Dark Souls For Kids

Wed, Nov 29, 2023 Year 2, Summer 22

Al and Maddy talk about Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Timings

00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:03:18: What Have We Been Up To
00:11:07: News
00:27:12: Hello Kitty Island Adventure
01:12:11: Outro

Contact

Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot
Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot
Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/

Transcript

(0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of the harvest season.
(0:00:34) Al: My name is Al and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games.
(0:00:36) Maddy: And my name is Maddie.
(0:00:41) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:00:44) Al: Welcome back, Maddie.
(0:00:45) Al: It’s been a while.
(0:00:46) Al: It’s always good to have you on the podcast though.
(0:00:48) Maddy: Yes, it’s my second time, but my first with you, Al.
(0:00:50) Al: Is it?
(0:00:53) Maddy: Yes, the last time I was just on with, uh, Bev and Kelly talking about potion permit, and you got to pop in and make little comments about our silliness,
(0:01:04) Maddy: but I’ve never been on one just–
(0:01:06) Maddy: you and I before.
(0:01:07) Al: Nooo.
(0:01:10) Al: Here I am searching through all the show notes. There’s no way that you’ve not been on with me.
(0:01:10) Maddy: The time has come.
(0:01:14) Maddy: No, that’s it.
(0:01:14) Al: You’ve only been on one episode!
(0:01:16) Maddy: Yeah, just one.
(0:01:18) Maddy: Can you believe it? Obviously not, because you’re checking the notes.
(0:01:22) Al: That’s wild, wow, OK, yeah, no.
(0:01:24) Maddy: It just took a Hello Kitty game to get me all to yourself, Elle.
(0:01:28) Maddy: Here I am.
(0:01:30) Al: Wild.
(0:01:32) Al: All right, well, welcome.
(0:01:34) Maddy: Yes, so excited.
(0:01:34) Al: I was sure I was sure we had done one together, but no, it isn’t there on the list, so.
(0:01:36) Maddy: No?
(0:01:42) Al: All right, well, as always, listeners, transcripts are available in the show notes and on the website.
(0:01:50) Al: This episode, I’ve got my…
(0:01:52) Al: on as she just hinted at to talk about Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Who knew that we would be covering a Hello Kitty game in 2023? Well, exactly. Who knew we were going to talk about it? And not only that, but it wasn’t just going to be some random shovelware, like it was going to be an actually good game.
(0:02:02) Maddy: It’s the best I just I’m so excited for the next hour plus of us talking about this Al
(0:02:10) Maddy: Who knew but I’m not gonna argue it
(0:02:21) Maddy: I know. You know, Al, I want to preface this. I am Hello Kitty obsessed. My first tattoo was a giant Hello Kitty on my shoulder. I have her all over my house.
(0:02:22) Al: Who would have expected that?
(0:02:34) Maddy: I expected this game to be garbage. As someone that loves Hello Kitty, I was not expecting anything good, but spoiler like you hinted at, it’s actually a really good game.
(0:02:45) Maddy: So, who knew? Who knew even the biggest Hello Kitty fan was not expecting that?
(0:02:46) Al: Yeah. Yeah. It’s not, it’s not just a good game. It’s up for a game award. Did you see that Maddie? You voted for it, did you? Yes. So we’ll see what comes of that. Because that’s a, is it next week? Yes, it’s next week. I decided for some reason that we were going to record an episode on, uh, no, I’ll get to that. Cause we’re just about to talk about that. Let’s get to that. I’ll ignore that. So we’re going to talk about that. We’re going We’re gonna talk about Hello Kitty.
(0:02:51) Maddy: I voted for it.
(0:03:10) Maddy: Yes, don’t go too far.
(0:03:16) Al: And before that, we’re gonna talk about some news, but first of all, Maddy, what have you been up to?
(0:03:21) Maddy: All right, so just full disclosure, we were supposed to record this a couple weeks ago and the games that I had in there were a little old.
(0:03:30) Maddy: Since the time we decided to talk about this, my husband set up my Mr. for me and for people who are unaware, Mr. is a hardware emulation machine where you can get actual hardware accurate console games like old retro games or arcade games too.
(0:03:49) Maddy: So I have been playing the–
(0:03:51) Maddy: the heck out of my mister, I beat Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, if you ever want anyone to talk about that with you, Al.
(0:03:58) Maddy: Famicom game from years and years ago, and I just started, uh, Popola Croys last night, which is, uh, RPG on the PlayStation.
(0:04:07) Maddy: Which, I think, might have some Cottagecore farming games, I think, Story of Seasons as Popola Croys related.
(0:04:14) Maddy: Don’t quote me, I’m playing the RPG, but maybe we can get into that later.
(0:04:19) Maddy: So I’ve been Retro Game Car–
(0:04:19) Al: Oh my word.
(0:04:21) Maddy: Crazy.
(0:04:30) Maddy: Yeah, there’s some newer ones. I think that one came out here, but yeah, the one I’m playing is
(0:04:37) Maddy: mono-guitary, I think it’s called.
(0:04:42) Al: Very interesting. Yeah, so it’s the same people that make, well, what was Harvest Moon and is now Story of Seasons.
(0:04:49) Maddy: It’s got that cute vibe to it where it’s definitely, you know, a real RPG where it’s pretty tough.
(0:04:55) Maddy: I got wiped out already, which is fun for old RPGs, but it’s silly.
(0:05:00) Maddy: You can talk to the animals, the cows till you moo, you can get electrocuted and see your little skull.
(0:05:08) Al: Interesting. I am going to end up… I should park this because I’m going to end up on a Wikipedia rabbit hole.
(0:05:14) Maddy: Oh yeah, put a pin in that pepola croisses.
(0:05:16) Al: I’ll put that tab to the side. I’ll look at that later. Princess Tomato looks quite interesting.
(0:05:22) Al: It’s got some very interesting art around it, shall we say.
(0:05:26) Maddy: Yes, it’s very archaic. It definitely is very, very old school. I did have a walkthrough guide up and usually I don’t do that, but these games are basically go into this room, talk to the person,
(0:05:38) Al: Hmm.
(0:05:41) Maddy: leave, do it again, leave, do it again, and then they’ll tell you ahead.
(0:05:44) Maddy: Like, stuff that you would never be able to figure out, but it was another, it was a silly one. I beat that thing.
(0:05:49) Al: Yeah.
(0:05:52) Al: Fair enough.
(0:05:53) Al: My general rule with walkthroughs is if I’m not having fun without it, then I’m going to use it.
(0:06:00) Maddy: Yep, love that.
(0:06:00) Al: Right.
(0:06:00) Al: Cause it’s like the whole point of games is to be fun.
(0:06:02) Maddy: Yep.
(0:06:02) Al: So I’m not going to put myself through torture just to play a game.
(0:06:05) Maddy: Why would you?
(0:06:06) Al: Exactly.
(0:06:08) Maddy: How about you?
(0:06:08) Maddy: What have you been playing now?
(0:06:08) Al: Well, I’ve mostly been playing Coral Island because it came out of Early Access last week, was it?
(0:06:20) Al: Two weeks ago.
(0:06:20) Al: Two weeks ago.
(0:06:22) Al: So I played it in Early Access for a bit and then they wiped the saves when 1.0 came out.
(0:06:27) Al: So I was like, oh, fine, I’ll start again.
(0:06:28) Al: But yeah, I mean, I don’t want to.
(0:06:33) Al: So we’re probably going to do another episode on this now that it’s in 1.0.
(0:06:38) Al: And I don’t want to completely ruin that episode, but I think this might be my favorite farming game now.
(0:06:44) Maddy: Ever?
(0:06:46) Al: Yes.
(0:06:48) Maddy: Okay, is it on switch or what are you playing it on?
(0:06:52) Al: So I am playing it on the Steam Deck.
(0:06:55) Al: It is coming to Switch, but I think the Switch isn’t out yet and it’s coming next week.
(0:07:01) Maddy: Okay. I will put a pin in that one. Oh yeah, spoiler alert, my husband did buy the OLED Steam Deck that just came last week, so we’ve got lots of new video game toys in the house.
(0:07:10) Al: Excellent. Yeah, it looks like they’re, yeah, so they’re, they’re coming to switch planning for Switch next year, but it’s, it’s on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation as of now.
(0:07:26) Maddy: All right, I’ll set a reminder to have you remind.
(0:07:32) Al: I’m very much enjoying it. It is, it’s very good. It does everything that I liked about starred you it does but it does more than that as well it’s not just doing a stardew right like it’s not just oh let’s be stardew but but with a different skin right it’s on an island and it has like a bunch of extra different kind of features that are like you can go diving in the sea and part of the story is to clean up the coral around the island coral island and there’s a whole kind of like a merfolk kingdom down there so like there’s a whole lot of stuff
(0:07:45) Maddy: Yeah, but on an island.
(0:08:10) Al: happening under the water and there’s like a whole big story around the mines and stuff like that so it’s not just doing stardew but with a different skin it is doing more things and everything I think that it does it does pretty well like there’s I obviously have some issues and some things that I would like to improve but I don’t feel like it’s going it’s not just like a cheap knockoff of stardew or anything like that that a lot of farming games kind of feel like they’re just trying to emulate it but they don’t really get what
(0:08:36) Maddy: right no this looks cute I famously would love to be into stardew but i’m maybe not the biggest fan of the art style sorry but this one looks very like disney like as far as like the character designs is that true
(0:08:46) Al: Yeah, it definitely, if you’re not, if you’re not into the pixel art, then this is definitely a better one for that because it’s very much more cartoony and obviously much more fidelity and all the artwork and stuff like that. So I’ve very much enjoyed it. So I’m, I’m literally like two days away from from marrying in that.
(0:09:16) Al: And I’m I’ve got to a point where I have automated a lot of my farm.
(0:09:20) Al: So I’m at a pretty good place there.
(0:09:22) Al: I’m really happy with with how I’m doing.
(0:09:26) Maddy: And I know that you have your planning calendar for games. What’s next on your docket?
(0:09:32) Al: Oh goodness, that is a good question.
(0:09:37) Maddy: Or sorry to put you on the spot if you don’t have your your gantt chart of your games.
(0:09:42) Al: I just need to click here, click on it.
(0:09:45) Al: I don’t know whether people believe you or not.
(0:09:47) Al: There is literally a Gantt chart.
