Stardew Valley Mods for 2022 (and Beyond)

Stardew Valley Mods for 2022 (and Beyond)

Earlier this year, having played through the new update for Stardew Valley on my Switch and wanting a bit more, I decided to check into Stardew‘s modding community. I’ve done modding in a couple of other games over the years, tinkering directly with game code, so I was surprised to find that modding Stardew Valley is as easy as dragging and dropping folders. I was also surprised to find a vibrant, diverse, and friendly modding community, still going very strong five years after the game’s initial release. But perhaps the most surprising thing: all of the mod recommendation lists hadn’t been updated in three years or more, offering mods that are broken or outdated for the current 1.5.5 version. So, in the interest of being the change I want to see in the world, I’ve put together a sampling of my favorites that have been released or updated in the last year, all compatible with the 1.5.5 release. (more…)

Review: Pokemon Masters is a Gotcha Game

Review: Pokemon Masters is a Gotcha Game

Gacha games, games focused on acquiring collections of characters through random pulls, have become synonymous with the mobile market. Much like the toy collections from vending machines they are named for, gacha games draw in huge amounts of money for relatively low cost as people try to collect them all or look for their favorites. (more…)

Nine Ways Final Fantasy III Hates You

Nine Ways Final Fantasy III Hates You

Final Fantasy III: a game sitting in my DS case forever but for some reason, never completed. “Why not?” I wondered to myself. “It’s a Final Fantasy game, I should love those.” So I pulled it out again and decided to beat it once and for all. Quickly, I discovered why I’d put it down in the first place: this game actively wants to spite you. I have never played a game that shows such continual contempt for the person running it. (more…)

March Roundtable: Randomness in Games

March Roundtable: Randomness in Games

There’s probably not a single player of games out there who hasn’t, at some point, cursed at a die or the amorphous concept of randomness. Leaving our successes and failures up to fate can feel as if it robs us of the ability to play—if we don’t control our actions, then are we really interacting?

The question of randomness is the one we’re exploring in this month’s roundtable! Join us as we pick apart our feelings on random number generators and dice rolls. (more…)

February Roundtable: Shipping, Romance, and Boats

February Roundtable: Shipping, Romance, and Boats

It’s February! The most romantic of months, if you are invested in holidays and not a stone-cold cynic like I am. I’m kidding, I love romance and mush, especially when it’s in games and therefore not forced upon me by greeting card companies and Target’s candy aisle.

Here at Sidequest, some of us love the mushy, lovey-dovey stuff, some of us don’t, and some of us want to talk about boats. Naturally, this month’s topic of discussion is shipping, so let’s get into it!

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