casual gamers

Mobile Game Review: Tales from the Table: Embracing the Warmth of Bear’s Restaurant And Walking Away Hungry For More.

Welcome to another adventure in gaming, where we dive into older titles that have been patiently waiting in our backlog. Today, we’re exploring Bear’s Restaurant, a game that has garnered high praise on Steam and other platforms. After years of anticipation, I finally got around to playing this charming game. As I immersed myself in its cozy world, I found myself grappling with mixed feelings. Was it the enjoyable experience I had expected, or did it fall short of the hype?

While Bear’s Restaurant undoubtedly has its merits, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. Despite the high ratings and glowing reviews, the game seemed to lack the finesse in writing and development needed to truly connect with players. Join me as we delve into the delightful and sometimes disappointing world of Bear’s Restaurant, and ponder whether it lives up to its reputation or leaves us craving more. read more

Mobile Game Review: Tales from the Table: Embracing the Warmth of Bear’s Restaurant And Walking Away Hungry For More. Read More »

Is There A Stigma Around Older Gamers?

I’m turning 40 tomorrow. I will officially be “Over the hill” or about half way through the average life expectancy. Although I know plenty of people in my own family who are well into their 90s and approaching even 100. So I think that hill should not be until you’re 50, but nonetheless, society is about to brand me as an old woman. Not only an old woman, but an old woman who plays video games. But that’s OK, because as I’ve gotten older, I have learned to stop caring what society thinks. I remember clearly, the day I turned 25. I’m pretty sure I had a quarter-life crisis. I cried all day and told my family that it meant that I had to give up everything I loved, my toys, my games, cosplaying, anime, etc. I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt shame for my hobbies. Games and anime and cosplay were popular with teenagers and early 20something year olds, but I didn’t know of anyone 25+ who enjoyed those things. Even my closest friends who used to play games with me, had long since moved on to other more adult hobbies. read more

Is There A Stigma Around Older Gamers? Read More »

Miitopia Nintendo Switch Demo Review

Miitopia is a cute fun casual game that brings the DS classic to the Nintendo Switch with a few new additions. I will say, I wish that instead of Miitopia we were getting MiiTomo as I friggin loved that game – but maybe if Miitopia does well, MiiTomo might be next? Maybe not though as it was a mobile game. Ah rest in peace Miitomo. I actually wrote 2 reviews about my experiences in MiiTomo before Nintendo shut down the mobile game. Read my original Miitomo Review Here and the Updated Miitomo Review Here. I still miss Miitomo very much. RIP. read more

Miitopia Nintendo Switch Demo Review Read More »

Nelke Legendary Alchemists

Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists Ateliers Of The New World PC Game Review

Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists Ateliers Of The New World
Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists Ateliers Of The New World

Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists Ateliers Of The New World is a brand new game by Koei Tecmo Games to celebrate 20 years of the series. Wow has it been that long already? I still remember the first 2 games way back when. And you know what else I remember, a little-known Nintnedo DS offshoot game in the Atelier Series called Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island which came out about 10 years ago.

So why Am I mentioning Atelier Annie? Because, if you’ve ever played it, then you know what to expect from Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists. Both games are unlike any of the rest of the Atelier Games, and instead put you in a role of managing a city and completing missions to advance.

Nelke has some really negative reviews – at least on Steam, but I purchased Nelke anyways, on a hunch it’d be like Atelier Annie, and you know what, I’m not disappointed. If you liked Annie, you’ll like Nelke. Conversely, if you hated Annie, you’ll hate Nelke, and if you’ve never played either game, well there’s only one way to find out then, and that’s by giving it a go for yourself.

The reviews on steam are complaining how different Nelke is — and to some — how boring it is… But honestly Atelier Annie was one of my favorites in the series. I loved the humorous story / humorous main character, and yes, I enjoyed the more “Sim Like” gameplay of building a city.

Nelke is not without flaws however; Unlike Annie, it lacks the humor and charm, and feels a bit dry and dull so far in the story. I’m 4 hours in at this point… which brings to another flaw, in that 4 hours in, I’m still in the tutorial… This game is very very very linear in the tutorial… Like almost everything will be on lockdown… for a long while… expect your first 8+ hours to be linear AF….

After that though there really is a TON of stuff to do in this game. It is NOT boring at all. You can craft items, gather materials, build new buildings, talk to your villagers, discover new recipes, sell items in your shops, and invest in new routes and tools to use in your adventures. There are simplistic turn based combats and different characters to recruit to your village.

You have to complete some required, and other optional tasks within a set number of days within the game. This can make it difficult and frustrating, so save often and in multiple save slots to try to minimize time lost if you miss a goal.

The game either runs slow on my laptop, or just is really slow by design, to the point where its a little frustrating. It may just be my laptop though and can probably be improved if I adjust some settings.

The main complaint a lot of people have is that while exploring you do nothing but watch your characters walk by on the screen. They will converse, gather items, and occasionally run into random enemy encounters. The battles are also slow and tedious. I do agree with these basic gameplay flaws. However, they don’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the other aspects of city building and mission completing and watching my city grow and evolve based on my decisions and choices made in where to invest and what to build next, etc.

The graphics are insanely adorable as always with the Atelier series.

Unlike a lot of the other games in the Atelier Universe, this one does not have English voice acting. I do like to have the original voice actors, but I also sometimes like to have an English cast too. I was disappointed they didn’t offer both.

I assume replay value is high because each city you build will be pretty unique and you will attract different stores, different npcs, and different quests based on how your city is developing.

All and all I’d rate the score card like this:

Title: Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists – Ateliers Of The New World –

Platform – (for this review The PC version was used.) It’s also available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Where to Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FMZZYK1?tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-win10-other-nomod-us000-pcomp-feature-scomp-wm-5&ref=aa_scomp

Geeky: 3/5 – Points for bringing back some of the popular characters from this series over the past 20 years.

Sweetie: 5/5 – For the casual gameplay and kawaii art

Overall: 53/70 78% C+ “Good Game For Girls”

Gameplay: 7/10 – I do love the sim aspects, having been a huge fan of Atelier Annie (easily one of my top 3 games in the Atelier universe). But I do agree that the game is slow and the wait for the payoff/reward is pretty steep. The game also doesn’t run great, can’t tell if it’s just my PC though maybe.

Story: 3/10 – I’m not loving the story, or lack there of. I’m 4 hours in and there’s not much of any story to be found; it does keep hinting at solving a mystery about a fruit from a legendary tree. But compared to other Atelier games the story feels less engaging so far.

Characters: 10/10 – I love seeing popular characters from the Atelier games return all in a brand new game. I also love the new characters that were created just for this game.

