Review of "Dayland: Pocket Planet," a Farming Adventure RPG set in space. Start a leisurely slow life on a small planet! [Software Present].

How are you doing, Akiba Research Institute readers? This is Nero Hyakkabe, a writer who buys too many games. Suddenly, do you like slow-life games? Action games, competitive games, and other thrilling games that make your hands sweat are fun, but sometimes you just want to relax and play a slow game. That is why we would like to introduce "Dayland: Pocket Planet," a game that allows you to enjoy such a slow life.

The main character is Arco, a boy who has lost his memory! A great adventure begins on the smallest planet in the universe, Dayland!

This is a farming adventure RPG created by Spanish developer Chibig, featuring 3D graphics with a gentle touch that will make you feel relaxed just by looking at it. The 3D graphics also give you the exciting sensation of seeing a "pop-up picture book" that you read as a child spread out in front of your eyes.

Let's start with the story of this film.

The story takes place on "Dayland," the smallest star in the universe. The main character is Arco, a boy who lives alone on such a small planet. In fact, Arco has lost his memory and spends his days not knowing who he is or what his mission is.

Then one day, a spaceship lands on Dayland. Moon, an explorer and member of the Planet Patrol, appears from inside. Arko meets Moon and learns many things from her, such as how to make tools and how to farm. As Arco runs around the small planet to make Dayland an even more beautiful place, he has no way of knowing that his encounter with Moon will change his destiny. ......

As the game is set on Dayland, the smallest planet in the universe, the field in this title is spherical in shape. When the main character, Arko, is controlled, the spherical field rotates slowly in accordance with his actions. When I was a child, I used to fantasize about adventuring on a globe as if my body were smaller, and that is exactly how I feel when I play this game. The special setting of the "spherical box garden" is so cute and miniature that just strolling around without any purpose is guaranteed to be relaxing.

The visuals of this work tend to attract attention, but I would like to mention the music as well. As the story takes place in a quiet and vast outer space, the music is often calm and mysterious, which adds to the unique atmosphere of the work. The sometimes gentle, sometimes dramatic background music is a must-listen. We hope you will wear headphones when playing this title and let the music soothe you as well.

What exactly is a "Farming Adventure RPG"? A thorough explanation of the three major elements that make up this work

This game is an original "Farming Adventure RPG" genre. As the name suggests, the game features three popular elements: "Farming" to enjoy farming, "Adventure" to enjoy the story, and "RPG" to enjoy battles with enemies and character growth. This is the characteristic of this work. Let us now take a closer look at each of these three elements that make up the game.

1.Gathering materials to create items!　Grow crops and become self-sufficient!　Farming and crafting elements for leisurely enjoyment

The most basic system in this title is the crafting element. Players can obtain materials such as wood, stone, and minerals by cutting trees and knocking stones in the dayland. Using these materials, players can create new tools and upgrade their facilities. This cycle of "gather materials, craft materials, gather materials again" is the basis of the game.

In a game like this, it is a gamer's instinct (?) to keep collecting materials by cutting and tapping as much as possible. However, in this game, there are parameters such as stamina and hunger. However, the game has parameters such as stamina and hunger, and if you are too active, these parameters will drop rapidly, and eventually you will not be able to take action anymore. Stamina is restored by resting at home and hunger is restored by eating something, so keep an eye on your parameters and be careful not to work too much.

Although there are trees, stones, bodies of water, and other natural features, there are no artificial facilities such as stores or markets (other than Arco's house) on the small planet of Dayland. The only inhabitant is the main character Arco, so even if you are hungry, you cannot buy food prepared by someone else and eat it. This is where the farming element comes in. The basic concept of this game is to live a self-sufficient life by growing crops in the fields and cooking in your own kitchen.

Farming games that allow players to enjoy farming are usually set in villages or towns surrounded by nature, but as mentioned earlier, this game is set on an asteroid floating in space. Although it is a very unique place, the environment is surprisingly similar to the one we live in on Earth, with fields, rain, morning and night, and the concept of four seasons, so you can farm with ease.

The farming element of this work is basically
The farming element of this title is quite simple: "plant crops in the ground or field," "wait for time to pass," and "harvest. Only one button is used for both planting and harvesting, making it easy and simple. In addition, there is no need to spread fertilizer or water the plants. It is a nice point that troublesome elements are eliminated as much as possible, so that you can enjoy farming in a snap.

However, it is not only simple and easy, but also has a certain degree of realism. One of them is where to plant. For example, wheat and carrots can be planted in fields, while pine trees and blueberries can be planted in the ground near water.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, the concept of four seasons also exists in this work. Therefore, it is not possible to grow crops that do not match the current season. This is another realistic system that gives the feel of actual farming. However, since spring, summer, fall, and winter in Dayland cycle in a short cycle of seven days, the seasons suitable for crops will come and go before you know it while you are doing other work or resting at home, so it does not bother you too much.

The ability to fish is also an essential part of the slow-life element of this title.

After crafting a fishing rod, you can enjoy fishing near the water using bait. The system is a little bit unique in that you have to match a fishing float to the shadow of a fish swimming in the water to catch it. The game is a mini-game in which the player presses a button while the fishhook icon, which moves left and right in the area displayed at the bottom of the screen, is in the blue area. The fish hook icon moves at a rather high speed, and the buttons are only displayed while the icon is in the blue area, so the game tests the player's quickness and dynamic vision. The difficulty level is a little high, but the excitement of catching a fish is worth it. The game has a charm that makes you lose track of time and become immersed in it.

Another important element that must be mentioned in the collection element is the meteorite.

