ugvm

the site of uk.games.video.misc

77: Boot Soup

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

It is with great pleasure that we present to you our most newest edition (until the next one, anyway) of the world-beloved ugvm Podcast! Warm your toes by the fire of Episode 77. For it is indeed a fire. In a bin.

In this exciting episode, deKay, Kendrick and Luffer try very hard to fill the required number of minutes with such diverse topics as Formula E’s foray into the NFT/blockchain game, an upcoming Kickstarter title called Night Stones, and why the Quest 3 both proves and disproves why VR is and isn’t dead. Plus, bonus chat about edible leather footwear for some reason, and words and noises about these games and more:

  • Detroit: Become Human
  • Stray
  • Uncharted 4: The One With the Subtitle We Couldn’t Remember
  • Life is Strange
  • Flashback
  • Dino Game
  • Pear Quest
  • Doraemon: Story of Seasons
  • Tokyo Xanadu
  • Lord Winklebottom Investigates

And, somehow, more. Listen!

(Direct link here)

Intro music credits: Daybreak, from Stray, by Yann van der Cruyssen.

Don’t forget, if you want to contact us with questions or comments for or about the show, you can email podcast@ugvm.org.uk or publicly shame us https://mas.to/@ugvmpodcast on the Mastodons.

Pear Quest (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on Written by

If you look at the screenshot, you’ll see that everything is very small. This is not, as I discovered having spent a long time trying to change it, a bug, a zoomed out setting, or a screen resolution issue. It is, in fact, intentional. The entire “map” is visible for the duration of the game, and everything is supposed to be tiny. And, on a Steam Deck, almost impossible to discern what is going on.

But I managed it. It’s a sort of direct-control point-and-click adventure game, in that you move your little… group of pixels around the island and interact with… other groups of pixels. You pick stuff up. You solve puzzles. You do a bit of light platforming. Eventually you get the keys to open the path to the pear and “win”.

By far the hardest part of the game is just being able to see the stuff on the screen. I get Sokpop’s style choice and I expect on a 24″ monitor this would be fine, but oh boy was it eye-hurtingly tricky. Don’t let it put you off though – if you’ve the screen for it, it’s great!

Dino Game (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on Written by

It’s another Sokpop game! I love all of these so far. Dino Game is probably the least fun one so far, but it’s still good enough to be worth a play, especially since it’s so cheap and short.

You’re on an island with big brontosaurus-type dinosaurs. You need to escape via your UFO, but you can’t reach it as it’s up in the sky. If you can befriend the dinos, by feeding them what they want, however…

Look at the pink one’s widdle face.

Yes, pretty simple, short and silly. Not a bad thing though.

76: Truth of Poo

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

There are very few certainties in this world, but one of them is guaranteed disappointment in your ears when you listen to a new episode of the ugvm Podcast. Like this one, Episode 76!

This time, deKay, Toby and Kendrick break with established norms and talk about games. Oh, wait, no. That’s what they usually do. OK, have some Action Man chat instead – that’s not been covered before. Plus, news about Xbox Leaks, Unity, Toby’s Attempt To Coax You Into Youtube Hell, Amazon Luna, Nexus Mods and how the US entertainment strikes have moved on to games now. There’s also a show report (apparently this is a thing we do semi-regularly now) of the Insomnia Gaming Festival and the ALGS Championship final hosted therein. If all that wasn’t enough, then what about these?

  • Llamatron
  • Lies of P
  • Mighty Doom
  • Tomb Raider Reloaded
  • 40 Winks
  • Doraemon Story of Seasons
  • HoloCure
  • Tokyo Xanadu EX+
  • Tokyo Xanadu (uh, no, really)

Then! More stuff! Questions answered! Waffles toasted!

(Direct link here)

Intro music credits: Krat Hotel, from Lies of P (just to point out that contrary to the chat in the show, there is music in the game).

Don’t forget, if you want to contact us with questions or comments for or about the show, you can email podcast@ugvm.org.uk or publicly shame us @ugvmpodcast on the Twittors, and https://mas.to/@ugvmpodcast on the Mastodons.

Garden Story (Switch): COMPLETED!

Posted on Written by

This isn’t quite the game I was expecting. I thought it was a Stardew Valley sort of game, only with a bit more story and all the characters are fruit and veg, but it wasn’t exactly that. Graphically, it’s similar, and yes – you can plant crops – but actually, it’s the story which is the thing.

Some bad goop stuff has been taking over the water supply of the world all the flora (and some frogs and fish things) live in, and it’s your job to put it right. Until you do, no more fruit babies can be born (or something) and the various regions are, not exactly “at war”, but certainly not best mates, with each other as the bad goop stuff is making things difficult.

So off you go, helping people by smacking baddies and moving boxes from one place to another and smashing rocks and a seemingly endless supply of massive jam jars that wash up, so you can get resources to improve your tools and provide for each of the villages. You see, each day you’re given a number of (optional) tasks to complete in the village you currently reside, and when you do it ranks up the village unlocking a few more tool improvements and you earn some money.

On top of these daily tasks, there’s the story to follow, which mostly involves similar sorts of tasks but with a dungeon and a boss to beat in each village. None of these dungeons, or the bosses themselves, are very difficult. I actually found some of the enemies on the “overworld” trickier to deal with, especially when they’re in numbers.

Fix all the problems in each village, upgrade your weapon enough, chat to the right people, and you can go and beat the final boss. Which is what I did.

Garden Story is very twee, has a few frustrating control issues (more shortcuts to tools would be nice), is a bit grindy and repetitive (the same tasks come up all the time) and collision detection is on the janky side of not-quite-right, but it’s a cute little thing and on the whole I enjoyed it.