Review of Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! The best vegetable is chop. Faster Than Light Potato Ode
Only with potatoes as crew characters. How interesting can a hybrid of a bagel and an agricultural crop be? Time to find out the answer to this question.
How it all started
Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! is the sequel to Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!, which was released in 2015 to moderately positive press. Players were asked to take control of a potato that had recently inherited a shop.
Despite the general humorous undertones, A Weapon Shop was primarily a store simulator, in which it was necessary to pay a lot of attention to the parameters. And while the overall visual representation might have made it seem like the target audience was children, the game boasted the level of depth it needed.
How good is Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?!
As it was before, the sequel called We're in Space made a sharp bias towards roguelike and space exploration, which, of course, brings to mind the sensational indie FTL: Faster Than Light. The games have a lot in common, but the brainchild of Daylight Studios has a much lighter and more carefree atmosphere.
The plot of Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! begins with the fact that two potato sisters decide to recruit a crew to find long-lost grandfather Gigi in the depths of space. To do this, you have to visit dozens of procedurally generated planets - that is, each new passage will be different from the previous one.
Faster Than Light Potato Ode
In terms of gameplay Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! is the same as FTL: Faster Than Light - a mix of strategy and turn-based battles. The difference lies in the characters presented, which are borrowed from the agricultural culture - in the game you can find carrots, broccoli, cheese and much more.
Throughout the game you will visit a number of galaxies. Progress through the story is organized as follows - in order to complete the primary task, you need a certain number of "sols". Upon arrival in the galaxy, they give out a much larger number of "sols" than necessary, the excess can be spent on the study of additional planets.
The process of equipping the ship with new modules can lure you in for a while. In Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! there are several centers, and they all serve different purposes - creating new weapons, researching new technologies, etc.
The gameplay is fast enough, shooting at another ship is extremely fast. You are free to choose which weapons to shoot from, given the available energy, you can also use special abilities to, for example, block the weapons of an enemy ship for a while. A strategic layer appears with the installation of new weapons, which can be of different types - you will have to correctly calculate when and with what to shoot in order to achieve maximum effect.
Content tubers
Considering the past work of Daylight Studios, it is easy to guess that a lot of attention has been paid to the process of equipping the ship with new compartments. This is what the developers are good at, so it is not surprising that they focused on this content in the first place.
It is impossible not to note the references to mass pop culture, which are found here all the time. Pokemon and Doctor Who fans will definitely take notice in Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! familiar elements.
Finally, it is worth praising the tutorial, which briefly and clearly explains the basic principles of the game. It seems that with the interface and mechanics of Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! even a child will understand. All this, coupled with a variety of mechanics and a sufficient level of depth, allows you to get an impression of the main audience of the game.
Is it worth buying Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?!
For the inconspicuous Holy Potatoes project! We're in Space?! makes a good impression largely due to the spiritual landmark mentioned more than once in the article. The text of the game is translated into Russian, even the owners of computers that are not the most powerful by modern standards will be able to get acquainted with it.
Live for platform:
In combat, enemies are stupid and rarely try to protect their weapons with a shield.
space vegetables
Both of these games are a mixture of strategy, RPG and management, but clearly inspired by the indie icon Faster Than Light. Judge for yourself: our potatoes travel on their starship through the galaxies, study the planets, fight, collect resources. And we have to manage the crew, hire new specialists, put someone to arms or send to work in the medbay, in the laboratory to study new technologies (improved engine, bridge expansion, and so on) or in the workshop to “craft” new guns. And someone will have to be fired - the ship is not made of rubber.
Separate crew members allow more efficient use of some established type weapons (laser, missiles, railgun, shrapnel), others are survival specialists and give general attack bonuses, and still others work better than others in the workshop.
The stardrome serves as a base - here we self-repair our space vessel and replenish fuel supplies (they are spent on flights), take a crew, purchase new schemes for the production of weapons, as well as technologies and "upgrades" for the ship.
Potato hits too
Battles do not take place in real time, but in turn-based mode. On our own turn, we choose which guns and where to shoot - at the enemy's guns or at the hull. You can also use the skills of the captain, which will, for example, strengthen us or weaken the enemy. Energy is spent on all this, and superpowers consume its entire supply at once - it will be restored only by the next turn.
It is also necessary to take into account the weather (during sandstorms, of course, accuracy decreases), and which ship is against us - in bondage, it is better to either consistently demolish its guns, or immediately pound on the hull if it is weak. But first you have to destroy the energy shield. The opponent works according to the same scheme, and in your turn you are free to redistribute the energy of the shield to the defense of one or another gun or hull.
In addition to encounters with enemies during the study of the planets, various random events requiring us to make a decision. You can, for example, try to search the wreckage of the ship in the hope of finding something valuable, chat with the fortune teller, agree to take an amazing tuber into the team, which, according to unknown reasons found himself in outer space. But it is not a fact that this will not turn into some kind of trouble after.
