Review: Ooblets

destructoid.com:

Ooblets is one of those games I followed from its announcement all the way back in 2016 up to its release, so it suffices to say this was a highly anticipated game for me. Stardew Valley meets Pokemon is a hell of a logline, and the combination of those gameplay elements compared with the game’s cute, colorful art style basically made it feel like it was made specifically for me. The game went into early access in 2020, but this month it got its full 1.0 release.

You’ve got all the usual mechanics you’d expect from a game like this — farming, fishing, foraging, cooking, befriending villagers — as well as some new twists. You can see clear inspiration from farming sims like Stardew, and yet Ooblets still manages to feel entirely unique in that regard. I am absolutely Ooblets’ target demographic, and I am pleased to say that I found it to be an absolute delight. Let’s talk about it.

Ooblets (Epic Games Store [reviewed], Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)Developer: GlumberlandPublishers: GlumberlandReleased: September 1, 2022MSRP: $29.99

The premise of Ooblets is that it takes place in a magical land called Oob, which is populated with creatures called… you guessed it: Ooblets. At the start of the game, the player lands at a scenic seaside town called Badgetown, having left the big city for the countryside where Ooblets run free. Naturally, they take up residence in a run-down old shed, and begin their new life as the local farmer.

Badgetown is as cozy and quaint as you’d expect, complete with a coffee shop, barber shop, clothing store, seed store, town hall, and more. The residents are a ton of fun and have some of the most distinct personalities I’ve seen in a community sim since the early Animal Crossing days.