Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King does a great job at paying homage to the Zelda franchise, and though a few things were found to be annoying at times, it’s still very much a great game to play and definitely worth your time.

83%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, replayability

85% User Score Based on 470 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

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About

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a single player open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Castle Pixel, LLC. and was released on March 28, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a top-down action-adventure game with pixelated graphics. Players take on the role of Lily, a skilled knight, on a quest to save her uncle, the king, from a deep sleep. The game features various biomes, enemies, and puzzles, offering an engaging and nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic action-adventure games.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King screenshot

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 470 reviews

story44 positive mentions

grinding24 negative mentions

Charming visuals and engaging storytelling, with a unique framing device of a grandfather narrating the story to his grandchildren.
Fun and varied gameplay that includes exploration, puzzles, and combat, reminiscent of classic Zelda games.
Decent length for a Zelda-like game, with plenty of secrets and collectibles to discover.

Repetitive puzzles and mechanics that can become tedious, particularly the Simon Says-style memory puzzles.
Difficulty level is generally low, with an abundance of healing items making combat feel less challenging.
Some technical issues, such as controls feeling clunky and the map being less informative than desired.

story
252 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
81%
2%
The story of "Blossom Tales" is framed as a charming bedtime tale narrated by a grandfather to his grandchildren, featuring a young knight named Lily on a quest to save her kingdom from an evil spell. While the narrative is simple and somewhat cliched, it is delivered with humor and endearing interactions from the children, adding a unique touch to the gameplay. Although the main plot is straightforward, the storytelling method and lighthearted tone make it an enjoyable experience, despite some repetitive side quests and a lack of depth in character development.
- “The story comes alive by the way it is told, being narrated by a grandfather as he tells a bedtime tale to his two grandkids.”
- “The game is beautiful, and the world is super charming with a stellar framing device of a grandfather telling his grandkids a story.”
- “The story is basic but told in a charming way.”
- “The story is anemic and lacks any compelling reason to focus on our character besides 'just because'.”
- “The story presentation with the grandfather telling the story by the fireplace adds to this flavor as well, and it's just addicting to run around slashing your sword.”
gameplay
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
58%
7%
The gameplay is heavily inspired by classic Zelda titles, featuring familiar mechanics such as sword combat, item usage, and puzzle-solving, which many players find enjoyable and nostalgic. However, some reviewers note issues with balance, repetitiveness, and frustrating mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a charming aesthetic and solid controls, it may not innovate enough to stand out from its inspirations, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term engagement.
- “A nice Zelda-like with a charming vibe and fun gameplay!”
- “The gameplay is quite fun and it's easy to tell it was heavily inspired by the developers' love for the 16-bit era and Zelda games.”
- “The gameplay, overall, is fun and adventurous, and the cute context makes it even better.”
- “Mechanics seem overly punishing at times or designed specifically to make your experience frustrating.”
- “As the game goes on, the frustration of mechanics, puzzles, and missing quality of life/polish slowly but steadily overtakes everything the game does amazingly.”
- “However, the dungeons aren't that good and the gameplay gets very repetitive.”
music
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it enjoyable and fitting for the game's nostalgic Zelda-inspired atmosphere. While some tracks are praised for their catchy and memorable qualities, others are criticized for being generic or forgettable, leading to a range of opinions on the overall quality of the soundtrack. Overall, the music is seen as a solid aspect of the game, though it may not reach the heights of its inspirations.
- “The music is great, the graphics are imaginative (I particularly like the clouds and the torches), and the story is endearing.”
- “The soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard in any game; huge praise be to Visager.”
- “The music has a hint of homage to Zelda, but also has some really nice chiptune tracks that are quite catchy.”
- “The music is also bare minimum, with some tracks so generic and uninspired that I'd rather listen to music on YouTube while playing, and others being mere remixes of the Zelda games.”
- “The music, composition-wise, is pretty boring and generic.”
- “Music is uninspired and had to be turned off within an hour.”
graphics
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the charming pixel art and nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic that evokes classic Zelda titles. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in animation detail and a clash between modern effects and the retro style, leading to mixed opinions on the overall visual execution. Overall, the visuals are described as colorful and imaginative, contributing positively to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The artwork, the music, the combat -- everything -- is polished in such a way as to invoke Link to the Past nostalgia.”
- “The graphics and visuals are incredibly well done, the music is great and the story fun and very well told.”
- “The graphics in Blossom Tales are reminiscent of NES era gaming, but obviously upgraded via modern era technology.”
- “My only original complaint was that Lily uses pixel graphics instead of looking like she does on the box art.”
- “A cheap knock-off that has worse gameplay, worse music, worse art direction, and worse graphics than the game it rips off, sorry 'pays homage to'... The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which was made 32 years ago.”
