| Ooblets | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Glumberland |
| Publisher(s) | Glumberland |
| Designer(s) | Ben Wasser |
| Programmer(s) | Rebecca Cordingley |
| Artist(s) | Rebecca Cordingley |
| Engine | Unity [1] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | September 1, 2022 |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ooblets is a life simulation video game by Glumberland. It was released via early access on July 15, 2020, for Windows and Xbox One. [2] [3] The game launched on September 1, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One. [4]
The game combines the farming elements of Story of Seasons with the creature collecting and battling mechanics of Pokémon . [5]
The player arrives in Badgetown, a seaside town in Oob, where they are greeted by Mayor Tinstle and given a basic starting farm. In Badgetown there are several shops including Meed's Seeds, Kibbonbon, Manatweee and Cuddlecups Cafe. Players can purchase furniture and decor for their house, as well as seeds to grow on their farm. [6] There are different quests that can be performed to unlock new shops and buildings, as well as improve the player's friendship level with the other residents. [7] Players can also join one of four clubs: Frunbuns, Peaksnubs, Mossprouts and Mimpuns.
Ooblets, little creatures that the player befriends, can be grown from seed and used to perform tasks, like farming and machine operating, or dance-battle with other Ooblets. Unlike other life simulation games such as Stardew Valley , Ooblets replaces combat with a card-based dance-off system [8] allowing new Ooblet seeds to be won and Ooblets to be levelled up.
Ooblets has received frequent updates to fix bugs and introduce new features and locations. On June 12, 2021, the Port Forward update was released bringing a new region and new Ooblets. [9] As of July 2021, there are seven locations in the game: Badgetown, Wildlands, Mamoonia, Nullwhere, Port Forward, Pantsabear Hill, and Mount Tippy Top.
The player moves to a land called Oob, where small creatures called Ooblets live. Arriving in Badgertown, they meet Mayor Tinstle, who provides them with a farm. They also learn that the town is threatened into being shut down by the Oob High Council (OHC) and resolves to save it. After powering up the Oobnet Tower in Badgertown, the player repairs a hot air balloon and travels to five other locations to reactivate the other Oobnet Towers there. They also engage in dance battles to defeat opponents and access the towers. Although the player succeeds, the OHC is still planning to evict Badgertown, but the player locates a secret passageway to the OHC's secret facility and discovers evidence that the Bunglebee Bun Corporation is controlling the OHC, who plan to demolish the town for their own gain. After confronting Polt, one of the corporation's workers, he runs away, leaving behind articles that show proof of the OHC and the Bunglebee Bun Corporation's conspiracy. After the player has the articles published, they return to town to find the OHC preparing to evict everyone, but newspapers that reveal the OHC and the Bunglebee Bun Corporation's guilt are showered around the town, forcing the OHC staff to leave in defeat. Tinstle thanks the player for saving the town as the main story ends.
Ooblets (previously known as Moblets [10] ) was developed by a two-person indie game development studio composed of artist/programmer Rebecca Cordingley and designer Ben Wasser, since 2016. [11] [12]
The game was due to be published by Double Fine, but following that company's acquisition by Microsoft in June 2019, [13] the Ooblets developers announced that they would instead self-publish the title. [14] On August 1, 2019, it was announced that Ooblets would be an Epic Games Store exclusive. [15] In the announcement by Glumberland's Ben Wasser, addressing criticisms of the Epic Games Store, he called those who he believed would pirate Epic Games Store exclusives "immature, toxic gamers", and that the situation was "nothing to get worked up about." The announcement led to backlash, including individuals sending messages to the developers voicing their displeasure. A fringe minority also circulated out-of-context or fake posts by Wasser, including a fabricated post of Wasser claiming that "gamers should be in gas chambers." [16] Wasser later compiled his thoughts on the matter in a Medium post in August 2019, apologizing for acting in a hostile manner. [17] Several fans who were shown in the screenshot conversations being spread clarified that they held no contempt towards Wasser, but noted that his responses on Discord were poorly worded. [18] [19] [20]
On September 18, 2023, the developers announced they would be releasing the game on Steam on October 5 of that year. [21]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 74/100 [22] PC: 62/100 [23] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10 [24] |
| Edge | 5/10 [25] |
| Game Informer | 6.75/10 [26] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 [27] |
| IGN | 7/10 [28] |
| Nintendo Life |   [29] |
| Nintendo World Report | 5/10 [30] |
| TouchArcade | 4/5 [31] |
The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics. IGN rated the game 7/10, praising its style and farming sim mechanics, but criticizing its overall lack of depth. [32] Nintendo Life also awarded the game a 7/10, complimenting its style, combat, and soundtrack.
Pikachu is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, it was created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori, with the design finalized by Sugimori. Since Pikachu's debut, it has appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise. While Pikachu has been primarily voiced in media by Ikue Ōtani, other actors have also voiced the character including Kate Bristol, Ryan Reynolds, Kaiji Tang, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōru Ōkawa, and Koichi Yamadera.
Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version are 1996 role-playing video games (RPGs) developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments of the Pokémon video game series, and were first released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, followed by the special edition Pocket Monsters Blue later that year. The games were released internationally in 1998 and 1999 as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, while an enhanced version named Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition, was released in Japan in 1998 and in other regions in 1999 and 2000.
Mew is one of the many fictional species in the Pokémon franchise. It is a small, pink, Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon, which are incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon typically available only via special events. It was added to Pokémon Red and Blue by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto at the tail end of the games' development. Though it was not planned to be obtainable, after it was discovered through data mining, its presence in the games was surrounded by many rumors and myths. For years, Mew could not be obtained legitimately in the games except through some specific Pokémon distribution events, though it could be obtained through a variety of glitches.
Pokémon Trading Card Game is a digital collectible card video game developed by Hudson Soft and Creatures and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. It is an adaptation of the card game of the same name. It was initially released in Japan in December 1998 and internationally in 2000. The game includes the first three sets of the trading card game, as well as exclusive cards not available elsewhere.
Pokémon is a Japanese series of video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company under the Pokémon franchise. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri with assistance from Ken Sugimori. The first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version. The main series of role-playing video games (RPGs), referred as the "core series" by their developers, has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds. The most recently released core series games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, were released on November 18, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch.
Pokémon Go is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the Pokémon franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices. It uses mobile devices with GPS to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual Pokémon, which appear as if they are in the player's real-world location. The game is free-to-play; it uses a freemium business model combined with local advertising and supports online purchases for additional in-game items as well as virtual and real-world events. The game launched with around 150 species of Pokémon, which had increased to around 870 by late 2024.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was an augmented reality (AR) mobile game developed by Niantic and WB Games San Francisco, and published by Niantic, under license from Portkey Games. The game is based on the Harry Potter series and part of the Wizarding World media franchise, created by J. K. Rowling. Wizards Unite begins as the player creates their avatar and starts their journey at the player's real world location. The player character engages with the world by casting spells, discovering artefacts and facing known characters and beasts of the Wizarding World universe.
Twin Mirror is a 2020 adventure game by Dontnod Entertainment. Co-produced with Shibuya Productions, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 1 December 2020. It received mixed reviews from critics.
The Epic Games Store is a video game digital distribution service and storefront operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as a software client, for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and online storefront. Android and iOS versions of the store launched in August 2024, with the iOS version only available for European users. The service provides friends list management, game matchmaking, and other features. Epic Games has further plans to expand the feature set of the storefront but it does not plan to add as many features as other digital distribution platforms, such as discussion boards or user reviews, instead using existing social media platforms to support these.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first instalments in the eighth generation of the Pokémon video game series. First teased at E3 2017 and announced in February 2019, the games were released in November 2019. The games were accompanied by a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass consisting of Part 1—The Isle of Armor and Part 2—The Crown Tundra ; its launch marked the first ever DLC released as part of the Pokémon video game series.
Since its release in 2016, multiple real-life events and gatherings based on the augmented reality (AR) mobile game Pokémon Go have been held by its developer Niantic Labs outside of unofficial player gatherings. Typically, the events involve increased in-game rewards for participating players and are often held in cooperation with local organizations or governments.
TiMi Studio Group, a subsidiary of Tencent Games, is a video game development studio group headquartered in Shenzhen, China and offices in Singapore, Montréal, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chengdu, and Shanghai. TiMi generated an estimated revenue of $10 billion USD in 2020. Reportedly, TiMi is the largest video game operator and developer in the world by revenue. Founded in 2008 as Jade Studio, TiMi comprises several development divisions with different areas of expertise and develops games in different genres for PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch, including Honor of Kings, Arena of Valor, Call of Duty: Mobile, Speed Drifters, and Pokémon Unite.
Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios. The game was released in open beta on October 1, 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, with an Xbox Series X/S release following on November 25, 2020, and a PlayStation 5 release on March 30, 2021. The game features full support for cross-platform play and cross-progression. The game takes inspiration from the Counter-Strike series of tactical shooters. The game came out of beta on June 9, 2022.
Temtem is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Spanish developer Crema, and published by Humble Bundle. It was released in early access through Steam on January 21, 2020, and PlayStation 5 on December 8, 2020, with the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S versions released alongside the full release of the game on September 6, 2022. Temtem uses the Unity development engine, and is a creature-collection video game greatly inspired by the Pokémon series. The game was partly funded through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, from May to June 2018.
Fall Guys is a free-to-play platform battle royale game developed by Mediatonic and published by Epic Games.
Pokémon Café ReMix is a free-to-play puzzle video game developed by Genius Sonority for the Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS. The game was released on June 23, 2020, in North America, and on June 24, 2020, in Japan, Europe and Australia.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
