So I just finished YS: Oath of Felghana I picked it up on the Steam Sale for $5. It was relatively short but nonetheless very enjoyable I'de like to share my thoughts/impressions with you guys here on GAF.
Graphics
This is an older game and it shows. The sprites don't blow up amazingly but the game itself looks clean at least while running in 1080p with 4 passes of AA. There's really not much to say here it's a product of its time. The game uses what appears to be pre-rendered character models (done as sprites) with fully polygonal backgrounds.The character portraits look nice at least.
Story
The story itself is fairly barebones and by the numbers. Ancient evil village in trouble etc. I will admit I didn't see the late game plot twist coming though. What the story is is a great example of gameplay before story. It certainly serves its purpose giving you motivation to move forward and stakes that need to be overcome but many details are mostly left to the imagination.
Characters
I really didn't get a strong feel for many of the characters and their motivations. None of them were particularly bad or 1 dimensional but I really didn't feel much for them by the end. I was expecting a bit of a love story between Adol (or at least Dogi) and the female lead with how they set it up but even when she (end game spoilers)
which there is nothing wrong with that I was just expecting it go somewhere with how it was set up (the opening Dogi literally hints at how he would like to be in a relationship with her but then brushes off saying that with how it normally goes she'll end up falling for you).
Gameplay
The game revolves around a fairly simple Town > Dungeon > Town setup. You return to the same town every time and find new things that the villagers need done as you get to know them a bit better and help solve their issues eventually stumbling across whatever justification you need to head to the next dungeon. As you progress you upgrade your weapons at the shop or buy better ones. It's fairly straightforward and by the books. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As you progress you unlock new abilities (double jump, magic attacks, etc) and use these to progress to places you could not get to before.
Combat
This game is a pure classic action RPG. As you fight you will gain levels which will give a small boost to your attack and defense. The combat is deceptively simple but difficult to master. You can attack, jump, and use magic. You have a few combos that you can string together by combining these actions. However the game makes this simple setup work with how chaotic it can become. You need often keep track of multiple items on screen and dodge them using a combination of movements, properly timed jumps, and sometimes shield magic to keep from taking damage. However despite how frequently you will die (especially on boss fights) everything has a pattern that you can learn. The first time I fight a boss vs the last time I'm always significantly better. This difficulty is incredibly refreshing but still completely fair. If you lose to a boss you can immediately retry or return to the last save point (there's always a save right before the boss room) in order to grind out another level or warp back to town and upgrade your equipment. This tough but fair difficulty is incredibly refreshing. The boss fights are where the game truly shines. I haven't been so enthralled to "finally" beat a boss in years after struggling, picking up on the patterns, learning new ways to dodge, sneak in attacks, do damage and then finally heart pounding executing everything well enough and then landing that final blow. I shouted "YES!" and started pumping my arms on multiple occasions.
Final thoughts.
My main complaints with this game really are mainly a fault of its age. I mainly wish it was a bit prettier and the characters a bit more fleshed out but it really doesn't detract from the overall package and I would highly recommend picking it up for anyone who hasn't played it and enjoys action RPG's it's still $5 on the steam sale until tomorrow.
Graphics
This is an older game and it shows. The sprites don't blow up amazingly but the game itself looks clean at least while running in 1080p with 4 passes of AA. There's really not much to say here it's a product of its time. The game uses what appears to be pre-rendered character models (done as sprites) with fully polygonal backgrounds.The character portraits look nice at least.
Story
The story itself is fairly barebones and by the numbers. Ancient evil village in trouble etc. I will admit I didn't see the late game plot twist coming though. What the story is is a great example of gameplay before story. It certainly serves its purpose giving you motivation to move forward and stakes that need to be overcome but many details are mostly left to the imagination.
Characters
I really didn't get a strong feel for many of the characters and their motivations. None of them were particularly bad or 1 dimensional but I really didn't feel much for them by the end. I was expecting a bit of a love story between Adol (or at least Dogi) and the female lead with how they set it up but even when she (end game spoilers)
bursts out of her house to run and meet you at the pier before you leave and with tear stained eyes says she knew she would regret it if she didn't see you off just says "Thank You"
Gameplay
The game revolves around a fairly simple Town > Dungeon > Town setup. You return to the same town every time and find new things that the villagers need done as you get to know them a bit better and help solve their issues eventually stumbling across whatever justification you need to head to the next dungeon. As you progress you upgrade your weapons at the shop or buy better ones. It's fairly straightforward and by the books. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As you progress you unlock new abilities (double jump, magic attacks, etc) and use these to progress to places you could not get to before.
Combat
This game is a pure classic action RPG. As you fight you will gain levels which will give a small boost to your attack and defense. The combat is deceptively simple but difficult to master. You can attack, jump, and use magic. You have a few combos that you can string together by combining these actions. However the game makes this simple setup work with how chaotic it can become. You need often keep track of multiple items on screen and dodge them using a combination of movements, properly timed jumps, and sometimes shield magic to keep from taking damage. However despite how frequently you will die (especially on boss fights) everything has a pattern that you can learn. The first time I fight a boss vs the last time I'm always significantly better. This difficulty is incredibly refreshing but still completely fair. If you lose to a boss you can immediately retry or return to the last save point (there's always a save right before the boss room) in order to grind out another level or warp back to town and upgrade your equipment. This tough but fair difficulty is incredibly refreshing. The boss fights are where the game truly shines. I haven't been so enthralled to "finally" beat a boss in years after struggling, picking up on the patterns, learning new ways to dodge, sneak in attacks, do damage and then finally heart pounding executing everything well enough and then landing that final blow. I shouted "YES!" and started pumping my arms on multiple occasions.
Final thoughts.
My main complaints with this game really are mainly a fault of its age. I mainly wish it was a bit prettier and the characters a bit more fleshed out but it really doesn't detract from the overall package and I would highly recommend picking it up for anyone who hasn't played it and enjoys action RPG's it's still $5 on the steam sale until tomorrow.