Reseñas

• gamedeal user

  Jan 5, 2022

  [b]Playing status:[/b] 100% achievement, finished the game [b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No (those who rush the game might need to grind a bit). [b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (16 achievements). [b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No. [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King[/b] is an action-adventure game about a young knight that is trying to save a kingdom from an evil sorcerer. It tries to mimic the old top-down, 2D [b]Zelda[/b] mechanics with the sword, unique items that can help you to progress new areas, explorable overworld, dungeons, and other changes that are unique to the game. [b]Pros:[/b] - 5 dungeons - Secrets that can only be reached with certain items - Puzzles in some dungeons - A lot of unique items that you can switch around [b]Cons:[/b] - The lack of tile-based movement makes it hard to progress without taking damage - Bosses can be cheesed [b]Specs[/b] Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 [h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1] [b]Yes.[/b] [i]If you are itching for a new [b]Zelda[/b]-like game, buy this game.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] The game uses 2D, pixelated visuals. Characters are deformed to show more of the environment, with detailed backgrounds to compensate for it. Areas are divided into several regions that are unique to each other, along with unique enemies that only show in that particular biome. The swamp area doesn't make sense though. I was hoping for a watery dungeon in it, but I ended up having to experience a flame-themed dungeon instead. That being aside, everything looks nice. Objects that give hints for secret areas are noticeable enough for the keen ones, which can be easily remembered since they'll be reused a lot. [h3]Story[/h3] The story is being told by someone else in the game, so expect a lot of narrative from the storyteller. Parts of the story are also being influenced by two young girls who are listening to the said story, changing the story at some points. However, the change isn't vital to the main plot, and there isn't much detail in the story to begin with. The story is mostly straightforward, which becomes unique from the way the narrative is being told. [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] The game is focused on exploration. If you have played [b]The Legend of Zelda[/b] games before, especially the top-down 2D ones, the game is played exactly like that. It's an action-adventure game where you explore a region with a sword in your hand, defeat enemies as you wish, and explore the dungeon to beat the boss(es) and retrieve a key item. There are 5 dungeons in total with 1-2 bosses each inside it. Since the game has no level-up system, you are free to ignore the enemies in the overworld, although some enemies in the dungeon must be defeated before you can progress. Progression is linear. You'll have to retrieve key items as you play to unlock more places, which can be used to access inaccessible places in the previous areas. You might need to backtrack a lot and remember the areas that you passed previously just to make sure that you get everything. It's still possible to rush the game and ignore these areas, but finding these secret areas is also one of the joys in the game. Most of them will reward you with either heart pieces or stamina bars, which will make it easier for you to progress the game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=894322887 [b]Combat[/b] Enemies are varied. They mostly can be defeated in the same way although you might need to check their attack pattern first to avoid taking damage. However, the game has no tile-based movement, so it can be hard to dodge their attack, especially if they are coming from a lot of directions. Moreover, you can only swing your sword in four directions, making the weapon to be useless most of the time. You won't be using your sword as a primary weapon though. Well, you can't remove it from your hotkey, but you have two extra slots that you can fill with other items. Other key items will require stamina to use, but they have better damage and reach compared to your normal sword swing. It's easier to defeat enemies that way, especially bosses since it's safer to attack them from a distance. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2114301701 Bosses can be cheesed. As I said before, you can attack bosses from a distance, and the game offers a lot of hearts if you collect most heart pieces. Moreover, it can be hard to defeat bosses without taking damage due to the lack of tile-based movement. Some bosses might need a certain strategy and key items to beat, but I found that they are easy to beat as long as you try to dodge them a bit. [b]Puzzles[/b] The game also incorporates some puzzles in it. Some are easy, some can be challenging to solve. However, it's easy to reset most puzzles by accident since you just need to walk to the edge to do that, which happens often due to... yes, the lack of tile-based movement. I still had fun solving the puzzles though, especially the harder ones. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1255882737 [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I finished the game in 11.1h after collecting all items and finishing all quests. Some side quests might appear to be grindy at first, but you won't have a problem collecting the items if you kill most enemies. However, the game seems to mimic a lot of the vagueness in the old [b]Zelda[/b] games. I found myself stuck when I had to use a certain key item to progress the game, which didn't occur in my mind. It's one of the charms of these games though, so it didn't bother me that much. As I said before, the game is easy to beat. Bosses can be cheesed, with and without potions, and the game is easy enough to beat even if you are not collecting the collectibles. Achievement hunters also do not need to worry about the achievements since they are all easily obtainable. [b]Problem[/b] There is no log for side quests. It's hard to find where the quest givers are if you traveled to a lot of places. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] I won't be lying if I was looking for a [b]Zelda[/b]-like game when I bought [b]Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King[/b]. The game does a good job to satisfy my [b]Zelda[/b] itch with its similar mechanic, and although some aspects might be different, it is subtle enough for you to notice. The most problematic issue that I found is the lack of tile-based movement, but the difficulty has also been toned down to compensate for it. This makes the game to be more geared for casual players though. Hardcore players won't enjoy it because of the difficulty, and trying to do a challenge like no damage run might be impossible since some enemies can ambush you without giving you a chance to avoid it. That being said, if you are looking for an easy [b]Zelda[/b]-like game, this is your game. [quote]Visit SaveOrQuit.com for detailed game reviews, posted daily![/quote]
• gamedeal user

