What I’d want from a Pokemon Open World Game

In light of a lot of recent things combined with the fact that Pokemon Legends: Arceus really didn’t jive with me as much as it did for others (at least partially due to me not being a fan of Monster Hunter or the Survival genre), it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Despite attempts at more Open World with the Wild Areas in Sword/Shield and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet as a whole, I think most people agree that it’s still been rather lacking.

I’ve mentioned before how my dream Pokemon game would be a kind of Pokemon MMO where you could travel around (and do an entire journey) with your friends with instanced story parts and being able to travel every region. A lot of that is still true, though, maybe more just being able to share a map with friends and any other players could be more like how they are in Super Mario Wonder– seeing some other trainers around and maybe being able to place signs for tips and secrets. I just think there’s a lot they could work with at this point, especially seeing how they did experiment with Open World in the Pokemon series twice now.

  • No Survival-based mechanics, or at least make it optional. Look, if you could truly die in Pokemon, there is a lot of reasons we should and Ash would have died so many more times in the Anime than the small amount he does. I think if they did still want to include it, it should be an optional thing (maybe even chosen per character over a whole world rule) if Nintendo actually put in difficulty levels, but if not, I just don’t think it’s enjoyable. It’s part of what made PLA really unfun for me because I couldn’t actually enjoy all the Pokemon around because I was too busy running for my life. I’m also just… awful at dodging. I think anything related to food should just be buff-related, whether for yourself and/or your Pokemon, kind of like how curry and sandwiches work. Similarly, feeding and taking care of your Pokemon may make them happier or again, add a buff thing, but it shouldn’t be a situation where Pokemon can actually get sick or starve or other issues.
  • Crafting should be optional. In general, while there is the whole Apricorn thing, there is no reason to not just… let people buy things if they’d prefer. Or as a compromise, once something is made once, they can buy it from then after if they prefer over crafting. Same for resource gathering.
  • A Standard Base and a Moveable Base (maybe multiple?). One of the things I really adored was the Secret Base in Gen 3. Gen 4’s version in the Underground was okay, but honestly, just didn’t feel as interesting. While we’ve gotten various “places” in other games, the customization was relatively light (IE: Earning trophies in Black/White, changing colors/some appearances of things in Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet with the Campsite and Picnic set-ups respectively). I think being able to have a main base, in whatever the starting town is, that you can expand and customize. Besides being able to decorate with various things (or even just switching out options/colors like wallpaper, rugs, certain decor items, etc.), maybe you can add on a ranch or a kitchen or a healing machine, etc. Similarly, bringing back the campsite from Gen 8, being able to add on and decorate inside your tent and stuff would be neat. There’s so much that can be done to really make things seem yours over a super bleak plain dorm room.
  • As mentioned above, be able to play with a group of friends, or at least one friend— all story stuff can still be instanced (so you see separate things and can make different choices), but maybe you can have your houses near each other and camp together and just travel around and camp together. It could be fun.
  • Be able to catch Pokemon without battling. I’m not saying you can’t still battle a Pokemon first (or maybe even weaken them without going into the usual turnbased battle), but it’d be nice to also have the option to just toss Pokeballs.
  • Different battling options. Besides the usual turn-based, taking a Pokken/Gen 9 Sync approach, it’d be nice to be able to take control of the Pokemon or like with auto battles, just with their actual attacks, being able to command them more loosely to weaken a Pokemon for catching as well. Not everything has to be the usual turn-based situation. Maybe even with like… Legendaries or taking on Team Rocket/trying to rescue Pokemon, being able to send out multiple Pokemon and/or work with friends/other players could be a lot of fun and add more variety to it all.
  • Multiple Jobs. I’m kind of taking a page out of Fantasy Life here, but with Gen 9 even bringing up the whole “finding your treasure” and giving you different routes to go even if you had to do them all anyway, I think it’d be a nice feature to have. Not to mention that we’ve been shown SO MANY different jobs in Pokemon: Trainer/Champion, Chef (Whether a Cafe or Restaurant), Breeder, Farmer, Professor/Researcher, Photographer/Artist, Ranger… and that’s just naming a few off the top of my head. I think this could add a lot more variety to what you can do in the game while also letting people who maybe prefer the Pokemon side games to get some enjoyment from a main series as well. And yes, I still want a proper Cafe game for Cafe Mix, okay?!
  • Bring in everything. Even if my hope for multiple regions still ends up falling flat, there’s been so many battle gimmicks and interesting characters among other things that I just would like to see everything brought in over the newest battle gimmick of the generation. I’m so tired of new gimmicks when so much has already been implemented at this point. I also don’t want to see Pokemon get left out again. I don’t care if the game needs more time (and honestly, it should, the 2-year schedule for Pokemon has not done it much good IMO), I’m happy to wait as long as it takes, and I hope it would take all the time it needs, so that we can have a game that lets every Pokemon show their personality and more.
  • Let Pokemon do more. In a kind of expansion of the multiple jobs, we see Pokemon constantly help with things in the Anime and with various NPCs in the games. The closest we got was with the HM system (and its respective replacements), but it would be great if Pokemon could like… help at camp or home and even with puzzles and various things out in the world just for the kind of Pokemon they are. Just more aspects to explore the world.

Obviously, I’m not really going into better character customization because I’d like to think it goes without saying, but if not for the love of God please give us better character customization. In general, I just think there is such a premise for this kind of thing and I really hope TPC will consider expanding more into the Open World without it going fully into the Survival-Crafting genre when it doesn’t actually need to.

Fashion Dreamer – Dramatic Fair and stuff since my last post

A lot has happened since my last post, such as the Fantasy Fair being taken down after a handful of hours due to a glitch I can’t really comment on as I did not experience it myself and got through the Fantasy Fair with no problems. The Fair didn’t end up returning until late December, but honestly, it was much easier to complete the second time around as they removed the requirement of filling requests from people and having to have been sent Look-its as well. While the game still requires other players in the sense of liking outfits and things, it’s now fully in your own hands over needing to wait from other players to essentially interact with you.

Of course, there is the slight unfair aspect that those who did finish the event before and thus, could do so again (honestly, I would’ve preferred to NOT have to redo it, but oh well), would receive a second of the one-time-only event patterns. I did use some, but not all. I’m not sure if I will, but honestly, I don’t really like the one-time only patterns. Not even just events, but the frustrating gachapon system as well. It’d be nice if once you earned them, you unlocked them and just would need to use e-points like anything else if you didn’t have a pattern. Or could use keys to permanently unlock them. Just anything over what it currently is.

Going back to Fantasy Fair 2.0, the most exhausting part of it ended up being that I constantly had to delete items for certain tasks that required liking items so I can’t say enough how thrilled I was that this update included an increase from 5,000 to 6,000. This made going through the Dramatic Fair SO MUCH more enjoyable between the requests similar to Fantasy Fair’s redux and not having to pause every 2 seconds to clear out things from my item box.

In all honesty, I didn’t care as much for anything from the Dramatic Fair. As nice as the new dress is, I prefer sleeves to gloves, though, the capelet covers it kind of nice, but it also ends up hiding the necklace which is really pretty. I would say the crown is my favorite thing from this Fair.

There was a nice furniture item too, though, I don’t know if I liked it enough to replace anything and well, the Show room is still a bit too small… The wallpaper and flooring are kind of pretty, but I prefer pinker. I may consider the floor though.

The balcony and pillars of the wallpaper are neat, but I don’t care much for the empty frame walls.

My main goal in general has been still working on leveling up characters. At this point, I have 133/200 at the maximum level needed to have all an NPC’s unlocks. That said, I actually only have 12 patterns and 12 photo poses left– everything else is physical related (IE: Hair color, eye color, skin color, make-up, or lip color) which I don’t plan to change at all since nobody has a decent ponytail. I still want to unlock everything because that’s just how I am, but I’ll be happy when I at least get patterns done.

Getting Orihime’s dress is probably the thing I want most which I should hopefully be able to unlock after running into her 2-3 more times? There may be some other stuff, but that’s the only unlock I’m sure of when it comes to the 12 patterns I’m still missing. I’m sure I may be missing some gachapon patterns too, but the rates are still absolutely atrocious. Recently, I’ve been trying to get the Heart-shaped sunglasses from the FUN Cocoon’s Gachapon machine, but even after 700+ tickets just from when I started going for this (likely well over 1,000 since I started playing as it was the machine I’ve pulled the most from), I’ve yet to get it even once. It’s not even a “super rare”, it’s just a normal rare/not a common and I have no idea why the rates are such garbage.

I hope that’s something that will also be updated in the future. Despite my complaints though, honestly, having that Item Box increase has made the game so much more enjoyable for me again. I’m hoping that since I’m trying to only grab items I really like, I won’t hit it as quickly this time. I do feel bad not liking as often anymore though.

Similarly, I’m so happy we finally have color filters. While I’m still kind of baffled about how they work (some items do overlap in colors and there’s no pink), it is still a huge help over all so I’m thrilled to have it. I hope we’ll continue to see more quality of life improvements. I also will always hope for more inventory space and a bigger Showroom.

