Oops, Another Roguelite

Wed, Mar 20, 2024 Year 2, Autumn 12

Al and Bev talk about Spells and Secrets.

Timings

00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:03:22: What Have We Been Up To
00:24:23: News
01:01:28: Spells And Secrets
01:39:16: Outro

Contact

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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,
(0:00:37) Bev: And my name is Bev.
(0:00:39) Al: and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. Well, okay, well, we are going to talk about cottagecore games, but there’s also going to be one game, which is not a cottagecore game,
(0:00:49) Al: that we’re going to talk about. I’m not really sure why we’re covering this game, but we’re going to cover spells and secrets. We’re not going to talk about it just now, because…
(0:00:51) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:00:58) Bev: Whoo!
(0:01:00) Al: I’m going to leave the fun review for the end. But yeah, we’re going to talk about that game,
(0:01:03) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:01:07) Bev: Yes.
(0:01:07) Al: the non-transphobic wizard game.
(0:01:09) Bev: Indeed.
(0:01:11) Bev: It’s not that hard.
(0:01:14) Al: Also, apparently, the non-holocaust denial one as well.
(0:01:17) Bev: Oh my goodness.
(0:01:19) Bev: Don’t even get me.
(0:01:21) Bev: It just truly, it’s unfathomable how it could possibly get worse,
(0:01:21) Al: It just gets worse and worse.
(0:01:25) Bev: but here we are.
(0:01:27) Bev: She just continues to die on this hill.
(0:01:29) Bev: The hill just gets higher and higher.
(0:01:31) Al: All right, excellent. Well, transcripts for this podcast are available in the show notes and on the website. As I said, we’re going to talk about spells and secrets. Before that,
(0:01:33) Bev: and higher.
(0:01:47) Al: we have quite a lot of news this week. I feel like we’ve entered a period of news, because last week there was a lot of news, and then this week there’s a lot of news. So I guess we’ll see whether that that continues or not, but I’m not complaining.
(0:01:59) Bev: Well, it is March, so I feel like this is,
(0:02:03) Bev: like it’s cottagecore season.
(0:02:06) Bev: So I think it’s just spring, it’s just that time.
(0:02:08) Al: Sure.
(0:02:13) Al: Well, here’s a question for you.
(0:02:15) Al: Maybe this explains it.
(0:02:17) Al: GDC is next week.
(0:02:21) Bev: Wait, what did you see?
(0:02:21) Al: So the Game Developer Conference is a big, big indie games conference.
(0:02:26) Bev: Oh, is that supposed to be E3 or something else?
(0:02:30) Al: No, no, no, no, no, it’s a big–
(0:02:32) Al: It’s mostly, it’s more indie than E3.
(0:02:35) Bev: Interesting.
(0:02:35) Al: Although E3 is dead, but yeah, it’s a bit, it’s a big thing, like I think it kind of got big when
(0:02:42) Al: like Minecraft was around, like there was a lot of stuff around GDC with Minecraft and yeah, it tends to be more,
(0:02:51) Al: more indie games than, than big ones.
(0:02:55) Bev: Okay, and we know cottagecore is very indie mm-hmm [laughing]
(0:02:58) Al: Oh yes.
(0:03:02) Al: So yeah, I suspect that might be why it’s so busy just now because everyone’s getting all the news out just before GDZ.
(0:03:13) Al: Yeah, cool. So maybe there’ll be lots of news for next week as well. We’ll see.
(0:03:19) Al: So before the news, however, Bev, what have you been up to?
(0:03:26) Bev: I have been, I mean, I’ve been spells and secrets, I’ve been playing Pokemon Emerald because I am, I am trying to do a ribbon challenge through Colosseum, which is fun and has its challenges.
(0:03:46) Bev: I have, I mean, fun, I would, I would say fun.
(0:03:48) Al: Yeah, do you mean actual fun or like fun?
(0:03:56) Bev: I’ve been playing Pokemon Emerald for a while since I’ve played these games so it’s, it’s enjoyable to get back into them.
(0:04:01) Bev: I also have a fancy new Game Boy Advance that has a like lit up screen and like little buttons and stuff.
(0:04:08) Bev: So I spent more than I would like to share, getting a custom like upgraded or a custom like modern one.
(0:04:17) Bev: So playing on that’s very, what’s, what’s the word?
(0:04:23) Bev: Words are hard today.
(0:04:23) Al: Nice.
(0:04:24) Bev: Very nice.
(0:04:25) Bev: There you go.
(0:04:26) Bev: That’s okay.
(0:04:26) Al: It’s not a word that works for many things.
(0:04:27) Bev: Uh huh.
(0:04:28) Bev: It is.
(0:04:28) Al: It tends to not be a great word to use,
(0:04:29) Bev: Mm hmm.
(0:04:30) Bev: Mm hmm.
(0:04:31) Al: but I think it’s a nice experience.
(0:04:31) Bev: And I’m traveling for work starting tomorrow and traveling with a Game Boy Advance is so much nicer because it’s so much smaller than the seam neck or in this one.
(0:04:33) Al: I think that’s a good way to use that word is when you’re talking about it.
(0:04:51) Bev: So looking forward to shaving off some weight for my.
(0:04:56) Bev: travels tomorrow.
(0:04:56) Al: Fair enough. Cool.
(0:04:59) Bev: Oh, and Twisted One New Land as, as well, which we’ve discussed last time.
(0:05:02) Al: Oh, that was that weird, that weird, like an anime Disney, not really Disney, kind of Disney.
(0:05:10) Bev: It’s so good anime pretty boy villains.
(0:05:14) Bev: Yes.
(0:05:15) Bev: That’s uh huh.
(0:05:17) Al: Yeah, I know. Okay. I say kind of Disney. I don’t mean like not official. I mean, like It’s Disney, but
(0:05:17) Bev: It is Disney.
(0:05:18) Bev: It’s Disney Japan.
(0:05:19) Bev: Uh huh.
(0:05:27) Al: not really Disney characters.
(0:05:29) Bev: » Not mainstreamed.
(0:05:30) Al: Although I guess technically they are Disney characters, because it’s a Disney game.
(0:05:32) Bev: » They are, exactly.
(0:05:33) Al: But it’s just like, it’s all, look, it’s weird, right?
(0:05:36) Al: I’m not sure which is weirder, right?
(0:05:38) Al: But I can tell you that the two weirdest things that Disney have ever done are this and Kingdom Hearts.
(0:05:45) Al: And I don’t know which is weirder.
(0:05:47) Bev: I think that’s up to for debate. I yeah, but yeah, they’re based off of real characters and it’s like descendants. So there’s I some of them are and some of them are just modeled after them with like their ideals. Because in the game they are their story is twisted to make them
(0:05:51) Al: Yeah.
(0:05:57) Al: Sure.
(0:05:58) Al: Although they’re meant to be descendants of the characters.
(0:06:13) Al: Whoa.
(0:06:17) Bev: as the protagonist instead of the antagonist. So the main character like gets to see like flashbacks to like a different like a you like alternate universe where it’s the villains we know. And this like main character like you as a player is like what’s happening here? This is not how the story goes if London goes. So I don’t know there’s there’s some there’s some lore in there which I appreciate, it’s fun.
(0:06:44) Al: I’ll be totally honest with you. I wasn’t expecting no lore in this game, right? Like if, if there’s anything I was expecting, it was lower. I will say however, that every time you talk to me about this game, it seems weirder, but I’m never any closer to trying
(0:06:53) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:07:02) Bev: That’s valid.
(0:07:04) Bev: I will say, I wouldn’t necessarily, like,
(0:07:08) Bev: be unsurprised that there’s lore,
(0:07:10) Bev: because Disney Lorkana, the trading card game,
(0:07:12) Bev: has, like, very little lore in comparison for a trading card game,
(0:07:17) Bev: and I’m a bit upset about that,
(0:07:19) Bev: considering there’s so much they could be doing with that,
(0:07:22) Bev: because it’s essentially like a multiverse of characters that they’re introducing with the trading card game.
(0:07:27) Bev: But I digress.
(0:07:28) Al: I don’t know if I want to touch this so
(0:07:32) Bev: Lorkana.
(0:07:34) Bev: Because it’s dangerous.
(0:07:36) Al: Well, I just, I’ve like, oh goodness, here we go.
(0:07:40) Al: I haven’t, haven’t heard of it.
(0:07:41) Al: It sounds like more nonsense.
(0:07:45) Bev: Oh, you haven’t heard of it.
(0:07:46) Al: No, a Disney treat.
(0:07:47) Bev: GG.
(0:07:48) Bev: So Disney has its own.
(0:07:49) Bev: Yes.
(0:07:50) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:07:51) Bev: And actually, this is this.
(0:07:53) Bev: They just launched a new one with Star Wars, as well.
(0:07:56) Al: Yeah, I heard about that.
(0:07:56) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:07:57) Al: I heard about the the Star Wars one and went.
(0:07:58) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:08:00) Al: Yeah, I’m not getting into that.
(0:08:01) Bev: Yeah, I’m not getting into that one, but…
(0:08:04) Bev: Lorkana is…
(0:08:06) Bev: I’ve really enjoyed it.
(0:08:08) Bev: If you’re a Disney fan, I think it’s pretty easy to get into the arts really good, unsurprisingly,
(0:08:15) Bev: and they’re having a lot of fun.
(0:08:17) Bev: This is a game that I’ve worked with, creating “dream born” characters, so you can have, like, a “Belly Inventor” or “Cinderella of the Night” dressed up as a night.
(0:08:26) Bev: So they’re introducing characters you know, but in different storylines, or different arcs that they could be theoretically experiencing.
(0:08:37) Bev: And it’s meant to be very approachable, like Pokémon is the Pokémon TCG.
(0:08:47) Bev: I’ve gotten my partner to play with it to get into it, and I will not complain if I can get them into a TCG, so I’m having a lot of fun roping them into those.
(0:09:00) Al: Okay. I just, I mean, I definitely do not need more trading card games.
(0:09:01) Bev: Uh-huh. But…
(0:09:05) Bev: You don’t, it’s expensive, it’s dangerous, I don’t, it’s fine, don’t. I’ll do you, and then we can play. Eventually, whenever I see you.
(0:09:14) Al: I… well, this is the thing. I think, I think… yeah, well, I presume there’s no app for this. It’s just… well, for sure. For sure they will have one, though.
(0:09:17) Bev: Not yet. I’m assuming they will be, but there isn’t, and they’re now announcing they haven’t announced that they will have one, but we’ll see.
(0:09:27) Bev: I know, it’s just a matter of time.
(0:09:29) Al: Whether it’s like recreating everything, or whether it’s, you know, like a Marvel Snap type thing, a more streamlined version or whatever, but…
(0:09:33) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:09:35) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:09:38) Al: See, this is the problem is I’m more likely to buy these things when
(0:09:44) Al: people… like, when I… the one thing I miss about working in an office was that we had a magic tournament in one of the offices, and it was good fun, especially as we had, like, we did a…
(0:09:57) Al: what’s the word? Where you have, like, a certain number of packs, and you pass the packs around.
(0:10:03) Bev: Oh draft? Ah so good.
(0:10:04) Al: What’s that called? A draft. We had a draft, and you couldn’t buy more cards, so it was, like,
(0:10:10) Al: basically a fixed cost buy-in for each season.
(0:10:14) Al: Yeah, exactly, exactly. It was just a new set. We did a draft all at the same time and, you know, the tournament that we had basically lasted as long as that set lasted and it was good fun.
(0:10:16) Bev: Yeah those were always my favorite events because it was very straightforward and you didn’t really need to come in with anything prior to that.
(0:10:34) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:10:36) Al: I mean, it wasn’t fun enough to mean that I would go back and work in an office. I’m not doing that again, but it was good fun.
(0:10:36) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:10:44) Al: Whereas now I’m just like, “Oh, yeah, I’ll buy 100 pounds worth of Pokémon cards.” And then I’m like, “Great, I got my Pokémon cards. Look at how shiny they are.”
(0:10:52) Bev: uh-huh
(0:10:55) Al: So I go on and off. I just bought a whole bunch of the 151 expansion, which there’s a lot of nice cards there, but I spent way too much money on that.
(0:11:02) Bev: Okay, I know I’m
(0:11:07) Al: And now I’m like, “Okay, I’ve spent enough money. I’m going to stop now and then probably in 18 months I’ll do the same again.”
(0:11:11) Bev: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, I’m trying very hard not to buy any Pokemon cards because I don’t need to collect any more. And with Lorkana, I decided I will collect the first two sets and that’s it. And then Ursula cards and maybe like Ursula adjacent cards. Yeah.
(0:11:14) Al: And for another set.
(0:11:26) Al: Yeah, I think I would be more likely to complete sets if they were smaller, like the 25th anniversary set for Pokémon, I completed that one, and the two Halloween ones, I’ve done both of them, because they’re all reasonably small.
(0:11:42) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:11:43) Bev: Right.
(0:11:44) Bev: And then like 50 of them are secret rares or something ridiculous like that.
(0:11:49) Al: But this one is like 270 cards.
(0:11:52) Al: Yeah, exactly!
(0:11:56) Al: Exactly, and it’s like if you don’t get them, they cost like 100 quid each, it’s not worth it.
(0:11:57) Bev: Yeah.
(0:11:58) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:11:59) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:11:59) Bev: - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
(0:12:02) Al: I think I had a look, I think the trading card app I have is quite nice in that you click on a set and it tells you the market value of the whole set if you were just to buy them all as singles, and I’m just loading it up because it is ridiculous, it’s always ridiculous. So the market value for…
(0:12:14) Bev: Oh wow, okay.
(0:12:17) Bev: And it’s ridiculous.
(0:12:18) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:12:26) Al: And I don’t want to tell you how much money I spent on it, but it’s more than that. Let’s put it that way. So yeah, basically I’ve got all the cheap cards and I don’t have the expensive cards, and it’s like that’s not fun.
(0:12:42) Bev: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
(0:12:51) Bev: Yeah, that’s why I stopped collecting it.