Voice Acting: 7/10 – The original Japanese voice cast does a great job and sounds super cute, but where’s the dual English voice acting? A bit disappointing especially for a 20th anniversary edition, you’d think they would have put a little more time and effort into the localization on this one. It feels cheap and rushed to not have both to choose from.

Music: 10/10 – Always love the music in the Atelier games, and Nelke doesn’t disappoint here either.

Replay Value: 8/10 – I think replay value will be very high, but I’m not looking forward to dredging through 5+ hours of linear handheld tutorials each time.

Overall: 53/70 78% C+ “Good Game For Girls”

Overall I would recommend this game to anyone who does not mind slower paced casual simulation games, or to anyone who remembers playing Atelier Annie on the DS. I like Atelier Annie a lil bit more because of the humorous story; but Nelke’s story may pick up and become more interesting. I may come in eventually and update my review scores if I find the story to improve as I get further into the game. Gameplay wise though it is almost identical to Atelier Annie, so if that’s your thing, be sure to check Nelke out.

Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists Ateliers Of The New World PC Game Review Read More »

Pre-Registration Begins for English Version of Captain Tsubasa Dream Team Anime Soccer Game

The folks over at KLab Inc. sent me their press release announcement for the English version of Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team. Captain Tsubasa is a very old and popular anime about soccer. I have not watched it yet, though I’ve heard a lot about it.

I get a lot of Press Releases in my inbox each day, and I don’t always share them here, but this caught my eye with a ton of great giveaways and special events. The fun started yesterday and you only have a short time to take advantage of some of these awesome freebies for new players.

The timing of this Press Release was also timely and the content relevant to my current life. I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve not been updating here as frequently the past few months.  I began seeing someone over the end of the summer, and we’ve spent every weekend together ever since we met, and about a month ago now we made it “official”.

Weekends used to be when I’d work on my blog and schedule posts to go out through the week. But now with a more active social life my blog has been on the back burner. Hopefully I’ll get enough stuff scheduled up over thanksgiving and xmas breaks to kick off the new year with lots of great new game reviews and blog updates.

The new boyfriend happens to live and breathe soccer. He plays and watches it or coaches and teaches it almost every day (and when it’s not super cold outside I go and watch him play). He’s also from Peru and Peru just made it to the World Cup last week, for the first time in my boyfriend’s lifetime, so he’s very excited about that.

We are as different as night and day. He’s the typical jock, and I’m the typical geek, both in appearance and interests. But he’s not really the “typical” jock because he’s very attentive and sensitive and warm and kind hearted. He told me he wants to better understand me / my hobbies / interests because It’s what I’m into and important to me. (He even told me he’d come to my next doll meetup with me LOL. How many “jocks” would subject themselves to that?)

He’s geeky too in his own way, but much more of a closet geek. He dressed up as Captain America for Halloween, and we just saw Justice League together last weekend. But he’s been saying for awhile he wants to watch an anime with me (he’s never watched any before). I’ve been debating what anime to show to him, and then this Press Release came in and brought Captain Tsubasa back to the top of my mind. It’s older and has “bad” art compared to many newer anime, but I think it might be the perfect anime for my soccer loving boyfriend.  And I think I would enjoy the slice of life elements of the series as well. Maybe I’ll even get him to download the new game and play it with me when it comes out next month.

Anyways be sure to check out the Press Release below from KLab Inc, and pre-register to play Captain Tsubasa Dream Team to take advantage of all of the special events going on right now!

Pre-Kickoff Campaign for Global Version of “Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team” Starts Today!

Global Version Planned for Release in December 2017

KLab Inc.

(TSE1: 3656)

Tokyo, Japan – November 20, 2017 – KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, announced that pre-registration for the global version of Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team officially kicked off on Monday, November 20 (UTC+9). This head-to-head football simulation game based on the world-famous Captain Tsubasa series is planned for global release in over 135 countries and regions around the world. In addition to the Japanese version released in June 2017, the global release will be localized into six languages—English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.

The global version of the game is planned for release in December 2017.

The Pre-Kickoff Campaign began earlier today with pre-registration for the upcoming release currently available on the official Twitter and Facebook accounts. Players are encouraged to follow either (or both!) to receive the latest updates on the upcoming title and stay one step ahead of the game. More details can be found on the official website, which opened earlier today in all six languages available in the global version of the game.

About Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team read more

Pre-Registration Begins for English Version of Captain Tsubasa Dream Team Anime Soccer Game Read More »

Casino Simulation Games

Casino Simulation Games Let You Build and Manage Your Own Casino

Do you enjoy city-building style games? These games focus on time and resource management to let you simulate the excitement of a real casino. Not only do these games allow you to design the floor plan and upgrade and install new poker tables, roulette wheels, or slot machines, they also may allow you to add a gift shop, restaurant, bar, or other establishment making the game much more in depth than just determining the payout rates for your casino games. Some games even allow you to hire and train your own casino staff such as blackjack dealers, entertainers, janitors, or bouncers. Many people enjoy playing at online casinos for real money, but when you can’t afford to pay to play, these casino management games let you get your gambling fix. These games can also be a great way to learn some new casino tips and strategies to help you win big the next time that real money is on the table.

Here is a quick list of some of the most popular Casino Simulation Games.

Casino Inc. – http://store.steampowered.com/app/361320/ Casino Inc allows you to relive the 1970s in a gangster/mafia ran casino. It blends both mafia style gameplay letting you attack or sabotage your rivals along with featuring casino management mechanics such as mentioned above by letting you design floor plans, place gaming tables and machines, and hire casino staff. Read More about Casino Inc.

Casino RPG – This game combines role-playing, tycoon, city-building and your favorite casino games in an open-world free-to-play MMORPG. You can play this one right in your browser without any downloads. Check it out here.

Casino Chaos – You can get a free demo of the game here or purchase the full version. Each level lets you manage a different casino. The gameplay is simple but addictive. You purchase various upgrades for your casinos and then guide people to help them find their favorite casino games.

Sim City – Many versions of Sim City allow you to build casinos to attract tourists to your town. These casinos feature different themes such as Sci-fi, Roman, or Elegant themes. Each theme will bring in different types of tourists. You can compliment your casinos by building them next to other tourist destinations such as theme parks. You need to be prepared for the incoming visitors by first building ample mass transit and airports as well as hiring some extra police to fight the increasing crime rates that will result by adding the Casino to your cities. Read more about building Casinos in Sim City.

Sims 4 – Many users have created custom content for the Sims 4 which includes special Casino themed items. Check out our list of Sims 4 Casino Themed items here.

Sims 3 – The Lucky Simolean is a special casino that can be purchased in the Sims store to be added to your Sims 3 game. This will allow your sims to play blackjack or slot machines. It is also included in the gold edition of Lucky Palms or can be purchased separately.