On the planet Dayland, where the game takes place, meteorites sometimes fall at high speed!　Meteorites do not strike Arco, but if they are unlucky enough to fall on the fields, the crops will be ruined. But it is not only a negative aspect. Meteorites, like other stones, can be struck to collect materials, and in rare cases, valuable ores can be collected, as well as seeds of crops attached to meteorites. This is a unique gathering element that takes advantage of the unique space setting of this title.

2.Adventure elements woven with encounters with "visitors" to the small planet Dayland

As mentioned in the synopsis, the story of this title centers on the fate of a young boy named Arco, which begins when he meets Moon, an explorer who comes to the planet Dayland. However, Moon is not the only person Arco meets. The small planet Dayland is visited irregularly by visitors called "Visitors.

Incidentally, the Visitors all arrive in flying saucers, so players must designate sufficient open space as a landing site. This is a small detail, but it gives a sense of "welcoming visitors to your planet," which I found to be an interesting point.

Visitors make various requests to Arco, such as "catch a fish" or "make a cloth. These requests are displayed in the form of quests, and when completed, the visitor is rewarded with a new recipe.

Although it is tempting to complete these quests as many times as possible, the Visitors have a set amount of time to stay, after which they leave Dayland and travel to outer space. Therefore, it is difficult to accomplish simple requests, but craft-related requests are difficult to accomplish in time. However, the quests will not disappear until they are completed, so it is a good idea to collect materials and craft before the next visitor arrives. I felt that this system, in which the player gradually becomes anxious for the Visitor to return to the planet, is in sync with the state of mind of Arko, who lives alone on a small planet, and enhances the immersive experience of the game.

Also, it is possible to buy and sell items to and from visitors. With the money earned from selling collected materials and crafted items, you can buy missing materials and food items from visitors. This is a very helpful system, as materials and foodstuffs are sometimes not available in certain seasons. However, it is important to note that different characters sell different items, such as potions and glass bottles for the wizard character Locke, and bread and milk for the chef character Bram. The player waits patiently on the planet until a visitor arrives to sell him or her the item he or she is looking for, which is another aspect of the slow life unique to this work set in space.

If the visitor's requests are subquests, the main quest is the story of Arco's destiny and adventures on the planet Dayland. The story progresses through the completion of visitor requests, the passage of time, and the creation of new items. However, the speed of the story is quite slow. Although there are many intriguing parts of the story, such as the mysterious voices you suddenly hear and the mysteries hidden on the planet Dayland, I think the gameplay of the game is well suited to a leisurely pace, without rushing ahead blindly. The recommended way to play "Dayland: Pocket Planet" is to enjoy a slow life at your own pace and savor the story at a leisurely pace, just like reading a picture book.

3.Battle monsters to protect the planet!　RPG elements to enjoy leveling and nurturing

As the genre name "Farming Adventure RPG" suggests, there are RPG elements in this title. One of them is battling enemies. Monsters appear irregularly on Dayland, the planet where Arko lives. While monsters are present, some of Arko's actions are restricted, so it is important to defeat them as soon as possible. Arko will tell you when a monster appears, and its location is indicated by a cursor on the field, making it easy to understand.

Battles are played in an orthodox action-RPG style, with players avoiding enemy attacks and launching counterattacks. The game is very simple, with only one button used for attacking, as well as for gathering, harvesting, and other actions. Since complex operations and high action are not required, even those who are not used to playing games can enjoy the game. Nevertheless, you need to be careful of damage from enemies. Lost HP can be recovered by staying near a bonfire, so it is a good idea to craft a bonfire and create a recovery point before a battle.

In addition, as is typical in RPGs, there is a concept of status and level in this title. When you accumulate a certain amount of experience through battles and gathering, an announcement will appear, and you can then go home to rest to level up your arco. The player will be presented with two choices of "Attack Power," "Intelligence," "Speed," and "Vitality," and will be able to choose either one to improve their status. The choice of which one will be presented depends on luck, but it is a very authentic point that various training is possible depending on the player's choice, such as whether to focus on one of the stats prominently or to raise them evenly across the board. Incidentally, I recommend focusing on raising "speed" in the early stages of the game. Not only your own attack speed, but also your defense against enemy physical attacks will increase, so you can challenge battles with peace of mind.

By the way, as a side note, the status cards that appear at the time of level-up are very beautiful!　They are so beautifully designed that they look like illustrations from a picture book, and I found myself thinking ...... that I would like to have these cards in real life.

The great appeal of "Dayland: Pocket Planet" is its ease of play, even for those unfamiliar with the game!

This is why I introduced "Dayland: Pocket Planet" to you.

This title allows players to enjoy farming and gathering at their own pace while enjoying the beautiful starry landscape that changes with the seasons, and to take their time to enjoy the mysterious and enigmatic storyline. Although the game includes elements of adventure and RPG, the difficulty level is not high, so even those who do not usually play games can enjoy the game with ease. If you find any points of interest after reading this article, we hope you will enjoy a relaxing and slow life on the small planet Dayland.

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Title Information

Dayland: Pocket Planet" (Pikii)

Genre: Farming adventure RPG

Release date: Nintendo Switch version/PS4 version June 30, 2022

Price:Package version (Nintendo Switch only): 3,980 yen (tax included)

Download version: 2,480 yen (including tax)

Author: Nero Hyakkabe

Freelance writer who buys too many games. I currently have more than 300 games in my stack. Also a novelist. His works include "Yubisaki Kaidan: 140 Scary Stories" (PHP Kenkyujo) and "Goa-ken: Unrated Edition" (Kodansha).

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/KINGakiko

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nero100kabe

about.me: https://about.me/nero100kabe/