Gaming

The new Doraemon Story of Seasons game goes intergalactic

At least, based on the gameplay we had with it

Published

November 9, 2022

Gab Orlina

Who would have thought that you could come up with a farming game featuring one of the most popular anime franchises in Japan? For BANDAI NAMCO, anything is possible, I guess as that lovable cat named Doraemon has his own video game. Of course, believe it or not, this isn’t their first tango with Doraemon and friends.

Doraemon Story of Seasons serves as a direct spin-off to the popular Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon) franchise. In essence, it’s a farming simulator complete with day and night cycles, tools, crops to sell — all to restore an old farm into a glorious one. To add its own spin on it, you also have access to Doraemon’s secret gadgets to help with the farm work.

Safe to say, the gang are back and this time, there’s a much bigger farm to tend to somewhere — say, on another planet. This is what Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is all about, and we got a chance to try this game at the Thailand Game Show 2022.

Everything is pretty much the same as before

Like its predecessor, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom follows a similar play style as any farming simulator. In its own basic sense, you start off with a pretty empty farm and are tasked with planting available crops within your inventory. Of course, you have some basic tools suited for farming at your disposal.

In this game, you still play as Nobita (Noby, for short) and you still have Doraemon, your friends and family members helping you manage the farm. Also, apart from managing your crops, you also have to manage the farm animals you pick up along the way. As with any Story of Seasons title, you have to do all your tasks within that day or week – especially when certain services are only available on specific days.

It’s all the same stuff as before — kind of like the whole “if it ain’t broke, don’t even try to fix it” situation. To be fair, for a game like this, it’s okay to be consistent with the formula and changing it might be confusing.

New world to explore, more to connect with

Although there’s nothing particularly different from before, BANDAI NAMCO did add some more things to Friends of the Great Kingdom, considering the new environment. One of which includes some new gadgets from Doraemon that you can use to help you with managing your farm.

During the initial playthrough of the demo, one of these gadgets was available as a farming crop called “Farm Restaurant.” Instead of planting and harvesting crops to make food or sell at the end of the day, “Farm Restaurant” allows you to basically plant full meals instead. Of course, you can also sell these for much more profit but it’s definitely a faster way to prepare your meals for the day.

Another new feature added are specific crops that require more than one person to harvest fully. With Friends of the Great Kingdom, you will gain assistance from your friends through local or online Co-Op to harvest large crops on your farm. As they say, no one can run a farm on their own (I mean the title alone already suggests that).

How did you end up on this planet?

In Friends of the Great Kingdom, you find yourself in the vast planet of Irima filled with new worlds to explore. Although the demo only gave you access to just the house and nearby areas, the trailer also hints at going to worlds underwater as well. In this world, you meet Lumis, a boy with his own dreams.

The demo doesn’t really touch on how you ended up on Irima and what you eventually need to do to further progress in the story. All we know so far is that Doraemon and friends are now starting a new farm life on a faraway planet. Although, along the way, you will be building relationships with everyone to help develop the farm into its best version yet.

So far, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom provides something similar with a twist. With a new planet to explore, new gadgets for farming, and new bonds to build, this game has potential to provide something new for both old and new players alike. If you want to give this game a go, it is now available for the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC through Steam!

Related Topics:Doraemon Story of Seasons Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom

Gaming

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections release date

Pre-orders now available

Published

August 22, 2023

GadgetMatch

It doesn’t get any more ‘ultimate’ than this. The grand Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections game is officially coming out on November 16 and pre-orders are now available.

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections retells the entire story of the classic Ani-Manga franchise. It’ll tackle everything from Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto. A special story focused on Boruto has been created specifically for the game.

The game features over 130 characters — the most in an Ultimate Ninja Storm game. Announced alongside the release date are three new playable characters: Boro, Delta and Koji Kashin from the Kara Organisation.

Pre-order details

The game is now available for pre-order on PlayStation and Xbox digitally, and on all platforms physically except PC. Players will be able to choose different editions. Pre-order now on Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia’s e-store or visit any participating retailers in your country.

