Jan 31, 20193 min read

Game Review #117: Holy Potatoes! We're in SPACE?! (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewer: Jordan M.

Developer: Daylight Studios

Publisher: Rising Star Games

Category: Strategic Turn-Based

Release Date: 01.17.19

Price (at time of review): $14.99

Buy Holy Potatoes! We're in SPACE?! from the Nintendo eShop here.

Holy Potatoes! A Continuation!

Holy Potatoes! We're In Space?! is a new game in the Holy Potatoes! series, also featuring Holy Potatoes! What The Hell? and Holy Potatoes! A Weapons Shop?!. This game centers around helping spud sisters Fay and Cassie to find Jiji, their grandfather who has been kidnapped, and along the way, helping out various other veggie people in need.

A Veggie Tale For the Cosmos

The combat style of the game is strategic turn-based. Your ship has different weapon slots allowing for different types of weapons. Each weapon has a different effect, such as lasers or rockets, and is manned by a person from your ship's crew. When not in battles, you are given an overhead view of the layout of your ship. Your level of fuel and hull health, as well as amount of resources and cash available to you, will be displayed above. These are used to buy upgrades for your ship such as extra rooms, crafting stations, weapons supplies, etc.

Each time you travel, explore, or skip, it takes up one SOL, or Martian day. A panel on the bottom right will indicate how many SOLs you have left until the Eclipse team (your enemy) catches up to you. The game allows for two different options: a “normal mode”, and a "couch potato" mode which allows infinite SOLs but no achievements. You're allowed to rename your ship, which, as a grown man-child, I quickly christened "The YourMother". We will pretend I didn't chuckle as I typed this. Anyway...

To Boldly Go Where No Spud Has Gone Before

New materials and money are found by exploration of planets and other areas —which involve encounters with other characters which force you to pick an option, such as to help or not help—and through small battles with other ships. The planets become more challenging as you progress, with their difficulty level shown when they are highlighted. Buying upgrades for your ship, such as the Research Lab, allows you to research things like reduced fuel cost for traveling, or increasing the amount of resources gained per exploration. However, these upgrades cost money and require several SOLs to complete, as well as making one of your crew members unavailable until the research is finished, so choose your upgrades wisely.

My God Its Full of Starch

One thing I really like about this game is the colors/backgrounds. Space looks great as does your ship. The colors really pop and the ship battle animations have an almost retro feel when you fire your rockets or other weapons. The soundtrack is enjoyable as well. It adds to the game a lot without coming across as intrusive.

Holy Potatoes! Was I Surprised

If you have never played the earlier versions of the game and aren't familiar with the characters, the game, in my opinion, doesn't do a very good job of explaining the backstory to you. It's fine, you don't really need it, I guess just with the series, there is a sort of assumed attachment to these characters already, which I don't feel. That being said, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't have high hopes for this game. I was completely unfamiliar with the series, but it honestly turned out better than I expected. This is a pretty darn fun game, which turned out a lot more in-depth and challenging than I thought it would be. Sure, a few of the food puns can be a little eye rolling at times, but honestly that's what makes for a good pun. This game would be welcome for anyone of all ages that loves a good turn-based combat game.