(0:12:54) Bev: ‘Cause I think middle, or a couple sets in Descent of Moon,
(0:12:58) Bev: and they just kept increasing the number of secret rare,
(0:13:00) Bev: so I was just like, this is not sustainable.
(0:13:03) Bev: It’s just no longer fun trying to actually collect a set,
(0:13:07) Bev: and that’s one of my biggest grapes with the new Star Wars one.
(0:13:11) Al: Uh-huh
(0:13:12) Bev: They’ve done it even worse, unfortunately.
(0:13:14) Al: Yeah
(0:13:17) Bev: Have you looked into that at all, or?
(0:13:20) Bev: So they have secret rares of each and every card,
(0:13:28) Bev: and the likelihood of pulling one of those cards,
(0:13:31) Bev: I think it’s like one out of 20 booster boxes.
(0:13:36) Al: that what whatever it is whatever it is like as soon as as soon as the chance is like more than one in five booster boxes like that there’s just no point at that point right like
(0:13:37) Bev: Or something crazy, it might be 12, I don’t know.
(0:13:40) Bev: It’s like a really high number of boxes.
(0:13:42) Bev: It’s ridiculous.
(0:13:46) Bev: Yeah.
(0:13:49) Bev: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, yep.
(0:13:52) Bev: And I was happy with Lorkana, ‘cause the first two sets,
(0:13:54) Bev: it only had 12 secret rares,
(0:13:56) Bev: and I was like, this is reasonable.
(0:13:59) Bev: And I’m not gonna try to collect it,
(0:14:01) Bev: ‘cause Elsa, I think currently is like 800 for your market,
(0:14:06) Bev: but that’s the most expensive card right now.
(0:14:09) Bev: But then with the third set that they released this month,
(0:14:12) Bev: they doubled the number of secret rares.
(0:14:14) Bev: I’m like, please stop.
(0:14:16) Al: I just want, yeah, I just, I just want, I only want the full art cards, right?
(0:14:16) Bev: I don’t like this trend.
(0:14:19) Bev: I was happy with 12. (laughs)
(0:14:26) Al: Cause they’re the best ones, right?
(0:14:27) Bev: Yeah.
(0:14:28) Al: So how about we just get rid of all the other cards and we just do the secret rares, right?
(0:14:34) Al: Like, cause this is the thing, like I’m not doing it to have rare cards.
(0:14:38) Al: I’m not doing it to sell cards.
(0:14:38) Bev: Mm-hm.
(0:14:39) Al: I’m doing it to have the cards.
(0:14:41) Al: Cause I love how they look and I love going, look at my lovely cards.
(0:14:42) Bev: Mm-hm.
(0:14:44) Bev: Mm-hm, they’re pretty.
(0:14:45) Al: And now I’m like, I got.
(0:14:46) Al: How many have I got?
(0:14:47) Al: I have.
(0:14:50) Al: I have four secret rares of.
(0:14:52) Bev: nice. Okay. Like, it’s like 20. It’s like at least 25.
(0:14:54) Al: Of how many?
(0:14:57) Al: It’s it’s no one always is way more than that for this set.
(0:15:01) Al: So 207 minus 165, 42.
(0:15:07) Al: So I have four of 42 secret rares.
(0:15:09) Bev: My goodness
(0:15:12) Bev: And then you have Star Wars that’s like 200
(0:15:15) Al: And you’re just like, it’s just not even worth it.
(0:15:16) Bev: It’s not it’s not it doesn’t make it enjoyable
(0:15:17) Al: It’s not worth it.
(0:15:18) Al: Nope.
(0:15:20) Bev: So at this point, they’re just marketing your people to play the actual TCG, which maybe is where they’re getting all their money
(0:15:26) Bev: but you could easily keep the collectors in if you didn’t make it so unreasonable to collect [laughs]
(0:15:32) Al: Yeah, well this is the thing right if I could spend like so there’s what like three sets a year something like that
(0:15:40) Bev: uh for pokemon yeah because it’s every three months or so well that’s about four um depending on how they line at least the last time I looked into it was both
(0:15:49) Al: Yeah, so
(0:15:52) Al: So if I mean if I if I could legitimately spend like 100 to 150 pounds each set and get the entire collection I would probably do that. I would feel bad about myself because that’s a lot of money on random bits of paper, right?
(0:15:57) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:16:00) Bev: Yeah.
(0:16:03) Al: I’m not trying to say it’s not but but 600 pounds
(0:16:03) Bev: But it’s better.
(0:16:04) Bev: It’s reasonable.
(0:16:07) Bev: No.
(0:16:07) Al: It’s it’s not even possible to do one set a year. Never mind all of them
(0:16:09) Bev: Yeah.
(0:16:10) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:16:12) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:16:14) Al: Anyway, right that’s enough complaining about trading card games. I love and hate them
(0:16:19) Bev: Same.
(0:16:19) Al: And that is how it is
(0:16:22) Bev: Yes, indeed.
(0:16:24) Al: I I have been oh, is that you don’t?
(0:16:24) Bev: But, uh.
(0:16:28) Bev: » I, yes, I was just about to ask you what you’ve been playing.
(0:16:31) Bev: Around the same wavelength.
(0:16:32) Al: I have also been playing Spells and Secrets, but other than that, I have played and finished the new Mario vs Donkey Kong game, which was very fun. I hadn’t played the original, but this was very fun. I 100%ed it, and it definitely was worth the money. It was good fun. Lots of fun challenges. The physics is a little bit weird when you’ve just been playing a normal Mario 2D platformer, but after a while you get used to it, and it’s fine.
(0:16:35) Bev: Mm-hm.
(0:16:58) Bev: Aha.
(0:17:01) Bev: Okay, okay.
(0:17:02) Al: It’s not that it’s bad physics, it’s just different, and you’re like, “This isn’t how Mario moves. Why are you doing this?” But it was okay. I got used to that, and I had good fun. There was only one level that I actively hated, and it was just the worst level. I hated it so much. The rest were good. And yeah, completed that.
(0:17:05) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:17:18) Bev: Hmm
(0:17:21) Bev: That’s pretty good only one level I feel like it’s pretty good for like a platformer [laughs]
(0:17:24) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There were a few that, you know, made me put my switch down for a couple
(0:17:32) Al: hours and come back to it in the evening sort of thing, but there was only one that I was like, “This is just a bad level, and I hate it.” So yeah, I finished that, and then I got back into playing Luigi’s Mansion 3, because I’d started that last year, and I hadn’t really got very far and put it down. And I was like, “You know what? I’m going to try it again. If I don’t get into it this time, I’m done. I’m going to sell it. Move on.” And I did get back into it. So I have an interesting relationship with this game.
(0:17:34) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:18:01) Al: I don’t dislike it.
(0:18:02) Al: But I don’t love it.
(0:18:05) Al: I like the puzzles.
(0:18:07) Al: I think the puzzles are fun.
(0:18:09) Al: I think the setting is obviously very fun and there’s lots of kind of very, very good creativity in the designs of a lot of the bosses and that sort of stuff and all the levels are very fun.
(0:18:20) Al: I hate the controls.
(0:18:23) Al: It is just really confusing 3D controls because the whole point of it is you’re in a 3D world and you’re aiming in
(0:18:28) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:18:32) Al: two dimensions but like two axes. And I just feel like the controls are very confusing in some cases. It’s like you press one button to aim, and then suddenly you have to use a different stick to finish the aiming. And it’s like one of the buttons that you press to aim is on the same side as the stick. There’s not another way you can use that. I’m trying to, like, contort my hand into a way
(0:19:03) Al: that I can actually do this. So that’s not great. I don’t feel like the controls are great.
(0:19:05) Bev: Uh-huh
(0:19:08) Al: Some of it I don’t think is possible to fix. Like, some of it is just, “Oh,
(0:19:13) Al: it’s just going to be awkward trying to aim in a 3D environment full stop.” Right? That’s life.
(0:19:20) Al: But some of it I feel, like, could be fixed. And yeah, it’s not great. But it’s not enough
(0:19:26) Bev: I could see that.
(0:19:28) Al: to make me not want to play the game. So that…
(0:19:31) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:19:34) Bev: Okay, I can understand that.
(0:19:36) Bev: I, that’s, that is one of my games that I have to,
(0:19:39) Bev: that’s in my backlog to finish.
(0:19:41) Bev: I think I have it on, it’s on Switch, right?
(0:19:45) Bev: Okay, I think I, I might have it on Switch.
(0:19:49) Bev: I originally had it on GameCube, but as a child,
(0:19:53) Bev: I was too scared of the ghost.
(0:19:56) Bev: I never finished it for that reason and then when I came to switch I think the same thing like when I am playing it I am enjoying it but it’s like hard to get into if I’m not if it’s not already like on my screen.
(0:20:13) Al: Yeah, so I hope I get it finished before Stardew 1.6 comes out on Tuesday,
(0:20:17) Al: because otherwise it’ll probably be another couple of months before I get back into it,
(0:20:20) Al: because I’ll be playing Stardew, and then Princess Peach comes out on Friday.
(0:20:25) Al: Too many games. But that’s fine.
(0:20:26) Bev: Mm, always too many.
(0:20:30) Al: Yeah. Lastly, I have been doing some Animal Crossing LEGO. So I bought all of the Animal crossing lego sets and for the podcast, obviously, you know.
(0:20:44) Al: We’ll talk about them in a future episode, probably, but I guess so far I’ve built two of them and I’ve started a third one. And I mean, I will say I’m not sure they are the best value for money in terms of pieces. They are quite small sets for the amount of money that they cost. I suspect that’s, you
(0:21:10) Bev: it sounds about right
(0:21:13) Al: know, the general tax, right? Yeah, I mean, it’s not, I mean,
(0:21:15) Bev: and it could also be like geared towards like a younger age group
(0:21:23) Bev: I mean that’s what it looks like to me like the style looks very simplistic
(0:21:23) Al: it would be Duplo if they were doing that, you know. I think the style is fun. I think, I think they’re nice well put together sets and I am enjoying building them. I just feel like
(0:21:39) Bev: Yeah.
(0:21:41) Bev: Yeah.
(0:21:42) Bev: Oh my goodness $75 for 535 Legos.
(0:21:45) Bev: Yeah, that’s Mm-hmm.
(0:21:45) Al: - Exactly, like they’re not cheap, but.
(0:21:48) Bev: No like 75 like, you know 10 20 years ago would have bought me the full Hogwarts castle.
(0:21:58) Bev: So yeah, this is it’s a different time I guess but still that’s that’s a lot.
(0:22:01) Al: Well, I need I do know there’s some like there’s someone has like a list of all of them and their price per piece. So I need to I need to check compared to the other sets.
(0:22:08) Bev: Oh, wow. Okay.
(0:22:09) Bev: Oh.
(0:22:14) Al: But oh, this one’s just a calculator that’s I can do a count. I can do a divide by I’m not.
(0:22:23) Al: So apparently. Did it.
(0:22:24) Bev: But have someone else do it for you, though.
(0:22:26) Bev: Like.
(0:22:31) Al: So I was that I was 80 right for 500.
(0:22:36) Al: Which is so it’s 16 cents per piece. And it looks like the so someone posted two years ago,
(0:22:45) Al: average price per piece for various themes. Star Wars is at 10. Minecraft is at nine.
(0:22:51) Al: Marvel’s at 10. Harry Potter’s at nine. Classic is at six. City is at 12. So it is expensive.
(0:22:58) Bev: Mm-hmm it’s more niche not that the others aren’t niche but it doesn’t yeah especially after 2020 [coughing]
(0:23:01) Al: It is more niche. It doesn’t need to be nice, right? Like I think Animal Crossing is is big.
(0:23:09) Al: Like it’s not as. Yeah, it’s not as big as the four those four that I mentioned, right? Obviously.
(0:23:16) Al: But I still feel like like 16 cents per piece. That’s nearly double.
(0:23:22) Al: Minecraft, right? It’s not. I just it feels not great. So I would.
(0:23:31) Al: Not recommend necessarily people buy it unless you have a lot of money to buy on these things.
(0:23:38) Al: Like it was perfect timing for me because I had saved up enough for the new switch.
(0:23:42) Bev: Ooh…
(0:23:43) Al: And then the rumors are, oh, the new switch is delayed till next year. And I went, oh,
(0:23:47) Al: what am I going to do with this money then? Because I can I can definitely save in a year in a year’s time. I can save up again for that switch. Right. That’s not difficult.
(0:23:50) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:23:52) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:23:55) Al: So I was like, well, let’s buy this animal crossing Lego that’s just coming out then.
(0:24:00) Bev: Mm-hmm. That’s how they get you, Al. Uh-huh. Yep. Mm-hmm. They knew. They knew people were saving and they would be upset about the delay and would spend the money. Yes.
(0:24:01) Al: That is how they get you. That’s exactly why they did it. They were like, we cannot release a switch and Animal Crossing Lego at the same time. So we will. Yeah. So there we go.
(0:24:19) Al: You got my money both times. Congratulations, Nintendo. Shall we talk about some news?
(0:24:27) Al: Ever After Falls have announced that they know when the game is releasing.
(0:24:31) Al: I will quote “We have finally settled on the release date, which will be later this year.
(0:24:40) Al: The additional console versions have pushed back the release date
(0:24:44) Al: another couple of months. We are planning a simultaneous launch across all platforms.”
(0:24:52) Al: I do apologize for yet again to any backers disappointed by this further delay.
(0:24:57) Al: The additional time does allow me the time I need to work on some additional content for the game.
(0:25:02) Al: Ever After Falls will be launching this summer on all Steam platforms,
(0:25:07) Al: Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox,
(0:25:12) Bev: this is not really well written later this year and then this summer like say it’s this summer
(0:25:16) Al: It’s not. So yeah, so probably September. That’s my current assumption.
(0:25:26) Bev: also an announcement about a maybe announcement um it’s not even an announcement an announcement it’s some announcement that we’ve made a decision but we’re not sharing so it’s
(0:25:36) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We’ve made a decision, but we’re not telling you, but it’s this year,
(0:25:42) Al: but also it’s summer. It’s like just slowly narrowing it down. I was expecting, if they had another paragraph, they would accidentally tell us the date.