Anyway, with that out of the way, it’s time for the “Random Showcase of some of the outfits I’ve received from other Players” section. Thank you to those who sent Lookits!



Besides that, here are some outfits I enjoyed making for NPCs and other players:



I’d honestly love to see more ways to use the Lookit Book such as being able to save outfits you make for others to it or being able to make outfits for it without changing your own outfit in the process.

As for the other stuff from the Event, the new borders and poses are cute, but I’m not sure I’ll actually use any. I would like to see a pink version of the gem one in the future though.



I would say the blue gemstone one and both Lunar New Year ones are my favorites of the new frames. There were some new poses as well, but I don’t know if I’ll really use any. The Mwah one’s end pose is kind of cute though.

I actually ended up getting more enjoyment out of trying a megaphone pose I hadn’t used. Look at her cute little smile.

Anyway, with everything done with the Dramatic Fair, this ended up being my current Showroom now:

And as you may have noticed, I switched out my ribbon for the crown (which is honestly more of a tiara).

I’ll likely play more later as I try to continue leveling up characters. If I make any decent progress, I’ll update this post, otherwise, I probably won’t talk much about it until my next update for the game.

Edit: After over 3+ hours of playing to get her to show up just two more times, I finally unlocked Orihime’s dress:

I don’t understand why it isn’t weighted to characters who still have things to unlock. It drives me absolutely nuts. I only have 4 NPC Muses who prefer ACT left to still get unlocks from. Still 47 overall though.

Something else that also drives me nuts:

I can’t with these two.

To end this a bit more positively, some more cute outfits I was sent:

Pokemon Violet – The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Epilogue

Before I get to talking about the actual story and ignoring that said story had nothing to actually do with Area Zero which makes this a bit weird to consider it an epilogue of sorts to the DLC, I really hate when games do this. Where they literally have everything ready to go, but wait for some random frame of time for people to actually be able to access it through some download or event or something.

I don’t really mind like… Holiday stuff with games like Animal Crossing and other games that take real time into effect– that’s fine, but Pokemon has done things like this before where an area or small scene or short story that goes to a Legendary gets cut out unless you manage to get the special item through an Event or something and it just… really bugs me? Like I love story stuff, having it locked away like that is really annoying. And while thankfully this is just an easy downloadable from the internet for everyone, there’s still the issue of it likely not always being available and eventually, people just won’t be able to access that part of the story.

Similarly, what was the point of holding it off for a month? It’s not like there was an update or anything to add the content– We simply had to wait for them to put the item distribution up. There isn’t anything special about today. There is nothing that ties into the Nightmare Fuel of the DLC plotline that this entails. It feels nearly as random as Ghostwriter’s finale.

That said, I did enjoy the DLC when it wasn’t terrifying me. I really liked everyone hanging out together. More than anything though, it made me wish we could’ve had the friend group the entire DLC over introducing 3 characters we never saw again and putting all the focus on two new ones. I feel like maybe that could’ve integrated better. ALSO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GAME, LET ME BE AN INTROVERT AND RELATE. STOP FORCING ME TO BE AN EXTROVERT.

With that said, let’s get to talking about the Epilogue more in depth– as always, there will be spoilers so keep that in mind!

For whatever reason, after getting the special Pecha Berry, you need to head over to the outdoor vendor to kick off the DLC. While looking at a mysterious doll, you suddenly get a call from Arven who asks if he can visit you at your house (for some reason??). Upon turning around, the plush has now disappeared.

And that, along with the border literally sliming down on the title screen set the tone of what to expect with the DLC which, at least for me, was unsettling to say the least.

It would’ve been one thing if they like… wanted the DLC for Halloween or a spooky time (though, waiting 10 months for a 90-minute DLC with a few other added things would probably not go well), but nope, here it just is in January for some reason. The DLC tones vary from cute friendship vibes to nightmare fuel (at least for me, I scare easily) and it’s really weird, but it’s made one thing very clear to me: I wish Arven, Penny, and Nemona could have been part of all the DLC. Not at the expense of Carmine and Kieran, but with them. I like how they all interacted and having that for two full DLCs and an epilogue would have been a lot more fun to me than having two new characters hoisted along with three characters that will never show up again.

And I say that as someone who doesn’t really vibe with Nemona either (or more accurately, wishes she could just say no to battling please). It’s just kind of frustrating. Regardless, after the title card, it’s time to head back to our house in Paldea to meet up with Arven and well, now everyone is there because they overheard Arven and I’m still not entirely sure why he wanted to see us in the first place.

Interrupting the room discussion, we suddenly received a letter from Kieran (I’ll just ignore that they used the book template again).

You then head down to eat dessert and discuss everything as you have enough tickets for everyone, so once the day is done, you decide to meet at the school to prepare to head to Kitagami.


With everything all set, we headed off to meet Kieran who seems to be doing better. He at least doesn’t have bags under his eyes anymore.

As we head back to the community center, things get a bit weird when Carmine shows up creepily and then essentially starts doing a chicken dance while yelling Mochi.

You get her back home and learn she has been doing this since Kieran sent you the letter (In general, I have no idea how much time has passed between any moment at this point). Regardless, everyone decides to work together to try and figure out what’s going on.

In the meantime, you head back to the community center and decide to try and watch something together, but Nemona mentions having had some “free mochi samples” shortly before you all decide to try and find the remote to change the TV from its usual tour advertisement.

Alas, despite finding it, we do not actually get to do anything because Nemona has suddenly vanished. Leaving Arven and Penny behind, we head out with Kieran to take a look. Unfortunately, we are stopped by two NPCs who have also been infected with Mochi Madness. And that is more or less how the DLC continues to go.

We notice Nemona running off to the Festival area and while there, run into Kieran’s grandparents. Unfortunately, his grandmother has also been hit with the Mochi Madness and before his grandfather can tell us where Nemona went, he takes mochi from her despite all the creepiness and glowing and gets cursed as well. After battling them, we get a call from Arven and quickly head back to see if they’re okay.

And while they are when we get there, it doesn’t last long because despite noticing the suspicious Pokemon, they still decide to catch the Mochi it throws at them in their mouths?? Meanwhile, we manage to dodge… And well, I guess it hitting Kieran in the head instead of the mouth technically counts as dodging.

We follow after the suspicious Pokemon all the way to the shrine of the Evil Three. After beating Nemona, we can finally challenge it and then catch it which breaks the curse.

Everyone is happy. And then we go back home I guess.

The “Epilogue” also unlocked Kieran’s Dorm Room, lets Kieran and Carmine sometimes show up at the club room, and lets you invite the Paldea crew over to the League Club.

But what gets me is that… this feels like an awful epilogue. No questions were answered. We don’t even go to Area Zero again. The only thing this did was explain the Purple Plush Pokemon AND show Kieran was okay. That was it.

I liked the moments where everyone was hanging out together. Too bad we barely got any of them.

At the moment, my only goal is to try and get all the Pokemon you can get from everyone as I think that’s a cute touch. I hope I have enough BP to do so though because I’m already tired of grinding it. I’d still like to upgrade/get everything for the Club Room, but we’ll see what happens. If I do manage to get all the trade Pokemon, I’ll update this post.

Edit: As promised, an update! I did manage to get all trades done and even unlocked all the Clubroom stuff too. If I do anything else, it’ll just be to try and do Group BPs to unlock the rest of the snacks. Still not sure if I will catch any of them yet though… Maybe if I somehow get like 40 Master Balls.

Most Anticipated Games for 2024

I had gotten a few requests to make one for my personal list of games I’m looking forward to, along with that clearly winning the poll I made on Twitter, so that’s essentially what this is. Any game on this list has been confirmed to be releasing in 2024, at least at the time of writing this (as delays do happen). I do want to point out, in case anyone missed it, that while I am very much looking forward to the new Professor Layton game, that has been pushed back to 2025 and thus, will not be on this list. I just want to make sure nobody thinks I forgot it– it’s just that it won’t be out in 2024. Similarly, if a game is currently in Early Access, it’ll likely not be on this list– it doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to the full release, but I’ll mainly be only including games that have not come out at all and/or have only had demos even if they may be releasing in early access first.

This list is going to be in upcoming release order to the best of my abilities (many are still TBA 2024 or Q# 2024), but there’s no order beyond that.

