Elementallis

Great Zelda like Nice game dynamic Had a lot of fun, bestiary is great to track all that is found

Good puzzles and level design which scratches the "Link to the Past" itch. The "backtracking" mentioned in other reviews is not so bad. The world is not particularly large, and the powers your receive in each biome unlock significant shortcuts. Combat is pretty meh, and one boss is particularly annoying.

Great little game with lots of puzzles and exploration! If you're looking for a Legend of Zelda: Link to the past-style experience, i highly recommend this gem!

Elementallis, un gioco indie molto prezioso. Ho fatto parte del kickstarter appena annunciato e ho seguito lo sviluppo durante tutto il periodo, giocando anche alle demo rilasciate in esclusiva. Poi è uscito il gioco (a cui ho giocato la versione Nintendo Switch su Nintendo Switch 2, per questo non vedrete tempo di gioco sulla mia recensione). Ci ho passato 30 ore totali. Il gioco è un Zelda-like, uno dei miei generi preferiti. Ma si distingue molto bene dal solito clone. La possibilità di usare magie elementali è il punto fulcro del gioco. C'è una varietà di magie molto vasta, fuoco, acqua, vento, terra, elettricità, natura, ghiaccio e etere. Ognuna ha la sua applicazione e il suo vantaggio, sia in combattimento che in risoluzione dei puzzle. Ogni area ha il suo dungeon principale, ma nel gioco non si tratta solo di andare di dungeon in dungeon, si può esplorare una gigantesca area piena di nemici molto vari (che si possono anche catalogare nel Bestiario interno) e puzzle che rendono l'esperienza ancora più divertente. Il backtracking è poco, di solito per recuperare alcuni collezionabili che si sono mancati o che richiedono un nuovo elemento per essere raccolti, o per riempire il Bestiario se si vuole completare il gioco al 100%. Uno dei problemi del gioco è proprio il Bestiario, ma questo solo se si è complezionisti, infatti per ottenere uno degli oggetti del gioco, la Bussola, che permette di teletrasportarsi usando le apposite statue eteree, si deve completare al 100% il bestiario, uccidendo più e più volte i nemici, sia in versione normale che (almeno una volta) in versione potenziata. Il problema principale sta nel fatto di aver bloccato il teletrasporto dietro la Bussola, e gli ultimi nemici si possono sbloccare solo nell'ultima area del gioco, rendendo la Bussola inutile (anche se rivela la posizione dei frammenti di cuore e mana mancanti). L'unica pecca del gioco secondo me è stata questa, ma è una cosa minore. Il resto dell'avventura è stata soddisfacente, inclusi anche i dialoghi e la storia. Graficamente ha uno stile molto interessante, e i nemici sono molto vari, nessuna ripetizione. I nemici forti sono di colore viola e permettono di ottenere 10 monete assicurate a ogni uccisione. L'economia del gioco è abbastanza bilanciata e non ho dovuto fare grinding inutile per il completamento, in quanto i nemici viola e i forzieri fornivano abbastanza monete. Per quanto riguarda i game over il gioco ha un sistema per cui alla morte, si ritorna all'inizio della grotta o dell'area, o all'inizio del dungeon, ma senza penalizzare il giocatore con perdita di progresso, mantenendo attivi i puzzle risolti. Durante le battaglie boss, è presente un portale che può riportarvi velocemente all'arena del boss dall'inizio del dungeon. Come difficoltà in alcune fasi può risultare più difficile ma non punitivo, inclusi anche i boss. Quello più difficile è sicuramente il boss finale ma non spoilero nulla per non rovinare la sorpresa. 30 ore spese molto bene e molto soddisfatto di aver partecipato al Kickstarter. --- **Elementallis, a very precious indie game.** I was part of the Kickstarter campaign when it was first announced and followed the development throughout the entire process, also playing the exclusive demos that were released. Then the game finally came out (I played the Nintendo Switch version on Nintendo Switch 2, which is why you won’t see any playtime displayed on my review). I spent a total of 30 hours with it. The game is a Zelda-like, one of my favorite genres. However, it manages to stand out very well from the usual clones. The ability to use elemental magic is the core focus of the game. There is a very wide variety of magic types: fire, water, wind, earth, electricity, nature, ice, and ether. Each one has its own applications and advantages, both in combat and when solving puzzles. Each area has its own main dungeon, but the game is not simply about going from one dungeon to another. You can explore a huge world filled with very diverse enemies (which can also be cataloged in the in-game Bestiary) and puzzles that make the experience even more enjoyable. Backtracking is limited, usually only required to collect missed collectibles that need a new ability or element to obtain, or to complete the Bestiary if you want to achieve 100% completion. One of the game’s issues is actually the Bestiary, but only if you are a completionist. In order to obtain one of the game’s items, the Compass, which allows you to teleport using the dedicated ether statues, you need to complete the Bestiary at 100%, defeating enemies multiple times, both in their normal versions and (at least once) in their upgraded versions. The main problem is that teleportation is locked behind the Compass, while the final enemies can only be unlocked in the last area of the game, making the Compass almost useless (even though it reveals the locations of missing heart and mana fragments). In my opinion, this was the only real flaw of the game, but it is a minor issue. The rest of the adventure was satisfying, including the dialogue and the story. Graphically, it has a very interesting style, and the enemies are extremely varied, with no repetitive designs. Strong enemies are purple-colored and guarantee 10 coins every time they are defeated. The game’s economy is quite balanced, and I never had to do unnecessary grinding to complete it, as the purple enemies and treasure chests provided enough coins. Regarding game overs, the game features a system where, upon death, you return to the beginning of the cave or area, or to the beginning of the dungeon, but without being punished by losing progress. Solved puzzles remain completed. During boss battles, there is also a portal that can quickly bring you back to the boss arena from the beginning of the dungeon. In terms of difficulty, some sections can be more challenging, but they are never unfair or punishing, including the bosses. The final boss is definitely the hardest one, but I won’t spoil anything to avoid ruining the surprise. 30 hours very well spent, and I’m extremely satisfied with having supported the Kickstarter.