Sims 2 – The DS version of Sims 2 allows you to build “Snake-Eyes Casino” in one of the hotel rooms. Inside the casino, there is a Slot Machine which costs 1 simoleon per go, and reaps small rewards. On one side of the casino, there is a table with a dealer behind some Keelhaulin’ cards which can be played. If the player wins Keelhaulin’, there is a moderate to large cash reward. However, if you lose there is no penalty or loss so it’s worth having a go. There’s also another Minigame which will unlock if you play on December 14th of any year in game time. Read more about these games here.

Casino Simulation Games Let You Build and Manage Your Own Casino Read More »

Line Play Free Anime Dressup Game Like Gaia Online for IOS and Android Mobile Devices

geeky

This review honestly has been long overdue. I’m sure many of our readers already play Line Play everyday. This cute anime-styled game has been popular for a number of years now. It offers everything you could want in a dressup game, pets, cute outfits, rooms, fishing, minigames, and even chat rooms. There’s tons of stuff to do and new items being released constantly into the game which gets updated quite often with new cute things to collect, new minigames, or limited time events.

Needless to say, if you enjoy other similar anime dressup games I’ve reviewed here such as Hello Nikki, CocoPpaPlay, Romantic Diary, Pokemini / Pokecolo or Miitomo then you will also enjoy Line Play, so let’s take a closer look below!

Title: Line Play

IOS Version Herehttps://itunes.apple.com…

Android Version Herehttps://play.google.com…

Genre: Anime Dressup Game

Publisher: Line Corporation

Geeky: 3/5  – Although it is saccharine overload at times, if you’re not opposed to a “cutesy” game, then Line Play actually has a ton of features and is more robust and in depth than a lot of other anime dressup games. There are also a lot of skill-based minigames which provide a fun challenge and way to earn in-game currency. It does however sometimes suffer connection issues or lag which is why I can’t rate it higher.

Sweetie: 5/5  – This game oozes charm and cuteness at every corner. It also partners with big-brand names you know and love such as Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon, Disney, and Show by Rock, as well as offering tons of options to customize your avatar, your room, even raising cute pets! It also has a journal system and chat rooms making it almost a social network as much as it’s also a game.

Overall: 60/80 75% C “Good Game For Girls” read more

Line Play Free Anime Dressup Game Like Gaia Online for IOS and Android Mobile Devices Read More »

Pokemon Go, Poke Date, Poke Dates, Pokemon Go Meetup, Pokemon Go Exercise, Pokemon Go Workout, Meet People While Playing Pokemon Go, Meet People Who Play Pokemon Go, Playing Pokemon Go is Good For You, Benefits of Playing Pokemon Go, Risks of Playing Pokemon Go, Is Pokemon Go Dangerous?, Is Pokemon Go Safe? Should I Let My Kids Play Pokemon Go?, Pokemon Go Safety Tips, Pokemon Go Safety, Why I Play Pokemon, Pokemon Go, Should I Play Pokemon Go?, Why Should I Play Pokemon Go?, Why Does Everyone Play Pokemon Go?, Is Anyone Not Playing Pokemon Go?, Am I The Only One Not Playing Pokemon Go?, I Hate Pokemon Go, I Love Pokemon Go, Pokemon Go is the Best, Pokemon Go Phenomena, Poke Stop, Pokemon Gym, Pokemon Go Players, Pokemon Go Player, Lose Weight With Pokemon Go, Find Love With Pokemon Go, Poke Date, Poke Dates, Find a Date with Pokemon Go

The Benefits of Playing Pokemon Go Outweigh the Risks

I was not into Pokemon Go when it first launched. It wasn’t until my mom began playing that I took interest. For a few reasons, first, when the game first came out, there were numerous game crippling bugs which made it almost impossible to play. It’s also a rather difficult game to learn at first, it gives absolutely no guidance, direction, tutorial, etc. This combined with the bugs in early days made the game frustrating and a lot less fun than it is now.

Second, I’m not one to enjoy exercise. It’s not that I’m “Lazy”, but well… exercise is “painful” and “tiring” and “annoying”.  When I started playing Pokemon Go, I thought how annoying or stupid it was to have to go outside. This was when I was playing it alone in the first few days of the launch. This began to change when I found someone (my mom) to play the game with. It’s much like the thought of having an exercise buddy.

When I was in college (10 years ago now, wow.) I went to the same school as my best friend. We’d spend our breaks swimming, playing badminton, and even (cringe) running laps. I was also doing atkins diet at the same time, and I ended up going from 200+ lbs to 127 lbs and a size 6/7 in jeans. After college, and my best friend moving to the other side of the state, now a 5 to 6 hour drive away, and going back off the atkins diet, I gained all of that weight back slowly over the years, due to lack of motivation to get out there and exercise.

I did have an xbox 360 with Kinect, and a Wii with some games which tried to add gamification elements the work out experience. I’d play them for a time, but always ultimately get bored and go back to other less “demanding” and more “rewarding” games. I will say out of the “work out” games I own, my favorite has always been “Walk It Out”, a very obscure Wii game that blasts 90s/2k pop music as you walk around a rather empty world at first; and as you walk you unlock new songs as well as begin to see the world come to life. I also enjoy DDR (although I suck at it really badly.) and Just Dance (slightly less challenging than DDR). I even had Wii Fit, and I did love the charting/tracking aspects of that game and even being able to weigh my cats lol.

But ultimately, none of those games held my interest. Was it because I didn’t have anyone to play them with? Perhaps. Was it because I still wasn’t “getting out”? I was still “at home playing videogames” something I’ve done for almost 30 years of my life.

It’s still too soon to tell how long it will be before I get “bored” with Pokemon Go. But it has some elements that are so unique and different from the other work out games I own. When I try to describe Pokemon Go to people who don’t already play, I tell them “It’s basically geocaching with pokemon”. I’d never gone geocaching before but the idea of it had always appealed to me in theory. It encourages you to get out and explore some new and sometimes remote or far away locations and you’re rewarded with small treasures (usually coins) (but in this case, it’s pokemon instead of coins).

Pokemon Go is a social game. Recently, a new dating website opened up and had such overwhelming response that they had to shut down their servers temporarily. This dating service aims to connect Pokemon Go players in their area both for playing Pokemon Go, but also for finding true love (or friendship). I’m also single right now, I’m kinda taking a break at the moment, seeing a few people but nothing serious, and find I’ve kinda backed off a bit on the dating or seeking of a mate at the moment, but when I’m ready again, in a few weeks, or months, or whatever the case may be, I have a feeling I’ll be using this Poke Date service. You can check it out here: https://www.projectfixup.com/pokedates/  – There’s also another site here: https://t.co/7sOATzdApr and probably numerous meetup.com Pokemon Go groups as well (though there weren’t any close by in my area last time I checked.).

