The notification that my download of My Time at Portia by Team17 and Pathea Games had completed flashed across my screen. I snagged my controller on the way over to the gaming chair in the middle of my living room and settled in for an adventure that My Time at Portia delivered beautifully. The game exudes a whimsical nature that makes for a great RPG experience wrapped up in a truly fun game with few peers on the Xbox One.
My favorite thing about this game has to be the animation. I’m truly a sucker for a beautiful game and My Time at Portia really excels in that area. The colors pop and the design of everything from the grass to the buildings to the characters really embodies the fun of the game. There are a few spots where the animation gets weak like plants that get distinctly two dimensional when you get up close, but you won’t notice it unless you’re really looking for it. The other important element and well executed part of the game is scope of the map. No matter where you are in the little town of Portia, the game feels enormous compare to your character. This really adds a true exploration element that’s so important to a game like this and really drives home the adventure aspect. Even with this much detail packed in, the game maintains its playability and really runs smoothly no matter what I was doing or where I was on the map.
The aesthetic of the game adds to the gameplay mechanics in a way that makes the sum greater than the parts. The game itself uses the tried and true model of gathering and building to progress through the game. This can get a bit tedious at times in Portia since many of the missions play out exactly the same way. You get a contract to build something so you venture out to gather materials. Once you have enough materials, you come back and build what was ordered and repeat. This can lead to some missions getting tedious in the gathering materials stage and a few twists could’ve gone a long way in adding to the game. If the look of the game itself would’ve had a less striking style then some of the missions that felt a little monotonous would’ve really dragged on.
Despite the huge scale of the environment, Portia feels vibrant and alive in every corner of the game. You can interact with almost everything in the map and each of the interactions feels very unique. Different people throughout Portia will have advice, give you tips on what to do, and even help you fulfill missions that can get a little tedious. You also have the ability to give things to both animals and people throughout Portia which really shows how much detail was packed into the game. In addition to the animals and the people, you can also break down almost every tree and rock in the environment to gather materials for your contracted builds. It’s really amazing how everything in such a huge game can be this interactive and these little details really add to the depth of the game.
Overall, My Time at Portia was great! There was so much to do and interact with that it was a really easy game to play for hours on end. Ultimately, the most important thing for a game to be is fun and My Time at Portia really captured that. This is a very fun game and definitely worth an addition to your Xbox collection if you’re a fan of crafting games or just looking for a unique gaming experience.
8.5/10
Check Out the My Time at Portia Launch Trailer:
My Time at Portia launches today, April 16, 2019 and is available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam and the Epic Games store.
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Xbox One Review
My first console was the original Playstation and I would play Twisted Metal every now and then but games didn't hook me until I played the original Halo at my friend's house. As soon as I picked up that controller, I knew I needed an Xbox and I had to have that game. Since those early Halo days, I've branched out and played any game I could find with a great story and memorable characters but Master Chief is still my favorite. @thenotoriousTGT on Twitter
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