Operencia: The Stolen Sun

The game is fun and I hate to give it a thumb down, but I've got 2 hours in the game at this point and somehow managed to get softlocked two times. The first was in the underwater dungeon - I walked into a square with a pillar and got stuck between two squares. I had to reset. The second was in the spider forest just after killing the queen. I walked into a square that the map said was walkable, but I got stuck inside some giant spider egg next to some firewood. Again, softlocked and had to reset, which put me 20 minutes ago, before the fight. Once per game I can forgive, but twice in two hours is too much, even for me. I will gladly switch this to a recommend if this extremely common issue gets fixed.

[h2]First Impressions and Early Gameplay[/h2] Operencia: The Stolen Sun makes a strong initial impression, presenting itself as a classic dungeon crawler with polished visuals and a turn-based combat system. The game's interface allows for camera rotation with the mouse, enhancing the sense of exploration. Early on, the game introduces a story that unfolds gradually, and the battles are balanced with an appropriate level of difficulty. In the beginning, you control a party of two characters, encountering a variety of enemies and discovering your first set of items. This stage also encourages experimentation with different skill combinations, resulting in an enjoyable and engaging gameplay flow. [h2]Expanding the Party[/h2] After completing the first area, you advance to a new location and quickly recruit additional allies, eventually assembling a group of four. However, the party size is limited to four members, so any extra characters must be kept in reserve. This introduces a minor issue: having to decide which characters to include in your active party. While some players might enjoy this aspect, it can be frustrating for those who prefer to use all available characters without restriction. [h2]Item Management and Rest Points[/h2] Throughout the game, item drops are frequent after battles. Each new item requires you to check whether it benefits your current party members or should be saved for those not presently in the party. However, you cannot equip or swap gear for reserve characters until you reach a campfire, where you can rest, trade items, and adjust your party composition. This system can feel cumbersome, especially when you wish to optimize your gear across all characters. [h2]Reasons for Disengagement[/h2] Despite these minor inconveniences, they were not the main reason for abandoning the game. The core issue was a growing sense of boredom after around 26 hours of play. The movement feels jerky, and exploration seems to serve little purpose beyond earning experience points through encounters. Puzzles fail to provide meaningful challenges, and the gameplay loop becomes repetitive, even by dungeon crawler standards. The story does little to maintain interest, as it mainly acts as a vehicle for moving from one area to another, lacking depth or engagement. For comparison, it took 38 hours to complete Legend of Grimrock 2, indicating that the problem was not with the dungeon crawler genre itself, but rather with the monotony and lack of excitement in Operencia: The Stolen Sun. [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] If there were a neutral rating option on Steam, it would be the most fitting choice for this game. However, since I did not play the game to the end, my usual approach is to leave a negative review (exceptions might happen, but not this time). This is not to discourage others from purchasing the game, but rather to caution that, unless you are a dedicated fan of this genre, you may find yourself abandoning it before reaching the end.

