason the Mario Kart world is $80. (0:19:07) Al: It’s because they know people will buy it and supply and demand for the record makes (0:19:11) Al: no sense in our digital economy, right? (0:19:15) Al: like there is no there is no (0:19:15) Kev: Yeah, and it is. (0:19:16) Al: it’s infinite supply so theoretically supply and demand should say that if (0:19:21) Al: there’s infinite supply there should be a very very low price it just like that (0:19:26) Kev: Yeah well, well, yeah (0:19:28) Al: is but no that’s not how it actually works because that’s the price is based (0:19:33) Al: on what people are actually willing to pay but that’s if you if you took purely (0:19:35) Kev: Yes, yeah (0:19:38) Al: supply and demand and nothing else and said this is what this means digital (0:19:42) Al: games should be free. (0:19:43) Kev: Well, that’s it. Well, here’s the thing, right? Okay, as I’m sure you can, I’ve only took like two economics class. I do a little economics though, but here’s the thing, right? Supply into it. That is, what is supply? You want to dive into that? That’s what determines supply. Now we’re getting into something, right? (0:19:58) Al: All right, yeah, okay, fair enough. Fair enough. I guess like the supply for a digital game (0:20:06) Al: is the number of consoles that are, right? Like you’re not going to… (0:20:08) Kev: Yeah, or, or, right, it’s, yeah, and, and in terms of the price. (0:20:13) Kev: Right, like the, you know, that, what did you see in economics? (0:20:16) Kev: You see the, you see like a graph, right? (0:20:19) Kev: Which is like, I guess number of units and number of, uh, and the price or whatever. (0:20:23) Kev: And so you’re right. (0:20:24) Kev: Um, it, uh, it gets weird digitally, but what determines that graph? (0:20:30) Al: That’s my point. That’s my point is there’s so, there’s so many things that break down. (0:20:31) Kev: Where does, yeah. (0:20:33) Al: It’s not in an, in a, in a, I love the, have you ever had the physics joke, um, which is, uh, Oh, two seconds. (0:20:43) Al: Let me double check so I don’t end up saying it. (0:20:46) Kev: Is it, I mean, I know a couple physics joke as an engineer, nerd, major, degree holder. (0:20:53) Al: So, there was the physics joke, right, where there’s a farmer whose chicken wouldn’t lay (0:20:59) Kev: Uh-huh, yep. (0:20:59) Al: any eggs. And to solve the problem, he hires a physicist. And the physicist says, “Oh, (0:21:06) Al: I’ve come up with a solution, but my solution requires a spherical chicken in a vacuum.” (0:21:08) Kev: Uh-huh. (0:21:12) Al: And the point of that joke is that so many things in physics are theoretical and only (0:21:17) Kev: Yeah, yeah. (0:21:19) Al: work in a very specific set of scenarios. (0:21:23) Al: And you can’t then necessarily say, “This happens here, therefore that happens in (0:21:28) Al: the real world as well.” (0:21:29) Al: And I feel like a lot of economics of that is that as well. (0:21:32) Al: It’s like in this perfect ideal economic world where these 10 things all exist, then this (0:21:36) Kev: Yeah (0:21:39) Kev: No (0:21:39) Al: will happen. (0:21:40) Al: And it’s like, but that’s not how the world works. (0:21:42) Al: And digital games is a perfect example of how that just completely falls on us. (0:21:46) Al: It falls over, right? (0:21:47) Al: Like, because it just, it doesn’t make any sense. (0:21:49) Al: What is supply when you’re talking about a digital thing? (0:21:52) Al: It’s not a thing. (0:21:53) Al: Right? (0:21:54) Al: It doesn’t make any sense. (0:21:54) Kev: Yeah, and and I’m really we yeah, you know we can get down to it really if (0:22:02) Kev: This would be a more interesting conversation if you know, we were looking at just supply factors like okay (0:22:09) Kev: How do you distribute, you know, what are the competition yada yada, whatever, right? (0:22:13) Kev: But we all know the truth in the current day and age late-stage capitalism, whatever you want to call it (0:22:19) Kev: there is a significant portion of that price being determined by (0:22:24) Kev: The shareholders the see the executives. They just want a whole lot of money (0:22:30) Kev: the day (0:22:32) Kev: That’s that’s what it all boils down to oh (0:22:34) Al: Yeah, yeah. (0:22:36) Kev: Man, man. Okay, you know, all right since we’re on this (0:22:40) Kev: The absurdity of economics and and prices I’ll go back. I’ll go right back to magic (0:22:46) Kev: Are you familiar with magic 30? (0:22:48) Al: I am not. Is it a version of Magic where you have 30 cards? (0:22:52) Kev: No (0:22:52) Al: Ah, good guess though, right? (0:22:55) Kev: Yeah, oh that mmm, you know, I actually I think standards 40 so you’re not far off that that would be fun, but um, okay (0:23:05) Kev: Okay, here it is so this was a couple years ago (0:23:11) Kev: Magic the Gathering (0:23:14) Kev: Whatever Hasbro was to the coast whatever they released a project called magic 30 or it’s the med the 30th anniversary edition set (0:23:23) Al: - Ah, okay, yep. (0:23:25) Kev: Okay, this was this was a 2022 that the year was okay (0:23:30) Kev: and so (0:23:32) Kev: it’s it’s probably the most absurd like magic product ever released because (0:23:40) Kev: each box (0:23:41) Kev: This product contained 15 booster packs and these booster packs the cards inside them were like, oh, you know (0:23:48) Kev: Very classic original magic cards or whatever with original art (0:23:53) Kev: So much so that (0:23:55) Kev: It was so faithful to the original stuff that because magic rotates and has you know form different formats (0:24:01) Kev: They actually said okay. None of these cards are actually going to be playable (0:24:06) Kev: They’re just not gonna be legal in anything. It is basically just fake real fake cards that we’re printing. We’re collecting I guess (0:24:16) Kev: Okay (0:24:18) Kev: How how much would you pay for a box of (0:24:23) Kev: 15 packs of fake cards. (0:24:24) Kev: Real fake cards, Al. (0:24:26) Al: I mean it depends what it is, right? Like, so let’s create a scenario where this is Pokémon, (0:24:32) Al: right? It’s essentially just like a collector’s deck that you can never use in tournaments. (0:24:36) Al: I’m not going to use it in tournaments, it doesn’t really affect how much I would pay for it, right? (0:24:40) Al: Like I’m a sucker who will pay stupid amounts of money for collector’s things, (0:24:45) Al: so probably way too much money. I think if we’re… So if we’re just talking a deck, (0:24:48) Kev: Okay, give me (0:24:51) Al: so we’re talking… How many… Was that a 40 pack, a standard set? (0:24:52) Kev: Yeah (0:24:54) Kev: It was 15 packs is what it was here. Yep. No, no (0:24:57) Al: Oh, 15 packs. Oh, it’s not even a deck, right? OK. So let’s go with… (0:25:06) Al: I feel like in the world where this is Pokémon, maybe I’m paying like £5 a pack, (0:25:08) Kev: You know what hope (0:25:14) Al: because that’s more… I think it’s like £3 a pack just now in the UK, (0:25:18) Al: so we’re maybe talking like £75. And that would feel like… That would maybe feel like a lot, (0:25:22) Kev: Okay. (0:25:24) Al: and I’d be like oh I don’t know how (0:25:27) Kev: Okay. (0:25:28) Kev: So let’s see, five pounds, I’ll just forget. (0:25:30) Kev: Okay, that’s about six, seven USD. (0:25:32) Kev: Okay, sure. (0:25:34) Kev: So times 15, that’s, what is that? (0:25:36) Kev: 50 plus 25, that’s 75. (0:25:38) Kev: Okay, so that’s 75 pounds, (0:25:40) Kev: which yeah, about 100 USD maybe. (0:25:42) Kev: Okay, okay, I see what you’re saying, right? (0:25:45) Al: But like, that’s not “I’m definitely going to buy that.” (0:25:47) Al: That’s “Ooh, that feels like a lot. (0:25:50) Kev: Yeah, sure, sure, sure. (0:25:50) Al: Maybe I would buy it if it was something I really wanted.” (0:25:52) Kev: Right. (0:25:53) Kev: Yeah, okay, that’s the crazy price. (0:25:55) Kev: And then that’s good, okay. (0:25:57) Kev: Yeah, okay, I understand. (0:25:58) Kev: You know what, I can see that. (0:26:01) Kev: Yeah, you know what? (0:26:02) Kev: I could agree with that price, right? (0:26:04) Kev: For the hardcore collector who really wants the thing. (0:26:07) Kev: Yeah, you know what, I could say that. (0:26:09) Kev: All right, now, what if I told you the price (0:26:12) Kev: of this magic product was 10 times what you just told me? (0:26:16) Al: What? Ten times. So what? A thousand? A thousand dollars. That is… (0:26:20) Kev: 10 times. (0:26:22) Kev: USD. Yup, 999 technically. laughs (0:26:28) Al: I mean, OK, right. So we laugh at that, but Pokemon basically did that, right? With their… (0:26:33) Al: They had a collector’s box, limited edition, and it was several hundred dollars. I can’t even remember (0:26:40) Kev: - Sure, wasn’t four digits. (0:26:41) Al: it was. But like, I mean, that was more than that was, I wasn’t four digits, it was. (0:26:46) Al: Three digits, but I feel like it was not far off it, and it did include, it did include, (0:26:50) Al: like, you know, very nice dice and card sleeves and stuff like that. I can’t remember how (0:26:54) Kev: oh yes you know if you get a nice uh is it like the charizard premium collection is that the one (0:26:55) Al: much it was. Do you know the box I’m talking about? No, no, no, I’m talking about there (0:27:00) Kev: you’re talking or is it a different one oh oh the the one yes the really nice one that they (0:27:02) Al: was like an. Yes, the like all black one, I can’t remember what it was called. (0:27:06) Kev: did in a direct yes yes I remember that yes yeah yeah to be fair like didn’t that have like a full (0:27:13) Kev: set of cards or whatever like it wasn’t just packs even right like it was like designed as a game (0:27:19) Kev: almost right that you could play with someone um oh gosh the (0:27:21) Al: Yes. Yes. Oh, there we go. It’s the class. I think it’s the classic box set. Yes, it (0:27:25) Kev: classic yeah black something like that I can’t remember um (0:27:30) Al: was a full set. You could play a full game and it looks like it’s brand new here. It’s (0:27:32) Kev: yeah yeah yeah pokum (0:27:35) Al: £400. So quite a lot. So that’s maybe what? $500. And we’re talking and presumably the (0:27:37) Kev: yep yeah yeah yeah okay (0:27:45) Al: packs were just the packs. There wasn’t anything else with them. (0:27:50) Kev: Yeah, okay. I’m looking on Pokemon Center. It says 400 USD, I think (0:27:52) Al: Yeah. Okay. And it was like recreations of the original cards and it was like full on (0:27:55) Kev: But regardless at least it was a full dang set. They could play with you know people, right? (0:28:02) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:28:03) Al: nostalgia, but it was a full set. You could sit down with just this box and play an entire (0:28:09) Kev: Yeah, you could play different games and stuff right at least it’s that right this was literally (0:28:15) Kev: MT the MTG 3 was literally 15 packs. That’s all it was (0:28:19) Al: That’s wild, so we’re talking more than twice the price of this, (0:28:24) Al: and it doesn’t include any of the extra stuff. It’s just 50. (0:28:24) Kev: Yep (0:28:26) Kev: Nope not even I mean, I mean maybe you could make a deck it wouldn’t work probably but you know like (0:28:33) Kev: You can’t you can’t play you can’t open this and play again with friends. I don’t think unless you’re just making up (0:28:34) Al: And this box is insanely expensive, this Pokémon one. (0:28:41) Kev: Yeah, yeah it is (0:28:42) Al: You know, for what it is, of course it’s sold out, because everything Pokémon sells out. (0:28:46) Al: But yeah, wow, that’s mad. (0:28:48) Kev: Yeah, I know yeah, that’s yep, that’s wild um oh wow actually I’m looking online you can buy (0:28:56) Kev: There’s one here on TZG player for like 250 is that right huh anyways, but still yeah (0:29:02) Al: Still, still too much money. (0:29:04) Kev: Yeah, no, that’s a lot. Don’t get me wrong, but I just (0:29:07) Al: And that’s a quarter of the price of 15 packs of this magic one. Mad. That’s, that is wild. (0:29:09) Kev: Yeah (0:29:12) Kev: Magic 30th (0:29:14) Kev: Good times (0:29:15) Al: All right. Are we done with the anti-capitalist rants? Capitalism is bad. We hate it. (0:29:16) Kev: so yeah (0:29:17) Kev: So (0:29:20) Kev: We’re done (0:29:22) Al: Don’t, don’t abuse supplying to man to rip people off just because you can. (0:29:24) Kev: Hasbro is bad (0:29:28) Kev: I will say this (0:29:30) Kev: So about Magic 30th (0:29:34) Kev: They were going to have a limited run or whatever (0:29:38) Kev: Oh, there’s going to be X number of boxes produced or whatever (0:29:42) Kev: And so, you know, it was a big deal (0:29:44) Kev: Okay, we’re launching the sale on this time on the website, yada yada (0:29:48) Kev: We got down the sale, I think, after like an hour (0:29:52) Kev: There was no explicit reason given (0:29:54) Kev: But most people assume they didn’t sell a thing (0:29:58) Kev: That’s what I’m thinking (0:30:00) Kev: Or what most people think (0:30:02) Al: That’s crazy. (0:30:02) Kev: Anyways, there you go (0:30:03) Al: It’s a thousand it’s a thousand pounds as well. (0:30:04) Kev: Your fun anecdote in Magic history (0:30:06) Al: I’m looking at it on on the UK site, it’s a thousand pounds. (0:30:06) Kev: Yup, yup (0:30:10) Kev: Oh, goodness (0:30:11) Al: Each display worthy box includes 15 card for 15 card booster packs. (0:30:16) Al: Oh, wait, it’s not 15 packs, it’s four packs. (0:30:18) Kev: Oh, I misread that, it’s four p- (0:30:22) Kev: Oh, yeah (0:30:23) Al: It’s 60, it’s 60 cards. (0:30:24) Kev: 60 cards, oh my gosh (0:30:26) Kev: Oh, that’s incredible (0:30:29) Al: That is so stupid. (0:30:30) Kev: Tell me about your week out (0:30:32) Al: Uh, but I’ve been playing Mario Kart, that’s that’s all I’ve been playing. (0:30:38) Kev: Man (0:30:40) Kev: So you talked about it, I talked about it (0:30:44) Kev: I don’t know if we stressed how good Knockout Tour is (0:30:46) Kev: That’s a good mode. (0:30:47) Al: Yeah, so I’ve been, when we last talked about it, I had not played the knockout tour by that point. (0:30:54) Al: I was going through the Grumprees, three-starring them. I finished the Grumprees, they’re all (0:30:59) Al: three-starred, and I am halfway through the knockout tours, three-starring them. Yeah, (0:31:04) Al: I really like them. I will say, it is a bit frustrating when you go through, because it’s (0:31:10) Al: eight gates, you have to go through with the last one being, that’s your final position unless you (0:31:15) Al: you get an octave before. (0:31:17) Al: And so to get three star in a knockout tour, you have to come first in every single gate, (0:31:24) Al: which is a lot of work. (0:31:27) Al: And I’ve been a couple of times where I’ve gone, yeah, there’s a couple of times where (0:31:31) Al: I have gone, like, it takes a while to get through the first gate, but after you got (0:31:35) Al: the first gate, you can quite often get a lot of gates, right? (0:31:38) Kev: Yeah (0:31:38) Al: There’s one knockout tour that I’m struggling on just now where I sometimes get knocked (0:31:42) Al: out of the third gate, which is very frustrating, but most of them, it’s like, if you get past (0:31:47) Al: that first gate, unless you mock up, you probably can do it reasonably easy, but getting past (0:31:52) Al: that first gate can be difficult. (0:31:55) Al: There’s been multiple times where I’ve gotten first on the first seven gates, and then coming (0:32:00) Al: forth. (0:32:01) Al: And it is so frustrating because like in a grand prix, if you could, I know, but in like (0:32:02) Kev: I mean that’s Mario Kart. Winning is losing. (0:32:06) Al: a grand prix, if you come, if you come first, first, first, fourth, you would get one star, (0:32:12) Al: go you’d win and get a one star. (0:32:14) Al: is if you come first, first, first, first, first, first, (0:32:17) Al: you come fourth. So it’s like, like, I understand that. That’s the point of the race. It just (0:32:24) Kev: - Yep. (0:32:24) Al: makes it really, and it like, it doesn’t really matter because I’m going to play it until I get (0:32:27) Al: three stars, right? But it’s just a little bit frustrating to be like, I was first every time (0:32:32) Al: and then I got knocked. I got hit by just too many shells and now I’m done. What I do really like is, (0:32:38) Kev: Yep (0:32:39) Al: I don’t know if there’s no rubber banding, but there definitely seems to be less rubber banding (0:32:43) Kev: Well that I mean, I think that’s kind of the (0:32:43) Al: in the knockout tour. (0:32:48) Kev: Why it works so well because you’re gonna have less people that you can’t rubber band if there’s only you know (0:32:53) Kev: Now half the contestants or whatever. All right, like instead of rubber band (0:32:55) Al: Well, it’s not, it’s not, yeah, I mean, right from the start though, like if you get out (0:32:59) Al: ahead of the pack really early, you can make a really big lead, which is important to be (0:33:06) Al: able to actually, you know, because you’re going to get hit, right? You can’t keep getting (0:33:09) Kev: Mm hmm. We’re right, right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. (0:33:10) Al: in horns to not get hit by blue, blue shells, and you can’t get enough stuff. As soon as (0:33:16) Al: someone has like three red shells, you’re dead, right? You can’t protect from that unless (0:33:21) Al: you like get hit by the second one just before you go through another. (0:33:25) Al: So you’re going to get hit, and so you need that good distance to make sure that you (0:33:29) Kev: Yep. Yep. (0:33:35) Kev: Yeah. Mm hmm. (0:33:36) Al: have enough time. But on the other hand, it means that if someone gets ahead quickly, (0:33:40) Kev: Yep. (0:33:41) Al: it’s really hard to catch up with them. (0:33:43) Kev: It is. Um. (0:33:45) Al: Whereas in our Grand Prix, you can like hang back for like two laps and then just smoke everyone. (0:33:50) Kev: I think Bullet Bill or Golden Shroom. (0:33:51) Al: You can’t do that. You cannot do that in a knockout tour. (0:33:54) Kev: Yeah. Yep. Absolutely. (0:33:56) Al: But it’s fun. I’m enjoying it. I’m definitely enjoying it. (0:33:58) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah. (0:34:00) Al: It definitely feels like what they wanted to do with the Grand Prix, but they didn’t. (0:34:03) Kev: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:34:03) Al: And so I’m more frustrated now that the Grand Prix have these weird in-between bits. (0:34:09) Kev: That’s the thing. They’re not even in between bits. They’re just part of the race. (0:34:13) Al: Yeah. Yeah. (0:34:13) Kev: Like, that’s the weird part, right? Like, they told us they’re in between, but it’s not. (0:34:17) Kev: Um, that’s the weird part. (0:34:18) Al: It just means that the first lap on your next one is on the previous course. (0:34:25) Al: And then the second lap is like half the previous course and half the new course. (0:34:29) Al: And then you get one lap on the course. It’s just such a weird setup. (0:34:32) Kev: Yeah, and it’s it’s not there’s nothing inherently wrong with it especially since they designed this whole island it makes sense right but it’s still boggles my mind that they didn’t include the classic grand prive you know three laps around a track. (0:34:46) Al: Yeah, that’s the thing. That’s the thing. Anyway, but whatever. I’m still really loving the game. (0:34:48) Kev: Um, yeah. (0:34:50) Kev: Yeah. (0:34:53) Al: It is good fun. I like a lot of the changes they made. It feels, well, that’s the thing. (0:34:54) Kev: Yeah, it’s good it’s it’s Mario Kart shocker. (0:34:58) Al: It feels good because I don’t, there’s not a huge number of kart racers that feel good to race for (0:35:02) Al: me. And that’s a really important thing about Mario Kart. And they’ve, they’ve, they’ve, they (0:35:03) Kev: Mm-hmm (0:35:06) Kev: Yep, that is true (0:35:09) Al: hit it out of the park with that. Like all the changes they made make it feel smoother and feel (0:35:14) Al: nicer, like, you know, what I was talking to you about, like, when (0:35:16) Kev: Yeah (0:35:16) Al: you get hit by cars and stuff like that, it just all feels more fun. (0:35:18) Kev: Yeah (0:35:19) Kev: You’re right (0:35:21) Kev: You’re right. Yeah, I agree. It is it like just (0:35:25) Kev: Mechanically does feel more fluid because you’re right like in the old days when you got hit that was just like a hard stop (0:35:30) Al: Yeah, spin around three times and come to a halt. (0:35:31) Kev: Here you kind of tumble forward a little (0:35:34) Kev: Yeah (0:35:36) Kev: Yeah, I agree. Um, I mean, yeah overall like I agree. It’s it’s it’s good (0:35:42) Kev: I wish we I think it just needs more (0:35:46) Kev: We don’t actually it has a battle mime in try that but we need the three lap (0:35:52) Kev: Classy Grand Prix and we need more to actually do with free range. The free range is kind of nothing right now (0:36:00) Al: Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see if they add more in the future. (0:36:00) Kev: Like you (0:36:02) Kev: Yeah (0:36:03) Al: I don’t know. (0:36:04) Al: We’ll see. (0:36:04) Al: I’m not, I’m not, I’m not like, Oh, they must do it. (0:36:05) Kev: And I (0:36:07) Al: Or it would be a bad game. (0:36:08) Al: Like if it never changes again, I don’t think it’s not worth the money, (0:36:09) Kev: Yeah, oh yeah for sure oh (0:36:12) Al: but I would also like more please. (0:36:13) Kev: Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it’s (0:36:16) Kev: not a bad game. I need to stress that just, there’s, there’s just potential, you can feel it, (0:36:21) Kev: but you can feel what you can do, right? Like, can you imagine a, you know, I feel like there should (0:36:27) Kev: be modes that use the free range, like, sort of like tag, basically, right? Or, or, you know, (0:36:32) Al: Mmm, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:36:34) Kev: something like that, something to chase, chase a rabbit or whatever, stuff like that, to give you (0:36:39) Kev: an excuse to run around the island, not just on the tracks. And, you know, that’s kind of what they (0:36:42) Al: Do you know what I hope they do? I really hope that they charged as much as they charged for (0:36:43) Kev: want. You tell. (0:36:48) Al: this game because they intend on not doing paid DLC but what they would do in paid DLC they’re (0:36:56) Al: adding industry updates. That would be really nice and it’s like yeah because then they get (0:36:59) Kev: that would be nice (0:37:01) Kev: I can see it going either way (0:37:03) Al: more money overall if they do that than if they charge less money and then charge the DLC because (0:37:07) Al: not everyone’s going to buy the DLC. But it (0:37:12) Al: would I think it would lead a lot of people to be less frustrated because I think if they add (0:37:17) Al: if they do a DLC and they charge for it people are gonna be like even more money you want even (0:37:18) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:37:21) Kev: Yeah. (0:37:22) Al: more of my money and I think that would be not great and if they added more as free updates I (0:37:27) Kev: Yeah. (0:37:28) Al: think people would go oh okay uh there’ll be people who like this should have been in the beginning (0:37:30) Kev: What? (0:37:33) Al: but I think those people are stupid and that’s not how games work anymore deal with it it’s like (0:37:35) Kev: Yeah. (0:37:38) Kev: Yeah! (0:37:39) Al: it’s like the people who, it’s like the people who talk about (0:37:42) Al: er, so it’s one thing talking about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and saying this is how the (0:37:46) Kev: Yeah, the game should have worked (0:37:46) Al: games always should have been, right? Like I’m putting that to the side. I’m not, I’m not talking (0:37:50) Al: about those, but I’ve seen people, I have heard people say this is what Breath of the Wild should (0:37:55) Al: have been with the Switch 2 update. And I’m like, no, it’s not. That is, that is an eight year old (0:37:58) Kev: what those people aren’t saying (0:38:02) Al: game. You cannot possibly believe that you think this game should have looked like this eight years (0:38:08) Al: ago. When this game came out, people adored how it (0:38:12) Al: looked amazing. The Switch, it still does. Even if you don’t have the update, it still (0:38:14) Kev: It still does shock her. (0:38:18) Al: looks amazing. It just looks even better if you have the update. It’s absolutely bizarre (0:38:22) Kev: Yeah, eggs (0:38:24) Al: that people are like, “This sort of shows.” But shut up. That is not how this works. That (0:38:28) Kev: Sheets oh (0:38:30) Al: is not how this works. (0:38:30) Kev: That’s insanity (0:38:33) Kev: Well, you know, okay on the topic on the topic of the DLC is it’s interesting because I think if they and I do think they’re (0:38:42) Kev: Gonna support the game because as you said, that’s just how (0:38:45) Kev: Games are now. Um, I think there there has to be free (0:38:52) Kev: because you know (0:38:53) Kev: He they’ve they’ve kind of put them corner themselves because in previous Mario Kart’s DLC is very or you know (0:39:00) Kev: It’s obvious what you do. You add more tricks, right? Here’s your next cup. Here’s you know, daddy out of here’s (0:39:05) Kev: Four cups buy them for ten bucks or whatever here. You can’t do that at least not had a (0:39:10) Kev: that easily right because you (0:39:13) Kev: They’re not gonna jam a new section of the island and gate it off with the DLC (0:39:14) Al: Oh, yeah, good point. (0:39:17) Al: That’s a good point. (0:39:19) Al: We’re going to need another island or the island get expanded or something like that. (0:39:19) Kev: right, so (0:39:22) Kev: Yeah, so (0:39:25) Kev: There’s I think there’s a couple I think there’s a couple things one (0:39:25) Al: Hmm. (0:39:28) Kev: I think we’re gonna see free modes like we’re talking about right like I don’t know what but they’re gonna I think they’re (0:39:31) Al: Yeah. (0:39:32) Kev: Gonna use more of the island because they have the island that would that’s obvious use more use it more, right? (0:39:37) Kev: There might be you know, maybe they will introduce three lap mode and then they can sell DLC tracks (0:39:43) Kev: Just you know your classic. Okay, here’s four tracks (0:39:44) Al: Yeah, so you know what, you’ve made me come to the conclusion. (0:39:49) Al: I think what’s going to happen is there will be those feature updates will be free (0:39:52) Kev: You (0:39:55) Al: and then new tracks will probably be paid. (0:39:55) Kev: Yeah (0:39:58) Al: I suspect that’s what’s going to happen. (0:39:58) Kev: That’s that is what I also suspect I do think yeah, yep, that’s (0:40:01) Al: That is a good point. (0:40:03) Al: Because then they can charge for like a whole other island, right? (0:40:07) Kev: Yep or just tracks if they want to do you know if they go back to three laps, but yeah or just another island yeah (0:40:09) Al: I can’t see. I can’t. I can’t see. (0:40:14) Al: I’m doing that going like the whole point is this America world also here are some (0:40:18) Al: tracks you can only do in if you if you choose them in the menu. (0:40:20) Kev: Yeah, that’s a good point. I guess (0:40:23) Al: Like that feels weird and you go into free room in free room free room and you (0:40:27) Al: choose which island you want to free room on or there’s a bridge between the two (0:40:29) Kev: Yeah (0:40:31) Al: islands or something like that. (0:40:33) Kev: Okay, the bridge might work yeah, but you raise a good point it could be a whole new island I I can see that (0:40:38) Kev: But but overall like yeah, I think we’re in agreement. There’s gonna be some sort of features modes (0:40:43) Kev: Whatever they’re gonna end those are gonna be free. Absolutely (0:40:46) Al: Also, let us free Rome on Rainbow Road, please, and thank you. (0:40:49) Kev: That it (0:40:51) Kev: I (0:40:52) Al: Maybe Rainbow Road is the bridge. (0:40:55) Kev: Hear people talk about that because of course, but there’s a part where you’re literally crashing there (0:40:58) Al: Yeah, I know. (0:41:03) Kev: How you gonna free-rope that (0:41:05) Al: But, I mean, if you fall off, you go back. (0:41:09) Kev: You just okay, all right (0:41:09) Al: You have to go back to the start of it. (0:41:10) Al: There you go. (0:41:12) Al: I can see why it would be annoying, and I know why they haven’t done it, but that doesn’t (0:41:15) Kev: Yeah, okay (0:41:15) Al: mean I don’t want to do it. (0:41:18) Kev: You know (0:41:20) Kev: On the rainbow road like on this in this one (0:41:23) Kev: I there’s points where I think it’s the absolute best rainbow road they’ve ever done and there’s points where it’s the worst one (0:41:32) Kev: Like I think the lot of it is great. It’s fantastic. It’s it’s a it’s a real spectacle this one (0:41:38) Kev: But then there’s points where you’re not actually on the rainbow road. There’s bits where you dip on water and other weird stuff (0:41:45) Kev: I don’t like that, but but that just me (0:41:48) Al: I haven’t done it enough to have a full opinion because I actually got (0:41:53) Al: that Grand Prix I got in on my second try. I got three stars. So I was like, “Oh, oh well.” (0:41:58) Kev: No dang, look at you hotshot. (0:42:01) Al: So it’s the only one. Other ones took me many, many, many more tries. But yeah, (0:42:05) Al: that one I was like, “Oh my word, I just got it in the second try. That’s wild.” (0:42:09) Kev: Nice. (0:42:10) Al: Because I actually, the first time I did it, I got 1-1-4-1. And so I was like, “Oh no, (0:42:15) Kev: Oh, dang. (0:42:17) Al: If I get– I think I can– (0:42:18) Al: do this, and then I managed to get it the second time. (0:42:20) Al: It was very satisfying, but– (0:42:21) Al: So I need to go back and do it some more. (0:42:23) Al: I don’t think I’ll be getting a second time in the– (0:42:26) Al: is there a knockout tour with Rainbow Road? (0:42:28) Kev: I don’t remember off the I don’t think there is now I’m guessing there isn’t (0:42:32) Al: Yeah, OK. (0:42:34) Al: So I’ll need to go back and try it, just– (0:42:37) Al: either with the Grand Prix or just on its own. (0:42:38) Kev: Yeah, I guess nothing else from your week you want to talk about (0:42:39) Al: All right, should we talk about some “Cottagecore” games? (0:42:43) Al: 40 minutes in. (0:42:45) Al: We’ve got some news. (0:42:47) Al: So first of all, Lens Island. (0:42:48) Al: 1.0 is now out, I believe, I think you talked about it with Cody in the last episode, so we (0:42:52) Kev: We did (0:42:53) Al: don’t need to go over much, but it’s now out! Huzzah! They also di

Send us a textEef Barzelay stops by the show to discuss his latest release, 'Oh Smokey', as well as life, death, and so much more. *****Eef Barzelay of CLEM SNIDE, some what cheekily. For Eef, the intersection of hope and resignation is the genesis of his tenth album OH SMOKEYand a focal point of his upcoming tour. “I know fans like the older songs and the covers I've done, so it's really an ever-evolving mishmash... based on my blood sugar level and or deeply-rooted childhood traumas.” Clem Snide has been aiming to include unique locations in an effort to bring music back to his fans for a much more intimate and tangible experience. “I like to sing in unexpected places whenever I can,” he explains, “Mennonite churches, abandoned hospitals, houseboats taking on water...I've done 'em all!” These spec shows aren't usually private affairs. In fact, they're open to fans everywhere, travel, of course, permitting. “Mostly though I play living rooms,” he clarifies. “Just sign the mailing list and I'll come to your house!”His new album Oh Smokey, has been called “a gorgeous listen with lots of food for thought” by Americana UK, this album finds Eef combining forces with producer and devout Clem Snide fan Josh Kaufman(Bonny Light Horseman, Craig Finn, Hiss Golden Messenger) for a pastoral exploration of the human condition and finding hope when you're knee deep in existential mud. (Of note, the previous album, 2020's Forever Just Beyond was produced by fellow devout Clem Snide fan, Scot Avett of Avett Brothers).“It's a collection of songs I've had for some years now,” he describes. “The inspiration was more just getting to work with Josh Kaufman and keeping the dream alive.” Written during a pivotal and highly - emotionally charged point in his life, the origins of Oh Smokey saw Eef going through a painful divorce, his life thrown into upheaval with his move out of Nashville, and parting ways with his longtime manager. “There's, for sure, a soon-to-be-divorced energy in some of the themes,” he continues. “But mostly, I like to think of the songs as clumsy, well-meaning attempts at prayer by a lapsed Atheist raised by godless Jews.”Contemplative and meditative, Eef and band's need for melodic lushness is never lost. From the stunning and jaunty acoustic opener, “Free” (“'Free' plays around with the idea of a post- death reunification with our eternal selves”) to the sensitive strums of “Air Show Disaster ” to the electric guitar roll of the regret-fueled “Smokey” that feels almost like an outtake from Neil Young's Harvest Moon, Oh Smokey is a deeply personal album that explores his current worldview.*****If you would like to contact the show about being a guest, please email us at Dauna@bettertopodcast.comUpcoming guests can be found: https://dmneedom.com/upcoming-guest Follow us on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_d.m.needom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettertopodcastwithdmneedomIntro and Outro music compliments of Fast Suzi©2025 Better To...Podcast with D. M. NeedomSupport the show

It's been a huge week for Tasmanian based vegetable company Harvest Moon, which culminated in the Forth company winning the Australian Hort Innovation Exporter of the Year award at the big conference in Brisbane.

Al and Codey talk about Everafter Falls Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:10:03: Game News 00:27:20: Everafter Falls 01:30:57: Outro Links Chill Town 1.0 Of Life and Land 1.0 Grimshire Early Access Galactic Getaway “The Big Pet” Update Tiny Garden QoL Patch Dolot Town Early Access Roadmap Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al, (0:00:36) Codey: and my name is Kody. (0:00:38) Al: and we’re here today to talk about Cutscore Games. (0:00:43) Codey: A woo woo woo, ow, ow, ow. (0:00:46) Al: And also about how tired I am because I was up late watching Eurovision last night. (0:00:50) Codey: We don’t talk about that right now. (0:00:52) Codey: We did talk about it, listeners, so check that out but, (0:00:56) Codey: or maybe not, or maybe, no, check it out, check it out. (0:01:00) Codey: Here’s some of our, (0:01:00) Al: Oh yeah. (0:01:02) Codey: here’s some of our very deeply held beliefs. (0:01:08) Al: This episode, however, we’re going to talk about Ever After Falls. Well, I’m going to talk about (0:01:12) Al: Ever After Falls, and then probably Cody will ask me some questions about it, because good. (0:01:16) Codey: I’m going to ask questions about it because I did not. (0:01:20) Al: Obviously we have the news, etc, etc. Also, just a piece of housekeeping. There will be a short (0:01:30) Al: podcast for a couple of weeks after this episode. Life gets in the way, and I realized I haven’t (0:01:34) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:01:36) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:01:39) Al: actually had an episode off in the entire time that I’ve been on. So for four years it was every (0:01:45) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:01:45) Al: single two weeks without a break, and then for two and a half years it’s been every single week (0:01:51) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:01:51) Al: for that time. So I’m going to take a couple week break, and we’ll see how that goes. (0:01:55) Codey: Yeah, you you deserve it (0:01:59) Codey: Yeah for folks who might be like what I’ll hasn’t been on some episodes he still edits them (0:02:01) Al: That prepares them. The news is a lot… Again, the news is a lot of work. (0:02:05) Codey: And prepares them and does everything (0:02:10) Al: So yeah, we’ll see how that goes. Apologies if this is an important part of your week. (0:02:17) Al: You’re going to even have to deal with it for a couple of weeks. That’s life. (0:02:23) Al: So yeah, we’re going to talk about Ever After Falls. We’ve got a bunch of news. But Cody, (0:02:26) Al: what have you been up to? (0:02:28) Codey: I wrote stuff down, I should reference that. (0:02:35) Codey: I have been up to not taking my medication yesterday (0:02:38) Codey: on accident, so I’m a little crazy right now. (0:02:40) Al: - Oh no. (0:02:44) Codey: Normally I’m normal, but I’m not, that’s a joke. (0:02:47) Codey: I have been playing Breath of the Wild. (0:02:50) Codey: I have now done All But the Camel to Find Beast, (0:02:56) Codey: and I have the math. (0:02:58) Codey: Master Sword. Though I… it’s like saying that it’s it’s Eepy right now. Do I just have to leave it alone for a while? Like, like when the when it’s, you know, the Master Sword, when the Master Sword’s like… (0:03:07) Al: the divine beast? Or the master sword? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so you can only use it (0:03:16) Al: until like, it’s essentially, it breaks, but differently from the other ones, and then after (0:03:19) Codey: Yeah, air clothes, yeah. (0:03:22) Al: a while it rejuvenates and it’s fine. You can do, there is a thing you can do where you’d, (0:03:29) Al: if you do the trial of the sword, it’s like a big, long, difficult challenge. And if you do that, (0:03:35) Al: than your master sardoke beach. (0:03:37) Al: I think you can charge all the time. But it is very difficult. (0:03:38) Codey: Ooh, okay, I gotta find that. Cool. Yeah, because that’s one thing. And then I went to the I went (0:03:47) Codey: to the Deku tree and he was like, sup, looks like your sword’s tired or whatever. Or like, (0:03:53) Codey: if it happens, you need to give it time to recharge. And I was like, does that mean (0:03:57) Codey: I need to like, put it back in the stone, but then I couldn’t figure out how to do that. (0:03:59) Al: No, you just wait. Just leave it where it is and it’s all good. (0:04:02) Codey: Okay, cool. Uh, yep, other than that, I’m just kind of exploring in that game. (0:04:08) Codey: So just like jump on and be like, I’m just gonna strike off in this direction. And then, oh, look, (0:04:13) Codey: my Sheikah thingy is like, there’s a shrine over here. Or like, oh, look, that’s clearly a little (0:04:20) Codey: Korhok puzzle. Yep, and I’m finally getting, I’m also like, starting to try and min max my, (0:04:22) Al: Yeah, it’s kind of what the game is for. (0:04:30) Codey: and by that, I mean, just upgrade all of my clothing. So I’ve, I’ve started a notebook of (0:04:37) Codey: what uh… (0:04:38) Codey: items I need to upgrade my clothing um yeah so i’m doing that I still play honey grove (0:04:47) Codey: is that what it’s called I don’t know it’s a little bee a little bitty game on my phone (0:04:52) Codey: yeah honey grove I still play that uh they’ve had a good update recently which is super cute (0:04:56) Codey: um this isn’t like in the news or anything it’s just it it’s been updated um (0:05:02) Codey: and yeah my one comment to them is every week they have these like weekly tasks there’s (0:05:08) Codey: ladybug that comes and you she can you can get like really good stuff if you plant stuff for her (0:05:14) Codey: I should do that right now um and uh if you don’t make it then you’re kind of just screwed (0:05:22) Codey: but sometimes I like like it’s she’s like oh I want these beefsteak tomatoes and so i’ll grow (0:05:26) Codey: like a million of them but then she won’t want any more and so then I just have grown a bunch (0:05:32) Codey: and then the next week next time she comes and she wants those like it’s just back to zero (0:05:37) Codey: which is stupid because i’m like (0:05:38) Codey: I know that I grew a lot of these and I had a bunch extra so if you’re listening honey grove (0:05:45) Codey: developers please let that roll over that would be great because otherwise it’s almost impossible (0:05:51) Codey: to get the thing and I really want this bee windmill that i’m trying to go for right now (0:05:59) Codey: and then finally the other the last thing that i’ve kind of been doing on top of research is (0:06:04) Codey: and dog sitting is gardening. So legitimately in… (0:06:08) Codey: the soil gardening I have some peppers and stuff in pots now. Next week it’s (0:06:16) Codey: supposed to get kind of chilly so instead of putting them in the ground (0:06:20) Codey: I have left them… I up potted them from the little things containers they came in (0:06:26) Codey: from the garden center and I’m gonna buy some raised bed soil but I’m gonna give (0:06:31) Codey: it a hot minute and then after it is done being 50 degrees (0:06:38) Codey: slash it’s probably like what like nine degrees for y’all. Cold. Once it’s done (0:06:46) Codey: doing that then I will finally put things in the ground and I’m preparing (0:06:49) Codey: my raised bed. I’ve been going out and weeding it every week. Yeah. That’s (0:06:54) Al: Nice (0:06:56) Codey: pretty much it. What about you? (0:06:58) Al: What about me I’ve done I have played a lot of ever after falls less so this week I (0:07:06) Al: Stopped playing it for something else (0:07:08) Al: I can’t remember what the other thing was I was playing. Oh, yeah, I was playing the ratopia demo for last week (0:07:15) Codey: Mm-hmm. I still need to listen. (0:07:15) Al: That’s what it was. Um, and I haven’t got back into ever after falls, but I’ve still got lots talk about it (0:07:23) Al: like 60 hours in. (0:07:24) Al: Or something, so plenty to talk about. (0:07:27) Al: And then today I just started my Pokémon Shield save file. (0:07:33) Al: So you might remember that I have been, you know, (0:07:35) Al: doing lots of living DEXs and the Pokémon home DEXs, (0:07:42) Al: and I have previously done Professor Oak Challenges. (0:07:46) Al: And the one game that I hadn’t got a postgame save file (0:07:55) Al: was Pokémon Shield, and the Sword and Shield DEX is the one I don’t have a living DEX for, (0:08:01) Al: nor do I have the Pokémon home version finished either, for which you get the shiny Keldio, (0:08:04) Codey: Mm. (0:08:08) Al: which I need for my shiny living DEX. (0:08:11) Al: So I started that today. (0:08:14) Al: I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’m not sure what to do game-wise, (0:08:17) Al: because we’re so close to the Switch 2 coming out, (0:08:20) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:08:20) Al: and I know that I’m going to be all in on Mario Kart when that comes out. (0:08:25) Al: And so I’m just like, I’m not really sure what to do. (0:08:27) Al: So I was like, let me just do this for just now. (0:08:29) Al: And I’m just going to set myself a deadline of when the Switch 2 comes out, (0:08:34) Al: and we’ll just see how much I get done by then. (0:08:37) Al: And I’ve undecided as to whether I’m doing it as a Professor Oak Challenge. (0:08:42) Al: I guess maybe I’m going to start that, and if I get bored, I’ll stop. (0:08:47) Al: It’s hard to know whether I’ll want to or not, because I’ve done so many of them. (0:08:52) Al: We’ll see. (0:08:54) Al: I’ve started it. (0:08:55) Al: I’ve not really done much yet. (0:08:56) Al: I’m just kind of getting through the boring beginning of Pokemon game stuff (0:09:00) Al: that you always have, like, oh, here’s all these people, and here’s this stuff, (0:09:03) Al: and you go do this random tiny fetch quest to get your Pokemon, and blah, blah, blah, blah. (0:09:09) Al: Just give me my Pokemon. (0:09:10) Al: Let me go catch some more, please. (0:09:14) Codey: » Mm-hmm. (0:09:14) Al: That’s the game. (0:09:14) Al: I want to get into the game loop. (0:09:16) Al: I don’t want your tutorial at the beginning. (0:09:19) Al: So yeah, we’ll see how that goes. (0:09:22) Al: we got two and a half weeks. (0:09:24) Al: Till the switch to comes out, I think. One, two. Yeah, two and a half weeks till it comes out. (0:09:31) Al: Although, technically, I won’t be getting it until two days later, because I will be in the Isle of (0:09:35) Al: Man when it comes out, and I don’t have it shipping to the Isle of Man. Because that would be silly, (0:09:40) Al: because it would almost certainly be late, and then I would leave the island, and it would arrive (0:09:45) Al: after me. And that is not what we want. So it is coming to my house, and I will get it when I get (0:09:46) Codey: Yeah. (0:09:52) Codey: That’ll be good. I don’t have any plans to get that. (0:09:58) Codey: So. (0:09:59) Al: So yeah, that’s what we’ve been up to, woo! (0:10:02) Codey: Oh (0:10:03) Al: Let’s talk about some news. (0:10:05) Al: So first up, we have Chill Town have announced that their 1.0 is out now. (0:10:10) Codey: yep, that’s the tweet. (0:10:13) Codey: They did say that if you’re a turning player, (0:10:15) Codey: so if you’ve played the early access (0:10:17) Codey: and you have a save file, (0:10:18) Codey: save file is still compatible, (0:10:20) Codey: but that they still recommend starting a new game (0:10:24) Codey: for the quote unquote safest experience (0:10:27) Codey: because they say it avoids any unforeseen issues. (0:10:29) Codey: So it is possible for you to do so (0:10:32) Codey: to just keep going with the save file that you had, (0:10:35) Codey: but maybe start with a new one, (0:10:36) Codey: just to be on the safe side. (0:10:39) Al: I don’t know who you’re talking about. (0:10:40) Codey: Some people feel strongly about that kind of stuff. (0:10:44) Codey: Okay, is it not you? (0:10:46) Al: Well, yeah, it is me. (0:10:48) Codey: It is you, I thought so. (0:10:49) Al: Of Life and Land have also announced that their 1.0 is also out now. (0:10:54) Codey: Oh, woo, and that on their page, (0:10:57) Codey: it says something like, (0:10:59) Codey: it’s now available to buy it for yourself or for a friend. (0:11:03) Codey: And you know what, Al, you’ve got a friend in me. (0:11:06) Codey: I am a friend, someone should buy me this game. (0:11:10) Codey: No, there’s a 40% introductory offer right now on Steam (0:11:15) Codey: and the Steam has it on Windows and Mac. (0:11:20) Codey: And so it’s only 15 bucks. (0:11:22) Codey: And then there’s a bundle that has the supporter edition, (0:11:32) Codey: Um, but that one comes out, uh, or that’s also 14% off. (0:11:38) Codey: Um, the supporter pack gives you wallpapers, digital art posters. (0:11:42) Codey: That’s really cute. (0:11:43) Codey: Digital art poster paper Fox folding instructions. (0:11:47) Codey: Holy heck. (0:11:48) Codey: I want the paper Fox. (0:11:48) Al: Amazing, just just what you need. (0:11:49) Codey: Uh, I legitimately do want that paper Fox. (0:11:54) Al: You can just buy this a quarterback if you want. (0:11:54) Codey: Um, which is only $3 right now. (0:11:59) Codey: I might buy that. (0:12:00) Codey: I’m not going to lie. (0:12:01) Codey: Uh, so yeah, this is. (0:12:02) Codey: Porter edition bundle is also 40% off, which is so it’s just 18%, $18 US. (0:12:08) Al: It is very funny because they’re both they’re 40% off individually and together. (0:12:13) Al: So it shows the bundle is like, oh, of life and land 40% off of life and land supporter (0:12:18) Al: back 40% off price of individual products 15 pounds 16 bundle discount 0% your cost (0:12:24) Codey: Yep. Yeah, right now the bundle is not a deal. I’m assuming it will be eventually. (0:12:25) Al: 15 pound 16 it’s just very funny the way that it’s worded yeah presumably once the initial (0:12:36) Al: discount comes off, then the bundle… (0:12:38) Al: But obviously, they don’t want to have an additional discount on top of 40%, (0:12:43) Al: because 40% is quite a significant discount especially. (0:12:47) Codey: Yeah, no, this is something I definitely want to play at some point, probably going to happen (0:12:52) Codey: in the fall, TBH, because that’s something that I am not going to put a game on my lap. (0:13:01) Codey: There’s only one game that I’m putting on my laptop, and now it’s Mudborne, and then (0:13:06) Codey: past that, no more games on my laptop until I have become a doctor of bugs. (0:13:11) Codey: So yeah, be cool. (0:13:14) Al: And there are 221 people currently playing this game, it has 148 positive (0:13:22) Codey: It’s 221 opportunities for people to be my friend. (0:13:27) Al: Next we have Grimshire. I have announced that their early access is releasing on the 22nd of July. (0:13:34) Al: I honestly cannot remember this game but it was on my list. We’ve apparently talked about it. (0:13:39) Al: Oh no! A deadly plague threatens the village of Grimshire. Manage your farmland, (0:13:45) Al: forage the bounty of the wild to prevent your harvest from rotting away and keep the root (0:13:49) Al: cellar full. Can you help bring the community together and survive? (0:13:50) Codey: The roots seller bring the community together. (0:13:58) Al: I don’t… I don’t like the… (0:13:58) Codey: Yeah, I– you don’t or you do. (0:14:03) Codey: Oh, no. (0:14:04) Codey: I don’t hate it. (0:14:05) Codey: I– I mean, it’s giving Redwall to me. (0:14:10) Codey: What? (0:14:12) Al: Redwall is a series of children’s fantasy novels. (0:14:14) Codey: How? (0:14:16) Codey: How do you, someone who lives in that? (0:14:20) Codey: That country of the world, that part of the, that, that content, content island, not know what Redwall is. (0:14:28) Codey: I am shocked. Redwall is like a staple of American childhood, or at least it was when I was growing up and I’m ancient. (0:14:36) Codey: You’re also ancient though, so it’s fine. (0:14:38) Al: And yes, I think I think we’ve been over this, yes. (0:14:38) Codey: AKA we’re the same. I think we’re about the same age. (0:14:44) Al: I have never heard of this. (0:14:44) Codey: Oh, dude, I loved Redwall, and they had a TV series. (0:14:50) Codey: Yeah, it’s pretty much just some animals are good animals, and they do good things, and some are bad animals, and usually it’s like the rodents and the prey animals are the good ones, and then the ones that eat other things are the evil ones, and they just want to do evil for evil things. (0:15:06) Al: Yeah, I don’t know what it is about the graphics of this game. (0:15:08) Codey: But, listeners chime in here if Redwall is cottagecore. I think Redwall is cottagecore. (0:15:11) Al: It’s just something… (0:15:12) Al: Yeah, I’m not a fan. (0:15:20) Codey: Um, I think it was, it was also a TV show for a while, but I think there is a Redwall game. Uh, yeah, no, I like this. Maybe, maybe Watership Down? I don’t know. That’s also animals, isn’t it? I’ve never read it, though. I could be way off base right here right now. (0:15:38) Codey: Is it? Okay, it’s another animal one. (0:15:40) Al: I have no idea. (0:15:43) Al: I’ve heard of it. (0:15:44) Codey: Yep, so I think I have it because I wanted to read it. I was like wanting to read it. (0:15:50) Al: Anyway, Grimshire. (0:15:50) Codey: Yep. Yep. July 22nd. And that’s for the early access. What’s just windows? Lame. Okay. (0:16:04) Al: Yeah, they say that they’re estimating early access will be about a year, possibly longer. (0:16:13) Al: It’s always, it’s always longer. (0:16:16) Al: Galactic Getaway have announced their big pet update. (0:16:22) Codey: Yep, this is also a game that I didn’t know existed and I looked at it and I was like meh. (0:16:26) Codey: But I kind of just wrote down a little bit of of what the big pet update includes. It includes (0:16:33) Codey: pet stations, which I guess is like where you can you can choose which pets you want (0:16:38) Codey: to be roaming around. Which to me is does not spark joy that like where are the ones that you (0:16:46) Al: They go in the (0:16:48) Codey: you don’t want. What happens to the ugly pets? (0:16:52) Codey: But then when they come back out, they’re just, are they going to be like skin and bones? Are they, are they just in pet jail? (0:17:02) Al: Yeah it does say instead of just being put away in store. (0:17:03) Codey: Um, oh, I mean, that doesn’t, there’s, there’s not really a difference though, is there? (0:17:12) Codey: Okay. Uh, and then you can also feed them. And then they have an egg. (0:17:12) Al: Well, some you see, some you don’t. (0:17:22) Codey: Uh, egg system that is like breeding system. Basically you can put two, two together and they’ll breed and you get an egg and then you get another pet out of it. (0:17:33) Codey: Is this just Pokemon actually? (0:17:36) Al: Yeah I mean the game as a whole gives me very Animal Crossing vibes, cross with like I guess (0:17:44) Al: if Animal Crossing had Miis instead of the Animal Crossing characters. It’s a thing, (0:17:48) Codey: - Mm-hmm, fair. (0:17:52) Al: there seem to be many games as well. We have talked about it before but (0:17:59) Al: Forget there’s too many games (0:18:00) Codey: Yep, there are. If you’re not a very few games that we’ve been really looking forward to, (0:18:07) Codey: Kofkof, Snacko, we forget, though I really am excited for Lens Island. I want to play (0:18:14) Codey: Lens Island again. I don’t think that’s on our list, is it? No. Thanks to talk about (0:18:17) Al: our list of what? Not today, no. Next we have Fantasy Life Eye, The Girl Who Steals Time. (0:18:19) Codey: today. Nope, it’s just on my mind. (0:18:29) Al: They have announced that their physical release outside of Japan has been (0:18:35) Al: cancelled. So I guess if you were wanting the physical release for Fantasy Life Eye, (0:18:42) Al: I, the girl who steals time, sorry. (0:18:46) Codey: also so okay I have a couple I have a couple comments here first of all the eye (0:18:50) Codey: is not like an eyeball it is the letter I lowercase letter I which is just (0:18:56) Al: Yeah. (0:18:57) Codey: confusing to me like are they trying to say what is an eye one (0:19:03) Al: I don’t know, this is a super bad name. (0:19:05) Al: It’s a super bad name because the eye is like unique to it’s like this (0:19:11) Al: is the first fantasy life that has the eye in it, right? (0:19:14) Al: Like it’s not. (0:19:15) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:19:15) Al: This is the second fantasy life game. (0:19:18) Al: The first one was called Fantasy Life. (0:19:19) Al: And this one’s called Fantasy Life Eye, the girl who steals time. (0:19:23) Al: So even if the eye does mean one, it’s it’s wrong. (0:19:26) Al: It’s not the first game, not the first game. (0:19:28) Codey: second one yep uh so that’s my one of my comments (0:19:31) Al: Oh, actually, no, it’s not. (0:19:32) Al: There was a second. This is the third one. (0:19:35) Al: There was Fantasy Life 2, Two Moons in the Village of God, which was a mobile game. (0:19:39) Codey: The only thing I can think of an I being acceptable here (0:19:44) Codey: is if it’s meaning, like, 9, I think it is. (0:19:48) Codey: Whatever number in the alphabet an I is. (0:19:52) Al: or me. Fantastic. Hi, hello, hi over here. Yeah, well. (0:19:57) Codey: But it’s a lowercase i. (0:20:01) Codey: It’s a lowercase i. (0:20:04) Codey: OK, so I was looking at this. (0:20:07) Codey: This is a Reddit post. (0:20:08) Codey: and I… (0:20:09) Codey: started going down the rabbit hole of comments because it’s hilarious. (0:20:12) Codey: Uh, and this little exchange made me cackle. (0:20:15) Codey: Um, so someone said, “I feel like all the news about this game has exclusively made it lamer for Switch fan.” (0:20:22) Codey: Which is crazy considering it was an exclusive at one point. (0:20:27) Codey: Level 5, which is a developer, really fumbled a version that probably would have sold the best. (0:20:33) Al: find this a funny thing to say, considering it’s not like they cancelled the Switch physical version (0:20:39) Al: and kept the PlayStation physical version, they just cancelled all the physical versions. (0:20:43) Al: And in Japan, the physical version is Switch and PS5. It feels like a weird thing to say. (0:20:50) Codey: I just laughed at the every update has made this lamer. (0:20:54) Al: Yeah, I mean, that’s fair, right? But like, why specifically the Switch version? (0:21:00) Al: like I just thought this is nothing to do with the switch (0:21:03) Codey: because yeah the next comments yeah it just made me laugh the next comment down on this (0:21:03) Al: like this is such a weird comment (0:21:07) Al: because yeah I saw that one as well I just rolled my eyes at it (0:21:12) Codey: shred says level five is a company that has been fumbling since the mid 2010s and very few people (0:21:18) Codey: are talking about it uh I just love the idea that they’ve been fumbling um and then I don’t know (0:21:25) Codey: just I don’t know why that one made me laugh probably because then the next one is it’s the (0:21:30) Codey: the universe punishing them for not making a proper (0:21:33) Codey: Professor Layton sequel in nearly a decade. (0:21:36) Al: Aren’t they making one this year? Yeah. (0:21:38) Codey: Is it them making one? (0:21:40) Codey: Well, I think he’s also saying they also said proper. (0:21:44) Al: Of course, no true Scotsman. (0:21:44) Codey: So perhaps they’re basically yeah. (0:21:49) Codey: It’s not a main series. (0:21:50) Al: No one’s ever happy with anything, ever. (0:21:53) Codey: It’s not a main series Professor Layton game. (0:21:56) Codey: I don’t know. (0:21:57) Codey: It was just this that this is like the top most upvoted (0:22:01) Codey: conversation on this. (0:22:03) Codey: It’s just on this game that no one’s really heard about. (0:22:03) Al: Also, it looks like the last Professor Layton game was a decade ago, so that’s probably (0:22:12) Codey: Oh, okay. It just is. (0:22:13) Al: what the talk about this is, but yeah, I feel like the reason, reading up on this, the reason (0:22:19) Al: they haven’t done one in the last 10 years is probably because the puzzle designer for (0:22:23) Al: the previous Professor Layton games died in 2016. (0:22:27) Codey: Yeah, that would that would do it. That’s a reason. (0:22:33) Al: But it takes a while to kind of rethink what you want to do when your main puzzle designer (0:22:39) Al: in a puzzle game dies. (0:22:42) Codey: Well, I’m trying to figure out how to like still make it feel true to the brand (0:22:48) Al: Anyway. Fun times. Yeah. So there we go. Yes, if you wanted the physical release of this, (0:22:50) Codey: Also, there was a plague there was a plague in there somewhere. Yeah, so (0:22:57) Codey: No physical no physical release for you (0:23:01) Al: I’m sorry. Too bad. I think this game comes out as we’re recording in like three days. (0:23:07) Al: I think it comes out on the 21st, so the day this episode comes out is when the game comes out. (0:23:08) Codey: Hmm. Well, it’s available now digitally. (0:23:12) Al: Tiny Garden. Tiny Garden. They have… (0:23:18) Al: … announced a quality of life patch, and they announced that controller support is (0:23:26) Al: incoming for their game. I played this a little bit on the Steam Deck, but it didn’t have controller (0:23:33) Al: support. However, it was okay using the touchscreen. It wasn’t amazing. I think it could be a little (0:23:41) Al: bit better, but it was doable. It didn’t feel like a lot of games without controller support, (0:23:46) Al: where you’re just like using the touchpad. (0:23:49) Al: Which is just the absolute worst way to interact with anything ever on the Steam Deck, but I’m very happy that they’re adding (0:24:00) Codey: Yep, sorry, my brain was trying to think of an analogy for using touch screen to try and do a mouse and my brain was thinking, trying to make a fork with your fingers. (0:24:14) Codey: It’s like you don’t need to be stuck with the tool, aka the fork or the mouse, when you have a perfectly good other way to do it. Just eat with your fingers. (0:24:26) Al: I understand what you’re trying to say, yes. (0:24:30) Codey: This is the hashtag, just I was off my meds for a day folks thoughts. (0:24:38) Codey: That was that was what came up. They also said that they did say the tutorials thing that you can do the tutorials at any time now. (0:24:46) Al: No, I did not. (0:24:48) Codey: Yeah, that was another thing that they announced. And then, and then the switch port is being discussed. (0:24:51) Al: That’s good. (0:24:55) Al: They’re also releasing Mac very soon. (0:24:58) Codey: Well, I might play it, but not until the– (0:25:00) Codey: I do think it’s a really cute game. I like the concept. (0:25:05) Al: Well, maybe by the time you play it, the summer update will be out then. (0:25:12) Al: And our final piece of news, Dolok Town have released their Early Access Roadmap. (0:25:19) Al: So it’s out in Early Access now, and they have given a Roadmap, and it’s pretty vague (0:25:29) Al: in terms of timelines, but it has an update. Late summer. (0:25:35) Al: This year with ranching and main story updates, and then fall/winter with the gene system and (0:25:43) Al: another main story update, and then first half of 2026 with a new map, farming automation, (0:25:50) Al: my favorite thing, and the main story concluded. It then says to be continued, so I’m guessing (0:25:57) Al: that means that that update is not the 1.0 and the future one will be, but it’s not. (0:26:05) Al: To be continued could mean we’re 1.0, but we’re still going to add stuff. (0:26:12) Codey: » Mm-hmm. This is a very cute Roadmap too. (0:26:12) Al: You never know with people in their Early Access and version. (0:26:20) Codey: They drew a lot of hand-drawn things in it. (0:26:22) Codey: It’s very cute. I really like the, (0:26:24) Codey: in the first late summer 2025 ranching system update, (0:26:27) Codey: they’ve got a couple of really cute llama drawings. (0:26:31) Codey: I’m assuming it’s a llama. (0:26:34) Codey: But then they say regarding community feedback, (0:26:38) Codey: and this just makes me feel like they’ve gotten (0:26:40) Codey: a lot of– (0:26:42) Codey: bad. (0:26:44) Codey: Because they say, as first-time developers, (0:26:46) Codey: we’ve been humbled by the incredible volume of feedback (0:26:49) Codey: this past week. (0:26:49) Codey: The game certainly has its flaws, (0:26:52) Codey: and we’ve made our share of mistakes. (0:26:53) Codey: But we’re thankful to everyone taking the time (0:26:55) Codey: to share their thoughts. (0:26:56) Al: That’s a yeah we know it’s not perfect stop telling us. (0:26:57) Codey: We believe that– (0:27:00) Codey: we get it. (0:27:02) Codey: It’s Early Access. (0:27:03) Codey: Leave us alone. (0:27:05) Codey: We believe the Early Access period (0:27:07) Codey: is all about listening and improving based on player input. (0:27:09) Codey: So they’re doing that, which is great. (0:27:12) Codey: So yeah, that’s Dallat town. (0:27:18) Al: Whoo. All right. We’re going to talk about Ever After Falls. (0:27:22) Codey: So again, you have played it, I have not. (0:27:27) Al: Yes, I have played it. I’ve put 60 hours or so into it, which is a good amount of time. (0:27:35) Al: It’s now in my top five games on Steam, I think, with 60 hours. (0:27:35) Codey: Mm hmm. Wow. What’s your top game? Okay, that makes sense. (0:27:43) Al: Stardew. So I guess a quick introduction to this. (0:27:49) Al: Essentially, it is, it’s a Stardew clone, right? (0:27:54) Codey: Right. (0:27:54) Al: Like, it’s not, there’s nothing in it that would make it significantly like this is a selling point, right? (0:28:03) Al: It’s not, oh, it’s Stardew, but it is, it’s Stardew, I guess, but they’ve changed a bunch of small things. (0:28:12) Al: It feels like they’re trying to do to Stardew what Stardew did to Harvest Moon, right? (0:28:18) Al: Let’s make one. And these are like the 20 things that I don’t like about it. (0:28:23) Al: Here’s how I change them sort of thing. (0:28:26) Al: Whereas a lot of farming games nowadays are it’s Stardew, but in space or it’s Stardew, but prehistoric or, you know, (0:28:38) Al: instead, it’s Stardew, but insert specific thing here. (0:28:42) Al: It’s not that it is very much it’s Stardew. (0:28:47) Al: but we’ve improved a bunch of (0:28:48) Al: things. Which is not a bad thing, I think it’s just important that people are aware (0:28:55) Al: of that’s where we are. So if you’re looking for something unique, that is not this. If (0:29:02) Al: you’re like, I love Stardew, but I’m done with it, I’ve had enough time in there and (0:29:06) Al: I want something similar, this could be what you’re looking for. And I’ve got a lot of (0:29:11) Al: stuff to talk about it. Because there’s, as I say, there’s lots of little things that (0:29:14) Al: make it different, I think most (0:29:18) Al: of it is mostly in good ways, but we can get there when we get there, go for it. (0:29:19) Codey: okay okay I’m going to read the little blurb real quick blurb rediscover the (0:29:29) Codey: simple life farm fish forage and fight to restore the piece in an all-new (0:29:33) Codey: farming adventure features split screen co-op a helpful pet automated drones (0:29:39) Codey: resourceful pixies a card eating progression system and dangerous (0:29:43) Codey: dungeons to delve into they put a lot of alliteration into that that was kind of (0:29:49) Codey: hard to read so as I was looking at some other stuff like some videos and (0:29:56) Codey: stuff about this game a couple questions popped up ready are you ready for some (0:29:59) Codey: quick rapid-fire questions oh just before we jump in okay first question in (0:30:01) Al: Oh, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. (0:30:08) Codey: their gameplay trailer they say that this game is an irreverent farming (0:30:14) Codey: simulator. To remind people, the definition of a reverent is one (0:30:19) Codey: lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence or disrespectful to (0:30:23) Codey: critically critical of what is generally accepted or respected (0:30:27) Codey: or satirical and three showing a lack of reverence. (0:30:32) Codey: That’s so stupid expressive of a lack of veneration. (0:30:35) Codey: That’s a really stupid definition. (0:30:37) Codey: We’re just going to go with satirical or disrespectful. (0:30:40) Codey: Does this game feel satirical or disrespectful? (0:30:44) Al: No. (0:30:44) Codey: Okay, cool. (0:30:46) Al: I mean, it’s not trying to be serious, right? (0:30:52) Al: So it’s not like, oh, it’s the serious farming sim, like a lot of farming sims are nowadays. (0:30:58) Al: But yeah, it’s not like, I feel like to be satirical or disrespectful, there has to be (0:31:05) Al: something you’re, you know, reacting to. (0:31:10) Codey: Yeah and it’s not doing that. (0:31:10) Al: It’s not, it doesn’t feel like it’s, it’s not, it’s not going. (0:31:14) Al: Oh, we’re not paying respect to stardew, right? (0:31:18) Al: Like, I don’t, it doesn’t, there’s nothing there. (0:31:21) Al: It doesn’t, it is lighthearted in most of what it does. (0:31:25) Al: It’s not trying to be the serious one, but the problem is that farming (0:31:29) Al: Sims didn’t start out serious and this isn’t the lighthearted satirical version of that. (0:31:36) Codey: pottagecore is the most serious genre ever actually and I can’t believe that you disagree with that (0:31:44) Codey: statement um okay my next question um they said in that trailer all the cardboard upgrades (0:31:52) Codey: you can eat and then they also say that again and I think what (0:31:56) Al: Yeah, I mean this is just their skills, upgrades you get by consuming cards, and like the consuming (0:32:06) Al: part of it doesn’t really mean much. You eat them technically in-game, but like it may as well be (0:32:13) Al: something else, right? It could just be like a button you press, right? It’s just like you get (0:32:16) Codey: Like, you learned it. (0:32:18) Al: cards that give you an upgrade, like it might give you more attack when you’re in the dungeons, (0:32:24) Al: or it might give you more. (0:32:26) Al: Things you can water at one time, something like that. (0:32:30) Codey: are cards you can play at any time. Oh, it’s permanent. It’s not like a cool down. Are (0:32:32) Al: Yeah, it’s like a permanent upgrade to your skills though. (0:32:37) Al: Yeah, no, they’re permanent skills. (0:32:41) Codey: there things? Are there cards that you can eat that are not other cards for anything (0:32:46) Codey: else in the game? Like, is there a card that’s just like, here’s a cute card? (0:32:47) Al: What do you mean? (0:32:51) Al: No, they’re all they’re all skill upgrades. (0:32:54) Al: They’re quite varied, though, right? (0:32:56) Al: Because obviously there’s ones relating to combat. (0:33:00) Al: So increased attack, increased attack speed, increased movement speed. (0:33:05) Codey: Mm-hmm, right. (0:33:06) Al: And then there’s farming related ones. (0:33:09) Al: But then there’s also like unique ones, which, you know, for example, (0:33:13) Al: one of the things you can do in games is you can have a drone following you. (0:33:16) Codey: Mm-hmm, mmm. (0:33:17) Al: Cards allows you to have a second drone following you. (0:33:20) Al: And there’s like just stuff like that. (0:33:22) Al: There’s there’s nothing. (0:33:26) Al: It’s nothing like, oh, wow, this is the most amazing idea that someone’s put in a game. (0:33:31) Al: It’s just like small improvements in in the game. (0:33:36) Al: It’s like how in Stardew you increase your skill level in something. (0:33:39) Al: And then suddenly you can do more stuff one way, right? (0:33:43) Al: Like you increase your your stamina or whatever. (0:33:43) Codey: Yeah, I was just wondering if there’s like already a card collecting system or something and it’s just sometimes it’s like, oh, wow, this one does something like this does gives you (0:33:53) Al: No, no, no, no, they’re all, they’re all, I guess you’re technically collecting them, (0:34:00) Al: but like it’s you get it and then you eat it and that is marked as in your stats, right? (0:34:08) Al: Like it’s not, yeah, it’s, they’re all, the entire point of it is your stats upgrades. (0:34:08) Codey: how do you get okay okay I see that and I was like we got to put that in the (0:34:14) Al: There’s not, there’s no other cards you get for stuff. (0:34:17) Al: If you weren’t collecting, there is… (0:34:24) Codey: notes it’s already there how do you get the cards (0:34:25) Al: Well this is an interesting part of the game. So there are three ways I’ve found of getting (0:34:37) Al: the cards, one of which is when you complete museum collections you get credits towards (0:34:45) Al: a shop in the museum and then you can buy cards that way. That I’ve found is the easiest (0:34:52) Al: way to do it because there’s like lots of - it’s not just like (0:34:55) Al: oh you’ve done all the bugs you get credit it’s like oh you’ve done the butterflies you (0:35:00) Al: get credit or you’ve done the starfish you get credit or you’ve done this the spring crops you (0:35:02) Codey: - Oh, cute. (0:35:05) Al: get credit so there’s quite a lot of different ones that you can do obviously some of them are (0:35:06) Codey: Okay. (0:35:10) Al: harder than others but you get quite a lot of cards that way you can also get them through quests (0:35:16) Al: that’s a another way of getting them and there are a few of them but obviously you don’t really (0:35:21) Al: have control over when you get them you just get the quest and then you do it you get it (0:35:25) Al: the third way however is is interesting so when you get a when you get a letter in the mail and (0:35:32) Al: you read it that letter stays in your inventory right you just have a letter in your inventory (0:35:39) Al: and then you can either sell it or put it in your storage or you can recycle it and if you (0:35:46) Al: recycle the letter you get a scrap of paper and once you have well you you I think it takes six (0:35:52) Al: sliders to get scrap of paper. (0:35:55) Al: Three scraps of paper, you can create a base card, and then you can go to the printer. (0:36:00) Al: When you go to the printer, you can print out a card on that card, the blank card. (0:36:06) Al: So you take the blank card to the printer and choose which card you want to print on it, (0:36:11) Al: and that’s how you get that card. (0:36:12) Codey: Mm-hmm interesting that is it (0:36:15) Al: Yeah, I think it’s interesting because I’ve never really played one where the letters you get are (0:36:19) Al: just a thing you have in your inventory, and then you have to do something with, (0:36:21) Codey: Yeah (0:36:23) Al: and they gave you something to do with that. (0:36:25) Al: And it means that you’re then like, oh, how do I get more of these, right? (0:36:29) Al: Because I want to get as many bits of paper as possible. (0:36:31) Al: And so you’re trying to like do more quests and stuff to get more letters, (0:36:34) Codey: have people write you letters. (0:36:38) Al: which is an interesting way of doing things. (0:36:40) Codey: Yeah, I mean that’s unique. (0:36:42) Al: Yeah, it’s interesting. (0:36:43) Al: Yeah, I don’t think it’s that like, if you’ve not, (0:36:46) Al: if you don’t, if you’re not looking for a farming game, (0:36:49) Al: it’s not going to be like, oh, this is a game I must play now. (0:36:52) Codey: - Final question that I have before we just dive into like a general overview of the game (0:36:52) Al: But it does like lots of other things I’m going to talk about. (0:36:55) Al: There are lots of little things like that that I feel are really nice (0:37:00) Al: quality of life improvements over other farming. (0:37:08) Codey: provided by you. Why are some of the bees red? Okay. Additional question. Why are some (0:37:11) Al: They’re not. They’re pink. (0:37:17) Codey: of the beast. (0:37:19) Al: I don’t know why is anything anything, Cody? (0:37:21) Al: I don’t know. They’re just they’re pink bees. (0:37:23) Al: And how else are you going to get pink honey if you don’t have pink bees? (0:37:26) Codey: So it’s only pink or black, which is ridiculous because bees aren’t yellow, but OK. (0:37:28) Al: Well, pink or black and yellow, yellow and black. (0:37:35) Al: OK, orange, whatever, I don’t know, pink or normal bee color. (0:37:36) Codey: I’m getting pedantic. You started the pedantry with the pink comment. (0:37:41) Al: There’s bees and then there’s pink bees and bees make honey and pink bees make pink honey. (0:37:47) Codey: OK. Is pink any more valuable? Are pink bees more difficult to raise? (0:37:49) Al: Yes. They’re not they’re not more difficult to raise. (0:37:55) Al: They’re just rarer to find. (0:37:57) Codey: Okay. And do you, like, find them in the wild and then bring them to your hives? (0:37:58) Al: So like I have, I think, 16 bees and I only have two pink bees. (0:38:06) Al: Yeah, you shake trees and the bees fall out the trees. (0:38:09) Codey: That is horrifying. Okay. Well, those are my questions. (0:38:11) Al: OK, so I guess I’ve done a bit of an intro. (0:38:19) Al: We’ve done some Cody questions. (0:38:22) Al: Let’s go through some of the mechanics. (0:38:24) Al: So one one thing about this game, I think I mentioned this last week. (0:38:29) Al: You won’t have heard of this, Cody, because you said you haven’t listened to that episode yet. (0:38:32) Codey: Correct. How does it limit you? (0:38:32) Al: But there is no stamina in this game and time, just time. (0:38:39) Al: So I actually quite like this. (0:38:41) Al: I did this in the last week’s episode, but I’m going to say it again, because it feels it feels relevant here. (0:38:45) Al: I like what one of the things that I’ve I’ve always felt a little bit weird about farming games is how you have two limiting factors. (0:38:52) Al: You have the time and you have the stamina. (0:38:54) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:38:55) Al: And I’ve always felt frustrated by that, where, you know, you’re you’re like, oh, I have done everything I can do. (0:39:02) Al: Early game, I’ve run out of stamina. (0:39:05) Al: There’s nothing left to do. (0:39:06) Al: I have most of the day left because you have such low stamina at the beginning. (0:39:11) Al: And you’re like, I can either, I don’t know, go and buy some food to eat or I can just go to bed and do the next day. (0:39:18) Al: Right. So that’s why I quite often at the beginning of farming games speedrun these things. (0:39:22) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:39:22) Al: Right. Because there’s nothing to do. (0:39:24) Al: You can’t do anything once you’ve run out of stamina. (0:39:26) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:39:26) Al: But the nice thing about this game is that you can just fill your day with doing things. (0:39:32) Al: You can go mining or you can go bug catching or, you know, lots of other things. (0:39:42) Al: And not worry about your stamina. (0:39:43) Al: You’re just caring about the daytime. (0:39:46) Al: I quite like that because you’re still not you know, you’re still limited by money as well. (0:39:52) Al: Right. So like I can’t immediately go and make this massive farm full of crops. (0:39:57) Al: But being able to go fishing the entire day allows you to have a different way of doing things or going in mining because I’ll talk about the dungeons later. (0:40:07) Al: they’re quite a, quite different compared to other front. (0:40:11) Al: farming games, and it’s quite fun to be able to go through them and spend the entirety (0:40:16) Al: of your day once you’ve done your daily tasks, and just go see how far you can get through (0:40:21) Al: the dungeon. I quite like that. Obviously, there was the other option if you don’t want (0:40:27) Al: to, if you want to change that, so you only have one limiting factor, and you don’t want (0:40:32) Al: to get rid of stamina, the other option is you do a Shookajoo Island, and you only have (0:40:37) Al: stamina and the time is based on just when you say. (0:40:41) Al: Okay, I’m done. The day’s done. And I would like to see that in another game that is actually in (0:40:43) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:47) Al: a good game. I don’t think that was the problem with that game. There were many problems with (0:40:50) Codey: That’s fired. (0:40:51) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:52) Al: that game. I don’t think that was the problem. I would like to see a game try that again. (0:40:58) Al: But I like this as well. I think I like games when they try different things. And I think (0:41:03) Al: I think this is better. I’ll put that out there. I think Stardew would be better if it was like (0:41:04) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:41:08) Al: like this as well. (0:41:08) Codey: Is there a way to slow down time, okay (0:41:11) Al: No, give me two seconds and I’ll check because I’ve never cared about that in a game because, like, if you reduce the time, you still have a certain amount of time, right? Like, you’re still, well, it’s not even just that, right? Like, even in this game when you don’t have stamina, right? If you reduce the amount of time in the day, you still got a limited amount of time, right? It’s not like you can just infinitely grind (0:41:26) Codey: The stamina issues. Yeah. (0:41:42) Al: And I’ve always just found it funny because it’s like, oh, oh, no, I don’t have enough time to do everything that I want to do in the day. I’ve done my dailies, right? There’s plenty of time to do what I need to do every day. (0:41:53) Al: And those are the only things that actually matter getting done today because then there’s always tomorrow, right? These games never have a time limit. It’s not like, oh, I’m sorry, you’ve done X number of days, you can’t play the game anymore. (0:42:00) Codey: Yeah. Yeah. (0:42:07) Al: and even stardew which has the try and get a certain progress. (0:42:11) Al: end of two years, if you don’t manage it, you can just do it again. You can at any point (0:42:17) Al: go and do the, you know, talk to grandpa shrine and get your, I can’t even, oh yes, you get (0:42:26) Al: a statue if you have hit the certain amount. You just get it later, right? Like that’s (0:42:30) Al: the whole point of these games is they’re not meant to be stressful. They’re meant to (0:42:33) Al: be do what you want to do and continue. And so I’ve never felt the need to go, oh no, (0:42:38) Al: day needs to be longer because I need to spend more time in the (0:42:41) Al: line before going back to bed. Why? The only time I’ve ever found that to be an issue (0:42:48) Al: is in Stardew when you’re going down Skull Cavern because that resets if you leave. That’s (0:42:57) Al: the only time that that’s a problem. You can change the day length. You can do 100%, 125%, (0:43:00) Codey: Yeah. I think for me. OK. (0:43:05) Al: 150 percent, 200 percent. (0:43:08) Codey: OK, sweet. Yeah, my thing is like sometimes I just would rather have like (0:43:14) Codey: the day go a little bit slower so that I can make sure to get (0:43:19) Codey: because there’s been a lot of times in a Stardew or Coral Island or whatever (0:43:22) Codey: where I’m playing and then I lose track time because hot ADHD. (0:43:27) Codey: and then suddenly it’s like too late like the (0:43:30) Codey: the places are closed. (0:43:32) Al: Do you think a longer day would actually help with that or would it just mean that you’re (0:43:35) Al: forgetting about the day length for more time? (0:43:38) Codey: You know, it might shift the baseline, you’re not wrong. (0:43:41) Codey: But I think that usually it’s like (0:43:46) Codey: after I’m in the mine for a certain amount of time (0:43:50) Codey: or in the ocean for a certain amount of time or whatever, (0:43:52) Codey: I just kind of have like a sense. (0:43:53) Codey: I’m like, I should, like, it’s time to stop doing this. (0:43:57) Codey: And I don’t think that that would change. (0:43:59) Codey: Like, I don’t think that’s based on the time. (0:44:00) Codey: I think it’s just like, okay, I’m done now. (0:44:03) Codey: Like this, I’ve been doing this for 10 minutes (0:44:05) Codey: and I feel like this is a good amount of… (0:44:08) Codey: time to be doing all this stuff in these little caves in the sea or whatever in Coral Island. (0:44:16) Codey: Or I run out of inventory space is another thing and that usually takes a certain amount of time. (0:44:21) Al: Oh, yeah, inventory, remind me about that in a minute, I’ve got to talk about the inventory (0:44:25) Al: in this game. Yeah, I just I just feel like you’d get used to that. I feel like you would (0:44:25) Codey: No, no, okay. (0:44:30) Codey: Okay. (0:44:32) Al: just it would just be the same problem. It’s just instead of instead of wasting 15 minutes, (0:44:37) Al: you’d waste 30 minutes. But I mean, I don’t know. I feel it is it is there. Yeah. (0:44:40) Codey: But the option is there for people who might want to feel as though, as though they’re not stuck in a, in a hellscape of a mental. Yeah. (0:44:49) Al: Yeah, I’m not saying this option shouldn’t be there for the record. I just don’t think (0:44:53) Codey: Yes. (0:44:54) Al: it actually would solve anybody’s problems with these games. (0:44:58) Codey: Yep, I agree. You’re probably right. Cool. (0:45:02) Al: So yes, inventory. It’s hard to talk about inventory without talking about a lot of other (0:45:08) Al: things, so I’m trying to figure out where the best time to talk about that would be. (0:45:13) Al: Let’s talk about the pet, and then I’ll talk about inventory, and then I’ll talk about (0:45:18) Al: by farming, but those things are all (0:45:19) Al: very connected, and you’ll understand why in a minute. (0:45:20) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:45:21) Al: So one of the big things about this game is you have a pet and your pet is very (0:45:22) Codey: OK. (0:45:24) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:45:26) Al: functional, so the moment that you start the game, (0:45:29) Al: you have to go and get a pet and you choose what pet you want. (0:45:32) Al: And that is your pet. (0:45:33) Codey: What are the options? (0:45:34) Al: It is kind of the well, so it’s not like a cat or a dog. (0:45:39) Al: It’s just it’s it’s this kind of it almost looks like a hybrid cat dog. (0:45:46) Codey: Okay. (0:45:47) Al: it’s it’s got some kind of feline features and some (0:45:49) Al: canine features. Well, no, not really. Go look at some (0:45:51) Codey: So it’s a fox. (0:45:56) Al: pictures of it. You can get different colors, I think, but (0:45:56) Codey: I will, I will. (0:45:58) Codey: Okay, but it’s a pet. (0:46:00) Al: it’s it’s not yeah, it’s not meant to be this is a specific (0:46:02) Al: animal. It’s just called a pet. And I think you’ll (0:46:06) Al: understand when you look at it what I mean. And your pet is (0:46:11) Al: very functional. There are certain things that are required (0:46:19) Al: pet. So, for example, your pet is your watering can, right? You (0:46:25) Al: don’t have a watering can. Your pet is the thing that does the (0:46:27) Al: watering. You say water this square and it waters that (0:46:30) Al: square. Your pet does a bunch of other things as well. For (0:46:35) Al: example, your pet can give you extra inventory space. Your pet (0:46:39) Al: can attack enemies. Your pet also, as well as watering, does (0:46:43) Al: the digging up the ground so that you can you can. (0:46:49) Al: Place seeds. So it replaces a bunch of tools in the game and (0:46:56) Al: is required for that. But that means that when you’re (0:46:57) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:46:59) Al: upgrading those things, you’re essentially upgrading your pet’s (0:47:03) Al: ability. So say you start out, I can’t remember how many (0:47:08) Al: spots it is, but your pet has like a queue of things that (0:47:14) Al: you’ve told it to do, right? So say you say dig this square up, (0:47:20) Al: it takes time for them to do it and you can give it a certain (0:47:24) Al: number of things before you can stop. You can’t give it any (0:47:28) Al: more things to do. And it’s kind of like if you’re if you (0:47:33) Al: press and hold and drag, you can say do these nine squares and (0:47:39) Al: that adds all of those nine squares to its queue. So it (0:47:39) Codey: Okay. (0:47:42) Al: allows you to say, you kn