(0:25:49) Bev: Right, right.
(0:25:51) Bev: Like I could see, I could see the need for this,
(0:25:54) Bev: but why is this on Steam and not on,
(0:25:57) Bev: was this a Kickstarter?
(0:25:58) Al: It was a Kickstarter.
(0:26:00) Bev: So this, like I reckon, like,
(0:26:02) Bev: especially after discovering spells and secrets behind a Kickstarter wall,
(0:26:07) Bev: like a project update after the last time we talked,
(0:26:13) Bev: but I appreciate them.
(0:26:15) Bev: Being transparent and sharing it publicly, but it’s also just not any information, really.
(0:26:22) Al: Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair. I do. It is a good question, though. Like, why have they not put it up on the Kickstarter as well? Because that does certainly feel like, well, this is me just checking because I don’t because I did back them. Of course I did. I back them all because I am a sucker. I don’t remember seeing it on Kickstarter. No, they did not.
(0:26:32) Bev: Oh, they didn’t!
(0:26:38) Bev: Okay.
(0:26:40) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:26:42) Bev: You gotta do it.
(0:26:45) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:26:46) Bev: It sounds like they didn’t.
(0:26:49) Al: they haven’t posted on Kickstarter.
(0:26:49) Bev: Like, this is their backer update, but they decided to just post it on Steam instead.
(0:26:56) Al: Yeah, I mean, maybe they just forgot, and they’ll do it next week when they remember.
(0:26:59) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:27:00) Al: I don’t know, but…
(0:27:00) Bev: Or have a separate one with more info
(0:27:02) Bev: For the backers, who knows ‘Cause summer’s not that far away now Like, we’re middle of March
(0:27:08) Al: Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, it was meant to come out two years ago. So we’ll see what happens.
(0:27:14) Bev: Okay Mmhmm
(0:27:16) Al: March 2022 was their initial date on the Kickstarter. So, you know, two and a half years wouldn’t be ridiculous for some of these. I’m pretty sure this is just one person working on it other than the porting the porting.
(0:27:31) Bev: mm-hmm yeah and that’s fine like well it you and I I think agree we’ll wait as long as we need to to make it good um and I don’t know I just an update about a maybe about a decision
(0:27:48) Al: Yeah, an announcement about an announcement, but not an announcement. An announcement about a theoretical announcement. At some point in the future, maybe.
(0:27:54) Bev: uh-huh yes there we go a theoretical and maybe someday
(0:28:02) Al: Why are GTA VI and Tears of the Kingdom both trending on Twitter? Who knows. I can’t see
(0:28:02) Bev: mm-hmm
(0:28:05) Bev: uh-oh why have they I can’t I mean would it be like DLC or anything like that
(0:28:16) Al: No, it’s not DLC. I can’t see anything.
(0:28:18) Bev: okay okay
(0:28:22) Al: Moonglow Bay have announced that their PlayStation and Switch versions will be releasing on the 11th of April alongside the Picture Perfect update. This update will include new content and features such as decorating your home garden, a new story quest line to solve an ancient mystery,
(0:28:44) Al: Camera mode and
(0:28:44) Bev: I love how just sitting on benches always ends up into an update or sitting on chairs.
(0:28:57) Bev: It’s just a thing that people want apparently.
(0:28:59) Bev: I don’t quite understand it, but yes.
(0:28:59) Al: for some reason. Who knows?
(0:29:04) Al: Fafarm 2.2, their spring update, which is the next of their free updates. It’s not the next of their paid updates. This is going to be releasing on the tomorrow, if you’re listening to this on release day, Thursday the 21st of March. We don’t have much information about that. They say that patch notes
(0:29:24) Bev: Okay. Oh. Oh, bye. Yes. I got excited. I wanted to read about it.
(0:29:29) Al: early next week, so they’ll be probably out by now. By the time you’re listening. Not by now,
(0:29:36) Al: Bev, not you, everyone else. That’s fine, we need some news for next episode as well.
(0:29:47) Al: Speaking of updates, Sunhaven has two upcoming updates. We can’t wait to show you what’s coming in our two biggest updates planned for this year, they said. The 1.4 includes some new.
(0:29:59) Al: And they have been posting about them on Twitter.
(0:30:00) Bev: Mm-hmm, one of them looks like um what’s that one character from Breath of the Wild?
(0:30:11) Al: Oh yeah, what’s the the thing? Yeah, I know.
(0:30:15) Bev: Uh-huh, what I do like that’s my favorite I think um
(0:30:21) Bev: race, race in Breath of the Wild so I’m I guess I’m here for it.
(0:30:28) Bev: Oh, goodness, I like how the topped.
(0:30:29) Al: the Zora, the Zora and prints, prints, prints something.
(0:30:30) Bev: Yes, there we go. The top comment is this is my type, Godspeed.
(0:30:39) Bev: Is it starts with an N or is it an A?
(0:30:46) Al: Side on, there we go.
(0:30:46) Bev: Sidon!
(0:30:50) Bev: I do like Sidon.
(0:30:50) Al: Googling a fish person’s name from a random game that’s not a game we cover on the podcast, excellent.
(0:30:56) Al: Prince side on, yeah, you’re right,
(0:30:58) Bev: It does!
(0:31:00) Bev: I forget if I have something or not. I might be on my wishlist but
(0:31:04) Bev: um…
(0:31:06) Bev: I don’t know if this will bring me into the game necessarily but
(0:31:08) Al: You don’t want to date fake prince item.
(0:31:12) Bev: I mean I would love to date [laughing]
(0:31:13) Al: Carish, the adventurous shark amare who has a heart of gold and a love for many different kinds of sushi.
(0:31:21) Al: That’s weird.
(0:31:22) Bev: Oh my goodness, another, this is gonna make you look to us in Wonderland so much.
(0:31:22) Al: That’s weird.
(0:31:23) Al: Why make your fish person eat fish?
(0:31:30) Bev: So the character that’s based off of Ursula has two sidekicks that are the eels.
(0:31:36) Bev: The eels whose favorite food is takoyaki.
(0:31:42) Bev: [Crying] Uh huh.
(0:31:52) Al: So I just checked. I do have Sunhaven. I have not played it. But I do have it. This is the problem with backing everything that shows up on Kickstarter, is that I never have the
(0:31:52) Bev: Okay.
(0:32:00) Bev: Indeed.
(0:32:02) Bev: This is why I’ve tried to slow down my Kickstarter backing.
(0:32:08) Bev: I was like a super backer for a couple years.
(0:32:10) Bev: I was like I need to stop this.
(0:32:10) Al: Yeah. I don’t think I’ve done many this year. I think I’ve only done one this year, so far.
(0:32:18) Bev: Okay.
(0:32:19) Al: And for some reason, that one was Sugardew Valley. No, Sugardew Island.
(0:32:26) Bev: Well, there’s Everdream Valley and…
(0:32:33) Al: And Stardew Valley. Speaking of Stardew Valley, Stardew 1.6 comes out in the past, when you’re
(0:32:40) Bev: Wait, is it the 16th? Is it today? That work work hard? Okay, okay. I’m not ready. I’m gonna be on travel. I don’t know. If it’s residual stress, I guess. Well, good luck.
(0:32:41) Al: the episode. The update will be out.
(0:32:46) Al: No, it’s the 19th. It’s Tuesday. It’s Tuesday. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. We’ve still got a couple days.
(0:32:54) Al: I’m not ready either. You’re not even doing the episode on it. Why are you stressed?
(0:33:00) Al: I have four days to play this game before I have an opinion on it.
(0:33:10) Al: Each day before the update, ConcernedApe has been posting one non-spoilery patch note.
(0:33:16) Al: For example, “Fixed bug where it was faster to harvest left to right than right to left.”
(0:33:24) Al: And he clarifies the update will make them both equally fast, not equally slow.
(0:33:29) Al: “Extended the area of effect of downward facing melee attacks.”
(0:33:34) Al: That’s very specific.
(0:33:36) Al: reduced the amount of time you need to push against the…
(0:33:40) Al: pet before they start shaking and then let you pass through them…
(0:33:44) Al: down from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds.
(0:33:47) Bev: That’s a 50% decrease.
(0:33:48) Al: I know, but it’s one and a half seconds. It’s not exactly long.
(0:33:49) Bev: It’s needed.
(0:33:51) Bev: It’s needed.
(0:33:54) Al: Spouses now have a seven-day honeymoon period after marriage,
(0:33:56) Al: which prevents them from laying in bed all day due to being upset.
(0:34:02) Al: And jellies, pickles, wines and juices are now coloured based on the ingredient item.
(0:34:08) Bev: I will say that’s a nice quality. Yes, because…
(0:34:10) Al: And that feels like something that probably didn’t take him a lot of time to do.
(0:34:14) Bev: No, no, probably not.
(0:34:16) Al: It’s like, yep, we’re gonna change the colour of…
(0:34:18) Al: I mean, probably the biggest thing was making all of the sprites, you know.
(0:34:22) Bev: right mm-hmm mm-hmm I do like the little banners that he’s created for each of these little updates it’s very cute uh-huh uh-huh
(0:34:24) Al: But anyway…
(0:34:30) Al: They’re getting more and more intense, right?
(0:34:32) Al: The first one, the first one was really just a screenshot of a text in his editor.
(0:34:36) Al: editor and then by this one we’ve got like
(0:34:40) Al: a gradient background, we’ve got the images of the actual differences, we’ve got some foliage poking in on the corners and some dramatic lines at the top and bottom of the-
(0:34:51) Bev: That our fading is different from the previous one, so yeah, more and more elaborately.
(0:34:51) Al: yeah.
(0:34:52) Al: Well, yeah, I was going to say it’s the procrastination.
(0:34:55) Bev: This is just like the descent into madness or procrastination.
(0:35:01) Al: The game is done, he’s just writing up the release notes and boy, he does not want to I’ll be relating up the release notes.
(0:35:07) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:35:10) Al: Amazing.
(0:35:10) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:35:11) Bev: - So good.
(0:35:12) Al: Anyway.
(0:35:13) Bev: Everything about this game,
(0:35:14) Bev: which is why you have Ever Dream Valley and Chigudu Island.
(0:35:16) Al: Why?
(0:35:18) Al: Speaking of Everdream Valley!
(0:35:20) Al: The multiplayer update is out now.
(0:35:21) Bev: Oh my goodness.
(0:35:24) Al: That’s all I’m saying. I don’t…
(0:35:26) Al: I don’t…
(0:35:26) Bev: Even the font, the font, I can’t.
(0:35:30) Al: Roots of Patcha!
(0:35:32) Al: I’ve given us some information on there.
(0:35:34) Al: Upcoming 1.2 and 1.3 updates.
(0:35:40) Al: 1.2 update brings the Xbox release plus kids.
(0:35:46) Al: Patcheons love their kids and so do we,
(0:35:48) Al: so we wanted to make sure having them felt like a meaningful addition to the experience.
(0:35:52) Al: As before, you’ll be able to have two children.
(0:35:56) Al: All right, Chyna.
(0:35:56) Bev: As before as before to what?
(0:35:58) Al: But…
(0:35:58) Al: I don’t know.
(0:36:00) Al: But once you build a school…
(0:36:00) Bev: Are they referring to something?
(0:36:02) Al: But once you build a school,
(0:36:04) Al: you can send your toddler to school and they’ll grow into a child.
(0:36:06) Bev: Oh, they got a school!
(0:36:10) Al: You’ll have a set of dialogues and schedules to interact with you and the clan.
(0:36:14) Al: With your gentle guidance, they’ll start to have their own interests.
(0:36:20) Bev: I think I see a little child play with a pet and that is rather cute, I will say.
(0:36:24) Al: Speaking of pets, that is another thing they’re adding into this.
(0:36:26) Bev: Oh, sorry.
(0:36:29) Al: Animals have helped humanity throughout - don’t say sorry, it was perfect.
(0:36:33) Al: Animals have helped humanity throughout time and soon our pets will as well.
(0:36:36) Al: You’ll be able to assign them to gather things for you.
(0:36:38) Al: A cave lion might bring back meat, while a bunny might bring back produce.
(0:36:44) Al: I love the idea of like a lion just going out and just killing an animal for you and dragging the corpse to you.
(0:36:50) Al: And then a bunny’s gone out and like grabbed some eggs.
(0:36:56) Bev: And then you just have the child just watching this awful terrifying lion come back with this bloody morsel.
(0:37:03) Bev: Yes, just so cute.
(0:37:05) Bev: Such a good bonding experience.
(0:37:07) Al: Dragging the corpse along the ground.
(0:37:08) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:37:10) Bev: I love it.
(0:37:11) Bev: I’m here for it.
(0:37:13) Al: They’ve also added some more locations for your unions that you can choose between.
(0:37:20) Al: With so many beautiful places near the land,
(0:37:22) Al: you’ll be able to select a location that powerfully fits you and your new partner.
(0:37:26) Bev: Oh, that’s nice. I like that.
(0:37:28) Al: Plus a bunch of other stuff.
(0:37:29) Al: They’ve updated the phishing UI they’ve done a new early watering system before you do the
(0:37:40) Bev: I think I’m seeing a trend here where a lot of the Stardew spin-offs, if you want to call them that, are updating frantically in this time period and I wonder why.
(0:37:56) Al: because they’re all going to be playing Stardew, so they don’t want to be, they want to have their updates out before that. They’re 1.3 update, obviously the information is much less in this,
(0:38:01) Bev: Well, they want to cash in on the hype, but that’s one.
(0:38:10) Al: there’s lots of things to come there, including some more romanceable characters, some non-romanceable characters, new biomes, a new cave system, tent sleeping, new festivals, animals, plants,
(0:38:25) Al: a new line.
(0:38:26) Al: fishing minigame hangout spots new cut scenes quests and minigame so I feel like we’re getting close to when I actually play this game
(0:38:41) Bev: I have it and I think I picked it up to play for the Game of the Year episode I did not sit in on and then immediately put it down. So I will get back into it because it was one of the ones that I enjoyed playing for the very very short while that I was lying in.