Even if you’re not using such a site to interact with the Pokemon Go community, chances are you’re going to run into other players out in the real world, whether it’s at poke stops, gyms, or just walking around your parks or college campus, etc trying to catch pokemon. If you’re like me, you’re probably a shy introvert, who avoids other people (remember that part about sitting at home playing videogames?). I still haven’t started a conversation with anyone while playing Pokemon Go, but I have had people come up and start conversation with me, and I find it’s easy to talk to people when you have a shared interest, common goal, hobby, passion, etc. Pokemon Go can make you more comfortable in social interactions, help to break the ice, and put you in the “right place, at the right time” to meet new friends or potential romantic partners.

Pokemon Go does just that, it makes you GO places. You might find new places nearby that you’ve never visited, or it may encourage you to take a road trip, day trip, weekend trip, etc to go discover new pokemon. While playing the game, you might stumble upon new restaurants, museums, nature trails, parks, or other exciting places. Travel is fun! And Pokemon Go gives you another excuse to get away, take a vacation, take the scenic route, relax, and reconnect with nature while exploring new places and trying new things.

Pokemon Go is fun, relaxing, and addicting. Ignoring the social, psychological, and health benefits of playing the game, the game is just plain fun. The obsession to “catch them all” and to find “rare” Pokemon is a huge draw that keeps you wanting to play more and more. Just imagine if Shiny Pokemon get introduced sometime in the future, or special limited time events with special exclusive Pokemon to catch. This obsession to keep playing, keep seeking out new places with new pokemon, and “catch them all” is what keeps you motivated and interested in the game and continues to reinforce the “good habits” (exercise, social interaction, etc) that come from playing the game each day.

Pokemon Go is free. Yes, there is a cash shop, but you definitely don’t need to spend any money to enjoy this app. You can just visit your closest pokestop, and sit there for an hour or two collecting the items you need. Once again this just encourages you to keep getting out there. It’s win/win.

Pokemon Go is good exercise. It’s even being used in nursing homes to help the elderly. Gamers are not known for a love of working out or healthy habits. I’m no exception. But Pokemon Go makes me want to exercise in order to play the game. I went from being sedentary, to now walking 5 to 7 miles almost every day. I couldn’t tell you the last time I walked even a mile, let alone 5+ miles. Almost daily. Two days ago we walked ten and a half miles which so far is the farthest/longest I’ve walked while playing Pokemon Go. Of course, I am hoping to lose weight. Who doesn’t want to be more fit and healthy right? But even if that never happens simply from walking a few extra miles, I’ll tell you, this exercise has already had several benefits. The main benefit it has had is curing me of my insomnia.

Pokemon Go will help you sleep better! If you’re not used to physical activity (like me), and going through a “hard time” where your mind is just turning non-stop most nights, Pokemon Go will make you fall asleep from the physical exertion and exhaustion that comes when you increase your activity levels. The last 2 weeks I’ve been sleeping like a charm, when most of June was spent in angst and anger and disappointment and hurt feelings, I no longer have TIME to think about that. Pokemon Go keeps me busy! Keeping busy keeps me happy!

Pokemon Go will improve your mood! Exercise creates endorphins which are scientifically proven to create feelings of happiness and euphoria. It also as I mentioned helps “clear” (or otherwise occupy at least) your mind which makes you forget about your worries and troubles. It gets you out into the sunlight and sunlight is also scientifically proven to boost your mood. It helps you connect “spiritually” with nature, or helps you connect “emotionally” to other people. It reminds you you’re not alone. Pokemon Go is a comforting experience for anyone dealing with loss, death, grief, heartbreak, or other traumas.

Yes, there have been some scary stories in the news recently about Pokemon Go, either from neglect and a lack of paying attention to one’s surroundings, such as walking into traffic, falling off a cliff, or criminals using Pokemon Go to identify Poke Stops and wait for passer by to mug/rape/attack/whatever. There are also cases of people playing Pokemon Go at inappropriate times such as while working or driving. – but these incidents are few and far between when compared to the millions of players who are benefiting in some way from playing this game.

Pokemon Go means different things for different people, but for me, it has given me that little boost of motivation that I need to be more active and get out in my community.

The Benefits of Playing Pokemon Go Outweigh the Risks Read More »

Hello Nikki, Nikki, Line Play, Nikki Up2U, Nikki UptoU, Nikki Up to U, Nikki Up to You, Nikki World, Anime, Anime Dressup Game, Anime Game, Dressup Game, Dressup, Gacha, Limited, Limited Event, Limited Item, Limited Edition, Limited Events, Limited Items, Limited Editions, Gacha Items, Fashion, Fashion Show, Runway, Model, Educational, Cute, Kawaii

Hello Nikki Anime Dressup Game with Limited Event Items

geeky

UPDATE 2018: Hello Nilki Let’s Beauty Up Has Been Closed For Almost Two Years. There is a newer app available in English called Love Nikki Dress Up Queen which I reviewed here.

Here is some more info about Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up shutting down their English version:

The game I reviewed was actually Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up! Developed by Gamedreamers MY (maybe stands for Malaysia? I’m not sure, but the game was released in English by a chinese publisher named xiong xiang (at least on the IOS app store)

The game closed in November 2016

It is amazingly similar to Love Nikki Dress Up Queen (because of the quests, overworld maps, story, characters, gacha, and online competitions with other players, etc)

Here is a post about the English servers shut down notice: https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/photos/a.884213698312653.1073741828.820401318027225/1204833252917361/?type=3&theater

Interestingly enough last year the developers teased that the game may be coming back? (not sure why we’d need 2 very similar Nikki games, but then again we have 2 English versions of Romantic Diary too lol). (Unless they were hinting about Love Nikki Dress Up Queen – but I think that one’s by another developer?)

Here is a link to that teasing post from the Hello Nikki developers: https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/photos/a.884213698312653.1073741828.820401318027225/1241024009298285/?type=3&theater

And you can see a lot of images, videos and past events at their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gamedreamer.HelloNikki/

Here is my original review below of Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up!

I’ve been obsessed with “Hello Nikki”, a cute kawaii anime dressup game that lets you learn about different cultures around the world while experiencing their fashion.

NOTE: Nikki is a series of games; you will find many other “Nikki” games available in the app store featuring the same characters AND the same basic “dressup” style gameplay. What sets “Hello Nikki” apart from any of the others is that it has “Gacha” mechanics to get random limited edition items. It’s also the only one to feature runway challenges, sky tower, quests, and more “RPG” like mechanics. ALL of the Nikki games are cute – but gameplay wise, “Hello Nikki” is the most addictive because it has that little extra something. It’s also updated very frequently with events and new items being added to the shops, etc.

