Traveler's Refrain

For a game developed and produced by a small team of 5, this is a commendable effort. However, the game personally did not strike a chord (pun intended, perhaps) with me. While the art is great, the overall world seemed very lacklustre and shallow to me. There is very little lore and very little worldbuilding; characters are bland and the protagonist comes off as very one-dimensional. I found myself neither intrigued by the world nor invested in the story. This is a world supposedly melding fantasy with technology but the art does not pull it off. Gameplay is very linear - there is hardly any exploration, hidden paths, or secrets. The gameplay tempo is frequently disrupted by all too many cutscenes/ flashbacks/ musings by the protagonist. The supposed gameplay mechanic of playing 'songs' is just another variant on spellcasting and turned out to be tedious rather than fun - having to commit the songs to memory (no doubt one can pull up a menu to summarise the songs, but this one cannot expect to do this in the heat of combat), and serving no other function in the game. I can't recommend this game when there are other superior offerings now, at the same price. I submitted the game for a refund.

Traveler's Refrain is an excellent action-adventure game that reminds me of Ocarina of Time. It takes around 16 hours to complete, and it has a few missable achievements. However, the game will tell you "the points of no return." [b]Approximate amount of time to 100%:[/b] Around 16 hours [b]Estimated achievement difficulty:[/b] 5/10 [b]Minimum number of playthroughs needed:[/b] 1 [b]Is there a good guide available:[/b] I wrote this guide: https://www.missitheachievementhuntress.com/travelers-refrain-100-achievement-guide/ [b]Multiplayer achievements:[/b] No [b]Missable achievements:[/b] Yes, win 4x the Nix Ball mini-game, collect and use an item from the other prisoner, get all the map unlocks [b]Grinding Achievements:[/b] No, gathering 5K Red Essence might be grindy if you don't work toward it through the game, but I unlocked it a few chapters before the ending. [b]DLC-Only achievements:[/b] No [b]Speedrun achievements:[/b] No [b]Time-gated achievements:[/b] No [b]RNG-achievements:[/b] No [b]Does difficulty affect achievements:[/b] No difficulty setting [b]Unobtainable/glitched achievements:[/b] No In this stunning game, you play as Traveler, a traveler wandering through a mysterious forest where there should be a machine that grants wishes. You desperately want to be reunited with your lover and will do anything to find this machine and make this wish. However, everything about this forest is weird. Time moves differently; it triggers many flashbacks and memories, and some things are off. During your travels, you'll meet other people and a few friendly robots and help with their struggles. Traveler's Refrain reminded me so much of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The way you play your instrument to trigger effects or, for example, heal yourself, but also the puzzles you'll find inside and outside of dungeons. Also, the combat is real-time, like in the Zelda games. (Sadly, you will not unlock a ridable mount, but maybe that would be too many Zelda things in one game? :P). You will unlock new abilities throughout the game and be able to unlock stuff and secrets you encountered earlier but couldn't solve yet. I had a blast with this game; the combat and the puzzles are so good. It was so lovely to help the people in this world and explore this forest, solving the puzzles that got in your way. The story is told in an intriguing way. You don't get the full story up front, but it is told over time through story moments, flashbacks, and interactions with others. I was hooked from the start, and this lasted till the end. I never felt bored or without direction or leads, which is an outstanding achievement. The final boss felt very challenging and almost broke me. This is primarily due to me. I'm a very impatient gamer, and I love to attack more than I love to defend, which isn't the best combo for long-lasting boss fights like this one. I did encounter a bug where the game zooms out in a building for some weird reasons, but the developers are very responsive and actively working on figuring out why this is happening. This bug doesn't trigger for everybody, which makes it harder to figure out what causes it. The team is tiny, but I'm sure they will figure out what triggers this bug. The bug isn't game-breaking; it is just a bit silly to see the game zoom out, and when you leave the building, it zooms in again. About Red Essence Games, I find it awesome that they sell Guitar Picks on their website with their logo and the logo of this game. An excellent merchandise item for a title like this! Traveler's Refrain has some missable achievements. I explain them more in the guide linked above, but the most crucial part is to talk to the other prisoner when you escape from your jail cell and use the item he gives you later in the story. Another thing is to keep playing all the Nix Ball (aka curling) mini-games until you win them. Other achievements can be missed, but the game does an excellent job warning you that you're reaching a point of no return. Very late in the story, you'll unlock the ability to warp around, making back-traveling to pick up missed items much easier. You also unlock the ability to see where you're missing collectibles on the map, to make it even easier to know which areas you need to return to. I had a fantastic time playing Traveler's Refrain, and I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. [code]Do you enjoy games that don't have missable achievements? Check out this list on my website: [url=https://www.missitheachievementhuntress.com/games-with-unmissable-achievements/]Missi the Achievement Huntress: Games without missable achievements[/url][/code]

Full disclosure, I'm one of the artists on the game but had very limited knowledge on the entirety of the gameplay experience prior to playing it in full. Our game gives me such a welcoming sense of nostalgia with the charming characters, level design, and storytelling. The music really elevated everything tenfold, shoutout to Milan for your invaluable talent. The combat feels fun and engaging and the dungeons/temples were such a treat. Every new ability and weapon felt super satisfying to obtain. The voice acting really brought everyone to life! I'm super happy with the culmination of work that all the artists on our team contributed to the project. I hope all my friends and strangers alike enjoy our game!

