Good-etama

Wed, Feb 12, 2025 Year 3, Spring 07

Al and Kev talk about Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Timings

00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:01:30: What Have We Been Up To
00:22:51: Game News
00:36:43: Hello Kitty Island Adventure
01:16:05: Outro

Links

Ratopia 1.0
Grimoire Groves Release
Sugardew Island Release

The Ranchers Police District
My Time at Sandrock Chibi Figurines

Contact

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.
(0:00:35) Al: My name is Al.
(0:00:37) Kev: My name is Kevin, here with the vengeance.
(0:00:40) Al: You sounded a little bit unsure about your name there.
(0:00:42) Al: And we’re here today to talk about Cosco Games.
(0:00:46) Kev: Woo!
(0:00:48) Kev: I can’t get the wolf pack thing out of my head now.
(0:00:51) Kev: They’re listening to last two weeks.
(0:00:56) Al: This episode, we are going to talk about Hello Kitty Island.
(0:01:00) Al: Adventure. Oh, but you’ve already talked about that. I hear you say, “Well,
(0:01:05) Al: we’re going for the second harvest of it, because it has finally come out on Steam and Switch.”
(0:01:08) Kev: Second Harvest.
(0:01:14) Kev: Switch and other things, yes.
(0:01:17) Al: You can tell what Kevin cares about. So, we’re going to talk about that.
(0:01:19) Kev: Yeah, haha, yeah.
(0:01:24) Kev: I don’t have a Steam Deck, so, well.
(0:01:26) Al: Fair. Before that, we have some news.
(0:01:31) Al: But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to?
(0:01:33) Kev: Oh, hello everyone. I have been up to work. I barely have, it’s been a lot done working.
(0:01:42) Kev: I’m in one of those periods where I’m doing a lot of daily sort of stuff, comfort games.
(0:01:51) Kev: And then the Zone Zero continues to be good. Marvel Snap, I’m playing Marvel Snap right now.
(0:01:56) Kev: I know you’re not, I like to follow the channel, I know you’re not. That’s fine.
(0:01:58) Al: I am not. No, no. I took a break from it because it was basically consuming me.
(0:02:03) Kev: It’s consumed me. But I think it’s in a decent place, so I’m okay being consumed by Marvel Snap.
(0:02:12) Kev: We got the new season based stuff, the Brave New World, the Red Hulk, and the new Captain America, all that good stuff.
(0:02:21) Kev: Um… I…
(0:02:22) Al: I have been occasionally looking at the, um, the new cards and stuff like that, but I haven’t
(0:02:30) Al: looked at the new, the new season stuff. Is there anything that excites you?
(0:02:34) Kev: Yeah, they’re interesting. Funnily enough, the one that excites me most is not related to the
(0:02:44) Kev: movie. It’s a character called Diamondback. Diamondback is a type of rattlesnake, if you’re
(0:02:50) Kev: not familiar. She’s part of a group called the Serpent Society. I can’t remember exactly what,
(0:02:56) Kev: but she’s got one of those effects that lowers everyone else’s power on your head.
(0:03:04) Kev: I think it doubles the amount lowered or something like that, so I’m excited by that.
(0:03:10) Kev: Otherwise, the other stuff’s fine. None of it’s crazy game breaking. I’m more excited by
(0:03:15) Al: Oh, is next month is it Daredevil stuff? No. Okay.
(0:03:16) Kev: some stuff in the data points for next month, but yeah, the season’s okay. Next month is going to
(0:03:24) Kev: be, oh, that’d be a good one, but no. They’re going to get the name of it. Basically, like ancient
(0:03:34) Kev: like BC or whatever, Avengers BC, something like that. I don’t remember. Yeah, they have
(0:03:40) Kev: some interesting effects. Otherwise, Marvel Snap is good. I can see my visual customizations and
(0:03:53) Kev: stuff all during the whole match, not at just the beginning.
(0:03:53) Al: All right, all right, all right, calm down, calm down. You just want to mock the Pokemon
(0:04:04) Kev: That’s it.
(0:04:04) Al: fans again.
(0:04:06) Kev: Look, I had no problem with Pocket.
(0:04:09) Kev: They’re the ones who are kind of shooting themselves
(0:04:13) Kev: in the foot here.
(0:04:14) Al: Oh, yeah, we don’t need to we talked about that so many times. I don’t think we need to talk about it again.
(0:04:20) Kev: Yeah, I know.
(0:04:21) Kev: I just– I feel bad for you guys, honestly.
(0:04:25) Kev: But yeah, Marvel snaps.
(0:04:26) Al: I mean, I don’t feel bad for me. I don’t particularly care because I’m just collecting, right? Yeah, I do some battles, but my main point is collecting, and that is what I’m doing, whereas with Marvel Snap, it’s much more a battle-focused game because there are fewer cards.
(0:04:27) Kev: Good stuff.
(0:04:40) Kev: Yeah, yeah, you know what, you’re right. If you’re just collecting pocket is still probably all right. Well, I’d say that but the trading I guess is cool as collecting related so
(0:04:46) Al: It’s great.
(0:04:52) Al: Look, it’s less bad than it was, but it’s still bad.
(0:04:59) Kev: Oh, I get you I
(0:05:02) Al: I like I will say I like how it’s actually implemented.
(0:05:05) Al: The currencies are stupid.
(0:05:06) Al: The restrictions are stupid, but I like the feature.
(0:05:08) Kev: Yeah
(0:05:08) Al: How is actually implemented?
(0:05:10) Kev: Okay, well, there you go. I’m trying to clear that bar
(0:05:17) Kev: But yeah, let’s see other than that
(0:05:20) Kev: obviously
(0:05:21) Kev: Super Mario Odyssey we were playing over that at triple-r. So I’ve been playing some of that too. That’s good stuff
(0:05:29) Kev: What do I have to say? It’s super hard to see it’s a good game
(0:05:34) Kev: And
(0:05:35) Kev: Honestly this week it’s it’s largely been Hello Kitty because I’ve been trying to climb that in cuz
(0:05:41) Kev: We did not have a lot of time
(0:05:42) Kev: It was like what a week before recording roughly a little more than a week when it came out
(0:05:46) Kev: So I got it and I’m rushing to get it to get through it
(0:05:52) Kev: But yeah, and so you’ll hear my thoughts later. What about you? Well, what’s going on over there?
(0:05:57) Al: I have, I mean, I wasn’t planning on talking about it, but yeah, I’ve been playing pocket
(0:06:02) Al: as usual, got the new set, got most of the new set. So I’m continuing for another few
(0:06:07) Al: weeks of getting no cards most days.
(0:06:10) Kev: I will say I will say the Cynthia accessories packs that came out were
(0:06:17) Kev: pretty good that was good stuff in fact it’s why don’t they make that real like
(0:06:18) Al: - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(0:06:25) Al: I will only buy the stuff that is bundled with gold.
(0:06:30) Al: I’m not gonna spend gold on those things
(0:06:32) Al: because the problem there is like,
(0:06:34) Al: I could use those gold cards
(0:06:36) Al: rather than the accessories, right?
(0:06:38) Kev: Mmm, that’s an excellent.
(0:06:38) Al: That’s the problem.
(0:06:39) Al: Whereas I bought both of the ones,
(0:06:41) Al: so there was one with the first set
(0:06:44) Al: and there’s one with the second set,
(0:06:45) Al: which is like you buy it, and you get gold and cosmes.
(0:06:49) Al: It’s like I will do that, because then I’m getting the gold as well.
(0:06:52) Al: But yeah, I am definitely my fault
(0:06:57) Al: and my problem that I’m getting the set so quickly,
(0:07:02) Al: because what I’m doing, obviously, is I’m saving up my glasses
(0:07:06) Al: and I’m spending some gold and I’m opening like 50 packs in the first couple of days.
(0:07:11) Al: So obviously, I’m going to get most of the set when I do that.
(0:07:14) Al: But it makes for a fun couple of days, at least.
(0:07:19) Al: What else am I doing?
(0:07:20) Al: I am continuing to play Harvest Moon Home, Sweet Home.
(0:07:23) Al: So that is a thing that I’m still continuing.
(0:07:26) Kev: Okay, okay.
(0:07:28) Al: I might have more to say about that in a future episode, we’ll see.
(0:07:32) Kev: I’m so, you know, I’m impressed you’re still playing I will say that that alone is a testament to the quality of the game
(0:07:40) Kev: well relative to other
(0:07:42) Kev: Natsume titles.
(0:07:42) Al: Yeah, yeah. It’s yeah, okay, I’m not gonna say anything about it just now, but yeah, I’m I feel like I’m at I am actively enjoying myself. I think that’s as far as I’ll go at this point. I don’t think so. I think it’s just that the game gets better as you play it more, right? Because you unlock better tools and stuff and that makes some of the annoyances become less annoying, you know.
(0:07:55) Kev: Is it Stockholm Syndrome?
(0:08:10) Kev: Okay, that’s that is interesting
(0:08:13) Al: » The other thing I’m playing just now is Sugardew Island because we’ll talk about that in the news.
(0:08:18) Kev: Ah
(0:08:19) Kev: You’re going for it. Oh, you need to what you need to get re-legend on there go for the hat trick
(0:08:24) Al: But let’s talk about that in the news, but yeah, that is another thing I’ve been playing
(0:08:28) Al: this week.
(0:08:30) Al: And not a game, but Kevin, I have watched The Gifted.
(0:08:34) Al: Have you ever seen The Gifted?
(0:08:35) Kev: they gifted on no what is
(0:08:37) Al: So this was one of the like 2017, 2018, 2019 X-Men series.
(0:08:46) Kev: oh man oh this is one of those weird ones that okay does it do they even oh it has an x over the
(0:08:54) Kev: I okay so they are using the x but oh this isn’t the new mutants this is okay okay
(0:08:59) Al: No, no, no. So they had Legion and they had the Gifted. They were both around the same
(0:09:06) Al: sort of time and Legion was obviously about Legion. And so that was very weird because,
(0:09:12) Al: well, his powers are weird and his not powers are also weird. So that was definitely a weird
(0:09:20) Al: show to watch, but I really liked that. The Gifted is much more kind of standard, I guess.
(0:09:30) Al: The Arrowverse sort of stuff, but obviously Marvel, X-Men. And it’s much more like a group
(0:09:33) Kev: Okay, ah, okay
(0:09:38) Al: of mutants. It’s a group of mutants fighting against humans who are trying to kill them
(0:09:45) Al: and the government is trying to kill them and blah, blah, blah, blah. And the funny
(0:09:52) Al: thing about it is, it is probably the thing I’ve seen that has the most references to
(0:09:57) Al: the X-Men without having a single X-Men.
(0:09:59) Al: It feels like every episode they mention the X-Men.
(0:10:05) Al: The starting point behind the series is the X-Men disappeared a few years ago.
(0:10:11) Al: And then there was a horrible disaster in DC,
(0:10:16) Al: where some unidentified mutant has some unidentified accident
(0:10:22) Al: that means there’s basically a massive explosion and it kills a bunch of people.
(0:10:26) Al: and so since then they set up this new
(0:10:29) Al: government task force called Sentinel Services, of course, they have to use the name Sentinel.
(0:10:34) Kev: Of course
(0:10:36) Al: And Trask is mentioned, you know, the usual blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
(0:10:37) Kev: Do you get it do you get it out?