I hate to be a single issue voter, but multiple things for the game's critical path are hidden in secret areas? Nope! That's not where that goes. Secrets, and I get that this can be tricky, are for secret things. Core progression is the stuff that everyone is supposed to hit. If you put your core progression in your secrets, what you are doing is wasting half your audience's time and making the other half's secret hunting meaningless. Also the guide situation for this game is pretty dire. Thankfully there's a sketch website that has proper written documentation, as figuring out how to unstick yourself from a youtube video is like pulling rusted nails out of your foot with a chihuahua. So, what is Operencia like outside of bungling a weird fundamental? Well, it's pretty. There's some pop-up book aesthetic cutscenes that look really nice, and the environments are doing their best to be engrossing despite the eastern european fairytale look reading as stock fantasy some fifty years after Tolkein. There's a lot of voice acting, and the quality ranges from porn (the actors are trying) to porn (the actors are not trying.) The first dungeon is a castle in a lake and it's really good, actually. There's submerged sections with a hold your breath mechanic, and you'll look out the windows in the dry sections and see fish swimming past. Combat is... not great. It's Star Crawlers, but Star Crawlers immediately clocks that if you have only two buttons to press it's not very interesting and Operencia... does not figure this out. Also you spend every fourth turn defending to recover mana and this is mandatory. You are 100% whiffing 25% of your turns on a cadence because mana expenditure is high and casting is limited. The character classes are not super balanced. Ranged just isn't good, and casters are starved for hp but don't really have damage output to make up for it. Progression is slow as butts, and upgrades are small, and there appear to be some very wrong choices you can make (poison upgrading is an option, also everything and its father is immune to poison.) The writing is okay. The characters are yappy, but unless you have an outright allergic reaction to that kinda bouncy quippy marvel dialog you should be fine. I think the game would have less personality if they talked less, so they haven't really gotten on my nerves (although the knight sounds like he popped a valium and did *not* want to show up to work today.) I think for folks who like old school point and click adventure games, this might be a bit of a hidden gem. It really does feel like it fits in that genre more than anything else, even if the visual presentation is pure blobber. And a lot of the stuff that's annoying when you consider the game as a blobber is just genre hallmarks when you take it as a point and click. For me, though, I wanted another Grimrock. And this looked like it might be another Grimrock. But it is not another Grimrock. Grimrock II's really just going to be a commercially unsuccessful best in the genre forever, I suppose. Edit: Lmfao. Normal difficulty is balanced around getting 100% of exp from secrets. You can't backtrack. And enemy dodge chance keeps increasing across the course of the game, so you need to be leveling your to hit stats, but also enemy damage is constantly increasing and you do not have much hp, so the correct build is in fact to moderately invest in your hit stat and then roll well to dodge and hit, with the emphasis on rolling well being the important part of the build. No thank you. I ain't finishing that. I'll sweat out a hard combat system if it's interesting or rewarding to do so, but this is just "3.5e GM who suddenly got really interested in realism yesterday."