  • Garlic Builder – When I first saw this game, I was wondering if it’d be kind of like Pushmo, but it’s honestly a lot more relaxing, even if time and resource managements aren’t really my forte. I still had a great time with the Demo though despite my struggles with those things which says a lot for me. (Current release date is scheduled for January 15th)
  • Boxes: Lost Fragments – Honestly, having wanted a game that is just a bunch of Puzzle Boxes to solve, this absolutely scratched that itch. The Demo came out right when I had been talking about wanting such a thing and it only made me more excited for the game’s release. (Current release date is scheduled for February 1st, 2024)
  • Open Roads – I feel like it’s been so long since I first heard about the game and I’ve been excited with each new bit of footage to release. A road trip as you learn about family secrets and dig into mysteries– obviously, this captured my attention immediately. (Current release date is scheduled for February 22nd, 2024)
  • Princess Peach: Showtime! – Princess Peach is probably my favorite Mario character overall and the game just… genuinely looks great? I’m really excited about it, especially the Patisserie and Detective Costumes. It’s one of the upcoming Nintendo games I’m most looking forward to at the moment. (Current release date is scheduled for March 22nd, 2024)
  • Spirit City: Lofi Sessions – Taking the Cozy Room genre a step further by adding adorable creatures you can find and befriend by doing certain things and adjusting certain settings in the room. You even can customize your character! There are only a few creatures in the Demo, but I am already very excited for the full game. (Current release date is scheduled for April 8th, 2024)
  • Botany Manor – I would be lying if I said I was much of a plant person, but I am very much a puzzle person and I just love the entire aesthetic of the game. I had a lot of fun playing through the Demo as well. (Current release date is scheduled for April 9th, 2024)
  • Endless Ocean Luminous – A game I did not expect to get another installment of, but am very happy to see. I have very fond memories of the game (despite shark attacks and keeping track of my oxygen always making me nervous) for a lot of reasons. Being able to play with friends is also really exciting too. (Current release date is scheduled for May 2nd, 2024)
  • A Tower Full of Cats – The date has been going back and forth on this one and with some other games coming out from DevCats, I’m wondering if it’ll be pushed back to later in the year? I guess we’ll have to see. Either way, all of their games have been a lot of fun and I enjoyed the demo too. Edit: It finally got a release date for May!! (Current release date is scheduled for May 20th, 2024)
  • Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – Every detective game that has an animal as the starring role is good. I will accept no arguments at this time. In all seriousness though, the game looks great and gives me the same kind of vibes the Frog Detective series did. Really excited to see more of it and play it for myself once it releases. Edit: A demo has released, and I am even more excited to play more of it after playing through. (Current release date is scheduled for May 23rd, 2024)
  • Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends – I’ve been waiting for this game for years! It’s so exciting to finally see it getting a release date. Still super excited for it. (Current release date is scheduled for June 4th, 2024)
  • Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge – When I first wrote this, the game didn’t have any estimated date yet, but was recently announced for mid-2024 and a demo released as well! I’ve been excited for this game since its first trailer. The art style is adorable and if you like Neko Atsume and Frogs, this is a game I’d recommend looking into– it’s certainly more complicated with a lot more features, but I still had a lot of fun as I went through the demo. Alas, the data does not carry over so… my poor frogs… (Current release date is scheduled for June 8th, 2024)
  • Times & Galaxy – I didn’t know what to expect when I played the Demo, but you’re essentially a cute little Robot (that you get to customize!) who does some detectiving to be a good journalist and the story changes as you go. What’s not to like?(Current release date is scheduled for June 21st, 2024)
  • SPY X ANYA: OPERATION MEMORIES – While I like Anime, I’ve always been incredibly picky with it compared to most others. Spy x Family, however, has been one I’ve really been enjoying and may be my favorite “more recent” anime in a long while, so it’s hard not to look forward to this game. It just genuinely looks great and I’m excited to hear more on it. I really hope the official Dub will do the English version too. (Current release date is scheduled for June 28th, 2024)
  • Astro Bot – ASTRO BOT!!! I really loved Astro’s Playroom (though, I do need to finish it) and am thrilled to see it’ll be getting a new game later this year. (Current release date is scheduled for September 6th, 2024)
  • A Park Full of Cats (And its Haunted Ride DLC) – Honestly, I’m kind of thrown off that this will be releasing before A Tower Full of Cats which has been in development longer at this point (Edit: As of May 2024, we got an actual release date for A Tower Full of Cats and it is releasing sooner!). Despite that, I have been enjoying all of their games so I am looking forward to it regardless. (Current release date is scheduled for Q3 2024)
  • Spilled! – While Steam doesn’t currently have a date for the game, it’s listed as November 2024 on Kickstarter so I’m adding it to the list! Pretty much as soon as I played the Demo, I was just completely charmed by it. It’s genuinely just really relaxing and it’s nice to see everything slowly get cleaned and the animals returning as the waters turn back to normal. (Current release date is scheduled for November 2024)
  • Été – I had already been looking forward to the game from the get-go but fell all the more in love with it as I played the Demo. I specifically cut myself off at one day because I don’t think demo data will carry over and I can already see myself putting tons of time in, but I really can’t say enough how genuinely excited I am for the game and to get further into it. I can be a creative person, but I tend to struggle if I have too much freedom and too many options– I really enjoy the way you can work with things to create in this game. (Current Release Date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Tracks of Thought – This may be one of the games I have been looking forward to for the longest time. Not only have I played the demo, but I actually have backed it as well. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing online are just… personality quizzes. I couldn’t really say why, maybe it’s just constant curiosity, but I’ve always found them really enjoyable. So this cute game on a train where you help people and learn more? Sign me up. I’m not usually one for card-based mechanics, but this one won me over regardless. (Current Release Date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Café – This game was supposed to come out at the end of the last year, but from what I’ve heard it’s been pushed back to this year so! Despite the fact that I’m completely awful at rhythm games, the demo completely enamored me and I was genuinely sad when it ended so soon. While I’m a little concerned on how well I may do with the rhythm game elements in later recipes, I find it too charming to not at least give it my best effort. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • The Star Named EOS – Made by the same people who made Behind the Frame, I am hoping this game won’t make me cry as much and/or leave me with as many questions (even if those got eventually answered in the DLC which also made me cry). Honestly, I love narrative puzzles, I love the photography and traveling aspects of the game, and I’m already so wrapped up in the story, especially after playing the demo, that it’s hard not to be excited for its release. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Townseek – I played through the Game Jam version years ago and enjoyed the demo of the upcoming full version just as much. It’s just a cute, charming game, even if it’s a genre that usually isn’t my cup of tea. Really excited to play it this year. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Tell Me Your Story – Two things I really love: Traveling and Puzzles and this just seems like a very cute cozy game that will be combining those concepts. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • The Plucky Squire – Honestly, this game just looks like a lot of fun and the art style is so cute. While I’m not sure how well I’ll do at the combat portions, I’m looking forward to the puzzle parts at least. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Love, Ghostie – You play as a cute ghost and help match-make super cute characters!! Everything about this is super cute, but I feel like it’ll be so hard to decide who to match with who. The Demo was already super adorable and I can’t wait until the full game. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Beatieball – If you want a game that considers both the accessbility options for controls as well as difficulty, I really can’t say enough positive things about
    Wishes Unlimited Games and Greg Lobanov. Besides the fact that I really should play Wandersong at some point, this is just a really cute game, and the character designs are great. I can’t wait to see what Team I might end up having once the game releases. While I can be really picky with turn-based games, playing through the Demo ended up fully recruiting me onboard. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Townframe – A adorable puzzle game where you put together a town in a frame based off a character’s description. There’s just genuinely something so cute and charming about the graphics and just… I really love puzzles, okay? I love puzzles so much. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Cozy Room – You get to decorate a cute room, solve puzzles, and hang out with a cute Cat. What’s not to like? (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) – I adored the first Kind Words so much. I enjoyed collecting stickers, decorating my room, and responding to messages when I could. I also really enjoyed the messages I received while things have been really rough the last few years. I’m so happy to see they’re expanding the concept to such an extent and I genuinely can’t wait. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Weyrdlets – Does anyone else remember when you could have a cute little friend on your desktop that would just hang out and maybe react to things? Sure, they still exist, but they’re not around as much nowadays. Seeing this where it can merge into fun stuff in the game and also hang out on your desktop is pretty exciting. I don’t know which pet I will pick just yet, but I am hoping they will be pink. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Trash Goblin – You know I’m excited when I even play the demo twice (I heard there is another Demo update too– if the content is exclusive to the Demo, I may even play it a third time). Honestly, it’s just a cute cozy game and doesn’t feel as overly harsh as other Shopkeeper-type/Management games. That said, it can be a little hard managing to do everything I want before it gets too late… (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Inspector Waffles Early Days – I absolutely loved the original game so knowing a fun Gameboy-inspired prequel is coming out is genuinely really exciting? I didn’t know it would be on Steam initially (I played the Demo on Itch.io, but made sure to wishlist it there as well as soon as I found out. Honestly, I can’t recommend the series enough so if you think the prequel looks interesting, be sure to try out the original game too!! (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)
  • Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket – As someone who really loves collecting the cards and finds the card art super pretty, the immersion segment was probably what ended up fully selling me, but just opening two free packs a day feels like a nice pick-me-up too. I haven’t collected the cards in real life in a long time (I pick up some favorites from time to time and I do have all the Mega Audino cards, but I haven’t collected a full set since Gym Challenge), but this just feels like a fun way to still collect them in some way. (Current release date is scheduled for 2024)

And that makes up the list! It’s possible I missed some (I couldn’t always find information about a game’s release date) so I may add to this if I see some other games I’m looking forward to (such as Forever Ago, Fishbowl, Tiny Bookshop, Momento, and Restitched) end up also announced for this year, but for now, hopefully this is a look into what I’m most excited for!

