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| Bulk Bogan, hard at work |
Holy Potatoes is a new game published by developer Daylight Studios. They are mainly in the business of making mobile games, so it's not much of a surprise that their game seems like it would be at home if played on a mobile device. For some games, that would definitely be a condemnation of the contents. However, cutesy simulation games seem to hold their own pretty well on any platform, and this game is no exception.
Upon diving into the game, you are quickly introduced to the main plot. Surely fans of the Harvest Moon series will have a smile on their face upon learning that the blacksmith shop was once owned by your grandfather and has been passed down to you upon his demise. We are greeted by a shady character known as Agent 46, who seems driven to help you reopen the weapon shop so he can collect on his 99.9% ownership of the shop. What does this leave you in the shop? To us, it's apparent that it's nothing, but our main character seems to not care as he eagerly gets started following in his grandfather's hallowed footsteps.
The game is centered around your workshop where you forge weapons and then sell them to adventurers from different locations. Not all adventurers are the same, however, and some will pay more $tarch (the game currency) for weapons that suit their interests better. A ranger, for example, might want a bow with a high accuracy stat, but the thief across the room needs a dagger with high speed. As you sell weapons to these adventurers, they use them for, uh, adventures, and gain experience points depending on how well suited it was for them and the craftsmanship. In turn, your weapon shop gains fame which allows you to progress into later areas of the game. It's a fairly simple cycle with just enough bells and whistles to let you get your money's worth out of the game.
Your shop is capable of accommodating a number of blacksmiths, each with their own strengths and
weaknesses. You match their strengths up with the corresponding workstation, and when you are crafting an item, it improves that statistic at a higher rate. The quality of the blacksmith's work is also affected by their mood. Too much work and they get stressed. To combat this, you have to send them on vacations. A few days away, and they come back ready to work! While they are away, you can have your other potato smiths make trips to the store for supplies, explore areas for enchantments and relics, and research using the relics to unlock new things to make. The only stipulation being that at least one spud has to stay at the home base at a time. We wouldn't want our potato dog to be left alone, would we? (Yes, you get a potato dog. Yes, it looks like a potato.)
As you progress through the game, there are many events that can happen and affect your shop and the surrounding area. Some events are minor and will only influence the weapon you are currently crafting, while some events can affect how much money you will get from selling weapons in a certain place or how much experience you will get. I also saw a neat little event where they give out awards for the best weapons crafted that year. Goals! I'm not sure what you get for winning an event like that, but it will be mine, oh yes!
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| Would you eat the whole thing? |
The game is a fun time waster and for fans of simulation games, I could see putting five to ten hours into the game easily. I haven't played into it too far, but there seems to be a good deal of content to unlock for completionists and, of course, the steam achievements. Aside from a few quality of life improvements I wish the game had, such as a buy max button at the store or an option to auto position your potato smiths when they return from an errand, I've really enjoyed spending time with this game. If you like quirky, silly simulation games with a bit of strategy thrown into the mix, you'll probably enjoy Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop!?, too. It's available on Steam for 14.99. If you pick it up, let me know how you like it! #GameOn!
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