Ah yes, Pocket Spouse 1.0... the day to day grind of making a living combined with little RPG Creatures to Hunt and Gather... a thrilling weekend, indeed. After choosing a Spouse the player is escorted off to a luxurious Island Home fresh for exploration, a central Market Town homes three businesses to invest in, Guild Halls, a Royal Castle and a cheerful Church community. The local beaches home a Luxury Day Spa, Fishing Spots and a deep, dark Cave Network intersecting the golden Beaches, Cliffs and Coves.
The local Woodland homes the Hunters Guild, a small farming community founded by the local Church, The local Mine and again a Cave Network that runs half way through The Island, great for intrepid adventurers and exploration fans. Mysteries and adventures await.
The player must harvest their crops, tend their animals and manage their Market Stall through day to day life, money can be used to purchase a large variety of tools, clothing, weaponry, skills, foodstuffs and furnishings to aid them in their Island exploration and journeying.
As the player progresses throughout their day to day life better gear and better skills can be purchased that can then be used to combat the Natural Predators of The Island and allow the player to explore further and Level Up. Character progression is left entirely to the player, using in-game Items and purchased weapons and armour to boost player stats both indefinitely and during combat makes for a hard to put down and a very rewarding combat system. Along with the natural Island Flora comes a collection of Bestiary 'Bosses'. Once found in the Bestiary the Creature can be found around The Island for the Player to challenge freely at any time.
Upon defeat the player is left with an in-inventory Item that allows the boss to be challenged again...
An often under-used mechanic that allows players to niggle that 'I fancy that boss again' itch.
Whereas the battle mechanics themselves are nothing more than 'Select Skill/Choose Enemy' the battles themselves are fast-paced and pretty tense making for a refreshing take on Turn-Based Battle mechanics of yore. Again making the re-playability factor that little bit more important.
- The Developer.