"Things sometimes feel dark, child, but there is always light somewhere to be found."
As I grow older a simple temptation calls out to be in the night, stirring my very existence. To discover something new that harkens back to the days of old. Many a video game exist in this age, and many of them clearly inspired by the works that drove those developers into the industry in the first place. It is a shame though, how often, they fail to capture the same magic of what they were bewitched by. Ara Fell is a success story out of the mass of forgettable indie titles trying to be the next Earthbound or Chrono Trigger. It holds steadfast by keeping itself straightforward, with a dash of flair. You have elements like magic, vampires, a floating world, and hundreds-year-old mysteries as classic motifs to recognize and easily comprehend. This game doesn't try to reinvent metanarratives, RPGs, or anything as grandiose as that. It's just a simple tale of a girl named Lita who gets caught up in something far bigger and greater than she could have ever imagined she would. You have 4 party members, each with specific classes, who all aid in ways necessary to prevail against the mightiest foes. Through them, a take turn battle system, and your wit you shall persevere to see the end of these mysteries before you! Everything manages to come together to make a complete narrative experience, and on the hardest mode, you get properly challenged to explore the full depth of the battle system. It's not overly taxing, but it is constantly rewarding and more importantly enjoyable. I went in wanting a small indie adventure that was an RPG and left finding one of the best little hidden gems I've played in the past few years. The game is rough around the edges in production value(art, music, scale), but when the credits began to roll, I could only feel immeasurable satisfaction by the journey.
We hereby award: The Silver Seal of Merit
As I grow older a simple temptation calls out to be in the night, stirring my very existence. To discover something new that harkens back to the days of old. Many a video game exist in this age, and many of them clearly inspired by the works that drove those developers into the industry in the first place. It is a shame though, how often, they fail to capture the same magic of what they were bewitched by. Ara Fell is a success story out of the mass of forgettable indie titles trying to be the next Earthbound or Chrono Trigger. It holds steadfast by keeping itself straightforward, with a dash of flair. You have elements like magic, vampires, a floating world, and hundreds-year-old mysteries as classic motifs to recognize and easily comprehend. This game doesn't try to reinvent metanarratives, RPGs, or anything as grandiose as that. It's just a simple tale of a girl named Lita who gets caught up in something far bigger and greater than she could have ever imagined she would. You have 4 party members, each with specific classes, who all aid in ways necessary to prevail against the mightiest foes. Through them, a take turn battle system, and your wit you shall persevere to see the end of these mysteries before you! Everything manages to come together to make a complete narrative experience, and on the hardest mode, you get properly challenged to explore the full depth of the battle system. It's not overly taxing, but it is constantly rewarding and more importantly enjoyable. I went in wanting a small indie adventure that was an RPG and left finding one of the best little hidden gems I've played in the past few years. The game is rough around the edges in production value(art, music, scale), but when the credits began to roll, I could only feel immeasurable satisfaction by the journey.
We hereby award: The Silver Seal of Merit