Nayu's Gaming Time #30 Disney Magical World Part A Nintendo 3DS

 

 Quick apologies for lack of posts recently, I'm close to having my 4 month delayed ketamine infusion so I'm feeling very ropey. Been focusing on surviving and hopefully soon I will feel a lot better. 

Not my image, this is on the main street with Mickey and Minnie Mouse

Disney do have a not so new game on Nintendo Switch called Disney Dreamlight Valley which I've played over 120 hours on. However, I realised in the last event that I wasn't finding the game fun anymore. I was doing it to get the event items but that's the only time I played. So I dusted of my 3DS, and got back to Disney Magical World. It is...a magical world! There is like the main street and the castle, a cafe to run and so many quests to  perform and maybe 100 character cards to collect. I played the Japanese version of this nd the sequel, I got so far and started to get stuck so I began the play in English and, unsurprisingly, it's much easier to understand. 

Again not my image (would be a bit blurry) but it's inside the cafe with Daisy theme

 Diving back into it the other week I instantly began enjoying myself, unlike DDV.  Yes to et new clothes I will need to repeat some levels to get the items I need to buy them at Daisy's but I don't care. Replaying the RPG element levels is so much fun. Seeing all the characters I know well makes my heart happy. It will take a long time to complete every quest and collect all the character cards, but I know I'll be super happy doing it. Sure the sequel doesn't have Rapunzel like DDV does, but overall I see more point to playing DMW than DDV. And I want to play it, which makes a difference. 

Let me know if you've played both games, and if you enjoyed Disney Magical World!

Again not my image but getting character outfits is so fun for group photos!

 

Nayu's Gaming Time #29 Early thoughts on Stellar Blade PS5

FYI the age rating is 18 not 8 - blame my in a hurry photo skills for missing out the 1 on the label.

Stellar Blade, Developer Shift Up, Publisher Sony, Console PlayStation 5, Released April 2024

 I thought about writing several sentences about Stellar Blade on social media but it felt easier to say what I think here. 

Way back when it's place holder name, Project Eve, was announced, I hadn't heard of it. I didn't have a PlayStation 5 back then, hadn't thought about getting one even when it launched as a) it took a lot of time to save for it and b) there were so few games (or so I thought) that I'd be interested in I never paid any attention to upcoming game presentations that Sony regularly shows. Fast forward a few years to last year, when I actually got my PS5 (end of April, or early May), and I decided to pay attention to State of Plays just in case I like any games. 

 When I saw Stellar Blade I was totally wowed by how awesome Eve is. Ok, some of the outfits aren't that pretty for me but overall she looks totally gorgeous and I love her signature long ponytail. I watched the trailer at least a few more times, and vowed to preorder it on release. Which I did, and that brings us to today. Or rather yesterday when I started it. 

My preferred genre is turn-based games as I have more time to think (mostly), or farming sims where again I don't have to think too much. I have a few action-y titles under my belt now, while never amazing at them I can get through them. Way back in the day of the first PlayStation console, with a woman called Lara Croft who I spent dozens of gaming hours using walkthroughs to get through the tricky parts. The way I felt back then with Lara is how I feel now with Eve. PS5 games are not cheap, think I managed to get it for £65 which I had to save for and is a lot of money, so if I'd made a mistake and disliked the game I'd have been annoyed with myself. 

Thankfully I hadn't misjudged the game at all. It plays as the trailer looks, there is so much exploration of the mostly deserted world I'm super happy playing it. It's interesting because Eve isn't fully human, she doesn't know human history so ordinary things like an elevator intrigue her. There is a skill tree for several different sets of skills  which feels overwhelming as I feel i won't recall 99% of the moves. I read an online review that said button mashing won't work with boss fights and that is so true. I kept button mashing but each boss takes me over 4 attempts to eliminate. There is a way to train at certain camps where i don't have to worry about death (I must be almost at 20 game overs now), although I'm on the easier of the 2 game difficulties, have activated prompts on screen so in theory i should be able to dodge fatal attacks but in practice I miss at least half of them. I am really very poor at action games like this. I get frustrated (why can't every game be turn based? It's so much easier!!) but I love the story. I already have theories about who Adam is and how he will or won't help Eve (I'm eyeing him with suspicion). I want Eve to succeed her mission but I also want her to live life and am afraid at the end of the game she may die. (Please DO NOT tell me if you know the end. I will be upset if that gets spoiled). 

