Well what an interesting game Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King looks to be! From Castle Pixel the creators of REX ROCKET, comes a new game with a Kickstarter, Steam Greenlight Campaign, one similar in design to the old 2D Zelda games but grander in scale! Just look at this large map for the castle alone! There are plenty of "zones" for you to adventure in, including an undead area, a forest area, a snowy mountain, a dragon infested lava area and even a SKULL FORTRESS! Hell yeah who doesn't love skull fortresses! I think that was the first thing I built on minecraft... Oh uh anyway!
The game developers boasts:
- An Unforgettable World -- Fierce snow beasts, creepy undead monsters, and cackling witches are a few of the many remarkable characters and menacing foes you'll meet as you explore abandoned grottos, enchanted forests, and dragon-infested caverns.
- An Unpredictable Story -- Although the tale is being told by Grandpa, you can expect his lively granddaughter to occasionally chime in and affect the game. For instance, a quiet trip through a cemetery can quickly change if little Lily decides that an army of undead should rise and attack!
- Classic ARPG Gameplay -- Zelda being the most obvious inspiration, Blossom Tales offers a fun, familiar experience via an arsenal of unique spells and weapons, dungeons with combat and puzzle challenges, and a rich interconnected world.
- A One-of-a-Kind Adventure -- Blossom Tales will do more than fill you with nostalgia as you enjoy a fresh mix of fun gameplay elements. For example, the handy target-lock system will prove useful to adventurers as they explore dungeons with both randomly-generated areas and pre-designed layouts, resulting in an adventures that feels unlike any other.
- Easy To Learn, Fun To Master -- Accessible enough for any gamer while also providing enough depth for those seeking a challenge. Whether you grew up with the classics or this is your first ARPG, you’ll be captivated by the engaging gameplay, charming characters, and hard-won rewards.
The game also appears to have a lovely weather system, this will most likely change depending on your region or may always be on in certain places. Thus here's an image of snowfall in what looks like to be a village or dungeon entrance:
On with the story!
Always eager to hear stories of heroism and danger, the young Lily asks
her Grandpa for another one of his delightful adventures. Unable to
resist her adorable plea, the old storyteller begins his tale of a
kingdom where a youthful warrior (also named Lily, of course!) had just
been initiated into the esteemed Knights of the Rose. However, that same
day the evil wizard Crocus placed the King into an everlasting sleep
with one of his dreaded spells. Sworn to aid the crown at all costs,
Lily must explore dark dungeons, face terrible creatures, and meet many
peculiar characters all in hopes of finding the mystical ingredients
capable of forming a cure for the King. The future of the Kingdom of Blossom rests on her shoulders!
The developers do seem to love their special effects as half of the animated gifs are of a character doing something flashy! This is not a bad thing as long as they don't constantly have something going crazy on screen as that will diminish the effect and could even anger people. If done well then it will create an atmosphere to go with the story as well as make the world seem more real. Here's some images:
I mentioned before about their previous game, "Rex Rocket" or REX ROCKET as the game screen says, this is a paragraph from the developers about it.
"Our last Kickstarter project was Rex Rocket,
a 2D action-platformer that nearly doubled its modest goal of $6K last
May. It then only took us a little over a year to deliver the laser
blasting, robot smashing space adventure to backers and Steam.
Since then, Rex Rocket has received great reviews for it's challenging
gameplay, charming visuals, and lighthearted humor. We've set a much
higher goal this time because we want to create an even bigger adventure
with Blossom Tales!"
as well as it's reviews:
"Rex Rocket quotes and review scores:
- "As a game designed to cater to nostalgia, Rex Rocket serves both as a wonderful reminder of those platforming glory days and a welcoming addition to the modern gaming scene." - Another Castle (4/5 stars)
- "You’ll hearken back to games like Metroid and the much newer Cave Story. But this game is something new, and it’s wonderful." - Fist Full of Potions (BUY)
- "One of the very best and most polished run-and-gun/exploration platformers I have played in years. It's silly sc-fi plot and the odd, clever puzzle here and there only add to the overall joy." - IndieGames.com
- "Rex Rocket isn't just a love-letter to the golden-era of games, it's a solid addition to any modern action gamers' library...an undeniably perfect combination of the best mechanics from the old and the new." - Cue Indie Review
- "Considering the amount of games based on retro ideologies making themselves a success recently, Rex Rocket sits comfortably in that realm, as it should." - G3AR (8/10)
- "Not going to lie. I die a lot. I make little progress. But, man, I still think it's a lot of fun!" - Vinny from Giant Bomb
- "With a hint of Mega Man and a hint of Castlevania, Rex Rocket might just be what you're looking for." - Ohnorobo (OH YES!) "
I believe this pretty much sums it all up then, if you want the TL:DR then look bellow for the summary.
TL:DR:
The game is very pretty, has a lot of cool effects, they have made a successful game before and know how to keep it fun and entertaining, the story is good and the protagonist choice is interesting, overall I am really looking forward to playing it and possibly giving a review of it in the future. I'm not a big fan of pixel art and feel that they would do better with a more zoomed out perspective, the castle image is beautiful but when zoomed in it feels wrong, but that's just personal preference.
wooo!
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