(0:10:43) Al: And they’re set up to like, they start off by being like, oh, we are containing criminal
(0:10:51) Al: mutants. But of course, it never stops at that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know
(0:10:52) Kev: uh-huh
(0:10:55) Kev: what
(0:10:57) Al: exactly where that loops, right?
(0:10:59) Al: So which by the by the way, it feels very painful watching this in 2025, just going
(0:10:59) Kev: what
(0:11:00) Kev: oh boy do I I
(0:11:03) Kev: I see that
(0:11:04) Kev: for IRL
(0:11:10) Al: to just going to put that out there, you know, with the talk of like, you know, camps to
(0:11:11) Kev: Ugh.
(0:11:13) Kev: Ugh.
(0:11:15) Kev: Ugh.
(0:11:17) Kev: Ugh.
(0:11:18) Al: put them in and, you know, let’s say, I kind of wish I’d watched it last year rather than
(0:11:19) Kev: Aww, sick.
(0:11:24) Al: this year, but…
(0:11:25) Kev: This sounds like a fun segment.
(0:11:28) Kev: I will describe the thing.
(0:11:29) Al: So, the kind of main characters are, I don’t know if you’ve, oh, who are they called?
(0:11:30) Kev: Is this a scene from “The Gifted”?
(0:11:32) Kev: Or Trump’s first two weeks in office?
(0:11:35) Kev: It would be both!
(0:11:48) Al: Because I had not heard of them before, the Strucker Twins, that’s what it is. Do you know
(0:11:53) Al: the Strucker Twins?
(0:11:54) Kev: Okay, so I pulled up the wiki cuz I’m curious
(0:11:57) Kev: This no, and I’m curious because is that any relation to Baron Von Strucker from Hydra?
(0:11:59) Al: So, yes, kind of. So, what I’ll say is, in the comics, yes, but in the show, not really.
(0:12:12) Kev: Okay, sure, okay
(0:12:14) Al: So as far as I can see, in the comics, there are the Strucker Twins who are children of
(0:12:24) Kev: - Yeah, I know the stroke of trains, twins.
(0:12:24) Al: - Baron struck her.
(0:12:25) Kev: I love Wanda and Pietro.
(0:12:29) Al: - Yeah, well, yeah, there is a lot of similarities
(0:12:32) Al: between these things.
(0:12:33) Al: They are never mentioned,
(0:12:36) Al: like Baron struck her is never mentioned in the series.
(0:12:41) Al: So they could still be,
(0:12:42) Kev: That’s good stuff
(0:12:42) Al: so it’s not focusing on the two twins
(0:12:46) Al: that are in the comics.
(0:12:47) Al: It’s like they are great grandchildren
(0:12:48) Kev: Yeah
(0:12:52) Al: who are not twins either.
(0:12:54) Al: They’re just brother and sister a few years apart,
(0:12:56) Al: but they have the same powers
(0:12:58) Al: as.
(0:13:00) Al: The struggle twins did and there’s a whole thing around like their father was working for Sentinel Services and
(0:13:10) Al: but it turns out he was actually secretly a mutant. He just didn’t know it because his father had cured the X gene in him blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, like lots of complicated things around that.
(0:13:23) Al: It was fine. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination.
(0:13:29) Al: But it wasn’t like I think Legion was a very good show and this was a fine show. It was fine. I enjoyed it. I’m glad I watched it. I’m a little bit annoyed because they cancelled it after season two but season two ended on a cliffhanger.
(0:13:34) Kev: Okay, ah.
(0:13:43) Kev: Oh, sick! That’s the best!
(0:13:46) Al: And they did have a lot of different mutants with a lot of different powers, some of which you would recognize like they had Polaris who’s probably like the I guess the most well known one they had in the series.
(0:13:56) Al: and they never mention my…
(0:13:56) Kev: how crazy
(0:13:59) Al: But. So they it’s very clear that they’re talking about him, but they never use his name, right?
(0:14:00) Kev: I was about to say how crazy I imagine they didn’t and how crazy it is that we
(0:14:04) Kev: got polaris but not
(0:14:12) Al: So she constantly talks about her birth father and they talk about how, oh, she is the like, you know,
(0:14:13) Kev: Right, right?
(0:14:18) Al: she’s mutant royalty and all these things.
(0:14:21) Al: Like, it’s so clear.
(0:14:22) Al: It’s just like, did you not have the rights to the name?
(0:14:26) Al: Like, that’s basically what it feels like, right?
(0:14:27) Kev: Ohh, that’s great! I love that.
(0:14:29) Al: Just say the name. Oh, my word.
(0:14:31) Al: Everybody knows who you’re talking about.
(0:14:36) Kev: Ohh, that’s so good.
(0:14:39) Al: So, yeah, it’s I enjoyed it.
(0:14:41) Al: It was fun.
(0:14:43) Al: Yeah, I’ve kind of now I’ve not gone back to like the kind of like 90s and previous Marvel live action shows, but like everything post millennium.
(0:14:56) Al: I’ve I’ve now watched all of them.
(0:14:56) Kev: why not oh oh oh I thought you’re your 10 on it oh sure
(0:14:59) Al: I’ve just not got there yet.
(0:15:00) Al: Like, I’m obviously going to watch, you know, I’m obviously going.
(0:15:04) Al: No, I just like you can’t watch everything all at the same time, right?
(0:15:07) Al: You just have to get things slowly.
(0:15:09) Al: So, like, obviously, I’m going to watch, you know, the Incredible Hulk.
(0:15:12) Al: Lou Ferrigno’s Incredible Hulk.
(0:15:14) Al: And I’ll see what I’ll think if there’s any others I want to watch.
(0:15:17) Al: But like I’ve watched all the big live action Marvel ones, except for that Hulk show, I think.
(0:15:26) Kev: Did you watch all of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.?
(0:15:30) Al: Who knows if I’ll end up watching the like was it the 90s?
(0:15:33) Al: There was a 90s Captain America, I think, and stuff like that.
(0:15:36) Al: Who knows if I’ll get to watch them or not.
(0:15:37) Kev: - Yeah.
(0:15:39) Al: But yeah, that’s fun.
(0:15:41) Al: I might go.
(0:15:42) Al: I’ll probably watch a bunch of animated stuff first.
(0:15:48) Kev: Yeah, you’re probably better off and watch that Iron Man with the mullet
(0:15:48) Al: But I think I might go into.
(0:15:53) Al: Well, I probably will end up going with some DC stuff first, right?
(0:15:59) Al: 90s animated Batman and stuff like that.
(0:16:02) Kev: wait have you never seen or wow yeah yeah of course right like i
(0:16:03) Al: I haven’t.
(0:16:05) Al: I mean, I’ve seen clips here and there, but I’ve not seen full episodes.
(0:16:09) Al: Yeah.
(0:16:09) Kev: assume you’ve seen but wow oh man you’re in a tree forget all
(0:16:14) Kev: everything else like you’ve ever listed wow
(0:16:16) Al: So I’ve got that to watch.
(0:16:17) Kev: batman
(0:16:18) Al: And I think there’s one really good Justice League one,
(0:16:21) Al: I think, isn’t there, that people always talk about.
(0:16:23) Kev: yes so yeah so that’s the dcau the dc animated universe that started off with
(0:16:26) Al: Yeah.
(0:16:28) Kev: the 90s batman and they just kind of went off there
(0:16:30) Al: Yeah.
(0:16:32) Kev: because it’s all in the same cannon
(0:16:32) Al: Yeah, I’ve got a list from our mutual friend, Alex.
(0:16:38) Al: He sent me a spreadsheet with basically all of the stuff
(0:16:42) Al: that he cares about, and like a column that says,
(0:16:45) Al: whether this is a must watch.
(0:16:47) Al: Should watch or you can skip it sort of thing.
(0:16:50) Al: So I will probably start watching those.
(0:16:53) Kev: Oh, man, I’m excited for you. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
(0:16:56) Al: Well, I was surprised with how few episodes there are
(0:17:00) Al: in the original Batman, the animated series from the 90s.
(0:17:03) Al: Like there aren’t actually that many.
(0:17:03) Kev: Yeah, it’s well, are you counting?
(0:17:05) Al: 85 episodes.
(0:17:06) Al: It’s four seasons.
(0:17:09) Al: Well, okay.
(0:17:10) Al: Oh, yes, I remember this one.
(0:17:11) Al: This was weird because it’s like listed in my app, my TV tracking app.
(0:17:15) Al: season one has six
(0:17:16) Al: like 60 episodes. Two and three have 10 each and then four has five. So it looks
(0:17:22) Al: like they got really confused as to what seasons were.
(0:17:26) Kev: That’s, that is very odd.
(0:17:29) Al: It’s one of those ones that’s going to be super fun to try and watch everything because
(0:17:33) Al: they’re in weird orders and they can’t decide what like there’ll be three specific episodes
(0:17:39) Al: that are only on one random service. It’s like I’ve been trying to watch for a couple
(0:17:44) Al: For years now, I’ve been trying to finish watching.
(0:17:46) Al: So I’ve done all of seasons one to five, except three specific episodes from season
(0:17:48) Kev: Ha ha ha, good luck with that!
(0:17:57) Al: five. No, they’re not the last three episodes. They’re episodes 51 and 52 of 54. And I’ve
(0:18:06) Al: also watched episode 14 of season six. Why? Who knows?
(0:18:14) Al: So Netflix had seasoned.
(0:18:16) Al: It’s like there are some episodes of each of those seasons on some services but like
(0:18:30) Kev: Uh, probably I don’t know that thing’s eternal. It is wild to think.
(0:18:40) Al: five episodes of season six or on one random service and then there’s like two episodes
(0:18:45) Al: of Season 8, and then
(0:18:47) Al: like 20 episodes of Season 7, and I know it doesn’t matter, I don’t need to watch this show in order, because this is the least, the show where like continuity matters the least, right? Because everything, it’s like the Simpsons, right? There’s very few things that actually change, right? So it doesn’t matter. But some small things matter, right? Like there was an arc of like five episodes where they had a new character. And if you randomly watched the third episode of that, you’d be like, who is this?
(0:18:58) Kev: Oh, yeah.
(0:19:16) Al: Random character, why are they here? But it doesn’t happen very often. And so it’s hard to predict. That’s the problem.
(0:19:18) Kev: that is true
(0:19:20) Kev: yeah
(0:19:22) Kev: yeah you’re right
(0:19:24) Kev: oh that’s, that’s incredible
(0:19:24) Al: I’m
(0:19:26) Kev: good times, good times
(0:19:28) Kev: um
(0:19:30) Kev: oh man, I’m, I’m
(0:19:32) Kev: like, I think I’m honestly way
(0:19:34) Kev: more excited for uh
(0:19:36) Kev: uh you to go through the DC stuff
(0:19:38) Kev: stuff cause the plot is so
(0:19:40) Kev: higher in general, um on the small
(0:19:40) Al: Yeah, I think I’ve watched all of the actually good Marvel animated stuff.
(0:19:42) Kev: screen
(0:19:46) Kev: Wait, did you watch our spider?
(0:19:46) Al: I’ve watched… I have not, no. Is that one I need to watch?
(0:19:48) Kev: Do you watch these terrors?
(0:19:52) Kev: You didn’t watch? Oh my goodness!
(0:19:54) Kev: Yes!
(0:19:54) Al: Calm down. It’s so easy not to watch things. So which was this one?
(0:19:58) Al: So Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, you say it’s called. Is that all it’s called?
