by Kassadee Marie, HSM team writer

When I was fairly new to Home over four years ago, a lot of things there amazed me that seem more commonplace now. Of course, I can still be amazed when I’m there, by what Sony and the developers can come up with.

Back then, I’d never been part of an MMORPG (massive multi-player online role playing game) or anything remotely similar to Home. Of course, I’d played video games before and I’d seen wonderful vistas, amazing creatures, and interacted with NPCs (non-player characters), but I’d never played an online game with other people. After I got over most of my initial shyness and made some friends, I loved to go to their personal spaces and see what the developers had designed. One of my first visits was to the wonderful Neptune Suite by Mass Media, and when I saw that huge whale swim by just outside the large window, I was awestruck. By the way, this is still one of the best personal spaces available on Home, with games, rewards, a dance floor, wonderful views, and a great deal of unique style.

Another of my favorite spaces — and one of the best bargains in Home estates — is LOOT’s Sunset Yacht (formerly known as the Amaterasu). This is one of the first spaces to have built-in EOD and RadioIO. It was very innovative for it’s time, as it was the first estate to offer diurnal control; it also moved (or had changing views); and it was possible to upgrade the estate and make changes to it. One of these upgrades was the sea life that could be added with a few minor purchases of items or a game, and the best of that was the whale. I decided awhile back that Richard (as I named him, after Herman Melville’s famous white whale) was the same whale as the one at the Neptune Suite. I picture him swimming a long the luxury yacht, leaping into the air, and then diving beneath the sea to pass by that incredible underwater estate.

It’s been a long time since Richard has shown up in any other personal estates in Home, but he’ll be making an appearance this Wednesday, July 2nd in North America and one week later in Europe.

Welcome to Granzella’s new personal estate, My Secret Villa on a Blue Whale. Knowing the quality of Granzella’s estates, I’m expecting something spectacular.

You’ll be able to visit six locations by traveling on your whale, where a lush tropical island flourishes on his back. These locations will include Southern Island, the Antarctic Ocean, northern fjords, sands beach, a whale graveyard, and the Mediterranean Ocean. Something for everyone! There will be six rewards to be found in treasure chests and from some friendly dolphins who swim around your whale from time to time. They are also offering some new locomotions and hairstyles (and Granzella makes some of the best hairstyles offered in Home!). In addition, Granzella will be generously presenting a public space, Paradise on a Blue Whale, which will also have some (different) rewards for all of us.

From their official PR copy:

Hop on an albino blue whale and take a trip through the ocean. Granzella introduces the all new personal space “My Secret Villa on a Blue Whale”.

A whale drifts gracefully through the great deep, its back lush with life like a tropical dream world. Dolphins swim in tandem as the blue sea stretches in all directions. Come spend a moment in this peaceful paradise.

This personal space includes features not available in the public lounge “Paradise on a Blue Whale”. Change the scenery around your whale to visit tropical countries, the Mediterranean, and even the northern fjords. It’s up to you where you steer the gentle giant as you enjoy this relaxing cruise.

There are six reward items that you can get by opening the treasure chests placed around the whale’s back or receive from the sparkling dolphins that show up from time to time. These rewards are unique to the personal space and differ from those you can receive in the public lounge.

It’s been some time since we’ve seen or heard much from this developer, and I’m really excited to see they are still working on fantastic projects for Home. This new personal estate looks to be a masterpiece of style and innovation, and I can hardly wait to purchase it.

Share