新鲜老歌，老歌新鲜。我是小七，陪你在每一首老歌中邂逅曾经的自己~

Learn about the impressive Pileated Woodpecker, compare it to the possibly extinct Imperial Woodpecker, and discover how these birds are built for powerful pecking. In the companion video class about woodpeckers, explore the unique adaptations that help woodpeckers peck safely, cling to trees, and find food—all while creating a detailed nature journal page to record your discoveries. Join No Sweat Nature Study at NoSweatNatureStudy.com. Use the code NOSWEAT for 50% off your first month of a monthly membership. Buy gift cards for friends and family to join No Sweat Nature Study →  ourjourneywestward.com/downloads/no-sweat-nature-study-live-gift Charter schools can purchase access to No Sweat Nature Study → ourjourneywestward.com/charter Visit the Woodpecker show notes page to see a pileated woodpecker! Share pictures of your nature studies on Instagram or Facebook. Be sure to tag @OurJourneyWestward so Mrs. Cindy will see them! Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review if you enjoy the episodes. Thank you! It helps the podcast so much! :)

It's a special Mother's Day edition of AwesomeCast! Host Michael Sorg is joined by his mom, Cathy—better known as Mom Sorg—for a heartfelt, humorous, and insightful conversation spanning decades of tech, theme parks, drafting, accessibility, and family stories. From tales of riding the Turtle at Kennywood to helping design parts of Epcot's Spaceship Earth, Mom Sorg shares her pioneering journey as a female drafter and AutoCAD specialist in the 1970s and ‘80s. The duo also explore how Cathy's work inspired Sorg's lifelong tech passion and reflect on accessibility in theme parks and the evolution of educational inclusion. Plus, the Chachi Says Video Game Minute brings hot headlines, from GTA 6's record-breaking trailer to surprising job interview trends involving gaming.

It's a special Mother's Day edition of AwesomeCast! Host Michael Sorg is joined by his mom, Cathy—better known as Mom Sorg—for a heartfelt, humorous, and insightful conversation spanning decades of tech, theme parks, drafting, accessibility, and family stories. From tales of riding the Turtle at Kennywood to helping design parts of Epcot's Spaceship Earth, Mom Sorg shares her pioneering journey as a female drafter and AutoCAD specialist in the 1970s and ‘80s. The duo also explore how Cathy's work inspired Sorg's lifelong tech passion and reflect on accessibility in theme parks and the evolution of educational inclusion. Plus, the Chachi Says Video Game Minute brings hot headlines, from GTA 6's record-breaking trailer to surprising job interview trends involving gaming.

This week, Venus teams up with Saturn and both make inspiring connections with the Moon's North Node. The normally mellow Taurus New Moon is disrupted by power struggles, as the Sun squares, and Mars opposes, Pluto. And (appropriately) a listener question about scary Pluto transits. Plus: Saturn tactics for tough times, folded horns, and bathing with Venus! Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you'd like answered on the show? Email April or leave it here! Subscribe to April's mailing list and get a free lunar workbook at each New Moon! Love the show? Make a donation! Timestamps [1:12] Saturn conjuncts the North Node (April 21, 4:31 am PDT) at 26°50' Pisces, on Sabian symbol 27 Pisces, A Harvest Moon. This is the first conjunction between Saturn and the North Node since September 2013. You might succeed in a way that you have envisioned and hoped for, but sometimes the success comes in a form you never could have imagined. [2:28] Venus conjuncts the North Node (April 23, 9:35 pm PDT) at 26°54' Pisces. This transit can indicate that close friends or partners are helping you achieve success.  [3:00] The Sun squares Pluto (April 23, 10:10 am PDT) at 3º47' Taurus-Aquarius. The Sun's Sabian symbol is 4 Taurus, The rainbow's pot of gold; Pluto is on 4 Aquarius, A Hindu healer. Claim your importance, and let go of anything that you no longer need.  [5:26] Venus conjuncts Saturn (April 24, 5:02 pm PDT) at 27°13' Pisces, on Sabian symbol 28 Pisces, A fertile garden under the Full Moon. This concludes a Venus-Saturn series that began on Jan. 18 and repeated on April 7. Are you any clearer about what you want in relationships and in the way you earn your money?  [7:53] Mars opposes Pluto (April 26, 6:05 pm PDT) at 3º48' Leo-Aquarius. The usual interpretation of Mars with Pluto has to do with power struggles and dealing with forces beyond your control. What matters most in these situations is how you handle powerlessness, anger, and frustration. Mars' Sabian symbol, 4 Leo, is A man formally dressed and a deer with its horns folded. Pluto's Sabian symbol is sometimes written as, A Hindu Yogi demonstrates his healing powers. [10:18] Moon Report! The Taurus New Moon is on April 27 (12:31 pm PDT), at 7º46' Taurus. The Moon is exalted in the sign of Taurus, so this is one of the most powerful New Moons of the year. But the Mars-Pluto opposition makes this a little more of a tumultuous New Moon. Taurus is ruled by Venus, so enjoy the sensual aspects of life. The Sabian symbol for this New Moon degree is 8 Taurus, A sleigh without snow. [13:29] This New Moon begins a lunar phase family cycle (LPFC) that unfolds over the next three years. Make a careful note of what your intentions are, what you would like to achieve in your physical health, financial abundance, and sense of security. Jan. 25, 2026 is the First Quarter Moon (first action point) of this LPFC, the Full Moon (awareness point) is on Oct. 25, 2026, the Last Quarter Moon (final action point) is on July 26, 2027. [15:34] Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon periods. On April 22 (2:55 pm PDT), the Moon in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus. It's VOC for 7 hours 12 minutes, then enters Pisces (10:07 pm PDT). Step out of your safety zone to do things on your own. [16:40] On April 24 (7:57 pm PDT), the Moon in Pisces conjoins Venus. It's VOC for 4 hours 27 minutes, then enters Aries on April 25 (12:24 am PDT). Enjoy all of the Venusian things life has to offer, but don't go overboard. [18:11] On April 26 (9:18 am PDT), the Moon in Aries sextiles Jupiter. The Moon is VOC for 14 hours 59 minutes (!!!), then enters Taurus on April 27 (12:17 am PDT). Share the good things that come your way and offer encouraging words to other people. [19:18] Listener Pomahoba asks about scary Pluto transits. [25:00] If you'd like to have a question answered on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com; put “Podcast Question” in the subject line. Free ways to support the podcast: Subscribe, like, review and share with a friend! [25:36] A tribute to this week's donors! If you would like to support the show and receive access to April's special donors-only videos, go to BigSkyAstropod.com and contribute $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.

This week, Venus and Mercury both station direct - for which, oh, be joyful! But first, Venus comes together with serious Saturn, makes a sextile to exciting Uranus, and is in charge of the Libra Full Moon on an intriguing Sabian Symbol. Mercury and Mars point the way to the North Node's pot of gold. And April answers a listener question about medical astrology. Plus: spiritual etiquette, a lurid obsession, and a kilt for the Chief Justice! Join April on Sat. April 12 for a webinar about the annual Solar Return report, and what it says about your whole birthday year! Use code invisiblefriendsr for $5 off registration! Info and registration here.   Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you'd like answered on the show? Email April or leave it here! Subscribe to April's mailing list and get a free lunar workbook at each New Moon! Love the show? Make a donation! Timestamps [1:11] Venus conjoins Saturn (April 7, 4:01 am PDT) at 25º15' Pisces. This is part of an ongoing series of Venus-Saturn conversations about how to make ends meet and how to support ourselves effectively, both financially and in matters of the heart. [3:55] Mercury, retrograde since March 14, stations direct (April 7, 4:08 am PDT) at 26º49' Pisces, on Sabian symbol 27 Pisces, A Harvest Moon.  [6:03] Venus sextiles Uranus (April 7, 9:48 PM PDT) at 25°05' Pisces-Taurus. A rebellious Venus, and if you get too wild, Venus's conjunction to Saturn guarantees that there will be consequences. A motivating transit, especially for more financial freedom, but more financial volatility as well. [7:54] Mercury conjoins the North Node (April 10, 6:01 PM PDT) at 27º23' Pisces. New information comes to light about how to attain desires. [9:08] On April 11 (7:27 am PDT), Mars trines the North Node at 27°22' Cancer-Pisces. What would spiritual, artistic, and romantic satisfaction look like to you?  [10:13] Moon Report! The Full Moon in Libra is on April 12 (5:22 PM PDT) at 23º20' Libra. Full Moons in general, and a Full Moon in Libra in particular, are closely connected with one-on-one relationships. Are our relationships fair, harmonious, in balance? The Full Moon's Sabian symbol is 24 Libra, A third wing on the left side of a butterfly. The Sun and Full Moon form a T-Square with Mars in Cancer, introducing passion and potential for conflict in our closest relationships. [12:32] This is the Full Moon (awareness point) in a lunar phase family cycle (LPFC) that began with the New Moon on Oct. 14, 2023 at 21º07' Libra. The First Quarter Moon in this LPFC (first action point) was on July 13, 2024,  Last Quarter (final action point) comes on Jan. 10, 2026. [14:04] Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon Periods. On April 7 (9:08 pm PDT), the Moon in Leeeeeeooooo squares Uranus in Taurus. It's VOC for 9 hours and 32 minutes, then enters Virgo (April 8, 6:40 am PDT). See things from other perspectives and share the spotlight. [14:56] On April 10 (12:49 pm PDT), the Moon in Virgo opposes Mercury. It's VOC for 5 hours 23 minutes, then enters Libra (6:12 pm PDT). Take time out to meditate on tough decisions. [16:25] On April 13 (3:01 am PDT), the Moon in Libra squares Mars in Cancer. It's VOC for 3 hours 53 minutes, then enters Scorpio (6:54 am PDT).  [17:38] Venus stations direct (April 12, 6:02 pm PDT) at 24º37' Pisces. When Venus is retrograde (since March 1), desires and aesthetics lean toward the unconventional and sometimes knock relationships off balance. Money matters have also been unstable. Venus turning direct should eventually settle relationship strife and financial unrest. The Sabian symbol for this station is 25 Pisces, The purging of the priesthood.  [20:13] Listener Helio asks about medical astrology. Click here to download a medical astrology cheatsheet! For more on medical astrology, follow Kira Sutherland, @astrologyofhealth on Instagram. [27:17] If you'd like to have a question answered on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com; put “Podcast Question” in the subject line. Free ways to support the podcast: Subscribe, like, review and share with a friend! [27:53] A tribute to this week's donors! If you would like to support the show and receive access to April's special donors-only videos, go to BigSkyAstropod.com and contribute $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.

Al and Kev go over the recent news, including everything cottagecore from the Nintendo Switch Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:43: What Have We Been Up To 00:10:49: Feedback 00:13:18: I Know What You Released Last Month 00:15:50: Game News 00:27:39: New Games 00:27:52: Story Of Seasons: Grand Bazaar 00:34:57: Witchbrook 00:36:58: Tomodschi Life 00:42:14: Tamagotchi Plaza 00:48:31: Outro Links Distant Bloom Console Release Monsterpatch Kickstarter Outbound News Story of Seasons: Grand Bizarre Witchbrook Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Tamagotchi Plaza Nexus Mods App Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al, (0:00:36) Kev: My name is Kevin. (0:00:38) Al: and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:42) Kev: Woo! A lot of them. (0:00:45) Kev: A lot of games to talk about. (0:00:45) Al: So many cottagecore games. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So, we just had a Nintendo Direct. (0:00:56) Al: By the time you hear this, there will have been another Nintendo Direct, (0:00:58) Kev: Haha sick. Oh my gosh. It’s that close. Oh my gosh. I’m not ready. I’m not ready (0:00:59) Al: But… (0:01:00) Al: We won’t be talking about that one. (0:01:02) Al: Not in this episode. (0:01:04) Al: Yeah, yeah. I think it’s the day of. Yeah, it’s the second. We release on the second, which is when the… (0:01:10) Kev: Yeah (0:01:11) Al: So, yeah. (0:01:14) Al: Let’s see how this goes. But we are… (0:01:16) Kev: So thank you for tuning in when even we’re not caring about this episode (0:01:22) Al: Hey, hey, I care. I care. (0:01:23) Kev: No, that’s not true (0:01:26) Al: So yeah, we’re going to talk about the switch direct this (0:01:30) Al: well, so we have a greenhouse episode where we talk about the switch direct in its whole, (0:01:35) Al: but we skip over the stuff that we’re going to talk about in this episode, (0:01:39) Al: specifically, it’s cartridge core games. (0:01:40) Kev: Because there was stuff for us. (0:01:43) Kev: Episode, entire episodes of the horror season were announced in that direct. (0:01:49) Al: You’re not wrong, I will say. So we’re going to talk about that. We’ve got some other news, (0:01:56) Al: Because people decided to send out other news as well this week. (0:02:00) Al: And that wasn’t just all in the Nintendo Direct. (0:02:03) Al: We’ve also got the roundup of March because it’s a new month now. (0:02:08) Al: Almost. It will be a new month now. (0:02:10) Al: This is one of those weird months where we are recording in a different month (0:02:14) Al: than we’re releasing, and I was like, do I wait till next week? (0:02:16) Al: But I decided, no, let’s do it in this one, because I’m sure nobody will announce (0:02:18) Kev: Sure. (0:02:21) Al: and release their game in the next two days. Right? (0:02:24) Kev: Oh, oh, oh, oh. (0:02:26) Al: We’ll see. (0:02:27) Kev: There’s you. (0:02:28) Kev: There’s you. (0:02:28) Al: We’ll see. (0:02:31) Al: So we’re going to talk about what released last month, in March. (0:02:35) Al: And we’ve got some feedback that we’re going to talk about as well. (0:02:39) Kev: Oh, oh, that’s that’s a genuinely exciting. I didn’t know that I’m excited (0:02:43) Al: But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:02:46) Kev: Uh (0:02:48) Kev: Gosh, I can’t believe it’s actually been a week since I recorded and it feels like so much has happened (0:02:54) Kev: I got sick in between then and there it was rough (0:02:54) Al: No, no. (0:02:58) Kev: I don’t know if I thought it was a common cold at first. It might have been something a little last year. That’s (0:03:05) Kev: Yeah, the uncommon cold. That’s correct. Um, I (0:03:09) Kev: was breaking it off. Thankfully, but uh, yeah, that that took me down a few pegs over the week, but uh, I (0:03:16) Kev: When I was able to I squeezed in its usual say so on and so forth, but the big one wonder stop I finished it (0:03:25) Kev: I’m just holding up my thumb. You know one can see it, but I am and and that’s all I’m going to say on that because (0:03:33) Kev: One you people should play it because it’s a good game and two (0:03:37) Kev: Maybe who knows I will talk (0:03:39) Kev: about it somewhere in detail, somewhere, someplace, maybe, I don’t know. (0:03:43) Al: So, obviously, not spoilery, but nothing to change on what you said about it in the last (0:03:49) Kev: nope my nope my that is correct it did not crash and burn did not you know (0:03:49) Al: episode. (0:03:50) Al: You’ve not changed your mind. (0:03:58) Kev: scald my I and games there are games that will do that right the last second (0:04:02) Kev: just just ruin everything nope it stumps up all the way yeah so wonder stuff good (0:04:12) Al: Oh, nothing big, I’ve been continuing on Pokemon GO despite everything, because I still genuinely (0:04:12) Kev: stuff what about you well what’s been going on (0:04:23) Al: enjoy that game, and the new TCG Pocket expansion dropped a couple of days ago, so I’ve been (0:04:26) Kev: Now, you know, that’s fair. (0:04:32) Al: opening some packs, getting some cards, I got a shiny something, was that charming? (0:04:33) Kev: Uh, it’s… (0:04:35) Kev: Oh. (0:04:36) Kev: What? (0:04:38) Kev: Uh. (0:04:39) Kev: Okay. (0:04:40) Kev: Like, I, I, I am… (0:04:42) Kev: …interested in… (0:04:45) Kev: …because, you know, in the standard TCG, a new… (0:04:49) Kev: …set, or expansion, or whatever… (0:04:52) Kev: …usually has… (0:04:55) Kev: …stuff. (0:04:55) Kev: Well, it has. (0:04:56) Kev: Certain expectations or expectations are set. (0:04:59) Kev: Let’s say that right sometimes. (0:05:01) Kev: Yeah. (0:05:01) Kev: I mean, yes, there are cool arts that people can want that and so on and so forth. (0:05:06) Kev: Sometimes to ridiculous scalpery like insane levels of the expectations, but there’s gameplay stuff to lots of times, right? (0:05:17) Kev: Like we’re getting the Team Rocket Pokemon are coming back soon in the TCG and that’s cool or you know, we got styles or whatever. (0:05:25) Kev: I like to, there’s, there’s. (0:05:26) Kev: Oh, okay. There you go. That’s a big one. All right. All right. (0:05:35) Al: No, it is. It is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. (0:05:37) Al: So the last the last set included tools, which they hadn’t had before. (0:05:43) Al: Pokemon to and I and also the there’s like Arceus Link. (0:05:52) Al: I don’t know if you know about the Arceus… (0:05:53) Al: Like that was a thing in the physical TCG years ago. (0:05:56) Al: I don’t know if you know what that is. (0:05:56) Kev: Okay, I’m not. I heard whispers of it, but I didn’t look at it. (0:06:01) Al: It’s like abilities that affect Pokemon, (0:06:04) Al: but only if you use– (0:06:05) Al: Arceus, so it’s like if you have Arceus on the field then this happens sort of thing. (0:06:06) Kev: Huh, okay. (0:06:09) Kev: Yeah. (0:06:11) Kev: Oh, that’s a pretty cool idea. Actually, I like that. That’s fun. (0:06:15) Al: It’s very tied to Arceus which obviously limits your deck abilities but– (0:06:19) Kev: Yeah. Yeah. (0:06:21) Al: And then this set there– I mean there’s obviously always cards that have like (0:06:26) Al: new abilities and stuff like that. There’s a different Charizard which– I haven’t looked (0:06:28) Kev: Sure, sure. (0:06:31) Al: into what people are saying but I think looks like a much better Charizard than the previous (0:06:36) Al: one. There is a Giratina that is interesting. Both of those cards are heavily based around (0:06:45) Al: attacks that add energy to them so that then you can use the more powerful attack quicker. (0:06:51) Kev: Hmm, okay (0:06:54) Al: And they did just launch a ranked in pocket as well. So I will not be doing that but that does exist. (0:06:59) Kev: Oh dang pocket pocket going all in all right no longer just the collector app good good for you pocket again (0:07:10) Al: So yeah, yeah, there’s always stuff and then obviously there’s the shinies in the new the new set (0:07:15) Kev: - Yeah. (0:07:17) Al: Which are fun they are they added new missions that get you (0:07:23) Al: You’re able to unlock full decks as well. So you can say like oh I want the Tinkitung on (0:07:28) Kev: Uh-huh. (0:07:29) Al: EX deck and you get all the cards from that which is cool (0:07:32) Kev: Oh, that’s nice. (0:07:33) Al: Yeah (0:07:34) Al: So yeah, yeah, they’re adding stuff (0:07:36) Al: I don’t expect big changes every set because they’ve (0:07:40) Al: basically released a set every month, which is fast. (0:07:44) Kev: That’s that’s a lot. That is a lot. I’m exhausted just hearing that Wow (0:07:49) Al: With with the trading, I am managing to keep up with the (0:07:52) Al: standard cards, obviously not with the secret rares. But yeah, (0:07:56) Kev: prayers and all that, yeah, yeah, sure. (0:07:58) Al: but like with the standard, they call them diamond rarity. I’m (0:08:03) Al: managing to keep up to date with that. So I’m missing two (0:08:06) Al: from the last set and three from the previous set, but I’ll get (0:08:10) Al: to easily if actually put in the effort to look into trading. (0:08:14) Kev: Okay (0:08:15) Al: So that’s not very many. So yeah, I’m just exclusively (0:08:18) Kev: All right, that’s not bad all right (0:08:20) Al: opening the new set just now. (0:08:23) Al: I think that’s everything. I don’t think I’ve been playing (0:08:24) Al: anything. And this is why we’re not talking about Mika this (0:08:26) Al: week. We’ve had a week, but it’s fine. Because we were given (0:08:28) Kev: Yeah, it’s it’s been a week (0:08:35) Al: quite the list of news to talk about. So we didn’t even need to (0:08:37) Kev: Yeah (0:08:39) Al: have an alternate. (0:08:41) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I like (0:08:41) Al: So let’s see how long this takes us. (0:08:45) Kev: So I like how that happened cuz it was like (0:08:48) Kev: Just two days ago something you reached out like hey, I haven’t touched (0:08:53) Kev: Oh, you might we just do news episode. I’m like, that’s great. I have also not touched me good (0:09:00) Al: I was like I really should play the game and then I was like it’s Thursday. I’m not gonna be able to play this enough (0:09:02) Kev: Yeah, but (0:09:07) Kev: Yeah (0:09:08) Al: And it’s not that I don’t want to play the game. It’s just this week has been very busy and very tiring on so many levels (0:09:16) Kev: a lot of levels, I agree, for different reasons for both of us, but somehow, um, law, very (0:09:24) Al: It was Craig, my youngest, he’s really into Astrobot just now and he’s been, he’s really (0:09:29) Al: good at it but he can’t do everything and so there’s a few things he’s been, like he’s done (0:09:34) Al: some of the really hard bosses but there’s like some speed run levels that he’s struggling with (0:09:39) Al: and so he’s been asking me to help him with those ones. But he’s improved so much since he started, (0:09:45) Al: like he’s I think legitimately better than like most adults now, like he’s actually really good, (0:09:50) Kev: Oh, dang! (0:09:51) Al: like he defeated the final boss. (0:09:54) Al: Um, in the game, which is really good. (0:09:54) Kev: Oh, dang! (0:09:56) Kev: Way to go, kid! (0:09:56) Al: Um, I need, the game is now a hundred percent. (0:09:59) Al: He, as I say, he, I’ve done, I did some of that for him, but his save file (0:10:03) Al: is at a hundred percent now, which is wild. (0:10:07) Al: So yeah, but yeah. (0:10:09) Al: So we were sitting down this afternoon after we’d spent the day in Edinburgh. (0:10:13) Al: And he was like, Oh, Daddy, could you help me with this bit? (0:10:16) Al: And I’m like, honestly, Craig, my brain can’t deal with that just now. (0:10:20) Al: Like, it’s just there is too much to deal with in a platform. (0:10:24) Al: platformer that I do not have the energy to focus on that. (0:10:29) Al: So he was like, OK, that’s fine. (0:10:30) Al: I’ll do something else then. (0:10:32) Al: And it wasn’t the problem. (0:10:33) Al: But yeah, it’s just like when your brain can’t even do a 3D platformer, (0:10:37) Al: you know that you’ve had a week. (0:10:40) Kev: Yeah, absolutely (0:10:43) Al: So let’s see how this episode goes. (0:10:45) Al: I hope you’re excited for whatever this is. (0:10:46) Kev: Yeah, oh (0:10:49) Al: Let’s talk about some feedback. (0:10:51) Al: got another Spotify comment, uh, from our, (0:10:53) Kev: Yeah, oh I’m so excited (0:10:54) Al: only Spotify commenter, Jack, but thank you, Jack, for the comment, uh, Jack says, (0:11:01) Al: excellent job on the Grimoire Groves. Um, I think I might try it sometime in the future. (0:11:05) Al: Do you feel the next Coral Island update with children will be a good time to hop back in? (0:11:10) Al: My answer to that is I think it depends. Like if you played the game at 1.0, um, (0:11:16) Al: I think it will be a good time to jump back in. If you played 1.1, probably not. Like I think (0:11:21) Al: Anybody who’s played the game was (0:11:24) Al: 1.0 or before should be probably not now. Until we knew that 1.2 was coming out in the summer, (0:11:32) Al: I would have said just go for it now because 1.1 is such a good update for it. But obviously, if you’re (0:11:39) Al: happy with waiting another couple of months, it’s definitely a good time to jump in. And if you’re (0:11:44) Al: not super interested in multiplayer, I don’t think that other update gives you anything. (0:11:50) Al: so yeah get the get the children go for it (0:11:54) Al: get the children that was weird (0:11:56) Kev: The children (0:11:58) Kev: The children I’d you kids hide your wife (0:11:59) Al: goodness me (0:12:02) Kev: My my opinion is you should wait for the coral island update called fungi store (0:12:08) Al: oh dear (0:12:13) Al: um also has anyone on the team played bookbound on steam? I haven’t heard of anyone saying it, (0:12:19) Al: uh but uh good one to add add to the list it’s a cozy game where you operate (0:12:24) Al: a big store. I was curious about your thoughts if anyone has played it so I yeah interesting (0:12:28) Kev: Yeah, same thing here. (0:12:32) Al: maybe we need to get uh nami on for that episode it’s a big store not a library but (0:12:32) Kev: Oh, that would be fun. (0:12:38) Al: they’re basically the same thing right a big a big store is just capitalist version of a library (0:12:40) Kev: Yeah, it’d be. (0:12:45) Al: right libraries are socialism big stores are capitalism that’s how you understand the difference (0:12:46) Kev: It is, yes. (0:12:50) Kev: There you go. (0:12:54) Al: thank you for your comment jack and this is just a reminder that if you comment on spotify or you (0:12:58) Al: send us feedback from our website we will probably mention you on the podcast because we don’t get (0:13:04) Al: enough to to get it too busy like I mean if we ever get popular then i’m not promising that we’ll (0:13:09) Kev: that’s right (0:13:09) Al: do that for everyone but when we get one every three months i’m gonna mention it on the podcast (0:13:18) Al: uh kevin it’s time for I know what you released last month (0:13:22) Al: I’ve settled on that name. (0:13:24) Kev: Did you decide? (0:13:24) Al: We have quite the list of games that came out in March. (0:13:28) Al: So we’re starting off with Grimoire Groves. (0:13:30) Al: Obviously, we’ve covered that. (0:13:32) Al: That came out in March. (0:13:34) Al: Desktop Cat Cafe came out in March. (0:13:36) Al: That was the Cat Cafe Rusty-like. (0:13:40) Al: I don’t know anyone that’s tried it yet, but… (0:13:40) Kev: all right (0:13:44) Kev: yeah I i don’t either (0:13:46) Al: Believe it or not, Sugardew Island came out in March. (0:13:48) Kev: uh… i’ve heard the rumors that (0:13:50) Al: I was going to say it feels like longer than that, (0:13:54) Al: but that’s because I played it in February, so that’ll be why. (0:13:58) Kev: hmm (0:14:00) Al: Wonderstop came out, obviously. (0:14:02) Kev: died (0:14:02) Al: We had the fantastic episode about that last week. (0:14:04) Al: Good job. (0:14:04) Kev: go one, play it, go, go play it (0:14:08) Al: Mudborne came out. (0:14:08) Al: That’s the Frog Apical. (0:14:10) Kev: good name (0:14:10) Al: Apical, but frogs. (0:14:12) Kev: still great name, little bit (0:14:14) Al: I know somebody who will be playing it. (0:14:18) Al: I don’t think they have started playing it, (0:14:18) Kev: da, ah, ah, ah, ah (0:14:20) Al: but I know someone who will be playing it. (0:14:24) Kev: secrets (0:14:26) Kev: it’s not me (0:14:26) Kev: Hope it’s not me. (0:14:28) Al: Maybe it is, nothing you know who it is anyway, but honeyman sir, early access released as (0:14:29) Kev: It’s news to me if it is. (0:14:37) Al: well, as well as galactic getaway early access, apparently I backed that one on Kickstarter (0:14:43) Al: because I got a key in an email yesterday, which was like, oh, I don’t remember backing (0:14:45) Kev: Hahaha, surprise! (0:14:50) Al: this, but fair enough, I’ve got a game, it’s a little present to me from two years ago. (0:14:58) Al: Technically will be last month by the time this episode comes out, Space Sprouts came (0:15:03) Al: out on the 31st of March. Thankfully they announced it before we recorded the episode (0:15:08) Al: so we could include it. Busy month, biggest month of the year so far. Let’s turn it down (0:15:16) Al: a little bit because that’s too many games. Thanks, please and thank you. Oh, a lot of (0:15:18) Kev: No, Nintendo finally said no. (0:15:26) Al: games. Let’s see how that (0:15:28) Al: continues. But that’s what released last month. Are you (0:15:32) Al: playing any of these other games that you that aren’t (0:15:36) Kev: uh if any of them probably be mud born because I like frogs it’s a good name I don’t know i’ll (0:15:44) Kev: see how it goes though but there it’s not high on my priority list other ways (0:15:48) Al: It’s fair enough. Fair enough. Let’s talk about the game news then. So yeah, we’re going to start (0:15:54) Al: with games that we know about that have announced something new. So first up, Distant Bloom. It’s out (0:16:03) Al: on PlayStation and Switch. So it was already out on Steam, but now it’s out on PlayStation 4, (0:16:04) Kev: There you go go (0:16:09) Al: PlayStation 5 and Switch. So if you were wanting to play it, but you’re waiting for it to be on (0:16:10) Kev: There you go, I (0:16:13) Kev: I I didn’t even remember this game to be honest, but I looked up. It looks fine (0:16:13) Al: console, there you go. (0:16:21) Kev: I’d like yeah (0:16:22) Al: This is the game where you are cleaning a planet, I think, (0:16:28) Al: and you have to save plants. (0:16:28) Kev: Yeah (0:16:31) Kev: I do like that (0:16:34) Kev: I think (0:16:35) Kev: Yeah, I like that kind of terraforming or nature restoration (0:16:40) Kev: Sort of premise more than just your standard farm generally speaking. I think so that is cute. I like (0:16:48) Al: Well, this game came out almost exactly a year ago on Steam, 27th of March last year. (0:16:54) Kev: Wow. (0:16:55) Kev: Why? (0:16:56) Kev: Well, it’s not too bad if I turn around to get your ports out. (0:16:58) Al: Yeah, yeah, not bad. (0:17:01) Al: Next, we have Monster Patch. (0:17:03) Al: The Kickstarter is live and we therefore have a lot more information about Sean (0:17:08) Al: Young’s upcoming Monster Collector game. (0:17:11) Kev: Not just out of the things dang funded of course (0:17:16) Al: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:17:17) Al: It’s currently sitting– (0:17:18) Al: so it’s doing pretty good, doing pretty good. (0:17:22) Kev: Yeah, that’s correct Shocker (0:17:27) Al: I have backed it. (0:17:28) Al: Have you backed it, Kevin? (0:17:29) Kev: Not yet (0:17:30) Al: Are you going to? (0:17:31) Al: Or are you going to wait till it’s out? (0:17:35) Kev: I don’t know how to think about it. Maybe not bad. What do I get for backing? Yeah, I don’t know (0:17:39) Al: A future present. This is the thing. If you think you’ll have more money in the future, (0:17:44) Kev: The future present (0:17:51) Al: don’t back the game, right? Because why would you pay for a game now when you’ll have more money in (0:17:52) Kev: You know, you know. (0:17:57) Al: the future? If you think “I won’t have more money in the future” or “I have enough money to buy it (0:18:03) Al: just now”, back it because it’s fun to get a free game later on. Yeah, there you go. (0:18:10) Al: And you don’t have to worry about it not being funded because you didn’t support it, (0:18:14) Al: because it’s already funded. Assuming 90% of people don’t pull out. Because you can, (0:18:16) Kev: yeah fair I guess (0:18:20) Kev: yeah that would yeah (0:18:21) Al: but they won’t. 2,000 people have backed it so far. Fair. (0:18:24) Kev: i’ll wait i’ll wait to see because I need I want to see more (0:18:29) Kev: about the game I guess like how is (0:18:32) Al: Well there’s another good reason to wait, as well as the Kickstarters only for a Steam key. (0:18:39) Al: He’s not promising it’ll be on Switch, and it’ll be later on. So if you want Switch, (0:18:41) Kev: but yeah yeah probably and and there’s (0:18:45) Al: don’t back it, because that’ll just be a separate thing later on. Which I’m going to guess he will (0:18:51) Al: do it, because Littlewood went to Switch, and you know, people like Switch. (0:18:58) Kev: money when people like things (0:18:59) Al: That too. That too. That too. What I find really fun about this is that he’s doing the thing where (0:19:09) Al: he’s trying to create a save file, because he has both versions of it. So it’s a fun little nod to (0:19:12) Kev: Yeah. (0:19:23) Al: how Pokemon games do that, but without actually the negatives of it. (0:19:26) Kev: yeah bless you um that yeah that like it’s kind of dumb to think about that it wasn’t (0:19:34) Al: Yeah. (0:19:35) Kev: part like but I just never even considered that we had the technology we’re here this is the future (0:19:42) Al: Here’s a secret for you. The actual, the Pokemon games are both versions as well. They just (0:19:43) Kev: but um but that is a very cool thing to do um yeah yeah (0:19:51) Al: have a config in them that says which version is and you can’t change it. Because of course (0:19:54) Kev: Yeah, I forgot about that. You’re totally right. (0:19:56) Kev: That’s super true. (0:20:01) Al: they are. Why would they actually make two different games? It’s the same game. (0:20:02) Kev: Yeah, you’re super right. (0:20:06) Kev: Good stuff. Good times. (0:20:10) Kev: But yeah, very cool, though, that he does that. (0:20:12) Kev: And you can trade with yourself. (0:20:14) Kev: You can become that one penny arcade panel. (0:20:18) Al: Yeah. (0:20:18) Al: Yeah. (0:20:23) Al: I don’t actually know if it has trees. (0:20:28) Kev: I read somewhere you could trade between your save files. (0:20:31) Al: trade Mons and interact with your other save files through trading version (0:20:36) Al: exclusive Mons items and turn decorations player will be players will (0:20:39) Al: be able to 100% their save files in either version there will also be unique (0:20:43) Al: game mechanics that utilize characters from different saves like battling your (0:20:46) Al: character from past playthroughs and that’s cool so it’s try interact with (0:20:51) Al: your other save files that yeah so that means you don’t you can just do it on (0:20:54) Al: one one device as well you don’t even have to have two devices to save which (0:20:56) Kev: Yeah, mhm (0:20:58) Al: which is probably actually simpler than trading between (0:21:02) Al: devices, right? Because he can just modify the saves on this one thing (0:21:02) Kev: Yeah, oh it probably actually is (0:21:10) Al: rather than dealing with that inter-device communication. (0:21:12) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s a very good point. Yeah, it’s shocker. It’s actually easier. (0:21:14) Al: It’s very clever. (0:21:19) Al: It’s quite cool. I like it. I’m looking forward to this. And I think I like the (0:21:25) Al: monster designs. Almost said Pokemon. The monster designs. (0:21:28) Kev: Hahaha, she’s already getting in their crosshairs we go we care (0:21:31) Al: Yeah, you play as Gary. (0:21:37) Kev: Yeah (0:21:40) Kev: You’re playing as as Gary Powell, I believe his name is (0:21:41) Al: The monster designs are fun and unique, but also feel distinct from other monster collecting games. (0:21:54) Kev: Yeah, it’s such, I say this as someone who’s fooled around with trying to design fake mods like it’s so difficult because the bar is so clear and and you know, it’s set. So, you know, how do you stand out but there’s there’s some fun ones. There’s definitely some fun ones in here. (0:22:19) Kev: I like, I like little shark guy. (0:22:22) Kev: That’s a whooper though, that’s still just a whooper. (0:22:24) Kev: I’m sorry. (laughs) (0:22:26) Al: shh. There’s also collecting and crafting and magic, which is, is, oh, I like it. Some (0:22:37) Al: people don’t, but I like collecting and crafting in games. (0:22:40) Kev: Yeah, let’s let’s see how it goes. The animations. It looks good because it’ll very much. It’s fascinating because he got the aesthetic of the, you know, the Game Boy color, Pokemon games, but the animation looks pretty dynamic and fluid and it’s nice. You can move your house and stuff around. (0:23:02) Al: Yes, yes, town building mechanics, like in Littlewood. I haven’t seen anything as to (0:23:08) Al: whether they have terraforming or not, because Littlewood did, but that feels a more complicated (0:23:15) Al: thing to do in a game where you’re like exploring and catching monsters and stuff like that. (0:23:18) Kev: Yeah. (0:23:22) Al: So maybe it won’t have terraforming, but there is at least some level of town customisation. (0:23:27) Kev: yeah the four team battles that’s a fun little thing that’s different and then (0:23:34) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m looking forward to this and trying very hard not to buy the physical (0:23:36) Kev: you make carts (0:23:43) Al: edition of both versions because I don’t need it. (0:23:47) Al: I don’t need it. (0:23:48) Kev: Is that, are you sure? (0:23:50) Al: I don’t need it. (0:23:50) Kev: You don’t need it, no, but it’d be nice. (0:23:52) Al: I don’t need it. (0:23:53) Al: All right. (0:23:55) Al: I’m sure we’ll talk about this game much more in the future. (0:23:58) Al: Next we have the most pointless piece of news ever, but I’m going to talk about it anyway. (0:24:02) Al: outbound the campervan game have said that (0:24:04) Al: we’re going to have some news on the 10th of April. (0:24:06) Al: That’s it. We’re done. Great. (0:24:07) Kev: It’s it’s the teaser for two days before the trade the teaser trailer that movies do now (0:24:12) Al: It’s news about news, it’s an announcement of an announcement. (0:24:14) Kev: Yeah (0:24:17) Kev: Yeah, I’m excited. Oh (0:24:18) Al: And it’s not even before the next episode. (0:24:20) Al: We have to wait two episodes to talk about this. (0:24:22) Al: What is this nonsense? (0:24:27) Al: Anyway, will it be a release date? (0:24:30) Al: That’s my guess. (0:24:31) Kev: Probably boy be you better be something good if it’s not (0:24:38) Al: Well, so I don’t think it will actually be the release date, (0:24:40) Al: because the alpha isn’t even out yet, which is coming in April. (0:24:42) Kev: Well, I bet I meant the release date for the alpha (0:24:45) Al: That’s so anticlimactic, if it’s that. Like, I don’t care. Go away. (0:24:49) Al: Come back to me with a finished game. Come on. (0:24:54) Al: We have some release dates from the Nintendo Switch Direct. (0:24:59) Al: Fantasy Life I The Girl Who Steals Time is coming on the 21st of May. (0:25:04) Kev: I’m so excited. My brothers excited fantasy lives. There’s a lot going on here (0:25:11) Kev: Like are you familiar with the original fantasy life at all? (0:25:15) Kev: okay, um (0:25:16) Kev: so the original conception for (0:25:19) Kev: the original fantasy life was a (0:25:22) Kev: single-player (0:25:24) Kev: Non-violent MMO that was like literally the the pitch for it (0:25:30) Kev: um and it uh they didn’t go the non-violent thing in the end they ended the combat (0:25:34) Kev: classes but uh but they did keep the single-player aspect it’s a single-player (0:25:41) Kev: MMO basically with different classes and you can switch between them and you do different (0:25:45) Kev: things and yada yada it’s very gr- and very grindy sort of game like MMOs um uh but uh (0:25:54) Kev: very cute very charming by level five the professor late in the okai watch people (0:25:59) Kev: they’re very good at writing so uh very enjoyable game in my opinion um Calvin (0:26:04) Kev: my brother plays a lot too um so you know we got a lot of mileage into that um and but they’re (0:26:09) Kev: really ramping it up here because we’re going way past the the MMO skeleton um we we we got (0:26:16) Al: Yeah, this is a life seminar, basically. (0:26:18) Kev: basically because you you’re now and there were some aspects of that you could decor your house (0:26:22) Kev: but now we’re terraforming we got the animal crossing terraforming in here which is wild to me (0:26:28) Kev: um I don’t even know how that’s gonna fit in like i’m sure you can (0:26:34) Kev: terraform the whole world it’s probably just like maybe your home plot or something but uh (0:26:39) Al: Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, uh, what’s it called? What was the game? Um, the Dragon (0:26:47) Al: Quest was a Dragon Quest game builders. Yeah. They, you could terraform the whole world (0:26:48) Kev: Builders yeah (0:26:51) Al: there. Couldn’t you possible. (0:26:52) Kev: Yeah, you could oh man, that’d be wild if he could (0:26:56) Kev: Maybe I it’s possible either way fantasy life sick. I’m looking forward to it. It’s coming real soon. May 21st (0:27:04) Al: The Wandering Village is coming to Switch on the 17th of July, so that’s cool. (0:27:10) Al: I still haven’t played this game. (0:27:12) Kev: Yeah, me neither (0:27:14) Kev: Will I now I don’t know maybe (0:27:18) Kev: Well idea you’re playing on a big dinosaur (0:27:21) Al: And Luz Lagoon have announced that their Switch release is coming in the summer of this year. (0:27:28) Kev: to have alloy at home over the summer now (0:27:34) Al: Yeah, so that’s all of the news about games that we already know about. (0:27:39) Al: So we’re now going to talk about new games that we didn’t know about, (0:27:43) Al: and all of these were announced in the Nintendo Direct. So here we go. (0:27:51) Kev: Let’s do this! (0:27:51) Al: Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. This is a remake of Harvest Moon DS Grand Bazaar. (0:28:02) Al: If you don’t understand why a Harvest Moon game is now called Story of Seasons, (0:28:06) Al: I don’t have time to explain that to you just now. It is how it is, right? Harvest Moon is now Story (0:28:08) Kev: that’s that’s that long and short of it yeah (0:28:12) Al: of Seasons, and Harvest Moon is not Story of Seasons. It wouldn’t be confusing if they just (0:28:19) Al: renamed it. (0:28:21) Al: The confusing thing is that Harvest Moon still exists, that’s what’s confusing about it. (0:28:25) Kev: Yeah, yeah, and the worst part is it works, right? Like the other Harvest Moon series, (0:28:34) Kev: it’s still kicking. They’re still pumping stuff out. (0:28:38) Al: So, this is coming in August, the 27th of August, a little birthday present for me. (0:28:46) Al: I’m excited because, I mean, this is one that I never played and the graphics, I think this (0:28:53) Al: looks gorgeous. (0:28:54) Al: It looks, it’s kind of similar to “Story of Seasons - Pioneers of All the Times” graphics, (0:28:58) Al: but it’s definitely nicer, I think. (0:29:01) Al: Yeah, I like the look of it. (0:29:05) Al: I guess when you get close up to the characters, they look very much like. (0:29:08) Al: I’m not a huge fan of how close up you get in those discussions, but when you’re zoomed out and you’re seeing the world and it looks really fun, I need to figure out what the deal is with the traveling in this game, because it looks like someone has a paraglider. (0:29:28) Kev: it very much looks like the the Korok Lee from Wind Waker that you’re flying around with. (0:29:34) Al: Yeah. (0:29:36) Kev: I don’t know. There is you’ve got your cows so you know all the base is covered. We’ve got the (0:29:38) Al: Looks like there’s a good amount of character customization. (0:29:46) Kev: bazaar thing itself is an interesting mechanic right the the Moneco night market style set your (0:29:53) Kev: stuff and sell your wares. (0:29:56) Al: Yeah, we’ll see. I worry it’ll feel like I’m not on… (0:30:03) Al: Maneko, I quite enjoyed because of how fast paced and how limited it was. (0:30:08) Kev: Uh-huh. (0:30:09) Al: And I think it worked really well. (0:30:12) Al: I’m worried I wouldn’t enjoy it in this one because it feels much more frequent and slower. (0:30:16) Kev: Uh-huh. (0:30:20) Kev: That’s very possible. I understand your concern. (0:30:24) Al: Yeah, this is 100% just a paraglider. He jumps off a cliff and he’s got the paraglider. (0:30:31) Al: Fine, sounds great. Why have we not had that in other three seasons games? (0:30:36) Kev: I mean, I don’t think– has there ever been a need? (0:30:38) Al: What’s this nonsense? (0:30:42) Al: There’s always a need. Trio of Towns did a fun thing where you could jump, (0:30:46) Al: and you could jump up things. I really liked the movement in that game, and then they kind of just (0:30:52) Kev: Hmm (0:30:53) Al: just stop doing that as well. (0:30:54) Kev: That’s wild (0:30:55) Al: Yeah, I would just like, I don’t even care necessarily about it speeding things up. (0:31:01) Al: I just find it fun to be running around and jumping at the same time. (0:31:04) Kev: Yeah, you know that’s very fair. That’s very fair (0:31:05) Al: But it’s just fun to do that. (0:31:09) Al: The blurb for this. (0:31:11) Al: Searching for a peaceful farm life? (0:31:13) Al: A fresh mountain breeze and your own market stall? (0:31:16) Al: Look no further than the friendly community of Zephyr Town. (0:31:18) Al: Here you’ll grow crops and raise animals. (0:31:20) Al: Get to know the locals and sell your wares at the town’s bazaar (0:31:25) Al: to its farmer glory. (0:31:26) Al: Everything is always being restored to its farmer glory in these games. (0:31:29) Kev: always always good girl yeah basically oh that’s story of seasons like it’s it’s (0:31:32) Al: Make Zephyr Town great again. (0:31:42) Kev: you know it’s it’s the standard it’s gonna be good like standard for a reason right like (0:31:50) Al: OK, so it says use windmills to create new products to sell and effortlessly travel (0:31:57) Al: across the town on your glider. (0:31:59) Al: I have a question. Do they not understand (0:32:01) Al: how windmills work and they are implying that the windmills are creating the wind (0:32:05) Al: for you to travel with? I don’t know. (0:32:08) Al: That’s what it sounds like to me. (0:32:09) Kev: Maybe, you know, that’s how it works now. (0:32:11) Al: It feels like it’s a cause and effect (0:32:14) Al: sentence, but that doesn’t make any sense, right? (0:32:16) Al: that use the wind for both of those things but not the wind. (0:32:20) Al: I mean, Tree of Towns was a 3DS game and this was a DS game, so I guess maybe it sounds (0:32:28) Kev: Probably from what you describe. I’m gonna guess yes (0:32:34) Kev: Yeah (0:32:35) Al: like they were continuing that from this to Tree of Towns. (0:32:37) Kev: That’s what I’m thinking (0:32:40) Al: Well, I’m going to buy it, right? (0:32:44) Al: I’m not going to pretend. (0:32:47) Al: The question is, will I buy the… (0:32:56) Kev: The Deluxe Mega Collector’s Rare Edition. (0:33:06) Al: platforms, which retailer, Amazon Boo, is the only retailer, 65 pounds. (0:33:14) Kev: That doesn’t sound that bad. (0:33:15) Al: The standard is 45 pounds, so it’s 20 pounds difference for the limited edition. (0:33:22) Al: The limited edition doesn’t mention what it actually does. (0:33:25) Kev: I was about to ask but wait was that included is in cow does it include a cow plush at all because that’s (0:33:31) Kev: That’s the real money maker (0:33:32) Al: I had this in a link, and I now no longer have it in the link, and I’m really annoyed (0:33:36) Al: about that. Here we go. I’ve got it now. Fantastic. Fantastic. The limited edition copy includes (0:33:46) Al: The Game, a plush Suffolk sheep, so not a cow, but a Suffolk sheep, a poster, a physical (0:33:54) Kev: No, that’s alright. (0:33:57) Al: art book with over 115 pages of cosy art. Why is the art cosy? I don’t know. (0:34:02) Kev: That’s a lot of art. That’s a pretty decent sized art book. (0:34:02) Al: And an original soundtrack CD. The digital deluxe version includes the trunk of transformation (0:34:07) Kev: Not bad overall. (0:34:14) Al: DLC, and the super deluxe digital edition includes a digital art book and soundtrack (0:34:19) Al: app in addition to the items from the deluxe version. And that is the same cost as the (0:34:25) Al: physical limited edition. Will the physical limited edition not come with the DLC? That (0:34:31) Al: That feels weird. (0:34:32) Kev: that’d be wild nope you don’t know nothing (0:34:33) Al: We don’t know anything about that DLC. (0:34:38) Al: Well, I guess we’ll find out in time. (0:34:41) Kev: yeah all right the plush questions answer that’s all I needed though i’m probably not gonna get (0:34:47) Kev: it right it’s like oh yeah or I mean the physical whatever edition will I get the game so yeah maybe (0:34:48) Al: Fair, fair, fair, fair, maybe, maybe. (0:34:55) Kev: I do enjoy story of seasons (0:34:58) Al: Next we have Witchbrooke. (0:35:01) Al: Discover magic and mystery in Witchbrooke, a spellbinding witch life sim (0:35:04) Al: for up to four players. (0:35:06) Al: Start your life as the newest resident of witch in the bustling seaside (0:35:11) Al: city of Mossport. (0:35:12) Al: Make friends, find love and discover a world filled with wonder and charm on (0:35:16) Al: the road to graduation and beyond. (0:35:19) Al: Look, you can, it’s a 2D witch game where you can write a broom. (0:35:22) Al: That’s, do I need to tell you anymore? (0:35:22) Kev: I was about to say finally Cozy Games and Witchcraft at long last! (0:35:29) Al: I don’t really care about the witchcraft part of it. (0:35:31) Al: What I care about is the broom. (0:35:33) Al: I’ve, if I can write a broom in your game, I’m probably going to buy it. (0:35:36) Al: I want to be able to fly. (0:35:39) Al: Just let me fly. (0:35:40) Kev: yeah that’s a pretty good one um I like the graphics they’re going for a (0:35:47) Kev: 2d isometric like pixel gba ds era graphic style I like it um uh well I play it I don’t know (0:35:58) Kev: because I got a slot but but it looks well done very true very (0:36:01) Al: Will I buy it? Probably. Will I play it? (0:36:03) Al: We’ll see. Those are two different questions. (0:36:10) Kev: true um (0:36:12) Al: um yeah no I i I i i’m I think it’s I think it looks great and is getting a lot of buzz online (0:36:17) Kev: yeah no it looks it has all your your staples and all the all the good stuff you want your marriage (0:36:24) Kev: and your your relationships and crafting and things (0:36:30) Al: Apparently, this game was first announced seven years ago, and then they’ve never said anything about it ever again. (0:36:36) Kev: That’s wild I didn’t know that that’s wild (0:36:40) Al: Someone in the YouTube comments says, “7 years of radio silence for it (0:36:44) Al: finally to surface on a Nintendo Direct.” (0:36:48) Kev: and is a silk song of an earlier generation. Yeah, Jack. (0:36:54) Al: Yeah, I really like, I really like the graphics. (0:36:59) Al: Tomodachi Life, not Tamagotchi Life, Tomodachi Life. (0:37:03) Kev: That’s that’s another one (0:37:08) Al: I googled, I started googling Tamagotchi Plaza, which is the the other game we’re about. (0:37:14) Kev: Yeah, and you discovered a whole list of new episodes, let’s talk about that vape sometime. (0:37:16) Al: Hey Google, shut up. (0:37:20) Al: And I, yeah, one of them was Tamagotchi life. (0:37:24) Al: Someone just doesn’t know how to spell Tamagotchi, right? (0:37:27) Al: They heard it and thought it was Tamagotchi life, or just confusing the games. (0:37:33) Al: Anyway. (0:37:34) Al: Tamagotchi life. (0:37:35) Al: No. (0:37:36) Al: Yes, that’s what we’re talking about just now. (0:37:37) Al: Tamagotchi life. (0:37:38) Al: I got confused myself, because I wasn’t sure which one we were talking about. (0:37:42) Al: After over 10 years, Tamagotchi life is back and coming to Nintendo Switch. (0:37:46) Al: So this is like me, Animal Crossing, right? (0:37:50) Kev: of sorts gets a bit more wild than that it’s more like somewhere between Animal (0:37:58) Kev: Crossing and the Sims I would say that’s it’s closer to the sims I think even (0:38:04) Kev: because you don’t actually control a character you’re just watching the the (0:38:10) Kev: drama that ensues when you put all your friends and me’s and oh you not play (0:38:12) Al: Oh, you’re not actually controlling any of these characters. (0:38:17) Kev: Like Tomodachi? (0:38:18) Al: I have not, no, no. (0:38:18) Kev: Life or familiar? (0:38:20) Kev: Okay, yes, no, no you are not controlling the characters or okay to be fair. I’m not played myself (0:38:24) Al: Not directly controlling them. (0:38:26) Kev: Yeah, not directly controlling them (0:38:26) Al: You mean like in the Sims, you like can tell them what. (0:38:30) Kev: Okay, yes, um I to be fair (0:38:32) Kev: I’m not played myself, but I’ve watched my sister and Sami familiar with the the thing and it’s more or less (0:38:37) Kev: Yes, just you have a whole bunch of me’s you’re letting them into (0:38:41) Kev: You letting them loose into the house and watching all the hijinks that ensues as they do things as they if all in love (0:38:50) Kev: Become friends throw (0:38:53) Kev: Sports balls at each other. I don’t know (0:38:56) Kev: It’s a zany game and this one’s turning up the zany up to 11. We got we got giant people (0:39:03) Al: Yes, that was very funny at the end. It’s just like the person running towards the camera and (0:39:08) Al: then they just get bigger and bigger and bigger. You’re like “oh my word, what’s happening here?” (0:39:09) Kev: Bigger, yeah (0:39:14) Al: I legitimately thought this was just like Animal Crossing. I’m now watching a gameplay video (0:39:17) Kev: No, no, no (0:39:20) Al: of Tamadachi Life from the 3DS and I have no idea what’s happening. (0:39:23) Kev: Yeah, that’s that sounds correct. I don’t think you you’re even if you were (0:39:28) Al: Is any of this gameplay or is this just like a film? Are we just watching a really weird (0:39:33) Kev: a little bit maybe a little bit, but it’s (0:39:33) Al: film? Is this like The Sims Cross with WarioWare? Because it feels like some of it’s like minigames. (0:39:40) Kev: Maybe a little bit (0:39:44) Kev: And it’s a little bit some stuff will pop up you never know in the Tomodachi, huh? (0:39:48) Al: What is happening in this game? A pretzel appeared. What will Big Bad Pig do? What is this? (0:39:56) Al: I’m so confused. Yes, now I need to buy this game. (0:39:59) Kev: Well, aren’t you curious that’s (0:40:03) Al: Anyway, it’s coming next year. This is like an actual Nintendo game though, right? This isn’t (0:40:03) Kev: See you got to know what happens with the pretzel (0:40:09) Kev: You (0:40:11) Al: like third party. Nintendo make this. It’s coming in 2026. People are excited. I’m confused. (0:40:11) Kev: Yeah, it is (0:40:14) Kev: Stage on smash (0:40:25) Al: I clearly completely misunderstood what this game was and I am so confused. Okay, look. (0:40:33) Al: We’ll talk about it I’m sure. Why are these characters throwing items at each other? (0:40:35) Kev: ha ha ha ha oh i’m excited oh why why not they might be playing games they might be if you (0:40:44) Kev: think it’s unsure you have to play the game to get your answers it’s the only way to know could be a (0:40:50) Kev: talent competition possibilities are endless yeah toma means friend I think in japanese i’ve heard (0:40:52) Al: Tomodachi means “friends” and Dachi is plural, so it’s “friends”. (0:41:02) Kev: yeah okay that’s fruit so yeah (0:41:06) Kev: put you all your oh man you know what this means we can put all the I other ths hosts (0:41:13) Kev: into one tamodachi life house and watch the drama that will unfold (0:41:18) Al: Oh so you like actually get your “me’s” from other people. (0:41:21) Kev: you can yeah or yeah or I i mean I don’t know how (0:41:22) Al: Oh my word. (0:41:24) Al: “The game follows the day-to-day interactions of “me” characters,” referred to as the Islanders. (0:41:29) Al: “They build relationships, solve problems, and interact with the player.” (0:41:32) Kev: The possibilities are endless. (0:41:34) Al: Oh goodness sake, I hate that I have to buy this game now. (0:41:39) Al: It looks like it’s very tied into StreetPass, so how are they going to replace that? (0:41:44) Kev: I don’t know. That is the big question because obviously, I guess so. I guess so because obviously, (0:41:46) Al: Just internet connection. (0:41:48) Al: And I guess, like, you can connect and share your Miis that way. (0:41:54) Kev: yeah, the 3DS was a lot more suited for me stuff and that sort of connectivity. I don’t know how (0:42:02) Kev: they’re gonna handle it, but we gotta stay tuned. Just wait. We’ll find out. Somebody will do the (0:42:10) Kev: the day again by which I may meet somebody who’ll play. (0:42:14) Al: All right last but not least in the games we have Tamagotchi Plaza not to be confused with (0:42:20) Al: Tamagotchi Life. The fact that they announced both these games on in the same direct is just so mean. (0:42:20) Kev: Yeah, no, it’s great, it’s what I want. (0:42:32) Al: Although I feel like we knew about Tamagotchi Plaza and see I’m doing it again Tamagotchi Plaza. (0:42:34) Kev: Probably, maybe, I don’t know. (0:42:38) Al: I think we knew that this game existed I feel like but not a lot about it. (0:42:44) Al: Let me check. Oh no maybe not no the internet does seem to think it was this was the first (0:42:49) Al: announcement of it. It’s another shop simulator game but with Tamagotchi characters. (0:42:57) Kev: Yeah, that’s all I need. (0:43:00) Kev: I’ve never had a Tamagotchi in my life. (0:43:04) Kev: There’s some dope ones out there. (0:43:07) Kev: The Digimon crossover ones are good. (0:43:07) Al: I yeah yeah I love I love Tamagotchis as well not actually using them but I (0:43:13) Al: like I used to use them as a child but now I just collect some um I have a Pac-Man one (0:43:19) Al: and I have a Gugitama one um (0:43:20) Kev: Ooh, where’s this updated shadow labyrinth? (0:43:26) Al: um but I don’t I don’t think I want to play another shop game (0:43:30) Al: do you have to do the shop but I think so it seems like it’s pretty core (0:43:32) Kev: You do you must (0:43:37) Al: in June 27th of June for the first time in the series an offline two-player mode is now available (0:43:39) Kev: Be excited (0:43:43) Kev: No, why did it know there were other times in the series, okay? Oh (0:43:43) Al: collaborate or compete with other (0:43:49) Al: yes it’s the newest in the Tamagotchi corner shop series (0:43:53) Kev: Okay shows me what I know how much apparently (0:43:58) Al: over a hundred Tamagotchi in total. (0:44:00) Kev: I (0:44:03) Kev: Okay, good. I didn’t I didn’t even consider the number would be an issue, but all right. I just thought it was just like (0:44:08) Al: Well it’s not, because there’s a hundred of them, it’s not an issue. Yeah I don’t think (0:44:13) Al: I’m gonna play this game but I’m excited for those who are excited by it. Oh you can be (0:44:13) Kev: I’m not I (0:44:16) Kev: Mean I I heard Mike gets cheers of joy in the distance is watching the direct. So, you know, oh (0:44:23) Al: a dentist. You can run an afternoon tea shop. Okay so this is when they say shop simulator, (0:44:25) Kev: Hold a hold the phone now or talk (0:44:31) Kev: Oh, that’s cute. (0:44:34) Kev: I thought… (0:44:35) Al: This is just a bunch of minigames. (0:44:37) Kev: Okay, yeah, yeah, you’re… (0:44:38) Al: You’re not actually have to get the stuff and stock the shop. (0:44:41) Al: You just go and like run the shop. (0:44:41) Kev: It’s not Grand… (0:44:43) Kev: It’s not… (0:44:44) Kev: It’s not Tamagotchi Grand Bazaar. (0:44:46) Kev: You can… (0:44:46) Al: Well, now I’m interested. (0:44:47) Kev: Live your dreams. (0:44:49) Al: Make the tone vibrant and full of life. (0:44:51) Kev: Restore it to its former glory! (0:44:54) Kev: Now we’re talking! (0:44:58) Al: Probably still not going to play it, but. (0:45:00) Kev: I probably will not either. (0:45:01) Al: More more interested in it now than I. (0:45:03) Kev: Unless they get those crossovers like the Godzilla and the Digimians. (0:45:06) Al: Look, look. (0:45:08) Al: Luke, Luke, Luke. If Gudetama’s in it, then yes. I will play it. (0:45:11) Kev: Nah, see, that’s what I’m talking about. (0:45:15) Al: We need our Sanrio characters. Oh wait, that’s just… (0:45:16) Kev: Dope. (0:45:17) Kev: Yeah. (0:45:20) Kev: Panda to our brand. (0:45:21) Al: That’s just Hello Kitty Island adventure then. (0:45:27) Al: Oh goodness, we’re nearly there. We’re nearly done with the news (0:45:31) Al: and the episode, but we have one more thing to talk about. (0:45:35) Al: Kevin. Nexus Mods. (0:45:38) Al: A website for mods for games. (0:45:42) Kev: They are unleashing the dogs of war. (0:45:44) Al: They have and they’ve finally announced their open source cross-platform Nexus Mods app, (0:45:51) Al: which includes support for Stardew Valley. Now this is exciting because this is a very easy way (0:45:59) Al: to add mods to games compared to how you previously had to add mods to games. It is (0:46:06) Al: is an app that shows you (0:46:08) Al: what games you can add mods to, and it allows you to search for mods and add them with (0:46:12) Al: the click of a button, which is excellent. Do you know what’s even more excellent about (0:46:15) Kev: Yeah, what is tell me (0:46:16) Al: it? It has support for Linux, including the Steam Deck, which has been even harder to (0:46:21) Kev: Oh (0:46:23) Al: do mods on because they didn’t really have any apps to help with the process before now. (0:46:28) Kev: Oh, that is exciting. (0:46:30) Al: So there you go. That’s exciting. So it has support for Stardew Valley as of now, which (0:46:38) Al: listeners of this podcast will be interested in that. They’re also working on support for (0:46:43) Al: Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord. I’ve never heard of that game. (0:46:50) Kev: Okay, I don’t know what those are (0:46:52) Kev: Where’s the harvest season host as the start of NPC mod? Where’s that mod? (0:46:58) Al: Well, someone just needs to make the mod then. Nexus mods don’t actually make the mods, t