Games That Were Pushed back

These are games I’m excited for that were initially said to be 2024 only to end up being pushed back to 2025 or later.

  • FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time – If it wasn’t already clear from me completing the first game, I really adore Fantasy Life. The mobile version was not really for me, so I am excited to see it return to console. While I am a little nervous about the Farming job (as I just… am so tired of farming in games and was never much a fan of it in the first place), the game managed to make me have fun even with game modes and jobs I wasn’t particularly into so I’m hoping however it’s done, I’ll be able to still bear it. It’ll also be nice to have a game where I can play with friends too! …Assuming any of my friends play… Hopefully. (Current release date is scheduled for October 10th, 2024)

Disney Dreamlight Valley – Finishing Goals before the New Year

While I’ve finished all the story stuff, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a lot of other things I hoped to check off my list (or in some cases, continue to hope). One of the things I’ve been working really hard on is decorating some of the other houses I have set up around the Valley since realizing they COULD be decorated and didn’t all just… turn into your house.

I started off with Eric’s Ship.


I also ended up adding a few more things to the Captain’s Room, though, I think the Boat could really use the Grand Doors. I haven’t had much luck in getting new doors :/

With his ship all set, I worked on the house in Frosted Heights next:


At this point, I took a break to work on various other things like adding certain new stuff outside.

I’ve also been continuing with the DreamSnaps stuff, but honestly, it’s been kind of getting frustrating due to a combination of lack of inspiration, but just being pinged about “Tool of Magic” stuff when it’s like… in a lower biome or behind a cliff and not in view at all and having to take a picture from an angle that genuinely isn’t as nice.

That’s why that last photo, despite being outfit oriented, ended up just being a smaller picture instead. I did really like the outfit though.

Besides the Christmas Train shown above (which was also bigger than I expected), I have been getting some Premium Shop stuff occasionally. The wings are a bit too translucent, but I really like the Deer.

I’ve also been continuing to add new stuff as I unlock and find more things. I’m unfortunately still one Fragment item short which is frustrating– I have no idea how they show up or work exactly (it seems different per player), but I have yet to see the Lute Parts or whatever it is, and I’m frustrated as I would’ve liked to have finished it before the end of the year. Here’s hoping they show up soon.


I also finally got one of the Shower Stalls in a nicer color, but still really hoping I eventually get the pink one.

While I didn’t manage my fragment goal, I at least did get all the new Critters.


I’m still completely undecided what I may move to Eternity Isle or not. Maybe I’ll figure it out eventually.

Moving on, there was also presents under the Christmas Tree in the Castle again which was nice. The new item this year was this mask– it’s not really my thing, but it is pretty:

And I ended up getting one more house decorated– the Haunted Mansion in Forgotten Lands. I kind of want to add more goofy Halloween-y and Autumn stuff in the left room, but it’s just kind of lacking a bit right now. I also realized I forgot the Purple Trick or Treat bucket so I’ll have to add that later. I had wanted to use the Old Fireplace here, but apparently they made it so you can’t buy more for some reason so that kind of stinks.


Thinking about it, there’s a few other items I may want to try and add… I need to get more stuff from Scrooge though.

I still have no ideas at all for the two more garden-y houses I have in the Glade of Trust which I guess fits as I have no inspiration at all for the Glade of Trust. Maybe I’ll get some eventually or could do some plant focused rooms for one of them?? It’d feel boring to do that kind of thing for both. Hopefully I can come up with some ideas eventually.

Building a LEGO Set: Amy’s Animal Rescue Island

Today on talking about one of my interests that rarely gets talked about: I really like LEGO. I had a few sets as a kid and always liked making up stories and connecting the sets together no matter how different they were. While I had initially considered doing a video, we still don’t really have things set up for longer unboxing-type videos or more detail focused stuff plus our camera is still missing (I’m hoping we’ll find it whenever we finally manage to actually get unpacked), so I decided a blog post would work instead– besides, I don’t really get to talk about my other hobbies as much as I’d like just yet (also partially due to the whole unpacking situation and other issues).

Plus, writing a blog post lets me talk a little more about my interests beyond just seeing me put it together with my husband (or well, seeing our hands– you wouldn’t really see us).

I never had many sets as my family has never been in the best financial situation and as I grew older, that kind of turned into no sets at all really (at best, just maybe the occasional super tiny $15 or less sets) as the prices went up and they became even less affordable for me. And thus, despite not really being able to necessarily buy any, I still would look at them longingly from afar (or my internet browser).

This has been especially taunting between some beautiful new castle sets, but also various gaming-themed sets such as the Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block. Super Mario 64 is a very special game to me and one of my all-time favorite Mario games so it’s not really a surprise that I’d want that set.

In that same vein, the Sonic Adventure series is very special to me, being the game that really got me into Sonic (even though I’d played earlier Sonic games prior to them), but also being the game that led to me meeting my husband as I stumbled upon a forum while looking up Chao Garden information online. Speaking of which, Chao Garden set when? (And hoping I could even afford it…)

Anyway, all that said and with the extra bonus that Amy Rose is my favorite Sonic character, I was really excited to receive Amy’s Animal Rescue Island as a Christmas gift this year. It was the Sonic set I most wanted honestly, probably for obvious reasons if you know me or are familiar enough with my content.

The set consisted of four bags and an instruction booklet.

One really cute detail was the instruction booklet featured Amy running along to show you how close you were to finishing:

The very first thing we got to build was Amy herself. My husband took care of making her hammer.

Next up was Crabmeat which honestly feels a little out of place in the set, but they were made nonetheless.

And that was more or less it for Bag 1. Bag 2 featured Tails and his hoverboard (which I don’t think I actually managed to get a full picture of). To be honest, while I like Tails, I am surprised he is part of this set over like… Cream.

The main part of Bag 2 though was the actual start of Amy’s Animal Rescue Island with a hidden Chaos Emerald as well. I really love the interactive details in the set.

Bag 3 was essentially the other side of the Island.

And Bag 4 was the rest of the top part and decorations.

There’s honestly a lot of details even in the back as well, but I just love how it came out even if it was a bit smaller than I expected. With the Island done though, it was time to add everyone else in:

Hopefully I’ll have more opportunities in the future to build more LEGO Sets~ And I hope we’ll continue to see more neat Sonic sets too.

Pokemon Violet – The Indigo Disk DLC

So, the final DLC released for Pokemon Violet on Tuesday Evening (at least in my timezone) and I’ve more or less been playing it since. At the time of writing this, I’ve finished the main story and mostly finished my dex (I’m just needing the two Scarlet exclusives– hopefully will get those by the time I finish this post) so it feels like a good time to talk about my thoughts.

Which, honestly, are kind of complicated especially as most of this DLC’s story is used to tie up the cliffhanger from the last DLC and as someone who didn’t form much of an attachment to Carmine or Kieran on top of my general displeasure with battling, that… wasn’t particularly engaging for me.

Carmine’s initial rudeness at the start didn’t work well for me, regardless of her development later, and while I empathize with Kieran’s feelings (it sucks to feel left out and have something you really cared about and supported only to essentially have all the focus put on someone else), I don’t like how the character arc was done. I disliked the position the game put us in, I disliked not being able to say more on why we couldn’t say anything (which made Kieran think we couldn’t trust him in the first place when it was due to a matter of concern), and it ended up making me frustrated that we had to go down this character arc in the first place.

Like have Carmine’s change of heart feel more natural and have better ways to interact with the situation with Kieran without it going full drama into this DLC to finish it. I just hate how everything was handled so much.

My general ambivalence with Carmine is similar to Nemona, but at least Nemona didn’t suddenly change her attitude halfway through super quickly. And so we’re in this plot where we’re forced to join a club I could care less about (and saying no in any of these is just “oh, you’re just being modest!! Of course you want to!!” why give me a no if you won’t take my answer seriously) in order to once again beat Kieran after going through the Elite Four here so he’ll stop feeling mopey? I honestly don’t even understand how this helps. I would guess the idea is showing him that acting like a little punk doesn’t necessarily make you stronger or something.

What really gets me too is so little was actually about the “Treasure of Area Zero”– a majority of the new DLC is spent dealing with Kieran, the League Club, and fighting the Blueberry Academy’s Elite Four. Only after that do you get to the Area Zero part which is fairly short and just, I don’t think Kieran’s and Carmine’s character drama added to any of it. You still could’ve had them added without the extra drama and cliffhanger-ness which I think is part of what soured everything for me.

I would say of the DLC characters, Lacey and Drayton were my favorites (even if Drayton’s trial was infuriating). I found them more interesting than Carmine and Kieran and would’ve liked to spend more time with them.

But ignoring my issues with the characters, I think some of the biggest let-downs for me is every single thing I was excited for just… ended up not being that great. And the BP grinding I was concerned about is essentially as bad as I expected.