  Mar 14, 2022

  I almost wrote a positive review, but the incessant screen flash effects ruined my experience. Anyone prone to seizures shouldn't touch this game. Boss fights, explosions, and other effects have rapid screen flashes and can cause headaches. There is no option to disable this feature. Blossom Tales can superficially scratch the nostalgia itch for 2D Zelda fans, but it is very unpolished, with issues in its collision detection and awkward menus. Challenges are easy, with simple and repetitive puzzles, and a copious supply of healing and revival items. Most weapons share a stamina meter, and eventually combat devolves to using 1 or 2 spells to deal with tougher enemies, or button mashing with the sword to deal with crowds of weaker enemies. The world map is large, but there isn't much to see outside of the main path. The story content and achievements can be completed in around 8-10 hours total.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 22, 2022

  Blossom Tales is a decent link to the past clone but with a few quality of life issues and a shorter length. if you know link to the past then you know most of what you're in for here. the only main difference is instead of having item limits (arrows, bombs, ect) every sub weapon uses magic though magic does auto refill so i'll just list off my QOL issues. 1) puzzles felt more tedious then fun. the main ones were when you had to do a puzzle within some blocks that resets if you touch them. i can also see people having a bit of trouble with the simon says memory puzzles. to many simple puzzles have no hints as to what to do (using every item you have because you're stuck was never good for a game) and the puzzle where you place the badly formed pixel people onto letter they mimic was just bad. even looking up what to do i still didn't know by looking at them what letter they were making. 2) this could be a personal thing but i feel the enemies should be able to be knocked out of casting spells. i guess you're expected to have your shield equipped to block but it still feels off. 3) some bosses feel a bit to spammie. they are not hard i just feel spray and pray when there is an opening isn't a solid strategy. i know it may not be fair to compare zelda bosses to this games but it's gonna happen since this plays so closely like it. 4) stan only works from 9to5 though he only has 2 hear pieces and 2 common items. he only shows up in game between 9am and 5pm using you're pc's clock. i beat this game before i even seen this guy because i played it at nigh. its a real odd thing to do when NOTHING else in this games uses real time and these are also NO HINTS leading you to think this guy does this. 5) items do not have description. they do explain an item when you first get them but never again. this is fine for most things but the potions and some off items you may forget what they do. 6) the map does not tell you any town names, regions, or very much of anything. it's just a very small pixelated version of the world. 7) once you grab a quest you have to remember where the giver was because the game will not or even inform you that you're on one outside telling you how many of a quest item you have. you can grab quest items before you are on a quest so this isn't much help. fyi if a quest has more than 1 turn in all turn ins after the first will just net you cash over the first time where you get an item. Blossom Tales is still a good game but it could be a lot better with some small tweeks. 6/10
• gamedeal user

  Sep 3, 2022

  TL;DR

  This game is a rather bland, but somewhat competent Legend of Zelda "Rip off", with most of the mechanics, but not a lot of charm beyond its story telling method. The story being, a grandfather telling his children a story, which is very meta in terms of delivery. The problem lies with lots of little things that make the game very unpleasant to play, as such I won't be putting more time into this. If you are ok with a worse version of any 2d Zelda game, and that's all you care about, this game is far from offensive. Otherwise, this is just a bland, easy and tedious experience. For the $3 I paid for it, I could have done a lot worse. Though, honestly, I think you'd get a lot more out of any of the gameboy Zelda games. This game has a sequel, but I'm not spending a lot of money to find out if it is better.

  ----Summary

  Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, is a 2d "Zelda-like" that wears its inspiration on its sleeve. You've got the standard sword swing, charge attack, and items straight out of any 2d Zelda game. The difference is that all items are tied to an energy bar, for better or for worse. Told in the style of a children's story, literally, you play as Lily as she travels the fantasy landscape of whatever the place is called. While I haven't, and won't, complete this game, there isn't too much wrong, but a little goes a long way in this case.

