NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: We here at GameTyrant have been absolutely bombarded with so many products and games this year already. We will be rolling out select quick reviews to let our audience know about products, games, and, DLC that may have slipped under their radar. We appreciate the amazing support from all publishers and developers out there!
Tiny Book Shop
When I tell you that this title is my new obsession, that is not an overexaggeration. I can not stop thinking about this title, it’s that much fun. But in all honesty, you have to be the type of person for this game to like it, and that’s where this title’s strong suit lies. Developers neoludic games made a game for book lovers, and that’s what Tiny Book Shop is, through and through.
Whether you’re setting up your book shop for the next day of business, getting to know fellow readers, or finding that perfect niche book for a prospective reader, there’s a rush in it all that people who just get it will understand where others won’t. It’s not a difficult game or one with overly complex mechanics at play; it’s just a perfect game. And it just proves that you don’t need to be flashy to get players to enjoy a game. A good game is delivered when the developers love what they’re creating.
Ritual of Raven
Much of what I said for the last title can and should be said for Ritual of Raven. This is a lovingly crafted game, through and through. It’s been my favorite game this year to simply look at, with its very odd design choices and spectacular use of the color spectrum. I truly cannot overstate how much I love the way this game looks. This is the quintessential cozy game, especially with its magical and kind of fall vibes.
As far as gameplay goes, though it’s complex in its execution, the magical sides to it are rewarding. It can very much seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of its stringing together of actions, you get instant satisfaction from it. Aside from that, the game is pretty low-stakes anyway, so having some trepidation helps balance the fact that you have no real consequences for messing up anyway. Ritual of Raven is a really fun time, whether you’re looking for a satisfying farming sim or just a lovely witchy story.
Fruitbus
I’m not going to lie to you, Fruitbus got me right in the feels the first time I played it, and that feeling lingers on even still. Even with its silly visuals and cartoonish animal character designs, this title is inherently human. The theme of “family” is what this game circles around, and it’s a theme that’s very important to me. As someone who lost her grandmother early in life, I truly felt the message of wanting to live her spirit through your actions and be the woman she would’ve wanted you to be.
It’s funny because with such heavy concepts like that in play, it balances it all extremely well with its truly low-stakes gameplay. With an FPS version of Cooking Mama gameplay in its cooking, you’ll bumble your way around your Fruitbus, concocting a whole assortment of foods for your hungry guests in a way that feels fresh and kind of silly, in the best way. It was also cool to find the random and interesting tiny details spread throughout the game’s world, which wasn’t something I was planning on experiencing with this title. Fruitbus is like an onion; it has layers.