- “It looks very bad, but what really makes the graphics truly awful is the tweening, scaling, and 'rixels'.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and cleverness, featuring a mix of fourth-wall-breaking jokes, witty dialogue, and playful references to classic titles like Zelda. Players appreciate the light-hearted tone and the endearing interactions between characters, particularly the grandfather narrating the story to his grandchildren, which adds a unique and humorous twist to the gameplay. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making it enjoyable and memorable, despite some noting it can feel a bit childish at times.
- “The game has some good humor, most of which is of the third-wall breaking variety.”
- “There's a large overworld with charming towns, funny characters, and plenty of secrets to discover.”
- “The story is told through the words of a grandfather telling a bedtime story to his grandchildren, which makes for some humorous and endearing dialogue, with a few references for retro game fans.”
grinding
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious and frustrating rather than challenging or engaging. Players noted that while some side quests may require a bit of grinding, the overall experience is marred by overly long and repetitive puzzles, slow traversal, and uninspired enemy encounters, leading to a sense of boredom rather than enjoyment. Overall, the game struggles to balance its Zelda-like elements, resulting in a grind that feels more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.
- “Some grinding.”
- “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “The game becomes tedious, not challenging, as you will fall off many ledges and platforms due to your character veering off at an angle.”
- “The recurring sound sequence memory challenges are rather tedious and kind of poorly designed.”
- “Only major problem I have is that the walking speed is fairly slow and it makes exploring a little more tedious than it needs to be.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by well-designed biomes and dungeons, enhanced by effective lighting that creates a captivating environment, from glowing touches to gloomy swamps. While it leans towards a cute and childlike aesthetic, it maintains depth and intrigue, making it an engaging experience despite its retro look. Overall, the atmosphere strikes a balance between fun and charm, appealing to a wide audience.
- “The first biome and first dungeon have nice design and atmosphere, and a cast of interesting enemies.”
- “Lighting is another key feature of this game that gives off the glow of touches and sunbeams; even the gloomy atmosphere of the dungeons and swamp area is nice.”
- “The atmosphere is more cute and less grim and serious, but not in a bad way - it's childlike, rather than childish.”
- “Don't let the youthful atmosphere fool you, though.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, with some players noting that while there are choices that affect enemy types and strategies, these elements do not significantly enhance the overall experience. The consensus suggests that despite a few options for variation, the game lacks depth and additional content to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “There are moments where you'll be given options to lay out what kind of enemies and obstacles you'll face in the coming areas (ninjas or pirates, etc.), which adds to the replay value to some degree.”
- “In the end, a very nice game, lovely music, cute story, not much replayability.”
- “I expected more things like that to happen - give more replay value and depth to the game... but the game doesn't really deliver.”
- “The game gives you a choice, which adds a bit of replay value as the enemies may require different strategies for dealing with them.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game's performance is rated highly at 10/10, but players have noted that movement input recognition requires better optimization, including the addition of customizable dead-zone ranges. Future development should focus on enhancing movement controls for an improved experience.
- “Performance: 10/10”
- “The movement input recognition needs to be properly optimized, and custom dead-zone ranges should be a feature for this game.”
- “In the development team's next attempt at game making, I would suggest they heavily invest in optimized movement controls.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on the Steam Deck without draining the battery, and users report no bugs or glitches, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck without being a battery hog.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's emotional impact, particularly praising the soundtrack for its ability to enhance storytelling and evoke feelings, especially in areas like "frost zone" and "frostroot dungeon." The combination of engaging puzzles and a moving auditory experience contributes to a heartfelt atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “I need to mention the soundtrack of the game; it is amazing and works perfectly with the storytelling. Tracks like 'Frost Zone' and 'Frostroot Dungeon' create a perfect mood for the environment and always touch my heart when I hear them.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for the game appears to be effective, as it has generated significant interest and investment from players, with one user even purchasing a Super Nintendo specifically to play it.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in this game is criticized for being unremarkable, with users suggesting that it lacks depth and originality, particularly in character design and musical composition, leading to a less engaging experience compared to alternatives like the Link to the Past randomizer.
- “If you're interested in this game, get a link to the past randomizer instead; you'll get the same effect, only better, since the character design is unremarkable and all the songs are shallow versions of LoZ music.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 14 critic reviews

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20h Median play time

25h Average play time

11-48h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a open world role playing game with fantasy theme.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 25 hours playing Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King was released on March 28, 2017.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King was developed by Castle Pixel, LLC..

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a single player game.

Similar games include Ocean's Heart, Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince, Anodyne, Phoenotopia: Awakening, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom and others.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King

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