My Aunt is a Witch PS4 review

My aunt is a witch is a visual novel point and click game full of adventures, quests, and puzzles in a magical world where you can become an apprentice to a witch. It is developed by Sometimes You, and published by Sometimes You. 

It tells the story of Thomas, a boy with a difficult life because his father marries a woman who cannot stand him. So he visits his aunt Alice, who, as it turns out, is a witch! So he becomes her apprentice and learns to make potions. 

When Thomas arrives at his aunt’s house and finds out she is a real witch, he also is introduced to her cat who was once his aunt’s lover, but has now been transformed into a talking cat. His aunt is looking for an apprentice and Thomas just happens to be at the right place at the right time for it. 

This is a point and click game adventure game with some puzzles to solve, so the gameplay is a bit limited. You will, though, enjoy many beautiful graphics and visuals, and very nice sounds in the game. Most of the time, you will spend your time reading dialogue between the characters in the game, moving through different locations, solving the occasional puzzle, doing some item search quests, and some quick time events as with most point and click games. This game does not stand out from other point and click visual novels when it comes to gameplay.

The characters are very well designed and animated in the game.

What stands out about this game is the colorful and very beautiful art style. It really makes the story a lot more appealing and engaging. You will find yourself staring at the beautiful graphics as the story goes on. The soundtrack also complements the game very well, it fits the mood of the game, and it makes the game so much more engaging to play. The music definitely pulls you right into the game’s world of magic.
I think that the game was really good when it comes to the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics, and the soundtrack; the only thing that I felt should have been improved is that the characters could have benefited from voice acting. 

Because the story is so engaging, it kept me wanting to find out what the end would be, so if you would like to know more, then I’d recommend this game for you. 

Overall, it was a fun point and click adventure game with wonderful graphics and an amazing soundtrack to go with it. I will give it an 8 out of 10 because I felt that voice acting would have made it more appealing.

My Aunt is a Witch is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS VITA platform. A code of the game was given to me by the publishers for review purposes only.

Rainswept Review

Rainswept is a 2D murder mystery adventure point and click game developed by Frostwood Interactive, and 2Awesome Partners; also published by Frostwood Interactive, and 2Awesome Partners. It’s a very story driven game that touches on many tough issues in our society. 

The story centers around a double shooting in the town of Pineview. Though to its residents, it appears to be a murder suicide due to the relationship the couple had with each other, there appears to be much more to this story that you will need to uncover and investigate in this game. As a detective, you will be studying different characters and getting to know them so that you can solve this murder mystery. 

You will be playing as two characters; Michael Stone, a city detective; and Chris who is supposedly the victim of a murder suicide. 

The gameplay mainly involves clicking through dialogue boxes and reading the dialogue. Though it can be a bit much to be reading all the dialogue boxes throughout the game, you don’t want to skip any of it because it contains a very interesting story. You will also be investigating locations, finding clues, and items before you can move on to the next part of the game. The tasks are easy to complete, and they bring something different to do in the game, so it’s not just dialogue. 

All the characters in this game deal with different emotional issues and dramas, and it all intertwines into the story of the game. I’ve found that some of their stories or things they were dealing with, were a bit difficult for me because it brought up different issues that I myself am dealing with.

The graphics were quite polished, I really liked the designs in this game. They were simple and yet very detailed. I also loved the soundtrack and the sounds because often times it would set the mood for a scene or a place.

Overall I’d give Rainswept a 9/10. I really liked playing this game, it was really deep and meaningful, which I don’t find with a lot of indie games out there. I loved the storyline, each of the characters, the scenery, the graphics, and the sounds.

This game was provided by the publisher for review purposes only. Rainswept is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch platform and on Steam.

Awesome Pea 2 Review

Awesome Pea 2 is a very green classic run and jump 2D platformer game following its first game named Awesome Pea; developed by Pigeon Dev Games and Sometimes You, and also published by Pigeon Dev Games and Sometimes You.

There is no plot or storyline in this game, you are simply a pea that hunts for gold. It offers 25 levels, pixel graphics, a retro soundtrack, dungeons that feature a variety of traps, and lots of fun!

The gameplay is simple, you must run and jump through different dungeons while you try to avoid traps and creatures in order to collect gold and make it safely to the end of the level. If you die, you must restart the level. It’s very easy to be killed, so you might have to play the same level a few times. 

Collecting coins is not a requirement to complete a level, so if you find it hard to get to the finish line as you try to gather all the coins, then you just try to make it to the finish line without collecting all the coins; but collecting all the coins is what you will need to do if you want a trophy.

Along the way you will find traps like bullets, razor like cogs, and spikes, and other enemies like creatures that fly through air, crawl on the ground, and cling to the walls that will try to stop you from making it to the end of each level. As a pea you will only have only ability, which is to jump and double jump in this game.

