Anyone can make a dumb little retro looking game. Certain people can even put some real effort into it and make it original and fun, and still make it nothing much to write home about. A select few can even make something extraordinary that reminds us of the old point and clickers from the past and leave a lasting impression, but still leave us wishing for some things to be better. But then I plunked down a measly $5 for this game, and discovered a level of quality I didn't think I'd ever see in a video game EVER AGAIN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!! In fact, I haven't seen that level "again" actually. Because this game is the first time I've seen that "level". PERIOD!! I feel like I paid a measly $5 for the hope diamond. And this is not mindless gushing. This game DOES IN FACT warrant all this praise and more! And it takes a LOT for me to say that about a game. It's like a parent's love was given to every one of the thousand aspects of this game with exquisite detail to ensure I would constantly be delighted, enthralled, and impressed. I simply can't believe the attention to detail that has been paid to this experience. And there's still so much more left to go. This will take you back to the days of point and click games, and make you simply cry that they weren't ALL this good back then!!!

There are very few games in general lately that really reach into my gaming soul and tug at the deepest depths of nostalgia and joy. Far too many games are all about the flash of special effects and the never ending battle to emulate reality in fiction. How ironic that this little $5 masterpiece manages to evoke a greater sense of acomplishment and entertainment than just about anything I've played in the last few years. I've only completed the second chapter of the game, but I'm already looking forward to seeing what else could be in store for me. The surprise of it all is the biggest... well, surprise of it all. Hauntingly catchy music, a pixelated art style that simultaneously breaths life into a world while leaving your imagination to fill in the details, and the perfect dose of self reference and nostalgic nods to the gems of the past. There's nothing more to be said beyond buy it, experience it, and enjoy your trip.On a side note, what would make an incredible game even more perfect would be to have voice narration for the Archetype added in performed by whoever did the fantastic "Audience Calibration Procedure" video trailer. I can imagine it while reading, but actually hearing the voice during the intermissions between chapters would be the best icing on this already delicious cake.

Bought this game for iPad based on recommendations I heard on an episode of the 8-4 Play podcast. Game starts out pretty charming, but after a while it becomes apparent that the world you play in is much smaller than you would expect as you will be backtracking over the same hills and valleys countless times in order to quest in what amounts to a Legend of Zelda tribute game. I appreciate the game maker's use of art and music in the game, but I think it comes off a bit pretentious after a time. Ultimately what really soured my experience was the controls. I reached 92% completion and could not beat the game because the character you control would not move. I repeated the same sequence about 10 times and could not make progress. Not sure if this was because of a repeating game glitch or poor game testing, but I got so mad I immediately uninstalled the game. And after checking online other people had the same problem and they would watch the ending online instead of finishing, which is a shame as up to then the game would have gotten a 3 or 4 out of 5 stars from me. I think if the game makers had made this a shorter experience with better controls throughout, than this would have been an easily recommendable game at this price. But instead I would have to recommend people check reviews online and really think about whether they want to put up with all the technical problems and gameplay issues people have experienced. To the game makers I wish them better luck on their next project.

But I can't rate this game very high. It's a highly stylized, pixelated version of Zelda. Hipster Zelda with music that is too cool for it's own good. I enjoy the effort they put into the look and sound of the game, but I can't get past very real gameplay issues. The game is not balanced well in interacting with the world. The character moves incredibly slow, so that when you want to go someplace in particular, you will avoid it, bc it take 5 minutes to slowly walk your character there. There isn't much interaction with the environment. Other reviews will have you thinking you'll be interacting with this iPad game in a whole new way, but you wont. You'll be tapping on the very limited number of things they will want you to interact with, like every other game.Additionally, the fighting is almost designed as an after thought. In many instances, my slashes will not register, leaving me getting hit while tapping the screen. This type of interaction bothers me as I expected a more polished response in the fights.You get energy by finding mushrooms or going to a specific building, both of which will take no less than 5 minutes to get bc your character move s o s l o w. Like I said, I bought this game bc I was very excited for it, I don't buy many apps. But when I do, I expect a better product than this. Many have compared it to Zelda, but Zelda has some of the greatest game designers behind it. This game has Zelda fans, who wanted a hipster style and music. But they don't have the game design ability. Interesting Zelda-lite story, good look, cool music, unforgivable controls, poor fighting response, slow movement.

So, this is an app. many 1-star reviews will say it isn't a game. many say it is garbage. 4-star and 5-star reviews say it is an experience. that is what this app ultimately is. Necessarily, it isn't some "action-packed RPG" or anything of the sort... it's like taking it all back with the classic pixel art and fantastic soundtrack and just letting the game take you by. 8-bit is not for everyone, which is a shame, because this is still an amazing app. it has a brilliant story, and those who do not understand the simple instructions obviously didn't read them the first time, or listen when it told how to get the instructions back. it's a relaxing experience, not an action filled quest or anything like that. it is soothing. it's good for passing time. It is much more artistic, and you have to take it all in. it's an indie game people... it isn't meant to be like other games. if you are debating the purchase of this app, then ask yourself if you want action when you play this game, and ask yourself if you have patience. if you want a relaxed, laid back sort of game, then BUY THIS NOW. like it says at the top of this review, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars.

It's art. As a game standing on its own, this might be a fairly disappointing experience for a lot of people. The graphics are deliberately very simple and quite stylized. The music... Well, if you don't have headphones, it's not that great, but with headphones the sound is pretty impressive. But mostly, this game is commentary on the adventure game genre, and as such, it will probably be boring or uninteresting if you don't like adventure games. If you don't see why people obsess over the old Sierra games, and the old Lucas Arts games, you should probably skip this.If you enjoy clicking on everything to see what it says, and thinking about the choice of words in the descriptions, and you think that a woodsman named Logfella and a dog named Dogfella is insightful commentary on how completely generic many adventure game characters are, this will be deep and immersive. If you think games need beautiful 3D engines to be worth considering, don't bother.I'm giving it 5 stars because I really do think this is good art. But... I'm giving it five stars *for me*. With my tastes. People who have different tastes might not like it.