New Upcoming Indie Games I’m Backing on Kickstarter: Cute, Kawaii, Cozy Sims and RPGs

As a lover of all things cute, kawaii, and cozy, I often find myself exploring Kickstarter for new and exciting games to support. Here are some of the delightful projects I’m currently backing. Many are already funded, but some need a little extra push to reach their goals. If any of these games pique your interest, consider supporting them too!

1. Rebellion GodSoul: Hyper-Visually Anime RPG Card Battle VN

  • Link: Rebellion GodSoul
  • Description: Dive into a hyper-visually stunning anime world where card battles meet RPG and visual novel elements. The game promises a unique blend of strategic gameplay, captivating storylines, and beautifully crafted anime graphics.
  • Rewards: Backers can receive digital artbooks, exclusive wallpapers, early access to the game, and even custom character designs depending on the pledge level.

2. Hotel Galactic: Studio Ghibli Inspired 2.5D Inn Management

  • Link: Hotel Galactic
  • Description: Inspired by the enchanting worlds of Studio Ghibli, Hotel Galactic allows players to manage their own cozy inn in a whimsical universe. With its charming 2.5D art style and heartwarming narrative, this game is perfect for those who enjoy immersive sim experiences.
  • Rewards: Backers can enjoy perks such as their name in the credits, exclusive in-game items, digital artbooks, and physical merchandise like postcards and posters.

3. Trade Tales: A Farming, Manufacturing, and Shopkeeping Life Sim

  • Link: Trade Tales
  • Description: Trade Tales combines the joys of farming, crafting, dating, and shopkeeping in a cozy life simulation. Players can cultivate their land, manufacture goods, and run their own shop in a charming village setting.
  • Rewards: Rewards range from early access to the game, digital soundtracks, exclusive in-game items, to physical collector’s editions and plushies.

4. Peasant

  • Link: Peasant
  • Description: Peasant is an RPG that puts you in the shoes of an everyday villager striving to make a better life. The game features a rich narrative, engaging gameplay mechanics where every player decision has in-game consequences, and a charming art style that draws you into its world.
  • Rewards: Backers can receive digital copies of the game, access to beta versions, exclusive character skins, and even a chance to design a quest or NPC.

5. My DearLove: Stat Raising Simulation Visual Novel Game

  • Link: My DearLove
  • Description: My DearLove blends stat-raising simulation with visual novel elements, offering a deeply engaging experience. Players will manage their character’s daily activities, build relationships, and uncover multiple storylines and endings.
  • Rewards: Backers can look forward to rewards such as digital and physical artbooks, exclusive game content, soundtrack downloads, and custom in-game characters.

These are just a few of the adorable and engaging games I’m excited to support on Kickstarter. Each project offers something unique, and your support can make a big difference in bringing these charming games to life. If any of these projects resonate with you, consider backing them and joining the community of supporters! read more

Sunny Side Review: A New Life Sim with Modern Twists

Introduction to Sunny Side

Sunny Side is the latest indie life simulation game that has captured the attention of gamers worldwide. Released in early 2024 by RainyGames, a small but passionate development team, Sunny Side promises a vibrant world filled with modern touches that set it apart from traditional farming sims. In this review, we’ll dive into what makes Sunny Side unique, its strengths, and its areas for improvement.

What is Sunny Side?

Game Overview

Sunny Side is a life simulation game where players can immerse themselves in a large open world, tending to farms, customizing their homes, and interacting with a diverse cast of characters. The game stands out with its inclusion of modern technology and extensive customization options, allowing players to truly make their virtual life their own. read more

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (2023 Remake) Review

What Makes Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Remake (2023) So Wonderful Anyways?

Pros:

  • Adorable and Kawaii: The game is incredibly cute, offering charming visuals and a delightful atmosphere that is sure to captivate fans of kawaii aesthetics.
  • Diverse Activities: You can grow crops, forage, cook, eat, date, get married, raise a family, expand your home, excavate, fish, and explore. The range of activities keeps gameplay engaging and varied.
  • Dynamic Systems: Features a weather and season system, along with pets and livestock to breed and raise. These systems add depth and realism to your farming experience.
  • Exploration and Discovery: The game encourages exploration, reminiscent of retro 90s JRPGs. You’ll find recipes, notes, and secrets by clicking on everything and talking to characters repeatedly until they repeat their dialogue.
  • Multiple Endings: Each playthrough can be unique with different outcomes based on your choices, providing high replay value.
  • Time Management Challenge: The game challenges you with limited time each day, adding a strategic element as you plan your activities carefully to maximize productivity.
  • read more

    Review: Nintendo Switch Hundred Year Kingdom Sucks And Is Not Even Worth the Six Dollar Sales Price Right Now

    Title says it all. I just finished my first playthru of Hundred Year Kingdom and it sucks donkey balls – here’s why. No story, no CG scenes, barely able to see this world you built, mindlessly clicking and spamming the confirm button = no real gameplay and definitely no strategy. Complete waste of $6. And I really pity anyone who paid full price even at a paltry sum of $12.

    So what is this game all about?

    You have a goddess companion who does nothing except put some idle chat on the left hand side of your screen or occassionally claim she found money or items. She has no personality or character development at all. And neither do you (or whoever the Main Character is.) No real meaningful interactions. no backstory, no nothing, nadda, zip. read more

    Disney Dreamlight Valley Review

    I’ve spent the past month playing Disney Dreamlight valley on the Nintendo switch.