(0:09:48) Maddy: You know, I feel like I feel like if they listen to the harvest season and they know you as a host,
(0:09:53) Maddy: They’ve got to believe me that you have a Gantt chart.
(0:09:57) Al: Well, yeah, fair enough.
(0:09:59) Al: So there’s a game that came out not too long ago called Coa and the Five Pirates, which is our–
(0:10:05) Al: so it’s the makers of that made Summer in Mara, which is another farming game which I really liked.
(0:10:12) Al: This one is a 3D platformer, though.
(0:10:14) Al: So I really want to play that.
(0:10:15) Al: And I think this is probably the time to do that,
(0:10:16) Al: because there’s not a huge amount out just now.
(0:10:18) Maddy: Oh, yeah.
(0:10:18) Al: And then a Highland song comes out in next week.
(0:10:23) Al: Have you heard of this?
(0:10:23) Maddy: No, I haven’t.
(0:10:25) Al: So a Highland song is a 2D platforming game set in the Scottish Highlands.
(0:10:30) Maddy: Oh, perfect.
(0:10:31) Al: And what I find really interesting about it is that every mountain that you can see in the background is a mountain you can go to at some point in the game.
(0:10:40) Maddy: new blog idea, Al. If the game blows up to be huge, you should visit every spot that’s in the game.
(0:10:49) Al: And there’s like, I’m looking forward to seeing what the story is like and because they’re kind of hyping that up.
(0:10:56) Al: So that’s on my list and obviously the second Pokémon DLC.
(0:11:00) Al: Those are the three things I currently have scheduled for this year.
(0:11:03) Maddy: Perfect. Good luck to you.
(0:11:07) Al: Cool. Should we talk about some news?
(0:11:10) Maddy: Yeah, let’s do it. You got quite a bit to talk about.
(0:11:13) Al: We do, we do. So the first thing is they’ve announced a new wholesome snack.
(0:11:18) Al: So this is the wholesome games people. They do our direct kind of in June around kind of,
(0:11:26) Al: I was going to say around E3 time, but RIP E3. Well, maybe not rest in peace. We’re glad you’re gone.
(0:11:28) Maddy: Oh, yeah, ugh.
(0:11:33) Maddy: Yeah, just rest, generally rest.
(0:11:36) Al: You’re gone. Huzzah. But they’re doing, I think they did this last year.
(0:11:37) Maddy: Goodbye.
(0:11:42) Al: Well, it’s like a smaller version for the game awards. So they’re going to go,
(0:11:48) Al: they’ve got some world premiers, some demos and exclusives and new game announcements coming
(0:11:56) Al: full of wholesome games. And you know, there are going to be some farming games in there.
(0:12:02) Al: So that is on the 6th of December. That is the day the game awards happens,
(0:12:08) Al: but it’s before the Game Awards, thankfully, because that’s…
(0:12:12) Al: That is a Wednesday, and of course, we release on Wednesdays, and I have decided that we’re going to cover it on the day that we’re covering it. So, I will be watching the Game Awards,
(0:12:22) Maddy: Oh my gosh, and if anyone can, it’s you, Elle.
(0:12:23) Al: recording a podcast, editing the podcast, and releasing it before I go to bed. So…
(0:12:31) Al: Well, we’ll see! So, listeners, if the episode doesn’t come out on Wednesday, you know I have died.
(0:12:38) Maddy: Promises, promises.
(0:12:42) Al: I haven’t failed to release one when I’ve wanted to release one yet, so we’ll see.
(0:12:47) Maddy: This one will be fun.
(0:12:48) Maddy: You’ll have plenty of stuff to talk about with both of those awards,
(0:12:52) Maddy: I’m not too worried about ya.
(0:12:54) Al: Yes, and I’m sure there’ll be some new stuff as well. We’ll see what happens.
(0:13:01) Al: Lens Island have released their Harvest Moon update. The full details of that are out now,
(0:13:09) Al: so there’s a list on their Steam page and on their website, which obviously we’ll link in the show notes. The interesting thing is, one thing we did have in this update that we didn’t know before the update came out,
(0:13:23) Al: or we didn’t know before.
(0:13:24) Al: Recorded the last podcast.
(0:13:26) Al: I think they did announce it after that.
(0:13:28) Al: So the Harvest Moon event that they’ve got in the game,
(0:13:30) Al: it increases all of your crops and your machinery and how efficient they are, but also increases the frequency and danger of the mobs that are around,
(0:13:43) Al: and they can come and obviously destroy the stuff that you have.
(0:13:46) Al: So it’s one of these, like, do I want to risk the increase in productivity to get– well,
(0:13:53) Al: risk the risk.
(0:13:54) Al: Destroying all of my equipment for the increase in productivity that you get.
(0:13:59) Al: So they’ve said you can skip the events if you want to, which is good because I certainly wouldn’t be wanting to do that.
(0:14:02) Maddy: Oh, interesting.
(0:14:04) Maddy: No, that’s quite a gamble,
(0:14:04) Al: But yeah.
(0:14:06) Maddy: but that’s cool that they give you the choice to opt out.
(0:14:09) Al: Yeah.
(0:14:11) Al: So that’s the main thing.
(0:14:12) Al: There’s a bunch of other things as well, which I’m not going to go through.
(0:14:15) Al: But if you want to see it, it’s in the show notes.
(0:14:18) Al: Next, we have my time at Sandro.
(0:14:19) Al: Oh, no, I forgot to mention, of course.
(0:14:21) Al: Lens Island also have an updated roadmap as well.
(0:14:24) Al: Um, so they’ve given details for the next updates that are coming.
(0:14:28) Al: There’s one in December, which is the localization languages updates.
(0:14:31) Al: It’s adding more, more languages.
(0:14:34) Al: And then in March, they’re titling the frozen lands update, which includes a new art Arctic world.
(0:14:41) Al: And then in July is their plan for their full release, which includes multiplayer.
(0:14:47) Al: And I’m sure I’ll play that game at some point.
(0:14:50) Maddy: You know, I’ve been looking for a reason to get back into Harvest Moon, I haven’t played since the DS game came out, and it felt at that time it was too much of a job for someone that had a job, but maybe, maybe my sensibilities have changed since then, and especially if there’s quality of life improvements in the series.
(0:15:09) Maddy: I might have to try.
(0:15:10) Al: Yeah. Well, we’ve got lots, lots of possible options for you.
(0:15:14) Maddy: Who else should I talk to about that, Al? You? Who else do I know?
(0:15:17) Al: I don’t know. I might know someone. I might know someone that
(0:15:20) Maddy: Perfect. Come up with a short list for me and I’ll start doing some outreach.
(0:15:26) Al: will do, will do. So we’ve got my time at Sandrock next.
(0:15:29) Al: They have a new roadmap. Um, they are coming out with a bug fix,
(0:15:34) Al: bug fix patch by the end of November, which is now,
(0:15:40) Al: um, they are apparently releasing another update this year.
(0:15:44) Al: I feel like these people are way too optimistic for December,
(0:15:48) Al: but what do I know? Um, by Christmas,
(0:15:52) Al: they’re going to release a free content update. I know. Right.
(0:15:54) Maddy: Huh, wow.
(0:15:57) Al: And then Q1 next year,
(0:16:00) Al: they’re going to add in DLC support with multiplayer.
(0:16:03) Al: I don’t really know what they mean. Like, obviously,
(0:16:05) Al: I know what they mean by multiplayer, but I don’t like the say integrating DLC
(0:16:10) Al: into the multiplayer mode. Now I haven’t played my time at Sandrock.
(0:16:12) Al: Cause I really hated the first game they did. Um,
(0:16:14) Maddy: No, I don’t know anything about this.
(0:16:15) Al: but I don’t know whether that’s saying, I don’t know whether that’s saying,
(0:16:19) Al: they’re adding the DLCs at that point, or they’re adding multiplayer mode,
(0:16:23) Al: or both already exist in the game, but you can’t have the DLCs in multiplayer.
(0:16:27) Al: It’s one of those three.
(0:16:28) Maddy: I feel like if it says integrating DLC support into multiplayer, it’s probably there, but just not functional for multiplayer, don’t you think?
(0:16:39) Al: I just I feel I just feel like why would they release DLCs that wouldn’t work half the time
(0:16:39) Maddy: That keyword “integrating” I can’t make that answer for you, Al.
(0:16:48) Maddy: These developers do what they need to do.
(0:16:52) Al: And they’re also releasing the DLCs that you previously only got with the Deluxe version.
(0:16:58) Al: They are releasing them separately as well, so you can purchase them outside of that.
(0:17:05) Al: Next we have Circle of Kirzovan, which they have a very exciting update.
(0:17:11) Al: They are changing their name so that we can actually pronounce it.
(0:17:14) Maddy: Wow, that’s smart. That’s very smart of them
(0:17:18) Al: So their game is now going to be called “Of Life and Land”.
(0:17:22) Al: Which is fine, I guess. It’s not a particularly exciting name.
(0:17:27) Al: I do feel like the good thing about “Circle of Khuzovin” is you’re not going to confuse it with anything else, right?
(0:17:33) Al: You’re going to know exactly what they’re talking about.
(0:17:35) Al: Whereas “Of Life and Land” is kind of vague.
(0:17:39) Maddy: Yeah, that one’s not as memorable, but there’s that fine line of having a name that’s unique,
(0:17:45) Maddy: but also, imagine if a little kid tried to Google that or put it on their Christmas list.
(0:17:50) Maddy: They wouldn’t be able to spell it.
(0:17:52) Maddy: I wouldn’t be able to spell it, and I’m a grown-up kid.
(0:17:56) Al: They have said however that the land in the game will still be called Kirzovan, so the name’s not going away completely, it’s just not the name of the game anymore.
(0:18:09) Al: Very small thing from Fay Farm, they have released a video on Twitter which is hinting at some an upcoming update and we know nothing about it and I have no idea what this is meant to be.
(0:18:20) Al: Like maybe a shell with like a ribbon around it or something?
(0:18:24) Maddy: Have you played this game?
(0:18:26) Al: I have, not as much as I want to.
(0:18:30) Al: My main thing about this game is the movement in this game is fantastic, but everything else but it doesn’t grab me massively.
(0:18:42) Maddy: Ah, okay.
(0:18:42) Maddy: Interesting.
(0:18:43) Al: So yeah.