We're no longer allergic to bee stings, or affected by them at all, because this week we're joined by artist / comic shop co-worker Lance Orr (@lanceorr on Instagram) to discuss episode 36 of Toei's Spider-Man entitled, "The Iron Mask of Onions and the Youth Detective Squad"! Come along as we chat about slide by swears, morning wood, the straight man's guild, night shorts, superfecundation, impressions, Upside-down-Man, meeting Lil Cheeky, loosing Pixels, Josh Gad, Harvest Moon, bunk beds, parent jobs, comedy to politics, garb, underwear, gorilla costumes, "ESPN Extreme Games" for PS1, the manga "Tank Chair", immunities, hot toilet water, & more!Want to hear more from your favorite Marsh Land Media hosts? Hear exclusive shows, podcasts, and content by heading to Patreon.com/MLMpod!Have fan mail, fan art, projects you want us to review, or whatever you want to send us? You can ship directly to us using "James McCollum, PO Box 180036, 2011 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618"!Please, learn about Black Lives Matter, the protests, and find ways to donate at https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/.Follow the podcast on Facebook & Twitter @MSSPod, on Instagram @MSSPodcast! Watch James' "Mostly Playin' PlayStation" and our live streams on the MSS YouTube channel! On top of streaming on Facebook & YouTube, we also simul-stream at Twitch.tv/MostlySpeakinSentai! Listen to James' rap music under Marsh Land Monster on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, & more by clicking HERE. Send us a voice mail to be played on the show at ‪(773) 270-0490‬!Head over to ⁠www.DarlingHomebody.com⁠ for all of Nicole'sart, the web comic Crumb Bums we make together, buy her merchandise, & watch her draw Gorma creations from the podcast! You can also buy her artwork on shirts and more on ⁠threadless.com/@darlinghomebody⁠! Find her @DarlingHomebody on Instagram, Tumblr and Etsy! Buy her wares!Go purchase some of our original Sentai monster designs on RedBubble then post a pic on social media of you wearing the threads!www.redbubble.com/people/MSSPod/portfolioFind out more about James' other podcasts "Shuffling the Deck", "Sweet Child of Time", "Hit It & Crit It", and "This Movie's Gay" on our website, www.MLMPod.com!!! Plus, download James' albums!

Al and Kelly talk about Grimoire Groves Disclosure: We received a free review code for Grimoire Groves. #gifted Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:23: What Have We Been Up To 00:12:16: Game News 00:36:28: New Games 00:39:42: Grimoire Groves 01:12:37: Outro Links Harvest Moon Pre-Orders Bugaboo Pocket Release Date Fields of Mistria 2nd Update Go-go Town “Spring Cleaning” Update Sun Haven “Festivals” 2.0 Update Autonomica (Farm Folks) Name Change Coral Island 2025 Roadmap Everdream Village Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the Harvest Season. (0:00:34) Al: My name is Al, and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:36) Kelly: And my name is Kelly. (0:00:40) Kelly: Yay. (0:00:41) Al: Welcome back, Kelly. How are you doing? (0:00:44) Kelly: Good. (0:00:44) Kelly: It’s always nice to be back. (0:00:46) Kelly: It’s so funny, because all of my voice recordings are just– (0:00:46) Al: Always nice to have you. (0:00:52) Kelly: oh, it’s like memory lane looking at all the past podcasts. (0:00:56) Al: You were last on talking about fields of mystery, which we might have stuff to talk about with (0:01:00) Kelly: Yes, yes. (0:01:04) Kelly: Yeah, I saw there was a note, but I (0:01:06) Kelly: I haven’t checked it out since we last spoke. (0:01:10) Kelly: Yeah, how have you been? (0:01:10) Al: But yeah, your first one of the year you did three last year. (0:01:12) Kelly: Oh, yeah, 2025. (0:01:14) Al: Let’s see if we can get you above three this year. (0:01:19) Al: Cool. Well, I have Kelly on this episode because we are going to (0:01:23) Al: talk about grimoire groves, grimoire groves. (0:01:28) Kelly: Yes, it’s like a little tongue twister. (0:01:31) Al: Yes, grimoire groves. (0:01:34) Al: Got to say up front, obviously, we received a free review code (0:01:38) Al: for the game, which actually can. (0:01:40) Al: I don’t know. No, that was a joke. That was a joke. That was a joke. (0:02:00) Kelly: No, no, no, no, I would absolutely pay money for this game. (0:02:11) Al: Spoiler alert. Yeah, so we’re going to talk about that game later in the episode. Before (0:02:15) Kelly: And thank you, Al, for that. (0:02:22) Al: that, we’ve obviously got a bunch of news, but first of all, Kelly, what have you been (0:02:26) Kelly: I have been up to taking care of a stray cat and then just trying to start (0:02:33) Kelly: planning out stuff for the spring for the yard. (0:02:36) Al: Oh, yes. Is it garden talking time? What’s your plans for this year? (0:02:39) Kelly: Yeah, but also we’re trying to… I don’t know yet. I’m still waiting but I have to (0:02:47) Kelly: clean up the yard because I prioritized weeding other areas of the house last (0:02:51) Kelly: fall instead of the garden, so it’s still kind of overgrown. (0:02:56) Kelly: I’m trying to get dirt so I can level out the borders of the (0:02:59) Kelly: yard and then tarp them. So exciting. And besides that, I’ve (0:03:08) Kelly: been playing Infinity Nikki for three solid months. This broke (0:03:11) Kelly: my streak, actually. I still play the game every day, so it (0:03:12) Al: No, I haven’t played it (0:03:17) Kelly: didn’t actually break my streak. I just was the only game I was (0:03:19) Kelly: playing for three months. (0:03:22) Al: Fair enough. I haven’t played Infinity Nakey. I’m pretty sure that Dalin plays it as well. (0:03:29) Al: I think we’ve talked about it before, but if you’ve been playing it for three months (0:03:34) Al: straight, I guess you’ve been enjoying it then. (0:03:36) Kelly: - Yes, yes, I think there were definitely moments, (0:03:39) Al: This is the dress-up game, right? Yeah. (0:03:41) Kelly: yes, there were definitely moments where I was playing it (0:03:43) Kelly: ‘cause I just was like, I don’t really have anything else (0:03:45) Kelly: I’m trying to play at the moment, (0:03:48) Kelly: but there is a lot of content and it looks really nice (0:03:51) Kelly: and it’s just like fun to run around the open world (0:03:53) Kelly: and like collect your stuff. (0:03:55) Kelly: It’s just a collecting game. (0:03:56) Al: Yeah. Look, you’re talking to a Pokemon player, right? Like, I know what collecting is like, (0:04:01) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:04:03) Al: I know the feeling. I think it’s a unique part of it, is the fact that it’s a gacha (0:04:10) Al: collecting game, but with outfits, I think is fun. (0:04:12) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:04:14) Kelly: Yes. (0:04:15) Kelly: And unfortunately, there are some things (0:04:19) Kelly: that you cannot beat with essentially not doing the gotcha, (0:04:22) Kelly: but you don’t have to do everything. (0:04:24) Kelly: It’s not going to stop your story progression. (0:04:27) Kelly: You’re just not going to get bonuses. (0:04:30) Al: Right. They’ve got to have a reason for you to pay money, right? (0:04:30) Kelly: You’re just not going to get the coolest outfit. (0:04:33) Kelly: Did I– absolutely. (0:04:36) Kelly: And did I spend some money to get a frog outfit? (0:04:40) Kelly: Yes, but it was a surprise. (0:04:42) Kelly: There was a dog outfit and I needed it. (0:04:44) Kelly: But also like the game is free also, so. (0:04:47) Al: Yes. And, well, yes, exactly. Tell me that three years ago. The thing about these three games is, (0:04:48) Kelly: You just have to you have to restrain yourself. (0:04:57) Al: yeah, you’ve got to make sure that you’re not going over the top, but you’ve also got to think (0:05:00) Al: about how much time and fun you’ve gotten out of games. Like, you know, if I think about Pokemon Go, (0:05:04) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:05:07) Al: I have obviously, I’ve definitely put too much money into that. But also when I think about the (0:05:07) Kelly: Ah, yes. (0:05:11) Al: amount of time that I spend in that game. Like, I spend hours every single day. (0:05:16) Kelly: Oh, I was Pokemon go is probably my highest. Yeah (0:05:17) Al: For eight, for nine years now. (0:05:22) Kelly: Like I don’t and I I I go back and forth on playing it but that game has (0:05:27) Kelly: That’s my most played game because of that (0:05:28) Al: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, ever. Yeah, that don’t think is… (0:05:31) Kelly: Like it beat my Sims like legacy of like, you know playing that from like 10 years old or whatever (0:05:38) Al: I think the thing is that because it’s so accessible, but also because you’re playing (0:05:41) Kelly: It’s so accessible it’s in your hand (0:05:45) Al: it for so many years, even if you only played half an hour every day after 10 years, which (0:05:47) Kelly: Mm-hmm. Yes, exactly (0:05:54) Al: in a year and a bit, it’ll be 10 years since the game came out, if you’ve only played half (0:05:58) Kelly: That’s disgusting, don’t say that. (0:06:05) Al: an error, but you do it every single day for the for the for. (0:06:08) Al: 10 years, that is nearly 2000 hours. That’s the thing, the (0:06:12) Kelly: that’s insane but yeah no it’s it’s true yeah exactly but yeah it’s so it’s like (0:06:15) Al: numbers just add up so fast. And let me tell you, it’s way more (0:06:20) Al: than half an hour I’ve played every single day. (0:06:20) Kelly: okay yeah yeah and it’s like okay so like if I put some money in it every (0:06:26) Kelly: year like I’m getting so much out of it you know and I played love Nikki which (0:06:31) Kelly: is what is the phone game before like there’s been other phone games before (0:06:36) Kelly: this too but that was the one I got really into which is different like (0:06:40) Kelly: setup wise, but essentially it’s just an outfit game again. (0:06:42) Kelly: Gotcha outfit game and again, it’s like okay. I played that game for like four years. I put some money into it (0:06:49) Kelly: But I played it a lot like I spent so much time playing that game (0:06:52) Al: Yeah, as long as you can afford what you’re doing, that’s the important thing. (0:06:56) Kelly: Exactly, but yeah, what have you been up to? (0:07:00) Al: I have been procrastinating playing Grimoire Crows. (0:07:06) Al: Every so often, I end up in this situation where I’m like, this is a game that I need to play, (0:07:11) Al: and then I end up not playing it very much. And instead of procrastinating by playing other games, (0:07:17) Al: I procrastinate by doing other things instead. So I’ve not really done much this week at all. (0:07:20) Kelly: Yep. (0:07:23) Al: I have started a shiny hunt for Regigigas in Pokémon Sword. I’m at the point where I need to (0:07:38) Al: actually get through the rest of the legendaries. I don’t have a shiny if I want to finish my (0:07:43) Al: living decks, because I’m 110 left. And so I’m going to run out of non-legendaries very soon. (0:07:48) Kelly: Oh, my god. (0:07:52) Al: And so I thought, let’s start this one, because I can’t just… Yeah, exactly. (0:07:55) Kelly: Start breaking it up. (0:07:58) Kelly: Yeah, no, I understand that. (0:08:00) Kelly: I used to do that with Angry Birds. (0:08:04) Al: You’re going to have to explain that. (0:08:10) Kelly: Since Angry Birds came out, any phone that I get, (0:08:13) Kelly: I download Angry Birds and beat the whole game again. (0:08:15) Al: You replay it all again, oh my word! (0:08:16) Kelly: 3 stars? (0:08:18) Kelly: I’m less about it now, I just kinda go back to it when I’m bored. So like, you know, I have my phone for a while, eventually I get all the stars. But there’s certain levels that even after all these years of replaying it, they’re just difficult. And they piss me off. So I’ll break it down. (0:08:25) Al: look it’s fun it’s a fun game but I can’t say i’ve played it in the last 15 years (0:08:48) Kelly: I always break those up when I go back to get the 3 stars for them. So it’s the same thing where it’s like, I don’t want to do the really tough thing repeatedly and then just get frustrated at the game. Like it’s boring, you know? It gets boring. (0:08:56) Al: Fair enough. My 15 years might have been a bit of an exaggeration, however it is only (0:09:04) Al: 15 years since it’s 15 years since the first game came out. I can’t believe it’s been 15 years, (0:09:06) Kelly: Yes, yes, because I played it on the first iPhone I had, or an only iPhone. (0:09:09) Al: that’s wild. It was it was definitely it was one of the it was one of the early games that made you (0:09:20) Al: go ’this is why I want a touchscreen’ and it was that and (0:09:22) Kelly: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. (0:09:26) Al: Fruit Ninja and Digital Jump. Those were like the three that made me realize I get it, (0:09:27) Kelly: Yes, I never got into Fruit Ninja. (0:09:36) Al: I would like a touchscreen please. (0:09:38) Kelly: Yep. Well, that was the thrill of like, you know, with the iPhone too. It was like, oh, this is so sick. I can, I can play these fun games. I can do this for a peggle. (0:09:48) Kelly: I played peggle so much on that phone. It’s pinball. (0:09:52) Al: Okay, no, I didn’t. I didn’t play that one. I don’t think I need more games. (0:09:54) Kelly: Oh, you should look it up. I think you like peggle. (0:10:03) Al: Yeah, fun. All right. I think that’s all. Is that all I’ve got to talk about? I’m shiny (0:10:09) Al: hunting. I think so. I played… You were the one that you were you were spying me on steam. (0:10:16) Al: Was it like half an hour I played of Grimoire Groves or something? (0:10:16) Kelly: Oh, yeah, I was watching you all week because every time I’d sign on to the Steam, it’s (0:10:22) Kelly: like you’re the only person I know that has the game also. (0:10:22) Al: Oh, I’ve got an hour and 20 minutes apparently on steam there. Okay. That was yesterday. (0:10:26) Kelly: So for like the whole week, it was like 12 minutes playing. (0:10:30) Kelly: Yes, now, I see it now, but I was like watching it. (0:10:37) Kelly: I know because like two days ago, I was like, he’s still, he is cutting it close. (0:10:43) Al: Look, well, the problem was you messaged me and you said, “I’m loving this game. I’m (0:10:48) Al: played it so much.” And I’m like, “Okay, cool. I don’t need to then.” (0:10:52) Al: Yeah. No, I legitimately think that’s all I’ve (0:10:53) Kelly: Also, I’m the problem. (0:11:02) Al: done this week is like shiny hunting and Pokémon Go. (0:11:05) Kelly: sometimes it’s like you just get that mental block where you just can’t (0:11:08) Al: Yeah. Oh, I did do… I know. I did do the the Scarlet and Violet Quack Quack Quack Quaville (0:11:09) Kelly: even you’re just like oh I gotta I gotta do this but I can’t (0:11:20) Al: raids. I don’t think I’ve ever figured out how to say the name of that. (0:11:21) Kelly: What? What is that? I actually did not play Scarlet and Violet. (0:11:22) Al: Pokémon. Did you not? Um, it’s the, uh, it’s based on like carnival dancers. Uh, let me send you. (0:11:36) Kelly: Okay (0:11:38) Kelly: But like what is it you do the dancing like you (0:11:40) Al: It’s a Pokémon. Oh, no, no, just like a raid, like a normal Pokémon raid. (0:11:45) Kelly: Oh, but it’s like dressed up like a carnival dancer (0:11:49) Al: No, no, clearly you completely misunderstood this. This is just a Pokémon. (0:11:51) Kelly: Okay (0:11:52) Al: A Pokémon that is based on a carnival dancer. That’s the Pokémon, (0:11:57) Kelly: Oh, but that’s what you’re waiting for (0:11:57) Al: but they’ve done, there’s a raid to defeat it and capture it, yes. (0:12:01) Kelly: Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I thought this was like a costume Pokemon. You know what I mean? (0:12:05) Al: Oh, no, it’s not. They’ve not done that in the main games yet. Um, yeah, that’s it. (0:12:06) Kelly: Okay (0:12:12) Al: That’s the entirety of that. It was a raid. I did it. There we go. Done. Uh, (0:12:17) Al: should we talk about some news? Because the section is being a little bit of a disaster. (0:12:21) Al: Um… (0:12:23) Al: So, first up, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, we have some news on Harvest Moon, (0:12:30) Al: The Lost Valley, and Skytree Village, the ports or remasters, however they want to call them, (0:12:38) Al: for Switch, which for some reason they’ve decided to do, is up for pre-order now. (0:12:44) Al: It is $40 for the two of them, which still feels like too much, but (0:12:51) Al: I feel like it says a lot. (0:12:52) Al: When they’re selling two full games that they originally sold individually on separate consoles, (0:12:59) Al: and they’ve ported them both to the Switch, and they’re selling them both together for $40. (0:13:03) Al: That shows you how much people definitely want to buy these games. (0:13:07) Kelly: Yeah, cuz a lot of these remakes are like still a full 60 dollars alone. Yeah (0:13:11) Al: Exactly. The good ones are. (0:13:15) Al: So it’s coming out in June. Previously, we just knew it was coming out in the summer. (0:13:19) Al: We don’t have an exact date as far as I can see, just says June. (0:13:23) Al: And if you pre-order it now, you get a free acrylic standee (0:13:27) Al: with some of the worst art I’ve seen for a Harvestmen game ever. (0:13:31) Kelly: I can tell you really like this one. (0:13:33) Al: I haven’t even played these games, but I know for a fact they’re bad (0:13:36) Al: because I talked to Rachelle about them and they did not like them and yeah. (0:13:39) Kelly: I can never remember which ones are bad but the art for this one does not look good. (0:13:47) Al: These were I think the first two they did after the split between Harvestmen and (0:13:53) Al: so these were the first ones that weren’t by the original team. (0:13:56) Al: They were by Natsume and let’s just say they hadn’t made any games before and you can tell. (0:14:08) Al: I do, I will, I’m so strongly of the opinion that I think that people sometimes are judging (0:14:17) Al: Harvestmen too harshly purely because they’re angry that they kept the name and didn’t give (0:14:23) Al: back but that’s how these things work and I’m sorry you dislike that but I think if you actually (0:14:29) Al: played some of the newer games they’re not as bad as you think but these ones I’m pretty sure are. (0:14:37) Kelly: - Fair enough, I think that’s a fair point. (0:14:40) Al: The way I described it in the last episode I did with Micah is (0:14:43) Al: they are so close to having a good game. (0:14:47) Kelly: Oh, with the new ones. (0:14:48) Al: Yeah, they’re so close. So close. (0:14:51) Kelly: Maybe next– maybe next game, they’ll hit it. (0:14:52) Al: what we said for three games now. Each game they do is better than the last. Yes, but (0:15:00) Kelly: OK, so they’re growing slowly. (0:15:02) Al: they do still make some bizarre decisions in those games. They’ve also released a whole (0:15:07) Al: bunch of screenshots. And yeah, I mean, they basically look like the original games did, (0:15:13) Al: but with, I guess, more pixels, but not more pixels on the actual models, just more pixels. (0:15:20) Al: So it’s like– (0:15:20) Kelly: No, they look like knees, but like with a little bit better quality. (0:15:22) Al: Yeah, yeah, that’s exact. It looks better quality, but not in a good way. (0:15:30) Kelly: No. (0:15:31) Al: It looks like HD kind of, but it’s like you’ve got HD upscaled basically, right? (0:15:39) Al: Like you were recording on a really old camera and you’ve upscaled it to HD, (0:15:43) Al: so it’s like everything is shiny and lots of pixels, but it still doesn’t look good. (0:15:52) Kelly: - Yeah, no, it’s not right. (0:15:53) Al: These were a DS and a 3DS game, I think, originally, so they have had to merge the two screens. (0:16:02) Al: However, I think the bottom screen was mostly just like for the map, (0:16:06) Al: and so they now have a mini map on the screen, so… (0:16:09) Kelly: Okay, I feel like a lot of games like this have like the map or like controls or something at the bottom (0:16:14) Al: Yeah, yeah, so I guess we’ll see. (0:16:19) Al: I don’t, I’m gonna buy this. (0:16:22) Kelly: I like, did you notice that it’s so you said it’s releasing in June, but then at the top (0:16:23) Al: I’m gonna do my duty for the podcast, you’re welcome. (0:16:33) Kelly: it says ships in April to June. (0:16:36) Al: Yeah, if you scroll down to the product description, it says release date June 2025. (0:16:41) Kelly: interesting so this game is worth that $25 basically (0:16:43) Al: Apparently, the acrylic standee is worth $13. (0:16:48) Al: So yeah, well, I don’t know what to say. You probably shouldn’t buy this. (0:17:02) Al: But I will. Next, we have Bugaboo Pocket. (0:17:07) Al: Have announced that the release date is on the 2nd of April. I don’t know if you’ve (0:17:11) Al: seen this game, Kelly. It’s a bug game. It’s like a bug Pokémon, but like on… (0:17:12) Kelly: I have not. What is this? (0:17:20) Al: How do I describe this? It’s like virtual pets. So like Tamagotchis. (0:17:24) Kelly: Oh, okay, I see it now. Now I got the screen page, but it’s got like way more details. (0:17:30) Al: Yes, yeah, it’s very much like modernized in terms of how you would interact. (0:17:37) Al: Quality of graphics and is much more intense from that sort of aspect of things. (0:17:43) Al: But I think you also can, for lack of a better phrase, because I’m very tired. (0:17:51) Al: It’s the end of the weekend. Do science on them. I don’t know how to describe it. (0:17:57) Kelly: Like, experiments? (0:17:58) Al: No experiment. No, that would be immoral. No, inspect them and look at them. (0:18:06) Kelly: Oh, OK. (0:18:07) Al: There is like if you have… (0:18:09) Kelly: Oh, and pin them. (0:18:10) Kelly: It looks like you can pin them. (0:18:11) Al: Yeah, but those are dead. Like you’re not pinning a live one, right? (0:18:13) Kelly: Yeah, that would be immoral also. (0:18:18) Kelly: I hope so. (0:18:19) Kelly: I’m just looking at pictures. (0:18:22) Al: So yeah, it’s much more involved than a Tamagotchi. (0:18:28) Kelly: The graphics look really cool. (0:18:30) Al: Yeah, Cody is excited to play this. (0:18:33) Kelly: I’m sure that makes sense. (0:18:36) Kelly: This looks really cool, honestly. (0:18:37) Al: Anyway, coming on the 2nd of April. Next, we have the Fields of Mistria 2nd update. (0:18:45) Al: It’s out now, Kelly. Have you played it yet? (0:18:48) Kelly: Not since, uh, November, end of November, since we talked. (0:18:54) Al: Yeah, that was just the first update that was then, so. (0:18:56) Kelly: Yeah, ‘cause I had finished everything that you could possibly do at that point, (0:19:00) Kelly: and I was like, “Okay, I gotta, I don’t wanna kill the game for myself.” (0:19:00) Al: Yep. (0:19:04) Al: We were on the same page at that point, right? Basically, I think we’d both done everything you could do in the game and didn’t want to destroy our enthusiasm for the game. But does that mean you’re definitely not going to get jump into the game with this new update? (0:19:13) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:19:20) Kelly: I’m probably going to wait. (0:19:23) Kelly: I mean, I started breeding for different color animals (0:19:27) Kelly: and stuff, like the tears. (0:19:28) Kelly: So I had been failing my time with that, (0:19:30) Kelly: but mostly because I didn’t have a new game. (0:19:34) Kelly: But yeah, I’m going to wait and see. (0:19:35) Kelly: I got games coming out soon. (0:19:37) Kelly: We got “Rethopia.” (0:19:38) Al: Yes, oh, yes, that’s that (0:19:41) Kelly: I got a solid amount of games currently. (0:19:43) Kelly: So I gotta actually, like, focus on them. (0:19:46) Al: That’s fair. We’ve already covered what’s out in this update, so let’s not spend too long on it. (0:19:50) Kelly: Mm-hmm, okay. (0:19:50) Al: Next we have Gogotown. Their next update Spring Cleaning is out now. I presume you haven’t played (0:19:59) Al: this game. It is fun. It definitely feels very polished for the way that I talked about it in (0:20:07) Al: the episode I did on it. It’s very polished what is there, but it feels like it’s a long way to go (0:20:13) Al: to feel complete. (0:20:15) Kelly: Okay, that’s fair. I mean it seems very ambitious looking so hopefully they just get there (0:20:16) Al: Yeah, a number of things in this update, you can now store a tool and a vehicle on (0:20:29) Al: yourself, it says in a patented Townco dimensional pocket. Basically, you had vehicles, but you (0:20:36) Al: had to like park them somewhere. So now you can keep one of them on yourself. So you have (0:20:40) Al: to keep running back to the parking spaces, which is a nice update. There’s also (0:20:46) Al: a Town info app that gives you a bunch of information on the Town. 360 degree camera (0:20:52) Al: rotation, which is good. I like this. Oh yes, what was that? You’ve asked for it. We’ve (0:20:56) Kelly: I like their note on this. (0:21:00) Al: put in an experimental setting for you to rotate the camera 360 degrees. Fair enough. (0:21:05) Kelly: The screenshot is definitely making me dizzy though, looking at it too long. (0:21:07) Al: Yes, you can definitely tell us experimental. There’s some things that move out of view when (0:21:13) Al: when they shouldn’t do and stuff like that. (0:21:17) Al: A work in progress. (0:21:17) Kelly: But I mean like they they they put it out there that it’s experimental so. (0:21:20) Al: Yep, yep, and they’ve also added (0:21:23) Al: infinite seeds for your farming, which I am intrigued by because I thought (0:21:28) Al: when you planted a seed, the plant never never seemed to die. (0:21:33) Al: It just seemed to always grow new stuff. (0:21:35) Al: So you essentially had infinite stuff, right? (0:21:38) Al: Because as soon as you had a seed, you just (0:21:39) Al: planted it and you had that plant forever. (0:21:40) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:21:41) Al: But maybe I’m misremembering. (0:21:44) Kelly: Maybe they changed it. (0:21:46) Al: updates as well. But yeah, those are the main ones that I noticed. (0:21:49) Al: Next, we have Sunhaven have released their 2.0 update. (0:21:53) Al: And you’re like, oh, 2.0, that sounds like it might be a big update. (0:21:57) Al: It’s festivals. (0:22:00) Al: It doesn’t particularly feel huge. (0:22:02) Al: I’m intrigued as to why they decided to go for 2.0 at this point. (0:22:06) Al: OK. (0:22:10) Al: It adds a furniture festival, a garden (0:22:12) Al: festival, a pet festival, a mushroom festival, a snow festival. (0:22:16) Al: And a bunch of other (0:22:19) Al: furniture and stuff like that related to that. (0:22:22) Kelly: Okay, interesting how much of the game is actually out? (0:22:26) Al: Well, it’s no longer in early access. (0:22:28) Al: So I feel like I think they might have I feel like they’ve done everything that (0:22:32) Al: they said in the Kickstarter, like it’s the story is done and stuff like that. (0:22:38) Al: When I see people talking in the comments, they’re no longer complaining about things (0:22:43) Al: they’re talking about translations being bad. (0:22:49) Kelly: Yeah, this one’s been on my wish list, (0:22:50) Kelly: so I’ve been just waiting to see. (0:22:54) Al: I think I own it, yes, I do. (0:22:56) Al: I kick-started this one, I just haven’t played it yet. (0:22:59) Al: So this came out initially in 2023. (0:23:03) Al: Or was that, no, that was the 1.0, I think. (0:23:06) Al: Yeah, 2021 is when it first came out. (0:23:08) Al: And this was when I was still well and truly (0:23:11) Al: primarily Switch, but it wasn’t on Switch yet. (0:23:15) Al: And then I got a Steam Deck, (0:23:16) Al: and then suddenly I was very much on the Steam Deck, (0:23:18) Al: except for games that weren’t on the Steam Deck. (0:23:21) Al: but I had kind of really moved the path. (0:23:24) Al: I’m just thinking about this game, because it was, you know, it had been like two years or something since it started. (0:23:32) Al: Sometimes I do think that there is like a time period where if you’re not going to play a game (0:23:36) Al: within that time period, you’re probably never going to get to it. (0:23:38) Kelly: Yeah, no, definitely it definitely gets harder and harder to go back to it (0:23:44) Al: So maybe I’ll get to it one day, who knows, there’s so many games. (0:23:48) Al: Next we have farm folks or, as it is now called, (0:23:54) Al: Autonomica? Good job, going from a game name that was just slightly awkward to say to one that I don’t know how to pronounce. (0:24:02) Al: Autonomica? Auto… Autonomica. (0:24:04) Kelly: Oh, Tom, oh, oh, Tom, I don’t know, I don’t know. (0:24:08) Al: Autonomica. That’s what you were trying to say, wasn’t it? Autonomica. (0:24:13) Kelly: Yeah, yeah, something like that. (0:24:14) Al: No, I don’t think it’s Autonomica. (0:24:18) Kelly: I don’t think it is either, (0:24:19) Kelly: but I was just trying to see if I could say it. (0:24:20) Kelly: And apparently I can’t. (0:24:24) Al: For those who don’t know the story behind this game, it was started as farm folks, and then the company that was making it went bust. (0:24:32) Al: And then another company basically, I don’t know whether they bought the company that went bust or whether they bought the rights to the game and the code and stuff, (0:24:40) Al: but they continued development. So the company that’s making this is not the company that did the Kickstarter for this game. (0:24:46) Al: Although I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that they are going to honor the Kickstarter, which is always good. (0:24:52) Al: Um, don’t take– (0:24:52) Kelly: nice isn’t there another game with like a similar ish name to this new name but (0:24:54) Al: I’d need to confirm that, but I feel like I saw that somewhere. (0:25:05) Kelly: also like how do you go from farm folks which is like the most generic farm game (0:25:08) Al: Yeah. (0:25:10) Kelly: name I’ve ever heard now which is not saying a lot because a lot of these farm (0:25:14) Kelly: games have a lot of similar names it is but how do you go from that to what do (0:25:16) Al: Naming is hard, all right. (0:25:20) Kelly: What are you calling it? Autonomica? (0:25:22) Kelly: Autonomica. Oh, it’s a musical artist. Yes, I knew I’d seen this name somewhere before. (0:25:24) Al: Autonomica. Autonomica? (0:25:30) Al: Oh. (0:25:36) Al: So they’ve made they have went the new (0:25:38) Al: company that took over the game have basically been moving it in a different direction. (0:25:43) Al: So it’s it is still farming. (0:25:46) Kelly: It looks like Fortnite with Farfian. (0:25:46) Al: It’s not. (0:25:49) Al: Yeah, they’ve never really explained their reasoning, but they’re like, it’s not just farming. (0:25:53) Al: It’s so much more than that. (0:25:55) Al: So therefore we think farm folks is a misleading name and I’m like, OK, but I don’t. (0:25:58) Kelly: Okay. That makes more sense. But I don’t get anything about farming from this name. (0:26:04) Al: No, but you do get the automation part of it, which I think they’re really big enough. (0:26:09) Al: The college so that their new blurb on steam is Autonomica is an open world life simulator (0:26:16) Al: game that seamlessly. Oh, my word, I hate this so much seamlessly merges resource (0:26:22) Al: management and automation with farm building, extensive customization, (0:26:26) Al: PvP slash PvE battles and elusive phantoms. What is this jumble of words? (0:26:34) Al: Play solo or with friends to build your mega farm factory with almost no limits. (0:26:38) Al: It is a farming game. It’s just like a industrial scale farming game. (0:26:44) Al: Right. And I get why they wanted to change. (0:26:48) Al: Why they wanted it to be clear that this was not the same game that they took over. (0:26:52) Al: But also it is farming game. (0:26:57) Al: Like you can’t say it’s not a farming game. It is a farming game. (0:27:01) Al: Build your mega farm factory, they say in the new blurb. (0:27:04) Al: Like I don’t understand the issue with it. (0:27:06) Kelly: All of these screenshots, too, are just like, what is that game? (0:27:09) Al: Yes, Factorio. Yeah. (0:27:11) Kelly: Factorio? (0:27:14) Kelly: It’s like that, but with farming more. (0:27:16) Al: Open world 3D Factorio. (0:27:20) Al: Which I honestly am excited by. I think this game could be really good. (0:27:25) Al: I just don’t understand why they really didn’t like the name and they decided to change. (0:27:29) Al: But I don’t think this is a better name. (0:27:32) Al: That’s all I’m going to say. I get why they didn’t like the old game. (0:27:35) Al: Old name. I’m not sure this is better. (0:27:37) Kelly: Honestly, they can take this if they want to, but I think it should have been (0:27:44) Kelly: auto-pharmica, if anything. (0:27:46) Al: I would, yeah, I would certainly be more better. Yeah, I don’t disagree with you. (0:27:49) Kelly: It would be better than this. (0:27:54) Kelly: I would assume that this is some sort of space or underwater survival game (0:28:02) Al: Oh, interesting. Yeah. Anyway, they changed the name. RIP farm folks. Long live farm folks. (0:28:03) Kelly: just going off the name alone. (0:28:08) Kelly: It’s so weird too, because I don’t even like farm books. (0:28:14) Al: Yeah, yeah. (0:28:18) Kelly: I digress. (0:28:19) Al: Coral Island have announced their 2025 roadmap. They have 1.2 planned to come out in the first (0:28:27) Al: half of the year, bringing multiplayer and revamped romance. (0:28:32) Al: Which I was looking at what they say about the romance. So let’s talk about the multiplayer (0:28:37) Al: first. There’s probably not a huge amount to say. Basically, it looks like it’s stardew (0:28:41) Al: style multiplayer. You’re all multiple people on the farm. Great, fine. I’m sure it will be (0:28:46) Al: great for people who love. I am not particularly interested just because I don’t want to actually (0:28:51) Al: play my games with other people. I like these games because I’m playing them on my own. (0:28:52) Kelly: I have no desire, I have no desire to play these. These types of games are for me to play by myself, so I can be a maniac, like, let me be a psychopath by my- (0:28:59) Al: Exactly. Exactly. (0:29:03) Al: I have tried so many times to play multiplayer Stardew, and I just can’t because I have to be (0:29:08) Kelly: Oh, no. No, no, no. (0:29:10) Al: the one who has this. The problem is, right? You have to organize to play at the same time, (0:29:16) Al: and that is just not fun. Organizing times for these. (0:29:16) Kelly: No, because either you’re micromanaging all of it, too. (0:29:25) Kelly: It’s like, how do you organize the time to play together and also organize how you’re (0:29:30) Kelly: playing together? (0:29:32) Al: Yeah, the best way to do that is just be like, right, you do the farming you do the mine, there you go, go, go do your jobs. (0:29:32) Kelly: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:29:38) Al: And yeah, I don’t, I don’t particularly find it fun, I get why people might. And so if you are excited about Coral Island multiplayer. (0:29:46) Al: There you go, it’s coming. I hope you enjoy it. I’m not going to do this. (0:29:48) Kelly: I think the only multiplayer game I like is Monster Hunter, to be quite honest. (0:29:58) Al: So I was also looking at the romance revamp that they’ve got. (0:30:02) Al: And I think the only difference is, so there’s a bunch of heart events that existed already. (0:30:10) Al: And it looks like you have to see the previous heart events to unlock certain, to unlock (0:30:17) Al: more hearts. (0:30:18) Al: So once you get to five hearts, you have to watch the heart events for them before you (0:30:24) Al: can do heart six to eight. (0:30:26) Al: And then you have to watch another heart event and give a locket. (0:30:32) Al: Before you can start dating and do the next two hearts, which then you have to watch the (0:30:37) Al: other events and propose before you can get married and do the other five. (0:30:43) Al: I do think this is better because what I found when I was doing this, because I got married (0:30:49) Al: in Coral Island, is I had no clue that there were heart events still to do, which is probably (0:30:55) Al: still going to be a problem here, but let’s put that aside for a minute. (0:30:59) Kelly: There’s no like there’s no like heart marker next in like the (0:31:02) Al: So there are hearts, but it’s not like, it’s just like how many hearts you have. (0:31:09) Al: Like there was no like indication that there’s an event you should be doing. (0:31:12) Al: So like I got to 10 hearts and then I went and tried to propose and they were like, oh, (0:31:17) Al: I’m not ready yet. (0:31:18) Al: And I’m like, but this is the point where I meant to be able to propose. (0:31:20) Al: Why can’t I do it? (0:31:22) Al: And I googled and it was like, oh, because you’re missing heart events. (0:31:24) Al: And I hadn’t done any of the heart events. (0:31:27) Al: And I don’t know how it happens in Carta Island, but in Stardew, (0:31:29) Kelly: How– so I was going to say, it’s similarly set up, (0:31:32) Al: I was always finding the heart events. (0:31:37) Kelly: like you just trigger the event when you encounter them (0:31:40) Al: Yes, and there are a few heart events in Stardew that were very niche and you (0:31:41) Kelly: in a certain location. (0:31:46) Al: wouldn’t immediately find, but like by that point, you’re like, oh, (0:31:51) Al: I know that these things are coming, so I should be expecting them. (0:31:53) Al: I hadn’t done a single one in Carta Island. (0:31:56) Al: How had I not triggered any of the heart events? (0:31:59) Kelly: Yeah, that’s crazy. That doesn’t seem like a good sub. (0:32:00) Al: It was very confusing. (0:32:02) Al: And also, I don’t think the heart events are required in Stardew for marriage. (0:32:10) Kelly: I don’t think they are either. I think they’re just, like, for you. (0:32:12) Al: Yes, and you can get extra points by doing them. (0:32:16) Al: And they’re nice, and you want to know about the story because all the characters are good characters. (0:32:16) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:32:22) Al: I was going to say great, but no, not all the characters are great. (0:32:22) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:32:24) Al: All of them are good characters. (0:32:28) Al: Um, but yeah, I just, it was really, so if they have a. (0:32:32) Al: Way to make it clear. (0:32:34) Al: That you’re now expecting to see events, then that would be good. (0:32:38) Al: Um, I don’t know. (0:32:40) Al: Um, we’ll see, I guess they don’t talk about that. (0:32:44) Al: I don’t think, but it’s interesting restricting it that much. (0:32:48) Al: So you, you have to see the events before you can continue your heart progress. (0:32:53) Al: Uh, I don’t know how I feel about that. (0:32:55) Kelly: Yeah, that seems kind of iffy the way you just described your past experience, so I guess we’ll see. (0:33:00) Al: Aha, the revamped romance system unlocks at heart level two and you’ll see a prompt (0:33:05) Al: in the relationship UI whenever a hangout event is available. (0:33:10) Al: That is good. (0:33:11) Al: It’s now making it clear when you can do something and when there’s something to do. (0:33:15) Al: That is good. (0:33:16) Al: And if you click on them inside the menu and it shows like all the stuff that you’ve done (0:33:22) Al: with them, you know, the stuff you’ve learned that they love and stuff like that, and like (0:33:25) Al: there, the birthday and stuff, it says unlock requirement, see hangout event. (0:33:30) Al: I don’t know what happened to three but anyway, whatever. (0:33:37) Al: I think that means for heart two and for heart four. (0:33:41) Al: That’s what I think it’s talking about. (0:33:43) Al: So they are definitely making it much more visible, that aspect of things. (0:33:47) Al: So that is good. (0:33:48) Al: They’re also adding more heart events for after marriage, which is also good because (0:33:52) Al: one of the things I’ve really complained about Carl Island is that your spouse ends up turning (0:33:55) Al: into a hollow husk after you get married. (0:33:58) Kelly: That’s pretty sad. (0:34:01) Al: - It was so sad. (0:34:02) Al: The minute you got married, (0:34:05) Al: they just stand in your house all day doing nothing. (0:34:07) Kelly: Oh no. (0:34:09) Al: It was the worst. (0:34:09) Al: I’ve taken your life (0:34:11) Al: and you are now just an ornament in my house. (0:34:15) Al: It was so sad. (0:34:16) Al: So hopefully that’s improved a lot with this. (0:34:20) Al: And then the 1.3 update will include your kids growing up. (0:34:27) Kelly: that’s cool that’s what I literally just started like wondering if it’s like generational like do (0:34:27) Al: And it is, I wonder how far it will go. (0:34:30) Al: I don’t know. (0:34:36) Al: I would expect not. (0:34:38) Al: I expect it would just be, oh, they grow up to be a teenager and then they stop sort of thing. (0:34:42) Al: That is my expectation. (0:34:44) Kelly: that makes sense because that’s a big that’s that’s a lot doing (0:34:44) Al: I don’t think they’ll go full hog. (0:34:49) Al: Especially as they could actually make it like real-time in-game, right? (0:34:52) Al: For every year, they are a year older. (0:34:54) Al: And so you would actually have to do 18 in-game years. (0:35:00) Al: Before your child is an adult. (0:35:04) Kelly: - Hmm. (0:35:05) Al: So they could just go, I’m sorry, if you’ve played 18 years in this game, you’ve played too much. (0:35:12) Al: But I mean, I don’t know, maybe it will work. (0:35:14) Al: I mean, I do know that some games where you have kids that grow up, (0:35:18) Al: you then die and you become your kid. (0:35:20) Al: They could do something like that. (0:35:22) Kelly: That’s true, that would be cool. (0:35:23) Al: And then you inherit the farm and, you know, 20% of it is taken in tax. (0:35:31) Al: Yeah, so they’ve not got a huge amount of information in the 1.3. (0:35:35) Al: They also said there’s going to be a Merfolk festival. (0:35:39) Al: But they’ve not got any details on how the kids grow up. (0:35:42) Al: But that is coming in the second half of this year. (0:35:44) Al: Have you played, you’ve not played Coral Island? (0:35:46) Kelly: No. I really try to avoid early access. (0:35:47) Al: No. (0:35:50) Al: Well, it’s not early access anymore. (0:35:51) Kelly: Uh, oh, it’s out, out? (0:35:53) Al: Yeah. (0:35:54) Al: The 1.0 came out just over a year ago. (0:35:58) Kelly: Okay, I must have missed that. (0:35:58) Al: and then they go and they go on. (0:36:00) Kelly: I thought it was still in early access, still. Okay. (0:36:00) Al: 1.1 sometime last year? No. The 1.0 was technically not early access, but realistically (0:36:06) Al: was early access. The 1.1 feels like what the 1.0 should have been, but the multiplayer (0:36:12) Al: was always coming after early access. So I don’t feel like you would be missing out if (0:36:17) Al: you played now compared to if you played two years ago, you definitely were missing out (0:36:22) Al: in a lot. (0:36:22) Kelly: Okay, okay, maybe one day (0:36:24) Al: All right. And we also, we all maybe, maybe, probably not. We also have (0:36:30) Al: a new game by the developers of EverDream Valley. In fact, this is a sequel to EverDream (0:36:36) Al: Valley called EverDream Village. I get what they’re doing with that name, but also I am (0:36:42) Al: going to constantly mess up. Which one is which? They also feel the wrong way around, (0:36:47) Kelly: The valley and village is like too close to each other. (0:36:53) Al: you start in a village and then you go out to a valley. (0:36:53) Kelly: Yes, it should have been, this should be a prequel. (0:36:57) Kelly: Yeah, this is the prequel in my, (0:36:59) Kelly: I literally thought like this should be the prequel (0:37:00) Al: Set 10 years after the events of EverDream Valley, EverDream Village brings a whole (0:37:07) Al: new chapter with living, breathing village and a world beyond your farm. Now you’re built, (0:37:13) Al: this is the thing. It’s like the problem was EverDream Valley wasn’t really a valley. It (0:37:17) Al: was EverDream Farm. Right. And if it was that way, it was EverDream Farm and then EverDream (0:37:21) Al: Village. That makes more logical sense to be our expansion on that. Right. You’ll build (0:37:22) Kelly: Mm-hmm. (0:37:28) Al: relationships explore mysterious islands. (0:37:30) Al: The Valley may have been home but it’s time to explore a world full of new adventures, (0:37:44) Kelly: - Yeah, it doesn’t seem right, there’s something off. (0:37:57) Al: NPCs and endless possibilities. I don’t really get whirled and (0:38:00) Al: abilities from village. I know what they mean. I know what they (0:38:02) Kelly: - No, but I think they just mean the world of Everdream. (0:38:08) Al: mean. I know what they mean. Build your ideal cozy farm in a (0:38:12) Al: living village. Form bonds with fellow villagers to lend a hand (0:38:16) Al: as you grow crops, care for animals and craft a corner of (0:38:18) Al: paradise. Sail across enchanted islands to discover new resources (0:38:22) Al: and adventures along the way. Maybe it’s definitely not a (0:38:25) Kelly: Maybe there is a world. (0:38:28) Al: village. (0:38:31) Al: Anyway, I mean, you can ride a pig in Evergreen Valley, so they hopefully have something like that in this game. (0:38:36) Kelly: I’m looking at that right now. (0:38:38) Kelly: That actually looks really cute. (0:38:39) Kelly: That’s a good feature. (0:38:40) Al: I haven’t played this game. It’s been on my list for forever. (0:38:44) Kelly: The first one. (0:38:45) Al: Yes, well, the second one is now yet, so of course I’ve not played that. (0:38:48) Kelly: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:38:50) Al: It’s just coming soon. They’ve not said when, it’s coming just soon. (0:38:54) Kelly: One day. (0:38:54) Al: One day. All right. (0:38:56) Kelly: Do you see this tag at the bottom on their news updates? (0:39:00) Al: The second one is that in the Evergreen Valley page? (0:39:04) Kelly: On the Steam page, yeah. (0:39:07) Al: Where am I looking? Where am I looking? (0:39:07) Kelly: I guess this is who they base the pig off of. (0:39:11) Kelly: Let me send it to you. (0:39:12) Kelly: I’ll just send it to you. (0:39:12) Al: There’s too many pages here. That’s the problem. (0:39:13) Kelly: I would do that. (0:39:15) Kelly: It really is. (0:39:15) Al: On their news. Oh, happy birthday, Peter Curleytail. (0:39:18) Kelly: Recent events, yes. (0:39:20) Al: I don’t know what to say. That is quite a pig. (0:39:24) Kelly: He’s a little frightening, but kind of cute. (0:39:26) Al: Yes, that is quite the pig. (0:39:29) Kelly: But I like the interpretation of him. (0:39:31) Al: Yeah, I like the name Peter Curleytail. (0:39:35) Kelly: Yeah, I. (0:39:36) Kelly: I’ve never seen a pig like that before, so it’s a little haunting. (0:39:42) Al: All right, that’s us done with the news. (0:39:44) Al: We are now going to talk about grimoire, grimoire. Is it grimoire? (0:39:51) Al: Grimoire. Grimoire grows. And grimoire is something that’s a witch term, isn’t it? (0:39:59) Al: like what it what I keep hearing great (0:40:00) Kelly: Yeah it’s always like I feel like it’s like swamps and grimoires and uh no it’s um what (0:40:00) Al: memoirs and lots of these witchy games. (0:40:08) Al: That explains that because, right, okay. (0:40:10) Kelly: is it a grimoire is a the book it’s the book it’s like your book of spells that’s what it is. (0:40:17) Al: And the grove is the land that you’re doing (0:40:22) Al: because a grove is like a kind of forest type thing. (0:40:26) Kelly: Yeah, yeah. But no, it’s a little book that you… (0:40:28) Al: Okay, makes sense. (0:40:30) Kelly: have all your information in. (0:40:33) Al: So, a quick introduction to this game. (0:40:38) Al: It is described on Steam as join the witches in their quest to restore the grimoire groves, (0:40:45) Al: master magic, grow cute plant creatures, and discover the mystery of the rainbow socks (0:40:52) Al: in this cozy roguelite dungeon crawler. (0:40:55) Al: The way I would describe this in my whole one hour and 20 minutes playing it (0:40:59) Al: is it is kind of cult of the lamb, but without actual, without. (0:41:09) Al: Combat the way you interact in your runs is different. (0:41:13) Al: It’s not combat so much. (0:41:16) Al: And it’s less about building a village and more about restoring nature. (0:41:24) Al: Would that be a fair way of putting it? (0:41:26) Kelly: Yeah, I think so. It’s, it’s, it’s… (0:41:29) Kelly: But you still, I feel like I’m fighting. (0:41:31) Kelly: Maybe I feel less like I’m fighting and I’m more surviving. (0:41:31) Al: Yes, okay, so I mean, okay, you could make an argument that it is basically just fighting, (0:41:39) Al: but it’s it feels so you’re feeding the plants instead of fighting them, I think is how they (0:41:44) Kelly: Yeah, yeah, but no, I’m just I’m just being a jerk. I think it’s I think that’s a good. (0:41:44) Al: describe it. So that’s why I’ve been like is not. No, no, it’s, it’s, it’s fair in terms (0:41:50) Al: of game play is very similar to most other Roguelike action games. (0:41:51) Kelly: Yes, I also think it it has that. Yeah, yeah, it has that cuteness that I think (0:41:59) Kelly: cultural land kind of has, which is why I think like they remind me like like you said like it (0:42:04) Kelly: makes you think of them. You have the juxtaposition. Yeah, yeah. (0:42:06) Al: I think the cuteness works much better in Cult of the Lam (0:42:09) Al: because it’s… exactly, exactly. (0:42:12) Al: Whereas here, the whole world is cute. (0:42:14) Kelly: But I love the saturation in this game. So like that for me is like, and I loved Call to the Land. (0:42:21) Al: Okay, I will say the game looks lovely. (0:42:24) Al: It looks really nice. (0:42:25) Al: I do love how the game actually looks. (0:42:28) Al: The graphics, the design of the characters, (0:42:36) Al: and character, but also the plants and everything. (0:42:38) Al: I do like all of that. (0:42:39) Al: That is all nice. (0:42:41) Al: I will absolutely agree with that. (0:42:44) Al: Yes. (0:42:46) Kelly: I just think it’s like you don’t always, you don’t really get a lot of games that are like, (0:42:52) Kelly: it’s like saturated, but it’s also pastel, like there’s two different kind of colored (0:42:56) Kelly: tones going on in the game, which I think is interesting. (0:43:00) Kelly: Like the backgrounds are more saturated, but the creatures, the plants are a little more (0:43:04) Kelly: pastel leaning, but it’s so vibrant. (0:43:07) Kelly: Like a lot of games, they’re so dark a lot of the time or like aiming to be more realistic (0:43:11) Al: - Yeah. (0:43:13) Kelly: in their tones, I guess. (0:43:15) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:43:16) Kelly: Yes, but yeah, no, I love all of the designs. (0:43:17) Al: No, you’re definitely right about that. (0:43:20) Al: You wouldn’t look at this and think it was something else. (0:43:20) Kelly: I love all the little plants. (0:43:23) Al: That’s very true. (0:43:23) Kelly: No, exactly. (0:43:26) Al: So I guess there’s two main parts to this game, (0:43:29) Al: and there’s obviously a lot of other things, (0:43:31) Al: lot of things that I won’t have done in the main area. (0:43:33) Al: But like most of these roguelites, (0:43:37) Al: you have your hub, (0:43:38) Al: which is an area that is run– (0:43:41) Al: was previously run by some other witch– (0:43:44) Al: I can’t remember her name, maybe– (0:43:45) Kelly: Is it lavender? (0:43:47) Kelly: I think so. (0:43:49) Al: and it’s been taken over by thorns, (0:43:53) Al: and it’s all dreary, and you are to restore it. (0:43:57) Al: That’s the main idea. (0:43:58) Kelly: You’re the young spry witch coming in to fix it. (0:43:59) Al: And you do that by classic cliche, (0:44:05) Al: but it’s there for a reason. (0:44:08) Al: and your runs that you do. (0:44:11) Al: I think of roguelites specifically talking about roguelites not roguelikes (0:44:22) Al: well let’s not have that debate again. I find there are two types there are ones where (0:44:31) Al: your hub the point of the hub is to improve your powers skills etc to then do the runs and the (0:44:38) Kelly: Mm-hmm. Yes, I was going to say, very– (0:44:41) Al: runs is the purpose of the game and that would be your like Hades stuff like that. (0:44:49) Al: And then there’s this type of thing this and Cult of the Lamb where your hub is the point of (0:44:55) Al: the game and the runs are to gather resources for doing things in your hub. (0:45:00) Kelly: I would say it’s kind of like a mix, I think, between Cult of the Lamb and Hades in that aspect. (0:45:07) Kelly: Because I do think Cult of the Lamb, there’s so much that you do in your hub area. (0:45:12) Kelly: And I don’t think this quite has near that amount of stuff. (0:45:16) Kelly: Like, you have a lot of updates and things you can interact with. (0:45:20) Kelly: I don’t want to spoil anything. (0:45:22) Kelly: But Cult of the Lamb, you could like run the village until you ran out of resources. (0:45:28) Al: I guess my point is like you’re not the run isn’t the like with Hades you are escaping hell (0:45:28) Kelly: like I spent like five minutes like you know up (0:45:31) Kelly: and then I got another run (0:45:37) Kelly: the sole purpose yes (0:45:40) Al: and your run is escaping hell and if you fail you go back to the hub world and you try again. (0:45:45) Al: Whereas in this and with Cult of the Lamb the point is the runs you’re doing to do (0:45:50) Al: things to bring back you’re never like disappearing and I think that’s that is very much (0:45:53) Kelly: No, that’s a fair point, yeah. (0:45:58) Al: why I liked Cult of the Lamb because I was building up this thing and I really hate the (0:46:05) Al: overall feeling of Hades where if you fail you fail and you’re back to the start and you have (0:46:09) Al: to start again and so I was really excited for this because I was like oh maybe this will be (0:46:15) Al: another one that I like because it’s that sort of style but I mean I guess I need to say at some (0:46:21) Al: point I didn’t like the combat in this game. I didn’t but I feel like (0:46:24) Kelly: Did you try it on easy mode? (0:46:27) Kelly: I d

In this episode I share an evolution of my meditation practice, which is to focus on surrendering the day ahead in the morning, and gratitude for the day past in the evening. Between the nightly and morning meditation session is a sacred boundary where no screen time is allowed.I also share an update on my guitar journey, sharing my progress playing/singing Harvest Moon by Neil Young.I also share how I've been thinking about faith, manifestation, & holding to the vision when it comes to my creator journey.

