Toontown Rewritten: Keeping the Dream Alive

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Source: Disney Interactive

The End of an Era… or is it?

Do you remember Disney’s Toontown Online? It was a family-friendly MMO game where you could make friends, play minigames and beat up corporate robots with the power of slapstick comedy. Toontown was a staple of my childhood; it wasn’t the only kid’s online game I played, but it was definitely my favourite one.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With the game losing subscribers and, therefore, money, Disney decided to close the doors to Toontown in September 2013 after 10 years of service.

That would have been the end if the fans of Toontown Online didn’t have anything to say about that!

Source: Disney Interactive

When it was announced that Toontown would be shut down for good, many determined and tech-savvy players got to work on preserving the game that they loved. In the months after the original game shut down, a handful of private servers were created and entered the testing phase. Most of the original servers are no longer available to play on, but one has risen above the rest and continues to be the most popular fan-run server: Toontown Rewritten.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

The History of Toontown Rewritten

The person who started the project that would become Toontown Rewritten was a teenager named Joey Ziolkowski. He gathered up a team of other talented fans, and, together, they began to work on Toontown Rewritten shortly after the announcement of Toontown Online’s closure. By October 2013, Toontown Rewritten entered its alpha phase of testing, which was playable by anyone who was lucky enough to get their hands on an alpha key.

The end of Rewritten’s alpha phase reintroduced the corporate robots known as the Cogs in a cinematic event known as “Doomsday”. After a couple of more months in closed beta, Toontown Rewritten officially entered open beta for all fans to play in September 2014.

Over the next few years, the Rewritten team worked hard to reintroduce everything that was in the original Toontown Online and squash all the bugs that came with the updates. As much as I love Toontown, I will admit that it was never the most stable video game to begin with, and some bugs took much longer to fix than others (looking at you, physics-breaking golf balls!). Toontown Rewritten finally reached the end of its beta phase in 2017.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

New and Improved

Although Toontown Rewritten’s development has slowed since the end of beta, the Rewritten Team continues to maintain and update the game. Notable updates include an improved Options menu (with the ability to change keybinds) and a month-long event where the toons raided one of the Cog HQs.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

On December 3, 2021, Toontown Rewritten released its biggest update and the first game expansion to include brand new story content exclusive to this private server.

One of Toontown Online’s old game modes, known as Sellbot Field Offices, were never implemented in Rewritten due to how unpopular they were. Instead of abandoning the idea completely, however, the Rewritten team remade these Field Offices from the ground up. The new Sellbot Field Offices are tough-as-nails challenges for the strongest of players that end with a unique boss battle.

Alongside the Field Offices, veteran toons can enjoy a new storyline where they join a secret organization who are on the front lines of the battle against the Cogs. Every secret organization also needs a secret hideout; can you find the hideout’s entrance?

We may never know if we’ll ever see Toontown in an official format again, whether from Disney or another company buying the rights to the IP. Maybe a spiritual successor will come around one day. Either way, I’m glad that there’s still a way to play this gem of a game, and it’s all thanks to the work of Toontown’s most dedicated fans.

Toons of the world, unite!

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

How a Pokémon Spinoff Game Made Me Love Storytelling

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Although the main Pokémon games are developed by Game Freak, the game publishers at The Pokémon Company often give the Pokémon license to other game companies to let them create the spinoff titles. This has been done since the early days of the Pokémon franchise; did you know that Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap was developed by HAL Laboratories, the creators of the Kirby games?

This time, the license was given to the company Chunsoft, who were best known for their work on the first five Dragon Quest games. The mission was to create a crossover game with Chunsoft’s roguelike series Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer.

 

Source: Spike Chunsoft

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Thus, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team was created, and it was released in North America on September 18, 2006. Two version of Rescue Team were released: Red Rescue Team for the GBA and Blue Rescue Team for the DS.

I got Red Rescue Team as a Christmas gift that year, and, as a young Pokémon fan, I enjoyed this new take on a favourite franchise a lot. Getting to be a Pokémon, exploring procedurally generated dungeons and rescuing other Pokémon from peril felt like a grand adventure to eight-year-old me.