I genuinely wish I had more positive things to say. The terrarium idea is kind of cool I guess even if I have mixed feelings on the execution (I’ll talk more about that later). I liked that the photos were still here. I’m glad we can finally actually fly considering how stupid it is the glide just kind of dives off after a while??

One final complaint I have before talking about my general DLC journey (where I’m sure I’ll still have some complaints, just more interspersed) is I’m still so angry about the lack of actual outfit customization. What really gets me is just how horribly done the additional accessories/non-main clothing options are? Having to go back to Paldea and check each shop for things per town with these stores is honestly kind of ridiculous. Why not just have a new store at the new place that has everything?? I ended up getting some new stuff I missed from the first DLC because I didn’t think that on top of making me go back to Paldea to check the stores, they’d actually make me do so in every single town :| I ended up grabbing a new bag and tights.

Honestly, the Blueberry Uniform Autumn top is actually really cute. If I could just wear it with a pink skirt OR ANY SKIRT REALLY and maybe there was a cardigan option or something because other characters get to wear actually coats and other accessories over their uniform, I may have even used it, but nope!

And of course, Pokemon still can’t be bothered to do a wavy/curly ponytail since X/Y even though they literally have pigtails done that way and it’d be so easy to make a ponytail version -_-

Anyway, things kick off with a call from Clavell. We ended up being specified by name for a special exchange program to Blueberry Academy by Cyrano, an old friend of Clavell’s and head of Blueberry Academy.

With things all good to go, we make our way to the Academy and meet Lacey who ends up taking over the tour.

After making a pitstop to check out new clothes and pray for a better hairstyle which unfortunately didn’t happen, I returned back to Blueberry Academy to finally head to the Terrarium. In here ended up being Perrin. I’m sad I didn’t have the Growlithe she gave us in the party as apparently she had some special dialogue if you did.

Lacey, meanwhile, had invited us to join a class in the Coastal area. We had to find an Alolan Pokemon and honestly, I was really looking forward to more classes and life as an exchange student.

Unfortunately, this is the only class we actually get to do. Shortly after this, we’re called over by Carmine, but before we get to that, some other things that happened:
-We unlocked BPs which are essentially various little side quests that require you to do things in the Terrarium from taking pictures, doing auto battles, catching Pokemon, picking up items, etc. BP is used for a lot of things in the DLC such as nearly everything you can do with the Club Room and Blueberry’s Academy shop and cafeteria. It is a grind and you will need like… 20K+ total and when most of the little quests give you like… 20-30 on average, it’s just an infuriatingly long grind.
-We unlocked the Pokemon syncing which I never actually bothered using again.
-Also some thing with Black Tera Raid crystals (not be confused with Dark Tera Type Crystals) that are apparently super hard I guess.

I did end up doing one Black Crystal raid because it had a Pokemon I needed to catch for the Blueberry Academy dex and Home wasn’t up yet, but I didn’t really get much beyond a thank you for the data and how more could show up.

It was then off to meet with Carmine who we had to battle with and then Drayton showed up to invite us to the League Club.

In the Clubroom, we learn about the PC which is where we can customize the room and learn the new Pokeball poses (which of course you can’t preview first).

Another annoying thing is you both have to pay BP to unlock these new things, but also use BP again to change them in the first place. At least changing your Pokeball pose is just 10BP, but changing the Clubroom Layout is 300BP so nearly as much as you had to spend to unlock layouts in the first place.

Thankfully, the theme I wanted was in the first sets you unlock and it’s so pretty.


Which makes it all the more infuriating that my Dorm room, which I can once again not decorate at all, just looks like this. They threw some blue paint over our old dorm room and called it a day.

As much as I do like the Fancy theme, I did expect to be able to customize more parts individually so it was kind of surprising that it just coated everything into the theme and that was it so I’m glad I like pretty much all of it.

Anyway, it was then time for our date hangout trap with Drayton where he had a plan to have Kieran see us and convince them to let us battle against the Blueberry Academy Elite Four.

I decided to go in Counter Clockwise order as it was essentially how I planned to visit the different biomes in the first place so first up was Crispin’s. His trial required getting ingredients from the trainers to make a super spicy sandwich. I kind of wish there was more variety besides battling, trading ingredients, and one oddly done quiz question. Honestly, I just wanted less battles. Once the sandwich was done, it was time for the battle.

At least there’s still the cute commemoration pictures.

Next up was Lacey’s trial which was a Pokemon quiz and easily the best one.


I wish my Pokemon could’ve been in the picture too though :(

Drayton’s was the next trial which was the worst one. I had to make a team solely of Pokemon caught by myself in the Terrarium… I was not fun. We made it through, but I’m not happy about it. I hate when I can’t do something with my usual team.

The final trial was Amaris’ which had us needing to complete her flight trial which was… different, but fun, at least until I had to go through all the other time trial courses which were not as fun.


With the Elite Four beaten, it was time for the Champion battle.

It went better than expected. I honestly found it easier than some of the Elite Four battles.

It was then time to meet up with Briar finally to actually finish up the story beat left off from the last DLC that actually connected with the main game’s story. This would have us going back down to Area Zero to find Terapogos.

Unfortunately, Drayton declines, so we end up just going with Carmine and Kieran (plus Ms. Briar, obviously). Geeta and Rika are also here briefly and to scold us a bit for having gone down dangerously during the main storyline, but their appearance is just… so incredibly brief, I’m surprised they showed up at all.

We were then off to Area Zero.

With the Indigo Disk, we were able to go to a new area which let us get further down into Area Zero to the Underdepths where Terapogos sleeps.

The general puzzle aspect was that you needed to find a Terastalized Pokemon in order to remove a crystal barrier. The area itself is quite pretty.

Kieran ends up trying to pry poor Terapogos out with Briar’s encouragement and when it starts crawling towards us, throws a master ball at it because he refuses to lose another Legendary to us.

After winning against him once more, things go horribly wrong when he terastalizes Terapogos which causes it go out of control and destroy Kieran’s master ball. With the power of teamwork, we’re able to control it once more and also catch it ourselves. Sorry, Kieran.

We then head back and Kieran apologizes and asks if we can still be friends. Unfortunately, we don’t actually get to apologize ourselves or talk about why we lied to him in the first place or anything because who knows why and I hate this stupid plot.

Also, this story part is so short?? So much was spent on the Club and Elite Four that any of the actual Blueberry Academy Class stuff and Area Zero stuff was so short and shoved to the side which really sucked. The DLC part is literally called The Indigo Disk and the entire thing is “The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero”, but it was over and done with so quickly and the Indigo Disk was there for like two minutes just to unlock something and that was it.

At least we got this cute photo thing at the end of the credits I guess?? Not that we get to see these cute photos anywhere in our forever undecorated rooms.

Supposedly there will be one final story continuation that adds the last legendary and stuff and maybe we’ll get more of a proper ending there, but even if that is the case, there is no excuse for it not being part of this with how empty it felt.

With that done though, there were various neat Post game things such as Miraidon now being able to fly whenever which is great because the hover is super disappointing.

We could also invite characters to the Club Room now for BP, but it requires multiple invites before you can get their Pokemon trade offer which is about the only thing I cared about :/ So I don’t know if I’ll bother.

There’s multiple other Flight Trials as I mentioned earlier. Most of them weren’t too bad, but the final one is just awful partially because turning is so wide and it’s so easy to get stuck in the cave. I ended up diverging from the path a bit as I built up enough extra time and that was what finally let me finish the last difficulty.

I then met back up with Perrin as I hoped maybe now that I had hit 200 in my Dex, she’d comment on Growlithe. She didn’t, but she did mention about the two new legendaries in Area Zero because clearly I wanted to go there yet again :| I hate Area Zero. I hate that there aren’t more pit stops to navigate outside of the Lab teleports. It’s just annoying. Speaking of Legendaries though, we also had Snacksworth who gives you snacks to catch the various legendaries. Once again, unless there is a neat Event interaction part to it, I don’t know if I’ll bother. I’ve caught all the Legendaries so many times already and I don’t have the patience (or a proper Pokemon to use to help get their HP down without killing them) to try catching them all over without more Masterballs.

In addition to catching the new Area Zero legendaries though, I ended up having to make one more stop for a secret area in the depths. I had noticed it in my first run through during the story, but thought maybe it would unlock after getting Terapogos. It didn’t (not that I could check as we were teleported out), so I ended up having to find another Terestralized Pokemon like the other ones. Inside were tons of Tera Shards.

It was then I noticed that Giacomo and Eri, some of the Team Star characters, were on the navigation back in Paldea and it took me way too long to find them because they were out of their usual Team Star outfits. Eri looks like she could be my character’s older sister. Also really makes me wish we had more physical customization too.

Essentially, they asked for our help to tutor the rest of Team Star so they can pass our classes. It was… really odd seeing them all dressed in regular uniforms.

Despite being younger and newer to the school than everyone else, it thankfully worked out.

The next odd surprise was after getting a copy of Briar’s book. Heading back to the Crystal Pool with Terapogos caused us to cross space and time to talk to the real Professor Turo.

After more discussion, we ended up exchanging books. I kind of wish I could’ve gotten another another copy of Briar’s book too though.


