Ooblets has been in development for a long time. It was announced with a teaser trailer in 2017, but presumably, work began prior to that. Its release was teased many times but did go into Early Access on PC platforms in 2020 at least. That may have been the best time to release a sim-like experience as everyone was stuck inside.
That’s one reason why Animal Crossing: New Horizons was so successful. Fast forward two years and Ooblets is finally coming out of Early Access and hitting consoles with an official 1.0 release. Was all that wait worth it? The answer is complicated but good or bad, the game undeniably could be better with these few fixes in mind.
6 Battle Upgrades
There are a few upgrades that could make the card-based gameplay smoother. First, there is no way to skip enemy turns. Some RPGs allow players to skip past enemies to save time. Another solution would have the developers put in a fast-forward button.
Another big RPG for the Switch, Triangle Strategy, had this fast-forward feature that applied to both the hero party and the enemy party. Finally, Ooblets could use an autobattle mechanic. Combine those three things and the turn-based battles will go by in a snap if players choose. It’s always good to have options.
5 Travel Upgrades
One of the more annoying aspects of Ooblets is the inability to jump. Going between the beach and the docks, for example, has a slight elevation change. It would make sense for the hero to be able to jump or climb onto the dock naturally but it does not happen.
The development team doesn’t have to turn Ooblets into a full-fledged platformer. All the game needs is a small hop button to make getting past small elevation changes easier. Increasing the run speed would also be nice along with boosting how fast stamina naturally recovers.
4 Add A More Accessible Map
There is a map stationed outside of the gateway to the player’s house. It’s great because it shows where the characters are in town. So, if there is a quest involving an NPC and players need to find them, then they can study this map.
As handy as it is it would be nice if players had the map as a menu button instead. It seems silly to station one map in a town that is small but spread out enough where travel can become a hassle. That’s why an increase in the running speed would be nice along with a better fast travel system. That mechanic could get incorporated into the menu map if the developers deem it worthy.
3 More Character Customization Options
This is a cute game that is oozing with charm. The one downside to the game’s creativity is the character customization menu. Players can choose from a few preset heads, hair choices, and clothing options. The clothing options expand as the game goes on as shops get more inventory.
That part is nice, but it would have been better if the developers added more beginning options. Not being able to tweak the heads at all from the presets might be the oddest part. This is an indie game with only so many resources. It seems unfair to compare it to a AAA game like Saints Row with an absolute stacked customization menu. Still, that game is worth bringing up to inspire Ooblets.
2 Sleep Upgrades
The main character runs on two energy bars. One is the aforementioned stamina bar which decreases if players run around. The other is energy and every task players attempt from planting seeds to pulling weeds will require a certain amount of energy. This energy can be replenished if players eat something or take a nap.
The tricky thing is days can last a while, meaning players will have to restore their energy often. Naps only recover so much meaning that resources will have to be spent to make food thus creating an inescapable loop that can be detrimental in a farming sim game like this. It would be great if the developers added a way for the napping option to be increased so that more energy could be restored. An option to go to bed until the next day, no matter what time it is, would also be helpful.
1 Make Storage Items Usable
Video games that have storage facilities set up have figured out that it’s not fun running back and forth between them and NPCs for quests. It’s nice when games allow players to use objects in storage for quests, upgrading armor, selling purposes, and so forth. This has been the standard in RPGs, as a major example, for ages now even though It might not make sense.
Ooblets is backward in this regard. Not only are the storage options limited in the first few hours, but items must be on hand to use them for anything. It’s another thing that increases the exhaustive backtracking in the game. Giving players better storage facilities and a way to use items wherever they are would be a huge help. Even allowing players to drop items in their farmhouse or property would be useful.
Ooblets was released on September 1, 2022, and is available on PC, Switch, and Xbox One.