  ----Positives

  Game Supports Modern Resolutions and Controls

  I can't tell you how many pixel art games I've played that support a very small amount of resolutions and sometimes only in windowed mode, or that weird zoomed in mode that messes with your monitor's resolution. The sound is even at a reasonable volume and not so much louder than everything else when I boot up the game. It's very considerate in this regard, and more than I expect from games these days. If it sounds bitter, it's because I am, and I really appreciate it when a game comes configured with a reasonable default. If only network firewalls did this.

  Colorful

  Some pixel art games try to limit themselves to a really small amount of colors or a color pallet. This game succeeds in not doing that, and I think some things are easier to read visually. This is not praise for the games graphics themselves however, as they have a few problems that I think makes them look quite ugly.

  Some Player Choice

  There is a section I played through that let you chose the enemies you fight, I imagine there is more of this kind of thing, and the story telling lends to the possibility, which is pretty cool, I guess.

  ----Negatives

  Very Ugly Graphic Effects

  I want to state that I'm not against the game's simple "12-bit" art style. It's everything else on top of it where I have a problem with. There is a lot of "Juice" in this game. Juice is when a game dev adds effects, rather than mechanics, to make a game more enjoyable. Enhancements, or "enhancements". Enhancements are something like adding a red flash after an enemy is killed so you know you've killed it. "Enhancements" are something like "every sword swing connecting with something causes your controller to vibrate". This game actually does the latter. Thankfully, I can turn the vibration off completely, because why would I want to feel it when my bombs explode, but not when I chop down grass? Unfortunately, I can't turn off the god awful lighting used for both particles and effects. This awful glow effect really clashes with the pixel art aesthetic and shows that those chunky pixels are actually a lot of smaller pixels. You can notice this every time you go under a light source and see the "banding" in the pixels. It looks very bad, but what really makes the graphics truly awful is the tweening, scaling and "rixels". These effects aren't always bad, and there are a lot of regular animations. But the sheer amount of ugliness that comes from the combination of these effects makes the game hard to look at and unappealing. I'm already out of the story because the two kids keep interrupting, but now I can't even pretend this is a "retro game", because of all these ugly lasers and the terrible lighting. This is a very ugly game when in motion, despite the color choices. Everything wiggles in an unappealing way.

  The Controls Aren't Good

  I will say this right now, I love that I am not forced to use the analog stick when I would rather use the d-pad. I mean this sincerely. This is the only nice thing I have to say about the controls. I didn't like that my sword was mapped to the "Cross" button, so I remapped it to the "Square" button. To my surprise it also remapped the button you use to talk to people. Talk about a blessing and a curse, but it get's worse. While movement is fine, using items and your sword leave a lot to be desired. * Not being able to swing your sword because the context changed is super annoying. I didn't want to grab the pot, I wanted to swing my sword. You have so many buttons on the controller, why did you make "talk", "grab", and "Sword", all one button? Put them somewhere else. * Want to swing your sword after you've released a charge attack? Ok, but you need to press the button well after you'd think you'd be able to. This is very annoying. * Want to move diagonally? You can. Want to throw an item diagonally? Sorry, you can only throw in the cardinal directions, even if you can move diagonally while holding something. * Charging your sword is cool. Having the full 360 degree swing be interrupted by this really awkward and useless lunge attack is not. "Just stop pressing the button so quickly". Well I stopped pressing my sword button when I realized the bombs do so much damage that I almost never have to use my sword. * Being able to throw bombs is neat. Not being able to throw them in all directions sucks. A lot. But what's even more infuriating is the inconsistency of throwing my bomb or placing it on the ground. I think it's tied to how long you hold the button, but it's not very clear. As such, bombs are annoying and as unfun to use as the sword. Needless to say, the controls make this game very unenjoyable. I even went back to A Link To the Past to see if I was imagining things. I was not.

  The Music Is Bad

  The music, composition wise, is pretty boring and generic. To be charitable, I would say that rather than sound like music, it sounds like "what video game music could sound like". An awful choice of synths really make me think "generic video game". If they were going for generic, I can't say they failed, but it definitely doesn't sound good. It reminds of FEZ's soundtrack in a bad way. Other than a few grating sounds, I don't remember much of the music. At least it was at a reasonable volume when I launched the game.