(0:18:44) Maddy: No, I’ve never tried it, but it looks cute, but yeah, I can see it just being cute for a little bit.
(0:18:51) Maddy: Well, keep an eye on that shell with a ribbon on it, Al.
(0:18:54) Al: Yeah, I literally have no idea what this is meant to mean, and it looks like in the comments on Twitter no one else does either.
(0:19:02) Al: So that’s fine, because it’s like with Disney Dreamlight Valley, every time I see something I’m like, “I don’t know what this means.
(0:19:09) Al: This feels like a really nice thing.”
(0:19:11) Al: And then you look in Twitter and it’s like, “Oh, it’s this person.”
(0:19:13) Al: I’m like, “Okay, how did you figure that out?”
(0:19:15) Maddy: But in this case, no one else.
(0:19:18) Al: Nobody seems to know.
(0:19:21) Al: A slightly sad update with Bear.
(0:19:24) Al: And breakfast, they have having to delay their upcoming update because their art
(0:19:30) Al: director has been diagnosed with cancer, so not great.
(0:19:32) Maddy: Oh, that’s too bad.
(0:19:36) Al: Thankfully, the comments are all very positive and people aren’t, you know,
(0:19:42) Al: being idiots about it, so that is good.
(0:19:45) Al: But, yeah, hopefully,
(0:19:47) Al: I mean, you never know what these things, but hopefully things go well and they can
(0:19:51) Al: and people will wait for…
(0:19:54) Al: …for updates.
(0:19:56) Maddy: Yeah, best wishes, that’s really sad.
(0:19:59) Al: Mika and the Witch’s Mountain have released a new trailer.
(0:20:02) Al: Uhm, this, Maddie, I feel like this game might be down your street.
(0:20:06) Maddy: You know, not yet, but anything with the word “witch” in it, you know that I’m a sucker for.
(0:20:12) Maddy: Oh, and just popping it up.
(0:20:12) Al: Mm-hmm, yep, yep. So you’re a little witch who is running a delivery business, a package delivery business. Sure, possibly. So that’s a new trailer, nothing else on that one. If you want to see the trailer, links in the show notes. I’m still very excited about this I have been since the NIH, I think.
(0:20:14) Maddy: It looks very Miyazaki-style.
(0:20:17) Maddy: Is it like Kiki?
(0:20:18) Maddy: She’s…
(0:20:19) Maddy: Oh, so it is Kiki’s delivery service.
(0:20:27) Maddy: Cute.
(0:20:28) Maddy: No, I will definitely do that.
(0:20:43) Al: This is also by the same people who made the game that I mentioned that is up, that I want to play, that is already Koa and the Five Pirates, and they made Summer and Mara.
(0:20:52) Al: So I think I’ve enjoyed every single game they’ve made. They’re very… They’re the sort of company now where if they announce a game, I write it on my list to purchase.
(0:21:02) Maddy: Oh nice.
(0:21:02) Al: Like, this is a game I am definitely going to play. And even if it’s something that I don’t end up actively enjoying, that’s because it’s not my kind of game, not because it’s not good.
(0:21:05) Maddy: Yeah, this looks up.
(0:21:12) Maddy: That’s that’s good to know. Yeah, this looks really cute pencil me in for the harvest season episode when this is out on switch
(0:21:20) Al: Yeah, will do, will do. I’ll hold you to that.
(0:21:26) Al: Next we have Starstruck Vagabond.
(0:21:28) Al: So I’m not going to go too deep into this,
(0:21:32) Al: but this is a game by Yatsy Croshaw, who does,
(0:21:36) Al: or did Zero Punctuation,
(0:21:40) Al: which was a video review series
(0:21:45) Al: that was on The Escapist,
(0:21:48) Al: which has like imploded.
(0:21:50) Al: So, it’s all very, the whole, if you don’t know about the escapist drama, we don’t need to go over it now. You can go and look at it online, but basically they fired their editor and the entire video team quit and went with him to start a new company. So that’s,
(0:21:50) Maddy: Oh yeah.
(0:22:06) Maddy: Good.
(0:22:08) Al: so now they are also publishing the game that Yahtzee has been building for a few years now,
(0:22:14) Al: this one Starstruck Vagabond, which apparently the escapist wouldn’t let them talk about it
(0:22:20) Al: anymore. So now that they’re independent, they are talking about it again and they have released a new trailer. I know it’s the drama is quite, maybe we need to do a whole other
(0:22:24) Maddy: Wow. Drama.
(0:22:32) Al: episode just talking about that is quite, quite the drama. But the other key information is that they’ve said that it’s releasing in spring 2024. So if those, if anyone isn’t aware, this is a game where you are on a spaceship.
(0:22:50) Al: And you are, oh, funnily enough, package delivery.
(0:22:56) Al: That was entirely coincidental that we talk about those two right next to each other.
(0:23:00) Al: Yeah, so you’re running a spaceship delivering packages, essentially.
(0:23:06) Maddy: Wow, I’ll have to look into that drama that seems like a fun little rabbit hole
(0:23:12) Maddy: when you’re bored at work in the afternoon.
(0:23:13) Al: Oh man, how did you miss it? I was covering it. I was talking about it in the Slack.
(0:23:18) Al: How did you miss that?
(0:23:19) Maddy: You know, you cover a lot of things on the slack. I can’t keep track of everything.
(0:23:20) Al: I would, it was particularly fun to watch live because we saw that he’d been fired and then we saw that everyone else was quitting one by one, which was fantastic to watch. And then like,
(0:23:36) Al: less than two days later, they already had their new channel up with the artwork and the name.
(0:23:40) Al: And they were, they like absolutely like within, within two weeks they had their first videos out.
(0:23:40) Maddy: Oh wow.
(0:23:46) Maddy: Oh, funny.
(0:23:47) Al: And it was insane how quickly they went up.
(0:23:50) Al: I’m not quite sure what to say about it.
(0:23:50) Maddy: I’ll have to scroll back and to relive the drama.
(0:23:56) Al: Definitely.
(0:23:56) Al: And Stardew Valley, they are releasing Junimo Plushes.
(0:24:02) Al: So if you wanted a Junimo plush, they didn’t exist till now.
(0:24:08) Al: They are up for pre-order now.
(0:24:10) Al: There’s probably not much more to say.
(0:24:13) Al: I mean, you’ve not played Stardew, so you wouldn’t appreciate it as much, but I’m sure you can look at them and they are pretty cute.
(0:24:17) Maddy: Oh, they’re pretty cute. They’re cute. Yeah, I don’t mind those
(0:24:20) Al: They are launching in spring 2024, you can pre-order now.
(0:24:26) Al: So, you know, go and pre-order now.
(0:24:28) Maddy: Wow, that’s quite a lead time for a plush pre-order announcement.
(0:24:34) Al: Yeah, well, I mean, spring can mean a lot of things, right?
(0:24:39) Al: And the final piece of news is that the makers of Above Snakes have announced
(0:24:45) Al: that they are going to kick start a new game called…
(0:24:49) Al: Well, no, not called. It doesn’t have a name.
(0:24:51) Al: They are kick starting a new game, which is a cosy campervan survival game.
(0:24:58) Al: And we have one piece of art on the kick
(0:24:59) Al: page so far which looks nice.
(0:25:02) Maddy: Oh yeah, that does look really cute.
(0:25:04) Maddy: Interesting.
(0:25:06) Maddy: Oh, I do like…
(0:25:07) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:25:08) Maddy: There’s little solar panels on the van.
(0:25:11) Maddy: Funny.
(0:25:11) Al: Yeah. So my big thing is I’m intrigued by the two words, cozy and survival.
(0:25:16) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:25:16) Al: Um, and how those are going to work together now, because survival can mean a couple of different things.
(0:25:18) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:25:22) Al: It can either mean, and hopefully this is what they mean.
(0:25:25) Al: Cause this can definitely be cozy is just, you have to do everything you need to survive, like you have to gather all your things and make everything that you need, blah, blah, blah, blah, but survival.
(0:25:31) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:25:32) Maddy: I kinda like resource management.
(0:25:35) Al: Exactly.
(0:25:36) Al: But survival can also mean there are monsters and that’s not cozy.
(0:25:37) Maddy: Yeah?
(0:25:39) Maddy: No, probably not.
(0:25:41) Al: cozy at all.
(0:25:45) Maddy: As much as that sounds appealing to me in my video game preferences, I wouldn’t say cozy if a little zombie raccoon was coming at ya.
(0:25:51) Al: I’m not saying I wouldn’t play a game like that, I played Minecraft for years, and that’s basically what that is, it’s a survival game, but I don’t think you can use the word “cosey”
(0:25:57) Maddy: Right.
(0:26:06) Maddy: Cozy
(0:26:09) Maddy: No
(0:26:09) Al: in relation to that.
(0:26:11) Al: But a lot of game developers do overuse these words and certainly use them in the wrong context sometimes.
(0:26:19) Al: It’s like when people post videos and they’re like.
(0:26:21) Al: Hashtag satisfying.
(0:26:22) Al: And I’m like, you don’t get to decide that.
(0:26:22) Maddy: Yeah, that’s not up for them to decide.
(0:26:24) Al: You don’t get to decide if it’s satisfying.
(0:26:26) Al: You made it.
(0:26:30) Maddy: No, yeah, this is a lot of adjectives for this game, but I do like the art.
(0:26:36) Al: I also find it funny that they called it unannounced Cozy Campers of Ann’s survival game.
(0:26:40) Maddy: Yeah, in the announcement, yeah, unless you are an unannounced cozy camper van where you just show up at people’s houses unannounced, you just have to say, “Hey, I’m in a park here.”
(0:26:41) Al: I feel like they’ve announced it.
(0:26:42) Al: I think what they mean is unnamed.
(0:26:54) Maddy: So, Al, you don’t know.
(0:26:58) Al: It’s like Untitled Goose Game all over again.
(0:26:58) Maddy: Right.
(0:27:00) Maddy: No, no, I think they might be onto something with this one.
(0:27:00) Al: It’s like we were just waiting for them to give us the full name and they never did.
(0:27:08) Al: » We will keep an eye on it.
(0:27:11) Maddy: Perfect.
(0:27:13) Maddy: Can we talk about Hello Kitty?
(0:27:14) Al: I think that’s all the news.
(0:27:16) Al: Yes, let us do that.
(0:27:18) Al: That’s what you’re here for.