The Rescue Team games were a pretty good time all around, but this story isn’t about those games. Greater things were coming for the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series: we’re here to talk about the sequels.

 

Sequel Detected!

Source: Spike Chunsoft

On April 20, 2008, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness were released in North America for the Nintendo DS. I was now nine years old, and I was excited for a new adventure in the Mystery Dungeon format. What was waiting for me in the journey ahead?

It turned out that the sequel was everything that I wanted and more. The main story in Explorers was twice as long as the one in Rescue Team. This made for an even bigger adventure, not only across the Pokémon World, but through time as well. Smaller missions also made a return from Rescue Team with a fun new addition. Not only could you save Pokémon in need, but now you could take on outlaw Pokémon: minibosses that gave rewards should you beat them in battle. That’s just scratching the surface of new things that Explorers introduced.

 

You might be thinking, “It sounds like you had fun with the game, but how did it make you fall in love with storytelling?” I could tell you about the narrative while treading carefully around spoilers. You wake up on the beach and meet a Pokémon that ends up becoming your team partner. Together, the two of you learn how to always be brave, no matter how big the challenges are. I could talk about the excellent plot twists that shocked me when I was a kid, and I believe that they still hold up well.

But what really made me love the story was the heart that was put into it. The storytellers behind the game really knew when to pull at the heartstrings to further engross players into the game’s world. They knew exactly when to make the player laugh, how to rile up their anger, and when to have a more introspective moment. This all lead to an ending that left me and many others in tears. It was clear that a lot of passion was put into the story, and it made me want to create stories with just as much heart poured into them.

Source: Spike Chunsoft

 

Source: Spike Chunsoft

Wynaut used Encore!

That wasn’t quite the end of this tale. A year and a half later, a definitive version of the games known as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky was released. It contained brand new content, including a sub-story involving the Pokémon Shaymin, many new dungeons, and five “Special Episodes” that put the player in the shoes of the supporting cast.

If you haven’t played the Explorers games before, this is the version I recommend playing; the additions are worth it. If you are a Pokémon fan, or just enjoy roguelike games with a good narrative, then this is a great game to give a try.

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

Indie Game Spotlight: Wildermyth & Omori

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https://indiehellzone.com/2021/02/09/omori/

https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22638600/wildermyth-review-pc-proc-gen-worldwalker-games-strategy-mac-linux

Triple A titles may have plenty of spectacle and larger-than-life attitude, but some great games with lots of heart can come from smaller teams. I have always admired indie developers for their creativity and passion. In a market when the big companies often seem to only make games to turn in a profit and fulfil an obligation to consumers, I can turn to indie developers, who genuinely love making games, for games with real heart poured into them.

From tough-as-nails roguelikes such as The Binding of Isaac to calming farming sims like Stardew Valley, there are plenty of fun indie games for any type of gamer. I want to shine a spotlight on two games that came out in within the past year that I enjoyed. Perhaps you’ll find a new favourite to add to your collection.

 

Wildermyth

Developer: Worldwalker Games LLC.

Release Date: June 15, 2021

Link to the Official Website

In the mood for a tactical RPG with procedurally generated maps and quests, a unique storybook-like art style, and an expansive character creation system that feels like the start of a game of Dungeons and Dragons? Then Wildermyth might be just what you’re looking for!

https://www.ign.com/articles/wildermyth-review-indie-rpg

Choose from one of five main story campaigns crafted by the developers or set up your own campaign; the world map is then yours to journey through. Between battles, characters will come across many tough choices that can change their stats, relationships with others, or even their physical form. In one of my campaigns, a character became part raven!

In battle, party members under three categories: warriors, rangers and mages; however, every time a character levels up, a new skill out of a randomly chosen group of three can be learned. The total amount of skills available is quite large, and these paired with a variety of weapons to craft, allows for more unique builds than initially meets the eye.

Fight in many battles to become great heroes and save the land. Does your party have what it takes to become legends?

 

https://omori.fandom.com/wiki/OMORI_(GAME)#STEAM_SCREENSHOTS

Omori

Developer: OMOCAT, LLC.