Al and Kev talk about Piczel Cross: Rune Factory Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:23: What Have We Been Up To 00:23:29: Game News 00:32:12: New Games 00:38:58: Piczel Cross: Rune Factory 01:01:33: Outr Links Desktop Cat Cafe One Lonely Outpost Console Release Sprout Valley “Friends Forever” DLC Everholm 1.1.0 Update Farlands 0.4 Update Mika and the Witch’s Mountain “Into the Mount Gaun” Update Wholesome Direct Announcement Monsterpatch Kickstarter Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al, (0:00:36) Kev: And my name is Kevin, and I’m, or so I’m told. (0:00:38) Al: and we’re here today to talk about how tired we are, and also Cottagecore Games. (0:00:44) Kev: Oh, gosh, yes. (0:00:46) Kev: Oh, whoa, hey, that, that’s the correct one. (0:00:55) Kev: That’s how my brain feels right now. (0:00:55) Al: That’s all of the enthusiasm you get from this episode, though. (0:01:00) Al: Right. This episode, we’re going to talk about Pixel Cross Rune Factory, the new Pixel Cross game. (0:01:06) Kev: by the not to pick across people yeah (0:01:11) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Pixel Cross by someone else. Before that, we obviously have the news. (0:01:19) Al: Look at a chunk of news. So we’re going to talk about that. But first of all, Kevin, (0:01:25) Al: what have you been up to? (0:01:26) Kev: Oh gosh. So, not a lot in terms of games and all that. Why, you ask? Because I went on a (0:01:36) Kev: work trip this week. I just got back this morning, a couple hours ago, when we start this recording. (0:01:47) Kev: So, I went to sunny San Diego, California. My first time back to my home state in almost 25 years. (0:01:57) Kev: I’m not from San Diego. I’m a little farther north. It’s my hometown area. But, (0:02:04) Kev: yeah, I went to San Diego a few times because SeaWorld was there. But not too many memories (0:02:09) Kev: other than SeaWorld. But the trip itself was fine. The work stuff was work stuff, whatever. (0:02:21) Kev: But just yesterday, I got basically an extra day. I’m gonna spend a (0:02:26) Kev: little time to run around San Diego. I went down to the beach, this place called La Jolla Cove. (0:02:35) Kev: There are sea lions, there are rocky cliffs. You can wade in the water in the beach. It is (0:02:43) Kev: all the hallmarks from my childhood because I lived by the coast. Farther north, like I said, (0:02:48) Kev: but almost the same thing. Many seals and sea lions. Very, very enjoyable. The weather was nice. (0:02:55) Kev: That was a great time. (0:02:56) Kev: So, yeah, that was fun. (0:02:58) Kev: What wasn’t fun was the kind of the bookends, the start and the beginning of this. (0:03:06) Kev: So, as I was leaving, I was bringing my own personal laptop because, you know, I might need it for something or wanted to do stuff with it. (0:03:16) Kev: And then I soon discovered that it wasn’t charging. (0:03:22) Kev: At first I thought I was the charger, that wasn’t working, then I thought it was the (0:03:26) Kev: port, but it wasn’t charging with another, the original charger which is a different (0:03:31) Kev: kind of port. (0:03:34) Kev: Long story short, I think my personal computer is dead. (0:03:37) Al: Oh, no. (0:03:40) Kev: So I have to get that repaired, I don’t know if it’s a battery thing or whatever, but I (0:03:45) Kev: would like that fixed because I have things on there including my other audacity and recordings, (0:03:52) Kev: that’s my usual recording computer. (0:03:57) Kev: Next, and also that explains the chromium audio quality coming from me today because I have (0:04:04) Kev: my microphone, but it’s a USB-A connector and the computer I’m using right now is only (0:04:12) Kev: USB-C ports because of the brilliant design of course I guess, and I don’t have a dongle (0:04:18) Kev: or adapter or whatever, so I’m just using standard laptop recording. (0:04:24) Kev: So yeah, sorry about that. (0:04:26) Kev: Folks. So that happened. That was not fun. I’m gonna address that. So the trip back, that was, that was something because the plane left or it was a, I had one layover in Los Angeles. (0:04:48) Kev: So my first flight left like at 6 p.m. San Diego time and it was only not even a full house. (0:04:57) Kev: I had a half hour to get to Los Angeles. So I was there by 7 p.m. or whatever, let’s just say, but then my, the other flight left at 11 p.m. So I was in the airport doing not much of anything for four hours. (0:05:10) Al: Yeah, always fun. (0:05:15) Kev: The fun part is, so we left at 11 p.m., right? And I’m traveling west to east so the time jumps gets weird and we had daylight savings time. (0:05:27) Al: Oh, just to make even more confusing. (0:05:27) Kev: So, yup. So my flight left at like 11 p.m. I arrived today at 7 a.m. but it was only a four hour flight. So you do the math. (0:05:42) Al: Well, I don’t I don’t think I want to do the maths on that, to be honest. (0:05:43) Kev: I, I, I’m, I think literally, yeah, yeah, yeah, literally. (0:05:47) Al: It was it was bad enough. It was bad enough trying to figure out what time it would be (0:05:51) Al: for you today when we’re recording it. What is normal time for me? (0:05:56) Kev: I lost, like the flight was half the time of the time change. Like it’s bad. I almost left four hours, but I landed eight hours later. (0:06:07) Kev: So I’m, it’s, I’m tired, my feet in pain from walking and all that. I’m kind of all beat up. So yeah, not a lot of games because of that. (0:06:19) Kev: I got in a game of Snap here or there, but not, not that much, you know, but what I did get to see on the way, on the flight too. (0:06:26) Kev: I got to watch a couple movies because it’s a longish flight (0:06:32) Kev: The first one was John wick chapter 4 (0:06:35) Kev: Have you watched the John wick movies? (0:06:37) Al: I have, yes, yes I have. I didn’t watch them for a long time because I was like, “Ugh, (0:06:38) Kev: Okay, um, so (0:06:43) Al: just another action film.” And then I watched the first one and was like, “Oh no, this (0:06:44) Kev: Yeah (0:06:47) Al: is, this is not just, this is like, I don’t, I don’t know why nobody told me before I watched (0:06:47) Kev: Yeah (0:06:53) Al: them that they were satire. Like, they’re fantastic, they’re so good.” (0:06:55) Kev: Yeah, oh, yeah, they’re incredible, right? (0:07:01) Kev: So, yeah, a big fan of the WIC series. (0:07:05) Kev: The fourth one, I think, is the weakest entry in the whole thing. (0:07:10) Kev: I feel like so obviously they’re just thinly veiled excuses for, you know, (0:07:17) Kev: gun cottas and choreography and stuff, right? (0:07:21) Kev: Like, I get that. (0:07:22) Kev: but even even by (0:07:25) Kev: those standards like I don’t know the plot here just wasn’t wasn’t doing it (0:07:29) Kev: for me right like John’s motivations didn’t line up like he was supposed to (0:07:35) Kev: go out and and kill the the 12 members of the table or whatever he killed only (0:07:40) Kev: the one guy I don’t know but anyways the the action was good of course I feel (0:07:48) Kev: like the most ridiculous of the the series which is you know a lot but cuz (0:07:53) Kev: We I don’t know why we have guns (0:07:55) Kev: Japanese bows and arrows and samurai swords, but we do because it’s cool. I guess but (0:08:02) Kev: But yeah, I don’t know. It just feels like (0:08:06) Kev: Even by John Wick’s changes. There are a few places that just kind of went a little over the top (0:08:11) Kev: Or maybe it’s just a little fatigue from seeing the other three entries or whatever. I don’t know (0:08:17) Kev: But I mean overall it was good. I’m not I’m not trying to berate it too much just probably my least favorite of the (0:08:24) Kev: The entire series (0:08:25) Kev: And hey, it’s Keanu, right? Like I was happy to see that and I love his his, you know, his his trademark (0:08:33) Kev: Yeah, that he does in every movie like 50% of his lines are just that yeah (0:08:41) Kev: Good old good old Keanu (0:08:45) Kev: Let’s see the other one I watched was A Quiet Place day one (0:08:49) Al: Hmm. (0:08:50) Kev: So I have not seen either of the other quiet place movies. I didn’t know a third one (0:08:55) Kev: came out but I saw it in my life so I was like sure why not. Have you seen quiet place either? (0:09:00) Al: - Yeah, I’ve seen them all, yeah. (0:09:04) Al: Which, I’m just noticing how funny this is (laughs) (0:09:09) Al: because we were having a chat on one of the slacks (0:09:13) Al: about someone claiming that I just watch everything (0:09:16) Al: and then the two series that you’re talking about, (0:09:16) Kev: Yeah, that’ll bring up. Yeah, yeah (0:09:18) Al: I’ve watched both of them, but anyway. (0:09:24) Al: The, I do, I don’t think it’s actually a bad place (0:09:30) Kev: Well, from what I understand, they’re not like, all the stories aren’t directly connected, (0:09:31) Al: to enter the series. (0:09:40) Kev: right? (0:09:40) Al: The first two films are, the second film is very much a direct sequel of the first one but day one is very much a prequel, not connecting directly to individual people, but the concept, yeah, so if you understand the concept of it, then yeah, but… (0:09:41) Kev: They’re different. (0:09:43) Kev: They are? (0:09:44) Kev: Oh gosh, that doesn’t, oh, nevermind then. (0:09:52) Kev: Okay. (0:09:53) Kev: Right. (0:09:54) Kev: Mhm. (0:09:55) Kev: Okay. (0:09:56) Kev: Sure. (0:09:57) Kev: Sure. (0:09:58) Kev: Sure. (0:09:59) Kev: Sure. (0:10:01) Kev: Yeah. (0:10:02) Kev: I do. (0:10:03) Kev: Yeah. (0:10:04) Kev: Yeah. (0:10:05) Kev: And then, you know, it’s not a terribly hard concept. (0:10:06) Kev: So, yeah. (0:10:07) Kev: Yeah. (0:10:08) Kev: I was familiar with that. (0:10:09) Kev: So, um, I don’t know, like, obviously I can’t compare it to the first two, I haven’t seen (0:10:12) Kev: them, but they, this one felt like a little, they were forcing it a little too much, right? (0:10:21) Kev: Like we, we, we’ve already got a cancer patient, right? (0:10:24) Kev: So, you know, they’re already trying to tug at the, the heartstrings or whatever. (0:10:29) Kev: and then you have a dank. (0:10:30) Kev: In this movie it looks like my cat, which caused my anxiety to spike so much, because the cat in that movie looks a lot like my cat, or one of my cats. (0:10:41) Kev: And of course what they can do, they’re going to keep putting it in danger. (0:10:48) Kev: But yeah, a lot of it was very heavy handed in how it was trying to raise the stakes. (0:11:02) Kev: But overall, not a bad film. (0:11:05) Kev: Yeah, I think there are a few moments where it’s a little questionable, like I don’t know why this character did this or whatever, but overall pretty fine. (0:11:19) Kev: Yeah, I don’t have much else to say, I liked it overall though. (0:11:26) Kev: Um, but that’s what I’ve got going on for me. What about you? What’s going on? (0:11:32) Al: Yeah, I’ve also not done a huge amount of gaming. This week has been busy, busy. Obviously (0:11:37) Al: I’ve been playing Pixel Cross Rune Factory for the episode. And I did a bit of raids (0:11:40) Kev: I did too. Great. Shadow Legend. Oh. [laughs] (0:11:45) Al: in Scarlet and Violet this weekend. And obviously I’m continuing on Pokemon Go every day. Yeah, (0:11:56) Al: that’s probably about it games-wise. I did watch the first two episodes of the new Daredevil (0:12:01) Al: Born Again series. (0:12:02) Kev: due to how are they do tell me (0:12:03) Al: There’s that I very much enjoyed the right word. (0:12:09) Al: I very much thought I thought there were I thought they were good. (0:12:12) Kev: I thought they were shows (0:12:13) Al: There was a couple of no, no, no, it’s more a case of I can’t say much (0:12:18) Al: without spoiling it, but there’s this stuff that happens that doesn’t make me (0:12:22) Al: happy, but it’s not meant to make me happy, right? (0:12:25) Kev: okay so mission accomplished that’s not necessarily a bad thing (0:12:27) Al: Yeah, I’m feeling what they want me to feel. (0:12:30) Al: it. Yeah, it’s (0:12:31) Kev: I don’t like the feeling. (0:12:32) Al: the. (0:12:35) Kev: OK. (0:12:36) Kev: What is the plot? (0:12:38) Kev: Because I don’t know any– (0:12:39) Kev: I haven’t heard anything about the specifics. (0:12:42) Al: Have you seen the the Netflix series? (0:12:42) Kev: What is– I have not, but I know enough about it, I think. (0:12:47) Al: I mean, the overall idea of the series is this is the Fisk is Mayor one, so, which they’ve (0:12:58) Kev: » Okay. Sure. (0:13:00) Al: done in comics before, I’m sure I know I’ve kind of seen some things about it, but that’s (0:13:05) Al: the kind of overall something happens at the beginning of the first episode that leads (0:13:10) Al: to Daredevil stopping. (0:13:12) Al: being Daredevil, and then Fist becomes Mayor, and now we’re a little bit further on, and (0:13:18) Al: now Matt wants to be Daredevil again, or doesn’t want to be Daredevil again. (0:13:22) Al: But you know what I mean? (0:13:23) Al: Like, it’s forced into being Daredevil again because of things that happen. (0:13:23) Kev: yeah yeah okay uh okay then you know that’s fine I guess but okay well fisk is mayor okay that that’s (0:13:29) Al: It’s hard to say much without spoiling the episodes, right? (0:13:36) Kev: the elevator picture I was looking for um okay here’s a question where does this fit into the (0:13:42) Kev: timeline like with she-ho because that’s the one i’m actually seeing with the good old man in any (0:13:46) Al: Yeah, it’s a good question. They don’t directly tie it in, but I think as far as I can tell (0:13:55) Al: it’s She-Hulk and then a little while later Echo happens and then a little while later (0:14:01) Al: this happens. They directly reference Echo happening in the past. Yeah, they don’t directly (0:14:02) Kev: Okay. Okay. (0:14:13) Al: reference the racist. (0:14:16) Al: that’s, I think it’s happened in the past, but not sure. Like just in terms of like (0:14:20) Kev: Okay (0:14:23) Al: just general MCU continuity, right? (0:14:25) Kev: Mm-hmm, um, okay that that’s interesting because I haven’t seen echo (0:14:32) Al: Echos, well, okay, I really enjoyed Echos. I thought it was very good. Yeah. (0:14:35) Kev: Okay (0:14:38) Kev: Okay, I mean no no like I believe it just I’m thinking just like cuz you know (0:14:43) Kev: obviously I feel like there’s a lot of important context because you know with the (0:14:48) Kev: the end of Hawkeye you get some kingpin and (0:14:50) Kev: then you got Echo and She-Hulk, so I’m just, yup, yeah he is and that’s fine cause it’s (0:14:51) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he’s he’s popping up in a lot of things, (0:14:56) Al: isn’t he? (0:14:59) Kev: a great portrayal, but you know just context wise like how do I, I missed a few chapters (0:15:04) Al: I would watch Echo, I think it’s worth watching Echo. Not necessarily for Daredevil, (0:15:05) Kev: in how we got here. (0:15:10) Kev: I watch Hawkeye, yes. (0:15:16) Al: I don’t think it really does a huge amount for Daredevil, but it does for Fisk. I think (0:15:18) Kev: Yeah (0:15:21) Kev: Okay (0:15:22) Al: it’s important for Fisk’s story. (0:15:24) Kev: Okay, okay, that makes sense is Kate Bishop in it Kate Bishop in any of this oh (0:15:30) Al: has not been yet. I also like Kate Bishop. Yeah, there were some rumours that her stepdad, (0:15:32) Kev: But I like Kate Bishop specific (0:15:36) Kev: Specifically this one. What’s her name Haley Seinfeld? Yes (0:15:44) Al: what’s his name? I can’t remember his name. Yeah, there were some rumours that he’s going to appear (0:15:46) Kev: Oh the the sword guy (0:15:48) Kev: Oh (0:15:51) Al: in this series. But we’ll see. (0:15:52) Kev: Okay, uh-huh that’d be interesting I don’t remember his name is he supposed to be a sword master I don’t know whatever um (0:16:00) Al: I think he’s kind of loosely based on that idea, but he’s not actually. He’s just a bozo. (0:16:04) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:16:06) Kev: Yeah, that’s that’s the feeling I get (0:16:10) Kev: Well, you know, you know, I don’t even need Kate Bishop specific. I just want more Haley Seinfeld in my life (0:16:16) Al: Well, well, yeah, there is that. Yeah, I would be surprised if we don’t get her in the next (0:16:18) Kev: There is that (0:16:23) Al: two years in something. I guess, is that cheating? Because in two years, we’ve got secret wars, (0:16:25) Kev: I mean, yeah. Well, you know what? (0:16:30) Al: and if we don’t get anybody, if someone doesn’t appear in secret wars, (0:16:34) Al: they’re basically dead, right? Like, they’re not going to be in anything again. (0:16:36) Kev: I was look I was I was about to say with at the current state of the mcu (0:16:42) Kev: it’s a kind of a 50/50 on that question for almost anyone (0:16:46) Al: I don’t think, I don’t think Kate Bishop was badly received at all. Like, there are some characters (0:16:56) Kev: yeah (0:16:57) Al: that I could see them just, like, I would be really sad if she helped never appears again, (0:17:01) Al: but I would understand based on, you know, the internet. But I didn’t see anything about that with (0:17:02) Kev: yes (0:17:06) Kev: yeah (0:17:09) Kev: yeah yeah no i’m here’s the thing like my point is it feel like in such a (0:17:15) Kev: directionless disarray I don’t even think that’s a factor like what (0:17:18) Al: Well, I think I think they’re at the point now where they’re just wrapping up the stories (0:17:27) Al: that they weren’t sure about. And I think they probably have good ideas for what they want to do, (0:17:33) Al: but they need to wrap up what they were doing before they can do that, if that makes sense. (0:17:37) Al: Like it feels like we’re kind of almost like falling towards secret wars because they want (0:17:42) Al: to get it over and done with and then reset into something that they can do the stories (0:17:44) Kev: Yes (0:17:48) Al: they want to. The classic comic book way, right? (0:17:48) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah (0:17:53) Kev: Yep, yep, throw away everything cuz we’re not sure anymore is just do the new thing I guess (0:17:59) Al: Yeah, we would like to do our film that lets us have Pedro Pascal (0:18:04) Al: alongside Robert Downey Jr. Please and thank you, move along. (0:18:07) Kev: Yeah, you know, that’s yeah. Ooh, you know, that’s that might be a fair trade-off (0:18:14) Kev: You don’t you won’t get what’s his name? Oh gosh One Direction guy Wow (0:18:20) Al: Oh yeah, Harry Styles, Star Fox. (0:18:23) Kev: Yeah, you’re not I promise you we’re not getting Harry Styles anymore, but we’ll get Pedro Pascal that’s that’s a fair trade-off. Oh (0:18:32) Al: Yeah. Look, the one that boggles my mind that they’ve not brought back is Shang-Chi. (0:18:33) Kev: Oh, man (0:18:38) Al: Why has he not reappeared anywhere? Bizarre. Bizarre to me. Like, that was such a well-received film. (0:18:42) Kev: Yeah (0:18:49) Kev: It was yeah, I mean it but really I mean (0:18:54) Kev: Everything post infinity war like not not not by individual like, you know, obviously there’s been great and highs and lows (0:19:02) Kev: but just like the entire (0:19:04) Kev: idea of their continuity and (0:19:08) Kev: Connectedness has been an absolute mess a train wreck. So I don’t know (0:19:12) Al: It’s really interesting if you look back on release dates. So we had a whole Iron Man trilogy (0:19:13) Kev: You (0:19:15) Kev: Mm-hmm. Yeah (0:19:21) Kev: Yes, right (0:19:21) Al: in five years, 2008 to 2013. It has been nearly four years since Shang-Chi came out. (0:19:25) Kev: Yeah (0:19:29) Kev: Oh sick (0:19:32) Al: So in the time that it has been since Shang-Chi, Iron Man was nearly at its third film. (0:19:40) Kev: Crazy. (0:19:40) Al: Thor had a full trilogy and. (0:19:42) Al: In six years, Captain America had a full trilogy in five years. (0:19:50) Al: Like it’s just, it’s fascinating how slow they are at getting sequels out now. (0:19:50) Kev: Oh, yeah, one of my favorite benchmarks of any time comparison is the US Confederacy, (0:20:02) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Two thousand, yeah. Fun. Fun times. Anyway, uh, I’ve also been watching (0:20:03) Kev: right? (0:20:05) Kev: And we have now a full Confederacy between Shang-Chi appearances. (0:20:13) Kev: Oh, yeah. (0:20:22) Al: Avatar the Last Airbender, so that’s the thing I’m watching through just now. So I have just (0:20:24) Kev: Oh yeah, I forgot about that. (0:20:27) Kev: Mm. (0:20:28) Al: finished season one and I am enjoying it very much so. (0:20:32) Al: Particularly there was a fun, so when they get to the North (0:20:36) Al: Pole, there’s a very fun, Katara has a very fun fight with (0:20:36) Kev: Yep. (0:20:42) Kev: Yep. (0:20:42) Al: someone. I don’t want to say too much, just in case anyone else (0:20:44) Al: is wanting to watch them. It doesn’t want to get spoiled. (0:20:46) Al: That fight is an incredible fight. I love all the different (0:20:50) Al: ideas that they have for that fight. So yeah. (0:20:53) Kev: oh well buckle up buckaroo because one thing they did excellent throughout the entire show (0:21:01) Kev: up to the very end is the choreography um well the fight choreography and direction um it’s all (0:21:09) Kev: stellar um but you know because all the the different earthbending styles are based off real (0:21:15) Kev: life martial arts and whatnot and so they you know they they translate that well but then of (0:21:20) Kev: And of course you have elemental superpowers. (0:21:23) Kev: They translate, they do fun stuff with that sometimes. (0:21:25) Kev: Um… (0:21:27) Kev: But, uh… (0:21:28) Kev: Oh, I am very excited for you. (0:21:31) Kev: Uh, like, y-you’ve seen how good season 1 is. (0:21:34) Al: Yeah, and people well people keep saying it’s the worst season, and I’m like this is the worst my word (0:21:35) Kev: What if I told you… (0:21:38) Kev: Yeah! (0:21:38) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:39) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:40) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:40) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:41) Al: I’m looking forward to what comes next (0:21:41) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:41) Kev: YEAH! (0:21:43) Kev: Yeah, exactly what I was about to say, yeah, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. (0:21:45) Kev: You haven’t seen anything yet, you’ve seen garbage. (0:21:48) Kev: It’s… it’s so good. (0:21:49) Al: The humour in it is very good. It’s stupid for humour, but the comedic timing is what (0:21:50) Kev: Um… (0:21:53) Kev: It’s great. (0:21:56) Kev: Yeah. (0:21:57) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:00) Al: gets it, right? There’s a bit where Katara is pretending to be an earthbender, right? (0:22:00) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:01) Kev: Yeah, it- (0:22:06) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:06) Al: And they do this weird thing where Aang is blowing air through a hole in the ground to (0:22:11) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:13) Al: levitate a rock, and Katara is pretending to do that. (0:22:13) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:14) Kev: Yeah. (0:22:19) Al: The guys look over and they’re like, “Oh, that lemur’s earthbending!” It’s just such (0:22:24) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, you’re right, they are they’re killer with their (0:22:25) Al: a stupid moment, but because of the tension, and they build it up, and the timing, and (0:22:31) Al: that stupid moment is just so funny. (0:22:37) Kev: comedic timing, like in general, because it’s, it’s, it’s wild, because it’s such a serious, (0:22:44) Kev: like, show, right, like, both in terms of the overall plot, and they, they treat that, (0:22:49) Kev: the tone gets very heavy at times, but they still managed to pull off. (0:22:54) Kev: And I think part of it is because they’re stupid 12 year olds, you know, so they’re gonna do dumb stuff. (0:23:00) Al: » Yeah. (0:23:02) Kev: But yeah, oh man, I can’t hurry up and finish it so I can talk to you about my favorite episodes, the dragon dance. (0:23:04) Al: » Yeah. (0:23:10) Al: It will only be another few weeks. (0:23:12) Al: I’ve got these done in three weeks. (0:23:14) Kev: Alright. (0:23:14) Al: So we’ll be done soon. (0:23:16) Kev: Tell me you get to boo me. (0:23:20) Al: Yeah, I think that’s everything. (0:23:22) Al: So that’s what we’ve been up to. (0:23:22) Al: My word. (0:23:24) Al: I thought this was going to be a short episode. (0:23:24) Al: We’re 25 minutes in. (0:23:26) Kev: I’m on- I’m on this show, you know that won’t happen. (0:23:31) Al: - Let’s get through this news. (0:23:32) Al: So first off, desktop cat cafe is out now. (0:23:35) Kev: Okay. (0:23:35) Al: Not much to say about that. (0:23:36) Al: That’s the bottom of the screen cat cafe game, (0:23:38) Kev: The- the- the rusty leg is what I’d say, yeah. (0:23:39) Al: the Rusty Like. (0:23:42) Kev: Um, that’s- (0:23:44) Al: So if you were like, (0:23:45) Al: “Oh, I like the idea of Rusty’s retirement, (0:23:46) Al: but I want it to be cats.” (0:23:49) Al: There you go. (0:23:50) Kev: Yeah, the the cats are kind of I’m still not the whole idea (0:23:55) Kev: I don’t like I’m very on the idea, but the cats are very cute. I will say that (0:24:02) Kev: Yeah, it looks nice. I’m sure it’s a wonderful entry for you rusty. Yeah, it’s right rusty lights. I’m rusty like fans (0:24:13) Kev: I enjoy cute cats (0:24:15) Al: Next we have one lonely outpost have released their 1.0 and are now on switch Xboxes and (0:24:22) Al: PS5. (0:24:24) Kev: Wait, they weren’t already on Switch? (0:24:25) Al: They were not the this is their this is their console release. (0:24:27) Kev: Okay. (0:24:30) Kev: Oh, well, good for them. (0:24:31) Al: The 1.0 is pretty slim. (0:24:33) Al: It’s like yeah this is the 1.0 and it’s like almost all bug fixes. (0:24:38) Kev: Hehehehe, it’s a game! (0:24:40) Al: Which is like probably the right way to do it like I’ve always complained about people (0:24:45) Al: 1.0 and like here’s half the game now because it’s because it just ends up being buggy. (0:24:48) Kev: Yeah. (0:24:50) Al: So this is probably the right way to do it but it’s just really funny saying here’s the (0:24:53) Al: release notes for 1.0 and the only thing that isn’t a bug fix is added four new artifacts (0:24:59) Al: to Sydney’s shop. (0:25:00) Kev: I was about to say like, the amount of content for 1.0 is debatable maybe or a little subjective, (0:25:13) Kev: yada yada, but the one thing, the game should work, right? (0:25:17) Kev: That’s the minimum, so if it’s all just bug fixes to get to that point, I can live with (0:25:22) Kev: that I guess. (0:25:23) Kev: I probably won’t play this game, but you know, good for them. (0:25:26) Al: for sure. (0:25:28) Kev: They crossed a finish line. (0:25:30) Al: Next we have a new DLC for Sprout Valley, it’s the Friends Forever DLC, I think this (0:25:36) Kev: Didn’t expect this I don’t know why I just I don’t know but here we are sprovella dilsen (0:25:42) Al: is what happens when you release a game that costs like a fiver, you sell DLC, 11 new friends (0:25:45) Kev: I guess yeah (0:25:49) Al: that can be found while visiting new islands, each of them has their own gift preferences, (0:25:53) Al: hobbies, unique style, and they’re all different. (0:25:56) Al: They’re all different kinds of creatures from buffaloes to frogs. Each new island’s dweller has a questlet at the end of which await new workspaces, items, and rewards. (0:26:06) Kev: cool. 2-bit or 8-bit Hello Kitty Island adventure, basically. Yeah, no, I’m kidding, I’m kidding, (0:26:12) Al: I it’s not as big as that, not by in no way as it was. (0:26:16) Kev: I know. I know. Yeah, yeah, no. I’m just saying, because I’m looking at one of the, I think (0:26:18) Al: I had fun with the, what, like five hours I played it. (0:26:25) Kev: it looks like a dog. It looks a little like a cinnamon roll. Anyway, it’s still a very (0:26:29) Kev: cute game, no matter what. Good for you Sprout Valley, keep on trucking. (0:26:35) Al: Next, we have Everhome have released a 1.1.0 update. (0:26:40) Al: This adds cooking, and it adds a compendium, tracking discoveries. (0:26:42) Kev: like cooking that’s always a good one feels like it should have been at 1.0 (0:26:48) Al: Yep. (0:26:52) Kev: but mmm true (0:26:52) Al: Yeah, well, as you say, always debatable what these things are. (0:26:58) Al: And they’ve also overhauled their quests and luck systems. (0:27:02) Kev: oh okay that that’s probably good um well I get it you touche (0:27:05) Al: So maybe we’ll see. Who knows? (0:27:13) Al: Firelines have released their 0.4 update, adding relationships into the game. (0:27:18) Kev: oh goody finally now now they’re cottage core oh um (0:27:24) Al: I think you’ll find their space cottage core. Thank you very much. (0:27:33) Kev: yeah I don’t i’m trying to think of a clever name I can’t think of one but here we are oh man (0:27:40) Al: base kedge no i’m not no I should have not but (0:27:46) Kev: Can I rome can I romance aliens do just the cat people boo (0:27:50) Al: I don’t think so (0:27:55) Al: yeah I haven’t seen anything about that anyway (0:27:58) Kev: This should be (0:28:00) Kev: There’s very clearly an alien-looking guy again. I would guess it’s an alien-looking guy (0:28:06) Al: You know what, I think you might be excited about, OK. (0:28:09) Kev: Yeah, the next news item (0:28:11) Al: Mika and the Witches Mountain into the Montgaunt is now available. (0:28:16) Kev: Oh snap this is a reason to come back (0:28:16) Al: This is the as far as we know, as far as we know, (0:28:22) Al: it’s the last update for Mika and the Witches Mountain. (0:28:27) Al: I say as far as we know, just because in the release information, (0:28:31) Al: they’re saying it’s the latest free content patch. (0:28:36) Al: They’re actively saying it’s the final one. (0:28:38) Al: But they have previously not mentioned any announcement of any other updates. (0:28:44) Kev: Yeah, okay (0:28:44) Al: But this is the one that adds in dungeons. (0:28:46) Al: So there are three dungeons in the game to test your skill. (0:28:50) Kev: So I was about to say because I’m looking down the dungeons (0:28:54) Kev: There’s one of fire one of wind and one of water and I’m and you know, I’m no secret. This is (0:29:02) Kev: Oh my god, but oh my goodness (0:29:07) Kev: Wind Waker jeez, I know I took me to I’m tired people. Um, it’s wind Waker inspired (0:29:08) Al: Mm-hmm (0:29:12) Kev: I’m looking at like all that. I know that (0:29:14) Kev: Wind Waker dungeon. I know that Wind Waker dungeon (0:29:17) Kev: And I’m like, yeah, we’re just turning up the Wind Waker dial and then I scroll to the near the bottom (0:29:24) Kev: And oh, there you go. They’ve also introduced your actual actually (0:29:30) Kev: Link’s costume you get the tunic and a green hat. They call it the green witch but (0:29:32) Al: I, yeah, I think you’ll find this is the green witch outfit, thank you very much. Legally distinct. (0:29:43) Kev: Very cute (0:29:44) Kev: Is this reason for me to fire up Mika? Yeah, I actually probably is I haven’t touched it so (0:29:46) Al: you you yeah absolutely did you play the other two updates (0:29:53) Kev: I’ve not so I’m gonna get them all at once. Yeah (0:29:55) Al: well there you go then I was waiting for the for the mall as well maybe we (0:29:59) Kev: Yeah, I’m down for that (0:30:03) Kev: This is uh (0:30:06) Kev: Whoa (0:30:07) Kev: Sorry, I’m just reading when you get the green witch costume you get upward flight. So I (0:30:13) Al: Oh, finally! There we go. Just a shame that that’s for completing the dungeons, i.e. having (0:30:15) Kev: Snap (0:30:17) Kev: The limiters are off (0:30:19) Kev: Then it’s (0:30:22) Al: done everything in the game. Well, hey, maybe it’ll be fun, who knows. (0:30:24) Kev: Yeah, pretty much (0:30:28) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I’m always I was kind of (0:30:32) Kev: I’m always torn on this sort of design right because it’s it’s not uncommon where you get the (0:30:37) Kev: The full power at the very end or whatever right and like on the one hand it makes sense that you know (0:30:44) Kev: That’s where the progression leads to (0:30:46) Kev: But on the other hand like what are you gonna do with it now, you know? (0:30:50) Al: Yeah, yeah, I think this there is a balance to be had there and I think I (0:30:55) Al: think this is why I like 3d platform or certain nothing just platformers in general because (0:31:01) Al: You know excluding Metroidvanias, which the whole point is just unlocking (0:31:05) Al: Skills as you go. I like the idea that it’s (0:31:09) Al: What gets you through the game is your skill improving not necessarily the game just giving you things to make it easier (0:31:16) Kev: Okay, sure, sure. (0:31:18) Al: Um, and speaking of metroidvanias, I did. (0:31:20) Al: Once, which you didn’t unlock stuff as you went through the game, it just told you about stuff as you went through the game. (0:31:28) Al: So if you like just experimented and tried things, you would actually be able to do things much earlier than the game told you about them. (0:31:35) Kev: Yeah, I like that, see that is a good design right there. (0:31:40) Al: Next, we have the announcement that the Wholesome Direct is coming back this year, coming in June, there we go. (0:31:47) Kev: Okay, just like I don’t mean like one punch man. Okay. I’m like, all right. Yeah, that’s fine (0:31:56) Al: There we go. (0:31:56) Al: That’s the thing. (0:31:58) Al: That is a nice, easy episode for us later in the year. (0:31:58) Kev: Yeah (0:32:01) Kev: Yeah, that’s the real excitement here easy episode announced (0:32:07) Al: No preparation except watching a video. (0:32:09) Kev: Yeah, we can do that (0:32:13) Al: And finally, we have the announcement of Monster Patch. (0:32:17) Al: We have vaguely talked about this in the past, because this is the monster-collecting farming (0:32:26) Al: game by the maker of Littlewood. (0:32:26) Kev: Oh, by Sean Young. Yeah. (0:32:30) Al: Yes, so, but this is like the first proper thing of it, and this is the Kickstarter (0:32:35) Al: is going live soon. (0:32:38) Al: So yeah, it’s very much Gameboy-style graphics, kind of traditional Pokemon-style graphics. (0:32:46) Al: So if you like that, yeah. (0:32:46) Kev: Very not just graphics like even art style like that those trainers. That’s a Brock misty and ash (0:32:56) Al: Yeah, I was going to say the first one is definitely Gary. (0:32:56) Kev: And there’s even a Gary on the first image (0:33:00) Kev: That is definitely Gary (0:33:03) Kev: And even some of these Pokemon, you know getting getting in that little little bit of power world school of thought that you know (0:33:12) Kev: He squint is that a whooper? No (0:33:17) Kev: It’s an ax a lot. No, that’s not a that’s not a whooper (0:33:25) Al: Hold up. Hold up just a minute. Is Whipper based on an axolotl? (0:33:27) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:33:30) Al: I had never noticed that before, but you’re right. It is, isn’t it? (0:33:31) Kev: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s got the little little you know antenna with a little (0:33:34) Al: Wild. There you go. (0:33:40) Al: It totally is. It totally looks like what… (0:33:42) Kev: Yeah, yeah, there you go. Yeah, we made that connection. Oh, yeah (0:33:47) Kev: um (0:33:48) Kev: Could we make a cuter ax a little probably cuz ax a little are very cute, but whooper is good. No, it was good. Nonetheless. Um, I (0:33:59) Al: And of course it’s shiny pink, isn’t it? Which is the standard axolotl, axolotl colour. (0:34:01) Kev: Yeah, that’s correct (0:34:04) Kev: Standard yeah, okay. Yeah. Yeah, you know, okay slight slight (0:34:13) Kev: tangent here, um (0:34:15) Kev: so (0:34:17) Kev: They are you know 99 PI 99% invisible, okay, um (0:34:23) Kev: For folks who don’t know it’s a podcast that just goes into the history and origins of all sorts of random topics (0:34:28) Kev: I’m just everyday things um (0:34:30) Al: It’s mostly like design stuff, but yeah, they stretch out of that quite a bit, but that’s the original idea. (0:34:32) Kev: Yeah design stuff yeah (0:34:34) Kev: They do they do yeah, yeah (0:34:39) Kev: There’s an episode where they talk about axolotls (0:34:42) Kev: And how the the pink acts a lot of the common one that (0:34:46) Kev: so famous and popular and you can get pet shops is is so very distinct and different now because (0:34:57) Kev: long story short they years ago they some researchers got like a handful like eight (0:35:04) Kev: axolotls from the wilds of mexico and then like all the lab quote unquote lab axolotls though the (0:35:12) Kev: the pink ones with the translucent skin all those are more or less descendants (0:35:16) Kev: and they’ve just become so distinctly different from the wild ones because if (0:35:23) Kev: you look at a wild axolotl from the ones in Mexico they’re not even pink (0:35:26) Kev: they’re more like gray and they’re a little more fish-looking for lack of a (0:35:33) Kev: better word they might just because their skin isn’t translucent like the (0:35:36) Kev: the ones that so famous but it’s it’s a fascinating topic I love axolotls both (0:35:43) Kev: with the wild ones and the not wild ones. (0:35:46) Kev: But yeah, so going back to thing, Whooper’s cool, and more importantly Monster Patch. (0:35:54) Kev: Like, all the jokes about the style and whatever side, it looks, at least the images look competently made. (0:36:02) Kev: So I’m curious to see how this will pan out. (0:36:07) Kev: Do we have a date for the launch? I don’t think we do, do we? (0:36:09) Al: No, we just it’s coming. (0:36:11) Kev: Alright, well, keep your eyes out. (0:36:15) Kev: Yeah, I don’t know, we’re growing things. (0:36:18) Kev: And Pokemon are there. (0:36:20) Al: - Yes, yeah, fun. (0:36:23) Al: We’ll see what it’s like, but I liked Little Wood, (0:36:26) Al: so, and I like Pokemon. (0:36:29) Kev: I do. I don’t know. I actually haven’t played Little Wood, but I like Pokémon. (0:36:35) Kev: So we’ll see. That Apple Dragon Crocodile thing, I don’t know what that is. That’s a cute looking one. (0:36:44) Kev: I’m down. Let me know when. I mean, obviously you will let me know when this launches, but I’m just (0:36:49) Al: Oh, I just noticed it does actually say the Kickstarter is launching. (0:36:50) Kev: speaking to Sean Young, I guess. Not you, Al. But let me know when it launches so I can play this. (0:36:56) Kev: I am intrigued. (0:36:59) Kev: Oh, yeah, there it is at the very end. Oh, that’s soon, relatively, but yeah, but it kills us. That’s no indicator. You know, it just gives us the various tiniest, like false hope of when it actually comes out because that, you know, we’re talking about it like, oh, that’s lunch. That is no correlation to when we can play it. Done. (0:37:19) Al: yeah there was because they (0:37:27) Al: yeah because there was the um what was the other chibi game uh elusive um the kickstarter for (0:37:35) Al: that launched last week and yeah it was the expected release date for that is uh may 2027 (0:37:43) Al: so two years time (0:37:44) Kev: You know what? At least, I think I almost prefer a long launch window because that feels realistic/believable/but you know, I get it. (0:37:56) Al: Yeah, yeah, but it’s also the fact that elusive was announced three years ago originally. (0:38:04) Kev: Oh, that’s a different story. You’re right. (0:38:07) Al: So it’s like, yeah, games take a long time, but also this will be like five years from (0:38:12) Al: the first time we hear about it when it eventually releases. (0:38:14) Kev: Oh, sick. (0:38:16) Al: It’s our first official 2027 release date. (0:38:21) Kev: That is, that is also… (0:38:21) Al: Just checking my spreadsheet. (0:38:23) Al: We have a few saying 2026, but nothing saying 2027. (0:38:26) Kev: Look, I don’t mean, I don’t want to be mean to elusive. (0:38:30) Kev: Alright, like, the game dev’s hard, I get it, but… (0:38:34) Kev: I just, again, it’s one of my favorite benchmarks. (0:38:37) Kev: The elusive dev cycle is longer than one Confederacy of the United States. (0:38:50) Al: Where am I? I lost my tab. There we are. That’s all the news. We are now going to talk about (0:38:57) Kev: We did it (0:39:01) Al: Pixel Cross Rune Factory. Now before we get into this, Kevin, did you play the previous (0:39:03) Kev: So (0:39:06) Kev: Yes, yes, yeah, yeah we did I was on the episode we did the episode yes, it was (0:39:08) Al: one? (0:39:09) Al: Pixel Cross. (0:39:10) Al: It was me and you, was it? Right, OK. (0:39:13) Al: So next question, did you actually get any time to play this game this week? (0:39:15) Kev: A little bit it I’ve reached the first boss. There’s my (0:39:20) Al: OK. Yeah, that’s decent. I think you get the customization by that point. (0:39:26) Kev: Yeah, oh, yeah, you get that early on that’s like one of the first ones you get yeah, so I have enough to have thoughts (0:39:31) Kev: I haven’t seen the full things, but I certainly enough for opinions. Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yeah (0:39:34) Al: I think you’ve seen enough. You’ve seen enough, realistically, right? (0:39:39) Al: Because you also see, I think the boss, the only thing you won’t have done is a colour one. (0:39:44) Kev: Yeah, I’ve not seen a gun of color one yet. No, but uh, but (0:39:47) Al: but I think they’re pretty clear. (0:39:50) Al: They’re just slightly more complicated ones, but what comes to them when we come to it? (0:39:51) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:39:58) Al: I’m changing this list around. I want to talk about the customisation first, (0:40:02) Al: because this is the thing that’s different. This is the thing that’s different about this game, (0:40:03) Kev: Oh (0:40:06) Al: other than the bosses are different, the colours are different, but this is the thing that seemed (0:40:09) Kev: Okay, well (0:40:12) Al: the most interesting to me until I played the game. (0:40:14) Kev: Well, there’s a few things oh (0:40:16) Kev: Okay, I’m gonna take us to (0:40:18) Kev: Hold on before we get them we can take one step back just for anyone who might not remember because you know (0:40:23) Kev: That was a while ago and people aren’t remember, right? So we’re talking on a grand pic cross puzzles, right? (0:40:29) Kev: Um, they did, uh, when we’re talking about his- his pixel-cross story of- (0:40:33) Kev: That’s the previous game, and that was just a very straightforward bare-bones- (0:40:39) Kev: Here’s a bunch of Picross puzzles, um, and there happens to be Harvest Moon, you know, they’re all Harvest Moon, er, story of seasons images, there’s (0:40:47) Kev: music in the background, and a little farm growing in the background. Um, but that- that was pretty much it, right? A very- (0:40:53) Kev: Yeah, I- I enjoy it, ‘cause I enjoy nonagram, but, um, but straightforward and, uh, basic sort of collection of puzzles. (0:41:03) Kev: This one, they’re- they- they upped- they upped it. I’m just- I’m surprised, I didn’t think they could take it places, but they did, they’re doing stuff, right? (0:41:13) Kev: Um, because- okay, let’s get into the customization. Now, that’s one of the biggest ones, ‘cause story of seasons was just (0:41:21) Kev: automatically happening in the background, you kind of looked at it here and there, but here, go ahead, Al, tell them. (0:41:24) Al: Yeah. Yeah, so here you I mean, realistically, it’s not fundamentally different, right? Like, (0:41:33) Al: the back, the background is still doing the same thing is the background. And you have a farm, (0:41:39) Al: like the previous one, because it’s all still farming, right? But you get to like, choose how (0:41:45) Al: your farm looks, basically, right? So you have, you can, it’s very specifically, you can go down (0:41:52) Al: down to which crops you want on which. (0:41:54) Al: Crop plot point, you can say “I want a turnip here, I want a potato here, I want a cabbage there”. (0:42:00) Al: You can be very specific about it. Weirdly detailed and you can also change your character’s (0:42:08) Al: look and weapons and stuff like that. I guess the thing I was disappointed about it was (0:42:14) Al: it doesn’t change anything. It is just the background and that’s fine. Maybe I shouldn’t (0:42:18) Al: have expected any more but it doesn’t make any difference to gameplay. (0:42:24) Al: It’s just changing what is on in the background which some people might really like but I’m just (0:42:29) Al: a little bit… I don’t particularly care because it’s really in the background. It’s there but (0:42:35) Al: you’re looking at the puzzle and especially… I don’t know how you play these games but I’m (0:42:39) Al: trying to do them as quickly as possible and then I put it down when I finished. (0:42:42) Kev: Yeah, right (0:42:45) Kev: Well, okay there is I (0:42:48) Kev: Think there’s a few more there’s a little more to it that gives it a little more meat on the buns (0:42:52) Kev: First of all, this now introduces a collection aspect, right? (0:42:55) Kev: Like one that you can actually display right whether it’s your displaying different crops on the field or perhaps more importantly to us (0:43:02) Kev: You you can collect monsters, right? (0:43:05) Al: Oh yes, I forgot about the monsters, of course. (0:43:07) Kev: Yeah, right you can have a couple monsters on your farm and they’re just walking around (0:43:12) Kev: background elements, but (0:43:14) Kev: Gotta catch them all. You’re right. Gotta catch them all (0:43:16) Al: Well and, and including, you won’t know this, but you can have the boxes there as well. (0:43:20) Kev: Yeah, I figured so I think there’s a page for that like you could kind of see it on the (0:43:26) Kev: Customization pages, but yes including bosses. So that’s fun (0:43:32) Kev: And actually (0:43:34) Kev: I guess you know, no, I’ll get to that in a second. Um (0:43:38) Kev: The other big one I think is the quote-unquote (0:43:42) Kev: And I say big is still not that big but the arms or equipment or whatever (0:43:48) Kev: So you can unlock different weapons because room factory, you know has this combat based (0:43:54) Kev: And there are combat scenes in the background when you’re fighting monsters to capture them or whatnot, right? (0:44:02) Kev: So depending on the weapons you equip you actually get different animations going on the background (0:44:07) Kev: I don’t know if you played around with that now or caught it but if you equip gauntlets versus a sword (0:44:12) Kev: Or an axe or whatever you get different animations and again just background stuff. Nothing cats significant, but it’s it’s a cute little (0:44:20) Al: Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s fun. And I get why people like it. It’s just that’s not really my thing. I’m much more interested, I think, in the changes they made to gameplay, which we’ll come on to in a minute. (0:44:21) Kev: Cute little nod. I appreciate that. Yeah (0:44:27) Kev: Sure (0:44:33) Kev: Sure sure (0:44:34) Al: But yeah, it was… (0:44:36) Kev: Okay, before we get to the some of the different puzzles or how they spice it up (0:44:42) Kev: Other thing that I like so when you start the game you’re asked (0:44:46) Kev: Basically, there are two modes you can do you can do puzzle mode or adventure mode now puzzle mode is just basically like the (0:44:55) Kev: The first one where it’s just a collection of puzzles and you just do them (0:44:59) Kev: And you know, I think you can still not the customization and so on and so forth, but it’s just a big (0:45:05) Kev: block of (0:45:07) Kev: puzzles a list of puzzles (0:45:10) Kev: Adventure mode is a little bit (0:45:12) Kev: different because you unlock the puzzles basically on a sort of map where you clear one puzzle and then surrounding tiles on them on this map will unlock so you can kind of bounce around and progress right at the end you know it’s it’s it’s just a it’s still just a list of puzzles just a slightly different direction and a little different presentation but it’s it’s again kind of a fun little nod to the rune factory series where you got exploration and whatnot right. (0:45:40) Al: - Yeah, it kind of doesn’t make any difference (0:45:43) Al: but in a way it does ‘cause it gives you a lot more (0:45:46) Al: flexibility on what you’re playing, right? (0:45:48) Al: Like in standard one, standard like nonogram games, (0:45:51) Al: you just got like, here’s a list and you go and do one (0:45:53) Kev: Yep. (0:45:55) Al: then you do the next, you do the next, you do the next. (0:45:57) Al: Whereas here, you do one and it kind of unlocks (0:45:58) Kev: Yep. (0:46:00) Al: the top and the left of that one (0:46:02) Kev: Yeah. (0:46:02) Al: and you do the one over there (0:46:03) Al: and it does the bottom and the right of that one. (0:46:05) Al: And it gives you lots and the, (0:46:08) Al: As much as I was like, not massive. (0:46:10) Al: I do feel like purely this map-based layout does make me feel a little bit more immersed (0:46:19) Al: in this world, right? (0:46:20) Kev: It it does it (0:46:20) Al: Because it actually feels like you’re traveling, it feels like you’re exploring, and especially (0:46:25) Al: as it shows you there are some areas there, but you can’t get to them yet, and then you (0:46:28) Kev: Yeah, yeah (0:46:30) Al: unlock that, and then it shows you more areas you can get to. (0:46:32) Al: It feels like I’m exploring much more than anything else. (0:46:33) Kev: Yeah (0:46:34) Kev: It does right and it’s some that’s that establishes a goal of sort right like (0:46:41) Kev: Actual progress which is you know not associate with the nonagram collection game, but but I agree (0:46:48) Kev: Yeah, because like you said there’s (0:46:50) Kev: I’ve reached a puzzle where okay, I cleared the the puzzles next to them, but it didn’t lock. Why is that? (0:46:55) Kev: Well, that’s I guess I for me to discover and that’s kind of fun (0:47:00) Kev: And you know if nothing else like I think it’s all I’m impressed by how clever all these ideas are right like (0:47:07) Kev: Cuz they you don’t have a lot of room to play with this sort of game, right? (0:47:11) Kev: Like it’s the bread and butter is just the nonagrams (0:47:14) Kev: So how do we make it a little more interesting and they’re using some fun ideas here (0:47:18) Kev: and the adventure map (0:47:20) Kev: absolutely is one of them. (0:47:22) Kev: Now the other thing with adventure mode is that you also get some different challenges, (0:47:29) Kev: which are optional in the standard puzzle mode. (0:47:35) Kev: And that amounts to different variations on the puzzle. (0:47:39) Kev: The first one is color puzzles, (0:47:43) Kev: which I don’t even know if it’s actually just locked to adventure mode. (0:47:47) Kev: But anyways, so you have the color mode where– (0:47:48) Al: I don’t think they are. I think the only thing that’s locked to Adventure Mode is (0:47:51) Kev: Oh, really? Oh, okay, well. (0:47:56) Al: the boss battles being challenges. (0:47:58) Kev: Yeah, I think I said you can do challenges and puzzle, but it’s not required (0:48:02) Al: Yeah, that’s the thing. Adventure Mode is you have to do them. But yeah, anyway. (0:48:04) Kev: Yeah (0:48:07) Kev: Yeah, you’re forced to do it. Yeah, okay, so the color puzzles as the name implies like (0:48:14) Kev: You now not only have your numbers that you’re filling out, but you have them in different color blocks (0:48:21) Kev: You need to fill them with the correct color. I haven’t done one. So I don’t remember all the specifics but (0:48:28) Kev: but I think (0:48:31) Kev: I’ve done other (0:48:33) Kev: Nonogram games that they’ve done similar mechanics and I it’s always a fun little touch to add (0:48:37) Kev: Just know just a little variation at least in the in the puzzle, right? (0:48:42) Kev: Oh, oh, you know what this also reminds me (0:48:46) Kev: One thing that I found intriguing is when you start the game and you’re setting up your profile (0:48:51) Kev: You’re actually given a little tutorial on all the elements of the nonogram puzzles in the different modes and stuff (0:48:59) Kev: You know not (0:49:01) Kev: It’s nothing super heavy. No hand-holding. In fact, maybe it’s a little light for you know, how complex these can be but&l

