Bloom Thrice

This is a very cool game that I'm afraid is going to go massively overlooked. At its core, this is a very solid metroidvania with fun exploration and fairly challenging boss fights. There's a couple different systems that let you change up how you approach combat; I found myself shuffling around my skills in particular in order to deal with a couple late-game bosses. This is all tied together with a story that... starts out fairly simple and ends up going places I didn't really predict. It's cool, and there isn't so much text that you feel like you're being slowed down by it. I haven't even finished the game completely yet, since there's a few different endgame things, but I wanted to get a review out to help visibility. Consider checking out the game; it's the type of one-man passion project that really deserves to be recognized. Edit: I finished all the endings, can now wholeheartedly recommend the game. The fights in the final third of the game are incredibly cool, with some very funny gimmicks. I think the final fight is maybe a bit too easy, but it's mostly because your skills are very overpowered. Still very good though.

Bloom Thrice feels to me like an excellent mix of An Untitled Story and Cave Story. It has a vibrant sense of adventure in a wacky world filled with characters where your in-game actions have meaning beyond just dodging attacks and doing damage. This is one of those games that put a constant smile on your face and make you think "♥♥♥♥ yeah, video games do rule." An easy buy for anyone interested in action platformers that tell a great story on top of everything. It manages to be creative and surprising all the way through, which is a feat, and rounds itself off with a shorter runtime than some of the behemoths of the genre, making it a great, casual play. In a just world this would be an instant classic that stands alongside other indie Metroidvania greats.

The game [b]hooked me from the start[/b]. That combo of [b]nostalgic 8-bit tunes[/b] and a [b]tastefully simple, charming art style[/b] created a genuinely pleasant vibe. Looks cute, but I quickly realized – [i]this isn't a cakewalk[/i]. Combat turned out to be a [b]serious challenge[/b]. What I loved most is how [b]every enemy demands its own approach[/b]. You can't just mash buttons – you [i]have to learn patterns[/i]. It's [b]tough[/b]; some early enemies/bosses (I'm not too far yet) made me work for it, but it [b]never felt unfair[/b] or frustrating. [b]Experimenting with skill combos[/b] adds a welcome layer of tactics that keeps things fresh. The World, while not hyper-detailed, has [b]distinct zones each with their own feel[/b]. The atmosphere gets a real boost from the [b]NPCs[/b] – their dialogue is [i]actually funny[/i] and gives them [b]real personality[/b]. They’re not just set dressing; they [i]help you connect[/i] with the place. Technically, it's been [b]mostly smooth[/b]. Noticed a couple of tiny quirks (like a mouse stuck in textures), but [i]nothing impacting actual play[/i]. My Takeaway So Far: It radiates a sense of being [b]made with care and soul[/b]. Hard to pinpoint flaws yet – maybe a slight feeling [i]something intangible is missing[/i]? But I’m still exploring. Who'd I Recommend It To? Folks seeking a [b]"cute" game with genuine bite[/b], who enjoy [b]mastering combat through observation[/b], and appreciate [b]indie titles with distinct character[/b].

EDIT: Now that I'm mostly done with the game, my opinion didn't change too much. There's a meta dimension to Bloom Thrice that is interesting and lets you go "beyond" the ending and seek a true ending for the inhabitants of the Beautiful World. I liked that! It's not the first time it's been done, but it's a sweet way to give these lovely characters some closure. On the gameplay side, things kept ramping up very nicely until the final boss. It gets a bit tough at times but there's a smooth difficulty curve that a lot of people will be able to enjoy! What I didn't like as much was the (small spoilers for the endgame)[spoiler]third ending route, the "High-difficulty route". I won't spoil it here, but going that route feels very out of character and it's something that I couldn't bring myself to go through with, especially after completing the good ending and having a satisfying conclusion to the story. It's too bad, because going that route also unlocks a bunch of super cool boss fights and a small revamp of the combat system that I would have loved to experiment with a bit![/spoiler] I guess it's something to look forward to for people only interested in the gameplay side of Bloom Thrice? [b]Original in-progress review[/b]: I played Bloom Thrice for two hours and had a delightful time. It's a simple metroidvania that understands what makes that genre so good: progression is fast, movement is smooth, you get both passive and active skills that make exploration and combat better at a fast pace... and most importantly, it's full of charm. Since this is a Japanese indie game, I was worried about the translation being a bit "off", but it's been wonderful. The writing is witty and fun! Characters have personality in spades! It's actually funny! The result is that I'm not just motivated by gameplay as is often the case in these games, but I actually want to progress in Bloom Thrice to see old and new characters and progress the story. It's a great feeling, and that's exactly why I'm so fond of indie games - you can feel the developer's passion and love for video games at every corner of Bloom Thrice. According to other reviews, I've got at least 8 more hours of playtime left and I can't wait to get back into it! A sizeable demo is available and I urge you to give it a chance. You might fall in love with the "Beautiful World"!

I tried a handful of games that all felt and looked very similar with [b]Princess Pomu[/b], [b]Witchroid Vania[/b], [b]Star Rift Saga[/b] and [b]Bloom Thrice[/b]. Despite them all playing competently enough, I found them all to be kind of boring and artistically unappealing. [b]Bloom Thrice[/b] is the more minimalistic looking of this bunch. I admittedly didn't spend much time with, but I was already struggling to see the appeal. As was evident already in the trailer, too many screens are sparse, with little in them, too much empty space like that makes for a boring experience. I saw no light at the end of this tunnel to encourage me to play further.

