Did you know that Super Rare Games is having a Black Friday sale which ends in 48 hours? If I knew, I would have waited to buy my copy of Dicey Dungeons.

The allure of this sale lies not just in the exclusive timeframe but also in the substantial discounts offered, reaching up to a remarkable 50% off on a diverse array of editions. The regret of missing out on the Dicey Dungeon deal is somewhat mitigated by my newfound interest in the Steelbook version of Lost in Play. #girlmaths

This limited-time extravaganza kicked off on November 23 at 6 pm GMT and will run until November 25 at 6 pm GMT. With a tad bit of time left on the clock, the opportunity to fill my cart and proceed to checkout still beckons.

How about you? Have you unearthed any hidden gems or taken advantage of the Black Friday sales to add to your collection? Feel free to share your finds and recommendations in the comment below!

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If you haven't heard already, there's a new Pokémon game in town and it is supposed to help you sleep better.  You don't catch Pokémon , but get to befriend them to help you raise a Snorlax each week - the bigger the Snorlax gets, the more rewards you get in game. The more you sleep, the better it is.

Gameplay

Playing is really easy,  all you need to do is sleep using your mobile device with the app or get the Pokémon Go Plus+ to record your sleep. If you don't want to over work (and overheat) your phone's battery, the Pokemon Go Plus+ is a must get! 

Get yours at Shopee

Now on to the gameplay which consists of a bunch of tutorials, guiding you from your first sleep session on getting started and orientated: introducing the Snorlax which you have to feed each week at different locations and get rewards, at the the same time befriending Pokémon to help you gather ingredients for cooking and feeding your Snorlax of the week. 

Unlike the usual Pokémon games where you catch them, in Pokémon Sleep you befriend them instead. So I doubt they are transferrable to the other Pokémon games, and the Snorlex you meet at just for show (or feeding so to say).

Other than that change in catching to befriending, it looks like the levelling system is here to stay: not only do Snorlax and each Pokémon have a levelling system, but so do the Recipes for cooking. The higher the level, the more things you can cook and more skills/capabilities your befriended Pokémon unlock to feed your Snorlax of the week. 

Then you have Incenses, and rare Pokémon with feed requirements, and evolution items to buy etc… For evolving the Pokémon you have befriended you'd need items and candy. So the more you sleep, the more rewards... It's not called Pokémon  SLEEP for nothing. 😁

As with the games series, you will work with a professor to studying the sleep patterns and gain rewards.

Meet Professor Neroli Did you know, neroli is an essential oil that comes from bitter orange trees?

According to the app, the ideal amount of sleep is 8.5 hours. You can do 2 sleep sessions each day but they must be 90 minutes minimum. You set an alarm within Pokémon Sleep to remind you to go to bed and then set one to wake you up. There's also the function to play relaxing sounds to help you doze off.

If you use your mobile phone, not only is your battery life at risk so is your privacy -  the game will record your sounds (which are supposed to be only saved locally and wiped every 24 hours) to determine what mode of sleep you are in. Hence the reason why I prefer using the  Pokémon Go Plus+ as the app does not need to be running to use and it can easily sync the sleep data in the morning via bluetooth.

Types of Sleep

There are 3 types of sleep: Dozing, Slumbering and Snoozing.

Based on the duration of your sleep at the different stages, various Pokémon will spawn the morning after. They have multiple ‘Sleep Styles’, so in terms of collecting there's the Pokémon, their sleeping styles and did I mention you can even befriend Shiny Pokémon?

You use biscuits to befriend the Pokémon and add them to your team. They will then collect the berries and ingredients to feed the Snorlax and for cooking recipes.

Certain types show up based on the quality of your sleep. You are initially gifted a Pikachu and if you use Pokémon Go Plus+ you get an extra Pikachu helper wearing a nightcap. 

And that's how Pokémon Sleep works. It also includes tips about healthy eating and other aspects of your life, especially about sleep. If you are looking for something to motivate you to improve the quality of your sleep by gamifying it, then this is the perfect app.

There's the monetization part of the game but I find it pointless, as I see it more as a motivation for better sleep rather than grinding and playing to get the highest level per se. If you want to grind and play something more play worthy then Pokémon Go would be a better choice. Pokémon Sleep is more a lifestyle enhancement app which gamifies sleeping - perfect if you want to reward your sleep but not really worth paying anything in-game for. 

Have you played  Pokémon Sleep? Let us know in the comments below! 

Get from Amazon

Get from Shopee

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There are countless of options for joycons for the Nintendo Switch, and besides 3rd party (non-Nintendo licensed) options, the HORI stood out to me especially when the HORI Nintendo Switch Split Pad Compact came out. 

I was mesmerized by it's sleek look and the color options. So it was without hesitation that I got it when it was on sale (it's always better to get it on sale then paying for full price).

Out of the many options that they had, the color option I got was the Mint Green x White version.

Hori’s new Split Pad Compact controllers are apparently the improved version of the Hori Split Pad Pro with a more colorful design and reduced size. They come in a range of colors such as Apricot Red, Yellow, and Mint. They also have Pokemon designs, which are pretty cool. 

In essence, the Hori Split Pad Compact acts just like the Nintendo joycons - they slot right into the sides of a Nintendo Switch where the joycons would usually do. But unlike their Nintendo counterpart, the Hori series of controllers do not have an internal battery and cannot be used wirelessly. In addition to that, they also do not have Motion Controls, HD Rumble, NFC, or IR camera, and they can only be played in handheld mode.

These controllers offer substantially more room for bigger hands than the actual joycons, and they are ergonomically comfortable to use as well. So if you are mostly playing in handheld mode over docked, this might be your jam.

