Story of Seasons, Hearthstone: the League of Explorers, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game, gaming reviews

Looking for a relaxing game to enjoy regularly over a long period?

Jack Shepherd,Jack Fleming,Sophie Witts
Thursday 07 January 2016 19:50 GMT
Comments
Cutesy farm simulator Story of Seasons is a charming little time-sink
Cutesy farm simulator Story of Seasons is a charming little time-sink

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Story of Seasons

***

3DS (£39.99)

Story of Seasons is a Harvest Moon game in everything but name. A cutesy farm simulator, it offers various types of farming, including crops, livestock and a safari park. In addition, you are encouraged to pursue a social life and befriend the other villagers. For those looking for a relaxing game to enjoy regularly over a long period, Story of Seasons is just that. There's not much in the way of plot but this is a charming little time-sink.

Jack Fleming

Hearthstone: the League of Explorers

****

PC/Mac/IOS (£14.99)

With every expansion of this digital card-playing game there have been complaints about the overall playing style not changing enough, meaning decks such as Secret Paladin would dominate for weeks on end. Luckily for players aching for something new, League of Explorers changes almost everything. Heroes once seen as unplayable – such as Shaman – have become good, while new cards like Reno Jackson offer new play styles. The boss challenges may be relatively easy for experienced players, but people joining the game will find it a perfect mixture of challenging and rewarding.

Jack Shepherd

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game

***

PC/Mac/PS3/PS4/360/Xbox One/IOS/Android (£17.99)

Telltale Games ventures in to the Game of Thrones universe for this disappointing entry in its episodic adventure series. The storyline focuses on House Forrester, briefly mentioned in the George RR Martin novels, meaning all point-of-view characters are new creations while fan favourites such as Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow are reduced to cameo appearances. While the player is led to believe their choices will directly influence the outcome of the game, the clunky ending makes it feel like each decision had little impact.

Sophie Witts

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in