(0:27:20) Maddy: Yes.
(0:27:20) Al: You managed to make it through all the news.
(0:27:22) Maddy: No, and it’s just, it’s tough because I love these games, but I purposely kind of avoid all the news because I know that I want to try everything.
(0:27:31) Maddy: And so when I, you know, listen to Harvest Season and I hear about all these games, there’s not enough time to play everything you want to play.
(0:27:38) Al: That’s very true.
(0:27:40) Al: That’s very true.
(0:27:40) Al: So you end up just playing none of them instead.
(0:27:42) Maddy: Yeah, I just end up beating Super Mario RPG remake in a week instead.
(0:27:47) Al: I haven’t played that yet.
(0:27:50) Maddy: Have you played, you didn’t play it the original when you were little?
(0:27:52) Al: I did not.
(0:27:53) Al: No, I did not.
(0:27:54) Al: So I think it’s like I’m probably, I will play the game at some point, but I’m not prioritizing it.
(0:28:00) Maddy: It’s not going anywhere.
(0:28:01) Al: I was, I’m not.
(0:28:02) Al: Well, exactly.
(0:28:03) Al: And it’s not like it’s about to get cheap or anything like that.
(0:28:04) Maddy: No, no, that’s very true.
(0:28:09) Al: My thing is, I’m not sure if I’m going to like it or not because I haven’t liked other Mario RPGs they’ve done.
(0:28:15) Al: So I don’t like Paper Mario, for example.
(0:28:18) Maddy: I’m not the best one to kind of give an opinion because this was my very first favorite video game of my entire life.
(0:28:25) Maddy: I was obsessed with this when I was little.
(0:28:28) Maddy: I had the guidebook, I would play it non-stop, you know, back in the days when you just had like two video games, so you had to make the most of what you had.
(0:28:35) Al: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. Yep.
(0:28:37) Maddy: And so there’s definitely flaws.
(0:28:40) Maddy: It’s very, you know, baby’s first RPG.
(0:28:43) Maddy: It’s not - excuse me - yeah, it’s not very tough.
(0:28:45) Al: Well, that might be good for me.
(0:28:48) Maddy: But it’s just so cute, it’s so funny.
(0:28:52) Al: I think I’ve just never really got into RPGs at all.
(0:28:56) Al: So like my like the closest thing that I play to RPGs is Pokemon.
(0:29:00) Maddy: Right, I was gonna say, if you like Pokemon, this is a lot more simplified than Pokemon ever is.
(0:29:06) Maddy: You just…
(0:29:06) Al: Yeah, I’m also not sure if I like Pokemon for being an RPG like I collect things and that’s why I like about Pokemon
(0:29:12) Maddy: Oh, yeah, that’s not Mario RPG. But you do get to play as Bowser, and one of Bowser’s weapons is just picking Mario up and whipping him at enemies, which is very funny.
(0:29:15) Al: Yeah
(0:29:23) Al: That does sound funny well, you know what game you can collect lots of things in
(0:29:28) Maddy: Oh my gosh, it’s Hello Kitty Island Adventure! It is collector’s paradise or collector’s hell, can I say hell?
(0:29:32) Al: Absolutely
(0:29:37) Al: » [LAUGH] Yeah, that’s fine.
(0:29:37) Maddy: Depending on what you feel like because there is a lot, a lot to collect.
(0:29:43) Al: Yeah, okay, so let’s start off by giving introduction to this game just for anyone who isn’t aware.
(0:29:50) Al: So this is Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
(0:29:52) Al: It is currently only on Apple Arcade.
(0:29:55) Al: So if you’re already like that’s turned me off, then just listen.
(0:29:58) Al: I bet it’s gonna come to Switch next year, but that’s just my theory.
(0:30:04) Al: the
(0:30:06) Al: it is a it’s very much a cottagecore game very much not a farming game you are a character who in well you you make your own custom character for the Holokitty universe and
(0:30:21) Al: the start is wild I was not expecting this so you you jump on a plane and then the plane
(0:30:27) Al: I think is having issues and then you have to jump off the plane with a balloon
(0:30:31) Maddy: Yeah, it’s pretty intense at the beginning.
(0:30:33) Maddy: All of a sudden it’s like lost or something.
(0:30:35) Al: Flame crashes.
(0:30:35) Maddy: It’s very survival cottagecore in that moment,
(0:30:39) Maddy: because yeah, the plane just kind of starts on fire and you gotta go.
(0:30:43) Al: What I’m not certain about, and maybe this is because I haven’t done enough of the story,
(0:30:47) Al: but I’m not certain whether this island was where we were meant to be going or not.
(0:30:51) Maddy: You know, I don’t know how much I have just to preface. I have beaten the main game I believe but there have been quite a few updates and changes in the past like month or so that I have not gotten through
(0:31:03) Maddy: But in the main game you you do get an answer to that
(0:31:07) Al: OK, right, that’s fine.
(0:31:09) Al: I haven’t. Yeah, I haven’t got through that, that sort of thing, because
(0:31:13) Al: personally, I’m not a huge fan of playing this on on a device with a touch screen.
(0:31:19) Al: It’s not really working hugely for me, which I think is part of the reason.
(0:31:21) Maddy: Well, then you have to get your 8-bit doe wireless controller and pair it to your iPad like I’ve been doing
(0:31:29) Al: I’m not I’m not doing that.
(0:31:31) Al: I’m just going to wait until it comes on to switch your steam and play it on my
(0:31:35) Al: picture of my Steam Deck.
(0:31:35) Maddy: That’s very fair
(0:31:37) Al: So yeah, sorry, I distracted myself. So you jump out of the plane, you land on this island and then the idea is you are living on this island. There’s a lot of exploration, right? Like the world is reasonably large and you have to go and explore and find other characters. They don’t all just land where they’re meant to be. So they’re all over the place and it’s a lot of fetch questing and a lot of relationship building with the characters and lots of other things that we’ll talk about.
(0:32:07) Al: about. Is that fair kind of description of the game?
(0:32:10) Maddy: Yeah, I think that’s perfect. Yeah, you crash land on this island and you kind of have to rebuild it.
(0:32:15) Maddy: And like you said, find your other friends because some of them are on top of mountains or underneath water. And then there’s a secondary storyline of trying to solve the mystery of the island that you landed on as well. I know there’s a theme park that you’re trying to figure out what’s going on.
(0:32:32) Maddy: There’s some little other Hello Kitty friends that show up that you’re not quite sure what they’re up to but…
(0:32:40) Maddy: It’s mostly just rebuilding your life on this island and having your adventure.
(0:32:45) Maddy: And it’s cute.
(0:32:46) Maddy: And I’m gonna say that a million times in this podcast,
(0:32:48) Al: It is so
(0:32:50) Maddy: it’s just so darn cute.
(0:32:52) Maddy: Sanrio fans, rejoice because it has all of, it has, excuse me.
(0:32:57) Maddy: It has not just Hello Kitty, my melody, but it has some of the weirdo ones that you don’t see as often.
(0:33:03) Maddy: Like Hang Yodon, who is my favorite, I love that little weirdo.
(0:33:08) Maddy: So let’s–
(0:33:10) Maddy: to see as far as the Sanrio universe. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and Hello Kitty’s boyfriend shows up, uh, dear Daniel, so you get to see the full lore of the Sanrio universe.
(0:33:14) Al: There really are so many characters as well.
(0:33:16) Al: I didn’t realize there were this many.
(0:33:17) Al: I mean, it was only a few years ago that I realized that Gudetama was a Hello Kitty character, right?
(0:33:31) Al: So, let’s talk about that first, because I feel like that’s kind of the biggest mechanic of the game is the friendship, right?
(0:33:39) Al: You are building up your relationships with these characters, and in doing so, that’s how you get access to everything else in the game.
(0:33:47) Al: It’s how you get more items, it’s how you get recipes, it’s how you expand out into the world to find other people, and of course you are expanding out into the world to find other people, and that’s more relationship building stuff.
(0:34:00) Maddy: Yeah, it’s definitely, it has that game cycle that really just works for me.
(0:34:09) Maddy: A lot of times these fetch quests, you’re just like, okay, point A to point B, back to point A. But this has enough of a gameplay loop where it keeps interesting.
(0:34:17) Maddy: Because like you said, the more you build these friendships, the more you have to do.
(0:34:21) Maddy: Like, it opens up different quest lines once you get your friendship levels to different,
(0:34:26) Maddy: you know, higher enough levels.
(0:34:30) Maddy: Within that, to grow your friendship levels, you have to give them a gift and to give them the right gift with enough heart levels to grow it as fast, you have to make things.
(0:34:40) Maddy: And to make things, you need to gather the ingredients to make those things.
(0:34:43) Maddy: So it kind of is like a full circle where you’re just constantly like, I’m very Al in this game where I did have a checklist, I had a little sheet up that I needed to be like, okay, to make a three heart gift for my melody, I need to make this delicious looking cake and to make
(0:35:00) Maddy: it for me to get this and there’s a lot.
(0:35:01) Al: I think it’s it’s it’s good because it’s it’s simple enough that I think anybody can play it like you could have a young kid play this and have a lot of fun especially if they like the characters but as you say there’s enough depth to it in that loop where it’s you can you can expand a lot and there’s a lot to do it’s not like you’re just going as you say just oh grab a thing throw it to someone right and that is that is the the main the The primary loop is just–
(0:35:03) Maddy: Yeah, it’s a big gameplay loop.
(0:35:27) Maddy: Right.
(0:35:31) Al: Fetch quests, but because they add on that secondary and tertiary loop, that adds much more to it, so you don’t feel like, “Oh, I can’t believe I have to do another fetch quest.”
(0:35:40) Al: No, you’re doing it because you want to explore the other aspects of the game.
(0:35:44) Maddy: And what I do like about how there are so many options of these different fetch quests for each different character is that you really do get to control how much time you spend in the game.
(0:35:54) Maddy: I know especially with stuff like Animal Crossing when you’re first starting out you run out of stuff to do really quick.
(0:35:58) Maddy: Obviously that’s not the case as you get further on, but in this, you know, it does limit how many gifts you can give people a day.
(0:36:06) Maddy: It does limit, you know, how many items are around the island to pick up, you know, during the day cycle, but there’s enough to do where you can–
(0:36:14) Maddy: You can kind of focus on, okay, now I’m just going to get Choco Cat stuff or I’m going to go see what Karomi’s up to.