Al and Micah talk about Natsu-Mon 20th Century Summer Kid Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:02:30: What Have We Been Up To 00:12:54: Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home 00:29:22: Game News 00:54:46: Natsu Mon 01:41:16: Outro Links Tales of the Shire Delay Fantasy Life i on Steam The Garden Path “Co-op” Update Spirittea “Phantom Friends” Update Sugardew Island Patch Paleo Pines Roadmap Echoes of the Plum Grove Roadmap Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al, (0:00:36) Micah: My name is Micah. (0:00:37) Al: and we are here today to talk about cartridge core games. (0:00:41) Micah: Yippee. (0:00:45) Al: Welcome back, Micah. It’s actually not been that long. It’s only been about two months. (0:00:47) Micah: Thanks. No, it really hasn’t. (0:00:50) Micah: Yeah, which is wild because it feels like it’s been. (0:00:54) Micah: A lot like the last two months has felt like an entire year, so. (0:00:58) Al: Yeah, the last month specifically. (0:01:00) Al: Uh, but we don’t need to talk about that. (0:01:02) Micah: Yeah, yeah, no, no, no, yeah, of course. (0:01:06) Micah: I it’s funny because I was like, why has it felt so in that moment just now? (0:01:10) Micah: I was like, why does it feel like it’s been so long? (0:01:12) Micah: And then it clicked. So yeah, we don’t need to discuss. (0:01:14) Al: Mm, I wonder, uh, sometimes, uh, yes. (0:01:21) Al: Uh, and we still, we still don’t have any news on the story of seasons for this year, (0:01:27) Al: which I’m still expecting something. (0:01:30) Al: It’s been a very long time, but, uh, who knows. (0:01:30) Micah: Yeah. I’m too, I hear you. I’m expecting to. Yep, it’s bound to happen. It’s only a matter of time. (0:01:35) Al: I’m just waiting for that announcement and then we’ll be like, right. (0:01:37) Al: This is when we’re scheduling it in. (0:01:42) Al: Well, yeah, we have Micah here this episode because we are (0:01:46) Al: finally going to talk about Natsumon 20th century summer kid. (0:01:50) Micah: - Yay. (0:01:50) Al: We have pride a few times to actually record, uh, and things keep changing, (0:01:53) Micah: We did. (0:01:55) Al: but we finally got there. (0:01:56) Al: They didn’t shadow drop a story of seasons and we have to (0:01:59) Al: record about that instead. (0:02:00) Al: I’ve only had one case where I’ve noticed some news drop while I’ve been recording, (0:02:01) Micah: Could you imagine that it was, (0:02:04) Micah: now was when we got the story of season news? (0:02:15) Al: mainly because I’m not tend to be looking at the places where news comes in to see these things, (0:02:20) Micah: - Sure. (0:02:21) Al: but yeah, it’s never know one of these days. So we’re going to talk about that. We’ve obviously (0:02:28) Al: got the regular news. (0:02:31) Al: But first of all, maker, what have you been up to? (0:02:34) Micah: Oh, just busy. (0:02:37) Micah: Just got a lot going on. (0:02:39) Micah: I have been as far as games, though, I’ve been playing some (0:02:45) Micah: monster hunter wilds beta in preparation for that (0:02:50) Micah: at the point that we’re recording. (0:02:50) Al: and still not out yet. (0:02:52) Micah: It is going to be out next week. It’s about a week. (0:02:57) Micah: So I’m excited for that. (0:03:00) Micah: I’m also, you know, at that point in my life (0:03:04) Micah: a little bit anxious about a release for a game that I’m very excited about, (0:03:08) Micah: because then that means that I have to figure out time to play it (0:03:15) Micah: and also worry about how hyper fixated I’m going to become with it (0:03:20) Micah: and what that’s going to do to all of the other responsibilities in my life. (0:03:24) Micah: But I’m very excited for it. (0:03:28) Micah: I’ve also been playing Pokemon, I’ve been doing more shiny hunting. (0:03:32) Al: Are you still on your gen? Is it gen 2s? That’s what you were doing, I think, last time. (0:03:34) Micah: I was doing I was doing Gen three last time I was talking about it. Yeah. (0:03:40) Micah: I am doing that. (0:03:42) Micah: So I have some friends in a community that do like full odds shiny hunting, (0:03:48) Micah: which. Which adds an extra level of challenge. (0:03:54) Micah: And I almost kind of find it like a little bit more relaxing (0:03:56) Al: Sadness. (0:04:00) Micah: relaxing because it’s like it’s it you (0:04:01) Al: Interesting. (0:04:04) Micah: you settle in for it you know like it’s something that you’re doing while (0:04:08) Micah: you’re doing other stuff or while you’re like talking to people or while you’re (0:04:10) Micah: watching something because you know that it’s gonna take a long time so it’s just (0:04:14) Micah: like you kind of settle in and do your do your encounters do your resets do (0:04:19) Micah: whatever it is and don’t don’t really think about it until you know three (0:04:25) Micah: months later when you finally get the shine (0:04:26) Al: I just find that I get bored when I do it. I tried Shaiman in BDSP and I did… I can’t (0:04:32) Micah: Mm-hmm (0:04:34) Micah: Yeah, yeah Yeah, that tends to be what happens and that’s a very normal and I respect you for that (0:04:35) Al: even remember what I got to like 2000 or something. I just got bored of doing it every day and so I (0:04:41) Al: just stopped. (0:04:49) Al: I don’t think anybody has ever called me normal, but thank you. (0:04:55) Micah: But I have a I have some friends that do they they do these you know challenges throughout the year (0:05:01) Micah: They’ll have like a like this last week was (0:05:04) Micah: Shiny alpha week and it was everybody hunts in for alpha Pokemon and legends Arceus or (0:05:13) Micah: February was unknown challenge month. So (0:05:17) Micah: It was you know (0:05:19) Micah: You shiny hunt for an unknown and then whatever letter unknown you get then you have to shiny hunt something that starts with that letter (0:05:26) Micah: So like if I get it an unknown M then I can go hunt like Magnemite or something, you know (0:05:32) Micah: So yeah, there’s just (0:05:34) Micah: like fun little challenges and things to do when I’ve got, you know, if I’m like rendering (0:05:40) Micah: something or I’m watching something or in a meeting and kind of listening, but also just like (0:05:48) Micah: need something, you know, it’s just a little background thing I can do every once in a while. (0:05:54) Al: Fair enough. (0:05:55) Micah: I have downloaded a Rude factory pixel cross and I have not played it yet. So I mean, it just came (0:06:00) Al: Nice. (0:06:02) Al: Well, I mean, it only came out yesterday, so that’s fair. (0:06:04) Micah: out. Yeah. But I got to download it and I’m ready to try it. I’m excited about the potential new, (0:06:12) Micah: you know, like the positive changes to it from the story of seasons version. (0:06:20) Al: Yeah, I’m very intrigued. I’ve done a little bit of it. This is one of the games that I’ve (0:06:25) Al: played today, maybe like half an hour or so. So I’ve got a few, you know, the standard (0:06:32) Al: tutorial puzzles and a few of the ones that actually make you think. And so I’ve not (0:06:37) Al: got to any of the extra stuff like the customisation that’s in this one. But I did read on Fogu (0:06:45) Al: on there, posted about it, and it looks like it is just kind of. (0:06:50) Al: background customisation. It doesn’t seem to actually affect anything, which is what (0:06:54) Al: I expected, but a little bit more detailed and interesting than the story of Seasons (0:06:55) Micah: Yeah, yeah. (0:07:01) Al: 1. And I’m intrigued and excited to try one of the boss levels that they have. Have you (0:07:06) Micah: Oh yeah, I’m interested in that. No, I haven’t. I haven’t seen anything about it. I actually didn’t know that there were any improvements to the story of season model of it until you had mentioned it when we were talking about it on the game of the year episode. (0:07:08) Al: not seen the boss level stuff? (0:07:16) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:07:24) Micah: So I’m excited to try any of it because I haven’t seen any of it yet. (0:07:28) Al: Yeah, so I guess the big things for you would be there’s colour puzzles and the boss ones (0:07:35) Al: are timed and if you do something wrong, which, come on, who does something wrong? You’re (0:07:44) Al: just doing it too fast. It takes time off, the timer. So the timed, they have to do it (0:07:45) Micah: Okay, gotcha. (0:07:52) Al: within a certain amount of time, because obviously, technically, they’re all timed, right? You (0:07:55) Al: can see how long it is. And it’s always fun in the first few ones. (0:07:56) Micah: Right. Yep. (0:07:58) Al: to see like, Oh, can I get this one done in 10 seconds? Or can I (0:08:03) Al: get this one done in five seconds? I think I have one in (0:08:05) Al: eight or something like that. That’s the fastest one I have (0:08:08) Al: this game. But yeah, making you do it within a certain amount of (0:08:13) Al: time is an interesting different way of doing it. They do have (0:08:16) Al: two play styles. So you can skip that part of it if you want to. (0:08:21) Al: But yeah, it’s interesting. The boss stuff. Yeah. (0:08:22) Micah: Skip the the oh the bus skip the boss stuff I see okay. Yeah, I really liked them (0:08:32) Micah: Shoot I can’t remember the name of it. It was (0:08:36) Micah: Picto quest that’s what it was (0:08:39) Micah: and that was the (0:08:41) Micah: Nonogram game on the switch that and probably on PC. I don’t know but I played it on the switch and it was (0:08:47) Micah: very light RPG style of nonogram (0:08:52) Micah: like it had a little bit, you know, it was just like (0:08:54) Micah: You’re going across a map and then you challenge a goblin or whatever and then it’s just like a 10 by 10 puzzle or something (0:09:02) Micah: And then you would get upgrades if you did certain things. So they had like some there were a couple that were like, oh, it’s a boss (0:09:08) Micah: Thing, you know like a boss puzzle and I really loved that idea. It just was so (0:09:15) Micah: Bare-bones, I think such a like early idea, you know, like fresh and early idea that (0:09:22) Micah: There wasn’t a whole lot to it. So, um, I I kind of hope that there are maybe more (0:09:30) Micah: Like use cases of that like that kind of, you know adding quests and stuff to it because that adds an extra level of (0:09:38) Micah: Interest that I would I would really enjoy (0:09:41) Al: Yeah, yeah, I’m not far enough into to see whether that is there or not. One thing I (0:09:45) Al: did find interesting is that the puzzles are laid out like a map. So it’s not, it’s not (0:09:50) Al: just like you play this one, then you play the next one. It’s like, these are the ones (0:09:53) Al: you can do. And to unlock others, you have to to beat ones in specific positions, which (0:09:58) Micah: Oh, interesting. (0:09:59) Al: I thought was an interesting way of doing it. So it’s not the I think as you go further (0:10:04) Al: out, the difficulty does increase, but it’s not just like, constant, I think I saw some (0:10:08) Al: that were further away from the middle that were not hard. (0:10:12) Al: They were slightly easier, that sort of thing. (0:10:15) Al: So, yeah, interesting. See how that continues. (0:10:15) Micah: sure. Cool. Yeah. Yeah. I’m excited to try it. I’ve also been playing a Hello Kitty Island (0:10:24) Micah: adventure. Of course. Yes. Yeah. I played some on the mobile. I played some on Apple (0:10:26) Al: - Good, good, good. (0:10:26) Al: Are you on the switch for you? (0:10:30) Al: You twice, what are your thoughts? (0:10:33) Al: All right, yeah. (0:10:33) Micah: Arcade when it came out. Yeah. And yes. One hundred percent. And I’m glad that I waited (0:10:35) Al: You did the same thing as me. (0:10:36) Al: You went, “This is a fun game. (0:10:38) Al: I want a controller.” (0:10:45) Micah: much better experience on the switch, like with a controller. Becky has been absolutely (0:10:52) Micah: enamored with it. It’s her primary game that she plays now. And we did some of the multiplayer (0:11:00) Micah: together. So that was an interesting experience. It was fun just like, you know, wandering (0:11:07) Micah: around together and like doing things. There wasn’t a whole. There’s not like a whole lot (0:11:10) Micah: you can do multiplayer wise, but yeah, it’s it’s it’s great. (0:11:15) Micah: It’s such a good. I don’t know. I really I really like it. I’ve been enjoying it. And then I played (0:11:21) Micah: a little bit of vowed, but I have played a lot yet. I don’t know if you have touched it. (0:11:26) Al: I’m aware of it because I listen to a lot of different gaming podcasts and videos and (0:11:33) Al: stuff like that. (0:11:34) Al: So I’m aware of it. (0:11:35) Micah: Yeah. I like Obsidian, who’s the developer. They did Fallout New Vegas and they’ve done a lot of like (0:11:35) Al: I don’t think it’s my thing, but I can see why people like it and it sounds interesting. (0:11:47) Micah: older RPGs and stuff like that. I’m a big Elder Scrolls fan, so there’s some level of like (0:11:56) Micah: hoping that it is in some way close to Elder Scrolls, given that it’s, you know, (0:12:02) Micah: a team that has experience with Bethesda. (0:12:05) Micah: And it’s fantasy and, you know, first person and all that. (0:12:09) Micah: I really like it so far, but it’s it’s not open world. (0:12:12) Micah: It’s very, you know, like it’s it’s sectioned off, (0:12:16) Micah: which I think makes sense for the game. (0:12:18) Micah: But it’s, you know, it’s on Game Pass. (0:12:21) Micah: So you can’t really can’t really complain, you know, (0:12:27) Micah: they’re paying for. (0:12:27) Al: I mean, when is when has that ever stopped gamers before? (0:12:30) Micah: Oh, 100 percent. (0:12:34) Micah: But yeah, it’s. (0:12:35) Micah: I can’t I can’t really see myself having like bought it if it wasn’t available on game pass when it when it launched, you know, so yeah, what about you other than pixel crust? (0:12:42) Al: Yeah, that is fair. (0:12:48) Al: Yeah, well, not a huge amount this this week. I think the big thing, though, which obviously I need to talk about to you, Micah, is Harvest Moon Homes, Sweet Home. I have hit credits in Harvest Moon Homes, Sweet Home. (0:12:56) Micah: Oh, that’s big. (0:13:03) Al: Yeah, it’s the (0:13:04) Micah: Are you ready to do that all over again when it comes down on the switch or whatever? (0:13:08) Al: I will not. (0:13:12) Al: Let’s not even try and pretend that, unless there’s some way to transfer my save over, (0:13:16) Micah: Oh, that’s big. (0:13:18) Al: I’m not doing the early game again. I had a couple of thoughts that I thought might be (0:13:23) Al: quite interesting. I presume you didn’t continue playing it after our episode. No. (0:13:26) Micah: I have not played really much of anything from it. (0:13:29) Al: So I think the things, a few things I found interesting having now completed the game, (0:13:35) Al: although I’m in that annoying bit where I’m like, do I finish all these achievements or not? Because (0:13:40) Al: I have all bar. (0:13:42) Al: Let’s just let me just I’ve got it up here. (0:13:44) Al: Let me just double check achievements. (0:13:46) Micah: Now are these like in-game achievements or is it like Apple arcade achievements or whatever? (0:13:51) Al: It’s it’s it’s it’s Apple Game Center. (0:13:54) Micah: Yeah, oh yeah, sorry game center, yeah (0:13:54) Al: It’s not arcade because it’s made for, but yeah, it’s game center. (0:13:58) Al: So I have 48 of 68 achievements. (0:14:03) Micah: Holy smokes (0:14:04) Al: And I think about 10 of those ones I don’t have are just like shipping 50 of (0:14:12) Al: one specific crop. (0:14:14) Al: So I’m at the point where I’m like, I’ve basically got 10 left to do. (0:14:19) Al: But they’re things like (0:14:22) Al: completing the crops encyclopedia, completing the fish encyclopedia. (0:14:26) Al: I have not once fished in this game. (0:14:30) Al: So I’m like, I don’t know if I want to do those, but it feels like I’m so close. (0:14:34) Al: But it also no. (0:14:37) Al: So, yeah, let’s see. (0:14:40) Al: That is my, here’s my, I was in. (0:14:42) Al: Interesting thing. So I finished chapter 10. That is the final chapter and only 2% (0:14:48) Al: of players have earned this achievement, according to Apple, 2% have completed. (0:14:52) Micah: That’s incredible, you know, there’s something really interesting about this to me that (0:14:59) Micah: What was the game before home sweet home? Was it one world? (0:15:02) Al: No, one world was before that, the one before that, it was winds of anthos. (0:15:03) Micah: No one world was the one before that. Oh (0:15:09) Micah: Wins of Anthos, that’s right. And you know, it’s funny because I very distinctly remember you saying I am (0:15:17) Micah: Returning this or trading it in or whatever, you know, like as soon as I get the opportunity to (0:15:20) Al: Yeah. Yeah. (0:15:22) Micah: And here we are you have hit credits on home sweet home, which is (0:15:27) Al: Well, can I just point out, I think both of us hit credits in one world. (0:15:31) Micah: Yes, we did, yeah (0:15:32) Al: And because, I think, mainly because we were fascinated as to where it was going to end up, (0:15:38) Al: I will say that’s not why I finished this game. It’s not because I was like, “Oh, (0:15:42) Al: I really need to know what happens with this story.” The story is basically non-existent, (0:15:46) Al: right? Like it’s basically just you’re, you’re, you’re making this. (0:15:50) Al: This town more, more, that’s it. Like you’re, you’re making people happy and you’re, you’re (0:15:54) Micah: More and more (0:15:58) Al: doing things and that’s it. Um, what I found really interesting that, you know, the area (0:16:03) Al: that was like left of your farm that looked like it was a gated off area that you could (0:16:07) Al: access later on in the game. You never unlock that. That’s not, that’s not a thing. Is that (0:16:09) Micah: Oh, yeah. (0:16:15) Al: meant to come in an update or something? It’s even called, it called Alba Park. (0:16:20) Micah: - You know, I don’t know. (0:16:20) Al: And, and there’s a gate there. Why can I not go that way? I’ve completed. (0:16:27) Micah: It’s gotta, it has to be, right? (0:16:29) Micah: Well, let me ask you this. (0:16:31) Micah: Have they updated it at all since? (0:16:34) Al: Just the just the one update that came out like what a week after we recorded our last episode, which added the controller support and the well ads cloud save but the cloud says broken still. (0:16:40) Micah: Okay, that was the only one. (0:16:47) Micah: Okay, great. (0:16:48) Al: That’s the only update that I’m aware of happening. (0:16:51) Micah: ‘Cause I distinctly remember, too, that there was, (0:16:58) Micah: it looked like there were going to be spaces (0:17:01) Micah: or like placeholders for other languages, for text. (0:17:05) Al: Oh, yeah (0:17:07) Micah: And I remember thinking, oh, this is probably gonna come (0:17:10) Micah: in an update, but if they never added that either, (0:17:14) Micah: there must be a bunch of things that were just like, (0:17:17) Micah: We’ll add this in an update at a later date. (0:17:21) Micah: And maybe now it’s either they just are no longer touching it or (0:17:27) Micah: it is uh they’re just saving all those updates for the console release maybe? (0:17:32) Al: So this is where I break your brain yet again, Micah, and tell you that it has only been six (0:17:37) Al: months since this game I came out. It was August. (0:17:38) Micah: What oh (0:17:42) Micah: Yeah, that’s right (0:17:43) Micah: I remember this you did this to me on the game of the year episode two and I like (0:17:48) Micah: That blows my mind that that it’s only been that long. It feels like this game was two years ago (0:17:54) Al: So I don’t know, yeah, it doesn’t feel weird for there to be like, if we got an update (0:17:57) Micah: And that’s not just because of the last month isn’t it (0:18:08) Al: in a month, I wouldn’t be surprised that would be like, roughly about the time from the release (0:18:12) Al: to the last update. I don’t know. I don’t know if I actually believe this is coming (0:18:16) Al: to console. I feel like we would have heard something by now, right? (0:18:17) Micah: Yeah (0:18:22) Micah: Yeah, I think so too I I think I think if (0:18:26) Micah: They announce a new (0:18:29) Micah: Heart of harvest moon game that is not this I think it’s officially dead at that point, right? (0:18:35) Al: Mm hmm. No, no. (0:18:35) Micah: Like there’s no way that they’re going back to it. They are putting all of their resources into whatever (0:18:42) Micah: The new thing is if that’s the case. So either we’re (0:18:47) Micah: we’ll get something from them sometime soon, but it will either be this coming to consoles or (0:18:55) Micah: Something new and then it’s just confirmation at that point that this is completely dead in the water (0:19:01) Al: Yeah, I just I’m fascinated by this area that that doesn’t exist like I was fully expecting to unlock it at some point and it and it hasn’t. (0:19:07) Micah: This is extremely interesting (0:19:11) Al: The other couple of things I find interesting so you do so we’d complained about how it felt like you should be able to, you know, set a bunch of actions and get them to like water these 10 plants in a row. (0:19:23) Al: It feels like that’s what the interface was built for, but that didn’t seem to be an example of that. You do unlock that later on, but you have to like progress this. (0:19:31) Al: But the disadvantage of that over your standard up upgrading your watering can and now you can do like 20 at once instead you have to like individually press on all 20 and then it doesn’t manually the disadvantage of that is it still takes the same amount of time in game to water even when you have the highest level watering. (0:19:32) Micah: Oh, okay. (0:19:56) Micah: - Oh. (0:19:57) Al: So, because it’s just doing them all individually. (0:19:59) Micah: Oh. (laughs) (0:20:01) Al: Right? You don’t have to manually let go that one and now that one, you can like swipe (0:20:05) Al: over them and go like, want you to do all these or in the case of the controller, you (0:20:09) Al: can just press and drag, but it takes so long. Whereas in other farming games, you upgrade (0:20:15) Al: the watering can and you hold it down and then you’ve watered it all immediately rather (0:20:19) Al: than having to wait for your character to like go and individually water all of these (0:20:23) Al: 20 things. Such a weird decision. (0:20:28) Al: The other one is the, I unlocked sprinklers. (0:20:31) Al: And boy are the sprinklers weird in this game. (0:20:35) Al: First of all, you only unlock the top level of sprinkler after you’ve finished the game, (0:20:41) Al: which is the only one worth doing. (0:20:43) Al: Because your first level of sprinkler is just your four spots, top, bottom, left, right. (0:20:49) Micah: Yeah. (0:20:49) Al: Never do them. They are never worth it. (0:20:52) Micah: Oh. (0:20:52) Al: And your second level of sprinkler is three by three, so you get eight spaces. (0:20:59) Al: Okay, but you’ll do (0:21:01) Al: not unlock that until I think it’s chapter 7 of 10. And by that point, you probably don’t need it. (0:21:07) Al: Like, you’ve probably got most of what you need. And then at the end of the game, (0:21:08) Micah: - You just passed the point of, yeah. (0:21:12) Al: you finally unlock the one that’s five by five. But the problem is, it doesn’t fit in the plots (0:21:18) Al: properly. So the bottom plot is six by five. So you put it in there, and you’ve got one line of (0:21:24) Al: five that doesn’t get watered by it. And you can’t and you can’t put the sprinklers outside of it. (0:21:31) Al: You either have 24 fed by one sprinkler and then five manual, or 24 by one sprinkler and (0:21:39) Al: four by another sprinkler. It’s like, I’m not going to do a whole other because those are expensive. (0:21:45) Al: You have like, I think it’s 12 different gems, including diamonds, which you can only get in (0:21:49) Al: the bottom level of mine. I’m not going to waste all of those gems for four watered spaces. (0:21:56) Micah: Well, yeah (0:21:57) Al: And then you’ve got the other ones are… I know. (0:21:58) Micah: What a weird oversight (0:22:01) Al: The other plots that you unlock are something by four, not by five. (0:22:10) Al: So you’re just you’re wasting time. So I have one, which is eight by five. (0:22:14) Al: And I’ve got two watering cans on that. Sorry, two sprinklers on that. (0:22:19) Al: So they’re using up two spaces, which by the way, feels a lot more of space in this game (0:22:23) Al: than it does in any other farming game, because you’ve got such restricted space to use. (0:22:29) Al: I’m like, if it was late. (0:22:31) Al: out differently, it would almost all be covered by one sprinkler. (0:22:36) Al: It’s just such a weird decision. I don’t understand why they’ve made these decisions. (0:22:37) Micah: Hey, yeah, that’s really strange (0:22:41) Micah: And it it makes me wonder if it was like, I don’t know (0:22:45) Micah: I can’t even really think of a scenario for why that would be the kid like maybe they (0:22:50) Micah: Just missed it or like they thought that maybe it was like automated (0:22:55) Micah: You know (0:22:57) Micah: Calculations or something and it was just wrong for that. I don’t know (0:23:01) Micah: It’s it just feels like it would be something that someone would catch and be like, oh (0:23:05) Micah: We either have to like (0:23:07) Micah: Change the size of this plot a little bit or change the, you know, the ratio of spaces that this sprinkler covers, I don’t know, it’s odd. (0:23:17) Al: I think it would have been better to be like a sprinkler covers a row and then when you unlock (0:23:27) Al: the higher ones they cover more rows. So it would mean that you could have like one that would cover (0:23:33) Al: four rows and that would mean you could have one sprinkler for a section and you put it at the side (0:23:38) Al: so it doesn’t use up a crop space because crop spaces are so limited here and it would feel just (0:23:43) Al: much less frustrating in terms of the numbers. They’ve just taken (0:23:47) Al: a sprinkler in a normal farming game and put it into this game that is not done in (0:23:52) Al: a normal way because they’ve thought about it completely differently. (0:23:54) Micah: - Yeah, that’s very odd. (0:23:57) Al: The final thing I have to say is that I don’t know what we did we talk about the soil health (0:24:03) Al: in our episode. I can’t remember if we did. I don’t think we did because I don’t think (0:24:05) Micah: Hmm, I don’t remember I don’t think we did (0:24:09) Al: I don’t think we’d either of us had come across that. So soil health degrades in the get in this (0:24:15) Al: this game, which is (0:24:16) Micah: Okay. I don’t know that I even witnessed that on my, in my own. (0:24:17) Al: very much like a realism wins over fun part of this game. (0:24:24) Al: Yeah, so it does happen. (0:24:26) Al: You just probably aren’t noticing it because you don’t get told about it until (0:24:30) Al: you unlock a better fertilizer maker later on. (0:24:30) Micah: Oh, okay. (0:24:34) Al: And then they’re like, oh, your soil health. (0:24:37) Al: If you click on this fertilizer maker, you can see your soil health. (0:24:40) Al: You’re like, oh, everything is sad. (0:24:44) Al: And so you basically have to, after a– (0:24:47) Al: after a harvest of things, you have to let it sit for a bunch of days. (0:24:51) Al: And when I say a bunch of days, I mean, it feels like it’s like half a month. (0:24:54) Al: You have to let it sit for to go back to its full soil health. (0:24:58) Al: Or you can use some compost to speed it up, (0:25:01) Al: but the compost is like really awkward to craft or cost 2,500 per compost. (0:25:08) Al: It is so expensive. (0:25:10) Al: And so you spend the time rotating which plots you’re actually using for crops (0:25:16) Al: and not actually (0:25:18) Al: do anything about it, and it’s not actually doing what you want to do, and this is very much like, I understand you’re going for realism here, because that is what happens in real life, you have to rotate your crops, you have to rotate your soil, blah blah blah blah blah, but I’m not doing this for realism, right, like, it makes… (0:25:32) Micah: Yeah, if there’s I mean, I respect to the to some degree, (0:25:41) Micah: the the idea of making the the mechanics feel like they work (0:25:48) Micah: realistically the way that it would in the real world. But (0:25:50) Micah: like, if nothing else in the game really feels like it is (0:25:54) Micah: adhering very strictly to realism, then you know, I don’t (0:25:59) Micah: know that that’s really, I’m not really. (0:26:03) Micah: For realistic mechanics and I’m playing a harvest moon or like a story of seasons game, you know, like I don’t know. (0:26:10) Al: It’s always a balance for these things, where that very much is on the “no, I don’t want this” part of (0:26:12) Micah: Right. (0:26:17) Al: the thing. Oh, there’s one thing I just remembered. Horses, right? Neither of us have gotten far enough (0:26:23) Al: to buy a horse in the last episode. You can buy horses, you cannot ride the horses around the town. (0:26:24) Micah: Oh. Okay. What is the point? What do you do with them? Okay. Okay. All right. Again, maybe (0:26:34) Al: You can ride it around the paddock, but that’s it. Why would you do that? For fun, that’s it. (0:26:40) Al: That’s literally the only purpose. Why would you bother doing that? I have no idea. No idea. (0:26:46) Micah: something that was intended to be added and the future of it. Just never. (0:26:50) Al: But why can you… I don’t understand how you can ride it in one area and not in another area. (0:26:56) Al: It just has a wall, and you can’t go through it. Why? (0:27:02) Micah: It’s fascinating. I I don’t know him. Maybe there’s just some like maybe they couldn’t (0:27:10) Micah: get the pathing right or something and they just were like I will fix this later. I don’t know. (0:27:15) Micah: There’s there’s a lot in that game that feels to me like we’ll fix it later. (0:27:18) Al: Oh, that’s it, actually. So you know the press on the map and it will automatically go there. (0:27:25) Micah: Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. So that’s either okay. (0:27:26) Al: I bet that doesn’t work with horses. That’ll be why you can’t do it. (0:27:33) Micah: We’ll fix it later or we can’t figure it. We can’t figure it out. So we’re just (0:27:38) Micah: not going to include it at all. One of the two. (0:27:39) Al: Yeah. Bizarre. Bizarre decision. But there we are. It was good enough for me to finish apparently. (0:27:50) Al: And I guess tune in next time to see whether I will continue trying to finish the achievements. (0:27:57) Micah: I wish you the best of luck, Godspeed. (0:28:02) Al: I’m definitely going to do the 50 of each crop one because that I’m nearly done with that. (0:28:07) Al: I literally have everything growing for that. Like in a week in game, that woman will be done. (0:28:14) Micah: Yeah. Well, I wish you the best of luck. (0:28:16) Al: But I don’t. (0:28:20) Micah: It currently I just was out of curiosity. (0:28:22) Micah: I wanted to see on the Google Play Store. (0:28:24) Micah: It currently has a three point two out of five, which is. (0:28:27) Al: that feels fair yeah I would say that feels fair (0:28:28) Micah: A thousand reviews. (0:28:31) Micah: Yeah, I kind of feel like maybe that is accurate. (0:28:35) Micah: Oh, it says it was updated on December 10th. (0:28:38) Al: yeah that was that update it dropped like two days after we recorded that was the one with the (0:28:40) Micah: Oh, was it? (0:28:43) Micah: - Oh. (0:28:44) Micah: - Got it, got it, got it. Okay. Yeah. Hmm. Yeah, interesting. I guess we’ll see what happens. (0:28:45) Al: cloud save and the controller support which is the only reason i’m playing the game because of (0:28:51) Al: controller support I couldn’t keep playing it on the touch screen but the controller support is (0:28:55) Al: It’s actually pretty good. (0:28:57) Al: Well, there we go. (0:29:01) Al: I rushed this week to make sure I’d finished so I could talk to you about it, because I (0:29:05) Al: was like, I’m so close, I must finish before I talk to Micah. (0:29:09) Al: So there we go. (0:29:10) Micah: I’m impressed that you completed it and I’m proud of you and (0:29:10) Al: Hit credits in that game. (0:29:14) Al: Well, yeah, it’s better than, it’s better than Sugardew Valley, Sugardew Island, sorry. (0:29:15) Micah: I hope that it was worth it. (0:29:19) Micah: It wasn’t intended to sound as meat as it did. (0:29:27) Al: Well, the problem is, it’s like five bits into the game news. (0:29:28) Micah: Is that a, is that a segue? Is that a, (0:29:31) Micah: I can’t tell if that was an intentional segue or not. (0:29:37) Al: So let’s just go through the, let’s talk about some news. (0:29:39) Micah: Okay. All right. (0:29:42) Al: Tales of the Shire has been delayed again. (0:29:45) Micah: Yeah. (0:29:46) Al: Can I just say, please stop putting a date on your game, right? (0:29:49) Micah: Yeah. At this point, at this point, just like wait until you are close enough (0:29:49) Al: Just stop it. (0:29:54) Micah: that you can say, Hey, it’s coming in a couple of weeks, you know? (0:29:59) Micah: Cause that’s always like a kind of a fun surprise too. (0:30:02) Micah: When something has a sudden release date like that, uh, I, yeah. (0:30:08) Al: Yes, it is murder for organizing a podcast about games but yes, I will agree I can see why people would find that fun. Yeah. (0:30:13) Micah: - True, yeah. (0:30:16) Al: It’s now coming out on the 29th of July. So, well, maybe we’ll see. That’s what they’re currently saying, but we’re on our third release date so far so let’s see what happens. (0:30:26) Micah: Yeah, I was looking at some of the, you know, against my better judgment, some of the discourse (0:30:35) Micah: under this post, just to see what, how people felt about it. Because my initial reaction whenever (0:30:40) Micah: there’s a delay like this is, okay, that’s, you know, if you need more time, take the time, (0:30:46) Micah: work on it, perfect it, whatever. And that was, I feel like maybe a good 40 to 50% of the sentiment (0:30:55) Micah: and the other. (0:30:56) Micah: 50 to 60% was in the kind of camp of worry that because this is the second time that they’ve delayed it that if things maybe are not going great development wise but I feel like. (0:31:11) Al: Yeah, I never understand that because it’s like, no, people are just being overly optimistic about (0:31:17) Al: these things. As someone who works in, not in game development, but in software development, (0:31:18) Micah: Mm-hmm (0:31:21) Micah: Yeah, oh, yeah (0:31:21) Al: that happens all the time, right? People will be like, oh, this is when it needs to happen. (0:31:26) Al: And then other people will be like, it’s not going to happen by then, but it gets set as the date (0:31:31) Al: anyway. And then the day comes around and it hasn’t happened. And it’s like, you can’t make (0:31:35) Al: it happen, right? Like, there’s only a certain amount you can actually do. And adding more people (0:31:40) Al: belong does not actually improve. (0:31:41) Al: And sometimes it just takes more time. (0:31:44) Al: Like I could, I find this, you know, with, with, with Pokemon every time, right? (0:31:49) Al: Where people are like, Oh, they just need to add more people. (0:31:52) Al: Adding more people does not speed up development times. (0:31:54) Micah: - Mm-hmm. (0:31:55) Al: Adding more people quite often slows things down. (0:31:58) Al: It’s not worth it. (0:31:59) Al: Right. (0:32:00) Al: And sometimes you just need the time. (0:32:02) Al: I just, you can clearly see this as a fight between marketing and development. (0:32:07) Al: Um, I don’t think, I don’t think it’s a sign of like serious (0:32:08) Micah: 100%. I don’t think so either. I think people’s gut reaction is to look at, you know, other games (0:32:18) Micah: that have gone into development hell and have never made them their way out. And that’s the (0:32:24) Micah: concern. And I, you know, I, it seemed, especially for the people that were kind of that had this (0:32:31) Micah: sentiment or it’s coming from a place of like concern because they’re excited for the game, (0:32:36) Micah: You know I’m like (0:32:39) Micah: concern because they want it to be really good which is like better than you know just saying like well I don’t you know this game’s doomed or whatever you know I’m just like not really just being a doomer about it just to be a doomer but I do think from my personal experiences with stuff like this too I do think that if they were looking at something that does (0:33:08) Micah: close to like a development hell they would probably not put a second release date on it it probably would be something along the lines of we need a little bit more time to work on it and we’ll update you in the future and then at that point we probably would hear maybe a couple things and then nothing ever again but because they are putting a release date on it it makes me think that you know maybe there’s if it hits a if we get another delay after this then yeah I think it’s time to be a little bit (0:33:38) Micah: concerned about it you know it I think because they have a release date that if they missed a second release date or a third release date now if they miss it then there’s gonna be you know it’s there’s a lot more stake in that which like you know kind of contradicts what we’re saying about like just don’t put a release date on it but (0:34:00) Al: I guess the problem is those are two different things. We’re talking about just in general, (0:34:04) Al: don’t give a release date unless you actually know when it’s coming out. I guess it’s difficult (0:34:10) Al: when you’ve given a release date and now you’re like, oh, we don’t know now that I get worries (0:34:16) Al: people. And so I get why they kind of have to do that now because otherwise people are going to (0:34:20) Al: start, as you say, assuming the worst. But I’ve said it so many times, I do not think people (0:34:30) Al: put a release date on it until you are at most a month away. Give us a year, sure, (0:34:37) Al: because when people go, oh, we need some more time, it’s going to be next year. People are (0:34:41) Al: generally fine with that, especially if you’re near the end of the year, they expect that that’s (0:34:44) Al: going to happen. And then when you’re like, oh, I’m pretty confident, then you can say, oh, (0:34:50) Al: it will happen in the second half or the quarter three or whatever. But don’t give us a date until (0:34:54) Micah: Yeah, yep, definitely. (0:34:56) Al: you know it’s if you wouldn’t release it today don’t get (0:35:00) Al: as a date because it’s not gonna happen and like there are so few companies that do that (0:35:00) Micah: Right. (0:35:06) Al: they give you a date and it comes out on that date and you know one of the big ones is pokemon (0:35:12) Al: and it doesn’t always work out well for them right they give you a date six months out and (0:35:14) Micah: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think Nintendo stuff in (0:35:17) Al: they release on that date and then it’s not a great game i’m so excited to see what happens (0:35:21) Micah: Yeah, yep (0:35:23) Micah: Gosh (0:35:25) Micah: You know Pokemon days next week. So I guess we’ll see what happens with (0:35:31) Micah: with (0:35:32) Micah: You know it when they’ve got a little bit more time to cook it. We’ll see what happens (0:35:36) Al: Well, there’s a big assumption there that they actually have taken more time, (0:35:40) Al: because we don’t actually know when the when development started on this game. (0:35:40) Micah: Yeah, that’s true. You’re right. (0:35:44) Micah: You know, and this, this applies to Tales of the Shire too, I think, but, but also for Pokemon. (0:35:49) Micah: We’re also, something to take into account is that we’re in the midst of the, of a, um, generation (0:35:58) Micah: jump where like, you know, maybe that’s not necessarily the case as much for Tales of the (0:36:03) Micah: Shire, but I could see it being a possibility where they know that a large user base for cozy (0:36:11) Micah: games like this is on the switch. (0:36:14) Micah: Or on handheld, maybe like the Steam Deck or something like that. (0:36:20) Micah: And if they’re taking time because they know a little bit more about like maybe, I don’t (0:36:28) Micah: know, a release window for Switch 2 or they’re trying to, you know, co-develop a Switch and (0:36:31) Al: Well, that’s an interesting point. (0:36:37) Micah: Switch 2 version so that they can release it on both, you know, some of that stuff tends (0:36:42) Micah: to throw a wrench in the (0:36:44) Micah: things that is kind of like not expected. (0:36:48) Al: For most games, I would say there’s no way that that is part of this delay, but I feel like (0:36:57) Al: I could see them have it like I could see that if they are I could see they could already have (0:37:02) Al: a switch to dev kit because we know that some developers do that has been leaked. There are (0:37:04) Micah: - Mm-hmm, yep. (0:37:06) Al: developers that have it. Indies almost certainly won’t have it like there might be maybe some a (0:37:12) Al: couple of big indies like maybe silk song for example is maybe that team cherry that’s what (0:37:18) Al: isn’t it maybe they have one I could maybe see for example concerned ape having one (0:37:26) Al: I could see these developers having one and so maybe that’s part of it that is a big possibility (0:37:34) Al: I would say for most people it wouldn’t be the case but I could I could see Nintendo (0:37:38) Micah: Oh, yeah, 100 percent. (0:37:39) Al: I could see Nintendo going yeah no the the people that are developing a cozy game (0:37:44) Al: about Lord of the Rings, yeah, let’s make sure that they are ready for this. (0:37:46) Micah: Yeah, it’s the token property and it’s the what a workshop like that’s there’s a lot this. (0:37:48) Al: Yeah. (0:37:56) Micah: They’re not, you know, small money. So, but, you know, and if it is that they’re taking time to, to be able to have that ready for in the event of, you know, switch to or whatever they’re working on that. (0:38:12) Micah: get and that gives them the opportunity to make sure that it’s (0:38:16) Micah: a steam deck verified and stuff like that, that really (0:38:20) Micah: improves that experience for their core audience, I think. I (0:38:25) Micah: mean, they, you know, there’s always going to be people who (0:38:27) Micah: are playing on PC or PS5 or Xbox or whatever, but cozy games, I (0:38:34) Micah: think it’s pretty safe to say the, the, you know, the core of (0:38:40) Micah: the audience is, is playing either on the switch or handled (0:38:44) Micah: to some degree so. (0:38:46) Micah: Um, I could see that being a, again, we won’t know until it’s, till we see something (0:38:55) Micah: come of it. (0:38:56) Micah: Maybe there’s, uh, you know, things coincide, like we can kind of piece together, but yeah, (0:39:03) Micah: I guess we’ll see. (0:39:04) Micah: We’ll see what happens when July 29th rolls around. (0:39:08) Al: Yeah, I mean you never know we might I would say we don’t necessarily have to wait till then because if it is our switch to thing (0:39:08) Micah: I’m very excited for it though. (0:39:15) Al: There will 100% be some games announced in April (0:39:18) Micah: Oh, sure, yeah. (0:39:20) Al: They’ll be like, you know (0:39:22) Al: Stardew Valley is going to be a switch to version that does this or whatever and maybe this will be one of them (0:39:29) Al: Who knows? I’m not saying this will definitely happen. You’ve not heard it here first. We’re not saying (0:39:35) Al: The Tales of the Shire is going to be switched to… (0:39:38) Al: but I could see it happening and I’m excited for A-1. (0:39:44) Micah: - Yeah, me too. (0:39:45) Micah: I’m also excited just for this game in general. (0:39:47) Micah: I’m very excited for this game. (0:39:50) Al: Next we have, okay, I think it’s just meant to be fantasy. (0:39:55) Al: Is it Fantasy Life I? (0:39:56) Al: Is that how you’re meant to say these games? (0:39:58) Al: Because I know this is a series of games, (0:40:00) Al: but I don’t know if it’s just Fantasy Life I. (0:40:02) Micah: This is the first one that has I in the title. So I yeah, this is this is a new experience (0:40:06) Al: Oh, is it really? (0:40:08) Al: Amazing. (0:40:09) Al: Okay, perfect. (0:40:11) Al: No notes. (0:40:12) Al: Fantasy Life I, the girl who steals time, (0:40:15) Al: we have a release date for this. (0:40:18) Al: So it’s coming on the 21st of. (0:40:20) Al: May and also it’s now coming to Steam and PlayStation and Xbox. (0:40:26) Al: So it was previously meant to just be on Switch and I believe it was a 3DS game. (0:40:32) Al: The previous one. (0:40:33) Micah: it was they also had a mobile game that did not do too great um you know they did the the uh (0:40:36) Al: Oh, surprise, surprise. (0:40:42) Micah: classic level five maneuver of just kind of abandoning it once it you know didn’t really (0:40:49) Micah: take off the way they’d hoped it did so uh it is no longer functional as a as a mobile game so uh (0:40:54) Al: Well, this is only this, if you ignore the mobile game, this is only the second game (0:41:01) Micah: Yes. Yeah. There was a. (0:41:04) Micah: Like a the way that it released in Japan was it was fantasy life and they did fantasy life link which added extra stuff to it. So it was like, you know, a definitive version of it and then we got the West got the like full release of it. (0:41:20) Micah: So there’s some like kind of weird stuff with it, you know, but yeah, this is ultimately just the second one. (0:41:28) Micah: One of the best games on the 3DS in my opinion. (0:41:33) Micah: It’s a fantastic game. (0:41:34) Al: And this, I did not realize that this was the Yokai and Professor Leighton people. (0:41:40) Micah: It is. (0:41:41) Al: So there you go. (0:41:42) Micah: Yep. Level five big fan level five. (0:41:42) Al: Now we know. (0:41:44) Micah: I’m a little bit apprehensive about anything that they’re doing from this point on because they have been very deep in the generative A.I. (0:41:55) Al: Ow. (0:41:57) Micah: You know, they did like a they recently showed off their. (0:42:03) Micah: I guess spiritual successor to Yokai Watch, which is something hotel. I can’t remember some haunted hotel property and pretty much the entire trailer was like generative A.I. (0:42:14) Al: Is that holy hardware man? (0:42:15) Micah: So I am. Yes, that’s it. That is it. (0:42:19) Micah: So I’m hoping that because this was prior to their big like this game existed prior to their big like push into generative A.I. that like hopefully it doesn’t, you know. (0:42:33) Micah: I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see. I have a very strong love hate relationship with level five at this point. (0:42:38) Micah: So I’m very excited and also nervous about this because I love fantasy life. (0:42:47) Micah: It’s such a good game on the 3DS, but hopefully it’s good. (0:42:51) Al: Yeah, it looks interesting. I like the graphics and everything, (0:42:57) Al: and I’m excited to try it out when it releases in May. (0:43:00) Micah: It’s got cross play - which is (0:43:03) Al: Yes, across everything. Multiplayer across play. Very cool. (0:43:04) Micah: Always excited for cross play (0:43:08) Micah: Monster hunter is doing that. I’m very hopeful that this is the future of (0:43:15) Micah: Multiplayer in general that everybody’s gonna be doing cross play (0:43:18) Al: Yes, I can understand when you’ve got a competitive game, you don’t want keyboard and mouse players (0:43:26) Al: playing with controller players, but the problem with that argument is always, well, you can (0:43:32) Al: be a controller player on a PC. (0:43:36) Al: And so you can’t restrict that. (0:43:39) Al: So why restrict the other things? (0:43:41) Al: I do think if they do something like that, I like when they do options. (0:43:46) Al: You can either be just with people on… (0:43:48) Al: your system, or you can be with anyone. (0:43:51) Al: And in this case, it doesn’t really matter because it’s just co-op, right? (0:43:54) Al: It does not a competitive, you know, every millisecond counts type of game anyway. (0:44:00) Micah: Yeah jock i’m actually shy about that I guess because it’s not a like normal thing these days (0:44:01) Al: It also has two-player local co-op. (0:44:11) Al: No, it’s cool. (0:44:12) Micah: so that’s pretty neat (0:44:14) Al: And next we have the garden path have released their co-op update. (0:44:20) Al: So you can probably guess what that brings to the game. (0:44:24) Micah: Would you say that it’s co-op? (0:44:26) Al: Yes. (0:44:29) Al: Interestingly, so if you actually look in the patch notes, (0:44:32) Al: the first update is players can now hold hands in multiplayer (0:44:36) Al: by selecting the emote in the emote selector. (0:44:38) Al: like her. I love how they’ve put in the effort to allow you to hold (0:44:41) Al: hands. There you go. I haven’t played this game. That’s all (0:44:42) Micah: I love that. (0:44:50) Micah: - Yeah, I haven’t either, so it looks interesting. (0:44:56) Micah: I mean, I really like the art style and stuff. (0:44:59) Micah: I just, yeah, it hasn’t been on my radar enough. (0:45:02) Al: Well, a game that has been on our radar, but probably not as much as we originally thought it might, is Spirit Tea. (0:45:10) Al: They have released their Phantom Friends update, which brings you can now have Spirits as Pets, which is a fun little addition. (0:45:19) Al: I think if you’re enjoying that game, this will be a nice little addition to that. (0:45:24) Micah: It looks very cute (0:45:25) Al: Also, as always with the Spirit Tea update, there’s new Spirits and Quests as well. (0:45:26) Micah: It’s a cat spirit (0:45:31) Al: Bye. (0:45:32) Al: Oh yes, Sugardew Island. (0:45:35) Al: So I would. (0:45:36) Micah: - We made it. (0:45:37) Micah: - We got, we got there. (0:45:39) Al: Goodness me, I wouldn’t normally bring up an update this small for a game, (0:45:45) Al: especially a game like Sugardew Island, which I don’t think should exist. (0:45:49) Al: But they have updated a few things that I complained about in my last episode (0:45:55) Al: when I reviewed it, so I felt like I should bring those up because if those (0:46:00) Al: specific things and not (0:46:02) Al: everything else that I said about the game with the reasons that you’re not playing it, (0:46:05) Al: then maybe you will now. So selling items in the shop no longer requires energy. Hurray. Fantastic. (0:46:13) Al: Just what we want. And you can now craft energy bars so you don’t have to go and just buy them. (0:46:19) Al: You can craft them, which is good because that was a weird decision not to allow you to eat (0:46:24) Al: anything you grow. But as I say in my show notes here, it is still not. (0:46:32) Al: A good game. So there we go. (0:46:35) Micah: I- I’m so curious, I’m just so cu- oh there’s a demo so I guess I don’t need to be that curious. (0:46:43) Al: Yes, the demo is out now. If you want to try it, feel free. (0:46:43) Micah: I can just try it. (0:46:47) Micah: I- I feel like I have to, it’s just so fascinating to me and how like anti-SugarDew Island you are makes me want to try it. (0:46:56) Al: This is the thing, I don’t like being negative about games. (0:47:02) Al: And I was talking in the Slack to some of the patrons and I was like, I don’t think (0:47:06) Al: I’ve ever been this negative about the game that I’ve covered on the podcast. (0:47:11) Al: And it’s like, every example that people brought up about a game I was negative about, it was, (0:47:15) Al: I don’t like this, but it’s not for me. (0:47:19) Al: Other people will. (0:47:20) Al: I understand it. (0:47:21) Al: It’s like, I did not like my time at Porsche, but that was because I really didn’t like (0:47:24) Al: how the crafting worked. (0:47:26) Al: If we’re ignoring all of the Switch issues with that game. (0:47:30) Al: You know, and all the, like, the Harvest Moon’s… (0:47:33

This week, I'm sharing another Hiberno (Irish) English story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pastor David Johnson