(0:20:00) Kev: this was yeah yeah avengers or smite’s heroes yes it was a um yes um it’s late
(0:20:04) Al: Oh, it’s got Avengers in the name, right? Okay.
(0:20:08) Al: the avenger’s earth’s mightiest heroes this is from
(0:20:10) Al: 2010 yeah two seasons 26 episodes each 2010 to 2012
(0:20:12) Kev: yeah let’s say late 22,000 early 2010s yeah um that okay so that is probably the best
(0:20:22) Kev: animated marvel project no that well okay no hold on let me uh
(0:20:25) Al: oh really better than X-Men and Spider-man
(0:20:29) Kev: Better than– you know what?
(0:20:31) Kev: I’ll say– that might be– that’s tough to say.
(0:20:35) Al: I’m going to need to post in Slack, haven’t I, and say, what are the must-watch Marvel
(0:20:41) Al: animated ones, and make sure that I’ve watched all of them.
(0:20:41) Kev: OK, well, I will say Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
(0:20:46) Kev: is a must-watch.
(0:20:48) Kev: At the very least, it is probably
(0:20:50) Kev: one of the definitive pieces of Avengers–
(0:20:53) Kev: no, not the– it is the definitive piece
(0:20:55) Kev: of Avengers media, because it came out
(0:20:56) Al: Okay, fair enough.
(0:21:01) Kev: to the MCU film Avengers.
(0:21:04) Al: Yeah, just in the run-up to it basically.
(0:21:05) Kev: So it– yes.
(0:21:09) Kev: And so it got to cover everything before,
(0:21:13) Kev: like all the classic Avengers stories,
(0:21:15) Kev: more or less, and the characterizations.
(0:21:16) Al: It’s not it’s not in the same continuity, right? It’s not.
(0:21:19) Kev: It is not, no.
(0:21:21) Kev: So it is excellent, excellent, excellent.
(0:21:24) Kev: And sadly, the MCU actually killed it.
(0:21:27) Kev: First off, they delayed the second season by a year or two.
(0:21:30) Kev: It would coincide with the release of the MCU Avengers film, more or less, and then after that, they cancelled the series to start a new series that was more MCU related or closer to that.
(0:21:46) Kev: And it’s trying to shame.
(0:21:48) Al: These things are so much easier to keep track of than to catch up on, right?
(0:21:55) Al: People always talk, oh, there’s so much Marvel stuff now.
(0:21:58) Al: But I feel like you just weren’t paying attention if you didn’t think there was
(0:22:02) Al: a lot of Marvel stuff before, right? Like, there’s so many things.
(0:22:03) Kev: Oh yeah, no, there’s always there’s so much Marvel stuff
(0:22:08) Kev: much spectacular spider-man
(0:22:10) Al: I know, but it’s on my list.
(0:22:12) Kev: Okay, good cuz yeah, okay like I’d put Avengers like right up there a spectacular aired around the same time, too
(0:22:21) Kev: like they’re just the definitive things for their respective series more or less like as much as I love 90s spider-man cuz it’s so
(0:22:28) Kev: campy and ridiculous and ingrained into my
(0:22:31) Kev: » The Spectacular Spider-Man.
(0:22:33) Kev: Is the actual one you should watch because that’s the good one and actually does everything correctly.
(0:22:38) Al: Okay, fair enough.
(0:22:38) Kev: Yeah, but yeah, I can’t. Oh, man, you still got a lot of good stuff ahead. I’m very excited for you.
(0:22:46) Al: There’s always more stuff to watch.
(0:22:47) Kev: All right.
(0:22:48) Al: I think that’s me.
(0:22:51) Al: All right, let’s talk about some news.
(0:22:53) Al: First up, we have RATOPIA, which is like a town builder.
(0:23:01) Al: Farming survival game, however you want to describe it.
(0:23:02) Kev: the rat topia builder, the rat village builder.
(0:23:07) Al: It is going to hit 1.0 on the first of May.
(0:23:11) Al: A-woo!
(0:23:12) Kev: I’d I’m real for that. I’m gonna play that because I like 1.0s and this is a cool
(0:23:18) Kev: I’ve always thought this is a cool one cuz it’s I mean one it’s it’s kind of that
(0:23:23) Kev: side 2d
(0:23:25) Kev: araria-esque
(0:23:27) Kev: Gameplay, but it’s rats. So that’s that’s way more fun
(0:23:30) Al: It is rats, you’re correct. Yeah, I have a feeling I’m going to play this one, but I
(0:23:40) Al: don’t know how I’m going to feel about it, but I’m intrigued by it. Because you’re playing
(0:23:45) Al: a specific character in this one, aren’t you? It’s not management style, which is what I
(0:23:48) Kev: You it looks like it you’re playing
(0:23:52) Kev: Yeah
(0:23:52) Al: I really don’t like about time builders. So we’ll see.
(0:23:54) Kev: Yeah
(0:23:57) Kev: Yeah, yeah we will see I’m excited
(0:24:01) Kev: Yeah, I like I like rodents and rodent
(0:24:06) Al: Next we have Grimoire Groves, they’ve announced that they’re releasing on the 4th of March.
(0:24:11) Al: I think they had a new trailer as well.
(0:24:12) Kev: okay now hold on my same I’m ready to open I have to double-check I have a lot
(0:24:18) Kev: of links open I forget which ones it’s
(0:24:20) Al: This is a witch-based one, you know, it’s a roguelike dungeon crawler.
(0:24:25) Kev: all networks you got us
(0:24:29) Al: Sorry, cozy roguelike dungeon crawler with witches.
(0:24:32) Kev: there we go that’s what we need
(0:24:34) Al: Join the…
(0:24:36) Al: I’ve been watching this one for ages. I don’t think I realized it was Roguelike.
(0:24:40) Kev: I didn’t either, um, it’s, it’s, okay, look, I’m looking, are we rewatching the trailer?
(0:24:49) Kev: This, yeah, okay, yeah, this is, this is a very much more cozy, pretty, cold blue lamb.
(0:24:56) Kev: That’s what it really looks like.
(0:24:58) Kev: Um, yeah, yeah, the art style is very fun.
(0:24:58) Al: I like how the game looks, like graphics-wise, really nice.
(0:25:03) Kev: It’s very colorful, psychedelic, look like it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s out there.
(0:25:11) Kev: Um, I, some of the gameplay stuff looks interesting.
(0:25:16) Kev: You’re casting a lot of, it’s not like, uh, of the lamb was, you know, sword, weapon,
(0:25:21) Kev: game play or whatever, you’re casting a lot of stuff here.
(0:25:24) Kev: Um, wow.
(0:25:25) Kev: Even some of those icons for speaking, um, I’m, I’m, my interest has been piqued.
(0:25:32) Al: Well that’s a good point. Is it, is it, is it roguelite like Cult of the Lamb is roguelite,
(0:25:37) Al: where you have your like area that you build up and you go out on runs to get stuff? That’s
(0:25:41) Kev: It sure looks like it because the farming you’re growing plants that’s advertised clearly in the trailer
(0:25:43) Al: a good point. Yeah. Oh no. Is this actually going to be the second roguelite I actually like?
(0:25:53) Al: Because it does the thing that I like.
(0:25:54) Kev: Maybe it looks like it has a lot going for it. I’ll say that
(0:25:58) Al: It doesn’t make it clear in the description exactly what the rules are.
(0:26:02) Al: I’m going to have to buy this game now I’m an eye. Boo!
(0:26:04) Kev: yeah
(0:26:06) Kev: um
(0:26:07) Kev: but hey
(0:26:12) Kev: all gosh yes
(0:26:14) Al: And then people can mock me for buying another rogue light.
(0:26:16) Kev: there will be a demo updated demo on february seventeenth
(0:26:20) Kev: if you want to try it out before you buy
(0:26:22) Al: Maybe, maybe. That is what I probably should do. That is not what I tend to do.
(0:26:28) Kev: It’s a good idea.
(0:26:29) Kev: I’m not gonna do it.
(0:26:32) Al: Uh speaking of games that I buy for some reason uh Sugajou Island have announced that they’re
(0:26:40) Al: releasing on the 7th of March uh but the game is out now already for Kickstarter backers so if you
(0:26:46) Al: backed it like me uh you have you should have your key by now um also the physical version is coming
(0:26:54) Kev: I’ve got to say, I am impressed that a game has made it this far just by flying too close to the sun and coughing Stardew with changing the name up a little.
(0:27:02) Al: I just, I hate myself every time I see the name.
(0:27:07) Kev: Like, I’ll be like, I’m not even going to judge the gameplay because I’m not even, I haven’t looked at it closely enough, but this thing is going by its name alone like 90%. Let’s, let’s be quite honest.
(0:27:21) Kev: Um…
(0:27:22) Al: Yeah, I’m obviously going to talk about the game more in the future, not in this episode.
(0:27:29) Al: It’s not top tier farming game, let’s put it that way.
(0:27:32) Kev: I mean, it’s sure sure
(0:27:35) Al: It’s not the absolute worst farming game I’ve played, though.
(0:27:39) Kev: Sure, you know what you’re right the bar is high or very low depending on the direction
(0:27:41) Al: Yeah, it has gone straight through the middle of that as meh.
(0:27:50) Kev: Okay, you know is is that better or worse for it, I don’t know but
(0:27:56) Al: Yeah, I’m gonna have a lot to say in the next episode probably
(0:28:03) Al: But yeah, that’s that’s my initial thought is it is okay
(0:28:10) Kev: there you go put that on the box
(0:28:13) Al: They have already to be fair to them they have already fixed multiple thing multiple issues I had with the game
(0:28:20) Al: So that is something
(0:28:22) Kev: all right well you know that is uh that is like good just across the board when a developer
(0:28:29) Kev: cares about uh their you know supporting and whatnot so I will say that good on them for that bit
(0:28:38) Al: OK, so next we have this is interesting.
(0:28:42) Al: Did you look at these links before the podcast?
(0:28:44) Al: Just before we talk about this?
(0:28:46) Al: OK, so just for the listeners, I’m going to try and explain what we’re looking at
(0:28:51) Al: here. This is so that the game is the ranchers.
(0:28:56) Al: We’ve talked about it before.
(0:28:57) Al: It’s a farming game.
(0:28:59) Al: It’s an open world farming game.
(0:29:02) Al: What’s interesting is they’ve introduced police.
(0:29:08) Al: And.
(0:29:09) Kev: Aww, sick.
(0:29:11) Al: I think I can describe this as they’re it basically seems like they’re turning
(0:29:16) Al: this game into grand theft farm.
(0:29:19) Kev: Yep, I was about to say, like, the game is called The Ranchers, but nothing on the Steam page is a ranch.
(0:29:27) Al: There’s cows. What are you talking about?
(0:29:34) Kev: Wait did I miss them? Oh, yeah on the cover. I see you’re right. There’s the image
(0:29:34) Al: So, this is, yeah. So, they’re calling this the Ranchers Police District Update. Now don’t
(0:29:45) Al: be confused. This is not like a game update. This is just like an information update. They’re
(0:29:51) Al: describing this feature that’s going to be in the game, because this game isn’t out yet.
(0:29:55) Al: not in Ali access. And I.
(0:29:57) Al: They say I’m excited to introduce our newest feature,
(0:30:01) Al: the ranchers police district, which by the way, just as a,
(0:30:04) Al: just as a startup, this is what we all want is more police.