(0:39:00) Al: There we go, Bev, I put us down for the second time.
(0:39:02) Bev: Oh beautiful. Good. Now I have now I have to go back into it.
(0:39:10) Al: Spirity 1.6.5 update is out now.
(0:39:16) Bev: Oh well, 1.6.5, okay.
(0:39:16) Al: My word up, get better.
(0:39:21) Al: Normally I would ignore updates like this,
(0:39:22) Al: ‘cause it’s like, oh, that’s just bugs, right?
(0:39:24) Al: No, it’s not.
(0:39:25) Al: It adds ducks.
(0:39:26) Al: Ducks are now in the game.
(0:39:30) Al: You’ll now be able to have cute algae eating ducks in your bath house.
(0:39:35) Al: That’s ducks that eat algae, not algae that eats ducks.
(0:39:38) Bev: I want Alte eating ducks now that you say it.
(0:39:44) Al: that would be a very different game. Honestly, it sounds like something out of Elden Ring.
(0:39:46) Bev: It would be.
(0:39:46) Bev: I mean, it is spirity like they could.
(0:39:52) Bev: It does. It truly does.
(0:39:54) Al: Like just this amorphous algae that creeps along the ground and over walls and then finds you in the dark.
(0:40:00) Bev: mm-hmm I feel like ducks deserve a 1.7 update but this the fact that they’re going into three digits and means I think they’re gonna have a 2.0 and it’s gonna be big I guess
(0:40:14) Al: No, it’s obviously not going to be.
(0:40:16) Bev: then why go to point five I don’t get it
(0:40:18) Al: I just, I don’t know, I don’t know, because the last update that they talked about was 1.5.8.
(0:40:25) Bev: Oh, goodness. What?
(0:40:26) Al: What happened to all the, what happened to 1.6.0, 1.6.1, 1.6.2, 1.6.3 and 1.6.4?
(0:40:30) Bev: » Those are bugs.
(0:40:33) Al: What happened to them and why? There’s no information about them whatsoever. Nothing.
(0:40:36) Bev: » They were bugs, bugs.
(0:40:43) Al: Not at all. This is a major update listed in Steam. It was a major update, why is it 1.6.5?
(0:40:51) Al: The one before 1.5.8, by the way, 1.5.3. But then the one before that was 1.5.2.
(0:40:58) Bev: explain the first okay interesting I want this naming mechanism explained
(0:41:00) Al: Also, the first version of the game, 1.3 point something, I can’t even remember what it was.
(0:41:14) Al: This version also adds a new vendor and new seasonal mechanics in the bath house.
(0:41:20) Al: Not just bath, in the bath house. Just in a bath.
(0:41:20) Bev: beautiful Ooh, ooh-hoo.
(0:41:24) Al: Woo!
(0:41:27) Al: Sugar Dew Island, right? Let’s get back into this game.
(0:41:31) Bev: Yes.
(0:41:32) Al: So, they have published a bunch of FAQs.
(0:41:35) Al: I don’t know if you were able to see these FAQs, because is it backers only?
(0:41:39) Al: It doesn’t say backers only, so it looks like you should be able to read it.
(0:41:43) Al: So, there’s a number of…
(0:41:44) Al: Q’s and A’s that I want to highlight.
(0:41:50) Al: So, first of all, they said, “Is the launch schedule realistic?
(0:41:55) Al: It seems a little ambitious for an expected release later this year,
(0:41:58) Al: after just over a year of production.”
(0:42:00) Al: And their answer is, “Yes, it is realistic.”
(0:42:03) Al: Okay, great. Thank you.
(0:42:05) Al: I’m now convinced.
(0:42:07) Al: I mean, the long answer is not any better than that.
(0:42:09) Al: It says, “Yes, it is realistic as we’ve already made good progress in development.”
(0:42:14) Al: Okay, fine.
(0:42:16) Al: They then say, “Depending on how many more stretch goals are reached,
(0:42:18) Al: the plan/release date could still change.”
(0:42:20) Al: Which I feel like is an interesting way of doing this.
(0:42:24) Al: It’s like, “Hey, if more of you buy the game, it will take longer to release.”
(0:42:30) Al: That doesn’t feel like what you want to say to people.
(0:42:30) Bev: - Yeah.
(0:42:33) Bev: No, ‘cause I would argue that, excuse me,
(0:42:36) Bev: stretch goals are part of the launch schedule.
(0:42:39) Bev: So I would almost do it the opposite way if like, if you don’t get as many stretch goals then launch it earlier, but.
(0:42:45) Al: Either that or make them as like post 1.0 right like your your base goal should be a fully featured game that gives you everything that makes sense as a game and if you don’t get any of the stretch goals it still feels like a complete game. The stretch goals should then be updates released after that if you can’t get it in the original timeline. Exactly, exactly, exactly. It’s the same issue I have with carl island in there 1.0 like
(0:42:56) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:43:00) Bev: Right
(0:43:05) Bev: Mm-hmm like there’s they’re stretching you don’t have to have it right now [laughs]
(0:43:15) Al: you got to decide like your game can’t feel incomplete stardew valley never felt incomplete it felt like a complete game with its 1.0 and everything else after that has felt like extra content that we’re excited for not oh yes now it actually feels like a game which is what i’m going to feel like with 1.1 in carl island
(0:43:18) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:43:35) Bev: yeah I guess so maybe oh I still haven’t come back into it fully we need to do a competition and that will bring me into it
(0:43:42) Al: we do we do we do the other one I want to highlight is so question what about romance answer the feature is not currently planned yay success we finally might get a game of romance except except literally yesterday they posted on the Twitter asking how important is romance in a game to you they’re almost We’re certainly going to add romance.
(0:43:54) Bev: You’re fine.
(0:44:12) Al: So, we will see what happens, but I’m not excited about it.
(0:44:19) Al: I’m going to add romance.
(0:44:20) Al: I think it’s going to be really bad because it’s going to be bad because it is not…
(0:44:23) Al: So, the way that they are forming this game is not as a character-based, story-driven game,
(0:44:30) Al: I don’t think, and therefore I don’t think that romance will work well.
(0:44:32) Bev: Hmm
(0:44:35) Bev: No
(0:44:37) Al: So we will see what happens, but I’m not excited about it.
(0:44:39) Bev: Mm-hmm. I like how your comment essentially with this this
(0:44:44) Bev: Comment is the top one and I just liked it. So there you go. Now you have the most likes in this post [laughter]
(0:44:53) Al: However, one thing I am excited about, how will the time work in the game and how will save work?
(0:45:00) Al: Our game is turn-based.
(0:45:02) Al: You have as much time as you want per day as there is no timer in the game.
(0:45:06) Al: The only rule is that you can only open the store once a day.
(0:45:09) Al: There are three sections of the day.
(0:45:11) Al: When you start the day, it’s in the morning.
(0:45:13) Al: When you open the store, it’s noon, and when you close the store, it’s in the evening.
(0:45:17) Al: You can save your game manually in the house, but when you end the day, we also save automatically.
(0:45:21) Al: So there’s two things here.
(0:45:22) Al: the save. Let’s get the save.
(0:45:24) Al: I know that these things don’t like to be, allow you to save whatever you want, so you can like, save, scam a bunch of stuff, fine, whatever. I like however that is giving you the option to save in the house, so you can at least you don’t have to do that thing of “oh well I need to finish the day” and then you get to the end of the day and like “oh I’ll just do a little bit more” and you end up in that non-sleeping cycle.
(0:45:45) Al: So, fine, good enough.
(0:45:49) Al: But this idea of not having
(0:45:53) Al: a timer on your day and you can spend as much time in the day as you want.
(0:45:58) Al: I am very intrigued by this and now I have gone from I’m not excited about this game
(0:46:03) Bev: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Dude, I feel like we talked about this last time. It was about Sugadu,
(0:46:04) Al: to I will I need to play this game and see how this works.
(0:46:13) Bev: right? It wasn’t the nukazan. Okay, I’m having like deja vu and I’m wondering like,
(0:46:14) Al: Well, they only announced this information this week, so I don’t think we have.
(0:46:21) Bev: what did we talk about? Okay, maybe that’s it. Okay, um, yes, I am very interested in a turn base because that I feel like feels even more cozy and that you don’t
(0:46:21) Al: We did talk about it in the Slack.
(0:46:33) Bev: have that that stress that’s associated with the time of like needing to run back to your house before you drop dead um well not drop dead but you know whatever um uh-huh truly um I appreciate the games where they don’t um they’ll like slap your wrist for for running out of time uh because it’s just no one no one enjoys that no one likes being in the middle
(0:46:44) Al: I know what you mean.
(0:46:46) Al: It may as well be dead.
(0:47:03) Bev: of a task. And then like, all of a sudden realized like, oh,
(0:47:06) Bev: it’s past like 1am. And now I’m, I can’t finish my task because I ran out of time.
(0:47:12) Al: Yeah. So I’m going to assume that it still has an energy mechanic, because they have to have some way of you not just infinitely doing something, right? Well, except that Animal Crossing still isn’t infinite, because your timer is just your real-life timer. It has a timer for your day.
(0:47:22) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:47:28) Bev: Mm-hmm or just do it infinitely like Animal Crossing you do that a polya for the most part you do that
(0:47:42) Bev: Well, Al, like, then that- that every game has a real-life Tiber.
(0:47:47) Al: OK, sure. I think it’s different, but that’s fine. We’ll move on from that. But I suspect it will have an energy mechanic and that will be the limiting factor on each day, which I think is fine. And I think it’s good because I guess the problem, and I hadn’t really thought about this until this was brought up, but I think it’s very…
(0:47:56) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:48:01) Bev: Mm.
(0:48:03) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:48:17) Al: very odd to have two limitations on you for one thing, which is essentially how long you’re going to spend in the day. And that problem of, “Oh, no, it’s the end of the day. I wasn’t paying attention to the time.” That’s because you’ve got two things to pay attention to.
(0:48:22) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:48:32) Bev: Mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm.
(0:48:35) Al: You’re paying attention to the time and you’re also paying attention to your energy, your stamina. And it’s hard to keep a track of those things as well as play the game at the the same time, right?
(0:48:45) Al: Thank you.
(0:48:47) Al: And so I think this idea of only having one of those, either having a timer or having stamina, I think is a really good idea. I think more games should look into this and I’ll be interested to see how this plays. Maybe in August when this game comes out.
(0:49:02) Al: Maybe in two years when it actually
(0:49:06) Bev: - Agreed.
(0:49:07) Bev: And I could see, like, I feel like early on anyway,
(0:49:10) Bev: like you don’t have enough energy to do much of anything.
(0:49:15) Bev: So I could see them having like a shorter day in the beginning.
(0:49:18) Bev: And then if they are running off of an energy system that your energy like continues to uncaps and, you know, continues to grow.
(0:49:26) Bev: So your days get longer and you have more things to do.
(0:49:27) Al: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s fun, because that’s essentially how I play these games to start with anyway, is I go and do whatever stamina I have, I basically speedrun the days, right?
(0:49:30) Bev: I like that.
(0:49:32) Bev: Like, it’s like, yeah.
(0:49:39) Al: I go and do as much as I can with the stamina I have, but I’m not wasting money or time getting something to replenish that stamina, and then I go to bed, right? And so this essentially does that same thing, but it’s kind of…
(0:49:46) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:49:59) Bev: I should probably play like that way because I just find other things to do that don’t require energy but then I come across things that require energy and get frustrated that I can’t do them.
(0:50:07) Al: Yeah, I think the thing about these things is like, I go, why would I not, why do I care about forcing as much into the day as possible when, yes, you’ve got the two year point in Stardew where grandpa comes to judge you from beyond the grave for some reason, and for some reason it’s a negative to be single. Don’t like that. Although there’s that, there’s There’s nothing else in the game.
(0:50:07) Bev: um, so. (laughs)
(0:50:22) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:50:26) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:50:28) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:50:38) Al: Oh, you need to do this by this point or something.
(0:50:40) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:50:41) Al: And it’s like the classic is like, oh, I don’t have someone to dance with at the
(0:50:45) Al: festival in the first spring.
(0:50:45) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:50:46) Al: Oh, dear, I don’t know what you’re going to do.
(0:50:48) Bev: Oh dear right
(0:50:49) Al: Like two years is a lot of time in Stardew.
(0:50:52) Al: The number of people that actually get to
(0:50:52) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:50:54) Al: year two, probably very small, right, like I was talking to my brother-in-law about this and he was like, oh, I finally got to winter in Coral Island.
(0:50:56) Bev: Mm-hmm
(0:51:04) Bev: Oh, wow.
(0:51:05) Al: And I was like, oh, that’s great.
(0:51:07) Al: Because he’d never done it and he’d never done it in Stardew.
(0:51:08) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:51:09) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:51:09) Al: And my question is like, actually, how many people are like that where they’re
(0:51:13) Al: like, actually, they don’t really care about going through as much as possible and doing they’re just playing it until they’re done.
(0:51:20) Al: They’re playing it until they’ve had enough fun out of that.
(0:51:23) Al: And
(0:51:25) Al: so why why would I shove as much as I can into those days when I can just do those
(0:51:30) Al: things later, like if I if my spring year one takes me an hour to do because I’m
(0:51:37) Al: that just that’s I can do those things the next spring.
(0:51:38) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:51:40) Al: Right. I don’t need to do them now.
(0:51:43) Al: And
(0:51:45) Al: that’s my that’s really my philosophy of how I play these games, because I
(0:51:51) Al: you know, it’s never fun coming to the podcast and I’ve spent two weeks on a
(0:51:56) Al: game and I’m like, oh, yeah, I’m in summer, summer year one.
(0:52:00) Al: Right. Like that always feels a little bit like I’ve not done enough.
(0:52:03) Bev: Yeah, I understand.
(0:52:03) Al: I can spend the exact same amount of time in game.
(0:52:04) Bev: Yeah.
(0:52:05) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:52:07) Al: I’ve sped run spring.
(0:52:10) Al: And probably sped run winter because winter.
(0:52:14) Al: And I’m in year two now.