Each map has several levels, each with a new challenge. There’s also limited time events which offer you the chance to get unique items that will never be offered again. There’s also weekly “runway” challenges where you compete against other players each week. Lastly, you can craft your own items with quest rewards or buy items with one of two game currencies, both are easy to win through playing the game but also available for purchase within the app.

The game has adorable graphics and characters which really add to the charming nature of this app. If you want a kawaii dressup game – look no further!

Title: Hello Nikki – Let’s Beauty Up

Release Date: October 2015

Developer: Game Dreamer MY

Publisher (English Version): xiong xiang – I’m assuming this is a chinese company – which is probably why the translation can be a bit rough – I don’t think it’s THAT bad, but a lot of users are complaining about it in their reviews. The Japanese version is by Line Play – Since Line is popular also in North America – I’m not sure why Line sold the rights to the English version – but whatever. The only complaint I have with the translation is they removed all the voice acting :*(

Grab it on IOS here: https://itunes.apple.com/…

Here is the Android Version: https://play.google.com/…

You can play on both versions without losing your data by connecting your account with facebook – or registering a username and password before playing the game. The two versions are identical.

Geeky: 1/5 

Sweetie: 5/5 
Overall: 65/80 81% B- “Very Good Game For Girls”

Concept: 8/10 The concept of Hello Nikki is not that different from other dressup games. You collect new outfits, new hair, new accessories, etc, and use these items to put together a new look for each challenge. Hello Nikki does differentiate itself with it’s system of RPG like quests; however, those quests can suffer from a weak translation which can make some of them a bit difficult or even frustrating to complete. Hello Nikki also attempts to educate you about different cultures, food, fashion, and customs – however, it does so in a way which does not cram education down your throat and it manages to be fun and funny still. It’s not just all about Asian cultures either, which is really unique. There’s maps (and quests) for Australia, UK, USA, Egypt, and many more “western” civilizations as well. I deducted 2 points because of the sometimes quirky translation, and that the English version of Hello Nikki removed all of the voice acting :*(. I played the original Japanese version and it is 100% fully voiced. I miss that in the English version. Still, it’s a super cute, fun, and addictive dressup game.

Gameplay: 10/10 The game is played through a series of challenges. Each challenge has a short story which involves the different characters and gives you hints and clues about what to wear. Challenges are marked by circles on an overworld map. You must pass each challenge before moving on to the next. At the end of each map, you must have a certain number of clothes in your closet and a certain percentage of high scores to advance to the next map. Challenges can be replayed multiple times. You will use “hitpoints” to enter each challenge and lose hitpoints when failing a challenge. Hitpoints refill fairly quickly automatically over a period of time.

Dressing Up consists of layering different pieces together to create your look. This includes hair, makeup, top and bottom (or dress), socks, shoes, coats, hats, hair accessories, earrings, neckwear (such as necklaces and scarves), belts, bracelets, purses, and much more. All of your items need to look like they go together, either based on color, fabric, season, warmth, casual vs formal, or other criteria. The game does not really explain what these are – or if it does, the translation is often too vague to make it very useful, so you kinda just have to guess your way through a lot of it – still it’s not terribly difficult since it’s a casual game.

After you present your outfit, Momo, your cat, will grade you from F to S rank. S is the best you can get, A is the second best, B, C, D, F – that’s how the ranking goes. If you get an F you will have to repeat the challenge before moving on.

There’s also weekly “runway” challenges where you’re given a theme and compete with other players for best dressed each week. You can enter the challenge for free, and also if you vote on other people’s outfits, you can get free gems, the better of the 2 in game currencies. And if you happen to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place you can win gems or exclusive outfits.

There are various shops and different “gacha” to help you get new outfits which you can use in the challenges. You can play Dream Loft for 18,000 gold, and get a ton of items this way. You have three seconds and just have to tap the screen as rapidly as possible. Each tap = one item. There’s also two “free” gachas each day. One you can play for free twice a day even.

There’s a clothing shop, pretty self explanatory there. And a crafting shop, where you can make items once you have the blueprint and necessary ingredients. Blueprints and ingredients drop randomly with S rank wins from each challenge.

Most recently (at time of this review) they introduced Sky Tower challenge where if you pass the series of random challenges you win exclusive items. There’s another tower too (or maybe I have them mixed up) where you have to guess what the outfit would be ranked as for a given challenge, matching your score to the actual score. Once again you’ll win (different) exclusive items for passing a series of challenges there.

You can also give “gifts” to the NPCs who run all of the shops to help lower prices and unlock new items.

They also have events frequently. Right now it’s a “clover” event, you can play once a day for free. You just pick a clover on the screen and get a random limited edition item.

New maps, new challenges, and new events are constantly being added to the game which keeps it super fresh and fun.

Story: 5/10 There actually really is a story in Hello Nikki – however, it’s not that great, either due to writing or translation. – But the basic gist is, on Nikki’s birthday she finds a treasure map left behind by her father. Apparently she has not seen her father in a long time. She enlists the help of her sister to travel around the world in search of their dad. There are other side stories that delay their investigation. For example one of Nikki’s friends goes missing and she has to look for her, another one she becomes an idol singer, or goes on a summer vacation.

Characters: 10/10 Hello Nikki is one of my favorite games because of the adorable characters. You get fashion advice from your cat! How cute is that? And Nikki herself is so adorable, no matter what she wears she looks great! Like a virtual barbie doll lol. There’s also other cute and interesting NPC’s such as Nikki’s sister, Nina, or her friend, a short little lolita girl.

Graphics: 10/10 I have to admit, I love cute, kawaii, moe games like Hello Nikki. It’s just my preferred style. I love the graphics in this game. Everything is so cute. It’s like a dream come true for me. Not only are they cute, but the characters are very large and detailed unlike a lot of anime dressup games that use chibi style characters.

Music: 6/10 Music is enjoyable and some maps have their own music; however, many of the sound tracks are reused throughout the game. Also as I mentioned, they removed all of the voice acting from the game which is a big disappointment.

Replay Value: 10/10 The frequent updates, the limited edition events, items, gacha, and the weekly “online” competitions with other players, will keep you coming back. It’s one of those games that I play every day just to see what’s new.

