friendship Archives

AppWizard

May 25, 2026

9 cool things about Paralives you won’t find in The Sims

Paralives has entered early access and offers several innovative features that distinguish it from The Sims 4. Key features include: - The ability to resize objects, allowing for customization in design. - A snap-free decorating system that enables free placement of items. - A color wheel for customizing clothing, hair, and furniture colors, with the option to save swatches. - Height sliders for creating characters of varying heights, enhancing realism and diversity. - A vegetarian toggle that does not consume a trait slot, simplifying character traits. - A needs-dependent skill progression system that requires characters' needs to be met for leveling up. - Special mood meters that provide unique emotional states based on characters' actions. - Townie requests inspired by farming simulators, offering daily tasks for rewards. - A museum feature for donating found items, encouraging exploration and collection.

AppWizard

May 12, 2026

Mixtape review

Mixtape is a game developed by Beethoven and Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive, focusing on the experiences of Stacy Rockford, a music enthusiast nearing high school graduation. The game features Stacy and her friends, Van Slater and Cassandra Morino, as they navigate adolescence in a suburban setting. The narrative blends charming dialogue with introspective moments, capturing the bittersweet nature of growing up as Stacy prepares to move to New York. The characters engage in meaningful conversations about the challenges of transitioning to adulthood, portraying relatable experiences. The game includes surreal visual storytelling elements, although its reliance on traditional gaming mechanics sometimes detracts from the emotional narrative. Key characters include Stacy Rockford, Jenny F*cking Goodspeed, Cassandra Morino, and Van Slater. Mixtape combines a heartfelt story with a curated soundtrack but struggles to fully integrate interactivity with its narrative.

AppWizard

May 7, 2026

‘I’m bleeding to death:’ In 2009, Wurm Online was still the wild frontier of online gaming

A player navigates a virtual world where he is wounded and feels betrayed by fellow gamers. Alongside his companion Egg, he reflects on the harsh realities of the gaming community while surviving in a treacherous environment. In a moment of desperation, he creates a poultice for healing. A week later, they settle in an abandoned cottage called Cliffside Cottage, where they begin to rebuild their lives, with the protagonist working as a carpenter and Egg as a blacksmith. They engage in mundane tasks like planting crops and repairing the cottage, contrasting their earlier struggles. The narrative emphasizes themes of resilience, friendship, and hope as they work towards crafting weapons and armor for their future.

AppWizard

May 6, 2026

Former TSM and Moist Moguls Valorant player sym dies in accident

Tyler 'sym' Porter, a prominent figure in the Valorant esports community, died at the age of 21 in a car accident, which also claimed the life of his close friend, Austen. The news was shared on social media by a mutual friend, leading to an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow gamers. sym began his esports career in 2020 with Phoenix1, later joining Team Serenity and TSM's academy team, and became a founding member of Moist Moguls in 2023. He was known for his skills in the VCT Challengers circuit and recently served as a stand-in for Windthrop University's Valorant team. He was remembered for his warm personality and deep connections with others.

AppWizard

April 15, 2026

Dwarf Fortress is coming to Magic: The Gathering and I’m beginning to suspect Wizards of the Coast is targeting me, specifically

Wizards of the Coast announced a collaboration between Magic: The Gathering and Dwarf Fortress as part of the Secret Lair's Back to School superdrop. The Dwarf Fortress x Magic: The Gathering set features unique illustrations, including a trapped dwarf facing a vampiric Ñ and a capital D unleashing dragonfire. One illustration, titled Communal Brewing, depicts dwarves gathering in a dining hall. The card designs utilize ASCII art, reflecting the game's origins. The Secret Lair x Dwarf Fortress: Create New World set will be available for order starting April 27 on the Secret Lair website.