(0:52:16) Al: That feels a lot better.
(0:52:17) Al: And I feel like I’ve experienced more of the game because you can experience more
(0:52:21) Al: festivals, you can experience more of the bits of the game that only happen at
(0:52:22) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:52:26) Al: specific times in the year. Right.
(0:52:28) Al: So I try not to miss all of those things.
(0:52:31) Al: Sometimes I forget because, you know, classic me.
(0:52:35) Al: but I don’t.
(0:52:37) Al: Like, oh, if I had spent another five minutes in each day in spring, would I somehow have enjoyed the game more?
(0:52:44) Bev: I would argue it’s most people because there’s a reason why achievements are based off of plot points within the game storyline or like you know quest line.
(0:52:58) Bev: So a lot of people probably don’t get to year two in Sardu.
(0:53:01) Bev: I know I didn’t for the longest time I think up until maybe a couple like one or two years ago because I just kept restarting and getting new farms mostly.
(0:53:15) Bev: But yeah and a lot of that was me trying to do every like trying to min max like every single like second of the day to prep in advance for year two and then when I finally got to year two I stopped worrying about that which is like this I’m gonna get to it when I get to it.
(0:53:33) Bev: Mmhmm.
(0:53:34) Al: Well, here’s an, so I was looking at, on Steam, you can see what percentage of people have done specific achievements. The highest achievement is earn 15,000 G, right? Not a lot. 63% of players have done that. Catch 10 different fish. 10, 10 different fish, 56%. Upgrade your house. So just once, just one upgrade to your house, 43%. Reach the lowest level below the mine, so that’s 40, 40 levels.
(0:53:45) Bev: Mm-hm, mm-hm.
(0:53:58) Bev: Uh-huh, uh-huh.
(0:54:04) Al: on the mine. It takes a while, but it’s not like a lot. If you do a full year in the game,
(0:54:09) Al: you’ve probably done that. 42%. Only 42% of people have done that.
(0:54:10) Bev: yeah just naturally
(0:54:15) Bev: so there you go now a lot of people are getting into it
(0:54:17) Al: Craft 15 different items, 15 different items, 37%. Right? These things are not…
(0:54:23) Bev: oh my goodness
(0:54:26) Bev: but who likes crafting
(0:54:28) Al: People aren’t playing this game the way we are playing this game.
(0:54:32) Al: Reach five heart.
(0:54:34) Al: With four people.
(0:54:37) Al: Pretty easy.
(0:54:37) Al: 26%.
(0:54:41) Al: Now it’s interesting.
(0:54:42) Al: This is higher than I expected.
(0:54:43) Al: Restore the community center.
(0:54:46) Al: 20%.
(0:54:46) Al: That’s higher than I expected because that’s a lot of work.
(0:54:49) Bev: Mm-hmm, just to unlock things, it doesn’t it doesn’t really well well I guess okay so it does right so that could be it too that there’s clear cut goals whereas the other ones aren’t necessarily written out in the game.
(0:55:10) Al: Yeah, I suspect it’s one of these things where it’s like once you get to like that sort of 20%, that’s the hardcore players and so they’re going to do most things.
(0:55:15) Bev: Right, right, yeah.
(0:55:18) Al: I mean, obviously, once you get to ship every item, what’s your guess of that percentage?
(0:55:19) Bev: Mm-hmm, like 0.6.
(0:55:26) Al: Actually higher, 3.2%.
(0:55:27) Bev: Oh wow, okay, okay.
(0:55:32) Al: But yeah, not particularly.
(0:55:33) Bev: Because you would need at least two years unless you have that one setting done where you can get that one crop.
(0:55:44) Al: So, yeah, I think it’s, you know, that’s why my point is I like to speed run spring.
(0:55:53) Al: And I like the idea that I could do that without feeling like people are going, oh, you’re playing it wrong, because I’m just I’m playing the game the way it is designed.
(0:56:00) Bev: There is, yeah, there is no, like,
(0:56:02) Bev: there is no right way to play Stardew.
(0:56:03) Al: I know, I know, I know.
(0:56:05) Al: I just think it’s interesting to see how that will work.
(0:56:07) Al: So I am now, instead of sighing about the fact that this game exists and wondering why
(0:56:15) Al: people are backing it while backing it myself, I am instead looking at it going, I am intrigued to see how this game.
(0:56:22) Bev: Uh-huh.
(0:56:24) Bev: Mm-hmm. Very good.
(0:56:25) Bev: Especially because of the turn-based, which is a unique feature in–
(0:56:32) Al: So, we have another new game, Creatures of Eva. This is coming out this year. I think it’s only on Steam, I haven’t seen anything about it being on something else, and I’ll read out its blurb. “Let your empathy guide you as you play an exciting action-adventure creature saver game. Understand and tame the creatures of Eva and let them lead you through
(0:57:04) Al: So it’s not the most cottagecore, it’s a little bit more kind of involved than some cottagecore games would be, but it feels along the same sort of lines. And I really like games that promote kind of biodiversity and even though it’s very clearly on a different planet, like it’s not earth diverse, bio, the biology, I guess that’s the bio in biodiversity.
(0:57:06) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:57:12) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:57:15) Bev: It does.
(0:57:21) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:57:24) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(0:57:32) Bev: Biome, uh-huh, um…
(0:57:37) Bev: Yeah, oddly enough, it has, like, similar to Starfield in Steam for me, which is…
(0:57:44) Bev: Yeah, very interesting. I’m not– I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s– like, I would think that,
(0:57:48) Bev: uh, Paleo Pines would be closer to this than Starfield, but sure. I guess there might be,
(0:57:56) Al: Space.
(0:57:56) Bev: like, some exploration? It is in space. That’s the ticket, right?
(0:57:56) Al: Space.
(0:57:58) Al: Space!
(0:57:58) Al: Space!
(0:58:00) Al: Yeah, it says to me this game doesn’t look like other things you’ve played in the past.
(0:58:06) Bev: Um, but I–
(0:58:10) Al: As such, we don’t have much information on whether you might or not-
(0:58:10) Bev: Yes.
(0:58:14) Bev: Ooh, okay, interesting. Okay, I love the look of this. It’s very vibrant. Um, if you’re very–
(0:58:21) Bev: if you’re familiar with the board game Evolution, it almost feels like that art style, um, and that the animals are very colorful. Um, sorry, I’m wondering if there’s some, like, overlap with,
(0:58:34) Bev: like the art the artist
(0:58:36) Bev: here, but I will be looking into this because I like the look of this a lot.
(0:58:42) Al: Yeah, me too. It’s definitely on my wish list.
(0:58:46) Al: So I feel like it should change now because it’s like it does have some information on whether I may be interested in it. I put it on my wish list.
(0:58:53) Bev: Now other things are going to start comparing itself to this game.
(0:58:57) Al: Well if I look at them more like this, like I’ve played a bunch of games that are like it, so you know, it’s just not played them on Steam.
(0:59:03) Bev: A Jedi survivor is.
(0:59:05) Al: Yeah, I think it’s just because it calls itself.
(0:59:06) Bev: On here, the more like this, and Spider-Man.
(0:59:12) Al: action adventure. Like basically there’s going to be some combat in it and you jump over ledges.
(0:59:13) Bev: OK, that would do it.
(0:59:18) Bev: OK.
(0:59:19) Al: There is platforming and there is combat. That’s what makes action adventure.
(0:59:24) Bev: All right, slime rancher is what they should have said.
(0:59:24) Al: It’s the action. Well, Slime Ranch is also in the lead.
(0:59:26) Bev: This is like slime.
(0:59:29) Bev: Yeah, but that’s a better comparison than Starfield.
(0:59:33) Al: Oh, have you played Slime Rancher though on Steam?
(0:59:36) Bev: I’ve played the first one.
(0:59:37) Bev: I haven’t played the second one.
(0:59:38) Al: Okay, well interestingly there’s only two that seems to-
(0:59:44) Bev: I don’t know, there’s some weird formula in here.
(0:59:48) Bev: Like, it’s only new games that are featured in here.
(0:59:51) Al: genres are silly. But I like the look of this and I feel like action adventure is the most silly genre because it’s just like you you do actions in every game and like 90 percent of games have some adventure in them. Like what are you what are you talking about?
(0:59:51) Bev: So, yes, indeed.
(1:00:06) Bev: Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Who knows?
(1:00:19) Al: Finally, the Wholesome Games have announced
(1:00:21) Al: that their Wholesome Direct will return this June a full length showcase packed with exclusive footage and announcements from Cute and Cozy Indie Games. As always, anyone can submit their game for consideration. I do find it funny that they’re basically assuming that they’re going to have some exclusive footage and announcements because like they won’t have it already it’s March.
(1:00:42) Bev: Uh-huh, yes, I would hope so.
(1:00:45) Al: So they’re pretty confident about things just now which I mean fair they’ve had some pretty big announcements over the years but yeah.
(1:00:48) Bev: Uh-huh.
(1:00:52) Bev: Yeah, and they’re probably the biggest wholesome or college core news outlet that there is, I would think.
(1:01:05) Bev: Or like, they’re the biggest direct, I guess.
(1:01:09) Bev: If that’s, I don’t know how to describe this.
(1:01:10) Al: Yeah, I know what you mean.
(1:01:13) Bev: Okay, thank you.
(1:01:16) Al: That’s the news.
(1:01:18) Bev: Yay!
(1:01:21) Bev: Ah, that was a lot.
(1:01:23) Al: It was, it was, but it’s all exciting, all good.
(1:01:25) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:01:27) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:01:30) Al: All right, spells and secrets.
(1:01:34) Bev: I love your first bullet.
(1:01:38) Al: Bev, oh no.
(1:01:40) Al: It’s a roguelike, again.
(1:01:43) Bev: Have we covered every roguelike together that we’ve covered on this podcast?
(1:01:49) Al: - Rogue like or rogue light?
(1:01:50) Bev: There’s a ton of crap.
(1:01:53) Al: I think we’ve only actually covered two rogue likes.
(1:01:55) Al: So there was this and the horror one.
(1:01:59) Al: Did you do the horror one with me or was that was, no, no, not atomic crops.
(1:02:00) Bev: Oh, the cole of the lamb, wait that’s also, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, it’s one letter,
(1:02:02) Al: That was the rogue light.
(1:02:04) Al: No, I think it was, was it Kelly I covered it with?
(1:02:07) Al: The horror one?
(1:02:10) Al: No, no, no, that’s a rogue light as well.
(1:02:17) Bev: I can’t, okay.
(1:02:20) Al: October– pumpkin panic.
(1:02:21) Al: Yeah, that was me and Kelly.
(1:02:24) Al: I think that’s the only other rogue-like rather than rogue-light.
(1:02:27) Al: I think everything else that we’ve covered is a rogue-light.
(1:02:29) Bev: remind me what a rogue like is.
(1:02:31) Al: So rogue-like is when everything resets for each turn you do.
(1:02:38) Al: A rogue-light is where you upgrade things between runs.
(1:02:42) Bev: Okay, this is a rogue light then, because you can upgrade things between runs.
(1:02:47) Al: Well, it says roguelike on Steam, and I’ll be honest with you.
(1:02:50) Bev: Well, they got it wrong.
(1:02:52) Al: I’ll be honest with you, Bev, I didn’t play after the first run.
(1:02:59) Bev: Okay, so this is this is how it’s gonna go.
(1:03:01) Al: This is how it’s going to go.
(1:03:03) Al: So, um, so first of all, it does advertise itself this way.
(1:03:09) Al: I’m just an idiot.
(1:03:11) Al: I have no idea why I wanted to cover this game.
(1:03:14) Al: Um, it is in no way is this.
(1:03:17) Al: A Cottagecore game, or a farming game.
(1:03:20) Bev: Okay. I disagree. I’m gonna try. Definitely not far- well farming in the sense that you’re farming the dungeons. But not farming in the farming. Listen, farming is- the term farming is used in multiple ways, okay? Um, but- yes.
(1:03:20) Al: I don’t think you can argue that at all, but it sounds like you’re gonna try, so go for it.
(1:03:34) Al: Wow, really?
(1:03:42) Al: You farm XP and you farm spells, and in that case you can farm in every game.
(1:03:47) Al: Congratulations, every game is a farming game.
(1:03:50) Bev: This is how we, this is our multiverse expansion into our podcast.
(1:03:56) Bev: But no, I would argue it’s a cottagecore game based off of the feel and the vibe of it.
(1:04:02) Bev: Because yes, it is a rogue light, not a like, light, spells and secrets.
(1:04:08) Al: I’m gonna need to I’m gonna need to know what what you upgrade between because everything I’ve seen is
(1:04:14) Al: Like I’m pretty sure you lose all your spells between runs and stuff. Don’t you?
(1:04:17) Bev: you get additional so your spells are permanent spells are not it’s your artifacts that you lose throughout the game so the artifacts upgrades temporarily upgrades your spells yes uh-huh but you would know this had you but I like for a rogue light or like there is no stress I feel like to this
(1:04:21) Al: How are they
(1:04:30) Al: and also any progress that you made at all, which is why I don’t like these games.
(1:04:47) Bev: I did not come into this like thinking like I’m going to die and like all my practice is gonna be lost it’s gonna be awful and like I would with any other game like Hades or atomic atomic ops which is awful so in in that respect it feels it almost feels natural that you’re going through these dungeons and just slowly like killing off things and yes you will lose some of your things
(1:05:17) Bev: for the most part you’re really only losing potions and artifacts and one currency and there’s even oh no you have a griffin feather that lets you that pulls you away is see I interpreted it as like hawks for my hero where it’s just like a little feather is like pulling you by the short sleeve and is is removing, physically removing you.
(1:05:24) Al: And your life.
(1:05:30) Al: Well…
(1:05:32) Al: Yeah, yeah.
(1:05:34) Al: It brings you back to life.
(1:05:47) Bev: from the danger. I don’t know.
(1:05:48) Al: Oh see I’d assume that it like you die and then it respawns you basically like it’s a respawner.
