Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition

Did you like Golden Sun on the GBA? Played the original SNES version of FFVI? Do you miss thoughtful, retro, RPGs with detailed plots, good characters, engaging battle systems, but not shy of using modern conveniences wherever appropriate? Buy this game. Ara Fell is a stylish, 16-bitty RPG adventure with a surprisingly engaging plots, a difficulty curve that (on normal) is just right for me (but several other options depending on how much you like to grind) and, above all, tons of charm. Its writing has made me laugh aloud on several occasions, and it very much is a worthy successor to great RPGs of yore. Battle is turn based with traditionally-inspired, but not clichéd, hybrid classes, and the world is large with plenty to explore. Music is plentiful and beautiful. Puzzles are appropriately difficult -- fun without being frustrating (I had to google, mildly blindly, for a walkthrough once). Convenience touches, such as the fact that the battle system fully heals your HP and MP after each encounter (if you don't faint), are very welcome. This game makes my inner 13-year-old very happy, and my 31-year-old brain very happy too. Buy it. Disclaimer: I haven't completely finished it yet, but, well, after staying up 'till 2 am "on a school night" less than 36 hours after downloading it -- and seeing my ~20 hour playtime -- I felt I had to leave a positive review.

A technically well done game. The graphics are pleasing, as is the sound. Yet there are some mechanics which are not thought through. - Sometimes, you need to jump into water. Sometimes, only for one tile, then go back to shore. The animations take too long and it feels like stalling me. - Some resistance mechanics would have been nice. The magic is fire/ice/earth/etc, but besides the graphics behind it, there is no much difference. - The riddles are *very* simple. Get a key from place X, go back to place Y where you saw a keyhole, rinse and repeat. - Jump mechanics. Why? There are some places where you jump over a gap, but that's just that. Why even bother putting a gap there? The same goes for crawling. - The battle system is okay, but the graphics could use more fine-tuning. The game invites to do grinding, but it doesn't do a good job in graphically rewarding you. Rule of thumb: The bigger the magic spell or your weapon, the better should be the graphics. - Bosses. I stumble into a cave, and bam, there is one. They look nice, but it struggles to integrate into the story. They seem to be a chore on the side. - The game is not self-explanatory in details. The debuffs have names, but what do they do? - Doors/Exits. You mainly have to guess what an exit is or whats just a light source. Same goes for non-obstructed ends of the current map. Sometimes, you can travel there, sometimes you can't. - NPCs being an obstacle. - Long dead ends on the maps. You can walk somewhere where you might expect a secret or something, but return empty-handed, because there is just nothing. But I don't want to be too harsh to the game, since I really enjoy it. It even contributes new concepts: - Explicit "points of no return", to help you guiding through the game. - Color-blind mode for quest-solving where needed That being said, it's definitely worth the money. Just don't expect the next Chrono Trigger/Secret Of Mana/Finaly Fantasy.

After having played the grandiose "Trails in the Sky", I have developed certain expectations from RPGs of that kind. "Ara Fell" surpassed them. Young, spunky Lita is as lovable as a protagonist can get, and the others don't fall behind. And while Adrian, Seri and Doren are written pretty by the book, they are written well. And it's not just the party members. It's a pretty nicely built world. The story is also mostly by the book, but once again, executed quite well, with a few plot twists and turns, to keep the player invested and interested in it. The music and visuals are simple, yet very lively and vibrant. Two things however REALLY stand out in a very good way. For one, the fun riddles and puzzles (to Lita's dismay). The other thing would be the difficulty. The excellently balanced Normal difficulty is truly a god-sent. It can be completed with no grinding whatsoever and it asks of the player to think their moves through. Each won battle felt like a reward, each loss like a lesson. And as an aside, I personally like the rather modest range of special skills. Nothing too flashy and flamboyant, but they get the job done. The leveling system is pretty transparent and straightforward. Potentially helpful note: Agility becomes an extremely important stat after chapter 2, neglecting it is a VERY bad idea. A wholehearted recommendation for this game.

I've been a fan of RPGs ever since and Ara Fell is definitely one of my favourites. The story, the characters, the music and everything is just gorgeous. It is one of the few games that don't let me go to bed until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. If you are into this kind of game, then I strongly recommend buying Ara Fell!