Progress Report #7: February-May 2024

Review: I had such a great time playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. Relatively simple combat (though not always easy), side-scrolling dungeon exploration, town improvement, and (sometimes grindy) questing/resource collection are paired with gorgeous HD-2D graphics and a lovable cast of characters. I found myself constantly admiring the vibrant colors and quality of the backgrounds in town and the movements of the character sprites, both during action and idle animations. I particularly loved Isha's floaty, ethereal style of walking and the way her blue braids swished around her when she moved.

Story-wise, it's a feel-good tale of friendship, overcoming obstacles, and reconciling with the past. CJ, Garoo, and Isha became such a lovable trio to me. At one point, they put their hands together in a huddle as if to say, "GO, team!"—and I was cheering right along with them. CJ's unwavering optimism and sense of adventure, Garoo's gruff sarcasm that hides a big heart, and Isha's courteous, if abrupt, practicality made them all come to life so wonderfully. Even the NPCs in the town all had distinctly enjoyable personalities.

To me, the combat was very unique. You start with only one playable character (CJ), but later have two and eventually three. Each party member has their own distinct weapon, movement style, and special skill (dodging, blocking, teleporting, etc.) These weapons and skills also each have their own unique upgrade paths that unlock new and interesting ways of traversing the terrain and fighting enemies. Each character is controlled by a single button (e.g., X, Y, or B), which is used to switch to that character and also for attacking. The special skill button triggers the skill of the character that is currently active. These mechanics allowed me to strategize and experiment with different ways of approaching certain platforming challenges or exploiting enemy weaknesses. It was fantastic! I found the game to be rather addictive and powered through most of it during the course of a weekend. It was fun and straightforward to achieve 100% and I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's already quite cheap at full price, and on sale, it's absolutely a no-brainer.

Review: I really enjoyed Echo Generation, Cococucumber's previous game, so when I saw Ravenlok was leaving Game Pass soon (and that it was a relatively short game), I wanted to knock it out while I had the chance - especially since, for SOME REASON! These devs have not yet put their newer games on Steam. Ravenlok is currently only on Epic for PC, while Echo Gen is...only on the Microsoft Store?! Weird. Well, their first game (Riverbond) is on Steam, and according to their Discord, they do hope to put their other games on Steam eventually. Anyway.

Ravenlok was short enough to complete 100% in a single day, although it took me a bit longer than the 5 hours listed on HLTB. And I simply ADORED it. I do think Echo Generation was better in terms of the story's writing and humor, but on the other hand, they outdid themselves in Ravenlok with their signature voxel-style graphics. There were some vistas in the game that were simply beautiful, enough to even bring a tear to my eye.

The premise is that you've just moved out to a farmhouse in the countryside with your mom and dad, and while helping them unpack, you find yourself swept away to a fairytale world, Narnia-style. It's HEAVILY inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Simple action combat, light RPG mechanics (leveling up and unlocking a few skills), and some trivial puzzles accompany a whimsical story about saving this magical land from the oppression of an Evil Queen. I know both this game and Echo Generation have gotten lukewarm reviews from those who think they're "too easy," etc. People like to say "maybe this would be enjoyable for 'younger gamers'." Welp, I guess I'm just a child at heart because I think these games were both so delightful. By the end of my journey in Ravenlok, I felt like all the adorable characters I had met were now my good friends, and it was just a really nice, compact experience. Recommended if you are an easy-to-please simpleton like me!

Review: Littlewood is a mechanically simple game, but is engaging in its worldbuilding and charming cast of characters. I backed this game on Kickstarter in the ancient past of...2019, I think? (Look for my username in the credits! hehe I'm famous) Played for a few hours when it first came out in Early Access, then never touched it again until 2024, when I was suddenly struck with the whim to play it in earnest. It often gets grouped together with "farming sims," but that's a bit of a misleading classification, as the farming mechanics are incredibly barebones (plonk down some fruits and veggies anywhere on the map, and you can harvest them every couple days—no watering, replanting, or seasonal rotations necessary). Ultimately, it's really more of a town-building game. You, the Hero of Solemn, have just defeated the Dark Wizard and are now ready to settle into a new, quiet life. But (surprise!), you've lost your memory. With the help of your best friends, Willow and Dudley, you're establishing a brand-new town, with YOU as its Mayor! (Or whatever title you so choose.) Over the course of the game, you will meet and recruit new residents to your town, build houses to their specifications, construct shops and other facilities, and learn more about your forgotten past.

This is definitely a game of the "grindy" variety, so be aware of that if you're thinking of playing. One unique mechanic is that time does not pass on its own, but only when you take actions that require energy, such as mining, fishing, or bug-catching. This is really nice for those who find the time pressure of games like Stardew Valley to be stressful—you can wander about town at your leisure, decorating, shopping, and talking to your pals without using up any time or energy.

My favorite part of the game, by far, was the characters. They all had great personalities, very unique, with dialog that often made me laugh out loud. One problem I have with many games involving romance is that the dating/marriage candidates always seem so YOUNG! As a full-grown human, it can be unappealing to court someone in-game who still lives with their parents or just started college, lol. Every character in Littlewood is ostensibly an adult. They all appear to have jobs of some type, and clearly have the wherewithal and agency to settle in your town on their own, implying they are of an age to move out of their parents' houses. This was VERY refreshing to me. Overall, the game is not perfect, and the grind can be tedious if you want to collect/complete everything. But it's a great "low-attention" game to play while watching/listening to something else, and the quirky and lovable townsfolk kept me coming back till the very end!