I love using the scan feature on the droid to see where both enemies and items are. I love that some areas need a passcode that has to be found then used. I already know I'm going to replay this one day. I've almost enough material to create a whole new outfit for Eve which is exciting. Yes some of her looks/camera angles are a bit much, like Tomb Raider was, but overall I love playing as Eve and how she dresses makes sense for her character. I might have some conservative views in the real world, but fantasy life I'm ok running around in a skin-tight suit. I focus on improving defence mostly since my combat skills are not good. I'm definitely in a happy place with Stellar Blade especially as my current area is a construction site and apparently we get to use the crane to make a bridge! I've not yet got to can collecting but I'm eager to get to that, and get to the base where other humans are that was shown in the trailer.

We need to talk about the soundtrack. It is so beautiful, I love listening to songs which are easy on the ears and fitting for the overall atmosphere of the game. I could listen to the music all day. I'm using the English voices, whose tone fits how I'd expect characters to sound. It's a Korean game, I sadly don't speak Korean, or else I'd listen to it but I wanted to give the English a go. Maybe in my second playthrough one day I will play in Korean or even French I think might be an option. But oh the music....

Stellar Blade is a PS5 exclusive, and I for one absolutely love it. The only less than great element is there are no manual saves. I save every time I visit a camp which is helpful as they are usually right by where as boss appears, but I still have to take those steps from the camp to the boss which when it is repeated over and over due to my ineptitude it takes time to do. I love how it looks, sounds, the plot is intriguing for me as someone who rarely plays apocalyptic games (not into Nier which I've seen it referenced to). For me this is a really spectacular game, and I really hope they make another game like it one day.

Nayu's Gaming Time #28 Hyper Reality Gaming Bar (alcohol free) in London

Downstairs area in Hyper Reality

I am super excited to write this post because it's about gaming!  Due to Covid19 and also London being far away and difficult for me to visit outside of hospital appointments, I have not been able to visit Hyper Reality in person, but the team have answered all my questions. This isn't a sponsored post, just me promoting a company I want to share with all of you.

When the word bar is used it is predominantly referring to alcoholic drinks. Not so in this case! Here is what the team say about Hyper Reality. 

Hyper Reality is a bar that combines state-of-the-art virtual reality with nostalgic video games, allowing people to escape the stresses of the world and immerse themselves in a host of interactive experiences. It has three distinct gaming zones – The Arena, The Place with No Name and Rollercoasters – as well as a Lounge and a private Karaoke and Gaming Room.

There is also the stylish Hyper Dry Bar, serving quality non-alcoholic drinks, including beers from Hop and Hemp, adult mocktails from Three Spirit and a selection of gourmet coffees, teas and milkshakes.

Inside Hyper Reality

The concept of Hyper Reality intrigued me because it combines gaming, both traditional board games, video games, and virtual reality games, and there isn't a single drop of alcohol sold! This is a huge plus point for Muslims and any other other religion that prohibits alcohol use, making it a safe environment to visit. It means all the drinks are safe to try, aside from various types of coffee there are several mocktails which include Pentire Gin: again, it is non-alcoholic. Never heard of it, probably because I've never had an interest in gin, but I am intrigued by it for sure. Snacks are on offer too. 

