Shrine's Legacy

This was a fun medium length (10-ish hour) topdown 16bit Action RPG. You control Rio and Reima as you journey across Ardemia in order to gather gems to stop the Big Bad. The two protagonists feel human, each have their own lives and backstories and its nice to see them grow during the story. The combat is similar to Secret of Mana and GBA Legend of Zelda games. Each character has their own basic attack (and other attacks later) but both have access to the same spells which you get more of as the story progresses. You can freely switch between either character with a press of a button which is cool or another player can control the other character in Local Multiplayer Through your adventure you pickup Jewels which give special effects and tradeoffs like more Str but less mana or Stronger Magic at the cost of half max HP. There is also a potion lady who can help you brew potions that either heal you, provide good temporary buffs or permanently upgrade your characters. Another highlight for me was the bossfights, they require you to use strategy instead of just spamming attack and Healing potions

boring

A pleasant co-op surprise

冲刺不能斜着冲，元素除了解密几乎没有用到的地方，跟战斗联动很少，全程普攻打怪，boss也是没什么特色。但是很有以前游戏的风味，玩起来有种小时候玩游戏的感觉，价格低的话可以当甜点。

If you like cross code & alabaster dawn cannot go wrong getting this one too three peas in a pod 🫛😁

Boring AF

Fun game. Really enjoyed the co-op experience.

[h1]簡介：支援雙人遊玩的類2D薩爾達[/h1] 單人遊玩、全支線、全成就的遊戲時間約在20小時左右，是款劇情和關卡設計都較為單純的類2D薩爾達作品。 遊戲中[b]「戰鬥大於解謎探索」[/b]，須用到魔法解謎的迷宮關卡和隱藏寶箱相對較少，且戰鬥仍以平A為主，僅需搭配少量魔法的運用便使整體體驗較為單純。 值得一提的是，這是少數看到支援雙人遊玩的類2D薩爾達作品，並可依操作喜好與搭檔隨時切換操控男/女主角，是在同類型作品中難得一見可同樂的體驗。 [h1]魔法系統的簡化設計[/h1] 遊戲中共會取得8種魔法水晶，這既是主線劇情的麥高芬，也是角色成長的一大要素。 其中最值得讚許的設計，是當中把8種魔法統合成4種類的升級型：光變水、火變雷、土變風...。這樣的效果讓玩家切換魔法的操作變得相對簡易(不用切換8種選項輪盤)，同時也在中後期達到讓角色有顯著成長的效果。算是簡化設計的好示範。 [h1]沒有完整發揮魔法協作與雙主角合作[/h1] 然而在優秀的簡化設計之外，遊戲中仍有許多明顯的缺失。小則如確認與攻擊件綁定的彆扭設定，或是掉落素材運用較少，無法有順暢的金錢兌換/流通等等。 而最讓我覺得可惜的，還是在當中的[u]關卡設計對魔法的協作和雙主角合作部分稍嫌不足。[/u] 在後期關卡中，迷宮謎題的複雜度確實有增加，但仍處在「搭建風橋」、「鏡面反射」等單一魔法運用的機關，印象中只有一兩個小關卡才須用上三種魔法的協作。 雙主角的部分，則[u]完全沒有看到想像中要合作解謎的關卡設計[/u]，若是雙人遊玩也只會是在同一張地圖打一樣的怪、解一樣的機關，體驗上跟單人遊玩沒有太大區別，非常可惜了一大特色亮點。 [h1]總結[/h1] 整體而言，《Shrine's Legacy》給我的感覺只能算是中規中矩的類2D薩爾達作品。 支線任務、隱藏寶箱、蒐集要素都有給出完整的內容，不過核心的迷宮設計與戰鬥要素仍較為單調，支援雙人遊玩的一大特色也沒有在關卡中有所發揮。 但若只是想推坑親友這種風格的作品，這也不乏是個可同樂的選擇。

Super Spiel, wünsche mir aber die deutsche Übersetzung. Hoffe sie kommt bald

hours played is not indicative of total time played. I find myself in the rare position of both recommending and not recommending *Shrine's Legacy*. It is a technically competent action RPG that clearly knows its history, but it suffers from a pervasive identity crisis and several mechanical friction points that make it difficult to fully embrace. For those seeking a nostalgic trip through 16-bit aesthetics, the core loop is functional, yet the game often feels like a patchwork of better titles rather than a world standing on its own two feet. The combat system is a primary example of this mechanical imbalance. While it utilizes a magic system reminiscent of *Secret of Mana*, the gameplay quickly devolves into a "face-smashing" meta. Because enemies attack with such high speed and MP is easily leached back through standard attacks, there is very little incentive to use the dedicated dodge mechanic or Rio’s more specialized skills. Skills like the diagonal attack and the charge attack feel far too niche for the low enemy density on screen; standing still to charge often results in being stun-locked by aggressive AI. Furthermore, the leveling curve feels invisible for the first dozen levels, where you only see single stat gains. It isn't until you cross the Level 15 threshold that you finally begin to see the multiple-point gains that provide a tangible sense of progression. Perhaps the most significant hurdle is what I would call "reference hell." The game is saturated with roughly a hundred nods to other franchises, and while homages are fine, these often cross the line into direct lifts. Seeing the Level 2 and 3 swords designed as carbon copies of the Master Swords from *Ocarina of Time* and *A Link to the Past*, or encountering Slime Cores pulled directly from *Lufia II*, prevents the game from establishing its own soul. Between the mechanics of *Illusion of Gaia* and visual assets echoing *Suikoden I* and *Seiken Densetsu*, the experience feels more like a "Greatest Hits" compilation than an original legacy. On the narrative front, the story is a fairly standard affair of teenage angst and JRPG tropes. However, it does feature a genuinely original highlight: the final boss actively follows the protagonist throughout the journey. This subversion of the "hunter and the hunted" dynamic is a rare breath of fresh air in an otherwise predictable plot. Technically, the game is solid, though the "nasty black box" visible during scene transitions is a distracting graphical oversight, and the music—while functional—is often too subdued to drive the action. Finally, a significant quality-of-life improvement is needed for the cutscenes; forcing the player through a super-long, unskippable sequence before and after the final boss is a dated design choice that hampers the experience. --- **Final Score: 4.23 / 5.0** * **Fun:** 2.3 / 3.0 * **Mechanics:** 0.78 / 1.0 * **Story & Music:** 0.4 / 0.5 * **Graphics:** 0.35 / 0.5