AppWizard

April 14, 2026

How to prepare for Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s City Town DLC

The City Town DLC for Hello Kitty Island Adventure introduces a new character, Usahana, and features familiar characters like Badtz Maru, Tuxedo Sam, Kuromi, Keroppi, and Chococat. Players should aim for at least level 7 friendships with these characters and stock up on Friendship Blossoms and Friendship Bouquets, which are available on specific days of the week. Friendship Blossoms reset the gifting limit for one character, while Bouquets refresh the entire roster of Sanrio friends. Crafting will be important, so players should prepare by gathering materials like Sparks, Mechanisms, rubber, sticks, Cinnabloom, and Pineapple. Gifting Chococat can help acquire Gizmos for crafting and boost friendship levels.

AppWizard

April 1, 2026

Our cozy games of April list is looking so chilled out that there isn’t even a single farm sim on it

The cozy gaming landscape for April features a variety of titles that encourage leisurely gameplay, including hidden object adventures, diorama builders, and emotionally resonant journeys. This month lacks traditional farm and life simulation games, inviting players to unwind without the pressure of deadlines. Notable game releases include: - Hello Kitty Island Adventure: City Town - The second DLC introduces the USAHA*NA character. - Castle Idler - An idle game where players strategize defenses against enemies, allowing for experimentation and idle gameplay. - ShantyTown - A city-building game with a Tetris-like approach, set in a whimsical world. - Outbound - A crafting simulation focused on building an off-the-grid base atop a camper van, emphasizing renewable energy.

AppWizard

March 19, 2026

Crimson Desert is “too much in the best and worst ways,” and that’s exactly why it’s unforgettable

Crimson Desert, developed by Pearl Abyss, is set to release on March 19, 2026, priced at .99, and will be available on PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The game offers nearly 100 hours of gameplay and features a vast world with diverse activities, including competitive archery, outlaw tracking, investment banking, and brawling. Players can encounter nearly 100 different creatures, 34 crafting manuals, and 28 factions. Traveling the map can take about four hours on foot, but there are 28 different mounts to enhance exploration. The combat system includes around 30 attack combinations across melee, ranged, and magical options. Performance on Windows PCs is commendable, running smoothly on mid-range and high-end graphics cards, though some features may challenge lower-end systems. The character-swapping mechanic allows players to switch between characters for different missions, but it may feel underdeveloped. The narrative evolves from a tale of vengeance into a more intricate story with engaging set pieces and well-crafted dialogue.

AppWizard

March 15, 2026

2026’s “lesbian knight game,” 1348 Ex Voto, is short on lesbians

Developer Sedleo's game, 1348 Ex Voto, features Aeta, a female knight-errant, and her relationship with Bianca, a castle servant. The game explores themes of grief and loyalty rather than romantic longing, with their bond remaining largely platonic despite discussions about its implications for LGBTQIA+ representation. Aeta's quest involves rescuing Bianca after their home is attacked, set against a historical backdrop where records of female relationships are limited. The gameplay follows a hero's journey format, but the emotional connection between Aeta and Bianca is minimal, with only about 15 minutes of shared screen time over six hours. While the game offers a medieval adventure with rich visuals and commentary, it struggles to compete with other titles in narrative depth. The game has sparked debate about representation and narrative choices in the gaming industry, particularly regarding its portrayal of sapphic relationships.

AppWizard

March 3, 2026

It’s only March, but I’m calling it: Esoteric Ebb is 2026’s best RPG and the first worthy successor to Disco Elysium

A goblin tea shop in Esoteric Ebb was bombed, prompting an investigation into whether it was caused by magic or an explosive device. The investigation coincided with the upcoming inaugural democratic election. The investigator engaged in various activities, including attempting to eat a large amount of apples, persuading a zombie to harm itself, robbing a zombie and others, campaigning for a position as "Wizard-God," resolving a permit dispute, failing at flirting with an angel, befriending a sphinx, discovering a conspiracy through breaking and entering, experiencing an out-of-body moment while climbing a ladder, and facing a harsh critic that led to their demise.