Mocktail drink Happy Ending at Hyper Reality

 

The prices are extremely reasonable: the mocktails average around £5.50. Here are some of the prices if you turn up on the day without booking taken from the website:

• The “Place with No Name” Experiences- £12 and up
• The Arena Experiences- £8 and up
• Rollercoaster Experiences- £3 and up
• VR Go-Kart Experience – £6.5 per person per race
• Ask at The Bar for more information on what worlds can be delved into.
• Place with no name and Arena experiences are for players 7 years old and older
• Experiences typically last for £1 a minute, though if your hidden profession is a super hero or a ninja, then experiences can last up to 15 mins in The Arena on one credit
• £1.50 discount on each experience for students (please present student ID)

 

Hyper Reality bar and rollercoaster area

So what type of games does Hyper Reality have? In addition to a lounge area with board games and video games, a karaoke area, there are three areas for VR experiences. There is one which is a rollercoaster VR ride. Obviously it's not an actual rollercoaster, but there are several themes that can be visited. I like the look of the children friendly ones, the Dinosaur Land which looks to include a T-Rex!

Picture from Hyper Reality website for Dinosaur Land!

 and Goblin Town which looks so cute. The others really do emphasize heights and exhileration for those with braver stomachs than mine. I prefer my feet safely on the ground.

Picture from Hyper Reality website for Goblin Land

 

The other two VR areas include The Arena which offers boxing, zombie shoot games, etc. The third area, Place With No Name allows you to walk around a world in various RPG settings - haunted house, wizard quests, etc. There is plenty to check out and good incentives to return in future visits. The team very kindly answered some questions I had about the company.

Are there any specific challenges for running a gaming bar?

There are a ton.  As we are dealing with many of the latest technology from software and hardware, we need to constantly update and train ourselves to the latest processes.  Sometimes stations can shut down simply from a faulty update.  It is surprising how the internet is also essential in running our business so sometimes when there are network issues, it also influences the operation of the shop.  We are also constantly updating our Food and Beverages offering so it requires additional training to the staff members regarding our new dry-bar cocktail recipes and new drink flavours.  

What was the reasoning behind being alcohol free? As someone who avoids alcohol for religious reasons it is extremely welcome to have somewhere free from it. Would you ever consider alcohol in the future?

VR and alcohol simply doesn't go well together.  As many of our experiences on offer are quite intense, we've found with experience that intoxicated customers usually have a poorer experience than sober customers.  We are also finding a great refreshing niche market in the dry-bar market and we thought we'd give it a go mixing our Cyberpunk DNA into our drink offerings.  So far it's been going well for us with our dry bar recipes like Space-Sip and Pathetic Fallacy, as well as our offerings of CBD Beers and Drinks.  Never say never regarding offering alcohol in the future, but that is to be explored at a later stage.  

How often do you add new games to your collection? Do you run themed events in the year?

Hyper Reality was founded during the Halloween season of 2018 so we will also be running Halloween specials for the foreseeable future.  We also often run special themed events during Valentines as we have become quite the popular date spot for couples.  New games are added every quarter to every two quarters depending on the freshness of the content offered and market response.

Do you have an estimate on what percentage of your customers return regularly?

We'd say right now we are seeing roughly 30% of our customers returning often bringing friends and family along.  

Are you able to share any future plans you have for the bar? Would you look to expand in different locations?

We are already in the process of building out our own IP which should have a completion date by Q2 2021 and we are excited to share that with the public.  We are looking to expand our CBD Dry-Bar range to make that an additional niche angle for our consumers.  Finally, we are certainly looking for additional locations for expansions but given the current state of COVID, we are taking a more cautious approach and focusing on improving all of our existing offerings before venturing out to build our second shop.  We've already been approached by a few Mall developers and potential franchisees, but we will review this as we have more clarity on the COVID situation.

Again thank you to Hyper Reality for answering my questions. There are explanations of Covid-19 rules on their website here. Be sure to get in touch using their contact form to check out opening times during these strange times and to make a booking! Let me know if you visit it too.