(0:30:10) Al: Secondly, they say from the start,
(0:30:13) Al: the ranchers has given you tons of freedom to play the game your way.
(0:30:16) Al: You can stick to the rules and enjoy a calm, relaxed experience,
(0:30:18) Al: or you can mix things up, maybe even try something a little daring,
(0:30:22) Al: like swiping NPCs, crops, cars, cows, or chickens,
(0:30:26) Al: vandalizing public.
(0:30:27) Al: property or even shaking up national security for a little bit of mischief. Ultimately,
(0:30:32) Al: it’s your call and you probably have your own reasons for how you play. Before, if you
(0:30:37) Al: got caught, the game would hit you with a fine to teach you a lesson. Harsh and not
(0:30:40) Al: very fun, especially in open world farming sim where freedom is key. Now, things feel
(0:30:45) Al: a bit more like real life. Your actions have consequences. Each misdeed you commit will
(0:30:50) Al: trigger a reaction from the rancher’s beliefs, giving you the freedom to deal with it your
(0:30:55) Al: You can pay up, surrender, or even poo-
(0:30:57) Al: things further at your own risk and potential reward.
(0:31:02) Kev: Aww.
(0:31:03) Al: So you can get arrested in this game, basically.
(0:31:06) Kev: Yeah.
(0:31:08) Kev: Yeah.
(0:31:11) Al: Part of me is like, I hate it.
(0:31:14) Kev: Yeah.
(0:31:16) Al: And part of me is like, I actually kind of like it,
(0:31:19) Al: because this is trying to do something different with farming games,
(0:31:22) Al: which is such a rare thing nowadays, right?
(0:31:24) Al: - Okay.
(0:31:24) Kev: If that is true
(0:31:25) Al: Thank you.
(0:31:28) Al: What I also find really interesting is the comments on the Kickstarter.
(0:31:32) Al: Can you see the Kickstarter?
(0:31:33) Al: I don’t know if that’s backers only.
(0:31:35) Al: Oh no, I’m not a backer.
(0:31:36) Kev: let’s see here
(0:31:36) Al: I’m not a backer, am I?
(0:31:38) Al: Oh no, I did back it.
(0:31:40) Kev: you back this all sick
(0:31:42) Al: I don’t even remember backing this game.
(0:31:46) Al: Oh man, I am not to be trusted with Kickstarter.
(0:31:51) Al: I don’t think this is a backers only update.
(0:31:54) Al: But anyway, the comments are…
(0:31:57) Al: really not positive from this. One is like, “Are you sure you aren’t just trolling everyone
(0:32:04) Al: with this? April 1st is quite some time away. I definitely did not want GTA.”
(0:32:07) Kev: Aww yeah!
(0:32:11) Al: “I was all for this game until this update. If I wanted police in the game I’m playing,
(0:32:14) Al: I wouldn’t play a cosy farming sim.” Yeah, I agree, but also I don’t agree. I’m not
(0:32:23) Al: Really sure. On Steam, there are 26 comments, but there’s a hundred.
(0:32:27) Al: And 26 thumbs up. So I don’t think it’s clear cut.
(0:32:34) Al: People hate this. I think it’s like there’s a lot of thoughts on this.
(0:32:40) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I’m sure, I’m sure.
(0:32:43) Al: You’re sure what?
(0:32:44) Kev: Yeah, I’m sure there’s a lot of comments.
(0:32:46) Kev: Like, it’s so crazy.
(0:32:48) Kev: Like, something we didn’t even mention
(0:32:52) Kev: is like, on the Steam page, the image next to the title.
(0:32:56) Kev: Like, it’s, suppose we’re talking cozy or whatever,
(0:32:59) Kev: but like, that looks like an 80s action here,
(0:33:01) Kev: a movie poster guy.
(0:33:02) Al: Yeah, it really does.
(0:33:07) Kev: It’s wild.
(0:33:08) Al: It doesn’t look like, it definitely doesn’t look like a rancher, that’s for sure.
(0:33:10) Kev: Yeah, yeah, man, this is incredible, because like you said,
(0:33:17) Kev: it’s grand theft farming, it really looks like that.
(0:33:23) Kev: Cuz it’s nothing here looks like your typical cozy stuff.
(0:33:31) Kev: And it’s new ideas, stuff that we don’t see normally and so on and so forth or
(0:33:37) Kev: whatever, but it’s it’s just
(0:33:40) Kev: I guess it’s just the context like this isn’t what you’d expect.
(0:33:44) Kev: Um…
(0:33:46) Al: This is the thing, it’s a balance, right?
(0:33:47) Al: You will either love this because it’s doing something different or you’ll
(0:33:51) Al: hate it because it’s not a cosy feature.
(0:33:56) Al: But I kind of love that you can like just steal crops from the other townspeople.
(0:34:02) Al: Like that, I kind of like that.
(0:34:04) Al: Like I wouldn’t want, I don’t think I’d want that in Stardew.
(0:34:06) Al: But like, how many times have you gone, you’d seen someone with crops outside
(0:34:11) Al: their house and gone, “Oh, I wish I could just get them.”
(0:34:14) Kev: Yeah, that is kind of fun. You’re right. You’re right. I like this concept, too
(0:34:19) Al: I don’t know whether this will make it a fun game or not, but I am all in on seeing.
(0:34:21) Kev: Um
(0:34:23) Kev: I don’t either
(0:34:27) Al: Let’s see, why not?
(0:34:28) Kev: They’ve they’ve caught our attention they’ve caught our attention i’ll see i’ll say that. Um
(0:34:29) Al: What’s the worst that happens?
(0:34:31) Al: Yeah, for sure.
(0:34:37) Kev: it’s it’s
(0:34:39) Kev: Uh, yeah, um, I don’t know i’m excited to see more of this
(0:34:41) Al: we will keep an eye on it and uh oh I mean I feel like i’ll definitely
(0:34:50) Kev: Oh, oh, I’m I
(0:34:55) Al: All right, and our final piece of news, our final piece of news is, my time at Sandrock
(0:34:56) Kev: Feel like we have hops and robs
(0:35:04) Al: have released a set of chibi figurines.
(0:35:10) Kev: Yeah, they’re fine.
(0:35:12) Kev: The figures are cute.
(0:35:13) Kev: I’ll say that.
(0:35:14) Kev: I’ll give them that.
(0:35:14) Al: I don’t care about the characters, so it’s not like I’m going to buy them, but yeah.
(0:35:18) Kev: Oh yeah, I don’t either.
(0:35:20) Kev: Just say they’re cute quality.
(0:35:21) Al: Yeah.
(0:35:21) Kev: I don’t know what these people are or anything.
(0:35:24) Al: Yeah, I would buy these if these were stardew characters.
(0:35:24) Kev: I have no investment.
(0:35:28) Kev: Oh, you know, I’m shocked that
(0:35:31) Kev: Concerned Dave has never done that.
(0:35:32) Kev: Like I feel there’s a gold mine to be made.
(0:35:35) Al: like it’s a lot of effort to put into these things right and he made enough money with the game that
(0:35:42) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I guess I guess that’s it. I guess that’s it, but you know
(0:35:42) Al: he doesn’t need to whereas with like the the concert I feel like is something that he really
(0:35:52) Al: wanted to do he made a joke in
(0:35:53) Kev: Oh, yeah, clearly yeah, that is one thing concerned a but everything he does he does it cuz he cares
(0:36:00) Al: in the the pamphlet for I can’t remember what it’s called like the leaflet thing that you get at
(0:36:05) Al: the concert it says um the program yeah he made a joke in it that he used to be uh I can’t remember
(0:36:14) Al: the exact wording but basically he used to be a musician that was his thing um but he couldn’t
(0:36:19) Al: get anyone to buy his music and all he needed to do was make a very successful game for people to
(0:36:23) Al: like his music that was it
(0:36:25) Kev: That’s what it was all about, that was the long con, I love that, what a giga-chat move.
(0:36:31) Kev: I’m going to make a successful video game, like genre-defining game, just so people can
(0:36:35) Al: there you go all right that’s the news we are now gonna go into our second harvest of
(0:36:39) Kev: buy my music.
(0:36:47) Al: helikity island adventure so just for context I played this for a couple weeks when it first
(0:36:54) Al: came out on ios and ipad os apple arcade that’s where it was it came out in apple arcade um
(0:37:02) Al: play that on my iPad because I don’t have an iPhone.
(0:37:06) Al: And I thought it was a really fun game, but I really hated using the touchscreen controls for it.
(0:37:13) Al: So I was really excited to play it, not on a touchscreen. You obviously did not play it
(0:37:19) Al: when it came out in Apple Arcade, but you were excited to play it.
(0:37:22) Kev: I’ve never owned an Apple device in my life.
(0:37:25) Kev: Very much so, because it looks wild, and guess what it is wild?
(0:37:30) Al: I bought it on Steam, been playing on my Steam Deck, you bought it on Switch,
(0:37:34) Al: and you’ve been playing on your switch.
(0:37:35) Al: I guess, do we even need to do a quick intro to this game?
(0:37:36) Kev: Yep, that’s correct.
(0:37:40) Al: I feel like we don’t, because I feel like people know what this game is,
(0:37:43) Al: because it’s been so in the news everywhere, right?
(0:37:44) Kev: well you’re right it’s okay so well first of all it’s been a minute since
(0:37:49) Al: How would you describe it then after having played it a little?
(0:37:52) Kev: yeah I i will because I think it has been in the news but it’s also been a
(0:37:55) Kev: minute since you know uh the the original episode of
(0:37:59) Kev: maddie um so i’ll i’ll look
(0:38:00) Al: you know the number of people that i’ve seen who make it who clearly don’t know that this was
(0:38:04) Al: released before they’re like oh there’s a new game and it’s like well it’s just right go for
(0:38:06) Kev: yeah yeah how about that yeah
(0:38:11) Al: it then describe describe it because obviously I was on the previous episode you were not uh so tell
(0:38:15) Kev: right
(0:38:16) Al: me how you would describe this game having now played it for a bit
(0:38:19) Kev: okay so like I think the biggest or easiest comparison point is animal
(0:38:26) Kev: crossing new horizons because joker shocker I know
(0:38:27) Al: - What? (laughs)
(0:38:33) Kev: guess what you’ve got crafting you’ve got a house with furniture you’ve got
(0:38:36) Kev: clothing you’ve got friend and neighbors and
(0:38:39) Kev: villagers that you can gift things to shockers
(0:38:42) Kev: But, it’s all San Río.
(0:38:44) Kev: So, you got Hello Kitty and all the characters and whatnot, right?
(0:38:49) Kev: Now, with that said, it is a bit more dynamic than Animal Crossing because you are climbing mountains, you’re diving into the ocean,
(0:39:01) Kev: you’re, uh, there’s little mini-games and ruins to explore.
(0:39:08) Kev: So, you’ve got this open-world island to explore while collecting stuff and–
(0:39:14) Kev: catching critters and all this stuff.
(0:39:16) Kev: Um, so yeah, so take one part Animal Crossing, one part San Río, and one part, maybe Breath of the Wild ‘cause they understand when we all start.
(0:39:25) Al: So this is the thing, I jokingly said Breath of the Wild to people on Slack, but the more
(0:39:31) Al: I think about it, the more I actually don’t think that’s a joke. It’s obviously not as
(0:39:37) Al: big and as expansive and whatever, but the exploring feels so good. And let me tell you,
(0:39:39) Kev: right
(0:39:41) Kev: There’s no combat
(0:39:48) Al: it feels so much better being able to play with a controller than using the touchscreen,
(0:39:52) Al: But, like, that has not changed.