Sometimes you will have to observe your enemies in order to get through them without getting yourself killed. If you’ve played the first game, then you will find that this second game is a lot harder than the first game, much more challenging for sure. 

I liked playing the game, but there is just too much green. The retro graphics are nice, but I don’t like that it’s all green. After a while I don’t want to look at the screen anymore. The sounds, the soundtrack is quite catchy and fun to listen to.

Overall, I like the sounds a lot. I will give this game a 6 out of 10 because I felt it was worth the money because the game was challenging, and the soundtrack was cool. It was just too green for my liking.

This game was provided by the publisher for review purposes only. Awesome Pea 2 is available on Steam, Xbox One, Switch, PS4 and PS Vita.

Arcade Spirits Review

Arcade Spirits is a role playing/simulation game developed by Fiction Factory Games and published by PQube. It can be comparable to a Sims dating visual novel game.

It centers around the year 20XX in an era in which arcades are still popular. You play as a character that starts a job at FunPlex, after having lost your previous job, an arcade where he will interact with co-workers as well as customers making friendships and even finding love or loves, which is all optional by the way.

Your character is highly customizable, you can choose many different hairstyles, skin tone, eye color, and much more. Though clothing and body style are not as customizable, and could be improved in this game.

You are then introduced to Juniper, your roommate, which you can also try to romance in the game. In this game you are completely free to make the choices you want, but your choices don’t just affect yourself, it affects the arcade itself.

IRIS is a virtual assistant and game tutorial guide that you will be using in the game. It’s basically an app that is given to you in the beginning of the game. It monitors all of answers to questions in crisis situations and during your job and relationships as the story progresses. And your answers fall into five categories, which you can choose whether or not it be shown to you or choose your answers blindly. Those five character traits are quirky, steady, kind, gutsy, and basic. So then how to respond to other character’s questions, and how you interact with them, will score you one of the five personality traits or level up and down how much that character likes you or dislikes you.

The characters all have personalities, and you get to decide how to interact with each one of them through the dialogue choices in order to develop the kind of relationship you want with each character. Romance is totally optional in this game, so if you don’t like that you don’t have to engage in that at all.

The graphics are pretty good and very colorful, though some things could be improved like the body types for the my character could have been more varied rather just one body type for both genders. The sounds were pretty catchy, and well fitted for the game.

Overall, I will give this game an 8 out of 10 because customization of my character wasn’t as highly customizable as it should have been. I liked this game because I like romantic visual novels, and I liked interacting with all the characters, which were pretty unique and had fun personalities. I definitely recommend this game if you like visual novels, especially if you like romance in visual novels because this game has this option if that’s your thing.

A copy of the game was provided to me by the publishers for review purposes only. Arcade Spirits is out digitally on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam and Xbox One! Physical Edition will release on May 22.

Bucket Knight Review

Bucket Knight is a retro inspired platformer game developed and published by PigionDev.

The story is told through visuals, and it’s basically a knight going on a mission to find the Holy Grail while collecting coins to pay his debt. You will be exploring dungeons, killing enemies, avoiding traps to stay alive, and collecting coins.

The game features dangerous dungeons filled with traps and treasures, different kinds of enemies, different types of weapons for your knight to use, deadly traps, and treasures.

There are 25 levels in this game, players make their way through trying to get to the portals at the end and move on to the next stage. In some levels you will need to find keys to open up the portals to move on to the level, while other levels you are being chased by a giant saw that you need to escape from.

The controls are easy to use, you are able to move, jump, double jump, and fire using your gun. You will find different guns that can be unlocked in the game, but they don’t actually change the gameplay that much.

There is a small variety of enemies that you see in different dungeons, but they are mostly similar and have the same patterns. You won’t encounter any bosses in this game.

The theme of the dungeons throughout the game remain pretty much the same, so you won’t be seeing a variety of different dungeons.

You could spend roughly about 40 seconds to about 2 minutes in each dungeons depending on how fast you get through it. You could finish the whole game in about 40 minutes to one hour.

The graphics were very crispy and original. I liked the colorful retro displays in the game, and the black background. I didn’t experience any glitches in this game. The sounds reminded me of retro video games from the 80s, I liked the sounds.

Overall, this game was super easy to play, and I did like playing it. It doesn’t stand out from other similar retro platformer games, but it was still a fun game to play and kill time. I’d recommend this game if you like platformer games and because it’s only $4.99.

I will give this game a 7 out of 10 because the dungeons could have been more different from one another rather than so similar, I also think that there could have been a larger variety of enemies with different abilities to make it more interesting.

Vasilis Review

Vasilis is a handdrawn adventure game developed and published by Marginal Act and ported to consoles by Sometimes You.

The game is based on Ukrainian political events in 2014. You play a widow named Vasilis who finds evidence that her late husband Peter might be alive. It the hopes of him being alive, your goal is to go out in the city filled with chaos looking for new evidences and interacting with different people.