Overall: 65/80 81% B- “Very Good Game For Girls”

The Cutest Cafes in Tokyo
McDonald’s: Future Me
Brisbane is getting a pop-up Harry Potter market and muggles are invited
Cooking Dime-Sized Donuts in a Tiny Kitchen Is Damn Impressive

Japanese “stuffed animal hospital” is the cutest way to refurbish your plushies we’ve ever seen read more

Hello Nikki Anime Dressup Game with Limited Event Items Read More »

Pokecolo English Walkthrough

Pokemini is Closing – Join Pokecolo – Guide for English Users

It was not that long ago, that I reviewed Pokemini here, a cute anime dressup game that I’ve been playing for almost 2 years. – It all comes to an end next week as Pokemini will be shutting down. They are encouraging everyone to join Pokecolo – however, there’s one small problem … Pokemini was in English and Pokecolo is in Japanese! Pokecolo also has all kinds of “new” (to Players of Pokemini) features and can be confusing when you first start.

I’m new myself and I do not speak (or read) Japanese. This is just a quick rough guide that I’ve learned the last 2 or 3 days since joining – hope it proves helpful.

#pokecolo is very #kawaii and better than #pokemini except it's in #Japapnese but you can get much #cuter items and even have #pets

A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

First, lets take a look at the “main menu” – you’ll be using this a lot! to access it you simply tap on your mini.

Clockwise from top – Cook, Trade, dressup and decorate, travel, shop, fashion show, your profile

Clockwise from top – Cook, Trade, dressup and decorate, travel, shop, fashion show, your profile #pokecolo #dressup #dressupgame #free #game #Japapnese #ios #android #kawaii

A photo posted by jenilee (@xenokitten) on

The other screen that you’ll most frequently use is the shopping screen. The easiest way I’ve found to get there is to simply hit the back button in top left corner while viewing any of the active gacha.

Left to Right: Top Row: Gacha, Clothes, VIP, Stickers
Left to Right 2nd Row: Scratch Card, Dressup, Room, Planet
Left to Right 3rd Row: Pets, Seeds, “Old Man” shop, Gumball Tickets
Left to Right Bottom Row: VIP Room, Market, and Cotton Candy (Duplicate Exchange)

See comments for details #pokecolo #dressup #dressupgame #free #game #Japapnese #ios #android #kawaii read more

Pokemini is Closing – Join Pokecolo – Guide for English Users Read More »

My Dream Girlfriend, Free, IOS, Android, Dressup, Anime, Gacha, Dating Sim, Mobile Game, In game events, Ingame events, limited items, limited edition items, limited edition, rare items, collect rare items, 2d, live 2d, anime game, anime games, cute, kawaii, moe, sweet, virtual reality, raising sim, raising simulation, sim, sims, simulation

My Dream Girlfriend Free IOS Android Dressup Anime Gacha Dating Sim Mobile Game

geeky

Title: My Dream Girlfriend

Publisher: Ambition

Genre: Anime Dressup Game with Dating Sim and Stat Raising Elements

Get it on IOS here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dream-girlfriend/id997701066?mt=8

Get it on Android here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.ne.ambition.googleplay_nizikano2d_glb&hl=en

Geeky: 2/5 

Sweetie: 5/5 

Overall: 60/80 75% C “Good Game for Girls”

Concept: 10/10 This game utilizes Live 2D, a new technology to bring 2d characters to life. Perfect for anime style games. You can get mega rare animated outfits. The picture here is of my character in the game. When you start the game you get one animated outfit for free. This card captor sakura-ish outfit is adorable and it was what I got for free. The other gacha items sometimes (most of the time) will not be animated. These animated outfits are very rare and set this game apart from Moe Can Change and Ambition’s other apps like My Animal Boyfriend which I reviewed here.

Gameplay: 7/10 So aside from getting outfits for your girl, you can also study, work, and take part in events to earn items and personality points. These personality points help your girlfriend evolve into different personality types such as Gentle, Flamboyant, Shy, Friendly, Studious, etc. This effects how she responds and behaves. Allowing you to create your perfect “dream girlfriend” just like the title suggests.

But the main thing is the dressup aspect. There are limited time events almost constantly with new items being added. You have many different slots for dressup such as hair, face, back, body, room, frame, accessories, and more. This ensures that your girlfriend is different and unique from all others.

You can also visit other players’ girlfriends and if they are working or studying you can offer advice to them which boosts your own xp. You can also make recommendations and see them wear your own items. At level 30 you get a 2nd girlfriend increasing your dressup potential two fold.

Really the gameplay can be repetitive though at times. Because of the repetitive gameplay I’ve deducted 2 points.

Also events can be difficult to rank in due to cash shop items which restore energy. You can get free in game currency by watching videos and taking surveys or installing apps. But even with these free offers I am only ranked 3000 and only the top 4000 players get prizes, and really only the top 200 get anything good. They really should put a limit on the amount of energy drinks that you can use in an hour. like 3 an hour or something to level the playing field. I deducted a point due to the over use of the cash shop items especially in ranked events.

TIP: You should always max your charm right away by exchanging event medals – I went from getting 200 points to about 2000 points each click by just trading in my medals. Also play the event gacha and wear as many tie-up outfits as possible to max your score. Complete free offers with Tapjoy and buy the rainbow dx drink if your total stamina is over 100. If it is 100 or less buy the half priced rainbow drink instead.

Graphics: 10/10 Clearly the highlight of this game is its super high quality super kawaii artwork and the whole point of the game is to make a cute or sexy girlfriend of your dreams. I adore the artwork in this game. Its better even than many console games.

I prefer the cute innocent look but there’s a lot of sexy items too. This is another animated item I received. (click to enlarge)

Music: 3/10 The music is cute, but it does not have much variety so you will eventually grow tired of it.

Characters: 8/10 There are a host of cute NPCs, and they have well defined personalities but not much backstory, I took away 2 points for lack of a backstory.

Story: 5/10 There is a story at the beginning of the game and some of the events in the game offer up a glimpse of a story, but the story quickly takes a back seat to the item centric nature of the game. The story is that you have gotten a new cellphone and discover an app already installed when you launch it, your dream girlfriend appears in your room and the sales people who sold you the phone, who are also all cute girls, come over to explain how to set it up.

Replay Value: 10/10 The plethora of events running constantly around the clock make this a game you keep coming back to and playing for long periods of time trying to get the rare items before they disappear.

Overall: 60/80 75% C “Good Game for Girls”

Hawaii is going to become the first state to ban the use of exotic animals for entertainment
Michigan a Top Dog in Animal-Protection Laws
Questions about Class: the NPC classes
Latest Fruit Ninja Update Brings It Back To Its Roots

A Game of Dice | Review | Free Anime Monopoly Boardgame Cardgame IOS Android App Where You Can Win Real Money! read more

My Dream Girlfriend Free IOS Android Dressup Anime Gacha Dating Sim Mobile Game Read More »

Konami Rumors | Konami Stops Development of AAA titles | Konami stops making games for consoles | Konami is Dead | I Hate Konami | Konami Sucks | Konami is Ruined

Konami Reportedly Stops Making Console and PC Games, Internet Goes Crazy Over Rumors

UPDATE: See my updated post regarding this issue. Hint: Konami is NOT stopping development of AAA games for console or PC

My original post from 9/18/15 is below in it’s unedited state. As you can see, I nailed it. Don’t believe rumors you guys.