(0:39:55) Al: It’s not changed since the first time I’ve done it, just the idea of being able to go like, “Oh, there’s a hill, there’s a volcano there, let me climb that volcano,” and you can just figure out how to do it, even though you know you’re not really meant to be going there yet, right?
(0:40:09) Kev: Yeah
(0:40:09) Al: Like, you’ve not progressed the story to that point, but you can just make it work.
(0:40:11) Kev: What I wanted to Ritsuko was up there, I really wanted to clivet volcano
(0:40:17) Al: And you can, and this is the thing, it’s designed in such a way that, like, you have a stamina bar, and, like, you can’t just climb straight up forever.
(0:40:25) Al: There’s little ledges, and there’s, like, other things you can climb up on, and you can rest, and you can get anywhere you want to if you really want to.
(0:40:26) Kev: Yeah, but if you look yep
(0:40:33) Kev: Yup pretty much right like sometimes it’s real hard like sometimes it’s challenging
(0:40:39) Kev: But if you try you get you really scrape and look for you can find a way
(0:40:46) Al: You know the meme, this is why I don’t do X anymore, there’s too many sweats.
(0:40:46) Kev: Yeah
(0:40:50) Al: I feel like that, but with this, right?
(0:40:50) Kev: Yeah
(0:40:52) Al: This is why I don’t play Hello Kitty anymore, there are too many sweats.
(0:40:59) Kev: Okay, so um and okay, and so of course the game like it begins with as
(0:41:06) Kev: So you’ve lauded so many times Alan rightfully, so it begins with jumping out of a plane
(0:41:13) Al: And a snake, a snake’s on a plane reference.
(0:41:15) Kev: Everyone’s a
(0:41:17) Kev: Snakes on a plane reference
(0:41:20) Kev: there
(0:41:21) Kev: Okay, so we you know remember you describing that you’ve told me that before and
(0:41:26) Kev: You know I thought that was wild but then I when I played it the the crazy part to me is there was no
(0:41:32) Kev: actual reason to jump from
(0:41:35) Kev: there was I’ve been shooting out a lot of cake and I
(0:41:40) Kev: Don’t know well inconvenient. I don’t think
(0:41:40) Al: just gets fed up and says ‘I’m fed up of these cakes on this plane’ and then just jumps out the plane.
(0:41:46) Kev: And everyone’s like all right, we’re going let’s do it. We’re falling
(0:41:48) Al: Yeah, yeah. That’s the weirdest bit. Is it like, ‘Okay, fine. I bet. Let’s do this.’
(0:41:55) Kev: uh oh my gosh oh so yeah that that’s our premise um I i like that little intro
(0:42:02) Al: I just thought you go up, you go up to, you go up to Hello Kitty and she’s like, “Oh,
(0:42:08) Al: here are some balloons.
(0:42:09) Al: Trust me.”
(0:42:10) Al: And you’re like, “Do I, do I trust you with balloons?”
(0:42:14) Al: Well, yeah, no.
(0:42:16) Kev: well it worked also you get a diving like air skydiving minigame which go
(0:42:22) Kev: through the rings I don’t even know if they get you anything but or if you ever
(0:42:24) Al: I don’t know, I don’t think, I don’t know if you do ever do that again, obviously you
(0:42:26) Kev: do that again
(0:42:29) Al: use the balloons again, right, like you can jump off things and use the balloons, but
(0:42:33) Al: I don’t think that minigame type thing is ever in the game again, I don’t know, I mean
(0:42:39) Al: I’ve not finished it, so maybe there is a time, but yeah, it’s really weird.
(0:42:44) Kev: And you go through rings, but I don’t remember getting anything for going through there
(0:42:50) Al: to get satisfaction of having gone through the rings.
(0:42:53) Kev: Yeah, yeah, that’s pretty much and then you know, that’s fine
(0:42:57) Kev: Okay, so
(0:43:00) Kev: First okay one of the actually before you jump off the plane you design your character
(0:43:05) Kev: And I love the freedom in that because you can be because we’re talking Sanrio, right?
(0:43:11) Kev: So we’ve got all the different critters and animals and you can
(0:43:14) Kev: be pretty much anyone you want. I think the options for customizing is pretty fun. What
(0:43:21) Kev: was your little avatar? A dog? Yeah. Styles, breeds or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, like you can
(0:43:23) Al: Yeah I’m a dog but yeah I like it they’ve got like I think it’s like eight different animals and then within the animals they’ve got different face shapes and they’re like dramatically different styles of them and then yeah you can like change your bunch of other stuff.
(0:43:42) Kev: be a bird, and in the birds, you can be a bird.
(0:43:44) Kev: I’m a penguin, or like a falcon, or blue jay, or whatever.
(0:43:47) Kev: Mine looks like a blue jay, basically.
(0:43:49) Kev: I got a little pen that looks like a blue jay in the shape of that.
(0:43:52) Al: I chose the fattest dog that existed in the list, I couldn’t really describe what type
(0:43:59) Al: of dog it looked like, but yeah, it was just the chubbiest, comfiest looking dog.
(0:44:02) Kev: Yeah, yeah, the wall like a brick house
(0:44:08) Kev: Yeah, like that’s a good one
(0:44:11) Kev: So, um, you know, I think I should
(0:44:16) Kev: Before continuing I should declare I don’t know Sanrio very well to be quite Frank
(0:44:21) Kev: I know Hello Kitty because one of the most iconic
(0:44:22) Al: Me neither.
(0:44:26) Kev: Characters ever created right dominates Japan
(0:44:30) Kev: But I don’t know the
(0:44:32) Kev: rest of the cast that well. So this is my first venture into the Senri universe.
(0:44:36) Kev: I knew Agritsuko because her anime was pretty popular. I didn’t watch it, but I
(0:44:41) Kev: knew the character. And I love how she’s treated as the the kind of the outsider.
(0:44:48) Kev: Everyone else is friends, but she doesn’t know anyone. That was kind of cute. But
(0:44:53) Kev: yeah, it’s been fun to meet all these characters. Bompurin is the best. I’m a
(0:45:02) Kev: Bompurin. Yeah, the carapace is pretty cute. He’s pretty fun.
(0:45:07) Kev: But it’s Meru. He’s the one who was tired of the cakes and jumped off the
(0:45:12) Kev: plane. So you know, there you go. I think that sums him. Oh yeah, yeah, he’s a big
(0:45:12) Al: Yeah. And a big comic guy. A big comic guy as well.
(0:45:21) Kev: comic guy. Both like he likes jokes and the actual comics. So yeah, so he got all
(0:45:29) Kev: that, um, so I played
(0:45:32) Kev: the game for about a week, not even a full week.
(0:45:34) Kev: I got it on Monday, I think it was, um, yeah.
(0:45:38) Al: something like that. Yeah. Yeah. I think Monday, yeah.
(0:45:40) Kev: Uh, so it, uh, like, I mean, I really enjoyed the game because, but also I feel
(0:45:48) Kev: like there’s still so much for me to do, um, because the game is quest driven, right?
(0:45:55) Kev: Like you’re, you’re, you’re going around your, you have to complete quests for
(0:45:58) Kev: people, gathering things, crafting things, so on and so finding things.
(0:46:02) Kev: Um, and that’s kind of what progresses.
(0:46:05) Kev: Not just the quote unquote story, but all the features, right?
(0:46:08) Kev: Like it’s not like animal crossing where you just wait for the shovel to show up
(0:46:12) Kev: in Tom look store to buy it.
(0:46:14) Kev: You have to complete a quest to unlock a fishing rod, the net, whatever.
(0:46:18) Al: Oh, and quests is the game, like this, if you don’t like quests, if you don’t like
(0:46:19) Kev: » Yeah.
(0:46:23) Al: fetch quests, this is not the game for you, like everything is a quest.
(0:46:26) Kev: - Yeah, yup.
(0:46:27) Kev: Yup.
(0:46:27) Al: But that means that I remember, I’m sure I talked about this last time, but I need to
(0:46:31) Al: bring it up again.
(0:46:32) Al: The quest system in this is so good.
(0:46:35) Al: Like as someone who loves quests and loves lists of quests, it’s absolutely good.
(0:46:40) Al: Not only does it show you every quest that you’ve ever done, and every quest that you
(0:46:44) Al: currently have that you can do.
(0:46:46) Al: It also shows you future quests and what you need
(0:46:48) Al: to do to get them. It’s great, because everything is based on friendship levels and gifting
(0:46:50) Kev: Yep, that is pretty solid.
(0:46:55) Al: things to the other villagers, blah, blah, blah. And so it’s like, oh, to get this quest,
(0:47:00) Al: you need to talk to this person, or you need to get this person to friendship level four.
(0:47:05) Al: And it’s just like, it’s so good. And it can be a little bit overwhelming, especially at
(0:47:08) Al: the beginning, when you go from one or two things to do, to suddenly you have a list
(0:47:12) Al: of 10 things, but you can pick and choose and you don’t need to go quickly.
(0:47:14) Kev: Yeah, yeah, I I think it’s almost a double-edged sword a little bit because like you say can
(0:47:25) Kev: get a little overwhelming or it can feel a little a little aimless at times right like
(0:47:31) Kev: so it just just today this morning of the day of recording I unlocked the snorkel finally
(0:47:37) Kev: which unlocked a lot of stuff for me and but to get to the snorkel I think
(0:47:44) Kev: get the raise your friendship with Romi a certain amount of time and I’m trying to do
(0:47:49) Kev: that but it’s kind of limiting because you can only do three gifts a day and I can’t
(0:47:54) Kev: make gifts that you really likes right now I give her like basic stuff and so on and
(0:47:58) Kev: so forth so you know I was kind of meandering the last day or two because I was trying to
(0:48:04) Kev: get that snorkel because I knew there’s a lot to unlock with that and there’s still
(0:48:08) Kev: some stuff like there’s these big rocks I need to learn how to break I don’t 100% know
(0:48:12) Kev: how to do it.
(0:48:14) Kev: Um, but, uh, but, so, you know, it is kind of, uh, it can be a little just not even really frustrating.
(0:48:23) Kev: I mean, just, just a little, it feels a little, I get a little frustrated.
(0:48:26) Kev: I’ll say that, right?
(0:48:27) Kev: Like I feel a little frustrated when I am not a hundred percent sure where to go.
(0:48:32) Kev: Like you said, the, the, the price system is good.
(0:48:34) Kev: Like it lists everything.
(0:48:37) Kev: But like I said, I like I met Ritsuko, but I don’t a hundred percent have the clear.
(0:48:44) Kev: So I, and granted the game doesn’t completely be high and dry because at the end of the day, if you keep raising friendship with everyone, you will get somewhere eventually like that’s a, that’s a big part of the game.
(0:48:56) Kev: Right.
(0:48:56) Kev: Um, but, uh, so I’m, I’m not, you know, I don’t have, it’s not like I don’t have things to do that.
(0:49:01) Kev: In fact, there’s a lot of things to do, um, but, uh, a little, and this might just be a personal preference, like I, I, a little more direction would have been nice.
(0:49:11) Kev: more direction would have been nice.
