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Grey reviews "Fairune"; Drancia HYPE!
Topic Started: Sep 9 2016, 03:21 PM (167 Views)
Greymon57
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So I'll admit it, I had gotten bored of reviews. The games just weren't inspiring me anymore. In anticipation for Drancia Saga, I decided to check out Fairune, since Gunman Clive wasn't doing it for me anymore. And good golly the review spark has returned.

Fairune

Story: 4/10 It's not that the story is bad. It's that it's practically non-existant. Remember those NES games where the story was only in the manuals? Well Fairune is kinda like that. Except the manual has no story. Now stay with me here, there is still a story... it's just not told. I mean you get a small intro at the beginning of the game, but that's it. And honestly it works. Part of the charm of this game is trying to piece the story together thru bits and pieces of text and events. It's still not a full fledged story but it's not bad. I was hoping to get answers on the ending. I didn't. And yet I'm glad.

Gameplay: 8/10 The gameplay is great. It's like a minimalist zelda clone. The game is clearly inspired by Zelda. Yet it's not trying to be Zelda.
You don't fight by pushing a button, instead you fight by walking into enemies. If the enemies are close to your level you defeat them, earn 1 XP, and take some HP Damage. If the enemies are weaker than you, you defeat them without earning XP or taking damage. And if they are at a higher level, you can't defeat them, and they give you a lot of damage. This adds a necessary grinding in order to advance the story. Where you keep defeating the same enemy over and over hoping to level up so you can be immune to the next monsters.
Similar to Zelda you are collecting mystical artifacts scattered across the land. Unlike Zelda they aren't really in dungeons. Instead the land is riddled with puzzles and items, and you have to figure out how to get around them. Some puzzles are easy, some are hard, some are super cryptic, and one is 4th wall-ish. The puzzles were welcomed and are really were the game shined. I enjoyed them very much.

Level Design: 9/10 Despite the fact that I would have liked to see a bigger world, what was present in the game was quite impressive. The puzzles were part of everything, even traversing the land. Now in zelda fashion, certain puzzles only had to be completed once, then a shortcut would be present. But that wasn't always the case. Still it was nice to the varying themes throughout the land.

Characters: 1/10 As much as I want to give it a high rating, I have to be consistent and not show favoritism. The game has very little characters. The protagonist appears to be 1 dimensional, or at least we are never given context. Even the final boss has generic ambitions.

Music: 10/10 YES! Amazing Chiptunes. Brought me back to the NES/SNES days. Loved the sound track.

Bosses: 6/10 There was only one Boss.... But what a Boss it was. :D Despite the Zelda-ish gameplay, the final battle is a space shooter / Bullet Hell. It's very hard, until you memorize the pattern. Yet even with the pattern it's a hard boss. It has 3 different forms. No healing in between. So it's quite the challenge. Would have given it a higher score but it was still just 1 boss.

Abilities: 4/10 I mean basically you walk into stuff. Yes they are items, but they either walk automatically, or only work by selecting them on the menu while standing on a specific spot on the map. While they actually do stuff, it's not like the player has any control over it. I mean the Character has her arsenal of weapons, I just wish I could use them at will.

And for the final battle the Hero is "awakened" and gets a new OP form. Pretty cool, kinda wish I could have played more of that instead.

Replay Value: 7/10 Since the game is short and is mainly puzzles. Once you beat the game you most likely remember every puzzle's solution. So I was going to say that this game is not worth replaying, or at least wouldn't be as fun the second time around. But when I beat the game, I unlocked the achievements menu. And then it recommended things like Speed run under 2 hours, 1 hour, find secret items, find secret enemies, beat the game twice, beat the game without dying, etc. All of a sudden the potential to replay this game was shown. So I'll definitely be trying to get those achievements.

Average Sum: 6/10

Overall Experience: 8.5/10 I really enjoyed this game. My main complaint is that it was a short game. Would have loved to see more. Yet what I saw was very nice. The music was there, the challenge was there. the nostalgia was there. It was close enough to zelda for me to enjoy it, yet original enough for me to say it is it's own thing. This was made by some of people behind "Witch & Hero" so I kinda knew what to expect. If you love indies and if you love Zelda you should check out this game. Just be warned that it is short.

Edited by Greymon57, Sep 15 2016, 08:51 AM.
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Greymon57
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For those interested in trying the game, it's free on Smartphones. So you can play thru the whole thing without paying a cent.

Although the reviews all state that the game just runs and feels better on 3DS.
Edited by Greymon57, Sep 10 2016, 04:39 AM.
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CyraxkilawattMKII
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Angel of Death
It's funny how you give the character 1/10, when I was reading the description for the game I felt it was a bit shallow and thought it was odd. But I guess your score there explains it. :P

Also the game didn't really peak my Interest, To Much Fallout 4, I guess.

BTW, I have this urge to parody your reviews with Cy Reviews Grey's reviews, in which I analyze you review. :P . I would do my own reviews but I am terrible at actually finishing games, I finished only a handful last year and none this year and it's just about over. though I did complete 1 DLC for Just Cause 3 and Fallout 4 (sort of).

As for Fallout 4, I have a habit of roaming, exploring and adventuring so getting to the Main Storyline usually takes a back seat for me. :P . That's to say I have yet to Finish Fallout 4 (If there is such a thing) though I would love to right a review for it. I do have about 311 hrs possibly more invested into it. :P
Edited by CyraxkilawattMKII, Sep 10 2016, 09:47 PM.
"Boston or Bust" Nov. 10, 2015
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Greymon57
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Well Cy I welcome comedy in all it's forms, and I have thick skin. So Parody away. ;)
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CyraxkilawattMKII
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Sweet, sadly the inspiration passed, if it comes back I'll attempt it or the next time. I really didn't want you thinking I was trying to be mean spirited or mocking. (though I suppose that is part of a Parody). So the next time I get Inspired, i'll attempt at it. NOt sure if it will be funny or just Sad.
"Boston or Bust" Nov. 10, 2015
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Greymon57
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I know what you mean Cyrax. But hey it's free speech. If you want to roast me then roast me. Like I said, I have thick skin. I might get a laugh out it, or I might sit there waiting for a punchline that never arrives. Either way I welcome comedy. Yeah it can be mean spirited, but that's why we need a sense of humor. :)
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Greymon57
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Oh and to bring this back to Fairune. I downloaded the free Mobile version. Now the 3DS version played better since it had buttons, and a map system. The 3DS version has 9 save files and the mobile only has one. Also the 3DS version had more areas. Not a lot more. But still more. The mobile version felt like they scrapped a few rooms for content. The achievements are also gone, as is the sound test. Overall, as a free game with very little ads, it was not bad. Honestly for being a mobile game it felt better, as I expect more from 3DS games than mobile. Yet it is still the same game. So if you have want to try it out, and not spend any money or fill up your 3DS SD card, the mobile version is the way to go. You'll miss out on a few things, but hey it's free.
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