    Disney Dreamlight valley is a cute farming and life simulation game featuring memorable Disney characters past and present.

    You grow crops, cook and discover new recipes, decorate your home and village, and customize a unique avatar.

    Disney Dreamlight Valley is similar to the sims or animal crossing or harvest moon or atelier or similar simulation games.

    Is this game for you?

    Here’s my advice as a player since launch: read more

    Coral Island Kickstarter For Inclusive Farming Simulation Game

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coralisland/coral-island-reimagining-the-farm-sim-game

    One good kickstarter deserves another I guess. This is the second kickstarter I’m blogging about today, and is in some ways quite similar to the previous Ova Magica. Both kickstarters are still active at time of this posting.

    This next kickstarter is titled Coral Island, and it aims to make inclusivity a big focus of its game. Bringing in characters of different races and ethnic backgrounds.

    The gameplay itself looks fun. You date the townsfolk while tending the farm. You even have children and watch them grow into teens. And the other people of the village also grow older as well. read more

    Ova Magica – Adorable Farming Monster Taming Game With Inspiration From Azure Dreams

    I stumbled across a pretty cute farming game on kickstarter and just had to back it. Especially after I read where their inspiration was coming from with some of my favorites listed like Azure Dreams and Jade Cocoon – and of course the usual suspects, harvest moon, pokemoon, and etc.

    Almost no one nowadays remembers Azure Dreams – It’s one of my favorite games of all times. The playstation version – I heard there was a gameboy version but they removed almost all basic game mechanics like dating sim aspects and so on – never played that one – and gladly not. read more

    Cattails Become A Cat – PC Game Review Like Stardew Valley But With Cats

    Ever wonder what would happen if you took Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Or Stardew Valley and replaced all of the humans with cats? Me neither, until I played Cattails Become A Cat on Steam. It’s on sale right now for the winter steam sale, the biggest sale of the year, for a few more days.

    So what is Cattails? I’ve only begun playing the game today, but it’s advertised as being “Like Stardew Valley But With Cats” and near as I can tell so far, that’s a very accurate description. It also reminds me of the children’s book series “Warriors” about various cat clans and lives of cats. read more

    My Horse Stories – Horse Sim Game Review

    So yesterday I reviewed 2 horse racing games, Horse Haven, and Rival Stars Racing.

    Today I am sharing yet another Horse Simulation game – this time it is a mobile game called My Horse Stories. I am not very far yet into this one. I just started playing it late last night. I haven’t even bred my own horse yet, just still using the first horse I purchased at the market.

    I might not have all the right information to give a super accurate review, but I just want to give like an early impression review. read more

    Rival Stars Racing Mobile Game Review

    I just finished my review of another game, Horse Haven, which you can read here.

    Rival Stars Racing is another similar, yet different, horse breeding, raising, and racing game. I just also learned that it is soon coming to Mac and PC so if you’re the type who doesn’t enjoy mobile games, you might be interested in the PC version with enhanced graphics and additional features.

    What makes Rival Stars Racing so great? The first thing that really stands out is the genetic system, allowing for stats and colors/markings to be passed down from parents to foals. read more

    Horse Haven Mobile Game Review

    I recently discovered Horse Haven, a mobile horse breeding, horse racing, horse dress-up game. As a lover of My Little Pony back in the 80s and 90s (I never got into Friendship is Magic, I didn’t like the new style of artwork or the new style of the toys, that’s just me.), I immediately was drawn to Horse Haven when I saw the ads featuring fantasy cartoon looking horses.

    The gameplay is simplistic, as most mobile games. You build up various farms by placing new buildings, upgrading buildings, and then breeding and raising, and racing and showing horses in events like steeple chase or dressage. read more

    Animal Crossing New Horizons Review

    I picked up Animal Crossing New Horizons on its launch day, and I’m still playing it today. I don’t care how you play or choose to enjoy Animal Crossing but this is my little Animal Crossing story… It’s a deeply personal story actually…

    I have played every Animal Crossing game ever since the first one – at least those that were brought over for American Gamers stateside that is.

    I like the relaxing gameplay, and I play many similar games such as Harvest Moon, Atelier, and Rune Factory, just to name a few. Other similar games include the Sims, “Tycoon” type games, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Sim City, Zoo Tycoon, and indie games like Terraria or Stardew Valley, or taking it back old school style with Azure Dreams. Or Zelda Breath of the Wild other open world PC games like Elder Scrolls or Fallout Or Red Dead Or … Basically any type of semi open world game that allows you to craft or farm or build a village or customize things in kinda a never ending kinda almost aimless type of gameplay… read more

    Happy New Year 2020 – Let’s Celebrate With The 20 Best Girls Games Of The Past 20 Years

    Happy New Years! I thought it’d be fun to celebrate the new year by counting down the 20 best girl games released between 2000 – 2020. Before we can start the countdown we need to talk about what makes a good girl game anyways? I have talked about this before on my site, but incase you are new to my site, here’s a recap.

    First let me start by saying, I target a niche audience, girls (and guys) who like a certain type of games – In general, young females prefer these types of games more than men, but there are men who play these games too, and likewise, there are girls who don’t enjoy these games and prefer more violent action games that we see a lot of young men playing. My website kinda over generalizes things, because it’s just simpler for me to focus a very small target audience. read more

    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.

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