I was sent Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop to review. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Bus Simulator is getting a huge update with performance improvements, new features, more cosmetics, a new area to explore, and a very cool career mode. If you are in the market for a relaxing simulator, Bus Simulator should be in your library. It looks good, runs great, and has an amazing soundtrack.
If you are coming into this game as a new player, I recommend starting with the career mode. Do not skip the tutorial because some of the mechanics aren’t intuitive. Career mode gives players a great starting foundation as well as some goals to work towards. You are responsible for the city’s public transportation, and it is your job to make it the best possible. The recommended difficulty is also perfect for beginners, but players can adjust the settings to make the experience more immersive if needed. I recommend you mess with these settings and sandbox mode once you have a solid understanding of how the bus system works.
I had a lot of fun with this game, but it is a niche experience. If you are looking for a different and relaxing experience, this is a great title to sink some time into. The problem I see this game having is that the amount of time players will sink into this game depends on how much they enjoy the simulation. Players have to obey traffic laws, deal with customers, and drive in real-time. I enjoyed the elusiveness of the game, but I didn’t have the attention span to play for too long. My attention span has nothing to do with the game, it’s great, but it is something to think about before you make the purchase.
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop Gold Edition is $45.99 for PC via Epic Games and Steam. The console version is $49.99 for Xbox and PlayStation. The gold edition upgrade is only $14.99 on Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox. The Gold Edition is a great place because it comes with the base game and all the previous DLCs. If you already have the base game, all you need is the upgrade. There are also free console upgrades if you’ve bought the game for your last gen console.
Cart Life
At GDC I got to play the interesting slice-of-life game, Cart Life. This is the most unique game I have ever played. While it may not be for everyone, it does deserve some attention.
I like the contrast between the simple pixel art and the complete narratives it tells. The art style reminds me of the Gameboy Pocket era games. Cart Life lets you play as everyday people as they work their jobs, build relationships, and deal with the hardships of living in a city. As you try to juggle your personal and work life, you realize that it is impossible to balance everything. You will be forced to make some difficult choices.
In the demo, I got to play the Ukrainian immigrant Andrus as he begins his life in the US. During the day, you run his newsstand, and by night you have to care for his cat. At work, I had to set prices, stock shelves, and service my customers. It seems simple, but there were a lot of factors to consider to make sure my day was successful. I didn’t get much time with this game, but I can see how easily everything can stack up and make the game difficult. It was a nice change of pace from what I am used to, but in a great way. I’ll be trying to get a copy for review as soon as I can.
If you like the slice-of-life genre and looking for a game with a strong narrative, you should consider looking into Cart Life. The gameplay is unique, the art is pleasant, and the narrative is award-winning. Cart Life is releasing on PC sometime this year, but there are plans for a console release if it does well. For now, I recommend you wishlist it on Steam and follow it on Twitter.
GDC Recap: Shockbyte
At GDC I got to talk to the founders of Shockbyte, a game hosting server provider. The company had its start with Minecraft, but it has since expanded to support other games like Ark: Survivor Evolved and Valheim. You can find a list of supported games on the official website, here.
The founder started the company at 15 when he saw a need in his community that needed to be filled. It has since grown to what it is today, but not without issues. They have since learned from their mistakes and worked hard to provide the best services for their customers. Shockbyte’s goal is to make their servers as user-friendly as possible so that even the most tech illiterate can effortlessly create a server. What sets this company apart is that while its competitors are stuck in their ways, Shockbyte continues to innovate. They plan to add game-specific features to make the user experience as effortless as possible. These features are only months away, and I hope to return with more information as soon as it is publicly available.
If you are in the market for a server to host one of your worlds, Shockbyte offers inexpensive plans with 100% uptime, DDOS protection, and 24/7 customer support. They also have a 72-hour return policy in case you aren’t satisfied. With these kinds of promises, it is at least worth some research.
I haven’t used Shockbyte, but I have used a service like it to host my Foundry VTT servers for my D&D campaigns. At the time, running it on my PC wasn’t an option because my computer was outdated and my internet was slow. The sessions I ran off my computer were terrible. I faced constant crashes, assets wouldn’t load, and my player’s moves wouldn’t register. I was only dealing with images. I can only imagine how terrible the experience would be with something more resource heavy like Minecraft. Having a dedicated server is great because it eliminates the issues. My players could access the servers, even when I was away, and the games ran smoothly on any internet speed. It also eliminated the risk of losing all my work to hardware failure, which I did. I have since started hosting on a Rasberry Pi because it fits my needs better, but I understand the value of a service like this.
Shockbyte has a number of affordable plans for several games. I am sure there is one that is just right for you!
This isn’t a sponsored post, nor was I asked to write anything. I am doing so because the product seems great, and I felt the need to share my experience. I am very grateful that Mitch and Niek made time to speak with me to talk to me about their company and answer all my questions. I know I am still a small blog, so it meant a lot to me that I was treated like I wasn’t. It was clear from our conversation that they are passionate about their company and what they do, and I feel confident that they will succeed in providing a fantastic service. I wish them all the best. Thanks again!
Make sure you follow Shockbyte on their socials to stay up to date on all their news: Discord
*Images taken from the official website
Excellence in Visual Arts: RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
The Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards have just wrapped and it was a pretty impressive lineup of games. I got to try a few of them and was impressed by the unique collection put on display. I will be covering all the games that were nominated, but I will start. I think it is only fair to give these games their own posts because they were all so different and deserving of the same time and attention.
