TL;DR: Cute premise, lacking in gameplay.
The game is framed as a grandpa telling a bedtime story to his grandchildren. That's the best part of the game, you get a lot of silly dialogue when the kids butt in and argue something was too easy or whatever.
Gameplay-wise, it's rather...repetitive. It constantly reuses the same four or five puzzle types, and they don't ever get thought provoking enough for the repeating puzzles to be satisfying. Combat doesn't fare much better. Enemies die so quickly and easily that they often supplement harder enemies for DROVES of enemies absolutely filling the screen. Bosses provide a moderate challenge, but I'm fairly certain most of them are seizure-inducing. Items you acquire are almost exclusively combat-oriented, further trivializing the combat. I hardly ever used the sword at all once I got some of the midgame items.
The game is framed as a grandpa telling a bedtime story to his grandchildren. That's the best part of the game, you get a lot of silly dialogue when the kids butt in and argue something was too easy or whatever.
Gameplay-wise, it's rather...repetitive. It constantly reuses the same four or five puzzle types, and they don't ever get thought provoking enough for the repeating puzzles to be satisfying. Combat doesn't fare much better. Enemies die so quickly and easily that they often supplement harder enemies for DROVES of enemies absolutely filling the screen. Bosses provide a moderate challenge, but I'm fairly certain most of them are seizure-inducing. Items you acquire are almost exclusively combat-oriented, further trivializing the combat. I hardly ever used the sword at all once I got some of the midgame items.
Its always kind of interesting how the time frame of a game's release impacts its success. Blossom Tales was struggling on Steam during its initial 2017 release and the studio was likely to close. But the Switch was still in its infancy and starved for games. Blossom Tales's switch sales saved the indie team from disbanding.
The issue with Zelda-likes is that its hard to say the genre has really evolved past what Zelda has already done. Maybe that's a tall order for the indie scene, but its hard not to think of how Hollow Knight and similar titles evolved the Metroidvania genre to new heights beyond its source inspiration. And Blossom Tales' default state is "cute." It doesn't quite hit the emotional highs of Lenna's Inception or Anodyne. No character particularly sticks out and the framing device weakens the story rather than elevates it.
Still, the incredible polish in this game is worth noticing. The gameplay gradually ratchets up the difficulty without being unfair. It never feels like the game's design is poorly programmed. While the game is a bit too linear at times, the art design and overall layout is really impressive. It makes me excited to see what the team's second outing could look like. I want to see them grow and develop more as they hone their craft. Even if it isn't a lifechanging game, its created by a team that knows their strengths and commits hard to those talents. Sometimes, that's enough when you're just trying to spend a few easy hours.
The issue with Zelda-likes is that its hard to say the genre has really evolved past what Zelda has already done. Maybe that's a tall order for the indie scene, but its hard not to think of how Hollow Knight and similar titles evolved the Metroidvania genre to new heights beyond its source inspiration. And Blossom Tales' default state is "cute." It doesn't quite hit the emotional highs of Lenna's Inception or Anodyne. No character particularly sticks out and the framing device weakens the story rather than elevates it.
Still, the incredible polish in this game is worth noticing. The gameplay gradually ratchets up the difficulty without being unfair. It never feels like the game's design is poorly programmed. While the game is a bit too linear at times, the art design and overall layout is really impressive. It makes me excited to see what the team's second outing could look like. I want to see them grow and develop more as they hone their craft. Even if it isn't a lifechanging game, its created by a team that knows their strengths and commits hard to those talents. Sometimes, that's enough when you're just trying to spend a few easy hours.
A Zelda clone in which both artstyle and gameplay feels uninspired to say the least. While it has some fun bits, the endgame feels like a chore, especially regarding some light puzzles and platforming (?) sections that feel more tedious than challenging.
After beating the main story in about 5 hours, I didn't feel like exploring the rest of the world since I honestly don't believe it can offer that much more.
After beating the main story in about 5 hours, I didn't feel like exploring the rest of the world since I honestly don't believe it can offer that much more.
Zelda clone that will scratch your itch for a top-down Zelda experience. Nothing super special overall, although the humor and world is strong for an indie game. Generally enjoyable playthrough, 6/10.
2018
"Zelda" venido a menos pero bastante entretenido, lo bueno es que no se hace pesado porque no es muy largo, pero como clon de Zelda cumple bastante bien.
"Zelda" venido a menos pero bastante entretenido, lo bueno es que no se hace pesado porque no es muy largo, pero como clon de Zelda cumple bastante bien.
Very competent Zelda-like. Well-made in all regards.
A solid Link to the Past vamp. Does enough to set it apart, and the narrative of a Grandfather telling the story to his grandkids is really well done. The neatest little touch is when he lets the kids decide what happens next in the story, changing in-game events.
If it's on sale, I'd say pick it up! If ALttP is your favorite Zelda game, I'd say go right ahead at full price!
If it's on sale, I'd say pick it up! If ALttP is your favorite Zelda game, I'd say go right ahead at full price!
Uninspirierter seelenloser Pixelmist aus der Hölle.
Die Steuerung ist mies, die Story ist mies, der Humor ist mies und der Soundtrack ist grauenvoll.
Im Prinzip wurde nur so viel von Zelda geklaut, dass Dreck übrig geblieben ist.
Die Steuerung ist mies, die Story ist mies, der Humor ist mies und der Soundtrack ist grauenvoll.
Im Prinzip wurde nur so viel von Zelda geklaut, dass Dreck übrig geblieben ist.
A perfectly adequate 2D Zelda-like. Its probably bad that i can't really remember much about Blossom Tales, but if you are really needing to scratch a vaguely Link to the Past sized itch, this will do the job fine enough