A RIEview on Life and games

As an avid fan of visual novels and make-your-own-choices games, I came across Surviving High School and later Cause of Death. Well, even though Surviving High School and Cause of Death no longer exist in the App Store, the plot twist was that its developer Pixelberry actually released Choices now years later ! But how does Choices fare in comparison with its older games? Game Plot  Choices host a number of titles in the app, so the quality of the plot is dependent on each title. There are a variety of genres, such as romantic comedy, slice-of-life, fantasy, etc. If you’re ever lost on what to read next, check out the comment section in the wikia fandom here ! Verdict (4/5) The titles I’ve read so far are pretty good. I highly recommend High School Story and its 3 seasons. For standalone stories, Veil of Secrets is a mystery title that is packed full of suspense and action, with a tinge of romance sprinkled to keep the stakes high. Character Diversity & Personality  With ...

  Ah, Disney. I remember growing up with Disney movies, be it the princesses or the Pixar movies. I will say that I prefer the movies released in the 1990s and early 2000s, before Disney decided to take the 3D-fying route with its animation. A real shame, but understandable all the same. Anyway! I came across this game in the Play Store and decided to give it a go, so read on for the full review! Game Plot A magic storm mysteriously appears and strikes the Disney realms. The aftermath is disastrous, and the princesses require your help in repairing their kingdoms. There are also questions on the origin of the magic storm that remains to be answered – who is behind the storm, and why? Verdict (4/5) The initial stage mainly deals with the aftermaths, and yet to touch on the origins of the storm. Currently the main issue is the lack of new updates, which hopefully Disney will get around correcting it soon! Character Diversity & Personality There are 4 main realms: Mulan’s, Jasmin...

It’s hard to believe that this is a mere beta game, especially with such a wonderful premise! The premise is that players will run a sanctuary caring for old dogs, and the best part – it’s inspired by a real life dog sanctuary! Read on to see the full review below!   Game Plot New town, new beginnings! You have just arrived in the nick of time to start an old dog sanctuary – with your first dog Mack! Each dog has its own storyline, and at a point in their story you will unlock the next dog and so on. All the dogs are based off real life dogs in Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, and you can also check out their real life adventures through the game’s official Facebook here . Verdict (5/5) I love the premise, and even more so the individuality in each dog’s story.  There are points in time in the story where you have to make a choice, which does influence how the dog will react to your choices. Unlike otome and romance simulation games, there is no clear indication on how the c...

If you’re a frequent fan on Line’s Webtoon, the familiar art style might have caught your attention. That’s right! The artist/author is none other than Omyo, who created ‘Salty Studio’ (highly recommended! Check it out here !) Let’s dive in and see what else is in this cute game! Game Plot  A slice of life plot where you follow the life of Miya and her cooking adventures in Seoul. As the theme is slice-of-life, the game takes the everyday life of Miya and what she decides to cook for the day and runs with it. Each dish will begin with a short comic strip cutscenes on what led Miya to decide on the dish, which then players will assist by playing the levels needed until the dish is ready and featured on Yummygram.  You can replay the cutscenes or view previous dishes by clicking on the Yummygram. The features are similar to that of Instagram, and yes you can follow Miya on the actual Instagram link too! Verdict (4.5/5) Very cute short comic strips! Personally I find it doable i...

I know I should upload the next review soon, but for this post I thought: why not have a mini Q&A post? Sort of like a FAQ section to answer (possibly all) questions that readers might have when reading through the blog. Without further ado, let's start with Question 1:- What's up with the near daily churning out of reviews lately?  Well, after resigning, I somehow had this residue work determination from my daily work routine that I figured, 'why not channel that into blogging?' So yes, that is what happened. But lately I have been slacking off so am putting in all my effort to prevent further disruption of the review schedule! That's a pretty large genre of games you play! Are you the type to try out all kinds of games?  I do play a pretty wide genre, but not all types! While I sometimes try out trending games like Animal Crossing and that leisure frog game, but I tend to avoid horror/high level of suspense and games that require high level of hand-eye coordin...

A cute looking game, Noble Girl: Decorate a Vacation Home is a casual game that features decorating a luxurious home. Surprisingly, this game has plenty of low reviews, and it’s not without reason that the game scored as such. Let’s take a look on discovering just why that is so:   Game Plot On your 17th birthday, you received a letter from your father with a shocking reveal that you are actually an heiress of a noble family. Apparently, it is their tradition that by the 17th birthday, the heir/heiress will be tested to see if they’re worthy to take over the family. Before you can digest this information further, a man in black suit shows up and whizzes you away to – the family’s vacation home!  The mystery man introduces himself as Daniel, your butler, and he dutifully informs you that your task is improving and maintaining the state of the vacation home as a show of your skills. With that, your new life begins... Verdict (3/5) An okay, slightly cliché premise, which is just...

  During my search for more murder mystery/puzzle-solving games, I came across this Chinese game in the Play Store. While I begin preparing for this review after completing the game, I realised that there is an English version on Steam at the same cost of the Chinese version on Steam. Note that only the Chinese version of this game in the Google Play Store is free while on other platforms is paid. A summary of the list of platforms: Steam – Chinese , English Google Play Store – Chinese only Apple App Store – Chinese only (this, and season 2) Game Plot You join the protagonist Detective Kobayashi in solving crimes. The first case begins just as he is transferred to a new department, so he needs to gather all the evidence based on witness testimonies and clues found in scenes. There are 4 chapters in total, with the 3rd and 4th a two-part case. The game also has an extra chapter which is a case from Detective Kobayashi’s school years. Verdict (5/5) Really well-written plot! By the e...

  I will admit that I didn’t grow up with the Tintin comics. In fact, it was only a few years back I discovered the series. If my memory serves me right, I might’ve started searching for the comics after the movie release “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”. So imagine my surprise when I came across this game in the Play Store several years later! But does the game live up to the success of the series? Game Plot  While fans of the Tintin series are expecting an in-game storyline following some or if not most of what has transpired in the series, players will be disappointed to find none of that here. As there is no plot, therefore this section is ungraded: N/A Character Diversity & Personality  While we see familiar faces like Tintin and Snowy, there isn’t real interaction between players and the characters, or even between the characters. So if you were expecting interactions, then I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but there is none here. If you are c...