[h1][b]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/b] - Oldschool-Dungeon-Crawler mit frischem Mythologie-Twist ☀️🐉⚔️[/h1] [h2]🔰 Einstieg[/h2] [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] ist ein klassisches Dungeon-Crawler-RPG von Zen Studios und erschien 2019. Gespielt wird in Ego-Perspektive, rundenbasiert und stark inspiriert von Oldschool-Vertretern wie [i]Legend of Grimrock[/i]. Gleichzeitig bringt das Spiel eine moderne Präsentation und eine ungewöhnliche, ungarisch geprägte Fantasy-Welt mit. Nostalgie trifft Komfort. [h2]📖 Handlung / Story[/h2] Die Story basiert lose auf ungarischer Mythologie und hebt sich dadurch angenehm vom generischen Fantasy-Einheitsbrei ab. Ich begleite eine Gruppe Held*innen auf der Suche nach der gestohlenen Sonne, während nach und nach politische Intrigen, Göttermythen und persönliche Schicksale aufgedeckt werden. Die Geschichte wird überraschend umfangreich erzählt und bleibt bis zum Ende interessant. Besonders gefallen hat mir, dass Dialoge in englischer Sprache vertont sind und Charaktere eine echte Persönlichkeit haben. [h2]🎮 Gameplay[/h2] Gameplay-Kern sind Erkundung, Rätsel und rundenbasierte Kämpfe auf einem Kachel-Grid. Die Rätsel sind vielfältig und oft clever, manchmal aber auch etwas kryptisch. Im Kampf kommt es stark auf Gruppenzusammenstellung, Positionierung und Fähigkeiten-Synergien an. Ich mochte besonders, dass jede Klasse klar definiert ist und sich spürbar anders spielt. [h2]👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 Multiplayer[/h2] Einen Multiplayer gibt es nicht. [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] ist ein reines Singleplayer-Erlebnis und konzentriert sich vollständig auf seine Kampagne. [h2]🎛️ Steuerung[/h2] Die Steuerung ist angenehm simpel und funktioniert per Maus nahezu perfekt. Alle Interaktionen sind logisch aufgebaut, sodass man sich voll auf das Erkunden konzentrieren kann. Besonders angenehm ist, dass das Spiel nie mit unnötig komplizierten Eingaben nervt. [h2]💀 Schwierigkeit[/h2] Der Schwierigkeitsgrad ist insgesamt anspruchsvoll, aber fair. Kämpfe können schnell kippen, wenn man unvorbereitet ist oder falsche Entscheidungen trifft. An ein paar Stellen bin ich mehrfach gestorben, bis meine Taktik saß. Wer Dungeon-Crawler kennt, fühlt sich schnell zuhause, Neulinge brauchen etwas Geduld. Stellenweise habe ich für den ein oder anderen Boss z. B. den im Grab, echt mehrere Anläufe gebraucht. Da Gegner auch nicht respawnen, ist ein gezieltes Hochleveln auch nicht möglich. [h2]🎨 Grafik[/h2] Grafisch ist [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] deutlich moderner als viele Genre-Kolleg*innen. Die Umgebungen sind farbenfroh, abwechslungsreich und oft richtig schön inszeniert. Besonders die Lichtstimmung und magischen Effekte haben bei mir Eindruck hinterlassen. Kein Grafikmonster, aber sehr stimmig. [h2]🎧 Sound / Bildschirmtexte[/h2] Der Soundtrack ist atmosphärisch und unterstützt das epische Gefühl der Reise gut. Soundeffekte sind solide, die Sprachausgabe überraschend hochwertig für ein Genre-Nischenprodukt. Das trägt viel zur Immersion bei. [h2]🛠️ Technik / Bugs[/h2] Technisch lief das Spiel bei mir stabil. Keine Abstürze, keine Gamebreaker. Kleinere Bugs oder UI-Unschönheiten sind mir kaum aufgefallen. Insgesamt ein sauberes Erlebnis. [h2]🔄 Grind[/h2] Grind hält sich in Grenzen und erstreckt sich fast ausschließlich auf genaues Erkunden der Areale und Backtracking. Leveln fühlt sich natürlich an und erfordert kein stumpfes Farming. Ein gezieltes Hochleveln ist nicht möglich, da Gegner nicht respawnen. Wer optional alles erkundet, wird gut belohnt, ohne dass es zur Pflicht wird. [h2]⏳ Spielzeit / Umfang[/h2] Die Spielzeit liegt bei etwa 20 bis 25 Stunden, je nach Spielstil und Rätsellösung. Für ein Dungeon-Crawler-RPG absolut angemessen. Das Spiel bietet genug Content, ohne sich unnötig zu strecken. [h2]🏆 Errungenschaften / Achievements[/h2] Die Achievements sind größtenteils an Story-Fortschritt und optionale Herausforderungen gekoppelt. 100 % sind machbar, erfordern aber gründliches Erkunden und sauberes Spielen auf einem höherem Schwierigkeitsgrad. Es ist definitiv sinnvoll sich vorab die Vielzahl an Errungenschaften einmal anzuschauen. Um 100 % zu erhalten müssen z. B. alle Gegner besiegt werden, alle verschlossenen Kisten geöffnet werden und alle Geheimisse entdeckt werden. Außerdem ist es notwendig das Spiel mit mindestens zwei Schwierigkeitseinstellungen zu beenden; diese können vorab an- und abgewählt werden. Das ist auch die letzte Errungenschaft, die mir auch noch fehlt. Kein kompletter Pain, aber auch kein Freebie. [h2]💶 Preis[/h2] Ich habe [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] inkl. Soundtrack für 14,57 € am 19.09.2020 gekauft. [h2]💚 Fazit[/h2] [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] ist ein echter Geheimtipp für Fans klassischer Dungeon-Crawler. Das Spiel verbindet Oldschool-Gameplay mit moderner Präsentation und einem ungewöhnlichen Mythologie-Setting, das angenehm aus der Masse heraussticht. Besonders die gelungene Mischung aus Rätseln, Erkundung und taktischen Kämpfen hat mich überzeugt. Wer Lust auf ein atmosphärisches Abenteuer ohne unnötigen Grind hat, sollte hier definitiv einen Blick riskieren. [h2]📝 In Aller Kürze[/h2] [list] [*] Ungewöhnliche ungarische Mythologie ☀️ [*] Taktische, rundenbasierte Kämpfe ⚔️ [*] Clevere und abwechslungsreiche Rätsel 🧩 [*] Schöne, moderne Präsentation 🎨 [*] Viel Erkundung und Dungeon-Feeling 🗺️ [*] Stimmungsvolle Musik und gute Vertonung 🎧 [*] Etwa 20 bis 25 Stunden Spielzeit ⏱️ [*] Geheimtipp für Dungeon-Crawler-Fans 💎 [/list] [hr]Die Rezension spiegelt [u]meine ganz persönliche Meinung[/u] zu [i]Operencia: The Stolen Sun[/i] wider. Manche Rezensionen schreibe ich aus meiner Erinnerung ohne das Spiel nochmal intensiv gespielt zu haben. Ich bin euch sehr dankbar, wenn ihr inhaltliche, grammatikalische oder Rechtschreibfehler bemerkt und mir das mitteilt. Habe ich etwas Wichtiges übersehen oder ein entscheidendes Spielfeature vergessen zu bewerten, bin ich euch ebenfalls für einen Hinweis dankbar.[/hr]