Al and Codey talk about Mini Mini Farm Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:33: What Have We Been Up To 00:11:26: I Know What You Released Last Month 00:13:57: Game News 00:28:37: New Games 00:41:43: Other News 00:56:24: Mini Mini Farm 01:33:42: Outro Links Piczel Cross: Rune Factory Release Date Space Sprouts Release Date Luma Island: Pirates Ranch of Rivershine “1.7” Update Horticular: Frozen Frontier Melobot: A Last Song OST Sky Harvest Pheonix Labs Layoffs ConcernedApe NPR Interview Reuters Cozy Gaming Interactive Article Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al, (0:00:36) Codey: And my name is Cody! (0:00:37) Al: and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:42) Codey: Oh woo! (0:00:44) Al: It’s like a pack of wolves. (0:00:50) Codey: I’m never gonna un-hear that now. (0:00:51) Al: We this episode, we are going to talk about many, many farm because apparently we’re doing two (0:00:59) Al: mobile games in a row because you did Animal Crossing last week. And then we’re doing many, (0:01:00) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:01:04) Codey: Yeah. (0:01:05) Codey: Yeah. (0:01:06) Al: many farm this week. And yeah, I just realized that today. I was like, Oh, yeah, (0:01:08) Codey: Yes, I forgot about that. (0:01:13) Al: two in a row. Interesting. Oh, well, we’re making Cody work for their title of (0:01:19) Al: mobile correspondent. (0:01:20) Codey: Yep, I’m here for it. For sure. And I am still actively playing mobile games. (0:01:21) Al: Before that, well, yes, so before that we have news, I’m going to overview the (0:01:31) Al: January releases because it’s now February. But first of all, Cody, what have you been up to? (0:01:36) Codey: Um, so, uh, definitely been playing many, many farm. Um, because of the last episode. (0:01:42) Al: Oh yeah, that’s what MMF stands for. (0:01:44) Codey: Yeah. (0:01:44) Al: I was like, what’s MMF? (0:01:45) Al: Many, many fun, of course. (0:01:46) Codey: And many, many farm. (0:01:48) Codey: Um, because of Johnny, I am now cursed to be playing Animal Crossing pocket camp. (0:01:54) Al: A game which you hadn’t played for the podcast, you know, playing (0:01:59) Al: because of the podcast. (0:02:00) Codey: Correct. (0:02:01) Al: Oops. (0:02:02) Codey: Um, I had played it when it was like not the complete. (0:02:06) Codey: Like paid version. (0:02:06) Codey: Um, but because we were talking about it and I saw that it was like cheap and then it was possibly going to become less cheap. (0:02:14) Codey: And I’ve been doing really well with budgeting lately. (0:02:16) Codey: I was like, you know what? (0:02:18) Codey: I can, I can afford 10 bucks. (0:02:18) Codey: So, and I don’t, I don’t know. (0:02:20) Al: Yes. Do we have the actual date? I know that it’s very soon, or it’s, like, just in the (0:02:26) Al: past, but it wasn’t when the podcast episode came out. (0:02:30) Codey: And unfortunately I have now bought it. (0:02:32) Codey: So I have no way of checking because I’m pretty sure. (0:02:35) Al: Ah, it was the 31st of January. So, if you bought it when the last episode came out, (0:02:36) Codey: Okay. (0:02:38) Codey: So now it is what? (0:02:38) Codey: 20 bucks. (0:02:42) Al: or the two days after that, you were good. Otherwise, sorry, too late. And now it’s, yeah, $20. (0:02:48) Codey: So, I’ve been playing that. I’ve also been playing, still been playing Honeygrove, still (0:02:58) Codey: really sucked into Honeygrove. And I, you know, it’s so funny because we, whenever we would (0:03:01) Al: You’re just playing all the mobile games. (0:03:06) Codey: cover them before, it’s like, yay, I can uninstall it now. And the last couple ones, I’ve been (0:03:12) Codey: like, oh, no, I want to keep playing this. So, yeah, I do. (0:03:14) Al: Mm-hmm, oops. (0:03:19) Codey: But it’s nice because I’m, you know, nearing the end, the other thing, quote unquote, I’ve been (0:03:24) Codey: doing is is a PhD. And it is crunch time for sure now. So I pretty much like, I’m doing a lot of (0:03:34) Codey: stuff all the time. If I’m not doing specimens, I’m writing if I’m not doing that, either of those (0:03:40) Codey: two things I’m like, I’m always doing something. So this, this gives me a nice little like, okay, (0:03:46) Codey: I’m gonna sit down for like a half an hour and just like (0:03:48) Al: Mm, are you rotating through them or? (0:03:48) Codey: brain off play these silly little games. Yeah, so every (0:03:56) Codey: well, I guess I’m also playing too many games. I’m also playing (0:04:02) Codey: Pokemon TCG pocket and the new thing just released. And so I (0:04:08) Codey: always check that first. Let me look at my guess. I always (0:04:11) Codey: check that first. And then I do honeygrove because I can like (0:04:14) Codey: send everything off, like my little bees off on their (0:04:17) Codey: or expeditions. (0:04:18) Codey: And then I do pocket camp and then I do mini, mini farm for a little bit. (0:04:23) Codey: And then if for whatever reason, I am bored after that, um, or not (0:04:28) Codey: sucked into mini, mini farm, uh, I have my cross-stitch coloring out. (0:04:30) Al: Hmm (0:04:33) Codey: But yeah, that’s, that’s my, my, my brain off time now. (0:04:33) Al: Fair enough (0:04:40) Codey: Was it? (0:04:40) Al: Nice, I have been playing a lot of Pokemon. (0:04:45) Al: So I think last time we talked, Cody, (0:04:47) Al: I was just nearly finished, (0:04:47) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:04:50) Al: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. (0:04:51) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:04:53) Al: I have now finished that, thank goodness. (0:04:54) Codey: Okay. (0:04:55) Codey: Yeah, you’re free. (0:04:57) Al: So that one’s done. (0:04:59) Al: And I was going to kind of maybe stop there, (0:05:02) Al: but then I was like, no, I need to do Let’s Go as well. (0:05:05) Al: So I did the Let’s Go Pokedex, (0:05:08) Al: and I rushed through. (0:05:10) Al: Uh, another save because I hadn’t recreated my Pokemon. (0:05:15) Al: Let’s go Pikachu save. (0:05:18) Al: So I did that. (0:05:18) Al: So that now is done. (0:05:19) Al: So all of my home DEXs are done except sword and shield. (0:05:25) Al: So I’ve got the let’s go one. (0:05:27) Al: I’ve got brilliant diamond, shining pearl. (0:05:29) Al: I’ve got let’s go. (0:05:30) Al: Arceus and I’ve got all this scarlet and violet ones. (0:05:32) Al: They’re all done. (0:05:33) Al: I haven’t done the sword and shield ones. (0:05:35) Al: Um, and I now have a post game. (0:05:40) Al: Save of every Pokemon Switch game, except shield. (0:05:45) Al: So I’ve recreated all my saves, except that. (0:05:46) Codey: Okay. Wow. (0:05:49) Al: And I have done a professor Oak challenge now of every pair of games, except can you (0:05:55) Al: guess? (0:05:56) Al: No, no, there’s certain shield. (0:05:56) Codey: Brilliant. I’m in shining girl. Oh, I don’t know. Okay. Okay. (0:06:03) Al: So, so at some point, I would like to do a professor Oak challenge in shield. (0:06:10) Al: Uh, and that does all three of those things. (0:06:12) Al: It does a professor Oak challenge in, in that series of games. (0:06:16) Al: It basically completes my home pocket X, right? (0:06:19) Al: Cause you’re catching everything anyway. (0:06:22) Al: Um, and it, it then me, it will mean I have a shield save in post game as well. (0:06:27) Al: But I don’t think I’m going to do that now because I’m worried I might burn out on Pokemon. (0:06:31) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:06:35) Al: And we don’t know yet when the new games coming out. (0:06:38) Al: I don’t expect it to come out until- (0:06:40) Al: november but we don’t know for certain and I don’t want them to be like come out and like me (0:06:46) Al: spend the next month doing this and then they come out and then I burn out and I’m like okay (0:06:50) Al: I’m done with pokemon for like six months and then they come out and say oh legends za is actually (0:06:57) Al: coming out in April and I’m like oh no that is really soon so uh but I’m also worried that they (0:07:05) Al: might do the release of pokemon for the home decks very soon and yeah sure I don’t- (0:07:10) Al: need to do it as soon as it’s done of course I don’t need to but I will feel the drive to (0:07:15) Al: do it at that point so I’m like do I actually just do the home decks just now and then leave (0:07:21) Al: the professor oak challenge for another time but then why why not just do the professor oak challenge (0:07:28) Al: but then I’m also the reason I was playing those games in January was because there weren’t any (0:07:32) Al: games coming out that I was planning on playing for the podcast and now we have a billion of them (0:07:35) Codey: Yeah, but it would be really inefficient to not just do it, do them together. (0:07:38) Al: them coming out in February and March. (0:07:40) Al: I’m probably going to just wait and do it all at the same time, probably next January. (0:07:54) Codey: yep. yep. (0:07:57) Al: Because January does tend to be quite a quiet period, but I guess that depends on when ZA (0:08:04) Al: comes out. (0:08:05) Al: Because if ZA comes out in November, I’m probably not going to want to do a Professor Oak challenge (0:08:08) Al: of SHIELD. (0:08:10) Al: In January, so maybe, maybe I’ll just wait till Pokemon Day and they’ll all they will almost definitely tell us the release date then right like there’s no way they’re not going to do that. (0:08:22) Al: That reminds me, we want to do Pokemon Day predictions. (0:08:26) Codey: Oh, okay, okay. (0:08:28) Al: And Pokemon Day reactions greenhouse episode that gets us to this month. (0:08:29) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:08:33) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:08:39) Al: so (0:08:40) Al: all that to say I have played a lot of pokemon in the last month and a half a lot a lot a lot (0:08:48) Al: of pokemon and I think like maybe like 120 hours over the last month and a half we’ve just pokemon (0:08:56) Codey: Mm hmm. I’m shocked. (0:08:58) Al: still not found a brilliant diamond shining pearl (0:09:02) Al: still a big big fan of let’s go great games love them second best pokemon game (0:09:11) Codey: Yeah, I really have been wanting to go back and replay. I have Eevee, but I also have (0:09:17) Al: Mm-hmm. Yes, fair, fair, fair. So yeah, I’m probably Pokémon’d out for now, but we’ll see. (0:09:21) Codey: else going on. So, yep. (0:09:30) Al: I’ve also been keeping up with Harvestmen, Home Sweet Home. Look at me actually playing a farming (0:09:36) Al: game a little bit a day. What a crazy idea. I know. So I’m now in chapter five, enjoying that. (0:09:37) Codey: Wow not guzzling (0:09:40) Codey: - I’m done. (0:09:44) Al: I don’t know. (0:09:45) Al: I don’t know what to do with that. (0:09:47) Al: Yeah, actually, yeah, no, I will. (0:09:49) Al: I’m enjoying it. (0:09:51) Al: I’m enjoying playing this game. (0:09:52) Al: This is a fun game. (0:09:53) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:09:54) Al: It still has issues. (0:09:56) Al: Absolutely. (0:09:58) Al: The Cloud Save still not working for me two months later. (0:10:02) Codey: I’m shocked. (0:10:04) Al: But controller support has made it playable. (0:10:07) Al: And it’s actually fun. (0:10:10) Al: It’s no Stardew Valley. (0:10:11) Al: I don’t care about the characters as much. (0:10:14) Al: But there’s a lot to like about it. (0:10:16) Al: and I’m hopeful for… (0:10:17) Al: and I have also started playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which I did play when it came to Apple Arcade, so I played it for about a month and enjoyed it. (0:10:33) Al: But then I was like, I am so fed up with playing on the touchscreen and let me tell you, playing with the controller infinitely better. So good! (0:10:37) Codey: Yeah. Okay. (0:10:41) Al: So I’ve been playing on my Steam Deck, I know that I know some people who are playing on… (0:10:47) Al: which may or may not come up in a future episode, but yeah, no, it’s a good game. It is way better than it had any right to be. (0:10:50) Codey: - Ooh. (0:11:02) Al: I completely forgot until I started the game how the game starts and I’m like, I just love… it’s so ridiculous that it basically starts with a plane crash. (0:11:11) Al: Because who would expect that in a Hello Kitty game? Alright, I think that’s everything. That’s what we’ve been… (0:11:17) Al: We are going to continue the new segment, the month’s releases and the previous month’s releases. We’re going to talk about last month’s releases. (0:11:18) Codey: Oh, woo. Oww, ow, ow, ow. (0:11:31) Codey: Last month’s what what was released last month? I got you (0:11:36) Al: Listeners, write in and tell us what this segment should be called, this monthly segment. What released last month? (0:11:44) Al: January 2025 edition. Or should it be fae- (0:11:47) Al: Maybe the 2025 edition, because last month would be January, but it’s like what would (0:11:51) Al: have- what released last month? (0:11:53) Codey: What are you what do you call it so like in? (0:11:57) Codey: Start in stardivale correlate whatever when you go to sleep, and there’s like that recap screen (0:12:02) Al: This summary… (0:12:03) Codey: That’s all you call it. That’s all it’s called (0:12:07) Al: He gla-la… (0:12:07) Codey: Like the daily summary listeners. Let us know (0:12:10) Al: I don’t know… (0:12:11) Codey: What do you call that screen like when it tells you what you did for the day how much all your stuff sold? (0:12:16) Codey: I think that whatever that is called is what this segment should be called because it’s like we just fell asleep on January (0:12:23) Codey: And we’re waking up and it’s February, but let’s like think about the things that occurred last last month (0:12:30) Al: I’m really struggling to Google this. (0:12:31) Codey: Don’t work yeah, don’t worry about looking it up. They got a listeners have to tell us (0:12:35) Al: Okay, so January, what released in January? (0:12:41) Al: We have four releases in January 2025. (0:12:44) Al: We got Harvest Hills, releasing mid-January the 15th. (0:12:48) Al: We got Into the Emberlands, Not Wonderful, released on the 20th of January when we had (0:12:54) Al: Hello Kitty Island Adventure on Steam and Switch that released on the 30th of January. (0:12:58) Al: my little life which is our first (0:13:01) Al: game of Rusty’s Like or as a developer of Rusty’s retirement is calling them bottom of the screen game (0:13:06) Codey: boss game which he he like talked it up on the um on blue sky he like was like y’all (0:13:06) Al: and that released on the 31st of January. So a kind of (0:13:17) Codey: should get this game and now i’m looking at it oh it’s only five dollars and 39 cents (0:13:24) Al: Yeah, it is dangerous. (0:13:25) Codey: oh no it’s only it’s only windows oh I almost clicked it y’all I almost we good okay i’m (0:13:34) Codey: I wish. (0:13:36) Codey: Let it be not just Windows, my little life developer. (0:13:39) Codey: I want to play this game. (0:13:40) Codey: Thank you. (0:13:42) Al: Yeah, so that’s the January releases, wild that I’m about to say this, but that’s a (0:13:47) Al: quiet month. Four games is a quiet month, apparently. (0:13:51) Codey: Yeah, not a lot going on. (0:13:57) Al: Okay, so we’ve now got a bunch of news. We’re going to start with the gaming news. So first (0:14:04) Al: up we have Pixel Cross Renfractory, they have announced a release date for this. So this is (0:14:09) Al: like the pixel cross Stodio seasons. (0:14:12) Al: It’s a Picross type game, but not Picross because Nintendo on the trademark to that kind of. (0:14:21) Al: Yeah, you do your nonograms. I think that’s what the generic term people have been using, (0:14:27) Al: nonograms. You do your nonograms and in the story seasons one, it like built up a farm (0:14:34) Al: in the background as you do it. Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know if they’ve shown (0:14:36) Codey: is that is that what it is because it also says customize like in this trailer they say customize (0:14:40) Al: and I’ll see you next time. (0:14:42) Al: Yeah. (0:14:43) Codey: your farm and I don’t and it like looks like you choose what like where things are placed and so (0:14:50) Codey: that was one that was my only question was like I mean it’s coming some when it comes out folks (0:14:55) Codey: can tell me unless people have been playing I don’t know if there’s a dummy (0:14:57) Al: I don’t, I, yeah, oh, interesting. (0:15:01) Al: So it does look like you can change things in this one. (0:15:03) Al: So I’m pretty sure on the story of seasons one, (0:15:06) Al: you just saw the farm build up and things grow (0:15:09) Al: and you didn’t have any control over how it looked, (0:15:12) Al: but you’re right, it does. (0:15:13) Al: So it says customize your farm (0:15:14) Al: and it shows different animals or monsters. (0:15:17) Al: And then it shows you actually selecting (0:15:19) Al: what weapon you want your character to have, (0:15:21) Al: including a massive lollipop as an option. (0:15:25) Al: So yeah, it looks like it’s more in depth. (0:15:28) Codey: Well, I’m wondering if it’s just like you can control what it looks like in the background (0:15:34) Codey: while you are, yeah. (0:15:34) Al: I think that, yeah, I think that’s all it is. (0:15:36) Al: I don’t think you’re actually doing any farming (0:15:39) Al: or any battling, that just happens in the background (0:15:41) Al: as you’re doing it, but in the story seasons one, (0:15:44) Al: I’m pretty sure you couldn’t change how it looked. (0:15:46) Codey: is it like learn how to do a carrot by doing a carrot learn how to plant (0:15:52) Codey: carrots I like okay (0:15:52) Al: It wasn’t even that much in the study seasons when it was literally, you do stuff and things grow in the background you weren’t really. (0:16:00) Al: Yeah, there was nothing else. (0:16:02) Codey: Sounds good. Some people are probably jumping for joy that (0:16:06) Codey: there’s a new across game coming out. New an Autogram coming (0:16:10) Al: nonagram yeah yes yeah anyway space sprouts have announced that they’re (0:16:13) Codey: it’s like Kleenex. It’s like people say get a Kleenex but (0:16:17) Codey: that’s a brand. (0:16:21) Al: releasing on the 31st of March (0:16:24) Codey: Mm-hmm. They’re also participating in Steam’s next fest, so… (0:16:28) Al: Cody who isn’t (0:16:30) Codey: Oh, okay, fine. They’re also moving on to the next part. Uh, I guess the only thing… (0:16:33) Al: I mean I’d like I just I find the steam next fest stuff so funny because it’s (0:16:40) Al: it doesn’t really mean anything it’s like it’s it’s like it’s like being part of (0:16:45) Al: a sale right you can still do a sale whenever you want you can put your price (0:16:48) Al: down whatever but it’s like if you do it at a specific time you might get on a (0:16:50) Codey: Right. But that’s the thing, like there’s a specific list that they’ll get clicked on. (0:16:52) Al: list (0:16:55) Al: but the list is too long (0:16:58) Codey: Okay, but like not every it is still selective, right? Like not hashtag not everyone gets on the (0:17:02) Al: no I don’t I don’t think so I think anyone even get in the list (0:17:03) Codey: list. Well, anyways, that’s from February 27 to March 3. But they are also looking for playtesters. (0:17:12) Codey: So if you go to the show notes, go to the Steam page, etc, etc, you can figure out how to become (0:17:18) Codey: on my playtester for space sprout. (0:17:20) Al: Whoo! Yeah, what was this game again? I can’t… Oh yeah, it was like the 2D space. It was like, (0:17:28) Al: yeah, I’m not describing that very well. But yeah, it was a 2D world where you’re floating around, (0:17:30) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:17:33) Codey: 2D floating in space. Yeah (0:17:36) Al: yeah. Yeah, I’m very interested in this one. I wonder how it’s going to feel playing (0:17:42) Al: farming in 0G. Although it does look like some of it has gravity, and some of it has gravity, (0:17:44) Codey: Mm-hmm. I mean it’s interesting. (0:17:50) Codey: Well, if I learned anything from the Martian, farming in 0G contains the recycling of human waste. (0:17:58) Codey: So, very excited for that. (0:18:00) Al: for sure next we have a free update coming to luma island and this is called pirates (0:18:12) Codey: With an excolate your boy, pirates! (0:18:15) Al: just pirates um it’s literally called luma island pirates what uh although I don’t think (0:18:22) Al: the exclamation mark is actually part of the title because later down they say what’s coming (0:18:26) Al: in Luma Island Pirates without the exclamation mark. (0:18:29) Codey: Uh, I choose to believe, yes. (0:18:30) Al: Don’t you always? (0:18:32) Al: So this brings a pirate themed zone with new minigames, a new temple, traps and enemies, a new profession. (0:18:44) Al: Johnny and Dallin I think, they both play it. They’ll be excited about a new profession. (0:18:51) Al: A full screen map, that’s definitely something it needed. I was annoyed about not having the full screen map. (0:18:56) Al: three new game modes, (0:18:58) Al: including (0:19:00) Al: hero mode and cozy mode. (0:19:02) Al: I wonder what the third mode is. (0:19:04) Al: I love how they’d say three modes (0:19:04) Codey: I’m curious what the new profession is. (0:19:06) Al: and they mentioned two of them. (0:19:10) Codey: Is it piracy? (0:19:12) Al: Oh, interesting. Yeah, that’s a good point. (0:19:14) Al: It could be. (0:19:14) Codey: Like goats? (0:19:16) Al: Even if not actually, (0:19:18) Al: piracy definitely could be related to that. (0:19:20) Codey: Or like treasure hunting? (0:19:20) Al: Yeah, that is a good point. (0:19:22) Al: Yeah, well they do have a treasure hunter one already, I’m pretty sure. (0:19:26) Codey: Okay, so it is piracy. (0:19:28) Codey: Destroy this city and loot the people. (0:19:30) Al: Maybe. You never know. You never know. Also, new outfits, quests, NPCs, Lumas, powers, (0:19:34) Codey: Mutiny, mutiny your own. (0:19:38) Codey: I’m very curious. (0:19:44) Al: bonuses, and achievements. Yes, yeah, that is a free update. That is not a DLC. That (0:19:46) Codey: Ooh, that’s a lot of content in a free update. (0:19:52) Codey: Yeah. (0:19:53) Al: is a free update. Coming soon. No date yet. Coming soon. (0:19:58) Al: Speaking of updates. (0:20:00) Al: RiverShine have announced their 1.7 update. (0:20:05) Al: This is called Azure Coast Trail. (0:20:08) Codey: what? No, say it, say it how you say it again. Oh, that’s so cool. We just say Azure. I like (0:20:08) Al: Azure. (0:20:09) Al: Azure. (0:20:10) Al: How would you say it? (0:20:13) Al: Azure. (0:20:14) Al: Oh, no, Azure. (0:20:18) Codey: your way of saying it. Continue. (0:20:20) Codey: you. (0:20:21) Codey: You’re welcome. (0:20:21) Codey: You’re welcome. (0:20:21) Al: Thank you. (0:20:25) Al: This brings new competitions, horses, music, accessories, and loading screens. (0:20:30) Codey: Oh, whoo, the loading screens look really good, like the the art. (0:20:35) Codey: I mean, I’m betting that they have like a ton of humans that love this game (0:20:39) Codey: and just are like, take here, take my art. (0:20:41) Codey: The loading screens look really cool. (0:20:43) Codey: And the new horse is like a cool new wild horse species. (0:20:48) Codey: I almost look I. (0:20:48) Al: Rabi Rabbi Kano, Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi Kano, I think Rabbi Kano. (0:20:55) Codey: Let me it’s probably something like Robicano or Robic Robicano or something. (0:21:00) Codey: Um, yeah, I didn’t look up to see if those are actually like a thing. (0:21:06) Codey: I almost did and then I didn’t. (0:21:07) Codey: Oh, yep. (0:21:08) Codey: They’re a type of Arabian horse. (0:21:10) Al: rare horse coat color pattern that features white. (0:21:15) Codey: Oh, so it’s just a whatever. (0:21:17) Codey: It’s they’re really cute. (0:21:21) Codey: Yeah, and they also announced that the next update is going to introduce (0:21:27) Codey: a new character and that is the veterinarian. (0:21:30) Codey: Also introduce, you know, care for your horse. (0:21:34) Codey: So different, you know, that care like they might maybe they get sick. (0:21:39) Codey: Maybe they have certain nutritional needs and you didn’t need to make sure (0:21:43) Codey: you meet them. (0:21:44) Codey: I’m not entirely this is all just me. (0:21:46) Codey: Just I don’t know. (0:21:47) Codey: Just like trying to like think of what it could be, but that’s cool. (0:21:52) Codey: I’m all for it. (0:21:53) Codey: Can I be the veterinarian? (0:21:58) Codey: Aww. (0:22:01) Codey: We need a game where you’re like the veterinarian. (0:22:03) Codey: We don’t have that. (0:22:04) Al: Go make it. (0:22:05) Codey: No, I’m good. (0:22:06) Codey: Someone should make it though. (0:22:08) Codey: Or like a wildlife biologist. (0:22:08) Al: Let us know. (0:22:11) Codey: I don’t know. (0:22:12) Al: Is that not just research story? (0:22:14) Codey: Go play research. (0:22:16) Al: I mean, tell me if I’m wrong, you’re the one that’s played it. (0:22:17) Codey: No, I’m trying to. (0:22:18) Codey: Yeah, no, I’m trying to think of like, no, (0:22:20) Codey: like a game where you’re a rehabber. (0:22:22) Codey: Where you rehabilitate wild animals that people bring to you. (0:22:25) Codey: I think the only issue with that is that it’s sad because they die. (0:22:28) Codey: die, but hey. (0:22:30) Codey: There was a Bluey episode about a bird dying, so it’s okay these days. (0:22:36) Al: Blue can do anything. (0:22:38) Codey: Bluey did it. That means it’s child approved. (0:22:42) Al: Let me tell you, right, me and Craig watch Blue together, (0:22:46) Al: and he’ll be sitting and laughing at the jokes and watching it and stuff, (0:22:48) Al: and then I’ll just be sitting behind him, just sobbing. (0:22:50) Codey: stopping. Yeah. Yeah, I just just finished it. And it I am (0:22:52) Al: Like, “Oh, no, what is happening? What’s the doing to me?” (0:23:00) Codey: upset. And I need more. I watched all of it. Thanks. I’ve, (0:23:04) Al: Nice. Well done. (0:23:07) Codey: I just I crave distraction in the background while I run (0:23:11) Codey: meaningless analysis. They’re not meaningless analysis. They’re (0:23:14) Codey: just tedious analysis correction. But yeah, cool that (0:23:21) Codey: give me a game mode where I can play as the veterinarian and I (0:23:24) Codey: will play this game. Developers if you’re like, man, what do (0:23:26) Al: I mean, I feel like that’s just a whole different game, not just a different game mode, but… (0:23:31) Codey: people want these days? I bet a vet mode like a vet game would (0:23:37) Codey: crush. Yep. And I would pay probably $30 for it. So if it (0:23:39) Al: There’s at least one person who would buy it, that’s for sure. (0:23:45) Codey: takes more than $30 to make. I’m out. (0:23:48) Al: I’m not even promising there’d be two people because I’m not sure who the second person (0:23:50) Codey: Listeners. Let me know. Can you contribute $30 we can offer $60 (0:23:53) Al: would do it for the podcast. (0:23:57) Al: I’m sure there are I mean, look, if you could make a game for $60 you’d be rolling in it. (0:24:02) Codey: to developers. There’d be a lot of really bad games. Yeah. (0:24:14) Al: For sure for you. (0:24:15) Al: Well, yeah, you probably can make a game for $60. (0:24:18) Al: Absolutely dreadful. (0:24:21) Al: Just a Skinner box. (0:24:22) Al: All right. (0:24:24) Al: Next we have Particular have announced a free update and a paid DLC. (0:24:33) Al: They’re both releasing on the same day, 28th of February, and the paid DLC Frozen Frontier (0:24:39) Al: has a new story, world quests, new items and creatures. (0:24:45) Al: written snowshoe hair. Is that a creature? (0:24:47) Codey: Yeah, yeah, they specifically say snowshoe hair well, that is just one that they blurbed (0:24:48) Al: Is that a creature that’s there? Just one creature. (0:24:55) Al: blurb. No, I know what you mean. That’s a great example of verification. (0:24:55) Codey: It could be (0:24:59) Codey: Where did that word come from it is keep going I’m gonna look up what that where that came from (0:25:05) Codey: - Um. (0:25:07) Al: And the free update includes new creatures, some temp mechanics. What do you mean by that? (0:25:14) Codey: - Temperature, sorry. (0:25:15) Al: Oh, temperature was like temporary mechanics. Yes, temporary temperature mechanics, snow, (0:25:16) Codey: Now, (0:25:22) Al: And then obviously, quality of life improvements. (0:25:26) Codey: Yeah, so they both yeah, they both kind of include like, adding snow as a as a thing that you can see in the game. But one just adds like a whole new world. Also, I wanted to note that they say on in the beginning of this show notes, whatever, what is this called, like a, thank you. (0:25:48) Al: release notes or well it’s not really release notes because it’s not released (0:25:51) Codey: It’s a (0:25:51) Al: teaser (0:25:54) Codey: Teaser, they say… (0:25:56) Codey: “As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, we’re not quite done with the cold weather. We got you southern hemisphere folks.” (0:26:02) Codey: Correction. We are also not ready for spring. (0:26:08) Codey: The United States weather predicting rodent has proclaimed that there are six more weeks of winter. (0:26:16) Codey: So, yeah, we’re not ready. (0:26:18) Al: Do I need to tap the sign? Seasons aren’t universal, Cody. (0:26:20) Codey: What’s the sign? (0:26:26) Codey: They specifically say “As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere.” (0:26:28) Al: Seasons aren’t universal in the northern hemisphere, Cody. (0:26:32) Codey: There’s six more weeks of winter. I don’t know what to tell you. (0:26:35) Al: Look, okay, so not every country has the same definitions of seasons. Not every country even (0:26:41) Al: has four seasons, and certainly not every country is going to listen to America when they say that (0:26:46) Al: that a rodent has decided it’s- (0:26:49) Codey: Okay, there’s like certain things that they should listen to us on and the majority of (0:26:54) Codey: things that other countries should just ignore Americans on, especially these days. (0:27:00) Codey: But one thing y’all should really listen to is our, our groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, (0:27:07) Codey: who is an immortal groundhog that has bespake unto the cultists or whomstever and told them (0:27:18) Codey: in Groundhog E’s! (0:27:20) Codey: There will be six more weeks of winter and a bunch of people just went. (0:27:22) Al: Yeah, I have watched Groundhog Day. I do know the idea behind it. (0:27:27) Al: Finally, in the game news in bit, we have MeloBot, a last song, have released their (0:27:34) Al: original soundtrack on Steam. It is $12.99 on its own, or it’s also included in the Deluxe (0:27:42) Al: Edition for which is more expensive. It’s actually a really good deal if you get the (0:27:46) Codey: Oh, whoo. Yeah. (0:27:49) Al: deluxe edition, though, right? Because it’s like… (0:27:52) Al: 20 quid for the game. I’m back into pounds here because you confused me with your whole (0:27:57) Al: dollars. 20 quid for the game or is it 25 quid for the 25 dollars for the game? (0:27:58) Codey: - Yeah, sorry, I put dollars, I put US dollars. (0:28:00) Codey: $13. (0:28:04) Codey: $25 for the deluxe edition and then $13 if, (0:28:08) Codey: for just the soundtrack. (0:28:10) Al: Yeah. Well, how much is the base game is that is that $20 then? (0:28:13) Codey: - Man, I didn’t look at that. (0:28:14) Codey: Let me look. (0:28:16) Al: See, it is 20 quid or 10 and 10 quid for 20 or 27 quid. (0:28:22) Codey: Oh I had it wrong! The game is 25. The bundle that includes the digital deluxe upgrade is 35. (0:28:22) Al: Ah. (0:28:32) Al: OK, so it’s still a good deal, but it’s not as good a deal. (0:28:35) Codey: You save 8%. (0:28:37) Al: All righty, so that is the game news. (0:28:41) Al: We also have two new games announced. (0:28:43) Al: Well, kind of. (0:28:44) Al: One of them is a new game. (0:28:44) Codey: - In quotes. (0:28:46) Al: One of them is actually two that are not– (0:28:50) Al: should we talk about the one that’s actually new first? (0:28:52) Al: So that is Sky Harvest. (0:28:52) Codey: - Yes. (0:28:57) Al: The blurb for this one is, “Armed with hand-me-down tools (0:29:01) Al: and some cash. (0:29:03) Al: You begin your new life as the chief farmer, a position your (0:29:07) Al: grandfather once excelled in. Can you honor his legacy and (0:29:10) Al: transform the overgrown, untamed and desolate floating island (0:29:14) Al: into a flourishing farm abundant with produce? (0:29:19) Codey: produce is weird in that trailer was was grandfather sleeping (0:29:26) Al: I didn’t actually watch the trailer give me two seconds. No, he did (0:29:33) Al: Again, yeah, no he did (0:29:36) Codey: so as a child you come upon your grand your beloved grandfather deceased at the (0:29:44) Al: Dead, at the kitchen table, reading his hopes and dreams. (0:29:47) Codey: kitchen table with (0:29:49) Codey: a book in front of him. (0:29:53) Codey: The book says, if I wish I could have gone back one last time and it’s got like a ticket and then it shows you taking that ticket and going and honoring his legacy. (0:30:04) Al: This is how this is how I know that he’s dead because if he’s not dead that is horrific. You’ve just stolen his ticket (0:30:05) Codey: But like, (0:30:12) Al: The one thing he wanted to do you’ve stolen his ticket and gone without him (0:30:16) Al: Let waited a while because you’ve grown a beard now. You’re an adult now (0:30:16) Codey: also, (0:30:20) Codey: Yeah, there’s a whole beard, a mustache, wild. (0:30:21) Al: Goodness me. That’s dreadful (0:30:23) Al: You (0:30:24) Codey: But like, if I came upon my grandmother deceased, (0:30:29) Codey: I say this because my grandfather is already deceased. (0:30:34) Codey: If I came upon my grandmother deceased, and (0:30:37) Codey: I don’t care what’s in front of her, I’m not looking at that. (0:30:42) Al: Yeah, he just like rests his head on his grandfather’s dead arm and sheds one singular tear before stealing his ticket, his boat ticket. (0:30:45) Codey: And then… (laughs) (0:30:50) Codey: I don’t know how beloved that grandfather was, if that’s your reaction, my guy. (0:30:55) Codey: Anyway, this is me just… (laughs) (0:30:56) Al: One, he’s one tear’s worth a little bit. (0:31:00) Codey: Alright, this looks cool though. So you’re on floating islands, you’re flying around with a jetpack, you can manage a restaurant. (0:31:07) Codey: It just says manage a restaurant, but it just shows you telling the person what the one meal that you guys are making in the day is. (0:31:20) Codey: Not what restaurants do. (0:31:23) Codey: And it’s a really bad restaurant. (0:31:24) Al: It’s what really bad restaurants. (0:31:28) Codey: And then it also says make friends, and then there’s a dog with a scroll in its mouth, so I’m guessing you befriend a dog. (0:31:36) Codey: And unfortunately that wasn’t in the trailer, it was in this thing. (0:31:40) Al: I mean the trailer didn’t show you much, lesbian. (0:31:43) Codey: Right, the trailer was very teaser-y, but underneath that, on the post, they have… (0:31:50) Codey: I watched that video where there’s a dog 10 times to see… I wanted to see more of the dog. (0:31:59) Codey: What kind of dog is it? All that. (0:32:03) Codey: It’s definitely a tricolor something, but other than that, no. (0:32:08) Al: So I will say I’m not particularly enamored by the graphics in this game. (0:32:17) Al: Not that it looks bad, it’s very definitely trying to look how it looks, I think. (0:32:23) Al: What I find a bit weird is the graphics of the game and the graphics of the heads-up display, (0:32:30) Al: like the menus and stuff, they feel like they’re from different games. (0:32:31) Codey: Mm hmm. Yeah, like they had two different people designing those, (0:32:38) Codey: and one understood the assignment and one didn’t. (0:32:38) Al: Yeah. Yeah, so it’s a little bit weird. Very, very. I do like the flying. The flying looks fun. (0:32:45) Codey: The character also looks lanky. This is a tall character. (0:32:53) Codey: Yeah. Mm hmm. Cosine. I don’t. (0:32:57) Al: Yeah, I don’t know what else to say. That looks interesting. I love how it calls it sky farming (0:33:01) Codey: It’s farming, but in the sky. Or are we? Are you farming the sky? (0:33:04) Al: when it’s just farming. (0:33:08) Al: In the sky? Okay. No, no, no, no, it’s just you’re on a sky island. Which I feel like this whole (0:33:12) Codey: Like is there part you’re like collecting the sky? (0:33:16) Codey: You don’t know that. What if they what if you collect the sky? (0:33:21) Al: let’s this game has sky islands was a fun idea five years ago and now half the games are doing (0:33:26) Al: it. Which is I guess the problem with game development, right? It was even before that (0:33:30) Codey: It’s the tears of the kingdom like. (0:33:35) Al: people were doing it. They didn’t. (0:33:38) Al: No, I know. Yeah, yeah. No, I get it. I feel like this could be possibly interesting. (0:33:46) Al: I’m not really sure what it’s… The flying is the thing that is most interesting to me, (0:33:51) Al: but other than that, I’m not really sure what it is that they’re doing that’s unique, (0:33:54) Al: which is always the problem with cottagecore games is why should I play you over Stardew? (0:34:01) Codey: I think that’s correct. I think like that’s the thing about this is it’s just to get your (0:34:06) Codey: attention and we will continue. It’s not like I saw this and I’m like, yep, not going to play (0:34:11) Codey: that because there’s not a lot here. I want to, I want to see more. They’re going to probably (0:34:15) Codey: release more. And so far they just say Q2 2025 in the trailer. (0:34:16) Al: Yep. Yeah, where did you see Q2? I just see 2025. Oh, in the trailer, okay. Because on (0:34:28) Al: Steam just says 2025. Okay, I will update my list then. I didn’t pay attention to the (0:34:31) Codey: Yeah, he didn’t watch the trailer. (0:34:38) Al: trailer, there’s a difference there. All right, we also have the brand new and exciting (0:34:39) Codey: Oh, my bad. I get that though. (0:34:47) Al: Harvest Moon, Skytree Village, and The Lost Valley are for some reason coming to Switch. (0:34:55) Al: The good thing about this is it is a bundle, so it’s like you’re not buying the game separately, (0:35:00) Al: which is good, because my word that would be not worth any sort of money. I’m not sure who (0:35:06) Al: wants these games. It’s like they went, “Oh, when we did…” Because they worked with… (0:35:09) Codey: Yeah, so you– (0:35:16) Al: Because the rights are complicated to the old Harvest Moon games, right? So they’ve done some, (0:35:22) Al: they released the original Harvest Moon on, what’s it called, Nintendo Switch Online, (0:35:31) Al: and they had to do that in collaboration with Marvelous, because Marvelous owned the game, (0:35:36) Al: but they owned the name, and so they had to both agree to that. Anyway, whatever, it doesn’t matter. (0:35:41) Al: And I feel like that combined with Marvelous redoing a wonderful… (0:35:46) Al: life has made them go, “Oh, people like when we remake Harvest Moon games and knock on which ones (0:35:55) Al: is it that people actually want to play, because I guarantee you it’s not Skytree Village in The (0:35:59) Al: Lost Valley.” (0:36:00) Codey: - Yeah, I will say, okay, so two things. (0:36:04) Codey: First of all, I looked, so one social media user, (0:36:08) Codey: to your question of who’s asking for this, (0:36:10) Codey: one social media user named Chrissy said, (0:36:13) Codey: “Cozy gamers have really been winning lately.” (0:36:16) Al: I wonder whether that person has ever actually played either of these. (0:36:16) Codey: To which another, (0:36:23) Codey: to which another user said, (0:36:25) Codey: “These games are more like a loss.” (0:36:28) Al: The funny thing is they did the whole, “Oh, we’re going to announce an announcement.” (0:36:34) Al: And they were like, “Oh, we’ve got an exciting announcement coming for you.” (0:36:34) Codey: Yeah (0:36:37) Al: And you’re like, “Okay, fine.” (0:36:40) Al: And then they did this and people were like, “Really? (0:36:43) Al: That was your… (0:36:44) Al: Please tell me this wasn’t everything.” (0:36:46) Al: Because it’s just, they’re like, I am not the sort of person who just hates on Harvest (0:36:50) Al: Moon, you know, Natsume, Harvest Moon games for the sake of it. (0:36:54) Al: You know, I am literally playing Harvestman, Home Sweet Home, as we’re recording. (0:36:58) Al: The podcast, right? And I’ve talked about how I like that. I’ve talked about how I like the ideas (0:37:02) Al: in One World and Winds of Anthos. I think they’re very interesting and I think that they’re very (0:37:07) Al: close to legitimately having a good game. These games are not that. These games are just bad. (0:37:10) Codey: Mm hmm. This ain’t it chief. Yeah, I will say so. I was listening to another podcast (0:37:22) Codey: about metal music lately and they were talking about I had there’s a point fault. Stay with (0:37:27) Al: I look forward to it. (0:37:28) Codey: me. They were talking about how this one band re like, is republishing like re thank you (0:37:37) Al: - Remastered. (0:37:38) Codey: remastering. (0:37:40) Codey: I think they’re actually just straight up rerecording an (0:37:42) Codey: entire album and like reproducing it. (0:37:42) Al: - Oh, okay. (0:37:44) Al: They’re Taylor-swifting it. (0:37:45) Codey: Basically, they are that’s the they literally made a joke about (0:37:49) Codey: that and they had the same question like what who’s asking (0:37:53) Codey: for this and a bunch of people on social media were like, (0:37:56) Codey: ah, this is thanks, but I’d rather have no music, etc, etc. (0:38:00) Codey: But they actually said they made a really good point, which (0:38:02) Codey: is if there are people who have not played these games or (0:38:07) Codey: listen to this music or whatever. (0:38:10) Codey: Kind of an introduction to that to that content for them (0:38:13) Codey: because there might be people who have heard of this Harvest (0:38:17) Codey: Moon thing, but they haven’t really played it yet or whatever (0:38:22) Codey: and then maybe they see this bundle and they’re like, oh (0:38:24) Codey: wow, there’s two of them in here. (0:38:26) Al: They’re first and last Harvest Moon games (0:38:27) Codey: And so it’s not. (0:38:30) Codey: Well, yeah, so that’s the thing. (0:38:31) Codey: So I mean that they were talking about an actually good album (0:38:35) Codey: versus– (0:38:35) Al: Yes, I think that’s that is the key difference here Cody (0:38:39) Al: I think like I am NOT against remakes. I think remakes can be really good (0:38:40) Codey: - Yeah. (0:38:43) Al: I think I’m doing a wonderful life last year was good because that is a very beloved game (0:38:43) Codey: Yeah. (0:38:47) Al: That is a lot of people’s first farming game (0:38:51) Al: And you just have to listen to Kevin for five minutes to know how much some people were waiting for that (0:38:55) Al: Nobody has that about (0:38:56) Codey: Oh, yeah. That’s fair. (0:38:56) Al: these games. (0:38:59) Codey: Yeah, I I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but, uh, yeah, (0:39:04) Codey: I think that the thing is that it’s not just if they’re not being remade (0:39:08) Codey: or or bundled in for the switch for the fans. (0:39:14) Al: No. This is the problem is there aren’t games that Natsume can nostalgia grab on. (0:39:15) Codey: It’s to try and get new people into the into the fandom. (0:39:26) Al: Because they’re all owned by Marvelous. They only own the name. And Marvelous aren’t going to do (0:39:33) Al: anything about it. I think it was very different when they did the original on Nintendo Switch (0:39:38) Al: Online because that is the actual original game. They’re just porting. (0:39:44) Al: It’s not even porting. It’s literally just an emulator. They’re just literally allowing (0:39:51) Al: the game to run on it. And that’s very different to remaking games. And there’s no way Marvelous (0:40:00) Al: have remade multiple. They remade Friends of Mineral Town, which was a fun one to do. They (0:40:05) Al: remade A Wonderful Life. I can’t remember if they’ve done any other remakes recently. (0:40:10) Codey: Yeah, I don’t know, because I’m not ever going to touch it, so. (0:40:14) Al: They want to jump on the bandwagon. They have to just release bad games again. (0:40:20) Al: This is the thing. So many people have this be in their bonnet about Natsume and they’re like, (0:40:25) Al: oh, they’re just jumping on the name and using it to sell bad games. And yeah, that’s kind of true. (0:40:31) Al: Or at least it was kind of true. I do think now they’re actually getting better and they’re (0:40:36) Al: actually trying to make good games. They’re getting there. But the problem is that releasing (0:40:42) Al: they’re bad games again. (0:40:44) Al: They’re not going to convince anybody that they’re doing anything other than money-grabbing. (0:40:44) Codey: Yeah, it’s like there’s someone at the company that remembers when all these games first (0:40:55) Codey: came out and like the hype the hype of it and they’re trying to like regain that the (0:41:01) Codey: glory days and the it’s sometimes you just got to let things go and like when Bluey and (0:41:08) Codey: Bingo had to get rid of a bunch of their stuffies. Yeah. (0:41:10) Al: Oh, we watched that the other day. That was a good episode. (0:41:17) Al: Yeah, it’s painful to watch what they’re doing, because it’s like one step forward, 73 steps (0:41:24) Al: back. Like, I just… Why do this? And I… Oh, goodness. Yes, right. (0:41:24) Codey: like the American government. So we have some other people one year forward 73 years backwards. (0:41:40) Al: So… Yeah, a section we don’t often have, because normally it’s just game updates and (0:41:41) Codey: We have some other news. Uh-huh. Oh. (0:41:47) Al: occasionally new games, we do have the other news section. So we have three pieces of other (0:41:53) Al: news to talk about. The first one is super… Let’s start off with the negative one, shall we? (0:41:54) Codey: You got to be more specific. Oh, oh, you’re right. You’re right. You’re right. I needed. (0:42:01) Al: There’s only one negative one. Okay. (0:42:04) Codey: I had to look through it again. Yeah. (0:42:10) Al: So Phoenix Labs, the developers of Fae Farm and Dauntless, and were creating other games (0:42:15) Al: until last year when they laid off almost everybody who was working on any game other (0:42:20) Al: than Fae Farm and Dauntless have now laid off almost everybody else. Huzzah! (0:42:26) Codey: - Yay. (0:42:27) Al: They’re like, “What’s the point in a game studio that makes games? (0:42:30) Al: We don’t want to make games. We don’t even want to continue making our existing games.” (0:42:34) Codey: Yeah, you don’t have yeah, but you know, they really said, the developer said, quote, It’s unfortunate, but necessary. (0:42:44) Codey: Yeah, so I did do a dive into this, more than just like, just the top of the of the article or whatever I start, I really got into reading this article and like kind of looking at some stuff because I was just like, what is going on here? (0:42:45) Al: Yeah, I guess the games aren’t failing then. (0:43:00) Al: - Were you rage reading? (0:43:02) Al: Were you rage reading? (0:43:04) Codey: I was so after basically, the developer, the Phoenix lab, whom’s ever the whole the whole Phoenix lab people. Correct. Thank you. You’re so good with the words today. So they, they were, they were acquired by a blockchain company called forte labs. (0:43:14) Al: the company. What can I say? I’m on a roll. Words is my whole thing. (0:43:30) Codey: And when they were acquired, they then laid off (0:43:34) Codey: as you already mentioned 160 people and quote the new owner (0:43:39) Codey: reportedly pressed developers to draft methods for integrating (0:43:44) Codey: blockchain technology in its games for the purpose of buying (0:43:49) Codey: and selling and trading in game goods, according to former (0:43:52) Codey: employees. So the crypto market has has joined games y’all. (0:43:58) Codey: Uh. (0:43:58) Al: are we back on NFTs? I thought we killed NFTs like four years ago, what are you doing? (0:43:59) Codey: Yeah. (0:44:04) Codey: NFTs and crypto, man, they’re here to stay, I guess. (0:44:08) Al: Well no, crypto isn’t dead, but come on, when was the last time you heard about NFTs? (0:44:14) Al: Especially in games, they’re so 2022. (0:44:18) Codey: I believe Ascentient Cheeto recently gave more NFTs. (0:44:24) Codey: Continuing on, apparently after releasing Dauntless, (0:44:28) Codey: they were “criticized by players for its new in-app monetization design,” (0:44:32) Codey: which was probably the blockchain, (0:44:34) Codey: but erasing previous progression with the new Awakening update. (0:44:38) Codey: So they had an update and it released, it erased all the previous progression. (0:44:38) Al: Oh no! No! What?! (0:44:42) Codey: The game still has an overwhelmingly negative number of reviews on Steam. (0:44:49) Al: I miss that happening. I wasn’t really aware of this very much. I was aware of it when (0:44:50) Codey: And the… (0:44:54) Al: it initially released because it was like, “Oh, it’s gonna kill Monster Hunter.” And (0:44:56) Codey: Yeah. (0:45:00) Codey: It did not. (0:45:02) Codey: It really had it was nowhere new (0:45:04) Codey: because when it first launched, there were probably about 3200 concurrent players like people playing at the same time online. (0:45:12) Codey: Nowadays, it’s only ever around about 150 people. (0:45:18) Codey: So yeah, not sure what they’re doing. (0:45:22) Codey: I would suggest well, I guess I would I would say that I would suggest them to back off the blockchain, but they are literally owned and acquired by a blockchain company. (0:45:32) Codey: So I don’t think that’s going to happen. (0:45:36) Codey: So I’m not not really sure what this means for Fae Farm. (0:45:41) Al: What I find really funny is like, so I think crypto is most often a scam. (0:45:48) Al: I do think there are some interesting applications for blockchain as a concept. (0:45:56) Al: NFTs is not it. (0:46:01) Al: It has never been it, even on their own. (0:46:04) Al: And then when people started putting them into games, I was like, I don’t even know why. (0:46:10) Codey: I mean, I feel like it’s to try and like have an introduction. (0:46:11) Al: Like, what is happening, and why would you do this? (0:46:18) Codey: It’s like when they put smoking in movies so that they would get more smokers, right? (0:46:23) Codey: It’s like a, it’s a, it’s a possible way to normalize something. (0:46:26) Al: It’s like the Transformers series for selling more Transformers. (0:46:29) Codey: Yeah. (0:46:31) Codey: Uh, which it’ll probably have a small, well, it would have a small bump if it wasn’t for (0:46:38) Codey: uh, cozy gamers. (0:46:40) Codey: Cause I don’t think cozy gamers are the people or, or monster hunters style players. (0:46:46) Codey: I, you really gotta go for like the call of duty people. (0:46:48) Codey: I feel like they, they would do NFTs because they basically, that’s basically all they (0:46:53) Codey: do with their, uh, skins and stuff on all the, all the guns and whatever. (0:47:00) Codey: So like, it’s not monster hunter people, uh, with dauntless and then cozy games with fave (0:47:08) Codey: farm. (0:47:10) Codey: It’

Jon and Danny close out the first annual (maybe) Moon Month with the Neil Young hit "Harvest Moon"!

This week the gang talks about Infinity Nikki, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, Harvest Moon 67, Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, Play Time, and more!Follow us on Instagram Leave us a voicemail at (804) 286-0626 and consider supporting us through our Patreon Check out the Discord! News Links: Xbox Developer Direct Xbox games aren't safe from multi plat Newegg leaks Switch games Resident Evil reboot movie incoming 

Almost exactly a year ago, four panelists came together to build a soundtrack to an imaginary RPG out of 8 fragments of other RPGs. Today, we're doing it again, except our "Hard Mode" rules dictate that we must choose songs from our source games with different use cases. So our Town Theme could be anything except another game's town theme, and so on. What kind of RPG will we assemble this time? Find out with us!Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Lucas Greene; Edited by Mike SalbatoLinks for this episodeRhythm Encounter 126 - Build Your Own RPG Soundtrack | RPGFanRetro Encounter 442 – The Legend of Zelda: Draft of FantasyTracklist0:16:41 - Title Theme: Hollow Charge (Chris Geehan, Dan-Byrne McCullough) - Cosmic Star Heroine0:26:30 - Map/Overworld Theme: Vana'diel March #2 (Naoshi Mizuta) - Final Fantasy XI0:39:33 - Town Theme: Title Screen (Tsuyoshi Tanaka) - Harvest Moon 640:47:29 - Battle Theme: communication breakdown (Yuki Kajiura) - Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse0:58:03 - Dungeon Theme: One Small Step (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker1:10:20 - Sad/Emotional Theme: Bloom Outro (Mili)  - ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights1:21:16 - Final Boss Theme: Touch It - FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS Remix (Ariana Grande) - Final Fantasy Brave Exvius1:36:02 - Ending Theme: Welcome to our Town (Motoaki Takenouchi) - Symphonic Suite Shining Force II ~ Ancient Sealing ~Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: music@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomBluesky: @rpgfan.bsky.socialInstagram: @rpgfancomThreads: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

Guitar harmonics is a delicate bell-like tone that adds a beautiful sound to your music and can be heard in songs such as For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield, Harvest Moon by Neil Young, and She Talks to Angels by The Black Crows. In today's episode, Marlene will share how you can bring these magical, chime-like sounds to life on your own guitar. She'll walk you through the fundamentals of harmonics, share some tips and tricks, and help you add this gorgeous technique to your playing. Start Your Free 7-day YoGuitar Video Library Trial! Join our Guitar Tips Community! Our next community jam session is 2/20, don't miss out! Marlene's Guitar Courses & Learning Resources YoGuitar Video Library Learn to Play Guitar in a Day!  Coaching Sessions Marlene's Tips For Guitar Playing Success book Thursday Tips blog Thank you to our sponsor! GatorCo.com   Available on... @applepodcasts @applemusic @spotify @spotifypodcasts  #harmonics #guitarharmonics #naturalharmonics #howto #guitar #learnguitar #playguitar #guitartips #guitarpodcast  Credits: Creator, Host, Producer: Marlene Hutchinson This podcast was made possible in part by: Gator Cases I Create Sound - For help getting your best sound go to www.icreatesound.com

Codey and Kev catch up on all the recent news Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:06: Feedback 00:08:21: What Have We Been Up To 00:43:30: Game Releases 00:57:44: Game Updates 01:06:41: New Games 01:28:43: Outro Links Harvest Hills Release Chill Town Development Update Dragon Shelter Trailer Steamworld Build Physical Release Echoes of the Plum Grove Digital Art Book Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home “Controller and Cloud Save” Update Research Story “Shimmering” Update Go-go Town Roadmap Terra Nil “Heatwave” Update Cattle Country Litchi Town Cinnabunny Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Codey: Hello, farmers and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Cody. (0:00:36) Kev: My name is Kevin, and we are back in the sad woodbeam. (0:00:40) Codey: Welcome to a new year. This is actually, this is actually being recorded in the new year. (0:00:41) Kev: Wow. (0:00:44) Kev: Oh yeah. (0:00:46) Kev: The first one. (0:00:49) Kev: Yeah. (0:00:50) Kev: Unlike the last one, which is recorded before a lot of the ones before that, which is wild. (0:00:55) Codey: Yeah, I just, I just finished. (0:00:57) Kev: Oh, wildflowers got a sequel, prequel, and I wouldn’t say it. (0:01:04) Codey: Yeah. So I guess so. Okay. So this episode is about a news catch up, (0:01:09) Codey: but we do want to hear Kev. (0:01:10) Kev: Yup. (0:01:14) Codey: I want to hear. So there’s a couple of things that we have to, (0:01:17) Codey: we have to talk about first, uh, all, but yeah, (0:01:19) Kev: I saw the note (0:01:22) Codey: I’ll put any feedback on game of the year. (0:01:24) Codey: So do you have any feedback on Rusty’s retirement winning game of the year? (0:01:28) Kev: Oh, so like, I’ll tell you what, my feedback is that this is just the, the, the (0:01:36) Kev: revenge of the, the coral island debacle of the previous year. (0:01:40) Kev: That’s what this is. (0:01:41) Codey: No, who would you have well you probably would have had wildflowers win, right? (0:01:41) Kev: Um, me, no, I mean, well, okay. (0:01:49) Kev: Some deep inside baseball, right? (0:01:51) Kev: Like this is, we’ve been talking a little bit on how to structure this (0:01:54) Kev: game the year, because it’s challenging, right? (0:01:57) Kev: with so many games that come out, right? (0:01:58) Kev: And we cover, you know, at most 52 games in a year, and obviously we’re not going to bring 52 games in a year. (0:02:06) Codey: Right (0:02:06) Kev: And furthermore, they’re probably not all going to be games that came out that year. (0:02:12) Kev: So that is a lot of games that we don’t play and consider and, you know, we might be missing things, right? (0:02:22) Kev: So like Wildflowers, we missed it the year it came out. (0:02:26) Kev: came out, so I didn’t put it in. (0:02:28) Kev: It wasn’t in the running for Game of the Year, so I think that we should maybe try (0:02:34) Kev: to aim for next year is like, we already started doing the categories or whatever kind of, (0:02:41) Kev: so I think there should be one for actually 2020, whatever, four, five, whatever, and then (0:02:47) Kev: one that we covered on the show that year, you know what I mean? (0:02:50) Kev: That’s probably how we should structure that, but either way, I mean, yeah, either way, (0:02:55) Kev: But a lot of thought was just not going to be my vote because we didn’t cover it last time. (0:02:58) Kev: I would have gone with Mika of course, but I get it. (0:03:00) Codey: Okay. (0:03:02) Codey: That was me, I was gonna say maybe Mika. (0:03:06) Kev: I will say I haven’t played Rusty’s retirement in myself. (0:03:10) Kev: Like I said, I don’t like the concept of something playing on your screen as you’re doing other stuff. (0:03:20) Kev: I’m the total opposite end of the spectrum from that. It doesn’t tell me at all. (0:03:26) Kev: Um, but I’m sure it’s fine. (0:03:27) Kev: Like what, what I, you know, (0:03:28) Kev: what I want to talk about, it’s great and, and what, right. (0:03:31) Kev: Um, and furthermore, like, uh, I think it was my, I don’t know, brought it up like (0:03:36) Kev: that, you know, it’s breaking more new ground than say Mika’s because Mika, you (0:03:42) Kev: know, there’s no doubt that Mika is definitely standing on the shoulders of (0:03:46) Kev: giants leaning on a Wind Waker aesthetic and the studio Ghibli and all that. (0:03:52) Kev: Um, so, you know, I can appreciate that. (0:03:54) Kev: Um, so, you know, Mika would have been my vote. (0:03:57) Kev: But I don’t know. (0:03:58) Kev: I’m fine with my sister’s time. I’m not complaining. I do like the rule but um but uh but yeah um yeah that’s that’s my only real thought um like yeah it’s fine not my vote but again for two-fold reasons and and I get why you guys picked it so I’m not complaining too much. (0:04:00) Codey: Mm hmm. Okay, yeah. (0:04:13) Codey: Hmm. Yeah, those of us with ADHD, it just tickles that itch for sure. (0:04:24) Codey: Okay, so the second question would be wild society. How are you? How do you? What are your thoughts? (0:04:30) Kev: So, obviously I’m hyped, right, because Studio Drydock has done fantastic work, kind of across the board, right, not just, except maybe the art style, which, you know, I’m not going to defend it per se, but the story they wrote, the mechanics, how they came about it, even their promotion, how they interact with the community. (0:05:00) Kev: Um, just call it stuff across the board, right? (0:05:04) Kev: Um, obviously I’m biased, you know, I’m going to go dove into wildflowers because of Ray and yada, yada, but, um, and bother is a lot of fun and whatnot, but, um, like the fact that we’re getting a sequel, one, that’s great, right, or people, I guess. (0:05:20) Kev: Um, and what’s exciting is that it’s not going to probably be a, you know, one-to-one sequel. We’re not on a farm now. We’re running a hotel bed and breakfast thing. (0:05:30) Kev: I don’t know if you remember, so, you know, I’m interested to see what we’re going to do. I’ll probably put, we had a lot of emphasis on the social interactions and whatnot, but, um, you know, that was, I think, one of the strong suits from wildflowers, like the community of that little island and people interacting and whatnot. (0:05:48) Kev: So, you know, focusing more on that, I think it’s going to be fun. (0:05:52) Kev: Um, I do wonder how the magic will fit into everything because, you know, you use the magic. (0:06:00) Kev: For farming, but here we’re just hosting key parties, question mark. So what are we, you know, what spiking drinks with potions was a feature in wildflowers. (0:06:08) Codey: - Yeah. (0:06:14) Kev: So, um, oh yeah, you’re right. There was like a seance thing. Yeah, right. There you go. That’ll be interesting. Um, but yeah, um, I mean, yeah, of course. (0:06:14) Codey: - Didn’t they have in wilds? (0:06:16) Codey: Didn’t you have a seance in the trailer for wild society? (0:06:28) Kev: Yeah, of course, I’m super excited for it. (0:06:32) Kev: I believe they already confirmed there will be returning characters, which is interesting because they think it’s going to be a fairly large time gap. (0:06:38) Kev: But there are characters who could show up. I can already name two or three of them. (0:06:44) Kev: So it’ll be fun to see them show up. (0:06:50) Kev: This is generally somewhat bad form, but I’m pretty sure the voice in the trailer was Valerie Rose Lohman. (0:06:56) Kev: So I’m sure she’s going to get a character in there. I feel like she has to, right? She has to. (0:06:59) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:07:02) Kev: So, you know, but we’ll see. I don’t know. (0:07:06) Kev: All in all, obviously, I’m very excited. It’s fun. (0:07:10) Kev: Yeah, well, John, my eyes are peeled and I’ll be day one buyer, of course. (0:07:14) Kev: I’m so open. (0:07:15) Codey: Well, and I will say that after everything that you’ve talked about the game and looking (0:07:22) Codey: at wild society, well, maybe we’ll be doing a second harvest of wildflowers this year (0:07:31) Codey: because I want to play it. (0:07:31) Kev: Oh, oh, oh, like, you know, obviously my hyperbolic cartoonish adoration of the game is great now, but like it is still a very solid game. (0:07:44) Kev: Like I cannot recommend enough. (0:07:45) Kev: Like it is up there with the, you know, the top Stardew clones or farming is whatever. (0:07:52) Kev: Um, it’s solid. (0:07:54) Codey: Yeah, yeah, no, it looks great. (0:07:54) Kev: Um, you know, cause you could just pass the, the style, I don’t play many once. (0:08:01) Kev: But hey, that’s good. That’s good. (0:08:02) Codey: So, okay, so, yeah, the, as I’ve already mentioned, today, the topic is news catch up, so we have (0:08:11) Codey: a lot of news to get through, but next section is the what have we been up to section. (0:08:19) Codey: And here’s the final question for Kev. (0:08:22) Codey: - Kev, you have to– (0:08:24) Codey: - I just remember you saying, “oh yeah, I got a puppy,” (0:08:26) Codey: and I’m like, “ah, I need details!” (0:08:28) Codey: And this is the first time we’ve been on a pod together, so… (0:08:30) Kev: Mm-hmm. Okay (0:08:30) Codey: I just remember you saying, “oh yeah, I got a puppy,” (0:08:32) Codey: and I’m like, “ah, I need details!” (0:08:36) Codey: And this is the first time we’ve been on a pod together, so… (0:08:38) Codey: together, so. (0:08:39) Kev: So yeah, um (0:08:42) Kev: Some recording I don’t I don’t remember where or what was the like where the harvest season (0:08:51) Kev: Time-wise where I was when I recorded near puppy (0:08:54) Kev: But okay, so I I feel like I did so, you know (0:09:00) Kev: Here’s show time if you go listen to if you listen to the the Rainbow Road radio the neutral show (0:09:02) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:09:06) Kev: I do with our friend now, it’s so are you things? (0:09:07) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:09:09) Kev: You you could he hear the puppy saga in real life in real time because I’ve given up updates (0:09:14) Kev: But anyways, so, okay, I’m gonna give context for people who might not know I imagine most folks might know (0:09:21) Kev: Things I brought it up here and there but okay. So first of all (0:09:26) Kev: two years ago (0:09:29) Kev: October (0:09:30) Kev: 29th, I know that I know the date it’s weird, but I I have a reference point but we lost our first dog passed away two (0:09:38) Kev: Years ago on October 29th heard (0:09:42) Kev: Whatever do you know it’s new year, whatever (0:09:45) Kev: His name was though though he we had him for 18 years same age as my brother (0:09:50) Kev: toy poodle (0:09:52) Kev: obviously left the big (0:09:54) Kev: hole in the family and all that (0:09:57) Kev: and so (0:09:58) Kev: Uh, but for the first while we were. (0:10:00) Kev: We’d been petless, right? (0:10:01) Kev: Um, uh, Kiyo about a year later, a little, it was actually around the (0:10:06) Kev: same time around November of 2023. (0:10:09) Kev: Well, we got two kitties, um, Daisy and Teddy, and they were very small kittens. (0:10:15) Kev: And they were just a couple, like three, maybe four weeks old when we got them. (0:10:19) Kev: Um, and so that was my first time having cats and, and, and they were fun and, and, (0:10:24) Kev: and all the weird and wonderful and really weird things that cats are. (0:10:30) Kev: But, um, you know, but they’re relatively chill compared to dogs, right? (0:10:33) Kev: They’re a little more low home maintenance. (0:10:36) Kev: Um, uh, anyway, so Q this past year on by like, did you no one realized? (0:10:43) Kev: Well, I was the first one to realize it on the same date, October 29th of 2024. (0:10:48) Kev: Two years to the day after though, though. (0:10:50) Kev: Um, I was given lucky as an early birthday gift. (0:10:54) Kev: Um, so he was a toy poodle, much like the, um, the other was a (0:10:59) Kev: blonde, light brown color. (0:11:01) Kev: is like red cinnamon type of fur color. (0:11:05) Kev: Um, he was two months old, I think when we got him, he was still a really little guy, all in all. (0:11:13) Kev: Um, so yeah, um, we got him, uh, took probably a week or two to pick the name and settled on Lucky. (0:11:20) Kev: That is his name. (0:11:21) Kev: Um, and he has been a handful, like, so Dodo was the chillest guy. (0:11:30) Kev: He was smart. (0:11:31) Kev: He was chill. (0:11:32) Kev: Like he, he, he putty trained himself. (0:11:35) Kev: It was wild. (0:11:37) Kev: Um, uh, and whatnot. (0:11:39) Kev: Um, and, and he was just chill. (0:11:41) Kev: He just loved hanging out in cuddling and whatever. (0:11:43) Kev: Lucky is your stereotypical, you know, or would you think of the dog like puppy storm? (0:11:50) Kev: Like he’s chewing everything, biting everything. (0:11:53) Kev: He’s running. (0:11:54) Kev: He’s very friendly. (0:11:55) Kev: He’s very social. (0:11:56) Kev: He loves meeting people. (0:11:57) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:11:57) Kev: Sometimes to Marsha Grin because if he ever gets up (0:12:00) Kev: the leash or will run up to other people and so you know but but yeah he (0:12:08) Kev: that he’s been here we set up the Christmas decorations he’s been chewing (0:12:12) Kev: on them so it’s been a handful I mean it’s obviously still very puppy and so (0:12:17) Kev: learning but he is a joy a bundle of joy he’s probably double means maybe even (0:12:24) Kev: triple not triple but at least double in size I’m sure since we got him but he is (0:12:30) Kev: a toy poodle so he’s still gonna be a little guy on all but but yeah he’s part (0:12:37) Kev: of the home now he’s obviously a lot of attention a lot of work now the cats are (0:12:43) Kev: interesting he gets along with one her name is David Daisy she’s pretty chill (0:12:48) Kev: with him usually but sometimes he’ll try to knit and you know nip play with her (0:12:53) Kev: like a dog would replay fighting or whatever and so she did she doesn’t like (0:12:56) Kev: that, obviously, because even though they’re a year old, they’re like, (0:13:00) Kev: he’s already bigger than both of them. (0:13:02) Kev: Um, and then Teddy, uh, I feel so bad cause poor Teddy, he is our sweetheart. (0:13:08) Kev: He is only, he lives up to his name of Teddy. (0:13:10) Kev: He’s a Teddy bear. (0:13:11) Kev: He’s, he’s, he’s sweet and calm and chill, but he’s so skittish and nervous. (0:13:18) Kev: Like he still freaks out over lucky. (0:13:21) Kev: He’s not used to him on like, not even like I’d say 50% like he’ll, he’ll hiss (0:13:28) Kev: and, you know, and do all this stuff. (0:13:30) Kev: keep his distance and obviously Lucky’s just a puppy he just wants to like run up and play (0:13:34) Kev: at him he’s not he’s never you know Lucky doesn’t have a mean boat in his body or anything um (0:13:41) Kev: but he’s just uh had he just not dealing well with the new so yeah um no that’s unfortunate (0:13:46) Codey: Yeah. I’m sure there’ll be best of friends because that’s how it always goes right like (0:13:52) Kev: yeah yeah yeah I imagine it certainly takes time right like obviously like I said never (0:13:57) Kev: had cats before, so I’ve always never had cats and dogs together before. (0:14:00) Kev: And obviously I did some research on that, and yeah, it looks like it can vary, like I said, (0:14:06) Kev: Daisy and Lucky can get along pretty well. But yeah, I’m sure Teddy will just kind of give it (0:14:13) Kev: time. He’s a very giddish sort of fella that’s the only thing about him. But yeah, that is Lucky. (0:14:23) Kev: Hold on. Let me send you a picture. I’m talking about it, but I didn’t even send you a picture. (0:14:26) Codey: I was going to say, please post one in the Slack, so that yeah, if y’all want to see (0:14:28) Kev: Sure, hold on, Lumi. (0:14:30) Kev: Okay, yeah, there you go, there’s your Patreon Slack exclusive. (0:14:36) Kev: Yeah, I’ll have to dig and find them. (0:14:38) Codey: baby toy poodle pics, and I am all for it. (0:14:46) Kev: I’ll try to find some earlier ones when he was real little cuz he was real like, (0:14:50) Kev: he could barely poke out of the grass standing a little. (0:14:54) Codey: Um… (0:14:54) Kev: But he’s a good bit bigger, but he still acts very much like a mate. (0:15:01) Codey: Yeah. That doesn’t go away for a while. Stella’s finally, can you stop? She’s also all up in my (0:15:03) Kev: Yeah. (0:15:08) Codey: business right now. Um, she, uh, only just started getting out of some of her puppyish like (0:15:09) Kev: Speaking of which, yeah. (0:15:18) Codey: behaviors, like, um, Aussies, both healers and shepherds will like bite at ankles, um, (0:15:27) Codey: to like try and herd you. She’s finally- (0:15:32) Codey: to me, she only ever did it to me, which is stupid. My partner would like be like, “get mommy, get mommy” and like she would come up and get my ankles and I would be like, “are you serious?” (0:15:36) Kev: Hmm (0:15:49) Kev: Yeah, oh my gosh, that’s the thing with (0:15:53) Codey: Look at the little lint. Oh, he’s- (0:15:56) Kev: Yeah, though the one on the left aside posted the picture on slack (0:15:59) Kev: He slackers can look at it now or you probably already have but um on the left side (0:16:04) Kev: Yeah, that’s close to when we got him. (0:16:06) Codey: Mm-hmm. Yeah. (0:16:06) Kev: He’s tiny. You can see him next to the leaves like for comparison and then to the right. That’s a more recent picture (0:16:11) Kev: That’s him with Daisy. Um, like I said, he’s bigger now (0:16:15) Kev: but (0:16:16) Kev: But yeah, the biting the biting’s insane cuz honestly though they never did the biting (0:16:21) Kev: But we hear he’s just nipping at everything (0:16:25) Kev: I you know, I have some facial hair. So he it’s not heavy facial hair, but he likes to nibble on it (0:16:31) Codey: It doesn’t, yeah, yep. (0:16:34) Kev: I just, you know, just nip, nip, nip. (0:16:36) Kev: at it. Um, but that’s, yeah, that’s the lucky saga. Um, good, (0:16:41) Kev: you know, good, uh, obviously good times. A lot of work every (0:16:44) Kev: day. Everyone is yelling, because he’s running around (0:16:49) Kev: causing chaos, but we still love him. And, and he, he’s a pretty (0:16:53) Kev: good boy. Like I said, he’s not aggressive or anything like that. (0:16:57) Kev: You know, he’s, he likes to bite because he’s playful or whatever, (0:17:00) Kev: but, um, yeah, he’s a puppy. Yeah. Um, yeah. (0:17:00) Codey: he’s a puppy that’s just puppy behavior classic puppy behavior (0:17:06) Kev: So that is the lucky saga. Um, well, you know, I’ll do it, you (0:17:10) Kev: know, as I look forward to Mark Phillips or whatever, I’ll, I’ll (0:17:14) Kev: bring up news if things happen. Um, but, uh, but yeah. Um, so (0:17:21) Kev: there you go. There, there you go overseas and folks, there, (0:17:23) Kev: there’s your catch up. Um, okay. So aside from that more recent (0:17:24) Codey: What else have you been up to? (0:17:30) Kev: times, um, I talked about it like when we record cause they’d (0:17:36) Kev: just come out. Like I think when, uh, when Al, I think I did (0:17:40) Kev: the episode of Al Marvel Rivals has been on the big ones, the (0:17:42) Codey: Yeah (0:17:43) Kev: Overwatch clone with Marvel stuff. Um, like. Yeah. Yeah. (0:17:46) Codey: That was really fun to listen to because (0:17:50) Codey: You like basically mentioned it and I was like, oh thank goodness that I don’t like games like this (0:17:57) Codey: Because then I don’t have to play it and then you were like, oh no, no (0:17:57) Kev: Yeah. Yeah, the funny thing, the funny thing is we were just talking and just shooting (0:18:00) Codey: Like it’s not what you think he was like, oh no, no, I have to play it (0:18:10) Kev: the breeze before we started recording that episode and I was talking about rivals and (0:18:14) Kev: he mentioned because like the camera thing was like the big thing and he mentioned that (0:18:16) Codey: Yeah! (0:18:18) Kev: and that’s when I was like, I’m going to button this right now so I can save this for the (0:18:22) Kev: show to drop the reveal on. (0:18:25) Codey: Oh, that’s so funny. (0:18:27) Kev: Oh, yeah, I am as best as I can. So there is a weird thing about like being multi-platform (0:18:27) Codey: So yeah, you’re still enjoying it. (0:18:37) Kev: or whatever. So Calvin likes it too, right? So he plays on our PlayStation. I play on (0:18:38) Codey: - Mm-hmm, okay. (0:18:43) Kev: a laptop that I have just so we can both play it or whatever at the same time. And the kicker (0:18:52) Kev: on being PC is I’m not a PC gamer, generally speaking. I can’t do the– (0:18:57) Kev: a mouse and keyboard and all that stuff, right? So I hook up a controller and I play that (0:19:03) Kev: way but I get bodied because there are those insane mouse and keyboard super aiming people. (0:19:11) Kev: And it’s also like you can tell the population skews younger because of course it’s free to (0:19:18) Kev: play so all the teenagers and kids and it’s Marvel, right? They’re hopping on. So they (0:19:23) Kev: They get a lot more practice time than say I do. (0:19:27) Kev: I get bodied. I’m trying my best. I try to focus or whatever, but it can be rough. (0:19:34) Kev: It can be a bit bumpy at times. I won’t lie, but yeah, it’s good stuff. (0:19:40) Kev: And we actually on the end of the first, they call it season zero, whatever the first battle pass, yada, yada. (0:19:48) Kev: So then there’s new content probably in the next week or two coming out, including the Fantastic Four. (0:19:56) Kev: And so, yeah. (0:19:57) Kev: Good, more exciting stuff to look forward to. (0:20:01) Kev: I’m always down for that. (0:20:03) Kev: But yeah, Marvel Rival continues to be a joy in the curse at times. (0:20:07) Kev: But but that that is it is what it is. (0:20:12) Codey: - Are you still playing Spider-Man? (0:20:13) Kev: Let’s see. (0:20:14) Kev: Um, so I play not Spider-Man is hard. (0:20:18) Kev: I’m not going to lie. (0:20:19) Kev: Spider-Man is really hard to play (0:20:19) Codey: Okay. (0:20:21) Kev: because he plays just like the PlayStation Spider-Man games. (0:20:24) Codey: Yeah. (0:20:25) Kev: but in this context, it’s real. (0:20:28) Kev: I struggle with him, and in fact, when I see Spider-Man players, I’m scared, because I know I’m a good player. (0:20:35) Kev: But, let’s see, my go-tos, I think after all this time, like, did you watch Spider-Verse, the first one into the Spider-Verse? (0:20:45) Codey: - Yes. (0:20:46) Kev: Okay, so Penny Parker, the anime one with the robot, the anime Spider-Verse, she’s in this game. (0:20:50) Codey: - Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:20:52) Kev: Um, yeah, she’s a little older, she’s more like, I think college age, I think. (0:20:57) Kev: It’s just, but she still has a robot. (0:20:59) Kev: I play her, she’s fun. (0:21:01) Kev: Um, she’s, she sets up like a little tower that shoots out spider robots and (0:21:05) Kev: mines and stuff, and so you kind of, you’re, you kind of set up an area where (0:21:09) Kev: you defend, um, that’s what she’s good at. (0:21:11) Kev: Um, so she’s my go-to tank, um, for healer, Jeff the Landshark, I don’t know. (0:21:17) Kev: Have you ever seen Jeff Landshark? (0:21:18) Codey: No. (0:21:19) Kev: Um, he, he, oh my gosh. (0:21:22) Kev: Okay. (0:21:22) Kev: So just hold on, let me send you a picture. (0:21:22) Codey: Okay, you’re fine. You could just say like, I’m sure that everyone, every listener probably knows what you’re talking about. So. (0:21:27) Kev: No, you see, here’s the thing. (0:21:31) Kev: No, here’s the thing, Jeff the Landshark in one of the freaks, (0:21:35) Kev: the deep butt pics that no one on Earth knows. (0:21:36) Codey: Oh, okay. (0:21:38) Kev: [LAUGH] Yeah, but Jeff the Landshark, okay, he’s basically a puppy, (0:21:44) Kev: but he’s a shark with legs, he doesn’t talk or anything. (0:21:49) Kev: And he just swims around and or like he can do the shark thing with the fin sick and (0:21:55) Kev: with the fin sick and now I can move around he heals people (0:21:57) Kev: and he shoots ice balls and all sorts of stuff (0:22:00) Kev: he’s fairly straight forward but he’s pretty satisfying (0:22:04) Kev: so he’s my go to healer (0:22:06) Codey: a puppy. But he’s a shark. Okay. (0:22:07) Kev: he acts like a puppy he does all the (0:22:10) Kev: yes he’s a shark yeah (0:22:14) Kev: yeah so he’s my go to healer he’s (0:22:17) Kev: yeah and like I said one of the cool things about rival is they weren’t (0:22:21) Kev: afraid to get some really deep cuts weirdo pics (0:22:24) Kev: Um, like Jeff, uh, (0:22:28) Kev: what is this that I do? (0:22:29) Kev: Alright, there we go. (0:22:31) Kev: Okay. Uh, sorry. (0:22:32) Kev: Um, so that’s my go-to healer just because he is pretty easy to use and he’s adorable. (0:22:38) Codey: Okay, he definitely looks like a puppy. (0:22:39) Kev: Um, he is just a puppy, but he’s all shark with legs. (0:22:46) Kev: Um, like, it’s a weird description, but that is exactly what it is. (0:22:50) Kev: Um, and then for my damage person, I picked Squirrel Girl. (0:22:54) Kev: She has squirrels, she shoots acorns with a sl- (0:22:57) Kev: she’s oh you don’t know squirrel girl ah okay again okay no you know what no (0:22:58) Codey: Squirrel girl dude I don’t know much of Marvel I yeah okay (0:23:07) Kev: again squirrel girl is a pretty deep but so her pull power is she can communicate (0:23:13) Kev: with squirrels like she you know she’s athletic or whatever but her superpower (0:23:20) Kev: is she can communicate with squirrels and so she will you know send armies of (0:23:24) Kev: squirrels on people and so on and so forth. (0:23:27) Kev: Um, she is an incredible character, something of a joke character, but also (0:23:33) Kev: played for like straight, incredible, like, like in her first issue, she goes (0:23:39) Kev: up against Dr. (0:23:40) Kev: Doom and takes him down with an army of squirrels. (0:23:42) Kev: Um, and, and just, she’s the best, like funny character, um, and she (0:23:49) Kev: dresses up kind of like a squirrel. (0:23:50) Kev: Um, and she has one on her shoulder at all times. (0:23:54) Kev: Um, but yeah, she, her name, in fact. (0:23:54) Codey: Okay, okay. (0:23:57) Kev: The moniker she’s often used is The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. (0:24:00) Kev: Again, just because she’s so, like, hyperbolic, um, goofy, um… (0:24:06) Codey: I mean, if a squirrel is trying to come at you, they’re going to get you from working (0:24:10) Codey: at the Wildlife Center, like I used to have this one squirrel that would sit on my shoulder. (0:24:11) Kev: Yeah? (0:24:11) Kev: Yeah. (0:24:16) Kev: Yeah. (0:24:17) Codey: But if he decided that he wanted to run all over and like suddenly be on my back and then (0:24:23) Codey: and suddenly be on my leg. (0:24:24) Codey: like he they they can do some crazy things oh you sent me a picture of her okay (0:24:28) Kev: Oh, yeah. (0:24:30) Kev: Yep. (0:24:32) Kev: Um, yeah, so she’s great. (0:24:34) Kev: People who know her love her. (0:24:35) Kev: She is, she is a, he is adored. (0:24:38) Kev: Like I said, she’s obviously low-tiered. (0:24:40) Kev: She doesn’t get pushed, like, some, but, um, but she, she’s great. (0:24:44) Kev: Um, so yeah, that’s, that’s Squirrel Girl. (0:24:46) Kev: That’s Marvel Rivals, and those are my three. (0:24:48) Kev: That’s my wacky crew. (0:24:49) Kev: Um, let’s see, aside from Rivals, uh, so I picked up a game, uh, just a couple days ago. (0:24:57) Kev: It’s called Armored Core. (0:24:58) Kev: Are you familiar with this? (0:25:00) Codey: No. (0:25:00) Kev: Okay. (0:25:00) Kev: Uh, are you familiar with, from software? (0:25:02) Codey: No. (0:25:03) Kev: Okay. (0:25:04) Kev: The Elden Ring, people. (0:25:06) Codey: Okay, okay. (0:25:06) Kev: Okay. (0:25:07) Kev: So. (0:25:08) Codey: So you don’t, you like pain. (0:25:10) Codey: You like… (0:25:11) Kev: Yes. (0:25:12) Kev: Yes, I do. (0:25:12) Codey: Okay, okay. (0:25:13) Kev: Okay. (0:25:14) Kev: So you’re familiar with Elden Ring? (0:25:15) Kev: Of course everyone is, right? (0:25:16) Codey: Yeah. (0:25:16) Kev: ‘Cause it’s the biggest game that year, whatever. (0:25:18) Kev: Okay, what if I told you the Elden Ring people said, “What if we, okay, now we wanna do a game, but it’s all robots and mecha?” (0:25:25) Kev: that in that case (0:25:27) Kev: gives you armored core (0:25:30) Kev: so it is a (0:25:32) Kev: it is the same level of polish (0:25:34) Kev: a very like grounded (0:25:36) Kev: you know realistic-ish visual style and whatnot (0:25:40) Kev: the challenge (0:25:42) Kev: I don’t think it’s as hard as Elden Ring (0:25:44) Kev: because Elden Ring is hard (0:25:46) Kev: it’s really hard (0:25:48) Kev: but armored core it’s a different flavor (0:25:50) Kev: because you (0:25:52) Kev: you know you’re controlling a robe alright (0:25:54) Kev: so you switch out parts you can (0:25:57) Kev: think you’re whatnot (0:25:59) Kev: and that’s a big part of the puzzle (0:26:01) Kev: like when you’re given (0:26:03) Kev: a new boss or whatever (0:26:05) Kev: they’ll heavily like hint hint (0:26:07) Kev: use this kind of robot (0:26:09) Kev: because if you’re not (0:26:11) Kev: you’re gonna be in trouble right like (0:26:13) Kev: Pokemon type advantages basically (0:26:15) Kev: so (0:26:17) Kev: there’s a lot of love and attention to detail (0:26:19) Kev: being a robot game you can (0:26:21) Kev: paint your robot however you want (0:26:23) Kev: and I’ll spend a lot of time doing that (0:26:25) Kev: Um, and, and, and. (0:26:28) Kev: It’s very fun. (0:26:29) Kev: Um, like I said, I don’t think anywhere near as hard as Elden Ring, but, uh, still satisfyingly challenging. (0:26:35) Kev: Um, it controls like how I’d want to, the robots will fly, they’ll dash, they’ll, you, you held two weapons. (0:26:41) Kev: You can have double guns or a melee weapon and a gun and missiles, all the, all the good stuff. (0:26:47) Kev: It is, it is very straightforward Mecha. (0:26:50) Kev: Um, so if you’re a fan of that, uh, you know, that’s definitely a thumbs up. (0:26:55) Kev: Okay. (0:26:56) Kev: Uh, that’s a lot from me. (0:26:57) Kev: But now, Cody, tell me, what have you been? (0:26:58) Codey: I have been, um, so I’ve still been playing like, uh, pocket and go, um, go, I am burned (0:27:14) Codey: by because, uh, the shiny work party hat weren’t bull was in, um, in the like new year’s challenge (0:27:26) Codey: or whatever. (0:27:28) Codey: And I still have it, like I’ve been playing every time that there’s an event where you can get this worm bowl and I still have it, like I’ve been playing every time that there’s an event where you can get this worm bowl and I still have it. (0:27:36) Kev: Oh no. (0:27:40) Codey: And I still have it, like I’ve been playing every time that there’s an event where you can get this worm bowl and I still have it, like I’ve been playing every time that there’s an event where you can get this worm bowl. (0:27:54) Codey: I’ve been playing every time that there’s an event where you can get this worm bowl. (0:27:58) Codey: And last year I was so mad about it that I got it tattooed onto my body because I was (0:28:05) Codey: like, if I cannot have a shiny party hat worm bowl in the game, I’m going to have one (0:28:12) Codey: as a tattoo. (0:28:14) Codey: And I’ve had plenty of friends be like, oh, I have one. (0:28:17) Codey: I can trade it to you. (0:28:18) Codey: And I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, I need I’m not going to have any traded until I’ve (0:28:22) Kev: do they not know the story of captain cody in the white wormhole (0:28:24) Codey: caught one on my own. (0:28:28) Codey: and the in the worm bowl. Yeah. Moby worm bowl basically. (0:28:32) Kev: actually I don’t think it’s white it’s like purple but anyways um (0:28:38) Codey: Um yeah, so yeah, it is my white whale. Um still didn’t get (0:28:43) Codey: it. I got to shiny Jigglypuff and I refused to click on the (0:28:47) Kev: Mmm! (0:28:49) Codey: hoot hoot. Um and yeah, but no worm bowl. So that game is now (0:28:56) Codey: dead to me until the next time. (0:28:58) Codey: that there is an event that I care about. (0:28:58) Kev: that’s cruel but no it’ll be back like oh that it so I’m not a fan of go it’s (0:29:04) Codey: I know (0:29:08) Kev: when it came out especially I was not an area that was conducive to it and so in (0:29:14) Kev: my whole lifestyle I’m still not the most conducive to it um excuse me um but (0:29:20) Kev: I do think that the party hats are probably like one of the best things to (0:29:24) Kev: come out of that game, especially if you put it on a ridiculous. (0:29:28) Kev: Those Pokemon like weren’t pull that that’s solid. (0:29:29) Codey: Yeah. (0:29:31) Kev: Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (0:29:31) Codey: Because the party hat’s almost too big for him. (0:29:35) Codey: It’s clearly about to fall off. (0:29:39) Codey: Yeah, so that has also started a thing. (0:29:42) Codey: I’m going to be meeting with my artist, again, probably (0:29:45) Codey: during spring break. (0:29:47) Codey: They’re going to be back in town. (0:29:48) Codey: And they’re going to add three more bug-type Pokemon (0:29:53) Codey: with party hats on. (0:29:54) Kev: I was about to say a warble tattoo every year until she catches it (0:29:55) Codey: No, no, we have, um, I think we have a Snome, um, with, with the, a party hat on each of (0:30:04) Kev: Oh, no, no, no, no, oh, that’s good. (0:30:07) Codey: its little bumpies, um, and then I want a Shedinja, but I want, um, it, it to be like (0:30:17) Codey: a ghost. (0:30:18) Codey: Um, no, so it’s a ghost, so it’s a ghost Pokemon, but like, I want it to be like ethereal, look (0:30:18) Kev: Okay, is it not already more ghosts than it? (0:30:25) Codey: game. (0:30:25) Kev: Materiel, alright. (0:30:26) Codey: Like I don’t just want it to look like it looks in the game. (0:30:28) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:30:30) Codey: And then I want the party hat to also be ethereal. (0:30:32) Codey: And then the last is, uh, not Sizzlepede, Sizzlepede, um, because it’s so grumpy and (0:30:42) Kev: mmm (0:30:42) Codey: I want it to have a black party hat. (0:30:46) Codey: I need my, my emo phase, yeah, my emo phase that was not a phase needs to be somewhere. (0:30:48) Kev: Oscar the grouch at the party. Oh, that’s that’s it (0:30:55) Codey: They’re presented. (0:30:57) Kev: So (0:30:58) Kev: Oh man, these man pokemon like so many solid bug pokemon. These are all solid picks of course. Um (0:31:05) Kev: she didn’t (0:31:06) Kev: it was like (0:31:08) Kev: And how many years been what 20 years since ruby and sapphire it’s still (0:31:12) Kev: my mind how they came up with that concept first you didn’t Joe and like (0:31:14) Codey: I just love it. As an entomologist, like every time I see a cicada shed, I’m just (0:31:16) Kev: you have to have the extra pokeball oh my it’s so good (0:31:26) Kev: yeah oh my gosh and it’s so good right like and (0:31:27) Codey: like, it’s its own thing. It’s a one hit point. Love it. (0:31:42) Kev: like you know obviously coming from Japan right like the whole cicada thing (0:31:46) Kev: schedules like that’s the bug collecting that’s a way bigger there um it’s genius (0:31:51) Kev: so good man bug Pokemon are so cool yeah I like hair across I like a lice upon (0:31:54) Codey: Correct. Send a scourge. (0:31:59) Kev: I like um like the other one and not that sizzle feed the other no no um not (0:32:13) Kev: no the big one Scolipede Scolipede that’s the one been five yeah that’s a good one (0:32:14) Codey: Oh. I think people know by now that I’m going to talk about bugs at some point in every (0:32:18) Kev: big old purple huge train bug oh I love it welcome to the bug appreciate Pokemon (0:32:24) Kev: appreciation podcast (0:32:31) Kev: that’s fine with that (0:32:34) Codey: pod. Yeah, so I’ve been playing that or I guess I’m not going to be playing that for (0:32:40) Codey: a while. Um, I’ve been playing Slay the Spire. So (0:32:44) Kev: Okay, have you- have you in fact slayed the spire? (0:32:45) Codey: Jeff, I have slayed the spire during the daily climbs. So have (0:32:53) Codey: you ever played this game? Okay. Yeah, so it’s like a card and (0:32:54) Kev: I have not but I am familiar with it’s the cards, right? (0:33:00) Codey: you’re going up a tower and slaying things. And there’s four (0:33:03) Codey: different types of characters that you can play, but one of (0:33:05) Codey: them is unlocked at first. But they have this thing called the (0:33:08) Codey: daily climb every day, which is like a random, like, version of (0:33:12) Codey: the game, but with modifiers. (0:33:14) Codey: So it’s like, Oh, you get this character, but every time you add a card to your deck, (0:33:20) Codey: it adds two more copies of that card and you can’t, you can no longer upgrade your cards (0:33:27) Codey: and you’re cursed, like, so it’s, they just like add all this stuff to it. (0:33:31) Codey: And so it’s kind of like a more difficult version and you have to change your gameplay. (0:33:36) Codey: So I have slayed the spire in the daily climbs, but that doesn’t count for achievements. (0:33:40) Kev: Yeah. (0:33:44) Codey: And I cannot for the life of me, beat this game without a daily climb. (0:33:52) Kev: mmm wow oh well hey I know that I know that feeling and then discuss it because ever present (0:33:54) Codey: So my partner has had to do it for me. (0:34:02) Kev: but i’m i’m still belatruing I actually just unlocked the final difficulty just yesterday (0:34:04) Codey: -Oh, yeah. (0:34:08) Codey: Yeah. (0:34:08) Kev: um so i’m i’m there but um I i get it i’m i’m trying to climb my own spire verbally (0:34:16) Codey: Yeah, I’ve, I’ve not quite gotten to Bellatro yet, but that’s because I’ve, I recognize (0:34:22) Codey: based on my love of Slay the Spire that Bellatro would take over my life. So. (0:34:25) Kev: That is correct that I look I look at sleigh as fire and I can see it’s it’s one-to-one (0:34:32) Codey: Yep. (0:34:32) Kev: It’s just a different flavor, but it’s the same concept your cards, and you’re you’re doing your runs with cards (0:34:36) Codey: Yeah. (0:34:40) Kev: Yeah (0:34:41) Kev: That’s good. Good stuff (0:34:44) Codey: - Yep. (0:34:46) Codey: And then I’m still playing Honeygrove, (0:34:48) Codey: still really liked that game. (0:34:51) Codey: Still play it every day, multiple times a day. (0:34:54) Codey: And also I have now begun the final year of my PhD. (0:35:01) Codey: I’m gonna be a bug doctor soon. (0:35:04) Kev: Oh, well, congrats. Okay, congrats. So, uh, not for a second, cause I thought you were talking about Honeygrove, but, um, but, um, uh, okay, so, so I have a friend who’s also been PhDing for a long time now, he’s had unfortunate professors and issues, so it’s dragged on for a long time. (0:35:14) Codey: Oh, yeah, sorry. Switch. (0:35:32) Kev: Um, now you say this. (0:35:34) Kev: Are you like, you know for a fact, that like, it is gonna be this year? (0:35:39) Codey: Okay, well, yeah, so basically, like, I, I set it at this year for this to be like the (0:35:40) Kev: I, I said, I don’t mean to sound threatening, but… (0:35:44) Kev: Uh, don’t re– (0:35:46) Kev: Look, oh– (0:35:53) Codey: last, like, possible time for my timeline. (0:35:59) Codey: Um, I mean, theoretically, like, stuff happens, but I do not have any more field work. (0:36:06) Codey: All I have to do is finish writing one of my chapters. (0:36:09) Codey: I’ve already published one of them in a journal and so that will just literally get like stapled into my dissertation as one of my chapters and I don’t have to look at that again. (0:36:19) Codey: This other chapter that I’m about to publish will be the same thing. So it’ll just be two chapters that my committee can’t say anything about because they’re already published. (0:36:26) Kev: Hmm, yeah, I look at that that’s the way to do it (0:36:29) Codey: So they’ll basically just be like, they’ll just be like, oh, yep, you did that. (0:36:35) Codey: like yep I did um so they’ll only have to (0:36:39) Codey: they can talk about um and it’s just can I get the stuff done in the time that I have and the (0:36:46) Codey: answer is yes um I will try and defend in the summer but um that’s I actually didn’t ever plan (0:36:55) Codey: to defend in the summer but I might be able to um but we’ll see I mean I don’t have to um I have (0:37:05) Codey: guaranteed funding for the rest of the year. (0:37:08) Kev: Oh, that’s great. (0:37:09) Kev: Well, oh, that that’s huge relief then. (0:37:09) Codey: Yeah, PhDs man, they’re great. Well, I guess PhDs in the life sciences, that’s the standard is that you get paid and you get tuition remissions so you don’t have to pay your tuition. (0:37:10) Kev: All right. (0:37:11) Kev: Well, Hey, congrats on that. (0:37:26) Kev: you know like yeah yeah for sure oh absolutely because I have a friend who I don’t think that (0:37:26) Codey: I have health insurance, like all of that stuff. So it’s not true everywhere. (0:37:36) Kev: is the case for him sadly um man like such nonsense like the way to get there the the road to it like (0:37:36) Codey: Yeah. (0:37:46) Kev: I you know I have my undergraduate degree right so like I it it boggles my mind because you know (0:37:54) Kev: up so pretty much up. (0:37:56) Kev: undergraduate it’s very clear like okay here your classes do them all satisfy (0:38:00) Kev: the requirements you get your thing right but once you go past especially the (0:38:06) Kev: PhD it’s it’s all just so nebulous question your checklist is question or (0:38:12) Kev: question your requirements are satisfied when the your professors say they are oh (0:38:20) Codey: Yeah. It’s basically like choose your own adventure. It’s like, undergrads degrees are (0:38:20) Kev: it’s why I don’t I don’t know how yeah man (0:38:26) Kev: I guess (0:38:31) Codey: basically like, okay, here is the proper formula, here you go, you need to have this done this done (0:38:38) Codey: this done, etc, etc. And then for a graduate degree, they’re basically like, here are some (0:38:44) Codey: courses that you need done, but you’ll get these done in the first two years of your degree. (0:38:50) Codey: It’s kind of a big old shrug. It depends on your funding. It depends on your advisors. It depends (0:38:55) Codey: on whatever. And if you have bad advisors, like you said your friend has had, they can keep you (0:39:00) Kev: Yeah. Oh. (0:39:03) Codey: forever. Like one of my friends, one of my friends, her advisor like would not let her defend even (0:39:11) Codey: though she was done, like she’s she was long done, because the advisor could just pay her (0:39:17) Codey: less money than having to like get a post. (0:39:20) Codey: I’m going to go to the postdoc. To do all that work. Yep. (0:39:21) Kev: right right like that’s one that’s one aspect that’s one aspect of it that just seems so grimy (0:39:28) Kev: like there’s clearly an element of very cheap labor for your advisory professors right like (0:39:37) Kev: I mean not yours specifically but like the the system is set up where that can be exploited (0:39:42) Kev: very easily and wow it’s oh academia oh oh (0:39:50) Codey: Yeah, I’m blessed in that, like with the advisors that I have, (0:39:51) Kev: uh-huh (0:39:54) Codey: the advisor that I have now, (0:39:56) Codey: like he doesn’t really do that kind of stuff, (0:39:58) Kev: Mm-hmm. (0:39:58) Codey: but a lot of advisors do, they’ll just be like, (0:40:00) Codey: okay, well, I’m paying for your stuff. (0:40:02) Codey: And because of that, like you also have to help me (0:40:05) Codey: with these other projects. (0:40:06) Codey: So at this one point in the year, (0:40:09) Codey: so you have to drop everything (0:40:11) Codey: and like do this research with me, (0:40:12) Codey: even though it’s not gonna be in your dissertation. (0:40:16) Kev: It is to some degree a hostage situation, isn’t it? (0:40:17) Codey: like. (0:40:20) Codey: Kind of, yeah, and then it’s worse if you’re an international student because (0:40:22) Kev: Haha, that’s uh, huh. (0:40:26) Kev: Oh, oh that sounds terrifying, oh gosh. (0:40:26) Codey: then you have like less protections and yeah. Which is why some of us, some universities (0:40:34) Codey: have unionized and we at my university just recently submitted our letter to the Dean, (0:40:43) Codey: Dean, President, President of the university that we intend to unionize, so thank yous. (0:40:48) Kev: Hey, good for you. That’s great. (0:40:50) Codey: I think he’s crossed there because last time they did this, they threatened people. So (0:40:57) Kev: Oh, oh, fuck. (0:40:57) Codey: they can’t do that. They’re not, that’s illegal, but they did it last time and it didn’t, (0:41:02) Kev: Well, well, I don’t know if you know about strikes in the U.S. (0:41:03) Codey: but we’ll see. Yeah. Oh yeah, we’re gonna, we’re gonna have to do it possibly. (0:41:12) Codey: Hopefully they’ll, they’ll work in good faith and we won’t have to, but we’ll see. (0:41:16) Kev: Oh (0:41:18) Codey: So maybe, maybe. (0:41:20) Codey: Sometime in this year, uh, my, what have I been up to will be striking (0:41:25) Kev: Well, but you know (0:41:27) Codey: because yeah. (0:41:29) Kev: Over on Rainbow Road radio friend. I do a mutual friend Alex. He’s also striking last month. So (0:41:36) Codey: Oh my gosh, we’re just, we’re just rebels. (0:41:38) Kev: Hit him up for some for some tips (0:41:41) Kev: I guess (0:41:43) Kev: Oh (0:41:45) Kev: Oh. (0:41:46) Kev: Oh, labor, academia, good, good times. (0:41:52) Codey: 10 out of 10 would not (0:41:52) Kev: Welcome to the harvest season, where we talk about cozy games. (0:41:56) Kev: Ss, ss, ss, ss, ss, ss, ss, ss, ss. (0:41:57) Codey: We talk about so I mean that’s the joke right is that we play these games where we can live in fantasy worlds where we (0:42:04) Codey: can have a house and (0:42:06) Codey: Afford a house and a and a like all this (0:42:12) Kev: Where’s the unionizing update to research story? (0:42:12) Codey: Because that’s uh, not not reality (0:42:19) Codey: Oh my gosh (0:42:22) Codey: I would love to have a union (0:42:25) Codey: Like storyline in any game like where you just strike that would be (0:42:32) Codey: Amazing. I don’t know how you would incorporate that (0:42:34) Kev: Oh, I mean, like, alright, I’ll give you the relatively low-hanging easy path, the Jojo (0:42:42) Codey: Yeah. Okay, yeah, yeah, I could see that. (0:42:43) Kev: route in Stardew, right, like, yeah, I mean, you got, there’s other people working for (0:42:51) Kev: Jojo already, so, you know, there’s, oh, oh no, I like this, this Spandfic I’m writing, (0:42:58) Kev: oh no, no. (0:42:58) Codey: oh no don’t don’t say this out loud he might listen and then haunted chocolatier will be even (0:43:04) Codey: more delayed because he’ll be like hey wait a minute that’s a great idea (0:43:10) Kev: Unless the ghosts in the Chocolatier, you mean, nice. (0:43:14) Codey: maybe he adds it into that game and stuff uh so yeah that is what we’ve been up to (0:43:18) Kev: Hmm. (0:43:21) Kev: Well, that’s a lot. Happy new- (0:43:23) Kev: Look guys, it’s a new year. There’s been a lot going on. (0:43:25) Codey: It is. It is. We’re. (0:43:28) Codey: We’re here for it. OK, so first we have some game releases. (0:43:34) Codey: So the first one in the list is Harvest Hills. (0:43:39) Codey: So this game released on the 15th of January and or will release. (0:43:46) Codey: Sorry, that’s the future. (0:43:50) Codey: Quote, thanks to the feedback from two major demo updates, (0:43:53) Codey: I’ve been able to fine tune game mechanics and make the experience even better. (0:43:57) Codey: The full game now features… (0:43:58) Codey: …an updated system for growing vegetables and fruits… (0:44:01) Codey: …an improved fertilizing system… (0:44:03) Codey: …a refined leveling system… (0:44:05) Codey: …a brand new product selling system… (0:44:07) Codey: …and more crops, vegetables… (0:44:09) Codey: …vegetables, fruit trees, livestock and homemade product machines. (0:44:15) Codey: My only comment about this is I looked at it and I need more information about those beehives. (0:44:23) Codey: They look… (0:44:23) Kev: - So. (0:44:24) Codey: They look legit. (0:44:26) Codey: Like those look like the standard Langstra Thives. (0:44:28) Codey: And we always paint them each frame or not each frame each body of the hive is always colored in really ridiculous colors and they did that. (0:44:40) Kev: Is that done intentionally or is that done just for giggles? (0:44:46) Codey: I don’t remember so I know that we paint them because you want there to you don’t want the heat like if it’s hot out you don’t want the heat of outside to like cook the hive. (0:44:59) Kev: Oh, oh. Yeah. Sure, sure. (0:44:59) Codey: So you always want it to be light colors but yeah on top of it being like colors I mean you can just have it be fun colors. (0:45:09) Codey: Sometimes you can like make it a color per hot like a certain color per hive or whatever but we always just painted them fun colors so I need. (0:45:18) Kev: Wow. So I’m, I’m looking at the trailer and stuff like my, okay. (0:45:24) Kev: It is more management style, like zoo tycoon, you know, (0:45:29) Kev: floating cam sort of thing, as opposed to starting where you can fill in the (0:45:32) Kev: character, but there’s a character who follows your like air where you click. (0:45:35) Kev: And he runs over there and then does the activity, which are kind of fun. (0:45:38) Kev: I think the coolest thing about here is the visual style. (0:45:41) Kev: Cause it’s almost like origami paper, like three heavy polygonal. (0:45:46) Kev: Um, so I’m like the cows almost look like (0:45:46) Codey: - Mm-hmm, yeah. (0:45:48) Kev: they’re made of origami or a box or something, um, which is charming. Um, so hey, but hey, good, (0:45:56) Kev: yeah, it looks decent enough. Um, I like those cows and you go pretty beehives. That is surprising. (0:46:02) Kev: We don’t have those before, but, um, there you go. January 15th, experience it yourself, (0:46:04) Codey: I like those cows. (0:46:06) Kev: the world of box shaped cows and fun colors. (0:46:13) Codey: So next on our list is Chill Town. (0:46:16) Codey: Um, they have a new announcement on Steam. (0:46:20) Codey: Um, and the gist of it is this just that the project slowed down because of money (0:46:25) Codey: issues, um, and they’re pretty transparent in there about what they are and where (0:46:30) Codey: the money is going and all of that, except for they can’t like mention (0:46:35) Codey: specifics because of confidentiality agreements, but, um, if you’re curious, (0:46:41) Codey: I recommend going and looking at that. (0:46:43) Codey: The biggest thing out of it, other than the fact that it was delayed, is, or is being slowed down, is that the 1.0, they expect it to come out this year, and that when the 1.0 comes out, it will have a museum system, it will have additional quest lines, different seasons and festivals, and clearly bug fixes and gameplay improvements from what is on the early access. (0:47:11) Kev: Uh, all right, so well, I mean, hey, first of all, props to like game development is so hard, right? (0:47:17) Kev: It’s such a brutal space to be quite frank. So yeah, condolences. But they they’re being, um, very, uh, (0:47:23) Kev: Up front and clear about it. Um, so, you know off to them and best of luck, like hopefully they are still on track, right? (0:47:31) Kev: this is one of the parts of early access as much as I uh, (0:47:36)