  ----Conclusion

  I usually try to complete games before I give my thoughts on them, but this is another case where it's just so bland that I don't want to continue. Maybe the game gets better after a few hours, but I asked myself "did I play any 2D Zelda game where the first hour was extremely boring and tedious?" I haven't played "A Link Between Worlds", but I can say that none of the 2d Zelda games that I have played ever made me not want to play them. At least not in the first hour (That dang mermaid dungeon!). You can say that directly comparing this game to Zelda isn't fair, but it's very clear what game Blossom Tales is trying to imitate. This game is very much a parody of the Zelda and its contemporaries. Deny it all you like. This is a bland boring game that I don't want to look at it. It seems harsh when I read this back, but it's really how I feel. Don't waste your money.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 24, 2022

  The game is heavily inspired by the zelda series, which is evident in its combat, music, and somewhat similar story. However, It not only fails to capture the charm of the legend of zelda, but tries so hard to mirror the legend of zelda that it fails to carve its own identity. The constant narration from the characters outside of the story made it hard to get immersed into the world, or even care about it. The music is also bare minimum, with some tracks so generic and uninspired that I'd rather listen to music on youtube while playing, and others being mere remixes of the zelda games. I could only stomach playing the game for an hour before I found myself so bored I had no interest in continuing. Do you wanna know what made the zelda games (especially link to the past) so much fun? Getting to feel like you're taking part in an epic adventure in a beautiful fantasy world full of mystery, with music that set the tone for each part of the world. It didn't need constant narration from characters outside of the world. This is NOT possible, when the game constantly reminds you the story is being told by a grandpa to a couple of kids. I'm not saying someone out there won't find enjoyment in this game, but I just can't. I tried to like this game, but it has no identity. Its just a knock off zelda without any substance or improvement on the game its trying to mirror, and for this reason I cannot recommend it.
• Yuokinee

  Aug 7, 2023

  fun.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 29, 2017

  The game has a lot of love and care. I really like the art style - it's cheerful which adds a sense of joy to the experience. There's cool music and the skillfull humor included in the game world (writing and design/etc). There's a variety of weapons/tools for the player to use - and the game keeps unlocking/giving me more as it progresses. So there's a sense of choice/tactics of how to defeat enemies. For the most part the game is a fairly relaxing romp through various challenges/puzzles/encounters/bosses. The game balance "feels" just right to me - there's certain rooms that are pretty easy and some that are very frantic dodging around. There's a variety of puzzles that range from fairly simple and more than one that I had to scratch my head a bit on (a few that took more than some head scratching - that are optional - with tons of gold as a reward). Overall its a relaxing game play experience - and I'm greatly enjoying making my way through the game. Wouldn't mind a "Blossom Tales 2 - Revenge of the Pots!" :)
• gamedeal user

  Mar 29, 2017

  Blossom Tales is a really good take on the adventure genre. As a long time Zelda fan I must say I am convinced by the game. The gameplay is so far (first main dungeon) a lot more challenging than I expected it to be and sometimes pretty fast paced. The humour and story telling is great. Can't say much about the whole plot (and wouldn't want to spoil anyone's fun anyway), but I really like the way it is presented to the player. Biggest perk: You get to play a little girl slaying bad guys, rob peoples' homes and smash their furniture. Would buy again, 7/5 ;)
• gamedeal user

  Oct 27, 2017

  It's Zelda. That's it, basically.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 28, 2017

  To say Blossom Tales wears it's Zelda inspiration on its sleeve would be an understatement. If you've ever played Link to the Past or Links Awakening this game will feel right at home for you. Everything from the environments, gameplay, weapons, and music is so similar that it's almost uncomfortable. Saying it outright, this is a good game—but it has no unique style of its own. Apart from the fairy-tale like structure the plot follows; everything is from previous Zeldas. While not automatically a bad thing, gameplay suffers due to its implementation. Puzzles aren't as clever, and you will see similar ideas constantly. Besides the art style, dungeons all feel the same. Even challenges in the open world lack variety between one another. If you liked the block puzzles in Minish Cap don't worry; they are everywhere. For such a short game there are a tone of collectables to find. Exploring is one of the main selling points of the genre but there’s a distinct lack of new ideas. Personally, having even half the number of collectables but each with new gameplay would make exploring feel rewarding. A few of the later items are interesting but just not worth the hassle to search and complete the same tasks I’d already done several times. It may sound like I’m being too harsh. But it's impossible not to compare the two. Unfortunately Blossom Tales doesn't quite understand what makes Zelda so beloved and only manages to walk in its shadow. It's a good game, but I don't think it's a memorable one. You will have a decent time while it lasts but you won’t remember it for long.