I had the amazing opportunity to both play the demo for gaming expos and playtest the game. Big thank you to Danny for that!
Let’s start with the positives. The pixel art is very well crafted and implemented. The level aesthetics are beautiful; taking the player through verdant forests to glacial lakes to volcanoes and more. The animation of certain details such as waves in the water elevate the game from other pixel art games that just have static backgrounds. It is clear to me that a lot of time was spent on making sure all of the sprites fit with the aesthetic. Nothing feels out of place visually.
The soundtrack fits the mood of each level very well. Whilst I do agree with others that have reviewed the game and wanted more variation, I think that the instrumentation for each level creates a fitting atmosphere. I would say this is especially the case for level two and five. An additional shout out must be made to the final boss theme composed by a friend of the developer. It is easily the best track in the game and makes getting to the end of the game feel even more rewarding.
From a control perspective, the ability to play this game on both keyboard and controller provides another layer of customisation and allows you to play in whichever way is more comfortable for you.
This game does a very good job in the exploration department. In each level there are often branching routes that you can take where you can encounter different enemies or optional resources. If you love finding hidden areas then you will be in for a treat (especially if you love hidden lore). However, I would say that in some of the levels the branching paths merge leading to a singular path to progress. This does lower the sense of exploration a little bit as in some levels you will emerge at the same place no matter what path you took.
Speaking of resources, the main mechanic other than swinging your sword is the potion crafting system. This is an incredible inclusion to the game and elevates the experience significantly. There are various berries you can collect in the levels that, if you combine them, provide potions that heal, shield, buff and even one that highlights the aggro range of enemies. The combinations are vast and allow each player to create a unique potion to solve a problem. Need healing whilst dealing more damage? You can do that. In certain areas you can also exchange berries of one colour for another. This is great game design as it allows the player to make the potion they want even if they didn’t get the berries they wanted. This is easily the best feature of the game and makes finding berries feel like a big reward. I would note however that as you progress, the threshold for the amount of berries needed to craft a potion increases therefore there may be times where you have four berries but need five to craft a potion and therefore have to venture through that area without a potion until you can find more. There will be ‘dry spots’ where berries are rare and therefore you will need to be comfortable in getting past enemies without the use of potions.
The story is very simple but effective. Finding hidden areas expands your connection to the characters but it is not required to experience the main story beats. There are alternate endings which provide replay value.
That being said, this game is [b] not [/b] for a casual audience. This is a challenging game that will test your reaction time, positioning and resource management skills. Don’t let the Zelda-esque visuals fool you as this game is a lot more about combat than Zelda. This game demands a lot of patience and trial and error. Each enemy has its own abilities and movement patterns. Mastering how to deal with each enemy type is crucial as, in many areas, you will be outnumbered by a lot. Combine this with the fact that Novi (the player character) stops when you swing the sword and it can be easy to become surrounded on all sides. Novi can only swing in the direction that they are facing (unless you have certain potions) making them very vulnerable to attack from behind. Positioning and spacing are the most important things in combat as enemies will try to get as close to you as they can and, once they are up close, they are extremely difficult to deal with. There will also be enemies placed off screen but their aggro range will extend into the screen. Using the green berry will make this very apparent and help warn you of upcoming danger but it is limited time wise.
Health management is also highly important as from level one certain enemies will out DPS you meaning that trading blows is not an option. I would say the biggest spike in difficulty is from level one to two as two contains a lot more of the harder enemy types in the game. Once you’re over this difficulty spike though, the game takes on a more standard difficulty curve. I would even say that some of the later levels are easier than the middle ones.
There are also certain levels that require you to take environmental damage to progress, meaning that you can’t get away with being on low health constantly. It’s also important to manage health as there are no checkpoints in this game. If you die you go straight back to the beginning of the level regardless of if you died 20% or 99% of the way through. This can become very frustrating in later levels where there are many more enemies guarding the exit to the level. You do however get to save after each level so you don’t have to play the game all in one sitting unlike some other games.
Overall, this is a game that has been made with a lot of love and visually and sonically you can feel that. However it is a game that will challenge you more than most games of a similar style. If you enjoy overcoming difficult enemies and mastering the mechanics of the games you play then you will love this game. This game will provide about 4 hours of gameplay depending on skill level or if you want to explore everything it has to offer. However, it has been designed with a lot of speed running features allowing veterans to breeze through levels. There is also an achievement one can gain if they beat the game without using potions if you really want to test your skills. If you attempt this, I wish you good luck and I hope you succeed.