Al, Codey, and Micah talk about their favourite farming and cottagecore games of 2024. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:37: What Have We Been Up To 00:22:18: Rules Explanation 00:26:13: Update Of The Year 00:42:17: Early Access Of The Year 00:52:11: Game Of The Year Nominations 01:46:31: Debate 02:01:59: Winner Discussion 02:10:47: Outro Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers and welcome to the sixth annual harvest season (0:00:35) Al: game of the year episode. (0:00:37) Al: My name is Al. (0:00:38) Codey: And my name is Cody. (0:00:40) Micah: And I’m Micah. (0:00:41) Al: And we’re here today to talk about Cottagecore games. (0:00:44) Codey: Ooh. (0:00:45) Micah: Yay. (0:00:48) Codey: Make it, it’s a woo, not yay. (0:00:49) Micah: Yeah, wooh. (0:00:53) Al: All right. This is. Spicy, we, as mentioned, this is going to be our game of the year episode (0:00:54) Micah: I’m trying to add a little spice to it, you know, spice it up a little bit. (0:01:04) Al: for this year. Why all that? This is the sixth one. I don’t know how to deal with that. (0:01:10) Micah: Yeah, I can’t believe it’s it’s been that long you said I didn’t even register (0:01:15) Micah: I saw the list of the the previous ones you said six just now and it hit me like a truck (0:01:20) Al: We’ve changed things up this year a little bit compared to previous years. (0:01:21) Codey: Yeah you said it and I was like no way. This is wild. (0:01:30) Al: I’m not going to go into that just now, but just bear in mind listeners, there are some (0:01:34) Al: slight changes. (0:01:37) Al: Before that, Micah, what have you been up to? (0:01:38) Micah: Aww, I’ve been playing a lot of Jeragon Quest 3, HD2D, which I might talk a little bit about the Greenhouse episode. (0:01:50) Al: I love how you say might like we’ve not just recorded it. (0:01:50) Micah: Might, maybe, you’ll have to tune into the Greenhouse episode to find out. (0:01:56) Codey: You could cut it. (0:01:57) Codey: You could cut it out. (0:01:58) Micah: Great. (0:01:58) Al: No, it’s fine. It’s fine. I love when we like we break through the barrier and like stop (0:02:04) Codey: Oh, yeah. (0:02:04) Al: pretending like we record the greenhouse later. (0:02:06) Micah: that is primarily what I’ve been playing when I have the time to play games. Cody and I were (0:02:09) Codey: You’re right, you’re right. (0:02:17) Micah: just talking before we started recording about just being busy and not being able to play a (0:02:22) Micah: whole lot of games this year. So it’s always nice doing a game of the year recording because it (0:02:27) Micah: gives me an excuse to kind of revisit and catch up on things and have a an allotted time to play (0:02:34) Micah: games, but other than that, it’s been Drangle. (0:02:36) Micah: Quest 3. And I have also been shiny hunting a lot more in (0:02:41) Micah: Pokemon, but in older Pokemon games, I’ve been kind of (0:02:44) Micah: revisiting and kind of I don’t know what the term is, like (0:02:53) Micah: realigning myself with what I loved about Pokemon, and not so (0:02:56) Micah: much the how what modern Pokemon has become, I guess. And there’s (0:03:03) Micah: been a lot of like interesting I found in the (0:03:07) Micah: the kind of like deeper level in community, there’s a lot (0:03:12) Micah: of like really interesting new things that people have found (0:03:15) Micah: or like, you know, different hunts that people have set up (0:03:20) Micah: like one of the things that I’m working on right now is shiny (0:03:22) Micah: hunting, Kanto starters in the original gen one virtual console (0:03:27) Micah: games, which is something that you can do, but you have to do (0:03:27) Al: Oh, why? Why? (0:03:29) Micah: it by like, trading them over to a gen two virtual console game (0:03:33) Micah: to see or if you (0:03:37) Micah: have a totally legal copy of the virtual console games, (0:03:42) Micah: there’s a patch that you can apply that will just show you (0:03:44) Micah: if it’s shiny or not, which is very cool. (0:03:47) Micah: But there’s been a lot of like really neat little things like (0:03:49) Micah: that that I’ve been kind of experiencing and re-linking (0:03:56) Codey: You’re you’re getting back to your roots now. What’s your current hunt? (0:03:57) Micah: myself with and yeah, yep. (0:04:02) Micah: I think there’s been a lot of, well, yeah, that Gen 1 hunt is (0:04:05) Micah: my current hunt. (0:04:06) Micah: Uh, I’m doing all four of this stuff. (0:04:10) Micah: So like the three Kanto original Kanto starters and the Pikachu in the (0:04:15) Micah: games that they originate in, um, which is, has been a little bit complicated (0:04:22) Micah: to set up, uh, but it has been pretty enjoyable, like learning how things, (0:04:28) Micah: uh, work and how, how to, you know, like set things up properly. (0:04:33) Micah: Uh, it’s just been, I don’t know. (0:04:36) Micah: Interesting. (0:04:37) Micah: And I think there’s been a lot over the years that has like kind of had me (0:04:44) Micah: disconnect from Pokemon and in specific ways that like, kind of, like you said, (0:04:51) Micah: you know, coming back to my roots has kind of retaught me what it is that I (0:04:56) Micah: love so much about creature collecting and, you know, these core games and (0:05:02) Micah: stuff like that, this of course has nothing to do with the fact that, uh, (0:05:07) Micah: you know, earlier this year, they shut down the three S, uh, internet (0:05:12) Micah: capabilities and that may be possibly in the future. (0:05:15) Micah: Pokemon bank is going to shut down and that I am anxious about the (0:05:19) Micah: possibility of losing, you know, and I’m not rushing to, you know, it has (0:05:24) Micah: nothing to do with the fact that I’m like prepping for the quote unquote (0:05:24) Codey: Yeah. (0:05:28) Micah: end of the world when it comes to, but yeah. (0:05:32) Al: Prepping for something they haven’t even announced is going to happen yet. (0:05:35) Micah: Yes. (0:05:36) Codey: But it’s going to happen, though. (0:05:36) Micah: You know, that’s the glory of anxiety. (0:05:41) Al: Well, yeah, fair. (0:05:44) Codey: You can’t choose what you get worried about. (0:05:45) Micah: Yep. (0:05:46) Micah: Yep. (0:05:46) Codey: You just– yep. (0:05:47) Micah: And then you just over prepare for it. (0:05:48) Micah: And everyone’s like, why did you do that? (0:05:49) Micah: And I’m like, I don’t know. (0:05:50) Micah: I just felt like it was a good idea. (0:05:52) Al: There is no why there only is. (0:05:54) Micah: Yep. (0:05:55) Micah: That’s right. (0:05:56) Codey: Yep, I did that. I’ve been doing a PhD. I don’t know if you all know about that. So, I mean, I’ve just had like, this is like conference season. And then I’ve also had a lot of review requests lately. So journals have been like, hey, there’s a paper that you’re really like is within your like niche. Can you review this? Since you’re a subject matter expert? (0:05:56) Micah: So that’s primarily what I’ve been doing. (0:05:59) Al: Cody, what have you been up to? (0:06:26) Codey: And I’ve learned that I’m bad at saying no. So I am about to finish that. Like, literally after this, I have to write something for a nomination. And then I have to finish a review. And then I will finally be free of my obligations. And then I can actually focus on just my, my PhD. Yeah, lots of insect identification. Lots of that. And then (0:06:52) Codey: recently started playing, uh, Pokemon Pocket. (0:06:56) Codey: And, uh, I, during that Venusaur event that happened, um, I got three (0:07:03) Codey: of the promo Venusaur, but I did not get any of the Jigglypuff or the (0:07:06) Codey: Hunter and I am really salty about that. (0:07:08) Micah: Oh no. (0:07:10) Codey: Like I literally opened my game. (0:07:13) Codey: I was like, Oh, I need to do those. (0:07:14) Codey: Cause I thought today was the last day, like through like 11 59 tonight, (0:07:19) Codey: but it was yesterday, so rip. (0:07:21) Al: Yeah, this is the problem Cody, you need to be doing this this event all through the event, (0:07:26) Al: otherwise it’s going to because I did, I kid you not, 38 packs of that event. 38 packs I opened (0:07:32) Codey: That means, that means you won 38 of the, okay, with no Venusaur. (0:07:36) Al: with no Venusaur. Yes, correct. With no Venusaur in 38 packs. The last three packs that I could (0:07:44) Micah: That is unbelievable. (0:07:49) Al: could have opened in the game because of the timer. (0:07:51) Al: Without paying gold, the last three packs, all Venus are. (0:07:56) Codey: They turned up the Venus or the Venus or knob. I mean, maybe (0:08:00) Codey: that’s where they opened the cannon. Um, maybe that’s where (0:08:07) Codey: that’s my issue because I did start doing it near the end. And (0:08:11) Al: I don’t, yeah, I don’t think, I don’t think, I think it’s just cause like there were loads (0:08:12) Codey: so they, there was like all Venus or it’s just like (0:08:18) Al: of people I know who couldn’t get any Grinninja and kept getting Venus or instead. So I don’t (0:08:22) Al: think it’s, I don’t think it’s quite that simple, but yeah, if you want it like 41 is what I got, (0:08:27) Al: 41 packs is why I opened and that, and I needed to get, you know, 39 to get one of each. (0:08:30) Codey: Wow. (0:08:30) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:08:34) Al: So like, yeah, you can’t, you can’t half-heartedly do these events. If you want everything, (0:08:38) Al: You got to go all in. And the good thing is that like one. (0:08:41) Al: Once you’ve done the first couple of days, if you do all of the, like, use all of the (0:08:46) Al: hourglasses in the first couple of days, like just kind of like do everything as quickly (0:08:50) Al: as you can, then the most you can do a day is two because of the 12 hour timer. So it (0:08:56) Al: makes it really quick and easy after the first couple of days. I guess the problem. Well, (0:08:59) Codey: I mean my I’m not a try-hard though (0:09:03) Al: I think you’re always going to be disappointed in pocket if that’s the case, then. (0:09:06) Codey: I’m just I’m just always gonna be disappointed in myself. Let’s be honest. That’s never gonna not (0:09:10) Micah: I got the inverse of that initial I eventually did get to Venus or which was I was happy (0:09:22) Micah: with that because that’s you know, the max that you can put in a deck is two of a card. (0:09:26) Micah: But it took a very, very long time and I got an endless amount of Haunter like just a ridiculous (0:09:33) Micah: amount of Haunter to the point that I thought it was like something either was wrong or (0:09:34) Al: Yeah. (0:09:38) Micah: Or I was like, it’s been. (0:09:40) Al: Opening the wrong packs or something. (0:09:40) Micah: Having a trick played on me or something. (0:09:42) Micah: Yeah. (0:09:42) Micah: Like something was going wrong because it was just, it was just (0:09:46) Micah: Haunter all the time and I w I went to my, my work team and I was like, (0:09:51) Micah: Hey, is anybody else just pulling Haunter and everyone was like, no, (0:09:56) Micah: I got all of them already. (0:09:57) Micah: I figured, you know, whatever. (0:09:58) Micah: And I’m like, what is wrong with my game? (0:10:00) Al: Yeah, I got 13 Hunter and 11 Jigglypuff. (0:10:00) Micah: I’m like hard resetting and (0:10:04) Codey: Well, why don’t you save them for me, please, because I need it. (0:10:05) Micah: incredible. (0:10:09) Micah: - Yeah. (0:10:10) Micah: - There’s no shortage of, no shortage of Haunters for you when the trading happens. (0:10:11) Al: We’ll see what trading ends up being like, but yeah, got your name on it. (0:10:19) Micah: - Al, what have you been playing? (0:10:26) Al: Because I’m recording so many, I’m literally recording the live. (0:10:30) Al: So I am specifically going to talk about one game that I haven’t talked about on the other episodes so that I don’t get confused about things. (0:10:46) Al: So this is not all I’ve been up to. This is just what you’re getting this episode. I have played Sonic Shadow Generations, Sonic X, or to be specific, I’ve played Shadow Generations. (0:11:00) Al: I wasn’t playing Sonic Generations because I did enjoy it when I played it the first time, but I don’t have time to be replaying games. Come on, that’s not my life anymore. (0:11:08) Al: So I bought the game to play Shadow Generations. And let me tell you, I still do not like 3D Sonic games, even when it’s Shadow you’re playing as instead. (0:11:21) Micah: Okay, so is it is it sonic generations just with like added? Oh (0:11:28) Al: So, think of it like Bowser’s Fury with Mario. (0:11:31) Al: Did you play that? (0:11:32) Micah: Sure, yeah (0:11:33) Al: It’s exactly the same as that. (0:11:35) Al: You open up the game and it shows you the two things side by side, and you either choose (0:11:38) Al: Sonic Generations or you choose Shadow Generations, and they are different games. (0:11:40) Micah: » I see. (0:11:41) Micah: » Okay. (0:11:45) Al: It’s not like you’re playing Sonic Generations, but with Shadow, no. (0:11:48) Al: It’s a different story. (0:11:49) Al: It’s your different character, and it’s different levels, and he has different powers. (0:11:55) Al: It’s completely different. (0:11:56) Micah: And a motorcycle and swears I mean he has a gun and (0:11:58) Al: » Yeah, exactly, exactly. (0:12:01) Al: So, I keep trying to like 3D Sonic games, (0:12:04) Al: and I think part of the problem is I did enjoy Sonic Generations, (0:12:08) Al: which did have some 3D levels, (0:12:10) Al: and I don’t know whether maybe I should play Sonic Generations to check, (0:12:14) Al: but I’m not going to. (0:12:16) Al: But I wonder whether I liked that despite the 3D levels, (0:12:20) Al: and I just mostly enjoyed the 2D levels, (0:12:22) Al: or whether I actually enjoyed the 3D levels in that game. (0:12:25) Al: I can’t remember. (0:12:26) Codey: Well, the more important question is are you gonna see the movie or when are you gonna see the movie? (0:12:28) Al: Oh, yeah, I’ve already got tickets. (0:12:33) Codey: Okay (0:12:34) Al: Let me check when I’ve got them booked for. (0:12:36) Al: So I have them booked for the Saturday because I’m, yeah, I couldn’t do the Friday because (0:12:41) Al: Rona’s out to a concert, but yeah, I’ve got tickets booked for the Saturday. (0:12:42) Codey: Mm hmm. So there’s some showings on Thursday for me where I’m at, but I that’s also my partner’s (0:12:52) Codey: Christmas holiday party. So and we always go to like a fancy place and they pay for everything. (0:12:56) Codey: So I’m going to get a bunch. I’m going to slam free food in my face, but I’ll probably like really. (0:12:59) Micah: The dream. (0:13:02) Al: You’re gonna eat as much food as you can as quickly as possible and then go to see Sonic? (0:13:06) Codey: Uh, I don’t know if that’s going to work, but I will probably see Sonic on Friday. If not the (0:13:13) Codey: after when it’s like cheap, cheap, cheap. Um, because. (0:13:14) Al: hmm I see I don’t care about the price because I have the like season pass (0:13:20) Codey: Oh, what? Wait, what? (0:13:21) Micah: there’s a there’s a season pass to the theater (0:13:23) Al: you guys don’t have that yeah I i I paid 135 pounds and I can go to the (0:13:26) Micah: at least not that i’m aware of (0:13:31) Al: cinema as many times as I want it for a year for the whole year yeah (0:13:34) Micah: - What? (0:13:35) Codey: - What? (0:13:36) Micah: I’ve never heard of this. (0:13:38) Micah: What is your like, big name, like theater, like cinema? (0:13:42) Al: So we have, we have two bigs, we have two. (0:13:44) Al: big cinema chains. One is called ODEON and one is called Cine World. And both of them, (0:13:49) Micah: Okay, neither of those (0:13:51) Al: but yeah. Well, so I think, is ODEON I think is owned by MGM maybe? I don’t know. They’re (0:14:00) Al: both owned by big US brands, but they kept a specific name. No, maybe it’s not. Oh, sorry. (0:14:07) Al: It’s AMC, the audience owned by MGM and do not own actual cinemas. (0:14:10) Micah: - Okay, AMC, I do know. (0:14:15) Al: There is a filmmaker. Let’s see what. (0:14:17) Micah: They make the movie. (0:14:20) Codey: Literally all that they offer to us is $15 a year gets you like points and you don’t have to pay fees for if you buy tickets online and that’s pretty much it. (0:14:36) Micah: Okay. So I do see, I’m looking now, cause this is mind blowing, so I didn’t know this (0:14:39) Codey: It is yeah. (0:14:40) Micah: concept existed. Uh, we have Marcus theaters has a, it’s $10 a month and you get one movie (0:14:47) Codey: - Oh. (0:14:49) Micah: credit per month, which means you just get a, a single movie ticket. Yeah. I mean, you’re (0:14:51) Al: What’s the point, then? (0:14:56) Micah: kind of, I mean, if you’re seeing one movie a month, you’re probably not really, I guess (0:15:03) Micah: Maybe you’re saving a little bit (0:15:06) Micah: I mean (0:15:06) Al: Yeah. Yeah, whereas I, I see like easily for like, I’m easily seeing one. (0:15:14) Micah: Okay, so there’s there is also unused credits rollover so like if you miss a month you say there’s nothing right (0:15:20) Al: Yeah but that’s still, unless that’s cheaper than a cinema ticket, there’s no point. (0:15:22) Micah: You’re still paying for the month (0:15:26) Micah: Which I think it is I think it’s $10 a month (0:15:29) Micah: I don’t know what what like a movie ticket is there but here in the (0:15:34) Micah: Great (0:15:36) Micah: I think we’re in the ballpark of at minimum like 16 to 20 dollars for a movie ticket (0:15:41) Al: Oh my word. For 20, I’d be expecting at least IMAX. That’s wild. (0:15:42) Codey: - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. (0:15:43) Micah: So you are saving some but you’re also (0:15:50) Micah: No, you’re talking standard you’re talking getting your chairs kicked (0:15:54) Al: Oh no. So yeah, so that’s just because you said that. That’s the same company that is (0:15:56) Codey: Yeah, so regal which is a cinema place in some parts of the United States has (0:16:08) Al: world technically it’s cine world owns regal not the other (0:16:11) Al: for this one but yeah they’re the so they’re the same same company (0:16:12) Codey: Ok. (0:16:14) Codey: But you said you pay what? $100? (0:16:16) Al: I paid 135 pounds for the year so what does that work out at 135 (0:16:19) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:16:21) Codey: That is $170 US dollars. (0:16:24) Al: uh it’s (0:16:24) Codey: We can get… (0:16:26) Micah: Just I just looked at what you’re (0:16:28) Al: yeah so that’s that’s 14 dollars uh 14 dollars a month or 11 (0:16:32) Codey: Mm-hmm Regal unlimited pricing for the base tier that only has access to 148 theaters (0:16:39) Codey: So 100% not you’re not gonna get it where you are like where most people are going to be (0:16:46) Codey: is (0:16:49) Codey: $260 a year (0:16:50) Al: for the cheapest. (0:16:52) Codey: For the cheapest and that’s about $22 a month you get unlimited tickets (0:16:52) Micah: Mm-hmm (0:16:53) Al: Oh, my word. (0:16:58) Codey: It says tickets, but I’m assuming it’s just like you get a ticket. It’s not that’s probably it’s probably purpose (0:17:01) Micah: Right, I would imagine, yeah. (0:17:03) Al: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it is. (0:17:03) Codey: and (0:17:05) Codey: Then you get 10% off concessions, which is nothing (0:17:08) Al: Yeah. Yeah, we get that as well. We get that as well, which is is is totally just a way to get you to buy more of the cinema, which I obviously do because I’m a sucker and I know that I’m a sucker. (0:17:09) Micah: Yeah, that’s pretty much nothing. (0:17:15) Micah: Now, (0:17:20) Micah: the next question is because our ticket prices (0:17:23) Micah: are so much higher than yours, (0:17:24) Micah: are your concession prices as high as ours are? (0:17:27) Al: I mean, so okay. (0:17:27) Micah: ‘cause we can, I mean, a small popcorn is $5, maybe. (0:17:31) Micah: And a small soda or small beverage is probably also like $5. (0:17:31) Codey: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. (0:17:36) Al: So I feel like they’re not too bad. (0:17:38) Al: So if I go, I can go into my app just now, because the good thing about (0:17:41) Al: the cinema that I have, that I go to now, which is like fantastically like 10 (0:17:45) Al: minutes drive from my house, which is, is amazing, um, which is, you know, for (0:17:50) Al: city people might seem weird, but like, yeah, I don’t have things 10 (0:17:54) Al: minutes away from my house. (0:17:56) Al: Uh, if I look, I can get, so you said a small popcorn, $5. (0:18:02) Al: Let’s see for us. (0:18:03) Al: uh yeah a regular popcorn would be five (0:18:07) Al: um but they do like deals that make them cheaper (0:18:10) Codey: they used to do that. They don’t do that anymore. I remember you could get like a meal deal. I don’t (0:18:16) Codey: think they do that anymore. (0:18:17) Al: - Yeah, so like me and Rona went to see Wicked (0:18:19) Al: and I never get run into the cinema. (0:18:21) Al: Like that’s the first time she’s been to the cinema since. (0:18:24) Al: Oh, what was that other musical? (0:18:26) Al: The one about the kid who kills himself. (0:18:28) Codey: You have to be more specific. (0:18:28) Micah: Holy moly. Yeah, there’s oh (0:18:29) Codey: You have to be more specific. (0:18:32) Al: Dear Evan Hansen. (0:18:33) Al: There we go, dear Evan Hansen. (0:18:33) Codey: Oh yeah. (0:18:34) Al: So that was the last film she saw in the cinema (0:18:38) Al: before Wicked. (0:18:39) Al: So that’s kind of, was that like two and a half years ago (0:18:41) Al: or something like that? (0:18:42) Al: So she doesn’t come out to the cinema very often (0:18:45) Al: just because she just doesn’t like going out in the evening. (0:18:47) Al: Which is fair, we went to see Wicked and we bought, we got two hot dogs, a large portion (0:18:57) Al: of tater tots and one large slushie and that was 17 pounds, so it’s not cheap, but for (0:19:08) Al: me that felt not terrible. (0:19:09) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:19:11) Micah: Yeah, we we really don’t get that much it’s I mean it’s it’s kind of the like the the the (0:19:12) Codey: Yeah, that’s a lot for that amount of money. (0:19:14) Codey: Yeah, I-M-O. (0:19:22) Micah: common concept of going to the theaters and eating anything is that you’ve kind of like (0:19:27) Micah: just bring your like sneak your own stuff in yeah. (0:19:29) Codey: You sneak. You sneak your own. Yeah, 100%. (0:19:31) Al: Oh, yeah, yeah. And I, to be fair, I do that a lot. I don’t often buy stuff from the cinema, (0:19:36) Al: right? We were doing that because it was a special occasion type thing, like let’s go. (0:19:37) Micah: Which like (0:19:40) Al: We went to IMAX because I have to pay more to go to IMAX. I don’t, it doesn’t include (0:19:44) Al: IMAX in the, in the bundle. I think I have to pay five, five pounds to upgrade a ticket (0:19:48) Al: to IMAX, which I feel is not too bad. But it’s not something I do every week, obviously. (0:19:53) Al: So we went to IMAX and we paid like stupid amounts for her ticket. And then we, we got (0:20:00) Al: their spindle of feed didn’t. (0:20:02) Al: And we just like made an evening of it. (0:20:03) Al: So it was fun. (0:20:06) Codey: All of this to say, I’m really excited for Sonic 3. (0:20:09) Codey: And I didn’t realize that Shadow is voiced by Keanu Reeves. (0:20:15) Al: Yeah. Wild. Wild that they have Keanu Reeves’ shadow and Idris Elba’s knuckles. It’s like, (0:20:18) Codey: Wild. (0:20:20) Codey: And Idris Elba. (0:20:23) Al: what a combination. Amazing. What other famous massive actors can they get playing furries. (0:20:26) Micah: That’s incredible (0:20:28) Micah: You (0:20:30) Micah: You (0:20:35) Codey: - I guess whose tails? (0:20:37) Al: Oh, I don’t know (0:20:39) Codey: I’m gonna Google it. (0:20:40) Codey: We could probably move on and fuck this. (0:20:42) Micah: Uh, I am also seeing the Sonic movie, but it’s, I’m not like a huge Sonic fan. (0:20:48) Micah: I like Sonic, but I’m not like, you know, mega fan or anything, but my like best friend (0:20:54) Micah: is absolutely obsessed. (0:20:56) Micah: So as part of our like Christmas get together, we’re going to see the, the Sonic three, um, (0:21:05) Micah: that like opening weekend, which is like, not don’t typically go to the theater that (0:21:09) Micah: often anymore. (0:21:12) Micah: So I’m kind of excited because it’s very rare. (0:21:14) Codey: Yeah (0:21:16) Micah: This is the first time I’ll be at the theater, I think, all year. (0:21:19) Codey: Tails is uh, Colleen O’Shaughnessy (0:21:20) Micah: Yeah, I don’t know what that is either. (0:21:22) Al: Don’t know who that is. (0:21:24) Codey: I don’t she sees she’s a voice actor. Uh, looks like that’s what it is (0:21:27) Al: Right, okay. So the only actual voice actor. (0:21:28) Micah: Okay. (0:21:30) Micah: I have seen the two previous Sonic movies, though, and they’re really good. (0:21:30) Codey: Yeah (0:21:31) Al: Because of course Ben Schwartz is Sonic as well. (0:21:34) Codey: Yeah, I’m just (0:21:39) Codey: I love those movies so much so good (0:21:39) Micah: They did a really good job of them. (0:21:42) Micah: Great. (0:21:42) Micah: Mm-hmm. (0:21:42) Micah: Mm-hmm. (0:21:42) Al: Yeah, I think they’re exactly what we need from Sonic films. (0:21:47) Al: And I think if you did this, what they’ve done with Sonic films, if you did it with anything else, (0:21:51) Al: it wouldn’t work the same. It works because of what it is, and nobody takes it too seriously. (0:21:58) Al: So yeah, I don’t like 3D Sonic games. That’s a shame. Maybe I should stop trying. I do still (0:22:06) Al: like 2D Sonic games, so hopefully they make another one of those. But yeah, that’s what I’ve been up to. (0:22:12) Codey: - Woo. (0:22:13) Al: Whoo! (0:22:19) Al: All right, so we are gonna go into our… No, let me just… Right, I’ll explain what’s happening (0:22:27) Al: first before I try and do a funny segue. So I’ve changed things up a little bit this year (0:22:35) Al: because there have been so many questions about early access games and updates and what counts (0:22:41) Al: for game of the year. So I decided. (0:22:43) Al: To make it simpler going forward, we’re going to have three awards now. (0:22:47) Al: Okay, we’re going to have update of the year, which is for any game that has (0:22:52) Al: previously released out of early outside of early access and now has a content update. (0:22:58) Al: We’re going to have early access, which is for games that are in early access. (0:23:02) Al: And then we’re going to have game of the year, which is for any game that has (0:23:05) Al: released their first non early access version. Does that make does that is that clear? (0:23:08) Codey: » Sounds good. (0:23:10) Codey: » Yep. (0:23:11) Al: See you next time. (0:23:12) Micah: Yes, I guess a great system (0:23:12) Al: Excellent, we’ll see, we’ve never tried it like this before, we’ll see whether it’s good or not. (0:23:14) Codey: Yep. (0:23:20) Al: So that this game, this episode isn’t three times as long as the previous ones, we’re going (0:23:27) Al: to do the nominations a little bit differently for update and early access. So for game of the (0:23:32) Al: year we’re going to do the same as we always have, except one slight change, which I’ll get to that (0:23:36) Al: in a minute, in round robining our nominations and then we’ll decide from. (0:23:42) Al: What we’ve done, which should be the winner for update and early access, we’ve just got a list (0:23:48) Al: of all the ones that came out that we could think of because there’s less than 10 of each. (0:23:54) Al: So it’s a nice list to just list them all and then we can debate. The one other thing is, (0:24:00) Al: because of the debacle last year of Carl Island not winning, I have been forced into, (0:24:06) Codey: - Got scammed. (0:24:11) Al: I would suggest to do. (0:24:12) Codey: - No one is forcing you. (0:24:12) Al: I was suggested by Johnny and I thought it was a good idea that when we, I sent (0:24:18) Codey: - It’s a good suggestion. (0:24:19) Al: out a Google farm to the other people who have been on the podcast this year, I think this year, (0:24:24) Al: I don’t know, some people who have been on the podcast, I sent them a form so they can input (0:24:29) Al: as well. So we’re going to also read their feedback on what they think should win the awards. (0:24:35) Al: And maybe that will, maybe that will stop the co-hosts complaining after (0:24:40) Codey: Nope nope (0:24:40) Al: - Sure. (0:24:42) Micah: I am convinced that the reason that Cody and I are both on this episode with you is because (0:24:42) Al: - I don’t know. (laughing) (0:24:46) Codey: You can uh you can dream out (0:24:56) Micah: this is the equivalent of the Coral Island committee jumping me in a back alley for my (0:25:03) Al: Oh yeah, because it was Kevin last year, wasn’t it, is that right, because Cody had played (0:25:05) Micah: game of the year 2023. Yes. Yeah. (0:25:12) Micah: It was, and it mostly was, yeah, it mostly was down to that. Kevin and I hadn’t played it. (0:25:13) Al: Carl Island (0:25:14) Al: Exactly, exactly. (0:25:18) Codey: Yeah, and you were like, oh, I really think it should be and we were all screaming at our podcast players. (0:25:19) Al: Because I think all three of you, you and Johnny and Bev all, all said that you would (0:25:27) Codey: Yeah. Yeah. 100%. (0:25:33) Al: be playing for Carl Island. (0:25:34) Micah: This is this is my formal apology to (0:25:38) Micah: everyone. [laughs] (0:25:39) Codey: You’re no you’re allowed to have like you provided your input with the knowledge that you had and I’m here to make sure that you do it the right way this time. (0:25:47) Al: This is why we have the farm. (0:25:50) Al: It’s so that we can see people, we can see the other co-hosts opinions (0:25:50) Micah: - Under, (0:25:53) Al: before we make a bad decision and then still make a bad decision. (0:25:56) Codey: And we can still make, yeah, we can still make that decision. (0:26:00) Al: No, I’m excited for this one. (0:26:01) Al: We’ll see, we’ll see how it goes. (0:26:02) Al: I’ve seen, I’ve seen the feedback from the other hosts. (0:26:05) Al: So I’m, I’m, I’m interested to see what your guys’s are. (0:26:07) Al: We’ll get to that in a minute. (0:26:10) Al: And I’m in it. (0:26:10) Al: Goodness me, probably like two hours, we’ll see. (0:26:14) Al: We’re going to start off with update of the year. (0:26:18) Al: And so I’ll just, I’ll read through the nominations for that this year. (0:26:21) Al: Uh, and hopefully I’ve not missed anymore. (0:26:23) Al: Cause apparently I list missed three off the list. (0:26:25) Al: When I sent the form to the other costs, we have Stardew Valley, 1.6, Carl Island, 1.1 (0:26:34) Al: Moonstone Island, cooking update, Disney, Dreamlight Valley, a rift in time, which yes, (0:26:39) Al: was this year, the whole thing we released it this year, which is crazy. (0:26:43) Al: I thought some of it had released last year, but. (0:26:45) Al: but uh (0:26:47) Al: farm skies of Azoria, Dave the Diver DLCs, those would be Godzilla and I can’t remember (0:26:54) Al: the other one. Yeah what was oh um oh Dredge Dredge uh Terranil Vita Nova and Wildflowers (0:26:55) Micah: whatever the non Godzilla one is, (0:26:57) Micah: ‘cause the Godzilla one is the only one I made it. (0:26:59) Codey: Yeah, I was gonna say it was a dredge. (0:26:59) Micah: Oh, sure, sure, sure, yeah, yeah. (0:27:05) Al: Magical Creatures. Yeah yeah because Kevin decided not to put anything in the farm until (0:27:15) Al: literally, what, five hours before we start? (0:27:18) Al: I’m not sure, and was the only person to mention wildflowers, I had completely forgotten the (0:27:24) Al: wildflowers had an update this year. Anyway. (0:27:28) Micah: You know, I looked at the show notes last night, too, and did not see that on there. (0:27:32) Micah: So that makes complete sense. (0:27:34) Al: Yeah. So, um, I’ll just go through our other hosts opinions and what should win, and then (0:27:39) Al: we can discuss what we think as well. Uh, so we have one person says, Dave, the diver, (0:27:47) Al: we have, uh, two people saying stardew outright, uh, one person adding stardew as one of their (0:27:55) Al: three that they decided, uh, but not like the ultimate, what they think should win. (0:28:01) Al: one for wildflowers. (0:28:04) Al: one for terra nell, vita nova, and then one for disney dreamlight valley. (0:28:09) Al: I feel like I need to read johnny’s out, because it’s just, this is a weird year for best update. (0:28:16) Al: carl island 1.1, a great update no doubt, it added everything carl island and yours were asking for, (0:28:20) Al: but to reward this with update of the year feels wrong, it should have been 1.0 but it wasn’t. (0:28:25) Al: stargie 1.6 added more to a great game and the updates are good, but also just stop, (0:28:30) Al: it’s okay for stargie to be done, i’m ready for it. (0:28:33) Micah: Which is funny maybe I’m wrong and in assuming this but I feel like that’s a wild take from Johnny is that. (0:28:40) Codey: No, I think he’s he would be a proponent of like, let like, like, stop the nostalgia machine from cranking. Yeah, I think that’s also Yeah. (0:28:46) Al: I think he’s worried for concerned apes mental health. (0:28:48) Micah: Okay, okay (0:28:49) Micah: for concern days (0:28:51) Micah: Yeah, I mean after that interview where he was kind of like, uh, I could just keep going forever. I don’t know (0:29:00) Al: I think that leaves Disney Dreamlight Valley is the one that stands at his best update that (0:29:03) Al: continues to add to a great game bringing in memorable characters in a way that continues (0:29:07) Al: to surprise and delight. So that looks what I can see that looks like two stardew votes, (0:29:13) Al: One Wildflowers, one Drusney Dreamlet Valley, and one Davey. (0:29:16) Al: The Diver. What do you guys think? (0:29:19) Codey: Um, so I, so I mean, some of these, I didn’t play. So like, I didn’t play moonstone island. Uh, I (0:29:23) Al: Fair. That list is just going to get longer as we go through the episode. (0:29:28) Codey: right. I feel like it’s true. I feel like Fay Farm Skye’s Zozoria when we were talking about it on (0:29:33) Codey: the pod, it did not fix the issues that people wanted in the first one. So I think in my opinion, (0:29:35) Al: No (0:29:38) Codey: we can just strike that off. Um, I think the same about Taranell. I don’t think that that added (0:29:39) Al: I agree. Yeah (0:29:43) Codey: anything really. Um, and I honestly like, honestly, like, (0:29:46) Al: R.I.P. Kevin’s option. (0:29:49) Codey: I will just like double retweet Johnny’s thing because I agree. Like my go-to was (0:29:59) Codey: Coral Island 1.1. Um, I really loved it, but it did basically add like, one of the reasons I loved (0:30:05) Codey: it is because it added the rest of the story, but that should have been in the initial game. (0:30:06) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:30:10) Codey: Like why, like you can’t have an update, just be like, oh, adding the things that we didn’t (0:30:17) Codey: I had originally, but finished again. (0:30:20) Codey: So I don’t want to go with that. (0:30:22) Al: I would, I would agree with that. (0:30:23) Al: Any objections, Micah, to those three being struck off. (0:30:26) Micah: I think Coral Island is an incredible game, and I think it should win. (0:30:32) Al: Have you played it yet? (0:30:34) Micah: So okay, I have not, but this is where I’m at with Coral Island, because if you recall on the (0:30:40) Micah: previous Game of the Year episode, the reason that I said that I didn’t get it yet was because I was (0:30:44) Micah: waiting for the Switch version, which we all kind of know how that went. So I did eventually just (0:30:48) Al: Awkward. You. (0:30:53) Micah: kind of buckle and get it on the steam deck so I do have (0:30:56) Al: Yeah, nice. (0:30:56) Micah: it now to play on the steam deck haven’t had a chance to (0:30:59) Micah: play it yet but I am excited to play it especially after (0:31:02) Micah: hearing uh how much 1.1 kind of made it a 1.0 I guess um but (0:31:06) Codey: Yeah. (0:31:10) Micah: there’s just you know II’ve been I’ve yeah I don’t know I’ll (0:31:15) Micah: get I’ll get into that more later but I have not played it (0:31:17) Micah: yet. (0:31:18) Codey: Okay. And then yeah, Stardew is the same, like, I agree with Johnny, like, let it, let it lie. (0:31:24) Codey: And so for what I’ve played. (0:31:25) Al: I’m not, just for the record, I’m not, I’m not striking stardew off the list. (0:31:28) Codey: Correct. Did not strike Stardew off the list. This is just my opinion. (0:31:30) Al: I’m not, yeah, I don’t care what you’re saying. I’m not doing it. (0:31:32) Al: I’m not letting that happen right now. Right. We’ll get to that. (0:31:37) Codey: My top one would be Disney, Journey Valley. They really did add a lot of really good characters. (0:31:42) Codey: I didn’t play specifically the Rift in Time, like the paid deals, because that’s the paid one. (0:31:46) Codey: Um. (0:31:48) Codey: But I saw all the stuff from it and I know that it added like a considerable amount to the game and added to the story and I would like to play it when it becomes free. Fingers crossed that that ever happens. (0:32:00) Al: Is it not included in Game Pass? (0:32:02) Codey: Um, yeah. (0:32:06) Codey: No, you have to pay, you have to buy the DLC in Game Pass. (0:32:08) Al: Oh, weird. (0:32:10) Al: I think for, right, that’s interesting, because the whole point of Apple Arcade is everything (0:32:10) Micah: - I think it’s the same way with Apple Arcade, (0:32:17) Al: is free and you never have to pay for anything, but anyway, well, okay, yes, but you don’t (0:32:20) Codey: You have to pay for Apple Arcade. (0:32:22) Micah: Yeah, yeah (0:32:23) Al: have to pay for anything else. (0:32:24) Al: Like it removes in-app purchases from every game and stuff like that. (0:32:26) Al: I think, for the purposes of argument, we will crown it for a game. (0:32:30) Al: I feel like nobody is arguing for Moonstone Island, is that correct? (0:32:34) Codey: Well then it’s gotta, if it’s just gonna be for a game, (0:32:36) Codey: then it’s gotta be Coral Island, right? (0:32:38) Codey: No, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. (0:32:40) Micah: - I agree, definitely, Coral Island. (0:32:43) Codey: Yeah, so that’s my two cents. (0:32:50) Micah: I have not played enough of Moonstone Island to be able to confidently to even touch the cooking update, so I don’t think that I could justify it. (0:32:58) Al: Yeah, I don’t think I think cooking is a fun thing to add and it did add a few more (0:33:04) Al: spirits, but I don’t feel like it added enough to be like (0:33:08) Al: Major like I don’t think it stands aside stardew 1.6 and all of the stuff that Disney dream life alley added (0:33:17) Micah: Uh I still have yet to play Dave the Diver. I’ve heard great things about it. Uh it just (0:33:21) Al: At all. Come on, maker. (0:33:25) Micah: it just there’s something about it that just you know just hasn’t like clicked with me yet. (0:33:31) Micah: It hasn’t hooked me. That’s not I didn’t mean that as a pun but uh but I will say the Godzilla update (0:33:32) Al: you need to start it, that’s why. You need to just play it. (0:33:39) Micah: got me enticed me a little bit because I I do love my Kaiju but uh I I want to play it and I’ve (0:33:47) Micah: heard nothing but good things about it. My boss is like in love with it and sings its praise all (0:33:50) Al: David Diver is a fantastic game. The Godzilla DLC in particular is so silly. I love it so (0:33:51) Micah: the time but um (0:34:00) Al: much, right? Like any game where you like find Godzilla in a cave underwater and then (0:34:07) Al: you end the story by literally controlling Godzilla has my vote. (0:34:12) Codey: Oh, so you’re, is that your vote then? (0:34:12) Micah: That sounds awesome. That sounds incredible, honestly. (0:34:17) Al: What was that Cody? Well, I mean, it’s, it would definitely be on the shortlist. (0:34:18) Codey: I said, is that your vote then? (0:34:24) Codey: Okay. (0:34:25) Al: I’m not saying it’s definitely my favorite, but I feel like it’s, I could be convinced of that. (0:34:30) Codey: Okay. (0:34:32) Micah: uh as far as the rest of them I think you know looking at the the two current feels like top (0:34:40) Micah: contenders being disney dreamlight valley and stardew I like cody have played disney dreamlight (0:34:48) Micah: valley base not the the paid dlc portion of it yet um and I did really really enjoy it (0:34:56) Micah: uh I just the the cost to get to (0:35:02) Micah: you know we kind of talked about this when I was on previously right around what disney (0:35:06) Micah: dreamlight valley came out um that I was under the impression that it was cheaper than it was (0:35:13) Micah: or that there was a they were doing a uh like a like a um uh like a free to play version of it (0:35:21) Micah: when it had originally started to come out but you know I feel like the price of disney dreamlight (0:35:26) Micah: valley has just felt bigger and bigger over the the years (0:35:32) Micah: and that’s that’s great if the amount of content is there and it’s a very like pretty game it seems (0:35:38) Micah: like there is plenty of content there um but it’s a really like pitting that against stardew which (0:35:47) Micah: you know I know stardew has been around for so long it is it’s it just keeps going I do agree (0:35:54) Micah: it is okay for stardew to be done again I i love the game but it is okay concerned you can focus (0:36:02) Micah: here now it’s okay you can work on other things it’s all right but the the 1.6 update for stardew (0:36:09) Micah: is so massive for free content that like it’s hard for me to pit it against you know something that (0:36:20) Micah: the total cost of it is like what are we you know pushing a hundred dollars at this point (0:36:27) Micah: with in-app currency and all this stuff. I don’t know. Again, (0:36:32) Micah: I really, really like Disney Dreamlight Valley and I’m looking forward to playing more of it. (0:36:38) Micah: I love that they have kept it up. The community for it seems great, but yeah, it’s just such a (0:36:46) Micah: hard comparison because it’s like massive franchise, massive brand, costs a lot of money. (0:36:54) Micah: They’re still keeping it up and doing a great job with it versus one guy making stuff for free (0:36:58) Codey: - Yeah, I get that. (0:37:02) Micah: and I’m like, you know, I don’t know. It’s hard. If I personally had to put it on something, (0:37:08) Micah: I would put it on Stardew, but I would not be opposed to Disney Dreamlight Valley yet, (0:37:12) Codey: I mean, you do have to put it we have to we’re here to put it on (0:37:17) Micah: which is very hard for me to try. But yeah, that would be my nomination. I think would be Stardew 1.6. (0:37:23) Al: I feel like we’re probably we’re striking wildflowers off right? I think I don’t think (0:37:30) Codey: Sorry, Kevin. (0:37:30) Micah: Sorry Kevin (0:37:32) Al: even he was seriously suggesting it because I think yeah I yeah so so he says wildflowers (0:37:34) Codey: Yeah, the first thing in his thing is stardew. (0:37:36) Micah: Just more the representation, you know (0:37:41) Al: because it hasn’t won anything yet and it’s amazing and wildflowers but in reality but (0:37:45) Micah: It’s got to get the wildflowers representation in this understandable (0:37:48) Al: in reality Terranell is the only update I’ve played is great so he hasn’t even played wildflowers (0:37:54) Al: I think I understand why he would want wildflowers to win something because he thinks it probably (0:37:59) Al: should have won game of the year last year but yeah I think as an update it I don’t think (0:38:06) Al: it compares to stardew 1.6 or to all of the updates that Disney Dreamland valued so we’re (0:38:12) Al: down to 3 stardew 1.6 Disney Dreamland Valley and the day of the diving (0:38:19) Codey: I think from what Micah said, I’ve moved over to Stardew. (0:38:24) Codey: I didn’t play it, but I know literally dozens of people who have. (0:38:31) Codey: And yeah, I think the amount of effort that this solo human keeps pumping into this game (0:38:37) Codey: that is so beloved by the communities, it deserves it. (0:38:42) Codey: - Bye. (0:38:43) Al: - Say that with more passion. (0:38:45) Micah: But, you know, that’s in the context of like how much effort and how much content there (0:38:47) Al: Yeah. (0:38:53) Micah: is in something like the Disney Dreamlight Valley DLC, like I think it’s just the greater (0:39:00) Micah: context of the amount of effort and money that is put into one versus the other, I suppose. (0:39:05) Al: I think I would also say that as much stuff as there is in the Disney Dreamland Valley (0:39:12) Al: updates over the last year, the fact of the matter is the day that Stardew 1.6 came on, (0:39:18) Codey: Yeah. (0:39:18) Al: it became like the fifth highest consecutive players on Steam for like a week. That is (0:39:23) Micah: Mm hmm. Which is (0:39:25) Al: a wild amount of control that that game still has over. (0:39:31) Micah: Yeah, that’s, I mean, remarkable for a game as old as it is to be able to update and hit (0:39:38) Micah: that milestone is incredible. (0:39:41) Micah: It’s just, you don’t see that with really anything aside from like me, you know, multiplayer (0:39:45) Al: Yeah, and legitimately, like, I can’t find the chart, but it’s all time peak was miles (0:39:47) Micah: online games or something like it’s, it’s impressive. (0:40:00) Al: lower than that. And then the update came out and then suddenly it was high up. So it’s (0:40:08) Al: all time peak takes a 56 place, place at 56. But I think on the week that it was out, it (0:40:15) Al: was top five. I think I can’t remember because we don’t have obviously the historical, historical (0:40:17) Micah: Mm-hmm, sure. (0:40:21) Al: data for that. But like, yeah, abs and that was, you know, I think it’s previous peak (0:40:26) Al: was something like 50,000 or something. So it like quadrupled its highest consecutive (0:40:32) Al: players for an eight year old game. That’s that’s mad. And I also got me to the point (0:40:38) Micah: Yeah, it’s pretty remarkable. (0:40:43) Al: of perfecting the game. (0:40:45) Al: Like I had never gotten close to that, and with 1.6, I put so much time into it because (0:40:51) Al: of all of the different things that it had and all the different additions it had. (0:40:56) Micah: Mm-Hmm (0:40:57) Al: I got to the point where I was like, Oh, I can, I can complete this game. (0:41:01) Al: You know, it’s like I created a new save, a brand new save, because I hadn’t really (0:41:01) Micah: Mm-Hmm (0:41:06) Al: played it on my steam deck. (0:41:07) Al: I had done it originally on, on switch and so I brought a brand new save and I sunk (0:41:14) Al: a hundred hours into it. (0:41:15) Al: So we’re giving it to Stardew, Stardew 1.6 update of the year with honorable mentions (0:41:20) Micah: Yeah. I think so. (0:41:30) Al: for Disney Dreamlight Valley and Dave the Diver, specifically the Godzilla one. (0:41:33) Codey: Godzilla. (0:41:34) Micah: I am floored. (0:41:36) Al: The dredge one is fun and has more content on it, but the Godzilla one was the one that (0:41:41) Codey: You’re floored. (0:41:43) Micah: I’m floored that Coral Island did not. (0:41:45) Micah: Going into this, I prepared, reading the list, I prepared that I was just going to fold to (0:41:50) Micah: Coral Island the second that you both defended it, but. (0:41:52) Al: No, I think everybody’s opinion is the same about Coral Island, is that 1.1 should have (0:41:58) Al: been 1.0. This is obviously what matters to them, but if they had waited until the 1.1 update to (0:41:59) Micah: Mm-hmm (0:42:06) Al: release 1.0, I reckon it would have been Game of the Year this year. For us, obviously not, (0:42:10) Micah: Mm-hmm. Yep (0:42:10) Codey: Yeah, yep, for everything. (0:42:14) Al: for the Game Awards. All right, next we have Early Access Game of the Year. (0:42:20) Al: So our nominations for this. (0:42:22) Al: A new leaf memories chill town for lands fields of mystery garden life cozy simulator go go down like your frontier of life and land and over magic. (0:42:36) Al: And the opinions from other hosts are one that I think we can probably discount over magic because it sounds magical. I think this person. I think this person has not played any early access games this year. (0:42:46) Codey: With the shrug emoji? (0:42:50) Al: Uh, we have to vote. (0:42:52) Al: I think the early access game of the year should be demos. (0:42:58) Al: Honestly, everything that’s come out in early access has been a disappointment. (0:43:02) Al: It’s become the vehicle for a game with a single cool concept to release, get bits of hype, and then proceed to deliver something exceptionally mid. (0:43:10) Al: Meanwhile, there has been a resurgence of demos, games trying to win your business by offering a slice. (0:43:14) Al: These games are the ones that have brought me joy this year. (0:43:18) Al: this year, death to early access, long-lived demos. (0:43:22) Al: So that’s two votes for Fields of Mystery and one for demos. (0:43:27) Al: There’s not any specific demo, just demos in general. (0:43:34) Al: For me, it’s Fields of Mystery. (0:43:36) Al: I think Fields of Mystery is a fantastic start for the game. (0:43:40) Al: I think it does. (0:43:42) Al: What I really hate about Early Access is when it’s like, here’s the game, but it’s buggy. (0:43:49) Al: I much prefer how Fields of Mystery have done it and how (0:43:52) Al: like Ooblets did it and Carl Island did it, which is here is a very solid base for the game. It feels (0:43:59) Al: like it’s a complete game and you just hit roadblocks along the way. I think that’s a really good way (0:44:03) Al: of doing it. I do kind of agree with Johnny and that this can be a problem in many cases. It’s (0:44:08) Al: sometimes hard to go back to games when you’ve started with early access, but I do think that (0:44:13) Al: means most people probably just shouldn’t play early access games, but you know, what can you do? (0:44:20) Al: I also enjoyed Gogotown. (0:44:22) Al: I am not sure if this is a good one, but I feel like they have a lot more work to do to make a fully formed game. (0:44:28) Al: It also released in AWP, it didn’t feel buggy sort of aspect and you had the core bones of the game there, but there’s no real narrative there and it kind of felt a little bit like it fell off quite quickly. (0:44:42) Al: So that’s why I would vote for Fields of Mistreer. (0:44:44) Al: Hmph. (0:44:44) Codey: Uh, I didn’t play any of these and, um, I kind of agree with Johnny, but also (0:44:51) Codey: like, basically early access is just a way to almost like crowdfund something. (0:44:56) Codey: So you’re like pitching your, your base ideas to an audience and then they (0:45:02) Codey: give you money to like, make it what you want it to be like to develop it. (0:45:07) Codey: Cause they’re, they believe in what you’re doing. (0:45:09) Codey: Uh, so like I see the value of early access, but I also. (0:45:14) Codey: I, I think that it’s often like abused in that it’s just, like you said, like (0:45:21) Codey: release the buggy version or release like a small version to like, generate (0:45:26) Codey: hype or something. (0:45:28) Codey: Um, so yeah, I’m, I mean, I, I am willing to just like pass or defer my (0:45:35) Codey: judgment to y’all, like whatever y’all decide, cause I just personally, unless (0:45:39) Codey: there’s this super big argument for any one particular thing, and we want to (0:45:43) Codey: thing and we want to discuss. (0:45:46) Micah: Well, that might make things easy because I also not voting for fields of mystery. (0:45:52) Codey: Yay, fields of mystery. (0:45:53) Micah: Yeah, I, I do, I agree with what a lot of what Al said that, you know, the, the core (0:46:05) Micah: of the game is so solid. (0:46:08) Micah: It’s also just, you know, it does feel so, so heavily based in like stardew core. (0:46:16) Micah: Or that like, you know, I think that can be seen as a negative sometimes now where like, (0:46:22) Micah: you know, it’s just, it started with a coat of paint or like, it started with like a different (0:46:28) Micah: slightly different feature or whatever. (0:46:30) Micah: But I think there’s enough things that stand out in fields of mystery to separate it. (0:46:36) Micah: Like, I don’t know, just quest progression and I just feel like the, I mean, personally, (0:46:47) Micah: I like the pixel, the pixel art is beautiful. (0:46:49) Micah: The, the character portraits are fantastic. (0:46:53) Micah: They’re done in that kind of like 90s Bishoujo, like anime style, like, like magical girl, (0:47:01) Micah: kind of like Sailor Moon era anime. (0:47:03) Micah: And I, it, it just also, you know, everybody in the game is, is beautiful, which I think, (0:47:12) Micah: you know, Cody had the issue with Coral Island, but you know, like (0:47:16) Codey: Yeah. (0:47:16) Micah: just like one, somewhat like normal person, you know, would be cool to see but, but, but yeah, I mean, everyone is very, very nice to look a