(0:36:20) Maddy: But it’s not like, how do I say it? There’s so many games like this where I feel like I can get everything there is to be done and then just in board.
(0:36:28) Maddy: There’s plenty to do in this.
(0:36:28) Al: Yeah, I never, I never hit that point. And I hit that point with Animal Crossing very early on where the first day you’re like, well, there’s not really much I can do now.
(0:36:36) Al: But I didn’t hit because like, that’s how I play games is I play them. I play them,
(0:36:42) Al: right? And that is the game that I am playing for that time. And I will play that for like four to five hours a day, every single day, like all of my free time that I’m not doing something else, I’m playing the game. And that was where Animal Crossing really fell down for me
(0:36:42) Maddy: Right.
(0:36:58) Al: it doesn’t work that way. And this, even though, as you say, there are some restrictions on things,
(0:37:03) Al: I didn’t hit a point where I was like, Oh, there’s nothing I can do. Because you can actually,
(0:37:07) Al: you can explore really, really early on if you, you know, and the thing is that yet there’s a limit to how much you can do for one character in a day. But very quickly, once you’ve done three or four things, you’ve unlocked another person. And then that’s another person to do things.
(0:37:20) Maddy: Right, exactly.
(0:37:23) Al: And by the time you’ve unlocked everybody, there’s so many people that you’re not going to be able
(0:37:28) Al: everything they need every single day.
(0:37:30) Maddy: No, but what I do like about it though is so much of this isn’t really time-sensitive as far as you know
(0:37:35) Maddy: Not to keep comparing to Animal Crossing, but every day for that There’s like okay there this person’s come with a shop or the clothing stores clothes Whatever you have to like do it time limit with this It’s very just based on how you want to do it, you know
(0:37:48) Maddy: The characters are always going to be there waiting for their next gift But you’re not gonna miss anything if you choose to focus on something else for that day And that’s what really makes this kind of a stress.
(0:38:00) Maddy: I like catching fish while you’re swimming. Have you gotten that far yet? Where you can catch them in the magic bubbles?
(0:38:18) Al: I love how you mentioned fishing, like you knew what the fishing was like.
(0:38:27) Al: I haven’t done that, no, no, no. I did not realise you could do that. That sounds much better.
(0:38:30) Maddy: Yes, that’s the other thing. Was it Batsmaru? He’s like, “You can make the log of fish.” I’m like, “No, you can probably just do that Bats.”
(0:38:32) Al: I tried the fishing a couple of times and went, “No, I’m not doing fishing, not in another game.”
(0:38:44) Maddy: That’s not for me to figure out. There’s other stuff to do and I don’t feel like I’m missing something by not focusing on that as much.
(0:38:54) Maddy: It’s that exploration and it’s the way that they’ve metered out the up-
(0:39:00) Maddy: grades, I think is really interesting too, as far as collecting items to grow your stamina. You need different stamina to go underwater or climb mountains and then you get items to increase that level.
(0:39:12) Maddy: It limits how much you can explore and then doles it out little by little once you upgrade. That’s through quests, that’s through giving gifts, that’s through exploring.
(0:39:22) Al: I do want to get - so you’ve touched on the traversal aspect. I want to get into that,
(0:39:25) Al: but just quickly before you do, I think I want to very quickly touch on the fact that you’re talking about how there’s so many different things to do, you don’t feel you have to do anything.
(0:39:34) Al: And that - I keep coming back to that in these episodes about games is I think you have to do one of two ways with these games. You either have to be hyper-focused or you have to let us choose exactly what we want to do. And the games that force you to do every mechanic when they have
(0:39:52) Al: mechanics. And you can’t advance one without advancing the other, really frustrates me. And so that I agree is one of the really good things about this game is - and it’s what I really loved about Stardew is that you can just go on, I’m just going to focus on this one thing. Like, I’m just going to focus on exploration, or I’m just going to focus on making the few people that I know as friendly as possible, or I’m just going to focus on this or that. There’s so many different things that you can do and I really like that.
(0:40:15) Maddy: Yeah
(0:40:21) Maddy: And I I do think that’s a great reason why I totally agree with you that you know different age levels or different You know game levels will enjoy this game because if you’re just a little kid playing on your iPad and you want to go take pictures of Gudetama hanging around the world you can do that, you know, you can just run around and get your camera out but if you do kind of want to Min max it as like I have and figured out the top
(0:40:45) Maddy: Performing gifts to give every specific person, you know, you can figure that out too. So I agree I like the games. I really just have it completely open for you with what you can do make it how you want it And that’s why it was so surprising how we kind of said at the beginning like this game is really good And it is so surprising. It’s it’s really fun. Like what the first day that I started it I was shocked with how fun it was because I kind of explained it to my husband it’s like Animal Crossing, but you get to explore.
(0:41:02) Al: It is, it’s really good.
(0:41:15) Maddy: You get to climb a mountain, you get to, you know, go talk to people and collect a little coconuts and pineapples.
(0:41:22) Maddy: Like, it’s just, there’s so much to it where I was very, very impressed.
(0:41:27) Maddy: And I thought it was definitely well worth the Apple Arcade subscription, but I, I will be very happy if and when it comes to Switch to play it on that instead of my iPad.
(0:41:38) Al: So, let’s talk about the traversal, because that’s obviously, I think, a massive part of the game as well, because no matter what you choose to do, you have to move around in the game. And I think this is a pretty good traversal system. So, it’s funny. I was not expecting that there would be, like, climbing stamina in this game. This game just… Like,
(0:41:58) Maddy: Oh yeah, it’s very, yeah, Breath of the Wild.
(0:42:02) Al: it’s… I hate when games… They’re exploration games, but they don’t let you…
(0:42:08) Al: Traverse how you want to. And this game is, like, if you want to get to this place by jumping over the house, you can do that. And I’m like, “Well, obviously I’m going to do that now, then.” Right?
(0:42:09) Maddy: Mm-hmm yep
(0:42:18) Maddy: Yeah, if you want to find the highest point in town and then fly off with your little balloons carrying you and float down to The next person’s area you can
(0:42:26) Al: It’s wild, and it’s like you can just, it’s so…
(0:42:31) Al: I’ve got a lot of thoughts about this, I’m not sure how to form them perfectly.
(0:42:35) Al: The, I think what I really like about it is how much they just…
(0:42:41) Al: I think they built the mechanics to let you just move how you want.
(0:42:45) Al: And so the…
(0:42:49) Al: Everything is at a height where you can jump off something to get to it, right?
(0:42:55) Al: so you can get onto the houses, you can get.
(0:42:56) Al: Onto the, the umbrellas on the beach.
(0:43:00) Al: You can get onto these things and, and that just feels so silly and fun.
(0:43:04) Maddy: No, definitely I had a ton of fun climbing around the hothead mountain, I think it was called, where I think I got to a point where I don’t think I was supposed to get there with the stamina that I had, but I found just enough like ledges that I could rest on and jump over to other little rocks that, and maybe obviously I could, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get up there if it was impossible, but like that’s fun.
(0:43:06) Al: And it’s like, they didn’t need to do that, but they did.
(0:43:33) Maddy: feels like exploring.
(0:43:34) Maddy: that I got to it was kind of a puzzle of like, okay, keep jumping, jumping, jumping until my little kitty girl runs out of energy and then just find my tiny little cubby to rest in. So yeah, you can just do it how you want to do it. There’s no set way.
(0:43:46) Al: Yeah. Yeah. It’s absolutely designed like that. Like I don’t think it’s, I don’t think it’s, you got somewhere, somewhere you weren’t supposed to. I think it’s you got somewhere that they would love that people would find a way to get to that sort of, it’s like, I feel it’s like when people talk about like the, you know, Zelda games and they’re like,
(0:44:09) Al: Oh, look at this thing that they never expected you to do. And I’m like, they built an exploration Right, this is a game where they are asking
(0:44:13) Maddy: Yeah. Right.
(0:44:16) Al: you to break the rules. They are asking you to figure out these ways to do it.
(0:44:20) Al: Did they know that you would do this exact specific thing? No. But they are probably very happy that you did. And it feels exactly the same with this. Like the climbing is literally just the same as in so many other, in so many open world games. It’s literally you have a stamina bar,
(0:44:26) Maddy: Right.
(0:44:36) Al: wheel, and when it runs out, you can’t climb anymore. And yeah, as you say, you can find little ledges and little places to rest and build up that stamina again and
(0:44:46) Al: it made the exploration part of it something I actively wanted to do rather than just something that existed and therefore I had to do to get other parts of the story.
(0:44:52) Maddy: Yeah
(0:44:57) Maddy: Because at the end of it too, and this is what I really liked and this is you know
(0:45:02) Maddy: Maybe a bigger conversation for Zelda which we’re not having here But at the end of exploring there was something for you you had a reward you had a prize There was something new to explore or there was a new character There’s stuff and I the problem I had with you know These big open-world Zelda games is sometimes there wasn’t anything at the end of you’re exploring
(0:45:06) Al: There’s stuff everywhere.
(0:45:22) Maddy: Oh, okay. I just climbed that giant mountain to see
(0:45:22) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There are chests, if nothing else, there are chests everywhere. So if you you can go explore, you suddenly get loads of items.
(0:45:25) Maddy: another about it, but in this one it always felt like you were rewarded with exploring and
(0:45:32) Maddy: Oh Yeah Yes
(0:45:38) Maddy: Yeah, you have different recipes to create new things or you know, sometimes you’ll get another slight Is it a stamina Apple that you can get to increase your stamina bar?
(0:45:48) Maddy: And so there’s always something at the end of.
(0:45:52) Maddy: Sweet. I got up there. Or even a gudetama that you can take a picture of.
(0:45:56) Maddy: So. Yeah. I think the exploration was really well done here because it was…
(0:46:01) Maddy: There was exploration with a point at the end of it and it was fun and challenging.
(0:46:06) Maddy: And it just… It made you want to do it versus like, “Okay, now I have to figure out how to swim through here to find the next spot.”
(0:46:16) Al: Right. You’ve mentioned him twice. Let’s talk about Kudetama.
(0:46:18) Maddy: Oh, he’s so cute!
(0:46:21) Al: I, for the first part of the game, I was like, how are they, how are they going to do Kudetama?
(0:46:27) Al: Because it’s like, you know, where, what’s going to happen here?