Solid Game

20 beautiful hours spent playing a fresh take on a classic formula. If you like old school Zelda from the NES/SNES/Gameboy eras, then you'll love this. The story is serviceable as a vessel for the gameplay to unfold. And the gameplay is where this game shines. Open-ish world exploration where every new ability you unlock gives you access to more of the map and more secrets. Game good, you try! Though I do take umbrage with requiring me to play the whole game through twice for a 100%. This is a small nitpick. I will absolutely play it through again like i have Links Awakening or A Link to the Past dozens of times. I can knock those 2 achievements locked behind Hero mode out at that time.

Fun game so far, not sure why some of the other reviews are so harsh.. it has kept me engaged thus far. There are slight backtracks when dying and I haven't had to solve puzzles again to get back to where I was, in fact as you progress a dungeon/level you end up creating shortcuts to get back to the room or boss room you died in. If you like zelda you will like this game. People complaining about bosses being tough.. yeah they are bosses that's kinda the point lol.. that said every boss I have fought has a pattern and once you learn it it becomes simple.. and in its own way is a kind of puzzle. The reviews almost made me not buy the game and that would have been a mistake. The controls and game felt very polished to me. Soundtrack is amazing.

Fun game. Love the Link to the Past aesthetic

Enjoyed it. Old school Zelda type game. Final parts are where it really shines. Last temple was very enjoyable. Music is good too.

This is a solid game. I give it an 8/10. Anybody who wants to play a Zelda game but has played them already, play this. It'll scratch that exact itch. I wont go over too much over what the game does well because anybody who has played the old Gameboy Zelda games will know. But there are some nitpicks. The primary one is the music. The music is catchy, I can hum the tunes to myself, but it doesn't feel like it fits exactly. It feels like it'd be more in line with a science fiction game. It's hard to put my finger on what doesn't exactly work to this particular game. Second small issue: The game is a bit claustrophobic when it comes to moving around and exploring. The map feels a decent size but it could be bigger or more open. It could spread out the things to find a bit better and give you room to breathe. They could probably remove a few of the environmental/upgrade obstacles as well. Sometimes they come a bit too close together and you feel like you're hot swapping your spells over and over. You can also tell they ran out of space in the over world to put heart pieces and mana bar upgrades because they put one of each in each dungeon. The final nitpick is that chests don't always feel good. The wallet upgrades don't really matter past the 5th one, having 9 is weird. Could have just had 4 and doubled their effect. In the same vein, map markers could've been sold by any number of the worlds merchants. Going into a cave, solving their mini-puzzle only to get some map markers is a let down every time. These could've been heart pieces taken from the dungeons, or they could've been something more interesting, maybe items required to open the way to the extra boss. I hope the team behind this makes a sequel and builds upon this beginning adventure. Make new items, expand upon the elements (new effects from mixing them), a bigger map, maybe some speed friendly options too.