Ever sense I seen a review of this game, I wanted to play it. It looked great, I never played an RPG like this and I actually wanted to play a game with a female lead. I kept away from everything to avoid spoilers and it was worth it.
Story
Aurora, the daughter of an Austrian duke, finds herself lost in the magical land of Lemuria and along with a firefly called Igniculus and a band of colourful misfits, must find the Sun, the Moon and the Stars to save the land from the Queen of the night, Umbra. I was hook on the story since the first chapter and it's a well told and well paced story. Yes there are cliches but it uses them very well that I didn't care.
The biggest draw to the games story is Aurora herself. She is such a great character that I cared about from beginning to end. She's a kind child who just wants to go home and helps the people she meets because shes caring. A running joke in the game I really like is that almost everyone calls a princess but she insist they call her Aurora.
One problem I have is the other members of the party aren't really that important(It's a problem "Big Hero 6" had). However I can give it a pass on three big reasons. 1: it's Aurora's story. 2: I enjoy their little quirks that make me smile. and 3: I'll explain in gameplay.
And finally the length. This isn't a long game, maybe ten hours. I don't mind this as the story itself isn't that long. It tells what it wants to tell giving a satisfying experience, unlike Final Fantasy 13 that drag on for 30 hours.
Gameplay
The game is a 2D RPG where you fly around, find secrets and get into battle. Outside of battle you fly around along with you firefly friend to solve puzzles and explore. I admit it's linear but at least you can go back to previous dungeons to see what you missed.
Combat is a first for me. The battle has a timeline to see how it takes for someone to attack. It's split into a wait period and a casting period, the casting being the most important. at the start of casting you pick a skill which takes a certain amount of time to use, ranging from short to very long. However if either you or the enemy is hit during this phase, they get interrupted and get pushed back down the timeline. You can also use the firefly to slow enemies down or heal your party, though I admit I hardly use him for healing.
Each member of the party also has a specific role in battle such as Finn being used to exploit enemy weaknesses or Rubella being a healer, and having every member being useful is always a plus to me. You also find these stones called Occuli around which you can equip on your party which give different boosts or effects. for example a ruby lets you deal fire damage,protects you from fire or gives you a health boost depending on the slot. You can also craft them together to get better or different stones. for example I have three small rubies and I mixed them together to get a big ruby.
And the most important point is that it's all optional. I'm serious, you don't have to get or keep any member of you party unless you want to. you don't have to equip the stones on your party. You don't even have to use Igniculus. Despite it's length and linearity, this is one of the most customizable RPGS I've played.
Presentation
That's the best way to describe it. It uses the UbiArt engine which helps gives it that hand-painted look the engine is know for. Everything is detailed to the little homes and buildings you can go into, to the vast landscapes you can see in the distance.
The music has a lovely melancholy feel to it unlike more recent games that want an epic orchestra playing. The moment I started playing, the music really got into the mood to play and told me exactly what I was getting in for. The battle tracks are a bit more intense but are still very good.
However, there is one aspect to this games design which is a make or break deal, and that is that the game is told in rhyme. I personally didn't mind it, in fact I liked it. However many people, including Yahtzee were turned off by the constant rhymes. If you can't stand the constantly poetry, this game isn't for you.
Verdict
Yes I liked this game. While the story isn't in my greats list, Aurora is one of my favorite female characters in a long while. the gameplay's different but good and everything else has a charm that puts a smile on my face. Though I both wonder and fear what will happen if Disney or Hasbro gets their talons into it.
9/10