(0:49:14) Kev: maybe that’s just because i’m so used to animal crossing like I know the the tropes
(0:49:18) Kev: it’s established so well in the system so well like it’s not even I do without even thinking now
(0:49:24) Kev: that something new and different like this um just just takes a little more effort um but um
(0:49:31) Kev: but again those complaints really are minor i’m still enjoying the game overall the the
(0:49:37) Kev: presentation is strong the the visuals are fine um there I know there was a lot of uh
(0:49:44) Kev: Discussion on the frame rate especially on the switch cuz it’s on the switch.
(0:49:48) Al: Yeah. So tell me about that. Because obviously I’m on the Steam Deck and it runs fine. I’ve
(0:49:52) Al: not noticed any issues on the Steam Deck. And when I was running it on, when I was running
(0:49:54) Kev: Yeah.
(0:49:56) Al: on my iPad, it was like a, it’s an iPad pro, right? So it’s not, it’s not going to have
(0:50:00) Al: any issues running with frame rate. So yeah. How is that on the switch?
(0:50:02) Kev: Yeah.
(0:50:04) Kev: OK, so I’ve played primarily portable, not dock.
(0:50:12) Kev: I’ve played dock the handful of times.
(0:50:16) Kev: I think it runs fine, let’s say that.
(0:50:20) Kev: It’s on par for a Switch game, right?
(0:50:23) Kev: If I looked at the Steam version or the Apple version
(0:50:25) Kev: or whatever, I’m sure those would look better.
(0:50:29) Kev: but just looking at the switch.
(0:50:32) Kev: I think I saw it stutter like once, maybe twice, and just for a split second.
(0:50:36) Al: So it’s not like Scarlett and Violet.
(0:50:45) Kev: It might not be the highest end.
(0:50:46) Kev: I don’t know what FPS I’m looking at here.
(0:50:50) Kev: It’s not 60 FPS or whatever, but it’s fine.
(0:50:55) Kev: We all know that when you play a switch handheld, the performance takes even more of a hit.
(0:51:02) Kev: And again, I think that’s why I’m going to cross the board for the switch.
(0:51:08) Kev: But it’s so it doesn’t bother me, but I’m sure the other versions are prettier.
(0:51:13) Kev: Like, I don’t want to say that.
(0:51:15) Kev: But I’ll say it’s what I expect.
(0:51:18) Kev: Let me say that, right?
(0:51:19) Kev: If you know what the switch game looks like or plays like, I think that’s what you can expect.
(0:51:26) Kev: But the controls are good.
(0:51:30) Kev: I don’t know how I know if you guys played this.
(0:51:32) Kev: touchscreen only, but I can’t, and rightfully so, because there’s a lot, right?
(0:51:34) Al: That was my main, that was my main complaint when I was talking.
(0:51:42) Kev: You have tools and a tool wheel.
(0:51:45) Kev: You have the actual running around.
(0:51:47) Kev: You have climbing.
(0:51:48) Kev: You have loading with balloons, diving.
(0:51:50) Kev: There’s a lot of controls you can do in this game.
(0:51:54) Al: Yeah, I will say it works reasonably well. They had like on-screen buttons for everything you needed to do.
(0:51:54) Kev: - Um.
(0:51:58) Al: I just much prefer it with a controller. It’s not like I couldn’t do anything. It all worked. It just felt…
(0:52:06) Al: I think the main problem was I was playing on an iPad, right? So I wasn’t like holding it in my hand.
(0:52:10) Al: It would probably have been better had I been playing on an iPhone.
(0:52:12) Kev: Yeah
(0:52:15) Kev: Mmm, maybe I could see that you know what there is that is one complaint
(0:52:20) Kev: I have about the game like I can tell it was a mobile
(0:52:24) Kev: iPad game or whatever cuz the UI was not particularly cleaned up for the
(0:52:30) Kev: You still have
(0:52:32) Kev: Old icons showing like, you know press X to give them a gift or a to talk to them or whatever
(0:52:38) Kev: We’re very clearly meant to be like on a touchscreen
(0:52:42) Kev: that’s where you’d tap to do the thing.
(0:52:44) Kev: It would have been nice if they’d clean that up
(0:52:46) Kev: and get a little more screen space back.
(0:52:50) Al: I wonder if that’s a switch issue because I hadn’t noticed any kind of things that felt out of place.
(0:52:50) Kev: But I guess what I’m…
(0:52:56) Al: It all felt pretty good from my point of view but that might be a switch versus steam thing.
(0:53:02) Kev: And I have to go back and check, like I wonder if it’s better if it’s docked because obviously you have, you know, the, the, the right the screen ratio is a little different to their right.
(0:53:14) Kev: But on the small portable, the handheld, the original, I’m playing an original switch not even done.
(0:53:20) Kev: Right, like it feels like some of those pumps are taking up a lot of the screen space.
(0:53:26) Kev: Not like it doesn’t hamper the game, but like, I think they could have put a little more.
(0:53:32) Kev: But yeah, I want to spend more time because I feel like I’m still scratching the surface.
(0:53:44) Kev: Like I’m, there’s still all the Animal Crossing-esque house and clothing stuff.
(0:53:52) Kev: Like I’ve barely scratched that stuff.
(0:53:54) Kev: I’ve been so focused on quests and missions and trying to unlock my tools.
(0:53:58) Kev: Like I think I put like a chair in my house and that’s it.
(0:53:58) Al: Yeah. I mean, the game, I mean, the game has been out for like, you know, a week and a half,
(0:54:07) Al: right? Like, I think it’s fair to be like, there’s more to investigate on this game,
(0:54:12) Al: you know, it’d be like, it’d be like a week and a half after Stardew trying to talk about that,
(0:54:13) Kev: you know I think there could be more things for me to do in this game
(0:54:18) Al: or, you know, and it’s even, it’s even, it’s even worse. Well, that’s the thing. And it’s even worse
(0:54:23) Al: when it’s a game like this like or like Animal Crossing because
(0:54:28) Al: like you just there’s infinite amount of stuff to do and so focused because it’s real time based
(0:54:38) Al: there’s so little you can do in a day that it’s one of these games where it’s designed to be
(0:54:44) Al: played over months a little bit a day and you can’t get everything you want to do in a couple
(0:54:53) Al: of weeks, right? That’s just not possible.
(0:54:55) Kev: Yeah, you know, you’re right. And I think like, I’m feeling that more because it’s there’s still a lot of progression. Focus on it, right? Like, I think much more so than Animal Crossing, right? When you play New Horizons, like, was it first week or two? Like, that’s, it’s, it clearly lays out, like, it, it puts you on rails on how much you can accomplish per day and whatnot, and so forth.
(0:55:23) Kev: But here like I’m seeing my
(0:55:25) Kev: Quest list
(0:55:26) Al: Hey, you hit, you hit, you hit credits in Animal Crossing in a week, you know,
(0:55:30) Kev: Yeah, yeah exactly but
(0:55:32) Al: but that’s more down to being a weird, weird point where they have the credits.
(0:55:35) Kev: Yeah
(0:55:37) Kev: Yeah
(0:55:39) Kev: But here like I see my quest list I see there’s things I can do in the future
(0:55:44) Kev: I I wanted whom but I can’t my friendship with
(0:55:48) Al: That’s fair, that’s a fair point because I put that as a positive but I can see how
(0:55:53) Al: you might put that as a negative if that’s something that frustrates you being able to
(0:55:57) Al: see something that you physically can’t do because you can’t get to friendship level four yet.
(0:56:03) Kev: Yeah, right and like some and so some of them show you like okay
(0:56:03) Al: Yeah that’s fair.
(0:56:09) Kev: You need to also to unlock this question. I don’t even have that question. I don’t see
(0:56:16) Kev: Right or like there’s like I said Ritsuko, I’m gravitating. She’s one of my favorites. She’s in the few characters are really new
(0:56:23) Kev: I have to do her quest when I create friendship level seven. That’s the first one I can do with her
(0:56:29) Kev: That’s kind of a lot especially at the beginning when I don’t have
(0:56:33) Kev: Biff’s that really give her that much stuff or your friendship level or whatever right knows I’m working on it
(0:56:39) Kev: And maybe there’s other ways I can find stuff because like there’s clearly
(0:56:44) Kev: There’s different crafting stations and cooking stations on the island. So maybe I’ll find something but
(0:56:49) Kev: Getting to level Sun’s gonna take a few days to get there
(0:56:52) Al: Yeah. Here’s a question for you specifically. You were not a huge fan with how villagers
(0:56:58) Al: were in Animal Crossing. They felt much more hollow to you. Is that fair description of that?
(0:57:03) Kev: Right. Yeah, yeah.
(0:57:07) Al: How do you feel the villagers in this compare? Because they are, to me, they feel very different.
(0:57:14) Kev: right so okay so actually this is one thing I want to talk about because uh there’s this whole
(0:57:20) Kev: I barely touched it there’s this whole villager system and so you have the main
(0:57:26) Kev: test what I would call the main test right you have the people on the plane those are your primary
(0:57:31) Kev: characters who will be running shops and have significant roles and you’re talking them
(0:57:37) Kev: frequently on the island right but you know a day or two in or whatever you unlock the ability to
(0:57:44) Kev: have other characters uh visit right like the first one is dear daniel uh hello kitty’s boyfriend
(0:57:50) Kev: he can show up once you set up the the cabin in a certain way you have to put a couple pieces of
(0:57:55) Kev: furniture and then the pie in there or something like that right um and so um I did that quest
(0:58:03) Kev: and I have dear daniel but I have not interacted with him that much um and it’s not anything
(0:58:08) Kev: against dear daniel or the system it’s just i’ve been so occupied with the other stuff
(0:58:14) Kev: you can set up more cabins right um so obviously the main cast has a lot of personality right
(0:58:19) Kev: um uh the the shopkeepers and the main characters that you’re speaking to um i’m enjoying spending
(0:58:25) Kev: my time with all of them they all have very distinct personalities and I enjoy giving them gifts and so
(0:58:31) Kev: on doing things running around with them if you raise up friendship high enough you can have them
(0:58:36) Kev: join you and follow you around and stuff um overall i’m liking it so far then rio has a lot of
(0:58:42) Al: That’s a good point.
(0:58:44) Al: Is that something we’ve not really talked about as well,
(0:58:44) Kev: players
(0:58:46) Al: the joint quests, right?
(0:58:48) Al: So you can have someone, you can either,
(0:58:50) Al: I think you can do it just like with anything,
(0:58:52) Al: be like, “Oh, hey, come with me and do this thing.”
(0:58:54) Al: You can just spend time with them.
(0:58:56) Al: I think there are some quests as well
(0:58:58) Al: where they’re like, they will say,
(0:59:00) Al: “Oh, we need to go do this thing, let’s do it together.”
(0:59:02) Kev: Oh, actually no, I did do one. I was thinking I went through the haunted house
(0:59:04) Al: Well, you have, yeah, you have experienced that.
(0:59:09) Al: There is, there’s also, there’s one quite early on
(0:59:12) Kev: The Cogs
(0:59:12) Al: to get to the, you know, you go from the…
(0:59:15) Kev: Oh, yes, the crystal yeah, yeah the little crystal stone things. Yeah, yeah, I remember that now. Yeah. Yeah
(0:59:18) Al: Yeah, yeah.
(0:59:20) Al: So I think that’s the first one you do.
(0:59:22) Al: And then there’s more later on.