The winner for the Excellence in Visual Art category was the adventure game RPG Time: The Legend of Wright by the publisher, DeskWorks Inc. This quirky little RPG combines a series of genres with its unique hand-drawn art style. The game feels like it happens on top of a desktop as you shift between different game types. It is cool to see this game come to life. I can see why it has already one a lot of awards. If you are looking for something truly unique and quirky, check out RPG Time: The Legend of Wright. You can play this game on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and Steam for $29.99. Its on sale on Nintendo for $15.99 till March 31, 2023, and Xbox has it for $16.49 till March 28, 2023. Now might be a great time to pick it up if you have either of those consoles. I’ll be adding this to the games I need to try, and hopefully, come back with a full review soon.
Game Review: Disney Dreamlight Valley
I got Disney Dreamlight Valley because I thought the art was cool, and I was in the market for a relaxing game that didn’t require much investment. Dreamlight Valley is a Disney Themed village life simulator available for all major consoles and pc. This review will be based on the Nintendo Switch version.
There is a simple story to Disney Dreamlight Valley that isn’t too important to the experience. A mysterious curse has fallen over the town, and its iconic citizens have gone missing. It is up to you to clean up Dreamlight Valley and bring it back to its former glory. Some sidequests add a bit of flavor and world-building, but you aren’t playing this game for its deep story.
The main draw to this game is the village building. You use magic, gather materials, craft, and do quests to fix up your town. This game has a lot of room for creativity starting with an impressive character creator. You customize your home from a vast collection of furniture that you can craft, buy, or unlock through quests. There are so many cosmetics that I am sure you will find a combination that will fit your aesthetic. The town is fully customizable, and it is where I assume most of your time and efforts will be going.
There is a lot to do in this game. You can farm materials, make a farm, complete quests, unlock more parts of the town, upgrade your buildings, or become better friends with your citizens. The tasks and quests do get a bit repetitive after a while, but that is the nature of the genre. One positive is that I never felt like I was waiting around too long for things to happen. I kept busy and felt like I was consistently progressing towards my goals without feeling bogged down by timers or busy work.
This game was incredibly relaxing. I enjoyed the repetition of tasks like fishing and crafting, but I could only play this game for a few hours before losing interest. That said, I would find myself making goals and planning my tasks to meet them. I loved watching the town grow nicer as it grew and seeing it fill up with Disney characters.
I can only play these types of games for so long before I give up on them. While I won’t be daily driving this game by any means, it will be a title I will keep coming back to when I want to kick back and relax. If you are a fan of the genre, Dreamlight Valley is a fantastic title to add to your collection. The gameplay is solid, and the art is fantastic. If you don’t have it already, you can buy it for the Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC.
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Game Review: Way of the Hunter
I want to start by saying that I received this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let that sway my opinion. This will be an honest review of the game. I stream every game I review on my Twitch and Youtube. Check out my Twitch for an up-to-date schedule.
I played this game on PC, but it is also available on PS5 and Xbox. Way of the Hunter is a hunting simulator game that aims for realism. You can track animals, pick up job requests, and there is an overarching story that you unlock as you play. It is easy to get lost in this game because it is so beautifully immersive.
The graphics in this game are pretty solid, but it is a few updates from being perfect. I encountered a few visual glitches like floating rocks and trees that affected immersion, but none of them was game-breaking. Someone in my twitch chat mentioned the art was too grainy, I didn’t have a problem with it but keep that in mind. My only issue with the visuals was the grass would get too busy, and I would lose myself trying to find the kills. My playthrough is littered with countless unclaimed carcasses because I couldn’t find them in the brush. This seems like a personal problem, but it is something to keep in mind.
The game has a story, but it acts more as flavor. You can also accept jobs to make more money that requires you to hunt specific animals. Gameplay isn’t limited to quests. You have free reign to hunt whatever you like, granted you have the right equipment. Make sure you use the money you earn to purchase the appropriate tools.
The map is huge and will involve a lot of driving and walking to unlock all of it. There is fast travel available to keep you from making the long treks twice. My favorite part of this game was the sound. It is incredibly immersive. You can hear bugs zip by your ear, the babbling brooks, the birds in the trees, and other animal calls in the wild. I now know what a mule deer sounds like, and I can track it by just its call.
Hunting is fun, but it requires a lot of patience. If you spook the animals, you will have to spend time tracking them down or waiting till they come back. There is a detective mode that helps with tracking, but a spooked animal can easily disappear in the tree line. I have zero patience and as a result, this game became a hiking simulator. This isn’t a criticism because I enjoyed my virtual hikes. I had a favorite spot I would go to just to listen to the stream and the birds while I waited for prey. It is easy to get lost in this game as you relax and enjoy it for what it is.
My one complaint about hunting is that not all of the AI is perfect. Some animals are smart, and tracking them is fun. Others will get stuck running loops or stop making them easy targets. Some animals didn’t leave blood splatter or trails, making them impossible to track. These cases were rare, but they are something I can’t overlook.
Way of the Hunter is one of the most relaxing games I have ever played. I recommend it if you like simulator games and don’t mind waiting around for hours. I am very impatient and still enjoyed every minute. One of my favorite parts of this game is the tips you get as you play that give the players practical hunting advice not just for the game but also for real life. This game goes out of its way to teach sustainable hunting practices, and I appreciate the effort.
This game isn’t for everyone, but it is worth consideration. Check it out on Steam, PS5, and Xbox.
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