Tales of the Shireis an upcoming game that is based on the legendary works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and, likeHello Kitty Island Adventure, it is an instance of an established IP throwing its hat into the ring of the life simulation genre. New simulation games with recognizable characters and settings are all well and good, but gameplay is what ultimately makes or breaks new titles. WithTales of the Shire’s release date being pushed back to July, it’s clear that developer Weta Workshop is aware of that fact and is working to improve the game further before launch.
IfTales of the Shirewants to find success when it releases, it may need to follow the age-old adage, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” More specifically,Tales of the Shireneeds to take lessons from established titles in the genre, including those that are based on iconic IPs, such asDisney Dreamlight Valleyand the aforementionedHello Kitty Island Adventure. In particular, the developers should look at one key element that is helpingHello Kitty Island Adventurestand outfrom other entries in the genre, like those from the behemothAnimal Crossingfranchise.
Hello Kitty Island Adventures Lets Players Craft Multiple Copies of Items
Like many simulation games,Hello Kitty Island Adventurerequires players to craftcertain items in order to raise friendship levels and unlock specific quests. Crafting items can oftentimes be one of the most tedious forms of gameplay. After all, in many simulation games, players are forced to craft the same item over and over if they need multiple copies of it. This can feel less like gameplay and more like a chore. Fortunately for Sanrio fans and veteran simulation gamers,Hello Kitty Island Adventureallows players to craft multiple copies of an item at once.
Hello Kitty Island Adventurehasn’t broken entirely new ground with this feature, as other games do allow for multiple copies of items to be crafted at the same time. However, considering that the feature is absent from many AAA simulation titles, like those in theAnimal Crossingfranchise, its inclusion inHello Kitty Island Adventurestill feels like a massive step in the right direction.Tales of the Shireshould look to replicate that step by allowing players to craft multiple copies of an item at once.
How Tales of the Shire Could Add this HKIA Feature
Tales of the Shire’s demo primarily focused around farming, foraging, cooking, and a few story missions, and it revealed that the game’s cooking system needs the player’s input, requiring them to do things like click on items in order to chop vegetables. This is different from many simulation games,likeDisney Dreamlight Valley, which, essentially, automate cooking as long as the player has the requisite ingredients on hand.Tales of the Shiredoes require players to have the necessary ingredients in their inventories for certain recipes, but the interactivity of the system adds a new layer to it. Therefore, the ability to craft multiple items at once, as can be done inHello Kitty Island Adventure, would need to be tweaked forTales of the Shire’s version of cooking.
Perhaps that tweaking could be as simple as increasing the number of inputs that a player must press if they want to simultaneously craft multiple copies of the same recipe. Of course, this increase could grow tedious for players booting up a cozy simulation game if it was taken too far, so it should be slight. This would makeTales of the Shire’s take on multi-item craftingdistinct fromHello Kitty Island Adventure’s, but it would ultimately allow players to reap the same benefits.