Operencia is certainly something. There's a lot going on here and most of it ranges from middling to bad, but before going into that I'll say that the game looks not bad, and the some of the gameplay ideas they're working with could work to help make a fun video game if they were used properly. Part of what makes dungeon crawlers like this work is secret hunting and while a good chunk of them are just "hey here's a chest with some cash and gear you might've already surpassed" there's a some that are REALLY good. There's a potion system that's pretty fun to mess with, you find recipes and you need to solve a logic puzzle to unlock the potion for use, which is way more fun that just getting the potion as its a little departure from the regular gameplay. Combat takes place with the enemies arranged in rows of set distances, and skills do more or less damage depending on how far away the enemy is positioned. Cool potential, but enemies never move from one distance to another and you have no skills to force enemies to move into a better position to fight them in so the game never really dives into the potential here. There's no way to predict what position an enemy group is going to take up, so there's not much point in trying to organize a teams skills with that in mind, and instead you end up sticking with other metrics like damage or cool down. There's a specific point in the game where it really feels the devs gave up on trying to make different enemy encounters and just start giving you groups of five of the same guy. It doesn't end up being EVERY enemy group, but it's certainly a lot of them. You end up drowning in inconsequential gear. You get stuff for free after fights, in chests, and can buy stuff in the store you eventually unlock. There's so much that's just trash, that if you keep up with checking what you get, you'll end up being disappointed most of the time. There's also some sort of gear scoring system that means that instead of looking at what you got and comparing the stats and thinking about what works best, you just look for the green numbers. For some this would probably be seen as a convenience thing, which is fair, but it does feel like it really simplifies the gear system in a way that makes it more brain dead and less interesting. Most of the puzzles are alright, but there's a standout that really strikes me as not great, where you need to have a specific character in your party to get an item, and the game is not clear at all that THAT is the solution, or what character you need. The clue dialog I heard initially made me think that I needed to get an item instead of swapping my team, and I only learned what I needed to do after getting frustrated and looking it up. Could just be a combination of bad luck and me being dumb, but it feels like bad puzzle design regardless. The plot is kind of just there. There's cool stuff going on, but it never feels like it takes the forefront like it should. It feels like they going for a stageplay/opera retelling of myths for a culture that's similar to real life but not completely, and that's a cool idea, but it kind of doesn't follow through with the execution. Voice acting is inconsistent in quality and delivery, one guy REALLY goes into talking like someone would in a play when the others don't go as far, and one actor sounds like something is wrong with their microphone set up. Some of the dialog strikes me as out of place for how dumb it is when the rest of the game at least tries to play it legit. Operencia is an example of untapped potential, which sucks but it is what it is. There are other dungeon crawler RPGs out there, so I would suggest giving this one a skip.