Al and Codey talk about Honey Grove Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:03:18: What Have We Been Up To 00:11:21: Game News 00:33:27: New Games 00:44:24: Honey Grove 01:14:35: Outro Links Stardew Concert Dates Pixelshire Delay Hello Kitty: Island Adventure Release Date Rusty’s Retirement Winter Update Go-Go Town “Creative Corners” Update Mika and the Witch’s Update 2nd Update One Lonely Outpost “Act 2” Update Sugardew Island Romance Info Loftia Neighbourhoods Info Wylde Society Litle Rocket Lab Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of the harvest season my name is Al and we’re here today to talk about being sleepy. (0:00:36) Codey: And my name is Cody. Or zzzzzz. Z’s. Oh, you say zeds. How do you do you count sheep? Do you count sheep for zed? Like, does that make sense? (0:00:49) Al: Don’t make me laugh. (0:00:56) Al: What? (0:00:57) Al: Oh, isn’t sleep right? (0:00:58) Al: Yeah, okay. (0:00:59) Al: Right. (0:01:00) Al: I understand the concept of counting sleep, counting sleep, counting sheep. (0:01:04) Codey: Yeah, okay. (0:01:04) Al: I don’t personally count sheep because, as discussed previously on the podcast, I have (0:01:08) Al: aphantasia, so I can’t see the sheep to count them. (0:01:12) Al: And then it’s just, if I’m counting sheep, then I’m just counting. (0:01:16) Al: » It doesn’t really. (0:01:16) Codey: Wait, what’s aphantasia? (0:01:19) Al: Have we not talked about this, Cody? (0:01:21) Codey: I don’t really think so. There’s a word for that? Because same. (0:01:21) Al: I can’t see anything in my brain. (0:01:24) Al: Yeah. (0:01:27) Al: Oh, nice. (0:01:29) Codey: I have to explain this to my boyfriend all the time. Because he’s a very visually conceptualization (0:01:31) Al: Yeah, yeah, I know. (0:01:36) Codey: human. And I’m like, you can tell me to imagine a strawberry and I imagine a plague space. (0:01:42) Al: Yeah, yeah, I can I can tell you about a strawberry I (0:01:43) Codey: and I can’t see it. (0:01:46) Al: Can give you facts about a strawberry. I can’t see a strawberry can’t visualize one. Yeah (0:01:46) Codey: It’s not my brain, though. (0:01:50) Codey: OK. (0:01:51) Codey: Well, today I learned a Fantasian. (0:01:53) Al: So I can’t count sheep (0:01:55) Al: It was because I used to find this so confusing because I didn’t know that (0:01:59) Al: other people actually could see things in their head until like six years ago or something and so like when people would say like (0:02:00) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:02:02) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:02:05) Al: Counting sheep. I’d be like I don’t understand what you mean. I’m just lying in bed counting (0:02:10) Al: Like how is this? (0:02:10) Codey: Yeah, so that was my problem too, because like, I would just be counting and I would get bored after like, 17. (0:02:12) Al: Yeah. What am I meant to be? How is this counting sheep? I don’t understand. (0:02:22) Codey: I don’t know, I just get bored and then I’m like, I don’t know, I don’t know. Wow, okay. (0:02:25) Al: It’s like I’m meant to get a video up like that. I feel like that’s not ideal, you know? (0:02:30) Codey: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, awesome. Well, the lore continues. (0:02:32) Al: Anyway. This episode, we’re going to talk about honeygrove, a mobile bee. (0:02:42) Al: Before that, we have some news. The news is maybe a third of the news is from last week’s wholesome (0:02:53) Al: snack. So there’s that. Did you watch the wholesome snack? No. Fair enough. (0:02:54) Codey: Mm hmm. Yep, you’re no, because I saw it. And then I asked you and you were like, that’s (0:03:04) Codey: pretty much what the news is from. And I was like, dope. And I moved on with my life. (0:03:07) Al: There’s some stuff probably that we won’t talk about, right? Because not all of it is cottage (0:03:10) Al: But yeah. (0:03:13) Al: The news is probably mostly filtered down to you, the stuff that matters anyway. (0:03:16) Codey: - Mm-hmm, correct. (0:03:18) Al: But first of all, Cody, what have you been up to? (0:03:22) Codey: I went to PAX Unplugged two weekends ago now, I think. (0:03:28) Al: What is PAX unplugged? Because I keep hearing you mention it, and I realized I just assumed (0:03:32) Codey: Okay. (0:03:33) Al: it was just like PAX, but presumably it’s a different thing. Yes. Yes. I think there’s (0:03:36) Codey: You know what PAX is, right? (0:03:38) Codey: Okay, so there’s PAX in like the different regions (0:03:43) Codey: of America or whatever. (0:03:44) Codey: Packs unpl– (0:03:46) Al: one in Australia as well, but be that as it may. (0:03:47) Codey: Ooh, OK. (0:03:49) Codey: It’s in different regions. (0:03:51) Codey: Packs unplugged is not video games. (0:03:54) Codey: It’s the type of games that you do, (0:03:57) Codey: like board games, card games, stuff like that. (0:04:00) Codey: So it’s an entire convention that (0:04:02) Codey: is just dedicated to those tabletop games and all of that. (0:04:08) Codey: So there is basically a huge expo hall. (0:04:11) Codey: It’s downtown in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania. (0:04:14) Codey: and it has a huge (0:04:16) Codey: expo hall and a huge like thousands of tables where you can sit and just play games with your (0:04:22) Codey: friends. You can bring your own games. There’s spaces where you can buy games. They have different (0:04:27) Codey: libraries that you can like rent game. Like you check it out using your badge. And then you can (0:04:35) Codey: play like a game that you might have wanted to play for a really long time but haven’t had access to. (0:04:41) Codey: Or like Jeff and I, I would pick a game, we’d play it, and then I’d be like okay go turn it (0:04:46) Codey: and pick your own game. And we would just do that just to like what game looks interesting to you. (0:04:51) Codey: Okay let me go pick a game that looks interesting to me. And now we have games that we want to buy (0:04:57) Codey: for when he moves here. So yeah so it’s just this huge convention for that. I mostly went to meet (0:05:05) Codey: up with friends that live across the country and we’re converging upon this location since it’s (0:05:11) Codey: only like three hours from me. Um, I got to stay in. (0:05:16) Codey: Um, a friend’s, um, spare room. Thank you, James. Um, so I didn’t have to pay hotel. (0:05:25) Codey: I literally just had to pay for the tickets and then parking. I mean, and parking could have been (0:05:30) Codey: expensive, but it was only, it was not as expensive as I thought it was. But yeah, there was a lot of (0:05:34) Codey: different things like that. Um, and just got to play a bunch of games. And one game that we saw, (0:05:43) Codey: so many people like board games that we saw so many people walking around. (0:05:46) Codey: This is a huge board game. It was called Slay the Spire and we started talking about it and about how apparently it’s not. It didn’t start out as like a board slash card game. It was a game game like a video game. (0:05:57) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s like it’s uh, uh, what’s the word I’m looking for? Um, yeah, but it’s, uh, it’s a real roguelite deck building game. It’s like people quite often will compare other roguelites to it to be like, oh, it’s like, it’s like Slay the Spire Bot, sort of thing. (0:06:02) Codey: It’s a deck building game. (0:06:12) Codey: Oh, okay. Okay. Uh, well, yeah. So because of that, uh, I was like, huh, I wonder what (0:06:23) Codey: Slay the Spire is and like how different it is. And so I went to Game Pass on Xbox and it is (0:06:30) Codey: available on Game Pass. So I have now played Slay the Spire video game and I am horribly (0:06:36) Codey: offended, Al, that you are pulling me from that game right now. Um, I can’t (0:06:42) Codey: could be playing that right now, but I have to focus on this. So I’m not. So instead I’m (0:06:45) Codey: playing Honey Grove. Um, yeah, that’s the other game I’ve been playing is Honey Grove. (0:06:51) Codey: Um, yeah. What about you? What have you been up to? (0:06:52) Al: Cool. So like the other episodes that you have heard and are going to hear listeners, (0:07:01) Al: my brain is confused. So I’m going to talk about one specific game in this episode, (0:07:05) Al: and that is Zelda. I think I talked about that in the last episode as well, (0:07:09) Al: but I have finished Zelda Echoes of Wisdom now. And I think I can safely say that I did enjoy the (0:07:12) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:07:17) Al: game. But I feel like it falls to- (0:07:18) Codey: Okay, nope (0:07:23) Al: on to the fact that you have Link’s abilities, like you can actually go around and use your sword, (0:07:31) Al: I think makes a lot of the boss fights just waste some time and then turn into Link and (0:07:40) Al: kill it sort of thing. And because it’s just like traditional bosses, like the bosses aren’t (0:07:41) Codey: Right, right (0:07:47) Al: more complicated versions of the other puzzles. They’re just standard Zelda bosses. (0:07:53) Al: And I get that the idea is this is Link’s world and you’re doing things that Link would be doing (0:07:58) Al: if he was there sort of thing, but it still just feels like they kind of gave up on the bosses and (0:08:04) Al: they couldn’t figure out a good way to design bosses that worked well for Zelda’s powers. (0:08:09) Al: So it feels like that didn’t feel great, right? Especially as Link’s powers, I don’t know if (0:08:16) Al: you’re aware of this code, you gain them part of the way into the game, but you can only use them (0:08:23) Al: so you’re also like really stressed while being Link, right? You like turn into this weird (0:08:28) Al: shadowy version of Link because any second you’re in Link’s powers. Not like it doesn’t go down (0:08:35) Al: based on how much you use your sword or whatever, it goes down purely based on the time that you are (0:08:40) Al: as Link. Every second you’re Link is stressful because you’re like, oh no, should I be turning (0:08:45) Al: this off now or do I need to keep it on, you know, these sorts of things. So I just, I didn’t end, (0:08:50) Al: I didn’t have fun with the bosses. (0:08:52) Al: And the puzzles at the beginning were fun, but the puzzles in the middle and the end (0:08:59) Al: were basically just the same thing. (0:09:01) Al: So you just ended up like the puzzles were like, Oh, you have to get up high. (0:09:05) Al: So you’re, you’re just doing the same thing again. (0:09:08) Al: Right. (0:09:09) Al: So it’s like, Oh, I know how to get up high. (0:09:10) Al: I can do that. (0:09:11) Al: Right. (0:09:12) Al: And they didn’t, there was like a couple of other types of puzzles that they had, but (0:09:17) Al: they never really felt like they were challenging you in a different way, or even. (0:09:22) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:09:22) Al: Just harder in the same way. (0:09:24) Al: It was just, Oh, here, here’s again, the same thing. (0:09:31) Al: And it just felt like time and doing things rather than actually playing the game. (0:09:39) Al: Like more, cause most games, like they start off easy and they introduce you to a few mechanics (0:09:42) Al: and then they get harder and they introduce you to more mechanics. (0:09:45) Al: And then by the end, you’re using all of the different mechanics that you’ve learned and (0:09:49) Al: all the different skills you’ve gained. (0:09:51) Al: and. (0:09:52) Al: This one, it felt like if you had done the first area, and say you could go to the (0:10:01) Al: final area straight after that, which you can’t, because it’s not fully accessible in (0:10:05) Al: that sort of way. You have to go through the story to get to the end. But if you could (0:10:10) Al: go to the last area, the only thing that would be standing in their way is like health, right? (0:10:16) Al: Like you know everything and you have everything and you don’t really, and if you’re good at (0:10:20) Al: you’re doing, you could do that. And yes, sure, that might. (0:10:23) Al: Be fun in some ways, but it didn’t feel fun in this case. Cause this was like, (0:10:27) Al: it’s meant to be a puzzle game, right? And puzzle games are meant to be different. Like it’s not (0:10:34) Al: just like, if you just had a puzzle game, that was the exact same puzzle over and over and over (0:10:37) Al: again, not puzzle type, but the exact same puzzle, right? Like every five puzzles, it was that same (0:10:43) Al: pattern that wouldn’t be fun. Right. So yeah, I didn’t, I enjoyed it enough to keep, to finish it (0:10:50) Al: off, but more in the case of like, I feel. (0:10:52) Al: Like I’m close enough, I may as well finish this, rather than I really want to get to the end. (0:10:57) Al: Like was the case with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. (0:11:02) Al: So it’s a fun idea and it’s implemented great at the beginning, but yeah, (0:11:06) Al: just it falls off a cliff quite quickly, I think. (0:11:09) Codey: That’s unfortunate, but maybe they can innovate it in the future. (0:11:13) Al: Maybe, maybe, we’ll see. (0:11:16) Al: Yeah, I think that’s everything that I’ve been up to that I’m going to talk about just now. (0:11:20) Al: So now we’re going to talk about the news. (0:11:22) Al: So as mentioned, some of the news from today is from the Wholesome Snack Game Awards edition, (0:11:33) Al: which I always find it funny that they do it in collaboration with the Game Awards, (0:11:38) Al: because it happens three days before the Game Awards. And so it’s like, is it Game Awards, (0:11:42) Al: or is it just like, they’re just like a fancy ad, right? It’s sponsored by the Game Awards. (0:11:46) Codey: Yeah. (0:11:51) Al: And like, fair enough, I know you- (0:11:52) Al: want money. But like, come on, anyway, whatever. We’re not going to talk about specific things (0:12:01) Al: about the wholesome snack or like go through it like sometimes we do. We’re just going (0:12:06) Al: to, we’re just going to talk about the news and some of them will be from the wholesome (0:12:09) Al: snack. So if you really care, I will obviously link the wholesome snack in the show notes (0:12:14) Al: is linked in last week’s episode as well. You can go and watch it if you really want. (0:12:19) Al: All right, first of all, the stardew value. (0:12:22) Al: It looks like most of the new dates now are on sale. There’s a few that are coming soon in (0:12:42) Al: Australia. But yeah, if you haven’t managed to get a ticket, go check. There might be another (0:12:47) Al: date for you. There is a second date in Scotland now. Wild. (0:12:53) Al: Which is good because it’s almost sold out the one night that I booked for. (0:12:59) Al: It’s in the same place. The same, what’s it called, concert hall. Yeah, venue. (0:13:07) Al: But yeah, so go look. Next we have Pixel Shire. It’s been delayed until 2025. (0:13:15) Al: I think we’re nearly done with delays. I have like two things left on my list that say they’re (0:13:20) Al: they’re coming out this year. (0:13:22) Codey: What are they? (0:13:22) Al: Oh wait garden trails that did come out didn’t it because that was two days ago. (0:13:26) Al: So we’re down to one which is SunKissed City. I haven’t seen anything about that. (0:13:34) Al: Oh no okay if you go to Steam it now says planned release date 2025 they just didn’t post anything (0:13:39) Al: about that. So sneaky, sneaky delay there. So that’s everything, nothing else is coming (0:13:45) Al: out this year, everything’s done. Huzzah no more delays. Speaking of releasing next year, (0:13:53) Al: Island Adventure have announced their release date and it’s super soon. It is the 30th of (0:13:58) Al: January which I was not expecting because when they so I think they announced earlier this year (0:14:02) Al: that it was coming to console and so Switch, PlayStation, and Steam they announced it was (0:14:08) Al: coming in 2025 and I was like oh probably like a summer release or something no no end of January. (0:14:14) Al: So if you have been looking forward to playing this and you either didn’t want to play it on (0:14:18) Al: a phone or tablet or you didn’t want to get Apple Arcade. Here you go. (0:14:22) Al: It’s coming to Switch. Go get it. In just over a month. (0:14:28) Codey: Yeah, I honestly hadn’t really looked at it. (0:14:31) Codey: I think I listened, half listened to the episode, (0:14:34) Codey: but I watched this trailer and I was like, (0:14:39) Codey: oh, oh, wow, okay. (0:14:41) Codey: Like this is more than just like Hello Kitty (0:14:44) Codey: meets Animal Crossing. (0:14:45) Al: Mm-hmm. (0:14:45) Codey: Like I feel like they basically like made it more, (0:14:50) Al: It’s an adventure game. (0:14:52) Codey: it really is. (0:14:53) Codey: It like has the look of Animal Crossing (0:14:55) Codey: and like, I loved looking at like (0:14:56) Codey: how you can decorate your houses (0:14:59) Codey: and the other stuff you can do with the other characters, (0:15:00) Codey: but then they were like climbing a mountain (0:15:04) Codey: and underwater and like all, I was like, oh, okay. (0:15:08) Codey: So, (0:15:09) Al: And it feels really open. So in the trailer, you see five different areas. A lot of those (0:15:17) Al: areas you can get there straight away if you try hard. It’s not super easy to, but you can. (0:15:24) Al: The exploration is really detailed. You can jump up areas and try and climb areas, and you can only (0:15:32) Al: have a certain amount of stamina, but you can figure out other ways to get up in different… (0:15:37) Al: It’s really expansive. (0:15:39) Al: So you can’t get underwater until you’ve unlocked that, and there’s like another area (0:15:44) Al: that you can’t get to until you’ve progressed the story, but like the volcano and stuff (0:15:49) Al: like that, you can just try and figure out your way there. (0:15:53) Codey: Yeah, it looked really interesting. (0:15:57) Codey: I might have to give it a shot around that time I don’t know what’s going to cost but yeah. (0:16:03) Al: a good question. I don’t know if they’ve announced that information. I played it on Apple Arcade (0:16:07) Codey: Did you when you, you played early access or demo. (0:16:12) Al: because that was what it was on when it first came out. Regular price is, oh wait, is that (0:16:20) Al: not a… No, that’s not. That’s a different thing. I was about to give you an incorrect (0:16:25) Al: phrase. I don’t think they’ve announced. I can… (0:16:25) Codey: I was liking what it sounded like though. (0:16:32) Codey: Okay, I would like it to be around $30. (0:16:33) Al: That would feel good. That would feel good. Yeah, the only thing I can see is Play Asia (0:16:34) Codey: I doubt it’s going to be that low, but I can see how they would just be like 60 bucks. (0:16:45) Al: have it listed, but obviously they’re just assuming, I think, they’ll be able to get (0:16:48) Codey: Yeah. (0:16:50) Al: their hands on copies and I don’t think they have a confirmed price. They’re saying £60, (0:16:56) Codey: No. (0:16:57) Al: which would be $70. I don’t think there’s… I mean, obviously that would be inflated (0:16:58) Codey: No. (0:17:02) Al: because… (0:17:03) Al: they’re having to import it. (0:17:05) Al: Oh, they’re saying $60 for that. (0:17:07) Al: I don’t think it will be $60, surely, right? (0:17:10) Codey: I hope not. (0:17:11) Codey: If it is, then there goes my hope of playing it. (0:17:15) Codey: Unless it’s actually really not that popular, (0:17:21) Codey: and then I can go to GameStop two weeks later, (0:17:23) Codey: and it’ll be lower priced. (0:17:25) Codey: But we’ll see. (0:17:27) Codey: Cool. (0:17:28) Al: There’s a new trailer as well, which I’ll link in the show notes. (0:17:32) Al: Rusty’s retirement have released their winter update. (0:17:36) Codey: It’s so cute. (0:17:36) Al: So you want the snow, there you go. (0:17:40) Codey: Well, so it’s the snow, but it’s also you get– (0:17:43) Codey: there’s deer that run around in your thing now. (0:17:47) Codey: You make all these Christmas decorations. (0:17:50) Al: I wasn’t just, I wasn’t about, yeah, I wasn’t pretending it was just, no, I was about to (0:17:54) Al: explain more just to me, just to make it clear. What I quite, what I like about this is it appears (0:17:56) Codey: There’s dogs, Al. There’s dogs. (0:18:02) Al: to be a different map that is the wintery map. And I like that because one, it implies that it’s (0:18:06) Codey: Uh-huh. (0:18:06) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:18:08) Al: going to like stick around. And two, I just, I’m never a huge fan when they’re like, when games (0:18:14) Al: are like, oh, here’s our winter event. And then it’s like, the game is now winter. And I’m like, (0:18:19) Al: I get that and I know. (0:18:20) Al: But artificially restricting me on that doesn’t feel great. (0:18:27) Al: Obviously I’m in the Northern Hemisphere, but maybe Southern Hemisphere people want (0:18:31) Al: to flip it around and do it in their actual winter. I like having the flexibility for that. (0:18:38) Al: So it just being a separate map is a fun way to do it. (0:18:42) Codey: Yeah, I really liked the dogs and cats too, and how they’ll either sleep or (0:18:46) Codey: they’ll just follow you around, or they’ll help harvesting with harvesting the crops. (0:18:51) Codey: Like the dog just kind of like trots up to some wheat and takes it and clips it (0:18:55) Codey: in the house and then just wags its tail. (0:18:59) Codey: It’s so cute. (0:19:00) Al: Looks like a pretty meaty update. (0:19:03) Codey: The characters now talk to each other if they’re bored. (0:19:07) Codey: It’s so cute. (0:19:08) Al: So that’s out now. (0:19:09) Codey: Yep. (0:19:09) Al: Go get it. (0:19:10) Codey: Yep. (0:19:11) Codey: No, well, it’s, it’s, I think it’s just part of. (0:19:13) Codey: This is the base game. (0:19:15) Codey: Oh, yeah. (0:19:15) Al: Yeah, I know. (0:19:16) Al: But people still need to update the game. (0:19:19) Codey: Yeah, correct. (0:19:22) Al: Next, we have the Creative Corners (0:19:23) Al: update for Go Go Town. (0:19:25) Al: That is also out now. (0:19:27) Al: And the main feature is that it adds player housing. (0:19:31) Al: Obviously, you didn’t have a space for your own. (0:19:33) Al: Now, you do. (0:19:34) Al: You have a space for your own. (0:19:36) Al: You can purchase the house from Tier 1 in the tech tree, (0:19:40) Al: which is basically unlocked from the start. (0:19:43) Al: And there’s a whole bunch of props (0:19:45) Al: and what they call doodads, a new type of buildable object. (0:19:49) Al: Doodads are any number of objects (0:19:51) Al: that can be placed on surfaces, walls, or floors. (0:19:56) Codey: It has a lot. I mean, you can pick your color palette like on an actual color wheel instead of like buying (0:20:02) Codey: You have black or blue or purple or whatever. Like you can just straight up pick the color you want (0:20:08) Codey: um (0:20:09) Codey: My biggest thing for them in this trailer is they have singing wall fish. Did you ever have those fish? (0:20:16) Al: I never had one, but I was aware of it. It was all over contemporary media, shall we say. (0:20:22) Codey: Yeah, so I saw that and I loved it. And then there was a (0:20:26) Codey: trailer. There’s like a pentagram on the floor and (0:20:29) Codey: there’s candles around it. (0:20:32) Al: The funny thing is it’s not like an actual pentagram either. It looks like this universe’s (0:20:35) Al: version of a pentagram. A completely normal decor. You can get a murder outline. (0:20:36) Codey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it is, you know what it is. Like you (0:20:46) Codey: can’t get exactly you can get a murder outline. Yeah. (0:20:50) Al: It’s very expansive. There’s a lot of stuff here. Next we have the Mika and the Witches (0:20:57) Al: Mountain update. Apparently I’ve written Mika and the Witches update. (0:21:03) Codey: It’s the sequel. (0:21:08) Al: So this is the second content update. Breaking News, they’ve announced that there’s a third (0:21:14) Al: update so they haven’t put everything that they said was going to be in the second update in this (0:21:18) Al: update. They’ve released this one early. And then they’re (0:21:20) Al: going to have a third update coming. So, buh-buh-buh. (0:21:22) Codey: - I just, in this event, like news press, they say, (0:21:27) Codey: the roadmap has suffered a slight modification, (0:21:30) Codey: but we can explain, we’ve received many messages. (0:21:30) Al: It’s such a weird. (0:21:33) Codey: So now there’s another update. (0:21:35) Codey: And it’s just like, they make it seem like it’s this, (0:21:38) Codey: like, oh no, we’re so sorry. (0:21:40) Codey: We have to confess that we’re sorry. (0:21:43) Al: Yeah, we’re so sorry that we’re giving you another update with more things that people (0:21:43) Codey: And it’s just like, this is a good, more stuff. (0:21:52) Al: have suggested. (0:21:53) Codey: - Yeah, yeah, it was interesting, but, yeah. (0:21:55) Al: How dare you! (0:21:58) Codey: It was interesting, but yep. (0:22:01) Al: Keep on going with the early access tag for some reason. (0:22:03) Al: I still don’t understand why this game is early access. (0:22:06) Al: You can update your game without it being early access, I mean, look at Rusty’s retirement. (0:22:10) Codey: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. (0:22:11) Al: And it’s not like Mika feels like an incomple– (0:22:14) Codey: Yep. (0:22:14) Al: It feels like a reasonably small game, but small games are complete, right? (0:22:19) Al: Like it’s like saying oh this film was only 70 minutes long, that makes it not a film, (0:22:25) Al: because it’s incomplete. And you’re like no no, it tells a complete story, it is a complete thing. (0:22:30) Codey: Mm-hmm. There’s just a, yeah, there’s just another. (0:22:31) Al: Just because they do a sequel later on doesn’t mean it’s like what are you doing? Or like yeah (0:22:35) Al: there’s like a TV show that they do afterwards, or there’s deleted scenes, like it doesn’t make (0:22:39) Al: it not a complete film. What are you talking about? (0:22:42) Codey: And all Marvel movies are now just early access copies. (0:22:53) Al: So this content update brings the Phishing minigame. (0:22:57) Al: It brings a minimap to the game, so that’s nice. (0:23:01) Al: I did miss having that. (0:23:04) Al: I would have very much enjoyed that for the main story. (0:23:07) Al: And a new language, Philencian, is a very specific language. (0:23:13) Al: Is it? (0:23:14) Codey: I think that’s where they’re from. (0:23:15) Codey: I think so because they say at the bottom had to include (0:23:15) Al: Oh, it does say, yeah, we’re very, okay, yeah, we are very proud of our land and language. (0:23:23) Codey: Valencian. (0:23:24) Codey: Yep. (0:23:24) Codey: Yep. (0:23:24) Al: Fair enough. (0:23:25) Codey: Even so, we know that very few people will play in this (0:23:25) Al: That makes sense. (0:23:26) Al: I just thought it was like, are they going to go through all the small European languages? (0:23:29) Al: Are we going to get Scots in there? (0:23:33) Codey: language, but we’re proud of it. (0:23:35) Al: I guess it’s weird that they didn’t, if they are from Valencia, and presumably at least (0:23:39) Al: one of them speaks full engine, right, presumably. Weird that they’ve (0:23:43) Al: didn’t add that at the beginning because they had language support, and adding a translation (0:23:50) Al: is not a huge job for someone that speaks the language that it’s in and the language (0:23:58) Al: they’re translating to. It’s not like, I mean, it depends on how much text it is, obviously, (0:24:02) Al: but it’s not like you’re talking months and months. It just seems weird that it would (0:24:06) Al: take to the second update to add that. I guess maybe they just prioritise it. Just feels (0:24:10) Al: funny to me. Anyway. (0:24:12) Codey: Mm-hmm. The third one is coming out in early 2025. (0:24:13) Al: Yep. And that will add dungeons or something? I don’t know what to make of that, but dungeons. (0:24:18) Codey: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that’s what they said. (0:24:26) Al: We’ll see. Speaking of updates, one lonely outpost have announced their Act 2 update, (0:24:26) Codey: Ungeons. (0:24:38) Codey: Mm-hmm. And they specifically have this, like, warning triangle, like, alert sign, (0:24:44) Codey: and it says that it’s recommended that you start a new save. (0:24:48) Al: So I think the Warning Triangle feels unnecessary, I think it’s just to drag attention to it. (0:24:54) Codey: I know. (0:24:54) Al: I think they’ve recommended that because there’s a lot of updates that you would only (0:24:58) Al: experience early game. (0:25:00) Al: And so if you want to experience it to its full, then you would best to… (0:25:05) Al: I don’t think it’s all like, “Oh, things won’t work properly,” or anything like that. (0:25:08) Codey: Okay, okay. That makes sense. (0:25:10) Al: It’s like what Concerned Ape said about Stardew 1.6, it’s like, “You can keep going and it’s (0:25:14) Al: fine. (0:25:15) Al: you’ll just miss a bunch because they’re really early on. (0:25:18) Al: You know, it’s like how if you started 1.5 with you already fishing 10, then you’re (0:25:27) Al: never going to experience the starter rod, right? (0:25:30) Al: Because that’s something that they added in that update that doesn’t make any sense unless (0:25:35) Al: you are right at the beginning of the game. (0:25:36) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:25:37) Al: That sort of stuff. (0:25:38) Al: So I wouldn’t, yeah, I wouldn’t worry about it. (0:25:41) Codey: Okay, cool (0:25:42) Al: Yes, it brings marriage, which I guess makes sense in a colony. (0:25:48) Al: New characters, quests and maps, there are nine eligible characters that you can marry. (0:26:01) Al: I think the five are part of those nine. (0:26:06) Al: I’m not 100% sure though. (0:26:07) Codey: Mm-hmm. I think it is, yeah. (0:26:10) Al: They’ve also added to teleportation, so fast travel, which is cool. (0:26:14) Al: There’s not a huge number of God school games that have that. (0:26:16) Al: I know Carl Island has it. (0:26:18) Codey: Mm hmm. Doesn’t start to have it, but you have to use the totems. (0:26:18) Al: Can’t think of another. Yeah, I guess it’s not, it’s very limited and it’s basically like (0:26:26) Codey: But. But like, you have to constantly have the total, like, (0:26:27) Al: it’s okay. Fine. Technically. Yeah, it does. It does have a yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. (0:26:32) Codey: it’s not just go up to a thing and just get like whooshed. (0:26:36) Codey: Yeah, it’s a different. Yeah. (0:26:36) Al: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I like the, the, the rod that you can carry around and start you that (0:26:43) Al: always takes you to your house. That I find very useful because it’s like you just hold it. (0:26:48) Al: But with the other ones, the, the, the consumable totems, I just never bother using because you (0:26:54) Al: have to craft them and then use only one use. They do have the pillars that you can buy, (0:27:01) Al: I can’t remember what they’re called that transport you, but they are like so end game. (0:27:04) Al: They’re basically pointless because you’ve basically finished everything by that point. (0:27:06) Codey: Yeah, by the time you get them you don’t really need them anymore because you don’t need to go around. (0:27:12) Al: Exactly. It’s like woo. I can teleport to the mountain. It’s like, okay, fine. (0:27:18) Al: Going to the mountain. I don’t need to. The only one I ever really used was the, the desert one, (0:27:24) Al: because the advantage of that is you can get there earlier than the bus can get you there. (0:27:29) Al: Because you can, you can teleport anytime so you can wake up and go straight there and have more (0:27:33) Al: time in skull cavern. But again, you, you only get that really late on. So also changes to seasons (0:27:44) Al: and weather and gene splicing. (0:27:47) Codey: Yeah, I looked at that and I was like, what, uh, and it says you experiment with a common, (0:27:54) Codey: so you, by doing it, you create like five new things that you can plant and you experiment (0:27:59) Codey: with combinations of seeds, fish and insects. (0:28:05) Codey: So what you take a seed and you’re just like, I’m gonna give it insect mandibles now, or (0:28:11) Codey: like, I’m gonna take this genetic, but I mean, I guess the scientist in me is like, yeah, (0:28:17) Codey: that’s how it works. (0:28:18) Codey: Like it does. (0:28:20) Codey: There are actually things that plants or insects will take from each other, but to like make (0:28:24) Codey: a new thing or like have a new adaptation, but like, I don’t think it works the way that (0:28:30) Codey: it’s fine. (0:28:31) Codey: It’s a game. (0:28:32) Codey: I need to not look for reality. (0:28:35) Codey: I’m really curious what these new plants are like, is it a, an insect plant? (0:28:41) Codey: Like, does it move? (0:28:42) Al: Everyone wants an insect plant. Well, maybe you’ll have to play and find out. (0:28:44) Codey: I do. (0:28:45) Codey: No, that’s not happening. (0:28:47) Codey: Listeners, tell me what the new points are like. (0:28:52) Al: And a new festival. (0:28:55) Codey: Yeah, that too. (0:28:57) Al: Next we have Sugardew Island. They have announced their information on romance. I think this was (0:29:03) Al: their first public announcement that they’re going to have romance. I forget whether I’ve (0:29:06) Al: mentioned it or not because they mentioned it on Kickstarter like two months ago. (0:29:12) Al: The way they’re doing romance is weird. So there are four nature spirits, which I guess are like (0:29:18) Al: the like Harvest Sprites and stuff like that and other in Harvest Moon games and story seasons. (0:29:24) Al: Those four are the only romanceable characters in the game. It’s like they went, okay, romance, (0:29:29) Al: right? Well, let’s make it completely separate to the rest of the game. I find that a little bit (0:29:34) Al: weird. And also they all look like literal children. Like this isn’t like… (0:29:34) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:29:38) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:29:42) Al: Oh, they look a little bit young. No, they look like they’re eight. And I know that Harvest (0:29:46) Al: Sprites, like what are they called? Harvest spirits, is that what they’re called? (0:29:49) Codey: Yeah, I think so. (0:29:51) Al: So they’ll be like ancient, but they look like children, right? Like this is weird. (0:29:58) Codey: Yep. Yeah. It’s a, I didn’t, I don’t, I saw that. I also just like the, the idea that you come to an (0:30:06) Codey: area and there are like other humans around, but you’re like, no, no, I’m going to go. (0:30:14) Al: I want to romance the mythical creature that looks like a child. (0:30:20) Codey: Yeah. That’s a little, a little odd to me, but whatever. (0:30:27) Al: Yeah, yeah. (0:30:29) Codey: You do. You sure do. I, (0:30:32) Al: So they’re sticking with their March release date (0:30:37) Al: and they have announced, I don’t think the physical editions is a new information, (0:30:44) Codey: Mm. I just copy pasted it in there. (0:30:45) Al: Yeah, you confusing me by posting stuff not in your color. (0:30:49) Codey: Sorry, some, some, uh, insider baseball, y’all, I just copy pasted a bunch of stuff (0:30:53) Codey: that I was like, Ooh, this might be interesting to talk about. (0:30:54) Al: which normally, well normally it’s fine because you normally put all your stuff in purple (0:30:56) Codey: And Al then has to read it live and be like, that’s not, I don’t care. (0:31:04) Al: and so I see purple and I know it’s you whereas and if I see white I assume I’ve put it there (0:31:05) Codey: That’s true. (0:31:05) Codey: I didn’t. (0:31:09) Al: so I’m like oh this is a thing I’m going to read out. I’m guessing it’s not purple because (0:31:09) Codey: Okay. (0:31:09) Codey: Okay. (0:31:10) Codey: Okay. (0:31:12) Codey: Let me do my, I’m going to do all my. (0:31:14) Codey: Yeah, and I was lazy. (0:31:14) Codey: I was lazy. (0:31:15) Al: you copy pasted it so it kept whatever it was from the from the the website. Shocking. I mean (0:31:16) Codey: Let’s be honest. (0:31:16) Codey: I did. (0:31:18) Codey: Cause I want to, I want to look as if we have like multiple, if we had like three people, (0:31:23) Al: I mean, I never asked you to put stuff in practice. (0:31:25) Al: You just did that right from the first time we used this. (0:31:31) Codey: I want people to know that it was my stuff. (0:31:34) Al: It’s just nobody else ever does it. (0:31:36) Al: It’s only you that ever adds things into the news, (0:31:38) Al: which I’m not complaining about you doing, for the record. (0:31:42) Al: All right. (0:31:43) Al: Loftia have announced a new feature coming to their game, (0:31:48) Al: which is neighborhoods. (0:31:52) Al: Attach your personal floating island to others, (0:31:54) Al: farming a small, cozy community where you can host events, (0:31:56) Al: hang out, farm together, and more. (0:31:58) Al: So I’m guessing this is like online multiplayer. (0:32:02) Codey: I think it adds multiplayer is the vibe I’m getting. (0:32:04) Al: Yeah, yeah, so presumably the whole neighborhoods thing is just like when you connect online, (0:32:12) Al: the other islands come and join yours and then you can walk to their island because Loftia is a (0:32:18) Al: floating island based game. And presumably when you’re offline, they disappear and it’s just your (0:32:20) Codey: - Mm-hmm. (0:32:24) Al: floating island. So I’ve been keeping an eye on this game for a while. I think it’s interesting (0:32:32) Al: licking. Uh, yeah. (0:32:35) Al: This is a nice addition to it. It’s, it’s the, the animal crossing, uh, (0:32:41) Al: multiplayer rather than the Stardew multiplayer, but connecting your islands together means that (0:32:48) Al: you can go to any of the islands that you connect to go together rather than with animal crossing. (0:32:53) Al: It’s like, we’re all going to this person’s island and you, you do that. Whereas here it’s let’s join (0:32:59) Al: our islands together and we can both see both of our islands at the same time. That’s a cool change. (0:33:04) Codey: Yeah, I like the idea of going and mucking about on your island and ruining things while you and Kevin and Johnny are like off doing something actually useful. (0:33:11) Al: Oh dear, don’t multi-play with code. (0:33:15) Codey: And me just like putting B. (0:33:21) Codey: Me just putting like B graffiti all over. Yep. (0:33:28) Al: and that’s all the game updates the game news we also have two new games announced one of which (0:33:36) Al: i’m a little bit sad that kevin isn’t here to actually revel in his prediction but we do have (0:33:42) Al: a new wildflowers game wild society which by the way fantastic name love it and this is (0:33:48) Codey: Yep (0:33:50) Al: I believe a prequel it is a what they call period piece which I just hate the term because all (0:33:51) Codey: It is yeah (0:33:58) Al: means is in the past um uh (0:34:02) Codey: I mean don’t don’t they ever I think I feel like they only use period piece to talk about like Victorian or Renaissance past like I wouldn’t call something that goes to like cave and times like a period piece. (0:34:12) Al: Nope, nope, no, no. If it’s set in the 90s, it’s a period piece. If it’s set in the 1100s, (0:34:18) Al: it’s a period piece technically. So the definition of a period piece is a work of art, literature, (0:34:23) Al: film, music, or furniture that evokes a historical period. It can be anything. (0:34:28) Codey: He was you were ready (0:34:30) Al: I was ready, yeah. Like, I think the idea is that it’s very clear that it’s set then. So like, (0:34:36) Al: say something like Madam Webb, which is based in the 90s. (0:34:42) Al: But it’s not like so very clearly based in the 90s, right? Like it’s not, we are making this so (0:34:48) Al: obvious. It is because if you pay attention, it’s clear, but it’s not like they don’t shove it in (0:34:53) Al: your face. Whereas if you take, what is that one that people like from Netflix, the sexy one? (0:35:02) Al: Bridgerton. If you take Bridgerton, it’s like very clear it’s set in a specific time period. (0:35:08) Al: But if you take like, for example, I watched our (0:35:12) Al: A time travel slasher film a few months ago, which is almost entirely set in the ’90s, (0:35:14) Codey: Okay. (0:35:18) Al: and because of the story, it’s very clearly set in the ’90s. And everything about it is (0:35:25) Al: trying to evoke the fact that it’s based in the ’90s. That’s a period piece. (0:35:30) Codey: Okay, I need to change my, yeah, (0:35:30) Al: So, yeah, that’s why I hate the term. [LAUGHS] (0:35:34) Codey: I need to change my brain, the rewiring of that term, (0:35:39) Codey: for sure. (0:35:40) Al: I mean, I do think it’s one of these things where it could be argued that because people (0:35:44) Al: mostly just use it for that sort of time period, then what, like 1700s, 1800s, that it’s morphing (0:35:50) Al: into meaning that. But I’m not going to let it happen. Anyway, step into the elegant heels (0:35:57) Al: of Vivian Wilde. Was she Wildflower’s character’s grandmother, I think? (0:36:08) Codey: That makes sense, though. Yeah. Yeah, I went back to the- (0:36:10) Al: So step into Elegant Hills of Vivian Wild, which socialite and host in period drama sim (0:36:19) Al: wild society. Build, run and customize your magical boarding house in turn of the century (0:36:24) Al: Fairhaven, host splendid events, expand your witchcraft and influence the top town. Who will (0:36:29) Al: you invite for tea? So I don’t think nothing says that this has farming as far as I can see. (0:36:38) Al: It’s it’s more kind of (0:36:40) Al: B&B style gameplay. So there’s a screenshot of them moving items around in your boarding house. (0:36:51) Al: So presumably your if you’re running the boarding house is going to be that’s going to be like the (0:36:55) Al: main gameplay. It’s mostly I think the trailer was entirely like pre-rendered story trailer type (0:37:03) Al: thing rather than gameplay and the Steam page has like four five screenshots. (0:37:10) Al: So we’re not seeing a huge amount it’s obviously the same graphical style as Wildflowers (0:37:17) Al: but yeah I mean I know that Kevin is very excited about this and it looks it looks fun. (0:37:23) Codey: You can perform a seance and then at the bottom it says whose spirits will you help with their unfinished business? (0:37:30) Al: Oh interesting, so that’s going to be like the overarching story thing rather than the mystery (0:37:35) Al: that is wildflowers. Yeah interesting yes because presumably you’re starting out as (0:37:37) Codey: Yeah, instead of, like, learning to be a whip. (0:37:44) Al: you are already a witch and I would assume that if because there is like spells and potions and (0:37:51) Al: stuff that you do in wildflowers presumably that stuff will all exist in this game. You’ll start (0:37:52) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:37:54) Codey: Yeah, yeah, but your character already knows them yeah (0:37:56) Al: off being able to do them. Yeah. And they see, say on the (0:38:01) Al: you’re learning new and that. And then obviously you’re running the boarding house as well. (0:38:05) Codey: Yeah, run the boarding house, have a host of parties, and run a (0:38:09) Codey: seance, and hopefully help a ghost to kill their cat revenge (0:38:13) Codey: with murder. (0:38:14) Al: Oh, I mean, that’s that’s one way to go with it. (0:38:17) Codey: I would love that. (0:38:18) Codey: Oh, you can also have a familiar of a cat or an otter and other (0:38:22) Al: Obviously. (0:38:24) Codey: things. So yeah, that’s what it says. Cats, cats to otters. I (0:38:24) Al: An otter, obviously, I mean, what else? (0:38:28) Al: Where does it say that? (0:38:29) Codey: want a familiar underneath the seance. I want (0:38:31) Al: Oh, yeah, (0:38:33) Al: I love that from cats to otters, like that is the entire spectrum of animals. (0:38:35) Codey: And that’s pretty, that’s pretty small spectrum. (0:38:39) Al: Yeah, it’s like from cats to water cats. (0:38:39) Codey: You just, you just listed pretty much. (0:38:44) Codey: I’m pretty sure, oh, okay, but no, yeah. (0:38:48) Codey: But they’re all in the family mammalian or the order class, class mammalian. (0:38:53) Codey: So they’re all mammals. (0:38:54) Al: They’re all mammals. (0:38:55) Al: Is that what you’re trying to say? (0:38:57) Codey: Yeah, and they’re all in the order, the order carnivora. (0:38:57) Al: Yeah. (0:38:59) Al: I’m translating for the listeners. (0:39:02) Al: Huh. (0:39:02) Codey: They’re all carnivores, but then they’re in two different families. (0:39:05) Codey: But yeah, give me a familiar, uh, Mantis. (0:39:12) Codey: I want to know. (0:39:12) Al: well, like the stick insect type thing. Yeah, I’m just like a praying mantis. Oh, yeah, yeah. (0:39:14) Codey: I want to, yeah, you don’t know what a Mantis is. (0:39:17) Codey: Oh, cause you guys don’t have them. (0:39:20) Codey: Yeah. (0:39:20) Codey: Like praying Mantis. (0:39:23) Codey: Um, no, I want a tarantula because I, we just got a new tarantula for our (0:39:27) Codey: insect zoo and I put her on my shoulder the other day and she just sat there (0:39:31) Codey: for like an hour and I want that in a familiar. (0:39:33) Al: I mean Tarantula feels like something that would work as a witch is familiar as well. (0:39:35) Codey: Yeah, praying nature is pretty cool though, or I just really like praying nature. (0:39:38) Al: Praying mantis, not so much. (0:39:43) Al: The other new game we have is a little rocket lab. (0:39:47) Al: Transform your childhood home as you build brilliant factories and forge lifelong friendships. (0:39:52) Al: Then reach for the skies and finally finish your family’s dream, your mother’s precious (0:39:58) Al: rocket ship. (0:39:59) Al: Roll up your sleeves. It turns out that saving this town really is (0:40:03) Al: rocket science. I think so but it’s also it you’re also individually you (0:40:05) Codey: Ha, ha, ha. (0:40:10) Codey: Is this just cozy factorial? (0:40:12) Codey: Thank you. (0:40:17) Al: playing a character like it’s not management style where you’re just like (0:40:22) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:25) Al: clicking and doing things like you are a character in the world who’s going and (0:40:28) Al: doing things, which I’ve talked about in previous episodes, I (0:40:33) Al: I’ve still not played a game like that, because there’s a bunch of games that are coming out soon (0:40:36) Al: that are like that style. And I feel like that might help feel less overwhelming than management (0:40:44) Codey: Mm hmm, yeah. (0:40:45) Al: games normally do. Yeah, it looks fun. The graphics are cute, kind of what, SNES style graphics. (0:40:54) Codey: I’d say that. Yeah. I mean, I just, I see that you build like the little conveyor belt (0:41:01) Codey: systems and you, like it, it looks very, it’s got that kind of like build a, an empire of (0:41:08) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Do you know what? Do you know what? I think that might actually really help me as well, (0:41:09) Codey: resource collection that factorial has, but then it also has like an RPG element and you’re (0:41:17) Al: because one of the reasons I’m not a huge fan of management games is it feels like they’re just, (0:41:21) Al: there’s no real goal other than build. Whereas here, your goal is to build a rocket. You’re (0:41:24) Codey: Yeah. (0:41:27) Al: fixing your rocket. So like that feels to me like I can set that as my goal and play until I get to (0:41:28) Codey: Yeah. Yeah. (0:41:33) Al: to that point and then finish that, you know, could help. (0:41:35) Codey: Well, in fact, Toria does that too, but like the goal once you launch the rocket, you like (0:41:42) Codey: win or whatever. (0:41:43) Codey: And then now with a new expansion, they have more, more to it, but it once you do that, (0:41:47) Codey: it’s like, okay, I sent game over. (0:41:53) Codey: That’s it. (0:41:54) Codey: Whereas this, it’s like, you get to build the RPG aspect of it and like the blueprints (0:42:02) Codey: are really cute. (0:42:03) Codey: your little dog follows you around, and yeah. (0:42:06) Al: Lots of the machines look super fun, like there’s a toaster grasscutter type looking thing, (0:42:12) Codey: Yeah, yeah, and it just cuts harvest hay for you. (0:42:14) Al: which you ride along on. (0:42:18) Al: Yeah, and there’s like a washing machine on tracks that I have no idea what it does. (0:42:23) Al: It’s just one screenshot of it. (0:42:24) Codey: Well, and in the, one of the screenshots, like, is it the one that’s no, (0:42:28) Codey: there is just a washing machine named scrubs who just walks around, (0:42:32) Codey: but his, his language is just like symbols. (0:42:32) Al: Oh, right. Okay. Gobble the gook. Yeah. Wingdings. Oh, you can throw a ball for your dog. So under (0:42:39) Codey: Yeah, it is a wing day. (0:42:42) Codey: So yeah. (0:42:48) Al: about this game, there’s like a gif of a bunch of different scenes, and one of them is throwing (0:42:50) Codey: okay okay i’m almost there i’m assuming oh my gosh I saw it that is very cute so yeah (0:43:03) Codey: this I mean this game looks really cute uh let me see oh it’s just gonna be windows (0:43:08) Codey: lame but that’s fine maybe by then i’ll have a seen dick (0:43:14) Al: Yeah, Steam Deck. (0:43:17) Codey: It has full controller support too for Xbox controllers. (0:43:19) Al: Uh, yeah, yeah, will have like, it’s all very, it’s, it’s funny when we say it, (0:43:20) Codey: » Right, right, coming soon. (0:43:24) Al: because it’s like, what is that? (0:43:26) Al: What is that? (0:43:27) Al: Yeah, coming soon has control control support. (0:43:30) Al: I’m like, are you finished the control support? (0:43:33) Al: Are you just saying that you will have it before you release? (0:43:37) Al: Or is that before our 1.0, like, will it be an early access? (0:43:40) Al: Like you just never know with developers nowadays, you know. (0:43:44) Codey: Well, so the developer is, it’s the, this is going to be their first thing. (0:43:48) Codey: Teenage astronauts. (0:43:49) Codey: I think this is their first thing. (0:43:51) Codey: And, but the publisher also published a let’s build a zoo. (0:43:55) Al: Mm-hmm. Yeah, they’re no more robots. They’re pretty big (0:43:58) Codey: Yep. (0:43:59) Al: publisher (0:44:00) Codey: Yep. (0:44:01) Codey: Looks cute. (0:44:01) Codey: I’m excited. (0:44:02) Codey: We’ll keep it on our radar. (0:44:05) Al: Absolutely, I’ve got it on my wishlist on Steam already (0:44:08) Al: - Thank you. (0:44:10) Codey: I told, I played factorial with my partner and I told him, I was like, oh my gosh, (0:44:14) Codey: there’s a cozy factorial coming out. And he was like, disgusting. Tell me more. (0:44:18) Al: Alright, that’s all of the news. We’re now going to jump into Honey Grove, which is a (0:44:22) Codey: Yeah. (0:44:30) Al: game we’ve been playing. So this is a mobile game. It is I would describe it as before we (0:44:36) Al: talk about the official description, which is you’ve put in there, I would describe it (0:44:38) Codey: - Right, right. (0:44:40) Al: as bees planting flowers and then making honey. (0:44:46) Codey: That sure is something that happens in this game. (0:44:48) Al: I mean it’s the core main game. There’s other parts to the game, but it feels like it’s (0:44:58) Al: the farming in Stardew. Yeah, you can do lots of other things and that’s fine, but it feels (0:45:05) Al: like without that nothing else would happen. (0:45:08) Codey: I mean, the honey part, the only reason you do the honey part is because you then use the honey for cooking. (0:45:14) Al: I see I didn’t, I’ve not really played this game a lot, Cody, do you want to talk about (0:45:18) Al: this game? (0:45:19) Al: The one thing that I, the one big thing, and this is actually the reason why I&rsquo

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