Your Friend Who Likes Games

I’m still at it! Still loving Fields of Mistria after its 1.0 release and I’ve now made it to Fall. I’ve surpassed my previous hour mark of continuous play and signs are pointing to it sticking around. The game fits into my life well. It’s risk-free outside of the mines and it’s easy to pop in and pop out of without fear of losing any sort of gameplay momentum.

I’ve had fun role playing a bit more in the costume department. I’m allowing my brain to break that Stardew Valley character sprite permanence. Not that I’m changing my eye style every day, but I’ll quickly throw on a hat when it’s raining, or show off my new Zelda-like cloak as I strut through town, or keep my mining helmet on to look tough as I come back from a mining dive. The quick navigation of customization in the pause menu makes it inviting to play dress up or be open to changing clothes to the event, fit the mood, or to just be a silly goose.

In regards to the town’s Friday night D&D night at the Inn… I want to start by stating I love that this is included, I love that your character is continually invited, and I love the various sets of conversation you seem to unlock on a weekly basis between various sets of the town’s residents. However, I took note that it may be neat, and a way to feel more connected to the event would be if you could participate somehow. If you could sit and actually play a card mini game, or role play a D&D character. Would I actually do that if it were available? Maybe once or twice before I grew tired of it. So to ask that of devs to design and program for me to dispose of it so fast is the ask of a slimey consumer. Regardless, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the D&D night feels like it happens without you, and that you just stumble in at the edge of tables to interrupt for a couple moments.

Speaking of things that may get designed and programmed but potentially missed… I noticed, late one Saturday in game, that I had been strolling through town looking to complete a quest for one of the Saturday market merchants. I noticed they were still on the map in town so I strolled in a found that the NPC Studio had programmed the merchants to clean up their tents after the market day. I was that, “Are you still open?,” guy as they were literally packing up – you know the type. But I thought that level of detail was so admirable. It makes the town feel more alive and less video-gamey than just simply having them be there one screen in one moment, and then completely gone if you’d jump a screen and come back. Moments that take developers time, energy, and resources to create a moment that a lot of players may miss, but boy was it worth it to catch that small detail and go, “Wow, they even included that.”

Another example of small-detail-big-impact I took note of was when I brought I believe a stone tablet from the mines from Juniper to read, something of interest, and instead of just cutting to the cut scene from wherever you are, Juniper takes the moment and says to you, “Come with me. The last thing we need are gawkers.” I love this. It shows that the character recognizes they are in an inappropriate place to handle the information and that they’d prefer to keep it a secret from other townsfolk. It’s great writing and again, a small but impactful detail that really helps me connect to the narratives of this experience.

I enjoy, through its various activities, how Fields of Mistria offers different gameplay to fit your mood. Some days feel curious, and I go and talk to a bunch of folks to gather lore and happenings. Some days, only fishing feels good, and I appreciate the near-mindlessness of the activity. Some days, I remember I can progress my farm with upgrades of crafting stations and seek out the big change. Perhaps I build a coop, buy an animal, or, if I feel some energy on that playthrough, I hit the mines for some action. And the best part is, you’re not necessarily punished if you don’t do any of those activities. Yes, there are consequences if you don’t feed your animals or water your crops, but in regards to what activity you choose to complete that day, or that moment, the choice is yours and that continually feels good.

I am getting to the point where progression feels a bit more on me now. The sort of tutorialization of possible things you are able to do has lessened and now it’s on me to decide when and how to do them. Upgrading a fishing pole, armor, the farm, tools, are all now available but now no one is telling me I should do any of it. I think this is where I really start to settle into a farm sim like this and start to zoom on what it is I really like to do, and maybe challenge myself to try activities I don’t naturally gravitate too (growing crops and cooking). But again, I like the freedom in the lack of punishment for not doing certain tasks. The only consequence to not participating in certain tasks is simply the lack of material that comes from them. So if the demand for certain materials becomes evident in a relationship or quest, then motivation I’m sure will follow.

I love jumping to short cut in this game, or simply jump up and down staircases. I jump over the fence and shortcut through the neighboring farm to the left – maybe pet a cow along the way. I almost always jump up and down the small stairset on the right of farm – perhaps that’s due to my skateboarding roots. I’d only noticed when I played with a PS5 controller on PC with the added haptic… but the little dust cloud that kicks up any time you land from a jump is a great detail and I appreciate that the dust cloud sprite animation is not the same each time. Great. Small. Details.