With that done, I was finally able to complete my Pokedex after finding someone to trade for the new Scarlet Area Zero legendaries. I hate exclusives so much. Completing the exclusives gets you the mark charm. I didn’t mention it, but personally I think the Catch Charm from Drayton is the best charm.

Clavell then showed up to give us our diploma.

And with that, my card is complete… Or well, mostly.

I still had a few Sandwich recipes to finish. And also suffered through Olive rolling in my journey to get all the Table cloths to get all the chairs to get Herba Mystica even after I just did raids for some.

But now everything is done. At least until that final little story update with the last Mythical is out.

Disney Dreamlight Valley – Talking about my Playthrough/Thoughts of the Expansion and recent update

While the Expansion has been getting the most discussion, it’s not the only thing in this update. We have Jack Skellington, possibly some new regular quest stuff, and even Multiplayer is finally here with the game’s full release. Hopefully this means we’ll see some of the Community items we’re still missing soon as well.

If you just want my general review on the Expansion/DLC, you can click here for my thoughts and on if I feel it’s worth it passed all the gamebloggy stuff. Otherwise, continue to read below!

As per usual, some quick things before we get to the update stuff. For one, I finally managed to get one of the Lifeguard chairs which was nice:

I also have gotten more inspiration on decorating those other houses, but I do want to see more of what gets unlocked in this update first before doing anything so with that said… Let’s get to it! This post was written over the course of about a week.

I think the hard part is deciding what to do first. Seeing what’s new outside the Expansion or rushing right over to the Expansion stuff. As per usual, I have literally no plan and will just be trying to do everything even if the order is a complete mess.

In the end though, Steam made my choice for me– the update was out, but the DLC was not. I know it was available on Switch and some other systems, but as I primarily play on Steam, that’s where I decided to start.

Of course, right as I got to starting, the Expansion did show up and I ended up having it start as I booted up the game regardless. I decided to still focus on the non-Expansion stuff first as planned which honestly turned out for the best because wow is the Expansion overwhelming, but we’ll get more into that in a bit.

While talking to Merlin due to the Expansion cutscene starting, I noticed something suspicious behind him near the bench.

Turns out, it’s a Matryoshka and is used to unlock Jack. You need to find all four sizes– a tiny, a small, a medium, and a big.

Before going Matryoshka hunting though, I wanted to stop by the mailbox first where there were quite a bit of rewards waiting.


With that done, while doing my Matryoshka search, I ended up setting up the thing for multiplayer. I’m not sure when I’ll check out multiplayer, but at least it’s all set up now.

Anyway, as you gave the Matryoshka to the tree, the tree would become more decorated until it opened up.


Jack then moved in and I ended up placing his house near the tree. The inside was nice.

I then got to work on Jack’s friendship quests. Getting this throne photo to tick was a pain and this photo isn’t even particularly good.

Also, obligatory new pets pictures and yes, I did immediately get the new Star Path pet because of course I did.

I also placed my favorite item from Jack’s friendship quest and one of the new items from the Premium Shop.

As for a more temporary thing, I like the banner, but I don’t think I’ll permanently keep things set up like this… I’m not sure where else to put the banner just yet though.

Also, these were genuinely adorable and I was really sad we had to destroy them over picking them up and keeping them…

Before finally going to the Expansion, I placed the other item that came with the cute Polar Bear over in Frosted Heights (as despite being called miniature, it’s still pretty big):

With everything new done besides Star Path stuff, it was time to continue forward to the Expansion area. And looking at the whole doorway area, clearly a lot more is planned…

It was then time to sail forward and we finally made it to Eternity Isle.

I genuinely love it so much. It’s so pretty, there’s so many waterfalls, I really like the crystals… Really, the only place that isn’t super my thing is the Desert area which considering my love of water fixtures, that’s not surprising.

There is a sandfall at least.

I decided to focus on the story before Friendship Quests as I figured they would require getting more areas unlocked. We ended up meeting EVE first and after some trial and error, we finally unlocked the new tool.

Next up, I ran into Rapunzel, but I also just want to show more pictures from around the area as it really is super pretty.


Eternity Isle is honestly huge– nearly as big as the Valley and feels like it has as much to do as the game did at the start and we know there will be at least two more updates coming for it.

While helping out Rapunzel, I also met Gaston. I did end up finishing Rapunzel’s part of the story first though.

And I was fairly excited about this new crafting item… But it was also bigger than I expected.

Anyway, with Rapunzel’s side done, it was time to continue working on Gaston’s and well…

With the Cave of Wonders revealed, it was time to go in. I LOVED the puzzle aspects of this so much but was upset I didn’t manage to get the tools upgraded again before doing it. I wish I realized chests would be trapped behind them. Obviously, I went back to get them later after I did, but I’ll explain more about this in the next section.

With that done, it was time to finally meet Jafar. I didn’t expect him to actually note that I didn’t need any hints for the puzzle and that’s kind of why I wish I got the upgrades before doing this.

I don’t know if it would have mattered, but each chest was a Pile of Gold of various sizes and Gaston had asked for gold and you say you didn’t find any, but I wonder if I was able to get those chests ahead of time if there would’ve been different dialogue like how Jafar has different dialogue about how you did on the puzzles and I just feel bad about it. I wish I could’ve had something to give it after…

Anyway, Jafar tried to take the tool from us, but failed and poofed away. There is an odd bug where you’ll occasionally see his sprite on the map, but he isn’t actually around. I’m guessing we won’t actually be able to have him as a character until one of the next updates for the expansion. Regardless, this is where the Expansion story ends for the moment.

With that done, it was time for working on friendship quests so I started with Rapunzel’s first because I adore her. I also crafted more water fixture-esque items. Honestly though, this bracelet is super pretty and I kind of wish it was an actual item we could have.

Rapunzel’s quests were really sweet and I relate to her a lot (I would say in general, my personality is a cross between her and Belle).

I still don’t think her or EVE should’ve been tied to an Expansion considering, but I’m happy she’s finally here. In general though, I wish they’d stop introducing just part of a duo or group.

Gaston without Lefou is pretty depressing, especially after playing through his quests. Rapunzel clearly misses Flynn/Eugene and I really hoped we’d at least have Pascal here, but no… Vanellope without Ralph, Kristoff still doesn’t have Sven, Stitch is missing Lilo, etc. They keep bringing them up and it just makes me really sad.

Anyway, Rapunzel’s questline ended with her hosting a painting class. I didn’t expect for us to also get to make our own painting. It reminded me of how I used to make these crazy pictures on KidPix deluxe when I was in Elementary school where I’d use hundreds of Stamps to make these giant pictures.

Rapunzel’s dress ended up being the final reward and I do love it a lot.

Also just more pictures from around the sights:


At this point, I remembered I hadn’t done my Dreamsnap entry yet so I finally took care of that. Blue isn’t usually my color, but I think it came out nice.

Of course, one of the last Star Path quests I got was to enter the Dreamsnaps competition which is… frustrating. Obviously, I’ll enter in two days as I don’t want to submit over my current entry, but I’m just kind of frustrated. I don’t like being walled, I don’t like how much longer and more involved some of the tasks are now, and there is even less of a reason for it to even be here now that the game’s free to play is currently not in the cards anytime soon.

In general, I hate only being able to see 6 (or 3 if you don’t upgrade) tasks at a time. Similarly, I still hate how the Premium Shop updates and again, with the changes, I dislike the FOMO Rotation set-up all the more.

With quests mostly done (I was stuck waiting until tomorrow to continue EVE’s and Gaston’s friendship quests), I decided to do some decorating and new rooms. First, I added some piles of gold to the Discovery Room on the 3rd Floor and switched out the Fireplace in my bedroom on the first.

I then decided to start some work on decorating the 4th floor. First, I have a bit of a Cozy Display Room where I wanted to put the Scramblecoin and other neat things. I then also made a fancy dining room to display more of the various food items in the game.

Meanwhile, back in the Valley, I made some room to place the new crafting table, added the neat Water arch thing, and also set up the Hot Tub near the pool though I may still adjust that last one…

Finally, I was able to continue with Friendship quests so I started with EVE’s first and this moment is really sweet, but again, really feels like it shouldn’t be behind a paywall.

EVE’s quest ended with Fireworks.

And even Gaston’s ending was pretty interesting where you had to decide for Stitch or Olaf to be his new “sidekick” which… I can’t believe they had us choose. I ended up picking Olaf because I think the positivity would do him some good and I also find it funny that Olaf’s voice actor is the same person who played LeFou in the Live Action show.

It was then time for the organization process. As an aside, the Glimmer item is super pretty when placed down.

I ended up switching out stuff in my character’s bedroom to try and just display some of my favorites.

I then ended up adding more to the dining room and moving most of the stuff I took out, along with various other things, to a new room on the 4th floor to essentially work like a ‘Museum’.

While I ended up using Floor 19 for most of the new items (and I guess I’ll turn it essentially into an Expansion Storage), I was able to fit the new flowers in the Flower Room on the 20th floor.

