Some would cower in fear when they think about the end of the world. Games, movies, and literature tend to portray what we deem is the end of everything – of humans, animal, of life – in rather striking, if not terrible, visions that bring out the darkest fears and thoughts of people. That is why, when we think about the Last of Days, the Judgement Day, the Apocalypse, usually we picture everything to be in ruins, destruction all over, and of course, the end of the life as we know it…
The developers at Pathea Games, the people behind My Time at Portia, however, don’t see it any different than just another cutesy, colorful and happy day.
Everything that you already love
In the style of other RPG games such as Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon, and not unlike Adventure Time’s whimsical tales, My Time at Portia is a sandbox kind of open-world RPG now up on Kickstarter. Chongqing-based Pathea Games, the passionate brains behind this lush and colorful adventure, aim to create something that looks like it came out of Hayao Miyazaki’s dream world, while at the same time leaving its own footprint on the gaming world, by creating something new.
Takes your breath away as soon as you start playing
My Time at Portia, currently available as a demo only, puts you in a small town within a post-apocalyptic world (hard to imagine it once you delve into the world). The story is quite simple, so far. You, the main character (which you can customize, by the way), arrive at Portia, where you’ve inherited your late father’s workshop. You start doing business around, aiming to become the best – like no one ever was, as the song says – among the other workshops in town. This is not necessarily something to stress about, though, thanks to the multiple side-quests available, features and other activities you can do at your own leisure when you don’t feel like following the main storyline. In fact, the main feature of My Time at Portia’s story, so far, is that you can – you must – live your life the way you want, with the crafts and the skills you develop with time.
A little bit like an imitation of real life, but just simply more fun and colorful, honestly.
The demo in a nutshell
In the demo, you receive your first missions almost immediately after you start. Although there are no tutorials that explain to you what you must do exactly, still, instead of scratching your head in confusion, the smooth controls, soothing music and the overall handy item and craft systems make up for the ambiguity. You immediately “get” that you must discover “everything” on your own – that is, the whole game is an invitation to adventure, while at the same time retaining “slice-of-life” elements that make it feel like a vibrant daily life at the end of civilization (somehow).
So far, the game promises typical RPG elements, such as fishing and dungeon exploration, while upgrading them for a more comfortable and “daily life” experience, as it happened with the farming and battle system (you can literally obtain experience by kicking trees, like this video shows).
Now available through Kickstarter for pre-order
As they stated on their Kickstarter page, the central theme will be overcoming obstacles as a community, which implies that building relationships around will be one of the most important features around (marriages will be included, that’s for sure). Holidays, cooking and even the weather conditions will also be available, which bring The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to memory. Indeed, Pathea Games kept its word when they stated that this game, although heavily derived from other works, has original elements as well.
Pathea Games want the player to feel the warmth that comes from playing their game. And indeed, the game’s overall beauty makes it impossible not to feel something. The graphics, the music, the controls… Everything is as smooth as life itself (at least after the end of the storm, in this case). Hard to believe it, but the game has been in development for over just a year. It is about 40% completed, with many of the central systems in condition to be played in the demo. The developers even opened a development blog in where they receive feedback from the users and all those who have played the game, which will certainly make several users glad: quite uncommon to see developers this close to their community’s opinion. Thumbs up to involving the gamers into the development process.
Console releases possible
By doing all that, Pathea Games hopes to release this game in October if the Kickstarter hits its goal. A release on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One isn’t out of the question. Still, only time will tell if My Time at Portia will reach places outside of the PC screen. So far, however, it’s a sure thing that it has entered many people’s hearts already.
YouTube: My Time At Portia Alpha Trailer
Photo credit: Pathea
Editorial notice: The link to Hayao Miyazaki’s works is an Amazon affiliate link.