(1:05:56) Bev: I mean maybe it is. Maybe I’m misremembering. I only have like a like under 10 hours of this game in here as well myself
(1:06:02) Al: under 10 hours whoa I also I also have under 10 hours
(1:06:06) Bev: Hey, I did I got more than you
(1:06:10) Bev: Okay, I will check right now. Oh my goodness
(1:06:12) Al: I have 1.9 hours why would you describe it like that 1.9 what’s 0.9 of an hour what is 0.9 of an hour it is 54 minutes is 0.9 of an hour so if you just go on to Yeah
(1:06:19) Bev: I
(1:06:21) Bev: Don’t know. Oh wait. How do I check my hours?
(1:06:27) Bev: A few game details?
(1:06:29) Bev: No.
(1:06:31) Bev: Oh, I got it.
(1:06:32) Bev: 8.7, 8.7 hours.
(1:06:32) Al: eight point seven was point seven of an hour 42 minutes [The end]
(1:06:35) Bev: So almost 10.
(1:06:38) Bev: That is– I don’t make me do math.
(1:06:46) Bev: So it’s– for a rogue light, it is a cottage core version of a roselight.
(1:06:56) Bev: Yes, oh my, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and Atomic Crops also has farming, um, did you, okay,
(1:06:56) Al: Ok, I well agree with you that it is more cottagecore than atomicrops. It is less farming game than atomicrops or pumpkin panic, both of which actually have farming. I did say that, yeah, and also Cult of the Lamb also. I would also agree that I think
(1:07:20) Bev: I’m sorry, I, also has farming.
(1:07:26) Al: Cult of the Lamb is the most cottagecore roguelite.
(1:07:30) Bev: Probably. In terms of if we’re still looking for that initial farming sim like component,
(1:07:39) Bev: I would say for sure. It is the melding of our two genre’s that we now cover,
(1:07:46) Bev: if you will. Even though cottagecore itself is an umbrella term.
(1:07:46) Al: Well, Cottagecore and Roguelite, apparently.
(1:07:52) Bev: College, I can’t. Collegecore, that’s a new genre that we need apparently.
(1:07:54) Al: Collegecore.
(1:07:55) Al: It’s a college humour series of videos.
(1:08:01) Bev: Stressed out students. Yes, yes. So it’s the stress factor, I feel like, in the overall art style that would make it, that would kind of qualify it as a college core. It’s still a stretch,
(1:08:22) Bev: but I don’t think it’s outside of the realm of things that we have covered.
(1:08:22) Al: We have definitely covered games that do not fit into what we were meant to cover as games.
(1:08:33) Bev: Uh-huh, mm-hmm, it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
(1:08:34) Al: I will accept that.
(1:08:36) Al: That doesn’t make it a Cottagecore game.
(1:08:40) Al: Just because it’s more like a Cottagecore game than some other games we’ve played does not make it Cottagecore.
(1:08:46) Bev: Well, I mean, I feel like we have this conversation almost every time, like what is a genre?
(1:08:53) Bev: But like, so like cottagecore, like it’s, it’s, it’s another form of escapism, right?
(1:08:59) Bev: Like you’re going into a game that is not meant to stress you out, like it could consume and like hyper focus.
(1:09:04) Al: Well, no, I don’t think that’s what Cottagecore is. I don’t think that Cottagecore, I think,
(1:09:09) Al: is an aesthetic that celebrates simple living, particularly in the countryside. Yes, I am quoting the internet. I think that that, and this does not that, you know?
(1:09:25) Bev: well this is witchy cottagecore so I would disagree with you there so if cottagecore is an aesthetic then the farming sim is the gameplay component of it
(1:09:30) Al: it is witchy. I will agree that it is witchy, but witchy does not equal cottagecore. No…
(1:09:42) Bev: for you out but for kablancore me it does [laughs]
(1:09:46) Al: Because I think the whole… I think you have to have a cottage for it to be cottagecore,
(1:09:51) Al: or not necessarily cottage, but like I feel like it has to be vaguely
(1:09:57) Al: cottagey and vaguely rue-rue-rue.
(1:10:00) Al: And.
(1:10:02) Bev: we have oh that’s a dangerous dangerous path because I feel like that would negate all of the witchy games that have no cottage aspect to it that we have covered I don’t know what else is on my head um but
(1:10:14) Al: Like what?
(1:10:16) Al: Because like the ones that I can think of very much are, so you’ve got Little Witch in the Woods, very much a cottagecore game, and the ones that aren’t necessarily clearly cottagecore-y could be, right?
(1:10:34) Al: Like they’re based inside a building where you don’t see where you are, but they absolutely could be, and there’s nothing that makes it not cottagecore.
(1:10:42) Al: What is this is we are
(1:10:44) Al: based in this massive… Yeah, exactly. In what way is that cottage core?
(1:10:46) Bev: Academy, though, so like, so like, because they’re children that are going to graduate and then go live in cottages, I’ll like, yes, and I’m fairly certain we’ve at least on our list have had like, which Academy type games on here, like, technically, they aren’t living in cottages, but they they have that cottagecore vibe and that they were
(1:10:57) Al: So what you’re saying is this is the prequel to Little Witch in the Woods.
(1:11:16) Bev: and will eventually live in a cottage when they’re not children. I can afford housing.
(1:11:17) Al: Okay, and tell me, right, right, okay, sure. Let’s move away from the cottage aspect of things and the rural aspect of things, because I agree that that’s maybe a little bit too fine a point to argue. However, what’s the whole purpose of this game? Tell me.
(1:11:21) Bev: Oh.
(1:11:39) Bev: It the problem that is a little harder for me to sing
(1:11:44) Al: Is that because it negates the point about it being Cottagecore?
(1:11:47) Bev: Because I haven’t finished the game out I haven’t finished the story. I’m only in act one [laughing]
(1:11:52) Al: That’s fine.
(1:11:53) Al: I haven’t either.
(1:11:54) Al: But, I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but the entire point of this is you’re doing runs to rid your academy of creatures and other wizards who are trying to destroy you.
(1:12:09) Bev: And save the students, Al. Save the students, save the children!
(1:12:10) Al: Yes.
(1:12:12) Al: What?
(1:12:14) Al: What part of that is Cottagecore?
(1:12:16) Al: Like, that is the complete opposite of Cottagecore, there is no cam, there is no simple living, there is no cottage, there is no rural lifestyle, there is no cam.
(1:12:27) Al: I would like to, the entire game is combat, that is the game.
(1:12:28) Bev: Well, so, there is calm outside of the dungeons.
(1:12:35) Al: When you’re preparing, when you’re, and you’re preparing for your next combat,
(1:12:36) Bev: They have factions.
(1:12:40) Al: you’re not doing anything else, you are going, you’re doing your combat.
(1:12:41) Bev: Yes.
(1:12:42) Bev: Yes.
(1:12:44) Al: You die, you respawn, you get ready for your next combat.
(1:12:48) Al: That is the game loop, that’s it.
(1:12:51) Bev: I am unlocking the factions.
(1:12:51) Al: This is Hades!
(1:12:53) Al: This is basically… It’s magic Hades!
(1:12:53) Bev: I am on luck.
(1:12:57) Al: Tell me I’m wrong!
(1:12:58) Bev: - I would love to cover Hades, too.
(1:13:03) Bev: Which actually is gonna be, I think,
(1:13:05) Bev: more magic-y, ‘cause of Hecate.
(1:13:07) Bev: Or, I think that’s how you say Hecate.
(1:13:11) Bev: Okay, you’re not wrong.
(1:13:13) Bev: Oh, but also you are wrong.
(1:13:17) Bev: I haven’t unlocked the student factions yet,
(1:13:19) Bev: so I don’t know if there’s more things to do in the main courtyard area,
(1:13:23) Bev: ‘cause that’s where you have all your students and your teachers.
(1:13:24) Al: Okay, so your argument is going to be this simple living, because there are areas where you can go and not combat.
(1:13:28) Bev: in stuff.
(1:13:33) Bev: Yes.
(1:13:34) Bev: Yes.
(1:13:34) Bev: I mean, there isn’t much else to do there other than prepare for your next battle.
(1:13:36) Al: Exactly, exactly!
(1:13:40) Bev: But also isn’t, that’s what Cult of the Lamb is, you’re farming.
(1:13:41) Al: No, it’s not, it’s not, it no, no you’re no, it’s the no, it’s the other way around.
(1:13:44) Bev: You’re farming so you can feed your cults so you can get more powers so they can go into the dungeons.
(1:13:49) Bev: I can make this argument, Al.
(1:13:52) Al: And this is why I like Cult of the Lambs.
(1:13:54) Bev: I do love cults.
(1:13:54) Al: Because the whole point of Cult of the Lambs is it is a farming simulator where you are also doing some combat to get stuff for your farming, right?
(1:14:03) Al: The combat is not the point of the game. The combat is a mechanic to continue the main point, which is growing your cult.
(1:14:10) Al: Your cult does not exist for you to have power. You have power because of your cult, but you’re growing your cult because that’s your job.
(1:14:18) Bev: Okay, but what if, as a cult leader or cult member, your cult village was taken over by evil persons, and then what would you be doing now?
(1:14:27) Bev: Because you don’t have a space anymore to live or to farm? Because the evil people are in your space.
(1:14:32) Al: OK, so in your hypothetical situation, if Cult of the Lamb was a different game, would it be different?
(1:14:39) Al: And my answer to that is yes, it would be.
(1:14:44) Bev: I’m tired.
(1:14:47) Al: So now that we spent 15 minutes arguing about the genre of this game, which is probably more time than we’ll spend talking about the actual game, I mean, essentially, I’ve kind have described it, but essentially the point is you’re a young witch or wizard.
(1:14:48) Bev: Yes. Yes.
(1:15:02) Al: You have come to this Academy and, “Oh no, disaster, it’s been infiltrated.”
(1:15:09) Al: I feel like it’s not a very great place to be if that immediately happens, but whatever.
(1:15:12) Bev: No, no.
(1:15:14) Al: I will say, I think the combat in this game is quite fun.
(1:15:19) Al: I think it does spells quite well.
(1:15:20) Bev: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
(1:15:22) Al: It has a huge variety of spells.
(1:15:28) Al: As you mentioned, there are what they called the extra things that power up your spells.
(1:15:32) Bev: Uh, artifacts.
(1:15:33) Al: The artifacts, you gain artifacts that make your spells more powerful and I presume some of them will change things about your spells.
(1:15:40) Bev: um they add on I wouldn’t say they they change things they just add on um changing in that aspect but like not the core okay whatever like the base like it’s still the same spell but it just does more uh-huh um
(1:15:42) Al: Maybe, maybe not. Just make them more powerful. The add-on. OK.
(1:15:47) Al: I would say, I would say that adding does count as changing.
(1:15:54) Al: Semantics.
(1:15:58) Al: Yeah, okay, fair. Yeah, yeah, yeah, fair. So they add onto your spells as well.
(1:16:02) Al: They make them more powerful. They can add extra effects. And your purpose is to do them a combat and free your school from the enemy, essentially. So I think that the combat is fun.
(1:16:10) Bev: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
(1:16:17) Al: I think that I obviously haven’t seen a huge number of the spells because I just did one run,
(1:16:22) Al: but the ones that I did were quite fun. Like there’s, you know, different, there’s like different range attacks as well as things that like
(1:16:30) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:16:33) Al: turn into a mouse, so it allows you to get kind of into different places. That one I think is more used for like
(1:16:40) Al: getting around the school, but I think can still be useful in combat, which I think is quite fun. I feel like they’ve put a lot of thought into the different spells and how they can be used for different things.
(1:16:42) Bev: Yeah. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, like, like that spell, for example, I thought wasn’t like as good as it thought it was. But then, you know, looking at looking into like other than like maneuverability.
(1:17:04) Bev: But I recall, like, I was watching some videos on some of the puzzles. And one person had said you you could use the mouse bell to.
(1:17:12) Bev: to go into a space that has a lot of enemies or monsters and you know come up with a strategy before getting attacked and I was like that’s you know that’s actually really useful because there isn’t like you are being timed because they are runs but they’re there is no penalty for taking your time either.
(1:17:30) Al: Yeah. Oh, no, I took 10 minutes. What shame. What are you going to do?
(1:17:34) Al: » [LAUGH]
(1:17:37) Bev: so yeah it’s it’s a lot of fun and I will say it’s a how
(1:17:42) Bev: this the story starting I think is a little weak it’s
(1:17:46) Bev: not great for a new student to be coming in and then all of a sudden like like the first night
(1:17:46) Al: Yeah, it’s literally, “Hello, new student, fight for your life!”
(1:17:55) Bev: the first night before they teach you anything they point you to a book and be like learn this spell so you can get out so you can escape
(1:17:56) Al: Yeah!
(1:18:00) Al: Yeah, and, “Oh, by the way, I need to leave, you’re on your own now!”
(1:18:06) Bev: this is why you’re spending most of your run saving students because there’s like
(1:18:10) Bev: like over 100 students, yes.
(1:18:12) Bev: I don’t know, I guess so. I don’t know. So upfront, the story is a little like lacking,
(1:18:14) Al: Because none of them know what to do because they’ve not been taught anything
(1:18:21) Al: Well, okay like because the school is bad at teaching just in general [laughs]
(1:18:33) Bev: but I am sorry to put pieces together as I do more runs, and I do enjoy that, that I’m getting to, like, understanding the source of, you know…
(1:18:42) Bev: know, the big bad spoilers. This is not a huge spoiler. I think it’s fairly obvious. Like, I’m pretty sure, like, I don’t even know if this is a fact. So it’s not a spoiler speculation. I’m pretty sure that the big bad are former students or current students. So like, I know it’s Casper. So like, clearly, they were just learning enough to go hog wild and take over.
(1:19:12) Bev: So yeah, the education itself is not great. But we knew that from the first night.
(1:19:14) Al: Yeah, I will say the story feels a little bit like, “Oh, we liked Harry Potter. Let’s do that. Oh, we need a story? Um, bad guys. Bad guys.” It’s like Craig, my five-year-old,
(1:19:24) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:19:26) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:19:36) Al: his classic way of doing a game is like there’ll be a story and it’s, “Oh, those are the bad guys right like it’s it’s very simplistic
(1:19:44) Al: like that what are the bad guys doing bad things you know it’s like that’s that’s it
(1:19:50) Bev: I don’t know, I don’t know if you can comment on the story with only one run.