Going to the Star Path, I picked up the new dress and just… really wish there were other color versions (though, maybe also a bit of a higher collar). In general, I want a light pink version of a ballgown dress– we’ve only really had two dresses so far with the hands folded pose and I really want more in different colors– both of the current ones are grey-ish.

I also ended up getting Belle’s and Ariel’s Winter Outfits which I really loved. I don’t think I’ll ever end up changing these unless Belle gets a hood down version.

I also got the ice skating rink which was the final Star Path reward I really wanted. It’s disappointing it can’t actually be interacted with beyond sitting on the bench, but I’m not surprised.

Something that will be mentioned often in this entry is I constantly kept making additions and adjustments to the new rooms in the house. There’s just so many things and the gifts honestly look pretty nice.

What I didn’t expect was the Robot you could craft was actually a Critter you can wear! They’re so cute.

And, of course, with at least one of each new pet unlocked: the new poses. I honestly find the Capybara one kind of disappointing though. I think the pointing is just kind of silly, but the petting cute at least.


As mentioned, I did a lot of various re-arranging of things as I went and unlocked more:




I also made the Sandfall after FINALLY managing to get Scales (you fish outside of the bubble spots). It’s… a lot bigger than I expected and doesn’t really work in the more lush areas, but I’m leaving it there for now.

I’ve been super indecisive on what I want to move to the new biomes and what I want to keep in the Valley. I REALLY love all the Waterfalls and stuff and it kind of makes me want to set up a bunch of stuff and do a huge makeover in the Eternity Isles, but I also spent so much time setting things up in the Valley.

If you place someone in one area, they are removed from the other though so I’d have to re-adjust certain things if I do. Maybe I’ll just move over my most favorite characters, but it’s just… really hard to make up my mind. I’d have to move a lot of stuff too and some stuff can’t be adjusted at all in Eternity Isle. Despite that, I did know one house I had to move to the Valley– EVE’s so she and WALL-E could finally be reunited. I ended up using the space I had the Alien Party area that I didn’t really care for.

I did end up using some of the stuff to make a nice picnic area near WALL-E’s garden and the Waterfall though.

Finally, I ended up placing the new houses I got plus some stuff I newly crafted over by Vanellope’s.

Of course, I think the one thing a lot of people are wondering is what I think of the Expansion overall and if I find it worth it. The short version is, yes, I do think it’s worth it. You get pretty much as much content as the base game had (just less characters, but considering more updates are confirmed for the expansion, it could still end up pretty close). The biomes are honestly really huge, each kind of divided into sub-sections, there’s over 100+ new recipes, and it definitely feels like $30 worth of content, especially considering it’s not even ALL the content this expansion is supposed to have yet.

On the downsides, we still have various premium microtransaction features despite the game no longer planned for Free to Play anytime soon, if ever. I’ve had certain bugs I would run into occasionally prior to these release MUCH more often and in some situations, worse. I haven’t had this much soft-locking in ages and I had to reset the game 3-4 times just doing the main quest.

And there’s still the fact that some things in here were advertised prior. Obviously, these things have nothing to do with the content itself and I do think the game content is really interesting and the new biomes are beautiful.

I can’t comment on multiplayer because I still haven’t had the chance to personally experience it, but I will say I am disappointed to hear how many items can’t actually be given to friends along with the lack of any way to purchase through their catalog which would’ve been a really nice feature :/

Finally, the new tool, the Royal Hourglass. It’s… fine. Most things you turn back time on are solely through the story quest thus far, so it isn’t really used for any kind of treasure finding that way.

Besides removing certain obstacles, the big feature is that it works kind of like a metal detector and can find treasure by indicating which way to search by a glowing arch that points in the direction the treasure is in. It’s blue if you’re not close, gold if close, and a dark reddish-orange when very close. Essentially a hot and cold radar.

I would say the biggest disappoints for me with it are:

  • I was actually really excited for the treasure finding feature thinking it would lead you to one-time secret treasures like finding chests in certain Realms, but instead it’s just another grind with items respawning for you to find every so often in every single biome (and sub-biome in the case of Eternity Isle) and some items even only showing up on specific days.
  • An issue with both the Orbs you can trigger and the treasure hunting itself, it does not really take into account your surroundings at all. Multiple times I have had an issue where it’s pointed to somewhere I literally can’t get. This is a huge issue with the Orb Barrier stuff as that’s timed.
  • Finally, to get the treasure, you have to spam the interact button which is not only painful for me after a while (my entire hand and arm were killing me after playing so long doing that over and over), but frequently led to me accidentally picking up or harvesting things when I didn’t necessarily want to. Also the usual issue of sometimes talking to a Character you’re hanging out with when just trying to grab stuff.
  • Honestly, I’m already tired of the Orbs spawning even if I need stuff because I just am very particular about my organization things.
  • Actually hanging out with a Companion to get more stuff has a catch-22 attached because certain items (the gift ones) are actually weighted towards who you’re hanging out with. For example, if you’re hanging out with someone from Mickey’s and Friends, you’re mostly going to find Pink Bows.
  • Similarly, if you wanted to switch any Villagers to the new skill for the new tool, the book requires A LOT of the new ingredients as well.

In general, most of the new crafting stuff gets very expensive and unlike Dreamlight which you likely have a ton of at this point even with the addition of potions and things, some crafting recipes require a lot more Mist in addition to it being used for unlocking the various areas of each biome.

It just makes things a lot more grindy and the main way to earn mist is through the whole treasure seeking and removing rocks. I would say that’s really my only complaint. Well, that and whoever decided that Linguine with Pesto should be made with Oregano instead of Basil.

To finish this off, final Critter unlock moments that I haven’t already shown! I officially just have the Rare colors left.



Anyway, let me know if you think I should move a bunch of stuff over to Eternity Isles or stick to the Valley! Because I am… entirely indecisive.

Should I move things to Eternity Isle?

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In the meantime, I’m going to wonder just what mysteries this could hold…

Fashion Dreamer – It’s time for the Fantasy Fair! (plus some stuff before that)

The update is finally up and so my playing has begun.

Before we get to all the new stuff though, I did want to highlight a few last things– For one, I FINALLY got the eye color I’ve been using properly unlocked (It was from Fired-up Finn).

And of course, not long after I unlocked darker shades from Hasty Hassan and Downhill Derek. The latter’s is a good in-between of Hassan’s and Finn’s so it’s what I’ve ended up using.

Still not sure if there is a haircolor that fits my mascot OC though… On the bright side, I did get another of the Shoe pattern I wanted for her which is a bit closer to the shoes she wears:

I also finally managed to complete my secondary goal of meeting every NPC Muse. I finally managed to meet all 200 getting the last several on Sunday @-@ I would say my favorite NPCs are Riddle-Fan Ridley, Encouraging Eleanor, and Petless Pierce.

Finally, I wish we could have the little Droid just floating around us. It makes me sad we can’t.

As an aside, I hope this new update brings new Vending machine items (LIKE A TEDDY BEAR) as I have been maxed out at 999 coins and I do not want any of these things.

ANYWAY… Now fully onto to the Fantasy Fair and 1.2 update! Right as you load up the game after updating, you’ll be given some new patterns– the Magazine Collaboration ones and some new ones that tie into the Fantasy Fair. You need to have at least a Gold Influencer level in order to see them to create.

As for the main event itself, the Fantasy Fair essentially works by being 14 groups of four tasks so you can only ever work on four tasks at a time which… I hate. I get that it’s because tasks repeat a lot and thus, you’d finish a lot sooner, but as someone who can’t stand repetitive tasks, this is really frustrating and having the same task repeat every few groups makes me want to scream.

But it’s not even just the tasks itself. It’s having to deal with the requirements multiple times with the small 5,000 Item limit I keep hitting, a follower limit, and needing to be in Online Mode to even do any of the Event which also makes less Character muses show up and thus, those take longer and it’s just… really annoying honestly.

Some of the tasks are also either buggy or not worded particularly well (I noticed a few typos) and it just… was not fun. I would say the worst task though is needing to fill Lookit Requests because they require another person sending you requests in the first place. No tasks should require another person’s activity. While I had a friend I could ask and also some kind people on Reddit who helped, it was still kind of annoying due to invisible timers on how often a request could even be sent. Requests also would sometimes take quite a while to even arrive.

In the end, dealing with the tasks really highlighted my issues with the game over actually enjoying the extra tasks. I did at least get the Fountain, but as expected, it was 3×3 so I had to do quite a bit of moving things around to get it to fit:

There’s also no way for me to make it so multiple could fit at the current limits :/

It took me about 6-7 hours or so to finish all 14 tasks and that was with help for the requests being sent. Obviously, for people who enjoy having a little to do each day, maybe they won’t have as much of an issue, but I still think tasks that depend on other people’s actions aren’t fun and requiring online, even if it is free in the game, to even access the tasks when there ARE tasks that can be done offline is really annoying. What also didn’t help was losing about an hour of my recording due to some technical issues :(

However, for whatever reason, the event was suspended this morning for “technically issues” and I’m really confused as to what those technical issues are as I did finish the Event. I know I wasn’t the only one. The only thing I could possibly think of is maybe it is supposed to be able to show up Offline? I really don’t know.