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Link to the Official Website

*Major content warning: This game goes into heavy subject material that can be triggering, including trauma and suicide. As a psychological horror game, be prepared for frightening images and mostly visual jumpscares (some have audio, but I never found any of them to be very loud). *

Welcome to White Space. In this story-based RPG with inspiration from Yume Nikki and Earthbound, follow along with a boy named Omori and his group of friends on a strange yet heartfelt adventure across a vibrant world.

When one of Omori’s friends mysteriously goes missing, it’s up to you to figure out where he went. Travel through vast forests, glamorous castles, outer space and more while bumping into charming characters; could they be friend or foe? Synergize with your friends in battles with the help of individual skills and follow-up team abilities, and wield the power of your emotions to turn the tide.

Not everything is as it seems, however. Something is always watching, and an uncomfortable truth might be bubbling just below the surface. Saying too much more will spoil the game, but if you are intrigued by this, I highly recommend giving Omori a shot. By the end, this game will make you cower in fear, laugh along with its silly side, and cry through its emotional moments.

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

Year One of Genshin Impact: A Retrospective Look

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In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

On September 25th, 2020, the hit game Genshin Impact was released worldwide. Whether you continued playing since then, dropped off the bandwagon early on or decided against trying it, Genshin Impact’s success and popularity can’t be denied. Now that the game has wrapped up its first year on the market, let’s look back at its budding legacy and take a glimpse into the future.

The First Leg of the Journey

Thanks to an excellent marketing campaign, many people flocked to try out Genshin Impact when the game first launched. According to an IGN article reported by Jordan Oloman, Genshin Impact reached 17 million downloads in its first week on mobile alone. With two beautiful nations to explore and a fun combat system to use against enemies, people were getting hooked.

Since the game’s release, the initial roster has expanded from 22 playable characters to 41; that’s almost double the number of characters to choose from, each with a unique playstyle. Many new quests were added, ranging from the continuation of the main story to choose-your-own-adventure style hangouts with some of your favourite characters. A challenging area known as the Dragonspine was added for the game’s toughest players; for players looking for a break from the combat, miHoYo also added customisable with plenty of furniture available to craft for them.

In July, Genshin Impact’s biggest update introduced players to a new nation: the island country of Inazuma. With inspiration taken from shogunate-era Japan, this new land opens a new chapter in the main story. In my opinion, the story just keeps getting better and deeper; what truth will we find at the end of the journey? As more islands are unveiled, new challenges and minigames are also unlocked to keep players coming back for more.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

The Gacha Debate

Some people are turned off from the gacha aspect of the game, where characters and some weapons are unlocked from a luck-based draw; getting more chances to pull a character means buying draws with real money. For a while, I was in this boat. If characters are locked behind a luck-based paywall, how much of the game is truly “free-to-play”?

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

Thankfully, almost all other game content is available for free, and you can enjoy Genshin Impact without paying a single cent. That means hours of exploring the world Teyvat, experiencing the rich story and engaging in combat against challenging enemies are available for all players.

Being concerned about game companies getting greedy with their monetization is fair and a wise thing to do, but I believe Genshin Impact is an enjoyable and complete game that anyone on any budget can immerse themselves in.

What’s Next?

Version 2.2 of Genshin Impact releases tomorrow evening, which includes the final island of Inazuma, new enemies, new minigames and lots of new furniture to add to the player’s house. Plenty more characters  are planned to be added to the game soon, with Pyro user Thoma to be released on November 2nd. miHoYo also have plans to release Geo user Gorou and Electro user Yae Miko as playable characters as well.

According to the official storyline preview, the next nation the traveller goes to will be Sumeru, home of the Dendro god. No playable characters with Dendro powers have been released yet, so players hope the nation’s release will introduce a new element to wield in battle.

 

Whether you are an active player or not, Genshin Impact is here to stay with many hours of content and more large updates planned. If you’re still sitting on the fence about trying out the game, it has never been a better time to take the plunge.

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Thoma

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Thoma

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.