As the name suggests, compact means it fits nicely into the hands and is really comfortable to hold and use as well:  the shoulder buttons and triggers are larger, and the joysticks are taller, bigger around, and textured, making  the buttons are tactile and the joystick experience seamless to execute precise movements far. Additionally, there is Turbo button on each grip that can automatically, rapidly repeat an input while a button is held down. 

At the back of each grip, there are two buttons which can be mapped to any of the face buttons on the corresponding grip. It can be useful but unfortunately it means that you cannot map any of the ABXY buttons onto the left grip’s back button, or D-pad buttons onto the right grip’s.

Overall, the Hori Split Pad Compact has a competent set of controls which offers a performance upgrade over the standard Nintendo joycons. But I was underwhelmed even though it was cheaper than the standard Nintendo joycons and slightly more ergonomic and comfortable to use. 

It was not the lack of Motion Controls, HD Rumble, NFC, IR camera, or the fact that is can only be played in handheld mode and does not have it's own battery, but the odd design if including a small piece of plastic that extends to overlap with the back of the Switch itself and bumps out from the back. It's probably there to reduce the likelihood of damaging the Switch’s controller rails with the extra leverage the larger controllers provide, but it does not factor for those who are using a Switch case. 

It's so troublesome to remove the case each time to attach the Hori Split Pad Compact, that I've just left it. Not to mention which them attached to your Switch, it cannot even fits the standard carry case (you'd have to spend more money to get a bigger carry case).

Have you gotten the Hori Split Pad Compact? If yes what are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below!

For around the same price I would recommended getting an OEM (non-Nintendo) joypad or joycon instead. I saw this from IINE and could not pass it up as it was a Splatoon Design.

Get from Amazon

[IINE Splatoon Nintendo Switch Joypad Review]

Image from Ubisoft

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With just about 10 days to it's release,  Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope will make it's way on the Nintendo Switch on 20 October 2022!

In the strategy adventure Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Mario and his friends team up with the Rabbids once again to restore order to the galaxy! Explore planets filled with quirky residents, and even quirkier secrets, while you stop a mysterious evil from plunging the universe into chaos.

I went into it not really knowing what to expect but Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a hidden gem with full of surprises. It’s a turn-based tactics gameplay where you figure out the tactical puzzles of chaining together as many stringed attacks in the least amount of moves possible. It’s oddly satisfying seeing the enemies getting beaten up Mario and Rabbid style. 

[Mario Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Gold Edition + Donkey Kong Adventure DLC Review]

So now with it's sequel out, I can't wait to get my hands on another fantastic helping of strategy-focused goodness, Mario + Rabbid style of course. Besides the Standard Edition, there are are some special Gold and Cosmic Editions available!

I found the Cosmic Edition on Qoo10 for SGD$59.90, and the Gold Edition was SGS$110.90. What a steal!

[S$59.90](▼30%)[UBIsoft][Pre-Order] Nintendo Switch Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Pal/Eng) - Release on 20th Oct 2022

WWW.QOO10.SG

It's sad that we don't have the steel case, but if you order from the Nintendo Store UK it comes with with a free SteelBook case.

The Gold Edition includes the base game, a Season Pass (which contains upcoming DLC packs, including additional story content featuring a new character, quests, and battles), and the Galactic Prestige Collection (three exclusive weapon skins, unlockable right away). 

The Cosmic Edition just does not have the Season Pass for the DLCs, which is pretty reasonable for that price. It comes with  the base game, and the Galactic Prestige Collection mentioned above.  I've been buying a tad too much games, so this was the only one which was more 'friendly' on my wallet, so this is the version which I got. I could always get the DLCs at a later stage if I am interested in it.

Now all I have to do is wait for the game, and find time time to play! 

Have you pre-ordered your copy of the game or will you wait before getting it? Share it with us below in the comments below!

If you've loved the rustic and calming gameplay of  A Short Hike and wished it was on a physical game cartridge for your Nintendo Switch, your wish has been granted thanks to Super Rare Games!

Follow the marked trails or explore the backcountry as you make your way to the summit. Along the way, meet other hikers, discover hidden treasures, and take in the world around you.

• Explore the island any way you like. Choose your own path to follow and see where it leads you. You never know what you might stumble into!

• Hike at your own pace – there’s no need to rush to the summit! Take your time fishing along the river banks or swimming by the lakeshore.

• Collect hidden treasures to reach new heights. Try taking a dive off the mountain peaks to soar above the forests.

• Chat with the other hikers you meet along your route. You might be able to help each other out!

• Listen to a lush original soundtrack by Mark Sparling that progresses dynamically as you explore the wilderness.

The collector's edition contains a a 46-page retro style guidebook of Hawk Peak, 4 sticker sheets of the Flora and Fauna found on Hawk Peak, a poster-size retro style fold-out map of Hawk Peak (all held together by a Short Hike Belly Band), a Claire pin badge, 3 postcards, and the beautiful OST composed by Mark Sparling. 

How cool is that?! 

If you are a collector and love this game, you should definitely get it! 

 Buy Now

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For collectors of Pokemon Plushies, this might interest you! Super adorable  sleeping plushies on comfortable beanies!

I've gotten the Jirachi and Eevee. They are super cute too!  You can find a sleepy Jirachi taking a nap on my Instagram.

Each design is around 5-7cm by 9cm so they make a cute shelf decoration for any Pokémon enthusiast. And... the cushion even has a multi-purpose, you can use it to clean your phone screen (yes, you read that right!) as well as a nifty little arm rest when you are using your mouse to browse your computer.

You get to choose 6 adorable designs: Jirachi, Komala, Snorlax, Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Eevee. I actually got the Jirachi and Eevee for less than SGD$10 each, from Shopee. To be precise they were around SGD$8 which to me is a steal.

You'd be spoilt for choice. So get yours today!

Get yours at Shopee