(0:46:28) Maddy: ear
(0:46:29) Al: Like, it doesn’t feel like he would be a character that just kind of lives in your world and you’d have fetch quests.
(0:46:35) Al: And then I noticed there was a Kudetama on the ground and I was like, oh, there’s a Kudetama in a bowl of ramen?
(0:46:40) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:46:41) Al: What? And then, and then not long after that, you find out that that’s exactly what Kudetama is.
(0:46:46) Al: There are loads of Kudetamas and your goal is to take pictures of all the Kudetamas.
(0:46:52) Maddy: And then for the note most recent update that I checked out this week did you see there’s a gudetama with a top hat? So I think that’s a special edition gudetama. Of course, why not?
(0:46:57) Al: I did, I did see that. Yes. Yeah. Which, why not?
(0:47:04) Maddy: And then that’s another one where you can just take pictures and find them like a lost and found thing but you get rewards for that too and you can fully deck yourself out in a gudetama outfit which I 100% did once I got the whole outfit. Why wouldn’t ya?
(0:47:18) Al: Why wouldn’t you? Like, come on.
(0:47:22) Maddy: That’s my catchphrase for this game. Why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t you go find
(0:47:27) Maddy: gudetama’s little butt hanging out at you on the top of a spooky tree? Of course. Why wouldn’t you go take a picture of that?
(0:47:34) Al: I mean, this is the thing, right? Like it’s, it’s kind of, it feels like the epitome of this game. They’ve done, they’ve taken something that I’m like, how are they going to do this?
(0:47:44) Al: And they’ve done it in exactly the way that makes perfect sense, right? How are you adding Gudetama into this game? Well, he’s just everywhere. Go take pictures of him. It is like perfect.
(0:47:52) Maddy: Mm-hmm.
(0:47:53) Al: No other thing with Gudetama would make any sense. This is just perfect, right? And I feel like that’s a lot of this game is like, this is just how it should be. They’ve done
(0:48:04) Al: thought. They’ve put a lot of thought into this and not just how to do it, but how to make it fun. And that just feels like the epitome of that.
(0:48:10) Maddy: Yeah, 100 percent.
(0:48:14) Maddy: And I think they put a lot of thought to and to how to grow the game.
(0:48:17) Maddy: If people ended up liking it, which I believe people have really enjoyed the game.
(0:48:21) Maddy: I was on the Reddit and people are going bonkers for it, but the way that they have created it is that if there is an update or more DLC, they can always add in more Gudetama or they can always add in different recipes or things to grow.
(0:48:32) Al: Yep.
(0:48:35) Maddy: Or, you know, we can talk about this too, but there’s always visitors that can come to your town to your little.
(0:48:40) Maddy: Cabins that you’re building, and they can always add new characters to come visit you. So I think it was really interesting that the way they built it is that there’s options for it to have updates and DLC and expand it and that’s fun to me. I think it’s not just like, okay, one and done, but it’s also not just extra content just for the sake of it. It all makes sense within the universe and within the gameplay.
(0:49:04) Al: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Let’s talk about the visitors then. I didn’t do a huge amount of this, but this is basically where you find these houses and you upgrade them to become visitor houses, and then people come and visit the houses and they are… Are these are these other existing characters in the Hello Kitty universe, or are these just like random new ones they’ve created for this, do you know?
(0:49:30) Maddy: There exists Dean, especially dear Daniel, that’s Hello Kitty’s boyfriend.
(0:49:32) Al: » Right.
(0:49:34) Al: » Yeah, he’s the first one, I’m pretty sure he must be like linked as the very specifically the first one, but I think the other ones are random ones.
(0:49:36) Maddy: She does have a romantic partner, yeah.
(0:49:39) Maddy: Yep.
(0:49:40) Maddy: Yep, yep, there are other characters within the universe, and I also did not do too much with the visitor stuff.
(0:49:52) Maddy: I feel like this was the, you know, while the Hello Kitty came, did so much better with exploration than Animal Crossing did.
(0:50:00) Maddy: The house design is so much better, obviously, in Animal Crossing.
(0:50:04) Maddy: It’s not as fun to meet a decorate or to collect different items, just because you can’t even, I don’t think you can turn them around.
(0:50:11) Maddy: So they’re all facing forward.
(0:50:12) Maddy: It’s not as, you know, customizable as in Animal Crossing, but you do get hints of if you put this amount of this type of furniture, this visitor might come.
(0:50:23) Maddy: So it’s kind of more of a puzzle of, okay, I’ll collect all this spooky stuff that a spooky person could come or put–
(0:50:30) Maddy: three plants and two cakes, and we’ll see what happens.
(0:50:33) Maddy: But yeah, I have not spent as much time decorating. I think I have maybe two or three, and one I’ve just decided was my house and just made it look whatever I wanted it to look without following the rules of the puzzles. So we’ll see if anyone can come visit my my weirdo house. No one yet.
(0:50:44) Al: Yeah, yeah.
(0:50:50) Al: Yeah, I agree. It’s not the most elaborate decoration system.
(0:50:56) Al: But I personally don’t care because I don’t enjoy that even when it’s good.
(0:50:56) Maddy: No. No. No, and I do, but I have plenty of games where it is really, really good and really fun, and there’s so much other stuff in the Hello Kitty game that is really fun that it doesn’t feel like it’s making me miss anything. Like the game doesn’t feel less than that that part isn’t as great.
(0:51:00) Al: That’s just not my thing.
(0:51:02) Al: Yeah.
(0:51:16) Al: Yeah, that’s fair.
(0:51:17) Al: That’s fair.
(0:51:19) Al: So let’s talk about quests.
(0:51:21) Al: So we’ve talked a bit about quests,
(0:51:22) Maddy: Yes.
(0:51:25) Al: but what I wanna talk about is the quest log.
(0:51:27) Maddy: Oh, it’s the best!
(0:51:27) Al: The quest log is incredible, right?
(0:51:29) Maddy: It’s so good!
(0:51:30) Al: This, when I say that I want quest logs in games,
(0:51:34) Al: this is what I want.
(0:51:35) Al: This is exact, I want, this is great.
(0:51:38) Al: Every like main quest, every side quest,
(0:51:40) Al: every random little thing that you can possibly do is in this quest log.
(0:51:45) Al: even think questlines.
(0:51:46) Al: that you can’t continue yet are there and it will tell you what you need to do to continue it. It is just everything that I want about that is perfect.
(0:51:50) Maddy: Yes. It’s so good. It’s so organized and it’s so detailed without just handing the answers to you.
(0:52:01) Maddy: And that’s, I think, another fine line that this balances is that it’s not a mystery, but it’s not just laying everything out for you plainly.
(0:52:02) Al: Yeah.
(0:52:03) Al: Mm-hmm.
(0:52:08) Maddy: So you can see that there’s quest lines maybe coming up, but you don’t know what it means, or you know that you need to do this to get a certain new tool,
(0:52:16) Maddy: But it doesn’t just say, you know, go do this, that, that.
(0:52:20) Maddy: It’s I think the way that these quests, it’s just so nice.
(0:52:23) Maddy: And I don’t know how else to say it, besides what you did, is that this is, you know,
(0:52:26) Maddy: if there’s a quest log in a game, it should just always be like this.
(0:52:30) Maddy: And I do like that it has you can pick which ones like are at the top of your screen at all times, because sometimes I forgot of like, wait,
(0:52:37) Maddy: where am I trying to find this character?
(0:52:39) Maddy: And you can just have it pinned to the top of your screen to remind you.
(0:52:43) Maddy: And it’s nice.
(0:52:44) Maddy: And just another example of there’s a lot you can do when you look at the quest log.
(0:52:48) Maddy: you can say like okay what am I
(0:52:50) Maddy: in the mood to work on right now do I want to get the museum all going I’ll go work on that quest or do I just want to give gifts to people for my daily gift giving and you can see which people you still need to give your gifts to
(0:53:02) Al: I think that’s the thing is so many times games will have a quest log but it will just have the main quests or it will have the main quests and the side stories but that’s it and it will miss out so many things that you can be doing whereas this is very much like everything that you can do is here and you can just keep coming back to this page to figure out what the next thing you’re going to do is and especially as someone that well Well, I like lists, we all know I like lists,
(0:53:32) Al: I’m really bad at remembering things, I’m really bad at keeping anything in my brain at any one point in time. Like, just automatically going and pressing that button when I forget what I’m doing and I see the list of things and I go, “Oh yes, that’s what I was doing,”
(0:53:43) Maddy: yeah. I totally agree and as someone who famously loves the Dark Souls games and Dark Souls is famously hates quests and I would hate if they had a quest lag because that’s just not the spirit of those games. If I have a game that I’m playing that does include that element it needs to be done all the way. It can’t like you said just have like the main quest because obviously I know like I’m gonna go fix the island. I don’t need that written down for me. I need an actual
(0:54:13) Maddy: planner log or my own list of everything that I’m working on. And just keeping track of the different statuses of everything is a lifesaver. Because while you love lists,
(0:54:25) Maddy: I like keeping notes. I have a dedicated notebook for everything that I play. And while it is fun for me to do that, it also can be a pain in the butt to constantly be pulling my pen out and writing on a notebook while I’m playing a little game. So the fact that this does it for me, I’m not mad about it.
(0:54:41) Al: Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to talk about Dark Souls because we don’t need to get into that discussion. I’ve just decided that that game series is not for me and I’m never going to try it because I know that there’s just so much about it that is not me that I’m just - and it’s not that it’s an action game, like I enjoy action games. It’s just there’s so much about those games that I just know that it’s not my type of thing and that’s fine.
(0:54:44) Maddy: » [LAUGH] The coziest game we could talk about.
(0:55:03) Maddy: It it’s very obtuse it’s very [laughs]
(0:55:05) Al: I’m - yes, exactly, exactly. I’m very much a…
(0:55:11) Al: Games should be doing things to make me enjoy them and games are electronic things that can remember everything that we have done and everything that it has told us we need to do and why should I be having to write that down? It should be keeping all that information for me and that is a hell I will die on and that’s why I love this. It’s exactly that.
(0:55:37) Al: It’s great. I love it.
(0:55:38) Maddy: It’s the anti-Dark Souls.
(0:55:40) Maddy: It’s the anti-Dark Souls of Apple Arcade games.