Personally, I would much rather see one set of tasks with totals (possibly less) that last all month over needing to constantly finish the previous goals to unlock the next and keep having to go back and forth through the same tasks :/

Moving on, I also got the new Lookbook from this random new NPC. She disappears after, but I wonder if she’ll be used to distribute other new features. I ended up making three outfits for now– I’m not really the type of person who makes tons of different outfits, but it was fun.


I’ll likely never actually wear the Butterfly outfit (I wish the Wings weren’t an Outer so I could wear some kind of thing for Sleeves or something but oh well), but it looked cute. There may also be a background I really like, clearly.

Anyway, here’s some screenshots of me doing the new poses to finish things off.

Hopefully I can get to more work leveling up NPCs, but the rotation still isn’t great, honestly…

Disney Dreamlight Valley – The final interlude before the first expansion & patch note thoughts

It’s crazy to think the expansion is releasing in a handful of days. It feels like November went by so quickly and I can barely wrap my head around it being December now. I still have a lot of mixed feelings for reasons I’ve stated previously and I’m sure I’ll talk about more as I play through the Expansion with my next post. As much fun as it would be to stream, I’m still getting over being really sick recently and just do not have the energy to, so I hope the videos will still be fun to watch (with the gifting cut down because I just don’t think watching me gift hundreds of flowers is fun).

Anyway, let’s talk about what I’ve been up to since. Like the last few times though, it’s mainly been working on Dreamsnaps and checking the shops.

That isn’t to say I didn’t have any ideas of things to do, but some things I’m just… still waiting on or could still use some more inspiration (such as everything in the Glade of Trust).

Anyway, as for Dreamsnaps, things have been going okay! I’m making a decent amount so a big thank you to everyone who has voted for my entries! It makes me happy you like them.


I also managed to level up again so yay. Just two levels to go.

The other thing I ended up doing was finally pick up the Dreamlight Valley Cozy Edition— it was on sale for quite a bit and it’s been taunting me solely for the new Companions (and the Cottage is also one of the items I figured could look nice in the forest). I probably should’ve grabbed the items off Steam and not Switch which has now put some Moonstones only on that device, but I was worried the mail wouldn’t show up on Steam and it needed to be claimed on Switch and yeah…



Of course, more Critters also meant I had to place more of the cute little Pet Houses… I really wish each house fit at least 5 over 4. I felt bad that I couldn’t put all the Raccoons together. I ended up putting three in one and two in the other. It’s also just an odd choice when most Critters have at least 5 color variants to begin with…

I am running out of places though at this point for these and I’m not really sure where else to put them. It feels weird to split them up, but I also need to find room for Rapunzel’s Tower in the meadow as well… I figure I may move the Carousel to the Valley like the Spinning Teacups. Either way, placing the rest of the houses will need to wait on that.

I also ended up placing the Cottage in the Forest like I envisioned, and I grabbed Eric’s Boat and also the Tower of Terror from the Premium Shop. I have no plans for the Tower of Terror currently, I just liked the colors. No clue if I’ll ever put it somewhere or not…

I had been wanting to try and decorate each of the houses I’ve spread around at this point, but I just feel really uninspired. At best, I feel inspired with one room (the main/entrance) and then uninspired for the other three rooms they automatically have… I’m not entirely sure when I’ll actually manage to get to them.

At the very least, I finally went and worked on some of the other 3rd Floor Rooms after having to set up one room for the Forgotten in my own house:

It kills me a bit that I can’t seamlessly put the Water Walls next to one another like the one room in the Avatar Design Tool. :(

Anyway, the patch notes have been revealed, so let’s talk about that. Obviously, this may contain some spoilers for the upcoming update.

Discover new recipes with Remy to keep you energized, build a Stall for Goofy so you can cultivate exotic new fruit, and even set up shop for Scrooge McDuck. What, you thought he wouldn’t find a way to capitalize on your adventure?

While I obviously expected new recipes, I didn’t know if Goofy would have new stalls in the new areas and I’m super surprised about Scrooge getting another store as well, but it’s pretty exciting. I have no ideas yet for how I want to decorate the new areas from the Expansion, but I mean, I’ve barely figured out all the areas in the Valley as it is.

Speaking of crafting, you’ll also find a new way to create items on the Isle: the Time Bending Station! Combining the magic of your Royal Hourglass with this station will allow you to create Quest items, Ancient Machines, and other exciting objects to help you on your journey, and of course, decorate your Valley. You’ll also be able to upgrade your Royal Hourglass here, so don’t forget to visit from time to time!

But wait—what’s an Ancient Machine, you say? Using technology from the Isle’s mysterious past, you’ll be able to increase your efficiency around the Valley. These Machines will not only help you cook faster but also automate gardening and other tasks so that you can maximize the “pumpkin to pumpkin puff” pipeline.

As everyone probably knows by now, I’m not really a fan of crafting, but automatic stuff will be really nice and I’m curious what new items we’ll discover with all of this.

While Act 1 of Disney Dreamlight Valley: A Rift in Time will bring 3 new Villagers to players’ Valleys, you can expect additional Characters to be added as the expansion story continues. There will be two additional acts released in 2024, bringing new Villagers, stories, and surprises!

At this point, I’m not surprised more characters will be tied to future Expansion parts (though, I don’t really like the Expansion being split up in the first place), but I’m still disappointed about Rapunzel and EVE being tied to the Expansion/as paid characters. Similarly, I don’t think Jafar should’ve been teased at the end of the main story if it was going to be a paid expansion.

I hope Skull Rock that has been being teased for so long will still be part of the main game and not the expansion, but with the note of crafting Quest Items and the whole “turn back time” element, part of me does wonder if both Skull Rock and all the Atlantis hints could end up requiring the Expansion.

I’m not much of a boardgame person, so I don’t have much to say about Scramblecoin. I know myself well enough that I’ll likely want to try and collect all the game pieces regardless, but I kind of hope I don’t necessarily have to play it if I don’t want to.

Bonus Rewards for Early Adopters

We’re so excited to see everyone’s enthusiasm for the Disney Dreamlight Valley: A Rift in Time expansion pass and intend to celebrate the first players to land on Eternity Isle’s shores! All expansion pass owners who check their in-game mailbox from December 5 to December 12 will be able to claim two exclusive bonuses—a Jester Monkey and a royal costume.

Additionally, ALL players who check their in-game mailbox between December 5 and December 19 will be able to claim two more exclusives—a Dreamlight Gaming Chair and a Dreamlight Valley’s Savior Jacket.

I shouldn’t have necessarily been surprised considering the original first week bonus (which I still think should be brought back even if people need to spend Moonstones for the items or whatever), but somehow I still am. Especially with a second one that for some reason ends a week before Christmas??

I think what really gets me is to have both of these end before Christmas. I get the “one week bonus” for the first which I’m still against, but fine, I understand the timing, but the second one still baffles me about not making it longer. It still feels like a bad choice either way :/

Despite my apprehensions, I am really interested in the expansion, and I can’t wait to get Rapunzel, but I still find some decisions rather baffling and it’s going to be a very crazy week.

Edit: The patch notes for the non-expansion part of the update have gone up as well so I wanted to talk about that too!:

We’re also excited to bring a touch of frosty fun to your Valley with our new Royal Winter Star Path, featuring iconic wintery Dream Styles for Belle and Ariel and more exciting cozy additions.

Honestly, I don’t know why we even still have a Star Path if the game is no longer going to end up being Free to Play. We already have the Dreamlight Duties/Achievement stuff. I don’t feel it’s needed.

Regardless, these are the first character costumes I’m genuinely excited for. I’m really curious how Ariel’s will look, but I can’t wait for Belle’s. I do wish her hood was down instead of up though considering the Valley doesn’t really get that snowy outside of one area.

Most of the details are things we already were aware of– Jack Skellington is coming and seems to require finding things around the village (“keep an eye out for signs of him around your village”) in order to meet him, the Holiday event is making a comeback, Dreamsnaps and the Premium shop are still doing their things, Multiplayer is coming, etc.

I would say the big new things that caught my eye in the patch notes are:

Knee length versions of basic skirts added to provide you with more outfit options!

Pretty excited for this as someone who prefers longer skirts, even if I still have yet to get anything I like more than my custom dress.

Have more control over your Valley with the ability to add and remove Villagers using the map menu. Please note that villagers will always appear in your village if required for a quest.

This is a pretty interesting choice. I think it’s good for people who really dislike certain characters though. I don’t know if I’ll personally use it, but could be useful in the future.

An all-new multiplayer mode comes to the game with Valley Visits. Hang out, share items, and collect new Pixel Shards to craft powerful cooking and crafting buffs!

I’m going to wait to see how Pixel Shards work and how you earn them before fully deciding my stance on them, but I generally just don’t think more currencies are good. I hadn’t planned to use multiplayer much outside of helping friends with materials for quests so I’m curious how it’ll all work.