Package Early Purchase Bonus & Digital Pre-Order Bonus

All pre-orders of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will give players access to the following bonus content:

Three (3) Costumes

Naruto Uzumaki (The Final Battle)
Naruto Uzumaki (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)
Sasuke Uchiha (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)

Receive an extra pre-order bonus item set which you can use in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER if you own this full game on top of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections.

Nanashi T-shirt
Merz Costume — Costume: Merz Style and Hair: Merz

These bonuses will be available in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER after 16 November 2023.

Standard, Deluxe & Sound Ultimate Edition

The contents for the Standard, Deluxe and Sound Ultimate Edition of the game are as follows:

Standard Edition

The main game, NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS

Deluxe Edition

The main game
Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume

Sound Ultimate Edition

Contains the same content as the Deluxe Edition
Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories
Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack — 5 anime songs and 3 in-game items

Premium Collector’s Edition

The main game
Two (2) Figurines
A Steelbook
Special Reversible Inlay
(Six) 6 Collectible Cards
(One) 1 Official Scroll
Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume
Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories

Additional DLC

Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack (available from launch)

With this pack, you’ll be able to change the in-game music during matches and enjoy the battle by listening to nostalgic Naruto songs. This pack comes with 5 iconic songs from the NARUTO anime and 3 in-game items.

NARUTO anime songs:

Haruka Kanata / ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
GO!!! / FLOW
Blue Bird / Ikimonogakari
Silhouette / KANA-BOON
Kaze / Yamazaru

In-game items:

Substitution Item: Microphone
Substitution Item: Orange Headphones
Ninja Info Card Skin: Nostalgic Anime Song Skin

Gaming

The voice of Mario is retiring from the character

No replacement has been named yet

Published

August 22, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

No other video game character has a more iconic voice than Mario. For decades, the red-and-blue plumber has graced gamers with many an “It’s-a me, Mario” and a “Mamma mia.” However, as any fan of old cartoon characters can attest to, even iconic voices don’t last forever. Longtime voice actor Charles Martinet is officially retiring from his role as the Italian plumber.

Today, Nintendo, through a post on X, confirmed that Martinet is stepping back from all recording roles at the company. The voice actor had voiced the character since Super Mario 64, the character’s debut in 3D. He has since provided voice work in all games where Mario has a voice. He also voiced Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. Outside of Nintendo, players might recognize him as the voice of Paarthunax, the dragon in Skyrim.

We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023

After the announcement, Martinet’s last foray as the plumber in a video game might be in the upcoming title, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Nintendo recently announced the new 2D platformer coming in November.

Martinet is not leaving the company entirely. He is now Nintendo’s official Mario Ambassador. As the voice actor already does now, he will likely pop up for Nintendo during themed events.

Nintendo has not announced who will replace Martinet as the voice of Mario going forward. However, the announcement does say that a video message from both Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet is coming at a later date. Presumably, the video will address the character’s voiced future.

Gaming

Lenovo’s Legion Go can come bundled with AR glasses, leak says

Might be revealed during IFA 2023

Published

August 19, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Windows Report

Is the Legion Go even real? The more we find out about the upcoming console, the more unbelievable it looks. Only a few days ago, a leak revealed that the device will have removable controllers like the Nintendo Switch — a feat yet to be accomplished by contemporary handheld consoles. Now, another leaks reveals something even more extraordinary: bundled AR glasses.

Again coming from Windows Report, the Legion Go can reportedly come bundled with a pair of AR glasses to go along with gaming sessions. Players can wear the glasses for their display and control the action with the main console. The report, however, does not reveal what specs the glasses will have. If anything, it’s expected to have a high refresh rate to accommodate gaming.

After news of a bundled pair of AR glasses, there isn’t much more to reveal from the report. Given previous rumors, the device might come with AMD Phoenix chipsets under the hood, along with other goodies.

Additionally, it might not take long before an official reveal. The report states that Lenovo might debut the new console during IFA 2023, which will happen in a few weeks. During the event, the brand might also reveal how the bundled glasses will work.

Given how the market doesn’t have removable controllers or a bundled pair of glasses, it will be interesting to see how the Legion Go will pair up against the more notable consoles already out in the segment.