Konami has had some recent restructuring with several key players exiting the company. Earlier this year, Konami announced that they want to focus on mobile gaming. However, they NEVER said they would STOP making console games. The internet lost it’s mind none the less and began flaming the company and jumping to needless conclusions. Now it appears history is repeating itself, as a french website leaked new rumors that Konami will stop publishing any new console games aside from the upcoming Metal Gear which will still release on October 6th.

//

Before you get too worried, remember how wrong the internet was about this rumor just a few short months ago. Until I see something from Konami, I don’t think it’s any reason to worry.

Konami already went on the record and said that they plan to continue to develop games for ALL platforms, including console, mobile, and PC, in response to the last wave of rumors which was only a few months ago.

Konami seems to be the victim of a lot of rumors, perhaps due to the fact that they killed the much anticipated silent hills game that featured voice talent from the cast of the walking dead series. News of the cancellation angered many fans and also those in the game industry. Konami is now the company everyone loves to hate.

I don’t mind, they could give me a retro suikoden port or sequel on my Ipad, or finally bring over the Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side Games which are our currently highest rated reviewed games on the site right now; and I’d be just as happy. I play all platforms, including mobile. I don’t know why mobile gets so much hate; I could see this being a good move – although I know that certain games, like MGS and Silent Hill would play better on console or PC; Konami is not a one trick pony; and there are other games they develop which could work quite well on mobile devices.

//

You may think no one cares about anything other than MGS or Silent Hill, but I much rather have a new Suikoden or English version of Tokemeki Memorial Girl’s Side any day 🙂

Despite the rumor mill rumblings, I suspect we will still see a healthy dose of Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill Games in the months, years, and generations to come on PC and Console platforms.

Unconfirmed rumors are just that; and until I hear otherwise I’m not too worried :).

Konami Reportedly Stops Making Console and PC Games, Internet Goes Crazy Over Rumors Read More »

Devil Maker Tokyo

Devil Maker Tokyo Review

geeky

Note: Sadly, this game is no longer available. It was one of my first, and favorite, Ipad Collectible card games. This review will remain up in honor of what a fun game this was.

If you’re looking for similar games, you can try: Million Arthur: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/million-arthur./id935513908?mt=8

Lussid Magic School (AKA Sid Story) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sid-story/id983543914?mt=8

Lastly, you can check out soccer spirits which combines collectible card games with soccer team management here https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soccer-spirits/id808137814?mt=8 or Love Live School Idol Festival which combines collecting cards with a rhythm game mechanics which you can pick up right here https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/love-live!-school-idol-festival/id834030294?mt=8

Title: Devil Maker Tokyo

Genre: Collectable Card Game / RPG

Publisher: Palmple

Platform: Ipad / Android

Language: English

Geeky Factor: 

Sweetie Factor: 

Grab it on IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/devil-maker-tokyo/id659867068?mt=8

Grab it on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.palmple.glodmkr.google&hl=en

Cost: Free (with additional in-app purchases available.) There’s nothing that you “have” to pay for. There are no cards that you can’t obtain on your own while playing the game, but some people are impatient I guess, so for them, the option to buy additional “summons” to summon new devils exists.

Overall Score: 77% C+ “Good Game For Girls”

Gameplay: There are multiple areas when it comes to the gameplay. First there is the story mode, where chapters unlock as you level up in the main game, the story is fairly solid (see story for more details there), then there’s the arena, where you can engage in pvp battles with other players.

Battles in this game are all done automatically, you don’t have any control over what happens. In the arena, you pay your fee with silver for entry, and then wait 15 minutes to see the results. Not very exciting lol. But you can win rare cards here. Every month (roughly) they will have a new “arena season” with a new devil to obtain that’s only available for a limited amount of time. You typically have to participate in the arena 150-200 times to obtain this reward. There are other smaller rewards like health potions and summoning tickets and experience cards as well.

Then there’s the “main” game. Here you are free to explore various maps in the game world, each offering various rewards and level requirements to enter. You explore these worlds by clicking on one of three cards that appear at the bottom of your screen. I like to think of it as coming to a fork in the road, you can keep going straight (middle), or turn left or right. Each map has a finite amount of steps, and when you reach 100%, you engage in a boss battle. Boss fights allow you to take up to 2 of your friends’ “leader cards” into battle with you. This is a big help for new or low level players, as some of the boss fights can be very tough. Also, just because you CAN go into a zone (are high enough level to enter), doesn’t mean you SHOULD go in there. I’m level 37 and consistently get my butt whooped by NON-boss battles in the areas with a level requirement of level 35 or even level 32. (My cards are around level 32 on average, rank 6 through 4).

// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
//

I guess I’ll talk about that next, cards have various ranks represented by stars across the top of the card, the more stars a card has, the more powerful it is and the more likely you are to want to place it in your party. You have 6 slots you can fill in your party, and you also have a battle cost on each card, and a battle “limit” meter that increases with each level up. Sometimes you might not be able to fit all of your best cards because of this limit. So have to put some thought into the members of your party.

Secondly, cards have a level, and they do NOT gain experience in battle – only you gain experience in battle. Confused yet? lol. The cards level up by sacrificing other cards at the shrine screen. You can sacrifice up to 30 cards at once. The higher the rank, level, and rarity of the cards you sacrifice, the more experience you will gain. Also, the higher the rank, level, and rarity of the card you are trying to level, the more experience it will take to level that card up. You can find “sealed devil cards” in the “theme park” and “fallen darkness” zones. The only use I’ve found for these is to level up your cards.

You can also find “material” cards like otherworldly and celestially armor, etc. You have 2 options for these cards, you can sacrifice them to get a tremendous boost in experience, or use them to transform certain cards at the shrine. When you transform a card, it will go up by one rarity level. The art work will change slightly, and it’s skills and abilities may also improve.

The other thing you can do in this game is fight against the “core”. Cores are discovered by you or your friends as they explore in the main game. If you discover the core, you get a free card, totally random, can be crap, or be really valuable. A core will stay active for 30 minutes OR until it is killed, whichever comes first. You may fight each core once every two minutes. Your friends will also receive a notice that a new core of darkness has been discovered and will hopefully help you defeat it. Each time you fight the core you get a decent amount of experience and a small amount of silver (currency used for things like sacrificing cards at the shrine or entering the arena). If you deal the final blow to the core, you get about ten times the experience awards as a regular “defeat” against the core. If no one defeats the core, it disappears after the time is up. If you OR one of your friends defeats the core, everyone who fought at least ONE battle will receive a card, once again totally random, there are also 2 very powerful cards that can ONLY be found by fighting the core. I’m not sure if they change or not. since I’ve been playing it’s been Amon (rank 5) and Samuel (rank 6). They drop pretty frequently, with Amon dropping about twice as frequently as Samuel.