(0:59:23) Al: But yeah, so those are quite fun as well, I guess,
(0:59:26) Al: because it’s like you’re doing something together
(0:59:29) Kev: Yes, yeah, yeah, right exactly. Yes. Um, yeah, that’s a very good point. Um, then that does help a lot, right? Um, I’m so like, obviously, like, overall, the villagers that I have been interacting with. It is a much more satisfying experience than, say, New Horizons.
(0:59:30) Al: rather than just existing in the same world.
(0:59:49) Kev: Um, I don’t know about the other ones, like, Dear Daniel, because I haven’t spent enough time on that. Um, I will say it is kind, it is a clever.
(0:59:59) Kev: And fun idea that you have to set up the cabins just to invite people in certain ways. Um, you know, kind of like Happy Home Designer-esque thing, which I think is a fun idea. Um, it does. Yep.
(1:00:10) Al: It does tend to be quite simplistic, though. It’s like, oh, I want three pieces of furniture is the first one, and you’re like, okay, okay, right. Wow. Calm down. I’ll give you three pieces of furniture.
(1:00:21) Kev: Yeah. Okay, I didn’t know if that was.
(1:00:24) Al: They don’t tend to be very complicated ones, but I mean, maybe that’s deliberate.
(1:00:29) Kev: I don’t, I didn’t know if that was just ‘cause Dear Daniel’s the first one or if all the other ones are gonna be like that. I, I.
(1:00:35) Al: They’re slightly more complicated, but they’re not like, it’s like maybe they need to fit a theme,
(1:00:40) Al: or maybe it’s like specific pieces of furniture, but they’re never like really complicated ones.
(1:00:41) Kev: Hmm. Okay.
(1:00:47) Kev: Okay.
(1:00:47) Al: They were like, “I want three pink pieces of furniture,” or “I want a table and a bed and
(1:00:51) Kev: Sure.
(1:00:54) Al: a desk,” right? Like those might be the most complicated to get, in my experience.
(1:00:59) Kev: Okay. And I, I can understand that kind of because I don’t think you want to get too complicated because you’re trying to, you know, fill up your island. Um, and all, but also I think it’s part of the nature because the offerings of the furniture and clothing are kind of simple in this game from what I’ve seen so far.
(1:01:20) Kev: Um, because in, in Animal Crossing, you get some pretty exotic or out there themes of furniture and stuff.
(1:01:29) Kev: Like that, right? Like I have not seen a rock chip, let’s just say, right? I have not seen a rock chip that I can find and put one in, in my house in, in Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
(1:01:41) Kev: Um, so I, there’s not as much room to play probably. I think that’s going to be a big part of it, but, um, but again, I’m, I’m speaking. I’m saying all this just one weekend. I could be dead wrong. There could be way down a lot more stuff or something.
(1:01:57) Kev: But, uh…
(1:02:00) Kev: But, at the end of the day, even if it is kind of simplistic, this is just one aspect of the game, right?
(1:02:05) Kev: Like, there’s… I’m still enjoying running around and finding things and doing these quests and whatnot.
(1:02:12) Kev: Um, yeah. So, we’ll see.
(1:02:16) Kev: Um, as I play… ‘Cause I intend to play further because I want… I’m furious alone, curiosity alone, about how these…
(1:02:23) Kev: All the systems work ‘cause I don’t think I fully understand them yet.
(1:02:27) Kev: Um, I’m, I
(1:02:29) Kev: I’m will see how my opinions play out but I mean overall like the one week impression is pretty strong
(1:02:38) Kev: It’s it’s got a lot of personality the the mechanics are pretty solid overall like I’m struggling to think
(1:02:47) Al: I think – oh, I love it.
(1:02:47) Kev: You even have the the the map jump point system little mailboxes. That’s kind of nice
(1:02:53) Kev: I guess I think you could yeah, if you could craft anywhere, that would be nice
(1:02:59) Kev: um
(1:03:00) Al: - Yes, that’s probably one of the bigger limitations
(1:03:02) Al: as you’ve just got, is it just the one crafting table
(1:03:02) Kev: Yeah
(1:03:04) Al: or can you, do you unlock anymore?
(1:03:07) Kev: I I think I unlocked other recipes for other crafting tables, but I don’t see how to build them
(1:03:16) Al: I don’t know.
(1:03:16) Kev: question mark so I don’t I
(1:03:19) Kev: Don’t know and also I’m going I’m I I’m shaming myself here. I’m opening up myself to fire
(1:03:29) Kev: I didn’t see the mailbox near the crafting table until today or yesterday
(1:03:34) Kev: So it was a huge pain for me because I had to walk from like the second closest mailbox
(1:03:42) Kev: But oh my gosh
(1:03:44) Kev: Doing it over and over it was it was getting to me. It was I had to look it up
(1:03:47) Kev: I was like is there a mailbox closer to this table and there’s like oh two steps to the right
(1:03:50) Al: And you’re like, yeah, there’s literally one across the path from it.
(1:03:54) Kev: Yeah, I didn’t look across the path there. Oh if I looked on the other side of there
(1:03:59) Al: I think part of the problem is you get quite far into the game before you actually unlock
(1:04:00) Kev: Hmm
(1:04:04) Al: the mailboxes because you have to explore all of the main plaza and then you unlock the gate using
(1:04:13) Al: the cogs to get to the haunted area. And you get in there and you spend a little bit of time in
(1:04:18) Al: in there. And then, then you
(1:04:21) Al: So there’s already like five mailboxes you’ve gone past by that point. And you have to remember
(1:04:28) Al: to go back to them. That’s the problem. Whereas if you, you probably would have noticed it the
(1:04:32) Al: first time you walked past it, because it was right there next to the gate. But you
(1:04:34) Kev: Yeah
(1:04:37) Kev: Yeah
(1:04:38) Al: hadn’t unlocked them by that point. So you were ignoring them.
(1:04:40) Kev: You know what that’s an excellent, but that is probably exactly what happened because if you approach them
(1:04:46) Kev: You’re like, oh what I wonder what this mailbox does somebody knows how to use it
(1:04:50) Kev: I’m sure something like that. So you’re right. Like I tend to just ignore them at the beginning
(1:04:56) Kev: So I probably literally did that
(1:04:58) Al: Whereas I obviously knew where they were because I played the game before and I was like, oh,
(1:05:02) Al: I can’t remember when these unlock. There’s another one. Let me try it. Oh yeah, no,
(1:05:06) Al: they’re not unlocked yet. So like I was going back to them as soon as I unlocked to get them
(1:05:11) Al: all because I knew going in what they were going to be. Whereas if you’ve not experienced that,
(1:05:18) Al: you don’t know what they’re for, you’re not going to be like, okay, I need to remember
(1:05:22) Al: because I want to know where these things are. Right? Because you wouldn’t assume that mailbox
(1:05:26) Al: Fox’s fast travels.
(1:05:28) Al: Would you?
(1:05:28) Kev: Yeah, no, I would assume it was for mailing things which, you know, you’re doing it.
(1:05:30) Al: Exactly.
(1:05:32) Al: Exactly.
(1:05:34) Al: Well, it is for mailing things.
(1:05:34) Al: It’s for mailing yourself.
(1:05:36) Kev: Yep, yeah, well, you know, that’s the little twist I didn’t expect.
(1:05:43) Al: So yeah, I think it’s I think it’s totally fair
(1:05:48) Kev: Um, but yeah, well, you know what, one other thing and it’s like,
(1:05:53) Kev: I don’t know if there was any way to really fix this, but one thing, um,
(1:05:59) Kev: they just don’t do holidays.
(1:06:01) Kev: Like they do one day on holidays, like they do an animal crossing.
(1:06:03) Kev: They do full on events, like a couple of days of lunar new year.
(1:06:07) Kev: And right now the Valentine’s day event was starting or whatever.
(1:06:10) Kev: Right.
(1:06:10) Kev: And so starting the game, like right in the mid lunar new year celebration,
(1:06:16) Kev: but a little awkward missing some of that.
(1:06:18) Al: Yeah.
(1:06:18) Al: It also is suddenly like, here’s a whole bunch of stuff for you.
(1:06:19) Kev: Like, cause I don’t, I don’t know if you could, yep, yep.
(1:06:24) Al: The other thing on that note, what I found really funny was the first time you open the
(1:06:29) Al: game, it’s like, do not time travel like in other games.
(1:06:32) Kev: I love that.
(1:06:34) Kev: Yeah.
(1:06:36) Al: And it’s like, I don’t know what other games you’re talking about.
(1:06:41) Al: People playing on the Switch.
(1:06:45) Al: It was so like in your face, like.
(1:06:48) Al: “Do not do this.”
(1:06:49) Al: And you’re like, “Whoa, okay, calm down.”
(1:06:52) Kev: And it’s in a very
(1:06:54) Kev: sassy time.
(1:06:55) Kev: Like we know some other games might let you time travel.
(1:06:56) Al: Yeah.
(1:07:01) Kev: But if you hear that here,
(1:07:03) Kev: bang you for life from multiplayer.
(1:07:06) Al: Yeah, it is quite a little bit over the top, but fair enough, I understand why they would
(1:07:13) Al: want to nip that in the bottom.
(1:07:17) Kev: Good stuff.
(1:07:19) Kev: Yeah, that was pretty funny.
(1:07:21) Kev: I haven’t tried the multiplayer at all.
(1:07:23) Kev: I wonder like curious King in there.
(1:07:25) Kev: Are there games or something you can do that together?
(1:07:27) Kev: I don’t I don’t know.
(1:07:28) Al: I don’t know, I do know that you go to the other person’s island, I’m pretty sure like in Animal
(1:07:35) Al: Crossing, and you can do a bunch of stuff. There are a few things they’ve had to limit that you
(1:07:41) Al: can do, because otherwise you can like get access to things that you shouldn’t be able to based on
(1:07:48) Al: your quests yet. So there’s a few things you’re not allowed to do based on that. But yeah, it’s
(1:07:56) Al: It’s kind of similar to–
(1:07:58) Kev: Yeah, sure and that’s fair show off your little town and your house and all that stuff
(1:08:03) Kev: I’m looking forward to getting
(1:08:06) Kev: You know to really to be able to decorate my house a little more
(1:08:11) Kev: Cuz I’ve been distracted by the quest but also like I haven’t seen
(1:08:15) Kev: That much stuff that you know, like oh, I got to put that in my house
(1:08:20) Kev: But but we’ll see
(1:08:22) Al: Alright, any other thoughts before we wrap this up?
(1:08:24) Kev: Um, oh
(1:08:26) Kev: Oh, you know what? Yes, there is one thing.
(1:08:28) Kev: So, part of the quest is that you can also activate a little “Vide Light Orb” thing that tells you, “Okay, follow me and I’ll take you where to go for the next part of your quest,” right?
(1:08:40) Kev: Some quests don’t have that, where you have to basically find something or whatever.
(1:08:48) Kev: And I can get that, but sometimes, like, I don’t know what Top Hat Gudetama is. I have to find him somewhere.
(1:08:58) Kev: And, you know, I’d like to find him. It’s also funny that Gudetama is just hanging out all over the island. Just take your pictures with Gudetama.
(1:09:04) Al: I love the Gudetama. The Gudetama, it was the perfect way to do him in the game, right? Because
(1:09:10) Al: you can’t not have Gudetama, but also you can’t really have him as a character that you interact
(1:09:12) Kev: Yeah
(1:09:14) Al: with. And I just love the fact that he’s just lounging around in different poses,
(1:09:15) Kev: Yep
(1:09:19) Kev: Yep
(1:09:20) Al: wearing different clothes. It’s such a perfect way of doing Gudetama.