I can't remember the last time I played a platformer where I wanted to see what would happen next. Sure, the combat has surprising depth and variety with the different skills on offer, the bosses offer a great dynamic since they all move around like you while throwing out many bullet-hell attacks, and the exploration is very open and rewarding; the game even gives you, as your first objective, to "Play Freely!" But what stuck with me the most is how interesting the story was. You really don't expect this level of writing in this genre, where the story is usually just a way to get the player from point A to point B, or to justify your journey. I was very quickly hooked by the premise, and every new plot point was exciting and made me want to play more. If you're into indies with a strong story and some difficulty, I heavily recommend checking this one out.

Bloom Thrice is a fast-paced metroidvania with a heavy emphasis on exploration and bullet hell-focused combat. The game features a whole bunch of boss fights, pretty much all of which I enjoyed! Especially the last handful of fights in the game were particularly exciting for me, and the game does a good job of making things feel fresh throughout the game. The story is pretty nice too. It doesn't feel too tacked on and also toys with some interesting ideas, not to mention the portrait arts for the characters are all really cute. I would've perhaps enjoyed if more areas had unique spots or landmarks to make them stand out a little more, as I often found myself zipping through zones very fast even on a first run-through, and the rooms blended together quite a bit ([spoiler]the Lab is a good example of an area that felt very memorable and kept introducing new ideas, or just experimenting with fun things[/spoiler]). To go into more spoiler-heavy territory, I'd like to talk about some things I particularly liked in Bloom Thrice. [spoiler]I found the dialogue to be quite fun, but also especially enjoyed the meta narration that would occasionally pop-up from time to time, most notably in the 3rd route. It felt like a nice window between the developer and the player, and some musings as to what drives a player to keep on playing a game. I found the "Banished" dialogue near the end to be especially funny. Also, the 3rd route boss fights surprised me, as despite the warnings of difficulty, I found them to be the most interesting bosses in the game from a design perspective, with some funny twists or gimmicks thrown in. The game also has some quite catchy tracks, but I especially liked Beautiful World ~ Finale, which served as a nice climax to the games first route by using motifs and melodies of all the main areas of the game in an avoidance/performance-style boss fight. Was just a really cool touch! [/spoiler] Just an overall very charming game. It has soul, and to me it feels like a game where as you're playing, you can feel that the maker of the game cares really about their work, which I appreciate. I hope to see more from NEO*PUN in the future!

ひとまずのエンディングを見た段階のレビュー。やさしい世界観の探索ゲームでサブイベントが楽しい。全部ひとりで作ったってマジかよ。難易度は結構シビアで、アクションが上手い人でもトロコンが結構タイヘンなのでは。ラスボス戦はフィナーレにふさわしく思わずアガってしまうので一見の価値あり。

This is a really really good platformer and metroidvania. It has precise controls and the movement feels similar to Celeste but there's an added attack option. From the harder optional bosses, its pretty clear there's a high skill cap due to the movement options and skills you have, but the required sections have a very good difficulty curve. There's also a good amount of difficult optional content for those who want it that forces you to utilize all your movement options. Its a metroidvania, so technically its linear but it does a good job of feeling "open" and offers multiple optional section within each area. These are often harder and tied to quests which you receive periodically in the game through meeting new characters. Traversal is limited through the combo of spikes and enemies, but as you get better at the platforming and remember the layout of a room, you'll be able to move safely faster and faster which feels really rewarding. Rooms range from small and cramped to super large so there's a diversity of platforming as you move through the world. There are also tons of skills and badges(similar to Hollow Knight). These actually feel useful and I've had to spend time thinking which to equip based on the cost limit. Some skills can be found in the world and others are purchased which incentivized me to explore and fight enemies(money source). The combat is a mix of having to use the movement options to platform around the enemies and the bullets they shoot while also getting in the right position to attack the enemy with the default attack or skills. It starts off simple as the enemies will first jump or run at you, but once they start shooting bullets, it can get really hectic. Your platforming skills are highly rewarded and it feels good learning their patterns and choosing when to attack(or parry the bullet) vs when to dodge. Story wise, I'm not done yet, but I'm enjoying it so far. It does a good job of not intruding on the gameplay and hiding dialogue that fleshes out the characters more behind optionally talking to them. If you're someone just interested in playing through the game without focussing on the story, you'll be able to, but if you prefer to take the more "scenic" route, you can enjoy the characters more by talking to them. The story in general starts off feeling all cheery but you can pretty quickly tell there's something going on behind the scenes. I found the visuals very charming and love the little portraits each character has. Even in the actual world, the enemy sprites are distinctive. Despite there being a lot of bullets on the screen at times, the colors are mixed in a way that the overall screen is still clear and doesn't confuse you. In general, I love the colors and the world really does feel beautiful. The music is also really good, and each area has its own theme that fits somewhat thematically. Sunset mountain is probably my favorite as of now. They also loop in a way which didn't take me out of the game every time it happened which is really nice to see. My only complaint in the game is that the common enemies have either too much health, or the main character has too low damage. It feels like it takes too long to kill them and sometimes, I'll just platform away instead of fighting them even with the money incentive. I know you can increase the attack power, but I think a 1.25x damage by default would make it more fun to fight mobs. The bosses seem pretty fair in health though.

So far it's def. a fun game. It's like Rabi Ribi meets Cave Story. If you don't own the game yet, try out the demo and see how much you might enjoy the full game based on it.