(1:19:55) Al: just because i’ve only done one run doesn’t it like they they need yeah I know I know
(1:19:58) Bev: You unlock the story as you do runs, so yes!
(1:20:03) Bev: So I can understand that for a first run, the story is a guess bat.
(1:20:05) Al: they
(1:20:08) Al: no but they need to actually hook you in with the story right like if you read if you read the first chapter of a book.
(1:20:11) Bev: Do they?
(1:20:14) Al: And you don’t, you don’t go “Oh, this is bad, but I might keep going.”
(1:20:18) Al: You go “No, I’m really fascinated by this premise.
(1:20:20) Bev: I feel like I’m coming I’m here today so I can just spar with you Elle because I this is not a visual novel so did you come here for the story no you came here for the graphics and for the cottagecore vibe looking things.
(1:20:21) Al: I need to find out what happens here.”
(1:20:23) Al: Right?
(1:20:24) Al: You don’t go “Oh, bad guy.”
(1:20:27) Al: That’s it.
(1:20:28) Al: No.
(1:20:29) Al: No, that’s fair.
(1:20:30) Al: [Chuckles] No, no, that’s fair.
(1:20:45) Al: That is fair, but I think it’s also fair to tell the listeners that it does not have a good story as far as we are aware.
(1:20:50) Bev: I see I want to know what’s happening there’s there’s enough bits and pieces of lore in there that I am starting to learn more as I unlock bosses and hear some of the storyline and there’s like one kid who’s like doing the investigation work of trying to pull all this together. So really he’s your Hermione telling you what’s going on.
(1:20:53) Al: And maybe it finishes amazingly, but if you don’t actually make us want to know what’s happening, I don’t think that makes a good story.
(1:21:20) Bev: And so a lot of what I kind of don’t appreciate is that the little nuggets of information you get in each run, they don’t change.
(1:21:30) Bev: But at the same time, I am starting to understand those nuggets better cuz I’m hearing new, new terms of like describing the big bads of like, oh,
(1:21:40) Bev: this letter is describing this person.
(1:21:42) Bev: Like I know who they’re talking about now.
(1:21:44) Bev: So it is starting to unlock a little bit.
(1:21:48) Bev: and given that I’m only an act one.
(1:21:50) Bev: I am hopeful and optimistic that there will be more story and that they’ll like lead into it.
(1:21:59) Bev: Considering there’s enough that they’re hinting at now and only act one to to get me kind of intrigued.
(1:22:08) Al: I think my thing is that I don’t particularly find that way of storytelling fun.
(1:22:12) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:22:12) Al: Like, I think that’s fun as a side story type thing.
(1:22:16) Bev: Yeah.
(1:22:16) Al: Like, I really like how in, let’s take Tears of the Kingdom, right?
(1:22:20) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:22:21) Al: Where you have the main story, but there’s lots of other things.
(1:22:23) Al: And if you explore lots, you find other stories that sometimes add a little bit to the main story.
(1:22:26) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:22:30) Al: And sometimes they’re just a completely different story, but they’re all like little extra things.
(1:22:35) Al: I find that sort of fun.
(1:22:38) Al: I feel like personally, I need to have an actual story that they just tell you as you go.
(1:22:42) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:22:44) Al: Otherwise, I’m not interested in the story, right?
(1:22:46) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:22:48) Al: And I’m not gonna spend 10 hours in your game to get a hint of there might be a story somewhere.
(1:22:48) Bev: Yeah.
(1:22:53) Bev: Uh-huh.
(1:22:55) Al: And you’re right, you don’t need to have a good story to be a good game, especially Rogue Light doesn’t necessarily need that.
(1:22:58) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:23:02) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:23:02) Al: I mean, I guess this is, we’ve compared it to Hades, this is very similar to Hades, right?
(1:23:06) Al: like, hades.
(1:23:06) Bev: Yeah.
(1:23:08) Al: in your face and that’s why a lot and that’s what a lot of people like about that, you know, I don’t.
(1:23:09) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:23:10) Bev: Oh, I want it.
(1:23:12) Bev: Yeah, it is definitely a different style of gamers that you’re, I think, advertising to because I would agree with you that I prefer to have more story coming in, to have a better idea of what to expect and what to look for.
(1:23:32) Bev: I have played other games where it has been more like this, where it’s like bits and pieces is that you’re kind of forced to do it,
(1:23:39) Bev: to piece it together on your own, and.
(1:23:42) Bev: I don’t generally 100% enjoy that,
(1:23:45) Bev: because often I’m just looking for another source to tell me this story anyway,
(1:23:48) Bev: ‘cause I don’t wanna spend the energy figuring it out.
(1:23:51) Bev: I’m thinking of like Elden Ring,
(1:23:53) Bev: like I know there’s a lot of lore in there,
(1:23:56) Bev: but other than like getting to the boss battles,
(1:23:59) Bev: and even then there’s small dialogue,
(1:24:01) Bev: but they don’t piece together for me.
(1:24:05) Bev: But I know, like it was written by George R.R. Murray,
(1:24:08) Bev: I know there’s a lot in there,
(1:24:09) Bev: but it’s not easily for me to die.
(1:24:12) Bev: I would agree in that sense, that this is definitely adhering more towards the Roguelites folks, but it still has a hundred percent different vibe for me.
(1:24:31) Bev: It doesn’t feel like a roguelite, like even Slay the Spire, which is a TCG essentially uh, roguelite, um, feels more.
(1:24:42) Bev: Stressful at times than, than this game did.
(1:24:45) Bev: So this, that’s why that’s, that’s my hook.
(1:24:50) Bev: And that I would consider is to be a cottage core roguelite.
(1:24:56) Al: Yeah, I think my thing about this game is that, as I said, I really like the combat.
(1:25:01) Al: And I think I could see myself playing,
(1:25:04) Al: spending a lot of time playing a game that has this in a more standard
(1:25:10) Al: style of game that is just a story progression action adventure type game.
(1:25:17) Al: And you can definitely do that in a way
(1:25:22) Al: that has other things and could certainly be more cut.
(1:25:24) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:25:26) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:25:26) Al: But that’s not to say that doesn’t make it bad, right?
(1:25:28) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:25:38) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:25:44) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:25:50) Al: This is just like I could see myself playing this game if it was not a roguelite and it
(1:25:50) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:25:56) Bev: That’s- that’s it.
(1:25:56) Al: is an action adventure.
(1:25:57) Bev: That’s the- the- the ticker for you.
(1:26:00) Al: It is.
(1:26:01) Bev: Yeah.
(1:26:01) Al: And I know that sounds silly, right?
(1:26:02) Al: Because it’s like going, oh, I would play this game if it wasn’t a farming simulator.
(1:26:03) Bev: It’s not.
(1:26:06) Al: But to me, roguelite is a mechanic.
(1:26:11) Al: It’s not a genre.
(1:26:12) Bev: It is.
(1:26:13) Al: And it’s not a mechanic I like.
(1:26:15) Al: And there are games that I would play if they weren’t it, but they were the same otherwise.
(1:26:19) Al: I could absolutely, if you got this really large, essentially dungeon, right, like this
(1:26:25) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:26) Al: large academy that you’re going through and your whole point, the point is to save it.
(1:26:30) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:31) Al: And it was just, you know, three times as big, but you didn’t reset every time you died.
(1:26:35) Al: You reset to a specific spawn point or whatever, and you can continue from there.
(1:26:35) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:39) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:39) Al: I would totally do that.
(1:26:41) Bev: Yeah.
(1:26:41) Al: Like, I enjoy the combat in this game.
(1:26:43) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:44) Al: And that’s what I’m primarily there for in games, right?
(1:26:50) Bev: Right.
(1:26:50) Al: Gameplay.
(1:26:51) Al: If the gameplay is good, I do it.
(1:26:52) Al: And if it’s not, I don’t.
(1:26:53) Al: No matter how good or bad the story is, right?
(1:26:53) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:26:56) Bev: Right? [laughs]
(1:26:57) Al: I’m not here for the story.
(1:26:58) Bev: Uh-huh.
(1:27:00) Al: Story is a secondary thing.
(1:27:01) Al: And if the story is good, that’s just an extra bonus for me.
(1:27:07) Al: So yeah, I think it’s frustrating for me, but like, if you like roguelites and you like the idea of a magical one where you have spells, this could absolutely be for you.
(1:27:18) Bev: or if you don’t like roguelites but you want to try one that has that feels less what’s the word not dangerous but like resource intense I feel like this could a good one because I i feel like i’m
(1:27:48) Bev: progressing pretty quickly in terms of in terms of like other roguelites that i’ve played um and it’s happening pretty naturally and it doesn’t feel it’s almost like cold the lamb where I don’t mind as much if i’m dead within if I die in the middle of a of a run because I know there’s plenty well and cold the lamb there’s plenty for me to do when I get back um
(1:28:14) Al: That’s ‘cause that’s the purpose of that game.
(1:28:17) Al: As I’ve already said, right?
(1:28:18) Bev: and in this game you naturally are collecting resources uh pretty comfortably um like I feel like i’m making really good progress um and could hundred percent this and maybe another 10 hours or so um which is rare I feel like for a roguelite um what was it uh there’s something else i was gonna say too but I forgot um Oh, well, so it’s, it’s
(1:28:48) Bev: I think that you don’t like roguelite, like I 100% agree with you, it’s a mechanic. It’s not a,
(1:28:53) Bev: it’s not a genre. You can have any sort of storyline or art style or anything associated with a roguelite. And I have found oddly enough, via atomic crops was my first introduction.
(1:29:08) Bev: I think at least first conscious like introduction to a roguelite, I’ve enjoyed them ever since.
(1:29:16) Bev: I think more so from the mindset of
(1:29:19) Bev: I can put this game down and come back to it at any time.
(1:29:23) Bev: Because the gameplay doesn’t change.
(1:29:26) Bev: I might be in the middle of a story, technically,
(1:29:30) Bev: but I don’t feel like I’m starting in the middle,
(1:29:33) Bev: as if I had put down Sardu in the middle of year one.
(1:29:38) Bev: So I like Rogue Lights in that sense.
(1:29:43) Bev: And I could see myself spending more time in this realm.
(1:29:46) Al: I can see that argument.
(1:29:49) Al: I would understand why somebody would feel that way.
(1:29:52) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:29:54) Al: You haven’t convinced me that that would be something that would work for me, though.
(1:29:57) Bev: That’s fine.
(1:29:58) Bev: I’m convincing myself. (laughs)
(1:30:01) Al: I mean, for me, rogue lights are just games without save points.
(1:30:07) Al: You know, it’s like when it’s like when it reminds me of the 90s when I was
(1:30:11) Al: playing video games and if you weren’t good enough at it, you had to restart from the beginning, and I just found that frustrating.
(1:30:18) Bev: Well, there are several save points in these dungeons. I’ll just say
(1:30:24) Bev: Every room every new room you get a save. I had my steam die on me this morning. I
(1:30:30) Al: No, the save point is not… I think you’re reading too much into the specific words there,
(1:30:32) Bev: Yeah, yeah
(1:30:34) Al: because you die. You go back to the beginning, not to that save point. There’s not really
(1:30:37) Bev: Right
(1:30:39) Bev: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I
(1:30:42) Bev: will say as well that
(1:30:44) Bev: Compared to some of the other games like Haiti
(1:30:48) Bev: or Atomic Crops there is a lot more permanent upgrades than I would normally see in a rogue light as well. Like I’m only losing three of the things out of all the different options available to me and one of those things that can easily convert into currency. Like there’s two currencies in the dungeons there’s like there’s experience and then there’s gold and then eventually you’ll find a character who will turn your gold into tickets to
(1:31:18) Bev: invest into his business and that business those business tickets come with you and there’s one on each floor and it’s not hard to find him. So I’m really only losing the potions and the artifacts which I don’t really care as much about anyway. Yeah. Yeah.
(1:31:30) Al: Sure. And also your progress through the area, right? You have to get back to where you were,
(1:31:35) Al: which is, I mean, this is not, my point is not trying to convince people that they don’t like rogue lights. It’s trying to explain what I don’t like about them. And they just,
(1:31:38) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:31:42) Al: they harken back to the times when we used to obsess over lives and you would die and have game overs and you’d have to start a game. Yeah, exactly. It reminds me of, I think,
(1:31:50) Bev: Right, in arcades.
(1:31:53) Al: I think the road lights, and this is, you don’t need to come at me people, right? But my feeling, this is this is like when I said that in
(1:32:00) Al: last week’s episode, that, um, the pixel art is rooted in nostalgia. Um, I think that road light rogue lights and rogue likes are rooted almost entirely in nostalgia for the days of arcades. And I think that those were primitive ideas of games that we have mostly move past. And that’s why I don’t.
(1:32:25) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:32:29) Bev: Understandable.
(1:32:30) Bev: I will say I hate rogue likes, not lights.
(1:32:34) Bev: The ones that have no permanent upgrades ‘cause I’m just like, I,
(1:32:37) Bev: like there’s no progress to be made.
(1:32:39) Bev: There’s no way for me to get better other than getting good.
(1:32:41) Al: skill exactly
(1:32:43) Bev: Which is not, you know, very accessible, friendly.
(1:32:45) Bev: It’s not time, like it requires a lot of effort if you’re not naturally good at it.
(1:32:50) Bev: And it’s not fun to do unless you like challenges.
(1:32:54) Bev: Like, I am not a…
(1:32:55) Bev: like, a Dark Souls player. I don’t enjoy dying.
(1:32:58) Bev: I want to, like, max out my Pokémon so I can just one-shot everything and make it as easy as possible.
(1:33:04) Bev: Like, I’m not here for the challenge.
(1:33:07) Bev: So I 100% agree with that.