(1:09:21) Kev: It’s good
(1:09:24) Kev: It is so good that’s good stuff
(1:09:27) Al: It’s so good, Gudetama. Oh, dear. Episode title.
(1:09:34) Al: I need to check that I haven’t made that joke already for the last
(1:09:34) Kev: Yeah, there you go, but
(1:09:38) Al: I made that joke already, for the luck.
(1:09:42) Kev: You probably talked about how you jump off the plane
(1:09:46) Al: I don’t know. I make a lot of the same jokes. The number of times I make a joke and Renan was like,
(1:09:54) Kev: Ah, um, but yeah, um, that’s the only other thing I have to say.
(1:10:00) Kev: I, uh, you know, my, my update later on and when I play more and come back on and
(1:10:06) Kev: maybe I can have some more thoughts, but overall, like it’s a good thumbs up for me.
(1:10:11) Kev: Oh, you know what?
(1:10:12) Kev: There is one other thing, an important thing I think we have to discuss and that
(1:10:15) Kev: is the price, um, so apple arcade is a subscription, correct?
(1:10:18) Al: Yep.
(1:10:20) Al: Correct.
(1:10:21) Kev: and you just get games with it, which means–
(1:10:25) Kev: OK, and so you would get Hello Kitty Island Adventure
(1:10:28) Kev: for the $10 a month.
(1:10:29) Kev: Is that correct?
(1:10:30) Al: for as long as you are subscribing.
(1:10:32) Kev: Right, OK.
(1:10:34) Kev: So theoretically, you could just play it for $10 a month, right?
(1:10:38) Kev: And so now it is out–
(1:10:39) Kev: it is a $40 game, if I recall correctly, USD?
(1:10:43) Al: Yeah, it was it was £35, so yeah, that’s.
(1:10:46) Kev: Yeah.
(1:10:47) Kev: Yeah, not full price, but the cheapest.
(1:10:50) Kev: And so the question–
(1:10:52) Kev: a lot of people seem to have some issue with
(1:10:54) Kev: that because it was somewhat relatively cheaper before.
(1:10:59) Kev: I mean, it wasn’t $10 just for Hello Kitty, right?
(1:11:02) Kev: You were also getting a whole bunch of other things.
(1:11:02) Al: Yeah, but it’s $10 a month, right? Because the way this game is meant to be played is
(1:11:07) Kev: Yeah, that is true.
(1:11:10) Al: slowly over the course of months. So you only have to play it for four months and then suddenly you
(1:11:15) Al: are paying more than you would pay for the game normally. I think it’s totally fine. I wasn’t
(1:11:16) Kev: Yeah.
(1:11:20) Kev: Yeah.
(1:11:21) Al: expecting any cheaper than this. It’s not like we’re talking a random indie game that can sell
(1:11:26) Kev: Yeah, yeah, that’s about to say like I saw some discourse before I got the game
(1:11:33) Kev: And so I was curious because you know
(1:11:34) Kev: I was wondering but there’s gonna feel like a very mobile game for lack of a better way of putting it, right?
(1:11:39) Kev: It does not it feels like a full
(1:11:41) Kev: outright, you know
(1:11:43) Kev: console sized game
(1:11:45) Kev: So that you know, I don’t think the price is an issue
(1:11:48) Kev: I just want to point that out there because like I said, I saw some people discussing that
(1:11:53) Kev: But I think it’s absolutely worth the price
(1:11:57) Kev: With it. I’ve I’ve already spent a full week on it, you know, which is what like eight dollars a day
(1:12:02) Kev: Again, see if you want to break it down like that
(1:12:05) Kev: But I’m I can feel I’m gonna get my money’s worth absolutely from this game
(1:12:10) Al: Yeah. I was, I definitely felt, I’m sure I said this in the last episode that I was 100% expecting it to come to at least switch. Like it felt like it, it felt like it was well designed for mobile interface, but it didn’t feel like it was a mobile game. It felt like it was a game with a nice mobile interface that they could easily change to be controllable.
(1:12:31) Kev: yeah yeah I can see that um yeah I am yeah clearly yeah I i can see that clearly um
(1:12:40) Kev: okay but yeah that’s good stuff all right but you know what this is how we’re gonna end this al
(1:12:46) Kev: uh because like I mentioned uh I um
(1:12:50) Al: I’m always worried when you have plans.
(1:12:54) Kev: this is my first real foray into the senrio verse right so I got to judge and assess these characters
(1:13:01) Kev: though but one question I had burning question I had was um how well did the yugio senrio
(1:13:10) Kev: crossovers work i’m sending you the image right now so let me judge so we got hello kitty as the
(1:13:17) Al: Oh, yeah. Okay. Yep, yep, yep.
(1:13:22) Kev: dark magician which makes sense because they’re the the the the cover the poster children for
(1:13:27) Kev: for their franchises, right?
(1:13:29) Kev: We’ve got…
(1:13:31) Kev: Okay, we’ve got my melody as Dark Magician girl.
(1:13:35) Kev: My melody is a very cutesy pink girl, so that makes a lot of sense.
(1:13:40) Kev: Okay, Cinema Roll across Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
(1:13:43) Kev: That one’s incredible. That’s hilarious because the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is this big scary monster,
(1:13:49) Kev: and then you have Cinema Roll who’s just the sweetest little post-person thing ever.
(1:13:54) Kev: Um, Karate as Karible. That works because he’s a cute little guy. He’s chill. Karible.
(1:14:01) Kev: This is just a little dude.
(1:14:03) Kev: Um, uh, let’s see. Pochaco as a Time Wizard.
(1:14:08) Kev: Okay, I don’t know if just Pochaco is a… He’s a jock, right?
(1:14:12) Kev: He’s all about jogging all over the island. He likes his tofu.
(1:14:15) Kev: And now he’s a Time Wizard.
(1:14:17) Kev: Pompurn as Exodia the Forbidden One.
(1:14:20) Kev: That one’s incredible because Pompurn’s the chillest dude ever,
(1:14:24) Kev: and Exodia’s, you know, well, that’s Exodia. You win the game, so.
(1:14:28) Kev: That’s just hilarious because they’re so far apart.
(1:14:31) Kev: Um, uh, Batsmaru as Redeye’s Black Dragon, he’s, I can see that work.
(1:14:37) Kev: He’s, he’s kind of, you know, he, he likes his comics, right?
(1:14:41) Kev: So I can see them dressing up like a big, scary dragon.
(1:14:45) Kev: Tuxedo Sam as Obelisk the Tormentor.
(1:14:48) Kev: That one’s ridiculous because Tuxedo Sam, he’s so, he’s so polite and he just, you
(1:14:54) Kev: know, he just wants to make his little bow ties, but he became Obelisk the
(1:14:57) Kev: torments are one of the egyptian gods of destruction or
(1:15:02) Kev: choco cat is the wing dragon of raw similarly that one’s crazy cuz choco cat’s just a little bookworm nerdy guy
(1:15:08) Kev: And then you got a big scary dragon
(1:15:11) Kev: Karomi a slifer the sky dragon not spooky enough, but it works
(1:15:16) Kev: But there you go folks in case you were wondering my now that I can properly judge them
(1:15:22) Kev: the the Yu-Gi-Oh cross and Rio McDonald’s
(1:15:26) Kev: collaboration I
(1:15:28) Kev: I still really want Pumper and Exodia.
(1:15:32) Al: I’m pretty sure I have a couple of these somewhere in the house, but.
(1:15:32) Kev: All right, Al.
(1:15:35) Kev: Oh man, I got to pick up some of these. I really want Pumper and Exodia.
(1:15:38) Al: It was such a bizarre, bizarre idea in the first place.
(1:15:39) Kev: It’s so bizzare. It’s so bizzare.
(1:15:43) Kev: And okay, look, I know I said Hello Kitty and Dark Magician. It had to be, but we we had
(1:15:52) Kev: Because Kitty’s name is Kitty White, isn’t it? We could have had
(1:15:56) Kev: Hello Kitty White dragon. It was right there, but anyways, anyways.
(1:16:02) Kev: All right, Al. I’m done. You’re free. I’m freeing you from my nonsense.
(1:16:04) Al: All right. Thank you, Kevin, for joining us, Where Can People Find You, on the internet.
(1:16:10) Kev: Find me over at Rainbow Road Radio. Done with our Meet Your Friend Alex podcast about all things Mario.
(1:16:17) Kev: We’re playing Odyssey here and there joining. Okay, one thing I just got to say. I sang the whole dang song.
(1:16:24) Kev: I sang “Jump Up Superstar” the whole thing!
(1:16:27) Al: You did.
(1:16:29) Kev: And I…
(1:16:30) Al: It was something.
(1:16:32) Kev: It’s something go go go check that out. If you want to hear me sing. I’m not a singer
(1:16:37) Kev: I do not pretend to be a singer, but I’m and the best part is
(1:16:39) Al: Rainbow Road Radio never ceases to surprise me.
(1:16:44) Kev: Look we got a singer. We got Alex writing lyrics now. We’re onto something. Oh
(1:16:50) Kev: I did that Alex even knowing that was just a bit like something else like okay here
(1:16:55) Kev: I got three traits takes he’s the best one
(1:17:00) Kev: So yeah rainbow
(1:17:02) Kev: There we do nonsense, um, find me a coupe prez on
(1:17:08) Kev: sources, whatever
(1:17:09) Kev: at the
(1:17:11) Kev: test squared on blue sky is my new art account. I made it
(1:17:17) Kev: I haven’t posted as much because I’ve got any jobs
(1:17:19) Kev: I’ve been busy but I will be posting both my pixel art random non pixel art
(1:17:24) Kev: Which I am I’ve been doing a bit more of lately. So go check that out. What about you our people find?
(1:17:30) Al: Ah, you can find me on various social medias as this.bot. You can find the podcast on Tumblr
(1:17:38) Al: @thspod and Blue Sky. I think we’re on Blue Sky. You can find links to everything to do with the
(1:17:45) Al: podcast on our website harvestseason.club where you can also send us feedback and get a link to
(1:17:51) Al: our Patreon, patreon.com/thspod where you can get access to our bonus podcast episodes where me and
(1:18:00) Al: we’ll be having one predicting the Pokémon presents on Pokémon Day. So that will be coming
(1:18:09) Al: out in just over a week after this episode comes out. So come and listen to how wrong we are about
(1:18:16) Al: everything. We don’t know yet. More wrong than normal. Probably, probably. You can also get
(1:18:25) Al: access to our Slack where we talk about all things farming games and you can get some
(1:18:30) Al: sneak peek at my thoughts on Sugardew Island. I nearly called this Sugardew Valley. It’s
(1:18:40) Al: so hard to say the name because it’s so similar to so many games. Thank you again, Kevin,
(1:18:44) Al: for joining me. Thank you listeners for listening and until next time, have a good harvest.
(1:18:45) Kev: Thank you all for having me on
(1:18:51) Kev: The good heart
(1:18:54) Theme Tune: The harvest season is created by Al McKinlay, with support from our patrons, including our
(1:19:06) Theme Tune: pro farmers, Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:19:10) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave, and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:19:14) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website harvestseason.club for show notes and links to things we discussed
(1:19:20) Theme Tune: in this episode.
(1:19:29) Kev: All right, no other songs or anything saved you all