Игра красивая, но играть в это неприятно. Анимации корявые и медленные, что крайне плохо сказывается на отзывчивости управления. Голос рассказчика быстро начинает раздражать. Растительность прямо пихается тебе в лицо, чтобы ты не видел героя. В целом через 15 минут хочется выключить это.

Really enjoying this game so far. I saw a comment on youtube that said this looked like a roguelike (a la Hades), but its not. This game is more of a metroidvania action/adventure with some interesting narrative content. Overall I really enjoy the art style and sound design; I was really surprised at how the musical tone was set by the player, it was a neat touch. The combat feels pretty good, its not quite Hollow Knight levels of tight but it still feels good. Some of the mechanics are really interesting, such as the music you form with spells using directional input. The musical magic takes some getting used to, but it feels fun to engage with. The story of the game is still a bit of a mystery to me, but I'm eager to get further and learn more about this forest and the character's motivations for being there.

Legitimately impressed by this one. Art/Sound/Voice/Story/Lore are all banger. Difficulty is well balanced - I've had to attempt bosses a few times so far. For me I think the message and the story hits. Gives me Chrono Trigger with live-combat vibes. There is some memorization for playing the instrument kinda like Ocarina/Windwaker. As you spec into your talent tree and decide which abilities you like, you'll get the patterns down easy. As I play I'm constantly wanting to know more about the world that has been built, great atmosphere. During the game you make decisions that shape the music you hear which is kinda wild. Overall very solid! Great controller game. I would say if you're an appreciator of music/art and story then this one is well worth your attention.

A beautiful and original indie gem. The story experience is super dense--there are layers and layers of things to explore and discover. The combat gameplay is very intuitive and quick. It's exciting to come across a knot of enemies and strategize which songs you'll use to take them out. There's absolutely a lot of bang for your buck. If you're interested in games with unfolding stories that keep you wanting to delve further and learn more, definitely pick this one up!

I didn't really dig the story in this one, I felt the actual execution did not nearly deliver on the epic set-up that was promised. That said, I enjoyed this game. It's a very solid Zeldalike with overall good dungeons and one AMAZING puzzle-box dungeon (the factory), the combat is also really solid with a nice touch of songs replacing spells - the inputs are overall easy to manage. The exploration is also enjoyable with a bit of backtracking being rewarded as you have 3 weapons you'll unlock and each lets you bypass obstacles - the game is absolutely linear, it's not an MV, but you can go back for some extras. Artstyle is also solid. And unfortunately I encountered a fair degree of bugs, mostly on the "getting stuck on ♥♥♥♥ after getting charged into a wall" problem. It's not a deal-breaker, but they really do need to fix it. So yeah, don't get it for the story, but it's enjoyable on a gameplay level.

Traveler's Refrain is a Musical Action RPG with about a Traveler who ventures on a quest to find a machine that can grant him a wish in order to restore his love. The game offers a unique spell mechanism that lets you play your spells as notes, memorization can play a big factor as it will be crucial in battle moments. From healing spells, to combat and summoning spells. The game has a vibrant art style that will get you hooked immediately. You will unfold more and more of the story as you play through the game and finish its chapters, fully voiced character dialogues and amazing voice casting team that made me love the game even more. You can tell the Developers put alot of love into making this game and it's also a small team of 5 members which is really amazing. The boss fights were challenging and fun at the same time, adrenaline rush and thrill will keep you focused as your timings will make a big difference. The music and soundtracks were really enchanting, after all it's a game revolved around your musical instrument. This is hands down one of the best emotional and memorable RPGs that I have played in a very long time. If you're a big fan of RPGs then this is a must play and very good recommendation. Overall Rating of 10/10

A beautiful game, breath taking sound design and fully voiced. Only 5 people worked on this is an absolute outstanding accomplishment. I played the demo and the improvements are apparent from jump. The combat system is very unique and mix of old school play style with a musical twist adds a layer of strategy and timing that is a breath of fresh air. I am enjoying the journey and can't wait to see where it goes.