You spent a majority of the time walking and interacting with different NPCs in the game while learning about the situation in the streets.

Although I didn’t experience any major game glitches through out my gameplay — The game did contained a lot of grammatical and spelling errors that made it difficult to understand the story. I found myself scratching my head and wondering what is the developer was trying to convey.

The artwork is what stands out the most for me in this game. I loved the black and white abstract art style of this game, there were some dark moments in the game and the animation effects worked extremely well with the environment.

Overall, I would give Vasilis a solid 6/10. I really found the art style attractive for this game, it would have been better if the presentation didn’t have broken English.

A review voucher of this game was provided to me by Sometimes You for review purposes only.

Vasilis is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch for $4.99.

Music Racer Review

Music Racer is a rhythm based driving game with eye-popping and fun colors developed by AbstractArt, published and ported to consoles by SometimesYou. It’s a remake of the pc version, but without the ability to import custom music into the game.

In this game you will be driving on different tracks listening to music as you try to catch the notes on the road while trying to keep up with the beats. The game is fun in the beginning, but it can get repetitive after playing for a while. There four different modes you can play with, from easy to difficult. You earn points, which can be used to unlock different vehicles to play with, but those vehicles don’t change the gameplay, it only changes the aesthetics of the game. There are also unlockable courses that you can unlock with your points that can make the game more interesting.

There are many unlockables in the game, so you will have to play a lot if you want to unlock all of them. I didn’t experience any glitches in the game or anything like that.

It’s a very easy game to play, and you can even have fun letting the game play by itself while you watch it because the graphics are so eye-popping and fun. There are a lot of flashing things in the game, which some people may not really like as they may be sensitive to the lights in the game, but overall I loved the graphics. They are very fun and neat to look at.

The sounds were also pretty cool and fun to listen to, but this game is not as good as the pc version due to the fact that the pc version allows you to import customized music. This game is best played in the dark for more fun effects.

Overall, I give this game a 7 out of 10. It’s fun but it can become repetitive. I did love the graphics and the sounds. It’s also a very affordable game.

A code of the game was given to me by the publisher for review purposes only. Music Racer is now out of the Xbox One, Switch and PlayStation 4 platform.

 

Woven Review

Woven is an adorable platformer puzzle adventure game developed by Alterego Games and published by Stickylock Studios.

In a world made out of wool, where stuffed animals once lived in peace, the sounds of machines disturb the land, metal insects start roaming the land, and Stuffy needs to uncover their plans, unravel the past, search for hidden secrets, and journey through a land of hidden dangers.

In this game you play as Stuffy. Stuffy is a stuffed animal in the shape of an elephant, who is clumsy, but also kind. He meets Glitch, a metal firefly with no memory of his past, who becomes his companion on this journey through a world of wool, fabric, and hidden dangers.

This game’s mechanics revolve around switching body parts to change abilities in order to solve puzzles in the game. Sometimes Stuffy’s heavy elephant legs and clumsy arms won’t be able to help you with the puzzles in the game, so you will need to find blueprints of other stuffed animals and reknit Stuffy into different shapes, which you can use to overcome the obstacles to solve puzzles. Finding these blueprints and reknitting Stuffy is a major part of the gameplay.

There is no combat, no ability to die, and no health bars in this game; and instead of that, it focuses on exploration and puzzle solving, which gives this game a refreshing experience for an adventure game.

The story of the game is narrated in rhymes, and it’s told by a narrator who comments on your experience in the game. Every cut scene, discovery, and events are narrated throughout the game; which really adds to the experience in the game.

Glitch helps Stuffy by lighting up dark areas and interfacing with machines, while Stuffy can stomp the ground, push items, carry things, and throw his weight around.

It is soon discovered that the machine sounds come from sewing machines, and with these sewing machines, Stuffy can be reknitted into different shapes or stuffed animals parts in order to solve puzzles that Stuffy wouldn’t be able to solve with his abilities. Hidden blueprints can be unlocked with mini action games. Each stuffed animal has their own skillset, which is needed to progress in the game.

The worlds in the game can be different depending on which stage you are at. The first world is quite large, so you can get lost in it easily, while the second world is more linear, and the third world offers a means to travel around much faster, the fifth world brings everything you’ve learned together, so all your skills will be needed here. It takes about over an hour to finish each stage. All worlds are different from each other, so that’s refreshing to the game.

Most of the game revolves around looking for blueprints and overcoming obstacles. When something needs to be collected or interacted, speech bubbles will appear to let you know, so it’s hard to miss them in the game. There are also many collectables in the game, about 50 per world including 30 patterns.

There is a lot of backtracking in this game because you might find a new puzzle in the game and then discover that Stuffy doesn’t have the skills to solve the puzzle, so you will need to backtrack to find the patterns with the right skills.