(1:33:08) Bev: Um…
(1:33:10) Al: I’m not saying that people shouldn’t enjoy the games, I just personally I find it frustrating when I look at a game and say oh that looks exciting and then it’s like oh it’s got this mechanic that really frustrates me in a game so.
(1:33:20) Bev: I was hoping this would be the game, Al, that would, the one game that you would like.
(1:33:24) Al: Cult of the Lamb was it? Cult of the Lamb was the game. Cult of the Lamb was the one rogue light
(1:33:26) Bev: I will say, and, and with, and correct me if I’m wrong, with Cold and Lamb, you’re not restricted to starting over 100% from the beginning, if you go into a dungeon, you can choose a different dungeon to go into that has a different, right, yeah.
(1:33:42) Al: Yeah, exactly. You’re not going “I’m doing the same thing I failed at”, you’re doing a different thing. Yeah. And the thing about that as well is that the most that you lose is what you have on you at the time when you die, and you can leave things in your village, right? And you go back to your village, and your village is exactly as it was when you left it. That’s what I like about that.
(1:33:47) Bev: I do want more of that.
(1:34:00) Bev: Mmhmm, bye.
(1:34:01) Al: It doesn’t feel like this is not a game where the whole point is to progress through the dungeons to get to the end of a dungeon, which is like Hades and is like this. That’s the point of this
(1:34:08) Bev: mhm
(1:34:12) Al: and I find it frustrating when you end, when you die halfway through, and you have to start from the beginning. Sure, you might have a more powerful weapon, you might have more abilities,
(1:34:13) Bev: mhm
(1:34:16) Bev: mhm
(1:34:19) Al: you still have to redo all the things that I’ve already done. That’s the frustrating thing,
(1:34:23) Al: where it’s called “The Lamb” is I am building up this village, and I’m going out on these runs to do stuff. And if I fail on one, okay, sure, it might be a bit frustrating, but that’s fine.
(1:34:32) Al: I died, I come back to where I was, everything is still the same as it was when I left it,
(1:34:36) Al: and now I can go and try that again. That’s the difference I feel. And I mean,
(1:34:36) Bev: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
(1:34:42) Al: I don’t even think that “Cult of the Lamb” should be counted in the same as any of these games.
(1:34:45) Al: I don’t think it’s, I don’t feel it’s the same. Like, it doesn’t feel to me like a rogue,
(1:34:51) Al: all the other rogue lights I played because of that.
(1:34:53) Bev: Mm-hmm. Well, I think I think that shows a new evolution in the gameplay mechanic like if Stardew is the
(1:35:05) Bev: What did we call it?
(1:35:07) Bev: the extension a level event of
(1:35:10) Bev: farming level Sims this I almost could argue that call of the lamb could be an
(1:35:16) Bev: extinction level of Brogue lights, I would love love to see
(1:35:23) Bev: Games like that like atomic crops try to do that with the farming
(1:35:28) Bev: But the fact that you had to fight at the same time though, or you’re while you were farming. It’s not fun
(1:35:35) Bev: and this game doesn’t have
(1:35:40) Bev: Much in the way of what to do at least as far as I’m aware I haven’t unlocked some of the area so it’s possible. There’s like mini games or something or other mechanics behind the closed doors
(1:35:54) Bev: I know they’ve announced that they’re no longer supporting or adding in new content,
(1:35:59) Bev: but if they would, I could easily see an argument to be made for adding in more stuff to do
(1:36:05) Bev: outside of the dungeons. These are children and staff that are, what’s the word?
(1:36:15) Bev: They don’t have housing at this point, so they could build temporary housing space. They could
(1:36:21) Bev: have you know a farming plot.
(1:36:23) Bev: If this game were to get some more financial support and the devs felt like it was worth coming back to it. I would love to see more in the way of activities to do that in the courtyard to make it more of a cult the lamb type thing because then we wouldn’t even having this argument whether or not it is going to work.
(1:36:49) Bev: thing because then we wouldn’t even having this argument whether or not it is
(1:36:53) Bev: considered cottagecore, right? So if I could ask the devs to do anything, I would ask them to do that. I myself do enjoy Roguelikes and that is all that is missing for me and a little bit more story as well.
(1:37:15) Al: Fair enough. I suspect listeners know by this point whether they want to play this game or not.
(1:37:23) Al: So yeah, I love the mechanics, the actual spells, and I’m sad I can’t
(1:37:26) Bev: Oh. Oh.
(1:37:30) Al: do that in a way that I would more enjoy. But I am glad that you enjoy it, and I hope that others do as well. And you know, maybe we can inspire people to go and buy this game.
(1:37:36) Bev: Mm hm. Mm hm.
(1:37:46) Bev: Are you going to buy another regular like or late in the future?
(1:37:50) Bev: Is this is this a lot?
(1:37:51) Bev: I have you just accepted.
(1:37:53) Al: I think that the problem is
(1:37:54) Bev: Because if if if there was a game, it would be this other than Colton Lamb, I feel like it would be this.
(1:37:59) Al: the problem is that we’ve proven that there is one I like
(1:38:06) Al: so it’s not a hundred percent failure rate therefore there may well be another one I like
(1:38:09) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:38:11) Bev: Mm-hmm.
(1:38:14) Al: I will point out I didn’t know this before I started playing it so I mean that’s my fault I’m not blaming anyone else for that, right?
(1:38:23) Al: My point is, I may well accidentally play another one in the future.
(1:38:32) Al: We’ll see.
(1:38:35) Al: I did go into Call of the Lam knowing it was a roguelite, and I think I went into Atomicrops knowing it was a roguelite.
(1:38:41) Bev: There was no way not to.
(1:38:44) Bev: Well.
(1:38:44) Al: I think it’s only pumpkin panic that I went into not realizing it was a roguelite.
(1:38:53) Al: So, 50%, you know, could be worse.
(1:38:57) Bev: I i’m not surprised because it you had I supposed to reread yes you you’ll figure it out
(1:39:04) Al: If you read it, you should know what it is, but if you just watch, if you look at screenshots and you watch videos, I don’t think it’s very clear that it’s a roguelite, but anyway, I’m not blaming other people for me not reading.
(1:39:05) Bev: but from the aesthetics yeah it no it does not look like it
(1:39:17) Al: Thank you, Bev, for joining me to talk about another roguelite, the title
(1:39:21) Bev: oh
(1:39:23) Al: of this episode obviously has to be, oops, another roguelite.
(1:39:28) Bev: Oops, I did it again.
(1:39:32) Al: Oops I played a roguelite right Bev where can the people find you on the
(1:39:33) Bev: Do it.
(1:39:44) Bev: I can be found pretty much anywhere at bevgranger711.
(1:39:48) Bev: So that’s B-E-V-G-R-A-N-G-E-R-711.
(1:39:54) Al: You can find me on masternaut.scot and twitter at thescotbot.
(1:39:59) Al: Come and tell us what you think, what game mechanic you think is rooted entirely in nostalgia.
(1:40:02) Bev: Yes, I want to hear.
(1:40:09) Bev: Yeah, oh, that is not a question.
(1:40:11) Bev: That is definitely rogue-relate and pixel art,
(1:40:14) Bev: I feel like, or no, sorry, rogue-likes.
(1:40:14) Al: I was I the other one I was I was playing when I was playing Mario vs Donkey Kong that game has lives and I have no idea why it has lives because you have a game over and what happens when you have a game over you gain five lives and that’s it nothing literally no no progress what well
(1:40:30) Bev: Right, don’t you lose some progress?
(1:40:36) Al: okay technically so some of the levels have two parts and there’s a checkpoint in the middle of of it. And if you have hit that checkpoint.
(1:40:40) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:40:42) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:40:44) Al: and you have a game over, you then go back to the beginning of that level.
(1:40:48) Al: But these levels are not long, so technically, yes, you can, but that’s it.
(1:40:48) Bev: It happened.
(1:40:50) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:40:51) Bev: Mmhmm.
(1:40:55) Al: That is literally the only thing. If you’re in one of the levels that doesn’t have the checkpoint,
(1:40:59) Al: which is most of the levels, literally nothing happens, you get a game over screen, you press retry, and it takes you right back into the same place in the same level with five lives.
(1:41:04) Bev: Mm-hmm
(1:41:12) Al: so I literally do not understand why this game has lives.
(1:41:14) Al: So yeah, lives in video games, that’s another thing I think is entirely rooted in nostalgia and it should completely die. Please and thank you.
(1:41:24) Bev: I want to hear not about people’s opinion about nostalgia.
(1:41:32) Al: A classic, classic, so what you’re saying is you want people to come and tell you why they think you’re right and I’m wrong.
(1:41:35) Bev: I want to hear the opinion about this game.
(1:41:39) Bev: Do you feel like it’s cottagecore?
(1:41:42) Bev: Do you feel like it’s cottagecore?
(1:41:50) Bev: No, I want opinions. I want to see if I… I guess so, yes.
(1:41:59) Bev: But also, do you also feel like this game wasn’t stressful?
(1:42:04) Bev: Because I consider Roguelites to generally be stressful.
(1:42:09) Al: That is not how we define them.
(1:42:12) Bev: That’s how I define them.
(1:42:14) Al: Okay, that is not how we should define them.
(1:42:19) Bev: Yeah, okay, maybe it’s not.
(1:42:20) Bev: How I, like Hades is not stressful, but there’s atomic crops and stuff.
(1:42:24) Bev: Well, that was, that was stressful.
(1:42:28) Bev: Um, but maybe like easier.
(1:42:30) Al: Yes, it definitely was.
(1:42:32) Bev: Maybe like the, it’s a different difficulty level that that’s what I want.
(1:42:36) Bev: Not stressed, but like, how was the difficulty level for you?
(1:42:39) Bev: Did you feel like this was more of like a, like a, a vibing game or like, I don’t know.
(1:42:45) Bev: I’m, I’ve spoken too many words today.
(1:42:48) Bev: I am all out of words now.
(1:42:48) Al: I tell you what game was very stressful, and that was Pumpkin Panic. Have you listened to that episode? Oh my word, it’s like a horror game. And it’s like you’re farming, but then creatures come and kill you. But no, it’s worse than that, because they’re out in the dark, and they come and find you. And the only way you know they’re coming is because of the sounds that they make.
(1:42:50) Bev: Really, I have not.
(1:43:04) Bev: That’s a ton of crap.
(1:43:07) Bev: Oh my good.
(1:43:08) Bev: It’s worse.
(1:43:12) Bev: That’s terrifying.
(1:43:13) Bev: That’s terrifying.
(1:43:16) Bev: Okay.
(1:43:16) Bev: I need to go watch someone stream this.
(1:43:19) Al: Yeah, definitely do not play the game, go watch it.
(1:43:20) Bev: No.
(1:43:21) Al: Because in fact, what I would highly recommend is go watch the world record for it.
(1:43:27) Al: It’s like 10 minutes long.
(1:43:28) Al: It’s incredible what they do to get that world record.
(1:43:31) Al: And I think you will see most of the monsters in that.
(1:43:37) Al: But it’s like, there’s one that will come and kill you if you’re outside.
(1:43:40) Al: There’s one that will come and kill you if you’re inside.
(1:43:43) Bev: Oh goodness. Oh no.
(1:43:44) Al: There’s one that will kill you if you run into it.
(1:43:47) Al: This wonder will kill you if you don’t come and take the balloon from it and give it to another one.
(1:43:52) Al: Those are the clowns.
(1:43:52) Bev: Okay, I’m going to go back and listen to this, uh, oh goodness, okay.
(1:43:54) Al: There’s just like basically everything you do will get you killed in this game.
(1:43:58) Al: And it is.
(1:44:00) Al: It’s wait till the daytime as well.
(1:44:04) Al: To watch a play through of it.
(1:44:07) Al: You can find the podcast on Tumblr and on Twitter at THSPOD.
(1:44:12) Al: You can find links to everything we’ve talked about on the show notes and on the website, HarvestSeason.club.
(1:44:19) Al: Links to wherever the podcast is on the Internet, including the Patreon.
(1:44:23) Al: Patreon.com/THSPOD.
(1:44:25) Al: Come and support the podcast.
(1:44:27) Al: You can come and join us in our amazing Slack where we talk about these things.
(1:44:30) Al: That’s why Bev thought that they had talked about a bunch of stuff because they had
(1:44:34) Al: on the Slack.
(1:44:36) Bev: Thank you.
(1:44:37) Al: Come and join.
(1:44:39) Al: You can you can also feel like you’ve
(1:44:42) Al: talked about this stuff before you hear about it on the podcast.
(1:44:44) Bev: Yes, come argue about roguelites.
(1:44:48) Al: Oh goodness, I don’t need more people just telling me I’m wrong.
(1:44:52) Bev: No, well, not to you, to me.
(1:44:54) Al: OK, OK, sure.
(1:44:55) Bev: I want to hear more about this game.
(1:45:00) Al: You can also get bonus episodes of the podcast.
(1:45:02) Al: Me and Kevin just put one out about the Pokemon presents.
(1:45:08) Al: And there will be more coming soon.
(1:45:10) Al: I have been promised one about Cody and Bugs.
(1:45:15) Al: We’ll see how that happens.
(1:45:19) Al: That’s everything.
(1:45:24) Bev: thank you uh despite uh your your love of of this this mechanic
(1:45:31) Bev: or lack of yes um but this was fun um like I said I came here to spar with you and I guess that’s what we did um and it was great it was just like we were doing our own regularly
(1:45:46) Al: Oh, dear.
(1:45:46) Bev: is podcasting at regular light which is starting over from the beginning
(1:45:50) Al: No, it’s just different levels.
(1:45:54) Bev: yeah have a good one oh look at this
(1:45:54) Al: Like we’ve completed one level and now we’re going to do another level.
(1:45:59) Al: Thank you listeners for listening.
(1:46:02) Al: And until next time, have a good harvest.
(1:46:04) Theme Tune: The harvest season is created by Al McKinlay, with support from our patrons, including our pro farmers Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:46:20) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:46:24) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website harvestseason.club for show notes and links to things we discussed in this episode.
(1:46:40) Bev: All right, now I’m recording, bop, bop, bop, I can’t.