I expected as much, but I was rejected a date to the Star Festival at the end of Summer by 3 prospects, all claiming I should, ‘Give that star wand to someone you’re close to.’ I found that quite comical actually, but proud of my character for shooting his shot. Maybe next year. I found it funny, too, that the festival had been hyped as a beautiful place where everybody goes to watch the shooting stars in the night, and the cut scene I was offered show me alone at The Summit. We’ll see how the hearts grow over time. ;p

Not in the topic of romance, but in regards to hearts increasing, I have a good feeling Luc and I will become good friends. The boy loves bugs and catching them is easily one of my favorite activities in game. It’s so fast and snappy, the area of grace allowed for catching a bug is very generous so it feels good and easy each time. I’m interested in Ryis too. He seems like a dude that’s just looking for friendship and people to hang out with. I’ve heard he’s got some deeper story to offer if you put in the time and raise the hearts. Juniper’s got some big walls, and I’m interested to see what happens when you break them down.

The pacing of events and happenings keep me coming back for me, and the ease of gameplay makes it continually easy to pick up. I’m happy it’s sticking, and I’m hoping to keep going!

Pokémon Sun

I’d been curious if I would eventually pick up a Pokémon game for my 3DS and I’ve reached that point, I went for Pokemon Sun this week. I’d been continually curious, watching YouTube gameplay of various DS and 3DS Pokemon games to see if any felt like the right fit and Sun felt like a predecessor to what would eventually become Pokemon Sword/Shield – a Pokemon game I loved.

I love the move to this art style, perhaps against popular opinion – at least for OG 90s fans? I don’t know, I have a friend that feels like a truest and prefers the top-down 2D sprites and now I’m painting big brush strokes… But I love this style. I find it charming and welcoming. I find it most adjacent to the animated series’ we see. I think it’s smart what they’re doing on 3DS in regards to world building. The information that fits into the camera is fairly simple, but being that the camera stays fixed and zoomed in, it leaves the rest of the world to be imagined by the player. They then didn’t need to render a complete world to explore, but instead create a comforting linear experience that still presents a vibe.

I like the prospect of finding Alolan type Pokemon – I’ve already found a Ratata with a mustache. Small differences that make this island region unique, and I like the language and outlook of ‘chasing big kahuna’s.’ I went with Rowlet as my starter – I usually pick the one I find looks the best aesthetically, and the other two were a ‘no thanks.’ I didn’t know that Rowlet could have grass, ghost, and flying type attacks all in one lineup and I’m appreciating the early variety while taking on variously-typed opponents.

With the purchasing of the 3DS and slowly discovering games of the era, I’ve enjoyed with each play to see what’s unique in each game with the 3DS’s structure and presentation. In Pokemon Sun, I enjoyed the early call from your guide that mimicked a zoom call – a presentation that felt clever and unique to a device I’m holding that can also feel like a phone. I like the physically caring for the Pokemon using the bottom touch screen, however extra it could be. If I’m honest, it did aid my early connection to Rowlet, feeling like I was actually taking care of it through interaction and not just a selection of buttons and potions. I’ve been loving too, in 3DS games, that the bottom screen often becomes a map that I don’t need to pause the game to use or see. Anything unique to the 3DS I get excited about – makes it stand out in comparison to my other handheld devices.

I found it interesting that the Lillie character in game expresses early on that she doesn’t like the violence of Pokemon battles and when they end up hurt. It’s interesting when the norm of the franchise gets challenged within the franchise. We found politics in whether or not Pokemon should be allowed to live among humans in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Curious of what her arc will be within the game – opening cut scenes show her carrying, protecting, escaping (?) with a mysterious Pokemon.

Lastly, I like to zoom into the charm of the NPC writing in Pokemon games. Whether through translation or just the quirkiness we can expect to find, I find the NPC’s worth clicking on just to see what they’ll say. We either get something charming, something helpful/tutorial-adjacent, or something strange like the knee kid below:

That’ll do it this week! Thank you for reading. Catch you next time.

Your Friend Dillon