So I Played Ooblets

So, last month I talked about my experience with Going Under (you can read about that HERE). Another one of the other games I was playing at the time was Ooblets, a life sim with a cute design—which was one of the three Indie titles I purchased in December of 2022.

I liked this game a whole lot. It was similar to Animal Crossing New Horizons with fishing, character customization, decorating, farming, and seasonal events. It was low stakes, but, as an aside, there was a narrative surrounding strange happenings to pay attention to. It was a source of trouble for Badgetown, and particularly for the character you play as (who is new) is tasked with errands to help improve the town and the nearby Wildlands. Completing one unlocks more, and I’d recommend doing the Wildlands tasks—mainly because it eventually unlocks a wealth of one of the crucial materials for Oobcoop upgrades (little houses for the Ooblets that aid with farming) and the 3D printer.

There were other places to travel to as well—like Port Forward, Nullwhere, and Mamoonia—and they each had their own unique biomes. There were specific tasks that needed to be done, but these other locations also expanded the type of collectable ingredients that could be picked up just by finding them while exploring the area (or purchased with in-game currency).

Ooblets also has a creature collecting aspect that was connected to the dance battle function. The battles were also pretty easy after getting the hang of them. But, the real draw for me was how fun it was to build my team of Ooblets. Each one had unique moves that could add an advantage to the randomized deck—for example extra beats and a card to clear flusters and trepidations, both of which could be a big help in a dance battle with a slightly higher difficulty.

As of the writing of this, the spring time event is still going (it ends at the end of May). So even after playing through the story, there are still aspects to Ooblets that act as an incentive to return to it. By the end of the story, I still have a lot left to complete, but those require growing crops, fishing, and etc.

So, Ooblets is a fun game.

 
Check out the launch trailer!

I Played Horizon: Forbidden West

Title: Horizon: Forbidden West
Developer/Publisher: Guerrilla Games; Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: February 18 2022
Platform: PS4 / PS5
Source/ format: Purchased, Disc
Other: Played on PS4

What I Thought:

I tried my best to keep this review vague, but there may be minor spoilers since I talk about specific parts of gameplay. 

I played Horizon: Forbidden West. Some of  what I said and felt in my review for Zero Dawn applies here, but it's done even better. All of this culminated to an enjoyable and dynamic playing experience.

The main plot was a wild ride with many expected and some unexpected twists. Needless to say, I’m glad that it didn’t hesitate to go in a more fantastical direction. Plot aside, like Zero Dawn, the side missions colored and expanded on the world, environments, and the plethora of characters both new and old. Each character felt super individualistic in their personality and in the way they spoke, moved, etc. Besides Aloy's interactions with different characters, it was nice being able to hear more of her personal feelings via periodically examining objects. Also nice was seeing more self realization developments for Aloy, especially by the end. The environments were straight up gorgeous, colorful, and felt broader. Finally, I have to mention Cauldrons. I enjoyed playing through them since, in a way, they seemed darker and more menacing. It's the same ambience I loved from the Frozen Wilds DLC.

To list my favorite new additions: the weapons (especially Spike Throwers),  different ways to get collectables, the ability to climb in countless areas, face paints, and armor dyes. Then there were others like a board game (Strike), racing, Melee Pits, additional mounts, and swimming. Swimming, sadly, ended up being frustrating during one of my favorite main missions. It felt a little awkward at times, even later when it was a lot easier. I enjoyed the added complexity to some of the puzzles like the Relic Ruins that used multiple Datapoints. Or how Tallnecks take additional and varied steps before being able to override them. The custom difficulty –where players can adjust a handful of options like the damage Aloy deals to or is dealt to for a truly customized experience. Last but not least, my absolute favorite and most important on my list –that I didn’t know I wanted –is none other than the Infinite Stash! With the Workbench based crafting system, it worked out great. Though, I definitely had to get in the habit of stopping by a bench to find out what was required for said upgrades.

My less enjoyed parts were mainly the later Melee Pits and combo chaining. The earlier ones, as well as the Pit Master and Enduring, were fine. But the instructions for the advanced combos weren’t as clear. After figuring those out, I then had to face the timing.  With that being said, I appreciated the combos in that they added more variety rather than a plain heavy or light attack.

Well, I loved how vibrant it got at times. And something I forgot to mention was, after going back to Zero Dawn, the controls felt smoother. Honestly, I want to see more. Overall, I had a swell time playing.

Thanks for reading.