(0:55:42) Al: But I don’t - and I don’t think anybody is surprised by that, right? If you say, “What game is the anti-Dark Souls?” and someone says, “Hello Kitty, Island Adventure,” everybody would go, “Yeah, yeah, okay, that’s fair.” Even if you didn’t know what the game was,
(0:55:54) Maddy: It’s… it… yeah. You would believe it even if you didn’t know the details of it,
(0:55:56) Al: that would be a fair answer. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
(0:56:00) Maddy: but they do have two things in common is that Little Maddie is obsessed with both of them, so there’s got to be some sort of through line between the Dark Souls series and this one that has got me hooked. Yep, that’s very true, and they go all in. Um, what?
(0:56:12) Al: Well, they both do what they do well.
(0:56:18) Al: Like, I don’t like what it is the Dark Souls does, but it clearly does it well.
(0:56:22) Maddy: Right, exactly.
(0:56:23) Al: You know?
(0:56:24) Maddy: Yeah, except for… yeah, fishing and house decorating, I’m looking at the list that I wrote for you, and I said, “I did not fish,” and I thought that house decorating was boring.
(0:56:28) Al: Sure. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.
(0:56:33) Al: Yeah, I think - I said anything else we need to talk about fishing, probably not. I don’t - I just -
(0:56:36) Maddy: No…
(0:56:37) Al: I’m fed up of fishing. Fishing is boring. I don’t like joy. I don’t think…
(0:56:41) Al: I don’t think I enjoy it in any game. Like even in like I’ve been playing Carl Eilid recently. I’m not enjoying it in that either. I do it because I need to.
(0:56:48) Al: I don’t enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy it in Stardew. I didn’t… I’ve never found a fishing minigame that is fun. They’re all either too awkward or just boring.
(0:56:56) Maddy: I’m trying to wreck my brain.
(0:57:00) Maddy: Yeah…
(0:57:02) Maddy: I mean, I remember this is going back to talking about playing Mario RPG because it was the only game that I had for a long time, Ocarina of Time, was the game I played.
(0:57:12) Maddy: I just remember zoning out and fishing in that one for no reason other than it was fun for me, but I was also little and had nothing else to do with my life besides just fish and Zelda.
(0:57:22) Maddy: But any modern game now?
(0:57:24) Maddy: No, it’s a means to-
(0:57:26) Maddy: It’s a means to an end, like Monster Hunter, it’s a means to an end. It’s not enjoyable for me either.
(0:57:32) Maddy: And Hello Kitty is no exception.
(0:57:34) Maddy: But it was fun- it was fun doing the quest to get my fishing rod and it was fun talking to people to get that all set up.
(0:57:41) Maddy: I think that part was enjoyable, but sitting on the little dock. Exactly.
(0:57:44) Al: Yeah, because that was the same as the rest of the game, right? Like that was using the same primary and secondary loop. It was just that extra minigame that isn’t particularly-
(0:57:52) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:57:54) Maddy: No, but I think once you get to…
(0:57:56) Maddy: …swimming in further and you get the little magic wand. That one’s a little bit more fun, because you get to shoot a bubble out of your magic wand and it catches the undersea creatures and it’s a little less tedious than fishing.
(0:58:06) Al: It kind of, because I never got to that point and it kind of makes me wonder why they bothered putting a normal fishing minigame in at all when they have a more fun fishing minigame later on.
(0:58:14) Maddy: Yeah, I don’t know either.
(0:58:16) Maddy: Yeah.
(0:58:18) Maddy: Maybe they just felt they had to, since it’s kind of a staple of these games, but…
(0:58:23) Al: But it doesn’t, this is the thing I keep harping on about, that you don’t need any of these things to be a new game. It’s like every single game, I mean this one doesn’t obviously, but every single game needs to have romance in it, every single game needs to have, the games don’t need to and And I think that if–
(0:58:36) Al: If you’re not going to put your effort into making sure that they’re all fully featured,
(0:58:41) Al: don’t bother, because it would actually be more fun not to have it.
(0:58:44) Maddy: And maybe in the future when this gets updated the fishing will be more exciting somehow, but like I said, I’m not I wouldn’t know
(0:58:50) Al: I wouldn’t get too excited about that.
(0:58:54) Maddy: No, I totally agree is they feel like they have to have these things but you don’t and like you said, there’s no I mean
(0:59:01) Maddy: Not romance in the way of like getting married to
(0:59:04) Maddy: My melody, but you do give gifts and improve your friendship ratings, but I guess there’s no like
(0:59:07) Al: Sure, right. Yeah, friendships… Yeah. Yes, I think that friendship… I think we need to make a clear distinction between friendship systems and romance systems, because friendship systems, and particularly within this one, they are about character development, they are about progressing other parts of the story and other gameplay aspects. Whereas romance is specifically about… I am trying…
(0:59:09) Maddy: final like marriage
(0:59:37) Al: to create a specific connection with one person in the game, or multiple people, if you want to try and play that game. And I think that… Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Whereas the friendships, it is an ongoing thing. It is part of the regular gameplay. Whereas,
(0:59:40) Maddy: - Mm-hmm.
(0:59:45) Maddy: And there’s kind of like an end result in mind for that sort of mini game,
(0:59:48) Maddy: is that you win by marrying them.
(0:59:57) Al: as you say, romance is, “I am doing this thing until I get married.” Which, not sure what that says about marriage, but…
(1:00:02) Maddy: So, if you could marry anyone on Hello Kitty’s Island Adventure, who would you pick?
(1:00:07) Al: Oh, I don’t…
(1:00:11) Maddy: I mean, we could say it’d be best friends or whatever.
(1:00:12) Al: Well, yeah, I don’t know if I put enough thought into the characters to make that decision.
(1:00:23) Al: Yeah.
(1:00:24) Maddy: I mean you could always say pom pom purine because then you could just get dessert all the time and
(1:00:26) Al: That’s a good option.
(1:00:29) Maddy: that wouldn’t be so bad. Another thing too that and we haven’t mentioned then that I really didn’t know about until I read more about it online which to me is kind of exciting was like oh hidden mechanics is that you can have these characters follow you around and they give you boosts at certain things that you’re doing and did you know about that? Do you have people
(1:00:50) Al: I, I think there were a couple of story quests that I did where you had to travel with someone,
(1:00:57) Maddy: Mm hmm. Yeah, yeah, so you can go talk to them and you’d be like, Hey, come along with me. And different characters give you kind of not a stat upgrade. But for example, I think if you have Hello Kitty with you, and don’t quote me on this, like, you can give like the gift will give you more experience to the friendship meter or different characters like you can have a chance to get more of a present back when you get a gift or you’re better at fishing and or you get more rewards when
(1:00:57) Al: um, but I didn’t know you could just do it, like just do it at any point.
(1:01:27) Maddy: something like based on the different characters. And I thought that was a fun little extra element because it’s not really stated out. And I know sometimes when you level up friendship, you can get like a better boost to that like secondary skill or the passive skill you get. But it’s not like totally spelled out for you. So to me with a cozy game like this, like, there’s even more detail in there that I don’t know about. That’s exciting to me. But yeah, I always have my melody follow me around because she hooks me up with extra presents.
(1:01:52) Al: What I want to know is there a way to fly with the balloons, not fall with the balloons like the other characters can do? Because there’s this thing where if you’re traveling with someone and you’re traversing and you’re like you get to the top of this mountain and then they’re just like just flying up with the balloons and I’m like why can’t I do that?
(1:02:14) Maddy: uh no you can just fall you can fall gracefully with the balloon which I do often but no you can’t go up with it and they’re just like boop no not yet i’m trying to think of what else we haven’t talked about and something that I did hate have you gotten to the mine carts yet
(1:02:22) Al: I put all this effort in climbing this mountain and you’re just floating up with your balloons next to me, come on!
(1:02:28) Al: Oh
(1:02:39) Maddy: oh my gosh so you can go inside of the mountain and it’s like gems and it’s beautiful on there
(1:02:44) Maddy: little mine cart like course that you can go on but it is so difficult to figure out where you’re going and where you want to end up and it’s amazing there and it’s a maze for a reason but this was before that I realized that you could fast travel just from the map you don’t have to just go to the little mailbox to fast travel and I would get stuck inside this stupid mountain forever did you know you could fast travel from the map
(1:03:04) Al: What. What. So much wasted time getting to a mailbox.
(1:03:15) Maddy: yeah no you don’t have to go to the mailbox and that took me a long time too so
(1:03:20) Al: I love, I love those. We’ve not talked about those though. I love the fast travel system in this game.
(1:03:24) Maddy: yes I do love it
(1:03:24) Al: You unlock it really quickly and there are loads of them and as soon as you visit the one you can fast travel to it. I think it’s, I think it’s fantastic. It’s a great fast travel system,
(1:03:33) Al: especially now that I learned you can.
(1:03:34) Al: Yes.
(1:03:34) Maddy: Yes, yes. And the map is so nice too because it tells you where all of your characters are that you’re like, okay, where is a Gretsuko? Like, is she hiding? Like, where is she at?
(1:03:47) Maddy: Because there’s that nightclub, which I’m not sure if you’ve unlocked yet, there’s a little like comedy nightclub or there’s like a little like dance area. They all go there at night, like these little crazy party animals just want to let loose. But then when you’re walking around me and telling you’re like, where is everybody? And you look at map and you see another little.
(1:04:04) Maddy: Heads hanging out at this nightclub.
(1:04:06) Maddy: It’s like, well, like I saw this fast travel there.
(1:04:08) Maddy: See what they’re all line dancing or whatever.
(1:04:11) Maddy: So it’s just the little details are what makes this game really, really fun.
(1:04:16) Al: Yeah, I think I’m very much of the opinion that these games should have characters on the maps once you’ve met them, because I think, you know, the argument against it would be oh well it makes it too easy, and my point is these games aren’t meant to be hard, these games are meant to be cosy and comfy, and what is more frustrating than trying to find someone on you, absolutely no idea where they are.
(1:04:24) Maddy: Yeah, I don’t see why not.
(1:04:42) Maddy: No, and when you finally do find them, it’s not you’re like, yes, I saw that puzzle.
(1:04:45) Maddy: It’s more like, oh, I randomly stumbled across where they randomly were at this moment.
(1:04:46) Al: Yes, exactly.
(1:04:49) Maddy: So it’s not like a game.
(1:04:51) Maddy: It’s not making a part of the game easier that it wasn’t a game.