Crew members are either taken in a specific compartment or simply walk around the ship.
It's sad, it's funny
Planets, events, set of enemies and available mercenaries are randomly generated, but Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?!, Unlike Faster Than Light, story game, the main characters (potato sisters) are predetermined, and therefore there is no permanent death with the need to start a new passage with new characters - as a rule, in all dangerous situations, when we find ourselves on the verge of collapse, you can run away from the battlefield or pay enemies ransom.
This does not mean that the game is overly easy. At first, there will be a lack of money, resources, good specialists and firepower. You will have to wander around the galaxies and planets, accumulating funds for improvements and a good crew. Moreover, it will not be possible to do this endlessly - a strictly narrow number of moves are given for the study of each system, until very bad and vicious vegetables catch up with our space potatoes.
But without permanent death Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! loses that sharpness and replayability, which is characteristic of many "bagels". In addition, during the battles it is not necessary to force the crew members to run around the ship, repair some compartments, put out the fire. And given that both battles and random events are very often repeated, all this quickly turns into a routine.
The ironic plot, atmosphere and humor somewhat draw out the situation - we are chasing a cat that can make warp jumps in search of milk and mice, we meet Pokemon, "ghosts in the shell", pirates caribbean, as well as tubers parodying that Harrison Ford(Harrison Ford), then Benedict Cumberbatch(Benedict Cumberbatch). And the potato sisters themselves all the way amusingly bicker with each other. But it's still not "Monty Python's Flying Circus" to pull out everything else on one humor.
That's what potatoes with mushrooms are!
Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?!- a fun and solid strategy about the adventures of brave tubers and other vegetables in space. In many ways, it resembles Faster Than Light, but still falls short of its degree. This potato lacks salt - depth, complexity and replayability. But with humor, dialogues, appearance and atmosphere, everything is in order here - if this is enough for you, then you will like it. If not, grab something sharper.
Pros: funny setting; good humor; a lot of references to current pop culture; solid strategic mechanics; cute cartoon picture; expressive music.
Minuses: lack of permanent death; general routine and monotony; unpretentious mechanics of battles; stupid AI.
Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! is a strategy game developed by Daylight Studios for the PC platform. The environment in the game belongs to the style of fantasy, and the following features can be distinguished: simulator, indie, adventure game, space, turn-based battles, strategy, single player, great soundtrack, cute, science fiction and others. You will have access to such game modes as "for one player".
All over the world playing Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! distributed as a one-time purchase by publisher Daedalic Entertainment. On the this moment the game stage is launched, and its release date is 02/14/2017. Free download Holy Potatoes! We’re in Space?!, including via torrent, is impossible, since the game is distributed according to the one-time purchase model. The game supports Russian.
MMO13 hasn't taken out Holy Potatoes yet! We're in Space?! assessment. The game is distributed in the Steam store, whose users rate this game with their reviews at 7.5 points out of 10.
The official description of the game reads:
Travel with Cassie and Faye and save their grandpa Gigi as you explore a universe full of vegetables! Defeat enemies in tactical turn-based combat, control your spaceship and explore dozens of procedurally generated planets, stars and galaxies!
At first glance it seems to be perfect game for use in cross-platform holivars. One has only to give someone a bunch of arguments about the superiority of the PC, as you can immediately stick your nose into the Steam page with the space adventures of anthropomorphic potatoes. But if you think a little and study the topic, it becomes clear that we have not seen anything like that on consoles. Plus, Holy Potatoes itself! We're in Space?! turns out to be a surprisingly decent game, quite suitable if only to pass a little time while the bosses and related tasks are temporarily out of the office.
Two sisters, two potatoes, two main characters are constantly arguing with each other - the day is spent in vain if they do not prick each other. But behind the mischievous natures lie the talents of the star captain: each of the sisters would easily cope with the decrepit ship they inherited on their own, and together they are completely capable of becoming the most formidable force in the galaxy. But grandiose success and recognition, if they are waiting for these girls, then in the future. In the meantime, they are busy with a much more important matter - the search for their missing grandfather, who, according to fragments of the found memoirs, was going to challenge almost the entire evil stellar Empire. Where to look for the crazy old man, however, is not very clear, and therefore the journey through space promises to be long. On the other hand, charming potatoes are also not allowed to dig - a fleet of destroyers follows on their heels. In some ways, such conditions resemble the popular space "bagel" Faster Then Light, except for more humor and more time to explore the star systems that come across along the way.
Each section of space consists of a trade and repair hub open to all comers and several potentially interesting planets. In the spaceport, you can repair the ship, fill in the fuel and spend a couple of minutes on commodity-money transactions. If there are too many resources in stock, then they can be sold. Well, the money received will always be found how stupid to spend it. Your ship is a real “black hole” for finances: as soon as you buy some improved module, its new, even more useful version appears on sale. How can you resist and not invest in the science section or in the weapons development department? Only a fool would pass up the opportunity to gain new passive skills or make their favorite type of laser even more destructive. The success of all your missions depends on how much the ship is improved, and what abilities the captains have. Every last potato knows that space is full of dangers.