Unfortunately due to the lack of combat in this game and the ability to die, this game can be tedious as you constantly go around looking for these blueprints to solve puzzles.

Another problem in this game is that in order to collect trophies, you will have to collect all the collectables in each world, and if you miss a few, It won’t allow you to backtrack, you will need to start from the beginning of each world and play it to the end to collect the collectables. Since each world is quite big, it can be a daunting task to complete.

Overall, I will give it a 7/10 because of minor issues in the game as mentioned above. I think this game would be especially great for kids, but it’s also a fun game for adults too. I’d recommend it because of its uniqueness.

Woven will be out tomorrow Nov 15 on Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platform. A review code of the game was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes only.

 

Harvest Moon: Mad Dash Review

Harvest Moon: Mad Dash is a fast-paced crop matching puzzle game developed by Natsume Inc. and published by Rising Star Games.

This game is a spin-off of the famous agriculture series, unlike previous Harvest Moon titles, Mad Dash is not a farming simulator game – it’s more of a puzzle game where players link a certain amount of crops together in order for it to blossom, become bigger and harvest for points (the bigger it is, the more points you get); you have to get at least one star in order to pass the each stage.  The mechanics are fairly simple to Tetris where you can flip blocks to combine with other blocks for a bigger chain reaction, except in Mad Dash you have to harvest it yourself – if you don’t harvest it on time, it will perish.

While the mechanics in the game stays the same throughout the game, the stages will be become more challenging as you progress with unique roadblocks like a running hog that will destroy your crops if you don’t remove the crops from his path, coconut falling that is both good and bad, match pound in order to catch fishes, feed cows in order to collect milk, and so on…, but nothing too difficult, the only thing I found frustrating is that there’s a time limit to complete each stage, as someone who prefers to get the perfect score in games, in this case three stars on each stage – having a short amount of time to complete it has given me a lot of pressure.

The graphics in the game are very colorful, I love the details in the crops progression and how easy to it is to identify different crops. I didn’t like the music at all, it was okay in the beginning of the game but as you play for a few hours, the music gets old real fast and is extremely repetitive, there’s also a different sound beat when you’re almost out of time – this sound is by far the worst sound in the game – it added the extra pressure that I didn’t ask for.

Overall, I give Harvest Moon: Mad Dash a solid 5/10. As a fan of Harvest Moon and other farming simulator games, I was very disappointed with the gameplay style, I was expecting a more relaxed environment, not a fast-paced with strong sound beat putting pressure on me to finish as much as I can before time runs out.

Harvest Moon: Mad Dash is available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch platform. A copy of the game was provided by the publishers for review purposes only.

Whipseey and The Lost Atlas Review

Whipseey and The Lost Atlas is a cute and short retro platformer game developed by Daniel A. Ramizez and published by Blowfish Studios. The game has colorful aesthetics, which reminds me of the game Kirby.

Alex is a young boy who lands in another world because of his curiosity after opening a book. He is lost in a different world and has been transformed into a magical creature named Whipseey. He is given a whip by what appears to be a princess. Now Alex needs to solve the mystery of the lost atlas to go back to his original form and return home. In this game you play as Whipseey as he navigates in this strange new world trying to find his way home, but don’t expect much from this game, it’s basically just many short levels of Whipseey whipping enemies and dodging things that could kill him or harm him on his pathway.

The levels are really short, and sometimes they can either be too challenging or too easy to pass, but it happens gradually, and as you progress, more things that can kill you will be along the way. Whipseey has the ability to whip, grapple on to things with his whip, and hover over things with his whip to avoid enemies.

The game itself doesn’t evolve as you move through different levels, the mechanics that you are given in the beginning are the same ones you will use for the entirety of the game, so no new techniques or mechanics. But the game can be a bit challenging as far as using the whip, so you will need to master the controls, the weight of Whipseey, and the right moment to use the whip; the controls were a bit too heavy for my liking.

The game offers typical themes like snow, castle, and forrest; and the levels are very short. You could probably finish it in about 40 minutes to an hour depending on how good you get at it. The levels are very linear, you pretty much go from one door to the next while killing enemies on the pathway or dodging them on the way to the exit door.

If you are looking for a bigger challenge, then this game may not be for you. There are no difficulty settings, so there is only one level of difficulty, so the replay value is not there. This is one of those games that you play once, and that’s it.

The graphics were colorful, fun, and aesthetically pleasing. The sounds and music are very fitting to each level and complement the game well.

Overall, I will give this game a 7 out of 10 for being a fun game to play. This was a fun game to pass time, but I don’t think I’d play it again as there is nothing that can be different about playing it again. I’d recommend it if you are looking for something fun and to pass some time doing something fun, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking to be challenged as this was not as challenging as it could have been. I wish the levels would have evolved as I progressed through the game and offered more depth.