(1:04:54) Maddy: It was just random.
(1:04:56) Maddy: And so I totally agree.
(1:04:57) Maddy: I love them on the map.
(1:05:00) Maddy: Well, I totally recommend this game for people, even.
(1:05:03) Maddy: Al, do you think you would have predicted that you would have been loving a Hello Kitty game before it came out?
(1:05:08) Al: Like, this is the thing, if you’d told me a year ago that there was going to be a Hello Kitty game coming out next year,
(1:05:14) Al: it was only going to be an Apple Arcade, you’re going to play it, and you’re going to love it.
(1:05:18) Al: I would have been like, I am very intrigued as to what this is going to be like now, right?
(1:05:22) Al: Like, it’s such a bizarre idea. I can’t believe they did this so well. I totally expected this to be a really bad game.
(1:05:31) Maddy: Or just a basic game, you know, there’s been so many Hello Kitty games We’re like put a cute dress on her and feed her a cupcake the end you won, you know And it’s very aimed towards little little kids which totally fine. There’s games for them, too
(1:05:44) Maddy: Totally, but this is a Hello Kitty game for grown-ups. I will hang my head on that
(1:05:48) Al: this is the thing. It’s not. It’s a Hello Kitty game for everyone. That’s the point. Just because you’re designing a game for kids doesn’t mean you can’t also design it. For adults, they’ve proven they can do that. And you probably can’t always do the other way around, like good luck trying Dark Souls for kids. But I think they’ve proven you can do the other way around. If you’re making a game for kids, you can also make it for adults. And if you do that, people will like your game.
(1:05:52) Maddy: Right Yes
(1:06:00) Maddy: - Right.
(1:06:14) Maddy: Yeah.
(1:06:18) Maddy: Yeah, exactly.
(1:06:18) Al: I know that’s a crazy idea though.
(1:06:21) Maddy: And it’s definitely, it hooks you because after I beat the main game,
(1:06:24) Maddy: I put it to the side because I did what I wanted to do and I had other games building up.
(1:06:29) Maddy: But once I pulled it out again to refresh myself before this podcast, I was like, I gotta close this because I’m gonna get stuck doing it.
(1:06:37) Maddy: Like I was just wandering around like,
(1:06:38) Maddy: oh, there’s a little ticket on the ground.
(1:06:40) Maddy: I wonder what that ticket’s for.
(1:06:42) Maddy: and then all of a sudden, Kitty won.
(1:06:44) Maddy: to talk to me about my ticket. So it hooks you and it is fun. It has a lasting power once you beat the main game. So I think that’s a testament to a good job, Hello Kitty, Hi Lit Adventure. Oh, I know. Worried, but here’s the other thing that we did not talk about.
(1:06:46) Al: Yeah.
(1:06:58) Al: Yep, I am very worried for when it comes to Switch, because that’s going to be a problem.
(1:07:07) Maddy: There’s an entire multiplayer element, which I have not even tried to do and I don’t know
(1:07:14) Maddy: what the hell’s up with it. I think there’s a lot of trading that you can do or going to visit each other’s towns, which Al, you’re the only person I know that has played this game so I don’t have too much of a multiplayer pool to choose from. But I think once it’s on Switch, I can imagine we’re just going to be running around talking to each other’s Choco cats and bats maroos and very excited to see what that’s like. But yeah, there’s an entire multiplayer part that who knows that could be even more fun than the main game.
(1:07:36) Al: Yeah. So, I think it’s Animal Crossing-esque, so one of you chooses to go to the other one’s island,
(1:07:44) Maddy: Okay.
(1:07:48) Al: and you’re in their island and you can play the game in their island sort of thing.
(1:07:54) Maddy: And I know too, because there’s something that I unlocked where there was like a garbage dump down in the bottom of the ocean that you can throw tin cans and garbage shoes into and then you would get like items back from it.
(1:08:09) Maddy: But there was like a limit where I was stressed about.
(1:08:12) Maddy: I was like, I need this so I could get this colored dye so I can make a dress for whatever tuxedos, Sam.
(1:08:19) Maddy: But then I saw online like,
(1:08:20) Maddy: oh, just go to your friend’s place and like throw garbage in their garbage disposal.
(1:08:25) Maddy: I have a friend that I can go to their garbage dump in the middle of the ocean.
(1:08:29) Maddy: So I think there might be more to it than animal crossing was you just get to run around and take pictures of each other’s islands.
(1:08:36) Al: Yeah, yeah.
(1:08:39) Maddy: Okay, so when it comes on Switch,
(1:08:41) Maddy: let’s have a big multiplayer party and get everyone on the slack to play it with us.
(1:08:44) Al: Oh, you know, you know, you know, there are multiple people on the slack that
(1:08:49) Al: 100% will play this game when it comes on.
(1:08:50) Maddy: Well, Kelly, think of all of our friends that have not–
(1:08:54) Maddy: like, Apple Arcade devices.
(1:08:56) Maddy: Like, I want Kelly to play this so bad.
(1:08:57) Al: Yeah, well, this is the funny thing about this, Maddy, I don’t have an iPhone, so I have three Apple devices, I have an iPad Mini, I have an iPad Pro 13 inch, and I have a MacBook.
(1:08:59) Maddy: She would love it.
(1:09:04) Maddy: Yo, what are you doing?
(1:09:12) Maddy: Okay
(1:09:16) Maddy: Okay, okay
(1:09:19) Al: So I’ve played it on all three.
(1:09:22) Al: It’s yeah.
(1:09:22) Maddy: Yeah, I love it on my iPad, but I would love it so much more on my switch
(1:09:28) Al: Yeah, I think the thing is that I’m just not a huge…
(1:09:32) Al: So it’s clearly designed with, you know, console controls in mind, right?
(1:09:36) Maddy: Yeah
(1:09:36) Al: Because obviously you have to be on Apple Arcade, you have to support controllers
(1:09:40) Al: because Apple TV, etc., which is fine.
(1:09:44) Al: But it makes me go, I just want to play this on a console with a controller, you know.
(1:09:48) Maddy: Mm-hmm. Oh, I 100% had that same thought everything. I’m like, this would be so much more fun actually just playing it real It just and that’s part of the reason why I haven’t gone too far in a lot of these updates is like I just want to wait to be on
(1:10:03) Maddy: Console and that’s nothing against, you know, mobile games mobile games are gaming. It’s totally real It’s just right now not my preference
(1:10:09) Al: absolutely. Well that’s the thing is there’s a big difference between what you want to do and what you think is legitimate and you know neither of us are saying don’t play games on your phone or your iPad absolutely if that’s how you want to play them play them and it’s it is it’s still good in that way I just I just want I just don’t want to do that I want to play it on my switch or on my steam deck that’s how I like to play games. Yeah so it’s always hard to to know with Apple Arcade exclusives because they’ve obviously been paid for a certain time period to be exclusive. And I guess we’ll just have to find out what happens. And it’s always possible that it comes with in-game purchases when it does come out. Because Apple Arcade, you can’t do that on Apple Arcade. Everything has to be free in the game. So even if they wanted to do it, they couldn’t have done it in this version. So it’s possible that that will come in a future version.
(1:10:27) Maddy: Right.
(1:10:31) Maddy: Hopefully soon. Maybe next year.
(1:11:09) Al: Not to try and get you down about it or anything, I’m just saying. We don’t know. It might be
(1:11:18) Maddy: It’s a good way to temper my expectations, but it’s neither good nor bad.
(1:11:20) Al: I also suspect it won’t be until at least July. I think it will be at least a year
(1:11:29) Maddy: Yeah, I agree on that one.
(1:11:29) Al: exclusive, and we’ll have to see what happens after that.
(1:11:33) Al: Hopefully it’s just a year, not multiple years, but we’ll see.
(1:11:36) Maddy: Right.
(1:11:40) Al: Awesome. Well, anything else you want to say about the game other than play it?
(1:11:46) Maddy: I’m just excited to go back and look at everything. There’s a Christmas tree in my town square now, so I’m ready to
(1:11:54) Maddy: Explore the update. So thank you for getting this back on my mind
(1:11:59) Maddy: But yeah play it everyone I think if you have Apple Arcade and you want to try it out
(1:12:04) Maddy: You might be surprised with how much you enjoy it if you are a fan of these types of cozy cottage cream
(1:12:12) Al: Well, Maddy, thank you for joining me for this episode, “Where Can People Find You on the Internet?”
(1:12:15) Maddy: Well, sadly I still post on Twitter a tiny bit, so I’m @mattysource there, I am @coringdogmattie on Blue Sky, and then if you’re on Instagram, I’m @kaijumattie, so I did not want to consolidate my branding.
(1:12:18) Al: the
(1:12:31) Maddy: Different names, everything.
(1:12:31) Al: I was going to say like every single thing you have a different name. What’s that about?
(1:12:33) Maddy: Yeah, it’s fun.
(1:12:36) Maddy: It’s gotta keep people a-guessing.
(1:12:39) Al: Clearly. You can find me on mastodon.scot and on Twitter or X at thescotbot. You can find the podcast on Tumblr and Twitter at THSPod. You can find links and everything related to the the podcast on our website.
(1:13:01) Al: HarvestSeason.club, including a feedback farm and a link to our Patreon,
(1:13:07) Al: patreon.com/thspod if you would like to support us and get access to our slack
(1:13:12) Al: and to our bonus podcast episodes, which we should have one coming out soon.
(1:13:19) Al: But I haven’t figured out what that is yet.
(1:13:20) Maddy: Stereus!
(1:13:23) Al: Yeah, even for me.
(1:13:28) Maddy: Awesome!
(1:13:28) Al: I think that’s everything.
(1:13:29) Al: Thank you. Thank you, Matt.
(1:13:31) Al: Mattie again for listening, joining me, wording.
(1:13:32) Maddy: Of course, this is very, very fun anytime.
(1:13:39) Al: Thank you listeners for listening.
(1:13:40) Al: And until next time, have a good harvest.
(1:13:42) Maddy: Have a good harvest!
(1:13:44) Theme Tune: The Harvest Season is created by Al McHenry, with support from our Patrons, including our pro farmers, Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:13:46) Maddy: Yay!
(1:13:58) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave, and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:14:03) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website, harvestseason.club, for show notes and links to things we discussed in this episode.
(1:14:18) Al: Hello, farmers, and how do I introduce this again?

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