So the sisters have to take on any job they can and visit as many planets as they can, taking into account the imperial fleet flying on the heels. As you explore the star system, you encounter funny and troublesome characters every now and then. Most of them should be helped, not sparing their belly - the efforts will pay off handsomely - but scammers in the vastness of the universe also sometimes come across. Some casual acquaintances serve as a walking reference to the phenomena of popular culture: it is simply impossible not to recognize the title character of the Doctor Who show, and you can even take Barbie Q, an adventurer who is eager to find your Ken one day, sit on his neck and lie on the couch all day in combat team. You can’t call such “Easter eggs” original, and yet, they only benefit the game. As for the dialogues, and the possibility of choosing in them, then in the first minutes thoughts about the legendary “ Space Rangers”, but the local conversations and adventures clearly do not pull on the status of full-fledged text quests.
Formally, visiting planets is called research here, but in fact, battles there are more common than peaceful interlocutors. During the battle, it is necessary to fire at the hull of the enemy ship and guns, prioritizing correctly: sometimes the guns can be ignored, and in other situations it is easier to destroy them first, then either finish off the enemy, or take tribute from him and let him go to hell. The ship of the potato sisters also has its own armor indicator, and the guns also have it, the most valuable of which can be secured with a shield. Just keep in mind that all effects consume energy, which is never enough. Sometimes even for a normal salvo from all the guns you have to save more than one move. Combat system can be called a strength Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?!: it is both simple and understandable, but at the same time, the variability almost rolls over. There are many types of weapons, and each has its own special effect, like hitting the area, but you need to take into account not only the damage done and other bonuses, but also the need for energy. In addition, weapons are allowed to be modified, and team members also affect the effectiveness of shooting and improvements. In general, there are enough various variables, and fiddling with guns is really interesting here.
Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! consists entirely of planetary exploration and interspersed spaceport hub visits. Everything is subordinated to the simplest goal - pumping: collect parts, open new guns, improve them, hire new members, expand the usable area of the compartments, and so on. A simple game without pretensions, of which dozens, if not hundreds, come out a year. But the brainchild of Singaporean developers also has a clear advantage over its competitors: an unusual art style, combined with self-irony. It would hardly be possible to play this on serious cabbage soup, but with potatoes, parodies and Easter eggs - why not? Low requirements to the hardware, the non-hurried turn-based essence and the built-in Russian language make this game perfect for relaxed sessions. Although in the original with humor, things are still a little better.
Theoretically, Holy Potatoes! We "re in Space ?! is a continuation of the 2015 game Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop ?!, released by Daedalic Entertainment. That's just the first part is a weapon shop simulator, and the second is an attempt to resurrect the space bagel genre "with all the ensuing circumstances - turn-based battles and randomly generated levels. But the developers decided in this case to move away from one important parameter that must be present in all "bagel" projects - this is the complete absence of permanent death, due to which the game had to start from the very However, whether this is a plus or a minus is a moot point.
The plot of the game is not particularly original, which cannot be said about its characters - representatives of some agricultural plants with intelligence. In addition to the main heroes, potatoes, here you can find broccoli, carrots and other vegetables. Briefly about the plot - two potato sisters, Faye and Cassie, are forced to go on their spaceship to rescue their grandfather from troubles, who managed to challenge a certain supervillain. They have to overcome a lot of worlds and go through many levels before their old ship reaches its destination. Do not forget that time is very short and you should hurry.
At the beginning of the game, you get a ship and some strange creatures as your crew. Then you set off to surf the expanses of space, getting from one star system to another. Each of them has a market where you can purchase the resources necessary for further travel, or, conversely, get rid of unnecessary ones. Also, whenever new system, a certain set of quests will be issued, which most often have nothing to do with the main storyline.
As it should be in every self-respecting "bagel", the battles take place in turn-based mode. When the turn comes to make your move, you should think and choose from what and where you should shoot again. Not the last role in the battle is played by the abilities of the captain. But there is one obstacle - precious energy is spent on each action. Don't forget the weather conditions that affect your combat parameters, and the specifics of enemy ships surrounded by a powerful force field.
I would especially like to note the banter of Holy Potatoes! We "re in Space ?! over the notorious "Pokemons", "Doctors Who" and others that have already set the teeth on edge. The rabid cat, which makes super jumps into hyperspace, hunting mice or trying to get hold of a portion of milk, was unspeakably pleased. It's easy to guess looking at Holy Potatoes ! We "re in Space ?! that everything here is implicated in unusual humor and parody. In addition, good music sounds in the game, which does not spoil the overall impression and does not cause disgust. True, like many other representatives of the genre, after a certain time the game begins to strain with its monotony, turning into a boring and monotonous process.