Setting is what kept me going the most here. Hungarian fantasy is just not something you see in games and it takes you to some interesting places. As a blobber it felt a bit thin on customization, though as your party grows you get more possible combinations. A couple puzzles had me stumped for a while but it's all manageable and I played without objective markers so that's on me. Dialogues can be a bit much sometimes with all the snark and feeling a bit too modern for the setting in general. I got stuck in geometry a bunch of times but a quick reload always fixed it. Pretty cool game overall but nothing crazy.

I was on the fence for that review, leaning towards an unconvinced thumbs up until the very last fight. It reminded me of all those ♥♥♥♥♥♥ monsters I faced along the way with massive resistances/blocks, drains and controls. It's not fun, I had no idea I was supposed to hit that central structure because the game said "hit the rings" so I thought I was supposed to hit the 2 portals I could not target. It's grindy, lacks a clear objective, doesn't even show if hitting that structure does anything. Enemies casting controls on you all the time is a terrible game mechanic. Watching the initiative bar skipping your characters effectively prevents you from playing the game, the player becomes spectator. The game does that a few times, also throwing hit sponges at you and making some characters useless so you have to respec or change group composition. I wouldn't mind on hard difficulties, but on the lowest it just makes the game artificially longer and frustrating. It does not respect your time as a player. It's not all bad: I loved the art, I enjoyed the banter, I love that old basic gameplay loop. It's just a disappointing execution. The itemization is also very bland, with most equipment barely giving any stat upgrade at the very end compared to what you got at the very beginning. The skills are OK but you never really unlock any powerful one, and the decent stuff you can barely use as you run out of energy fast being constantly drained. At least the price is decent.

I feel like this piece is one of the very few that faithfully carries on the spirit of the fabled golden age of blobbers (the late '90s and early 2000s), while bringing something of its own on top of that. Many recent titles — unfortunately, I'd even say the majority of them — simply fail to present a solid foundation, or steer too far away for whatever reason, ending up convoluted or dumbed down in one or more key features. If you are like me and long for another inspired title such as Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore, Stone Prophet, or Grimrock, fret no longer. This is the thing. The good kind of fairy-tale atmosphere, marvelous graphics that can stand the test of time for eternity to come, tough combat (at least on Hard, that is), an option to go Ironman, riddles and secrets that are neither simple nor overdone, and last but not least: a unique setting inspired by Hungarian myths and folklore. Much appreciated. It's only too bad that Zen Studios never made a sequel or another game.

Really not a fan of this at all. Not being able to create your character until after the rather lengthy prologue is a great example of how poorly thought out the game is. Another example is that I'd not seen one single solitary Mana potion after around 20 battles, and thus ability experimentation is discouraged in the worst way possible. Let's throw another example in there to finish it off - the enemies move in real time, thus totally killing the turn based feel. Constant chatter which lacks any real hook or wit only makes things worse, and lacklustre abilities offer little promise of fun later down the line. To finish all that off, Mage is the only real viable character choice, as you don't get one as a party member until around halfway through the game (and even then, they are a healer). And your Mage looks like either a left wing activist or a DEI inclusion. Looks nice, tries hard and has mixed bag of puzzles, but just badly designed overall.

Certain mechanics in fights make the game too RNG to progress. Ultimately became more frustrated retrying fights than progressing and enjoying the game.