Written past times Bernard Julius Paje
Title: Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King
Developer: Castle Pixel
Publisher: FDG Entertainment
Price: $14.99
Genre: Action, Adventure
Also Available On: Steam
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is an action/adventure game that is inspired past times classic 2D The Legend of Zelda games. To say that it is inspired past times Zelda games is genuinely an understatement, because at times y'all volition most probable swear that what y'all are playing IS a Zelda game. There are a myriad of references to the classic Zelda games of onetime inward Blossom Tales, as well as these function real apparent the longer y'all play the game. Thankfully, Blossom Tales is a well-made Zelda-like, hence if y'all loved most of the 2D classic Zelda games as well as hence y'all volition certainly relish this game. Blossom Tales also applies a unique twist to the classic Zelda formula via its storytelling.
The game begins ane nighttime alongside a happily sleeping onetime human being inward a fireplace-lit living room when 2 kids—his grandchildren Lily as well as Chrys—suddenly barge noisily into the scene. The picayune ones wake upward their grandpa, of course, forcing him to tell them a bedtime story. At this point, the game cheekily pokes fun at the Zelda serial when gramps offers to tell them a storey well-nigh an ‘elf boy’—a storey the kids claim that he has told them a ane K k times over. So gramps as well as hence tells them a unlike story: One well-nigh the kingdom of Blossom, where the heroine of the story—a immature daughter who was also named Lily—was well-nigh to endure officially knighted (damed?) past times King Orchid as well as anointed equally an honorary Knight of the Rose. Being a immature girl, newly-knighted Lily is tasked alongside something slow as well as non hence dangerous: to rid the castle basement of its rat infestation. Little does she realize though that problem is brewing inward the Blossom Kingdom, because King Orchid’s brother—the sorcerer Crocus—is plotting to own got over the kingdom. As presently equally Lily clears her initiative task, Crocus has successfully cast a sleeping spell on the king, sending the whole kingdom into turmoil. To wake King Orchid up, Lily needs to collect 3 ingredients that volition endure used to concoct a potion that volition elevator the king's curse.
The rat-infested castle basement serves equally the game’s tutorial dungeon, where Blossom Tales’ basic mechanics are introduced as well as explained to the player. At regular intervals during the adventure, gramps tin john endure heard narrating the events of the storey to the girls. The means this narrative is executed in-game feels real natural—it genuinely is similar y'all are the hero inward a storey that is existence told inward realtime. The trio of commentators volition shrewdly quip at diverse parts of Lily’s adventure; similar before an of import storey number is well-nigh to own got house or when Lily gets an item for the outset time. You volition also own got express command equally to what happens inward the story—at some points, Lily as well as Chrys volition fence well-nigh what enemy they desire Blossom Knight Lily to fight, as well as it volition endure upward to y'all to pick out what the storey volition spawn out. These moments give off merely a handful of times inward the game as well as own got no major acquit on to the story, but the means these events play out are rather enjoyable.
I mentioned before that Blossom Tales plays real much similar a classic 2D Zelda game. This volition endure manifestly clear equally presently equally y'all come inward the tutorial dungeon. Hold the gear upward on clit to practice a spin attack? Check. Get golden as well as view pickups past times breaking pots as well as cutting grass: Check. Destroy conspicuous, cracked walls alongside a bomb to disclose a tube room: Check. Collect iv view pieces to larn an extra view container? Check. Bow as well as Arrow, Shovel, Boomerang? Check, check, check! Everything hither merely screams The Legend of Zelda, but Blossom Tales does exude an identity all its ain despite copying the most basic elements from its inspiration. In improver to the game’s unique storytelling method, it also sports a gender-bending twist because the game puts y'all inward command of a immature daughter who is determined to relieve the manly somebody monarch (which is unremarkably the other means to a greater extent than or less gender-wise for most games).
In improver to playing similar a classic Zelda game, Blossom Tales also looks as well as sounds similar a Zelda game. Graphically, Blossom Tales’ fine art mode volition remind y'all a lot of the GameBoy Zelda entries (Link’s Awakening as well as the duo of Oracle games) but its presentation is to a greater extent than similar to the SNES' Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Link To The Past. Blossom Tales’ music volition also remind y'all of some Zelda tunes—again, the GameBoy entries of the franchise volition come upward to hear inward this aspect—but considering a bulk of the good is played via chiptune makes that observation of mine debatable. Also, using a controller alongside a skillful D-Pad to play the game is highly recommended because some areas require the precision of digital controls to easily beat—the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller or an SF30/SF30 Pro controller from 8Bitdo are highly recommended, but the 4-button, pseudo D-Pad of the left Joy-Con should suffice equally well.
Each of the 3 ingredients Lily needs to detect to wake upward the titular sleeping manly somebody monarch is housed inward a split upward dungeon. In truthful The Legend of Zelda fashion, each of these dungeons has a specific theme—there's a Forest Dungeon, a Fire Dungeon as well as an Ice Dungeon. Each of these 3 dungeons are huge, as well as volition own got y'all at to the lowest degree an lx minutes to fully tackle. Of course, each dungeon houses an of import item that Lily needs to utilize to crunch it. After getting all 3 ingredients, y'all are as well as hence thrust into the in conclusion dungeon, where y'all volition own got your penultimate battle alongside Crocus. Again, dungeons are heavily inspired past times classic Zelda games—there are rooms that require y'all to defeat all enemies to motion on, as well as the puzzles y'all demand to solve involve either block pushing, switch hitting or sequence memorizing. While the dungeons are sprawling, ane of my complaints regarding them is that they experience also linear. Oftentimes, most dungeons volition merely own got y'all trekking inward a right away path from the start to the end. The in conclusion dungeon is the exception hither though—it is a tough, labyrinthine gauntlet of challenges filled alongside some of the game's hardest battles as well as puzzles. It is also of import to banknote that the game's huge overworld also technically counts equally ane large dungeon, equally at that spot are also a lot of things to practice as well as secrets to uncovering inward Blossom Tales' huge kingdom.
The game took me to a greater extent than or less 8 hours to crunch the primary story, as well as I encounter myself easily spending almost twice that fourth dimension to detect all the tube view pieces, magic upgrades as well as hidden treasures scattered throughout Blossom Kingdom. When I finished the game though, I honestly wanted more. Directly comparison Blossom Tales to whatever of the classic Zeldas, I experience that this game is several dungeons brusk from greatness. The game's $14.99 quest cost is merely correct though, hence hopefully nosotros larn DLC for the game (or amend yet, a sequel alongside a bigger scope) inward the future. Overall, developer Castle Pixel did a keen labor inward adapting The Legend of Zelda's best elements into their ain game. Blossom Tales is a game I would highly recommend to both classic Zelda veterans as well as newcomers to the action/adventure genre alike.
YAY!
- A rather enjoyable game that masterfully adapts the best elements of classic The Legend of Zelda games to itself.
- Applies a unique as well as entertaining approach to storytelling.
- Blossom Tales' dungeons are huge, sprawling as well as challenging.
NAY!
- Most dungeons experience real linear, frequently requiring y'all to solely motion from betoken Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 to betoken B.
- Main quest if over far also quickly, as well as could own got used a few to a greater extent than dungeons.
- Do non endeavour to play this game alongside analog controls. D-Pad or bust!
REVIEW SCORE: 8.5/10
P.S. Also seek Ittle Dew 2+, some other awesome Zelda-inspired game that I of late had the lead a opportunity to review. You tin john read my amount review of that game here.
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