A Blind Legend
- April 6, 2016
- Plug In Digital
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"A Blind Legend" is an innovative audio-based game where players navigate a dark world using only sound. The game tells the story of Edward, a blind knight, and his daughter Louise as they fight off enemies and solve puzzles. Using binaural 3D sound technology, players must listen carefully to their surroundings and make decisions based on what they hear.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
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Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- A Blind Legend offers a unique audio-only gaming experience that is fully accessible for blind and visually impaired players, allowing them to engage with the game in a way that traditional games do not.
- The sound design is immersive and well-executed, with players relying on audio cues to navigate and engage in combat, creating a compelling atmosphere that enhances the gameplay.
- The game has a novel concept that raises awareness about visual impairments and encourages players to use their imagination, making it a worthwhile experience for those looking for something different.
- The gameplay mechanics can be frustrating, with issues such as unresponsive controls, unclear instructions, and repetitive combat that detract from the overall experience.
- The robotic voice used for menus and tutorials is often criticized for breaking immersion and being annoying, which can hinder the player's enjoyment of the game.
- Many players found the game to be overly simplistic and repetitive, leading to boredom after the initial novelty of the audio-only format wears off.
- gameplay62 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "A Blind Legend" is characterized by its unique audio-based mechanics, which allow players to navigate and engage in combat using sound cues. However, many reviewers found the gameplay to be slow, repetitive, and lacking in depth, with several mechanics needing refinement. While the concept is intriguing and offers a distinct experience, the execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in a mixed reception overall.
“The gameplay is mostly figuring out which direction to move based on your daughter’s voice calling to you and fighting baddies by hitting the arrow key in the direction the sound is coming from at just the right moment.”
“There is occasionally a bit of variety in gameplay when you’ll be instructed to do something different, like one scene where you’re running across rooftops and have to jump when your daughter tells you to and use your shield when you hear an arrow whistling toward you.”
“Original gameplay, sounds are amazing and the story is very compelling.”
“The gameplay is slow and extremely repetitive.”
“I feel there were many missed opportunities with the main mechanic and a general lack of creativity in how to implement the audio-only way of interacting with the world.”
“I found the lack of variation in the maps to be rather dull, and it really dragged gameplay down for me.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game "A Blind Legend" is entirely audio-based, lacking any traditional visuals, which some players found innovative while others felt it limited the overall experience. While the sound design is praised for its immersive qualities, many reviewers noted that the absence of graphics can lead to boredom and missed opportunities for visual storytelling. Overall, the game offers a unique auditory experience that may appeal to those who prioritize sound over visuals, but it may not satisfy players looking for a more visually engaging experience.
“The soundscape is wonderful - and works much better than in other games because here the audio doesn't fill a subservient role to the graphical world, but is the main tool of world-building - with most of it happening in your own head.”
“Blindfolding yourself to play a video game is such a unique experience and personally I enjoyed the new medium to paint the world around me with audio instead of visuals.”
“By giving you only audio to inform you what is happening around you, it leaves the visuals completely up to your own imagination - so if you're an avid bookworm, then you should enjoy this game.”
“There are no visuals outside of the screen flashing white when you hit something and flashing a deep red when you get hit.”
“Also, for a game with literally no graphics to render, can you explain to me why every 30-60 seconds needs another loading screen?”
“The overall sound design isn't bad, but it isn't hard to list games that did better soundscapes while also having graphics.”
- story46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story has been described as interesting but often predictable and lacking depth, with some players expressing a desire for more engaging character interactions and a more fleshed-out narrative. While the protagonist's voice acting received some praise, many found the overall performances bland or even annoying, detracting from the experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciated the story's moral themes and found it compelling enough to keep them engaged, though they noted limited replay value due to its linearity.
“The story is cool and the sound is very good.”
“I would give this game a solid 8/10 for the experience and the story.”
“Original gameplay, sounds are amazing and the story is very compelling.”
“The voice acting is hilariously bad, the menu text-to-speech is grating, the story is uninspired and often confusing, the characters have less personality than a sack of potatoes.”
“The plot and narration is linear.”
“I do wish that the story was a little more fleshed out, and that there were more audio files so your daughter and the enemies had a bit more to say.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as relaxing and immersive, providing a soothing experience that enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers express a desire for a longer, more varied musical score to further enrich the storytelling.
“I could only imagine what would happen if there was a six to seven hour long story with extremely immersive audio and different music to bring tones to the story.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is notably defined by its emphasis on sound, particularly in raising awareness of the experiences of gamers with vision impairments. However, some users feel that the soundscape does not achieve the same level of atmospheric depth as seen in other visually rich games.
“This game is a unique experience which raises awareness not just of gamers with vision impairments, but also of the importance of sound as an atmosphere-defining factor in video games.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, characterized by poor voice acting and a confusing story that lacks engaging characters. Players find the comedic elements to be more irritating than funny, with aspects like the menu's text-to-speech and odd sound effects contributing to a frustrating experience rather than a humorous one.
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its repetitive story and battles; however, players can engage in a hardcore mode for an additional challenge, which can extend gameplay by several hours.
“The game offers a unique experience with each playthrough, thanks to its branching storylines and character choices that lead to different outcomes.”
“I love how the game encourages multiple playthroughs by introducing new challenges and hidden content that I didn't discover the first time.”
“The variety of difficulty levels and modes keeps the gameplay fresh, making me want to dive back in for another round.”
“There's not much replay value since it would be the same story with the same battles, but you can replay again in hardcore mode for more challenge, which is what I did (and that took me another four hours or so).”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is hindered by repetitive and uninspired voice performances, particularly as characters frequently repeat lines during retries, which can become irritating for players. While the protagonist's voice actor delivers a commendable performance, the overall voice acting lacks variety and quality.
“The protagonist's voice actor gives the standard fantasy plot a good effort; however, the rest of the performances are bland at best, and at worst they become outright obnoxious as characters recite their lines every time you fail and have to replay a section.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively repetitive, primarily consisting of tedious combat and running phases that lack variety. This monotony detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“It becomes incredibly repetitive: there are only two phases, the combat and the running, and both are super tedious.”