Lastly, back at the shrine you can also “recontract” a devil. Devils also have a letter grade S through D. It goes (from best rank to worst) S, A, B, C, D. Altering a devil’s rank will alter it’s AP (I assume these are attack points), HP (self explanatory), and DP (maybe defense points? or darkness points? not sure). It may also gain new skills and abilities. It’s “battle cost” however will remain the same. You will need a “recontacting ticket”. You can find them playing the main game, or purchase for real money from the cash shop. So that’s a basic overview on the game play.

While exploring the zones you will find one of 4-5 different “encounters” at each “step” (each time you select a card at the bottom.) They are pink hearts (heal 20-30% of every party member’s HP), Shortcuts (advance further into the dungeon by skipping some steps), Devil (a battle, where you get a random card if you win), Powerful devil (a harder battle where you get a better card if you win, but still random), Boss (sometimes you find bosses before the final boss) you can take 2 friends’ leader cards, and have a small chance to get the boss card that you fight, they almost never drop though, they are super rare and annoying lol. You also can find cores (explained above), sealed devil and equipment cards (explained above), silver, and “empty spaces” where you might encounter new friends to add to your buddy list. Some maps also have celestial, underworld, or other worldly energy cards which deal OR heal damage based on your corresponding devil types (there’s weaknesses and strengths, but I’ve not figured them all out yet.).

There’s also a weekly “challenge” where you try to approach the core of darkness – basically it’s an endless dungeon with infinite steps, you can keep fighting until you have no party members remaining, you get various rewards for how far you make it. You encounter all the other things you encounter in a normal dungeon too. You can enter once a week for free, and then each time you enter, rather you resume (by paying 50,000 silver), or start over (from the beginning), will cost you light points.

Light points refill every few minutes and each dungeon costs a set number of light points to enter. There are light potions you can buy or find to refill your meter, and also when you level up, this meter, and all of your devils’ hp are restored, and dead devils are revived. If a devil dies while exploring you can use a revive potion to restore them to full health.

The gameplay is fun, but it loses some points from me for not having any control in battles, I can’t use items (like health potions) in battle, I can’t select which skills my devils use, or which devils they attack. All I can do is sit and watch or “skip” the battle to speed it up. I’d also like to see a way to trade cards with other players. Therefore, removing 3 points (2 for no control in battle, and 1 point for no trade feature). Final score 7/10

// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
//

Story: The story in story mode is very good. Without revealing too much here is a brief hopefully non-spoilerly synopsis :). You are a contractor, one who can make deals with devils. The devils lend you their power in exchange for “favors” that only a human contractor can perform. When a devil and contractor merge their powers the devils’ full potential is released.

Also a devil can enter areas of light if it is bound to a contractor. Conversely, a devil who puts darkness into a human, or a contractor of “darkness”, can enter darkness that most normal humans would not be able to.

There was a fight many years ago against a very strong devil named Oracha. After this fight, a great area of darkness, known as S1 was created. The government controls S1, the people who lived there before the fight, remain, but most people are prohibited from traveling in or out of the area. S1 is infested with demons and highly dangerous. The people living there live in darkness, despair, strife, etc. Sometimes contractors of light help these people, bringing them food and medicine from outside.

You can’t remember much about your past, but a devil named Yuki tells you that you used to have a contract with her master and that she needs your help to find her master again. You think that she might know more about your past than what she lets on, so you agree to help her in exchange to hopefully regain your lost memories. As the story progresses you begin to realize that you were directly involved in the events which created S1, but no one will tell you exactly how you were related to what happened there.

Oracha is about to re-awaken and is organizing an all out war, demons, against humans, and the newly found “contractors of darkness” mean that now there are humans fighting on the side of the ultimate evil, making him even stronger than the last time you battled him. You must find a way to prevent Oracha and his army from advancing their plans any further. Still, since the story takes a backseat to the main game and other features, and because it doesn’t feel terribly original, giving it a medium score of 6/10

Concept: The concept of summoning devils and making contracts is almost like playing Persona on my ipad. While the game play is VASTLY different, the concept is almost identical. Not very original, but then again I like Persona’s theme/concept. I also like that every card can be obtained for free with hard work, and the cash shop items are 100% optional. I also like that my max card size is very large AND it increases as I play the game. I play a similar game called Valkyrie Crusade and it’s cash shop is almost essential to increase your max card size which never increases, so that’s a big plus in Devil Maker’s favor. I think I have to also remove a point though for not having a landscape format, having to hold my ipad all the time instead of using it’s stand is super annoying. No reason why they should not have landscape view!! Overall concept loses 2 points, one for originality, and one for lack of landscape, BUT it gains 1 point for it’s non-essential cash shop, and nice max-card hand size. Making concept 9/10

Artwork: The artwork reminds me tremendously of Persona. the character designs and environment are very similar, and very nicely drawn. There are some cards which were designed (I assume) by players which palmple has allowed them to autograph the artwork on the cards, which ruins it in my opinion. After many months of play, I gained a red riding hood card which is highly rare. In the middle of the artwork, not even in an inconspicuous place, in huge letters it says artwork by blahblah blah, whatever her name is, a western sounding name, oddly, so that’s why i think maybe it was drawn by a player. None of my other cards have this garish writing on them. I really dislike that about this card, and I worked super hard to get it. orz… But other than that one small point, I think the artwork is beautiful. Some of the artwork does get recycled – a common card and uncommon card are identical except for a hue/color shift, and a rare vs uncommon has a colorshift and sometimes a lineart edit. So I have to ding the artwork 2 points total, making it 8/10.

// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
// < ![CDATA[
//

Music: I love the music in this game, it’s very catchy. Completely original, and fits the mood of the game. It is perhaps the best music score I’ve heard in a mobile game. 10/10

Voiceacting: Not voiced, no score given.

Characters: The characters in story mode are interesting enough, but take up such a small portion of the game that I can’t really rank them too highly, story is secondary in this game afterall. Character development therefore gets a medium score of 6/10.

Final Scores:

Gameplay: 7/10

Story: 6/10

Concept: 9/10

Artwork: 8/10

Music: 10/10

Characters: 6/10

Overall: 77% C+ “Good Game For Girls”

Devil Maker Tokyo Review Read More »