Faeland – Early Access

• DEVELOPER: Talegames

• PUBLISHER: Talegames

• PLATFORMS: PC

• GENRE: RPG Metroidvania

• RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2023

• STARTING PRICE: 16.79€

• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Faeland is a project that has been in development for a long time. It was funded through a Kickstarter campaign back in 2018, and since then the developers from Talegames have been working hard to finally make it see the light of the day. You might be wondering how much content this game currently offers? Unfortunately, it is enough for 3 hours of gameplay. However, plenty of new content is expected to be added over the coming years, and if you decide to buy the game now, you'll probably enjoy it more than you think, and each new chapter will certainly be worth the wait.

It is a metroidvania action-adventure RPG game made in the style of pixel art, inspired by nostalgic 8-bit classics, enriched with beautiful and exceptionally well-animated scenes. I was personally surprised by the quality of the visual impression of the game; I didn't expect the pixel graphics to look so impressive. Moreover, the characters in this game are not only ordinary and lifeless; they express emotions authentically. Whether our main character is hurt or sad, we can clearly see how he reacts to the events taking place in the background.

A pixelated paradise

The game is set a thousand years after the creators of humanities called The Fae, caused a civil war and exterminated their own race. The game's protagonist, Sam, faces an attack on his home by various monsters, which forces him to journey through the game to uncover the evil that is ravaging the kingdom. The game evokes all this through the atmosphere in which you will explore different areas, whether you are underground in caves, on the surface in forests or exploring dungeons. The world is extremely rich in details, every corner of the game is carefully filled to avoid empty spaces. The music fits perfectly, accompanying the events of the game, while the beautiful animations and dynamic story accompany you throughout the gameplay. Rather, Faeland tries to put the story and the other gameplay elements they bring to the same extent.

The design of enemies and characters is an aspect that will attract the attention of any player. The approach to their diversity is extremely intriguing; you will fight not only against spiders or slimes, but also goblins, unusual fish creatures, crabs, and powerful bosses will meet you on the way. However, this is not the first time we encounter such elements. The landscapes and areas we explore have already appeared in other similar games, and we even have quite similar quests (help the blacksmith with the rat infestation). This in itself is not necessarily bad, but it can result in the loss of the uniqueness of the game, because it becomes a challenge to distinguish it from others, that is, something by which we can say that Faeland is unique in this regard.

Simple gameplay and movement through the world

Don't repeat my mistake and forget to explore every corner of the game before going into the boss fight (I even forgot to pick up the precious sword). Faeland, however, provides extraordinary freedom to explore the vast world. The map you will use regularly is similar to that of Blasphemous and you can mark a place according to your interest. In addition to exploring and traveling from one part of the world to another, it is important to interact with different NPCs (of which there are extremely many in this game). Also, you can buy various items, open chests with hidden treasures, acquire new equipment, consumables and solve main and side quests.

At the very heart of the game, the focus will naturally be on moving from one platform to another; you'll have a wide range of motion – you can jump, climb walls, crouch, roll, backflip, swim, attack and jump, and more. All these features make the game extremely dynamic, you don't waste too much time switching between locations but it can get rather slow when you travel back and forth, but no feature is neglected. Each exploration rewards you with new knowledge, so who knows what hidden secrets you may uncover or what special skills you may find (although this is currently quite limited in the current version of the game).

Although Faeland is reputed to be an RPG game, technically speaking, it does not have a traditional level system. Instead, the game uses a food system to regenerate health, different types of equipment to increase your health, and weapons like bow and arrow, sword and axe. Special chests you find along the way can increase your health capacity or the amount of items you can carry, including the amount of potions. In Faeland, there are no marked directions or places that indicate precisely where you need to go, which may not suit every player, but adds to the sense of freedom and exploration within the game.

Combat is surprisingly fun, but debatable

Enemies are relatively easy to eliminate; some will react to your hits, while others won't, meaning you'll have to avoid them. You lose hearts if you fall into a chasm or get hit by one of the traps, such as trap arrows, while some enemies will deal varying amounts of damage. If you die, you simply teleport back to the previous location or to the location where you last saved your game, or to the location where you lit the campfire. You'll die often, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as the game encourages finding different approaches before successfully completing a task. However, the hit-box can sometimes be debatable; you'll occasionally wonder how you didn't hit someone or why your attack failed, even though it seems like you're close enough. Also, some enemies stagger backwards meaning you have to get close to them again before attacking them, I personally didn't like this. Combat is fun because of its simplicity, but it can be frustrating at times.

The dungeons are wonderfully designed, with varied themes and their own puzzles to solve. For example, in one of them you need to find three keys to open the way further. I would dare say they carry the weight of the whole game. There you will also meet bosses (in the current version there are only two), and each one differs not only in the method of attack, but also in the concept itself. Although the giant spider is, unfortunately, quite easy to defeat, I was expecting more of a challenge considering that we practically kill it with a stick. On the other hand, the kraken is extremely demanding and will take you a few tries before you can successfully defeat it. You have to chop off his arms and try to hit his eye before he tries to suck you into his mouth.

Verdict

Faeland is still not a finished product and won't be anytime soon. While some may ask why it would be worth picking up this game now, there is a possibility that the price will increase in the future. That's why it's wise to invest in the game now, it will surely help the developers and you can gradually come back as new chapters are released. While this may not be everyone's cup of tea, gradually coming back into the game after a while, I see no reason not to dive deeper into this game when the time comes. In addition, unlike most similar games, Faeland offers a greater possibility of customizing your character and you can give the main protagonist the name you want.

Personally, I would like to see certain additional elements in the game, such as a voice for the main protagonist when he takes damage, falls from a height or discovers something new. Also, it would be nice to see more variety in the items and weapons we get at the start, we practically don't see a bow and arrow throughout the gameplay even though there is a tutorial for that weapon. Furthermore, I wish the game did a better job of rewarding thorough exploration, as constantly getting the same item from chests can be demotivating, especially when you're constantly getting money to go along with it. On the contrary, acquiring money is extremely simple; a slightly higher grind allows for a quick purchase of a cloak that significantly increases rewards.

The gameplay itself is quite intriguing and fun. The platforming is solid, though not flawless, as it requires some adjustment and can feel a bit slow at times. The quality of the game's graphics should be especially praised, since without it the experience would be significantly less exciting. Exploring the area encourages your activity, not everything is laid out on the canvas. For an Early Access title, Faeland will surely win the hearts of many, and it will be interesting to see what else the developers from Talegames can cook for us.

Review copy provided by the publisher