Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond
- May 7, 2020
- Agate
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond" is a hand-painted RPG set in a morally complex world. As a knight sworn to protect the heir of a noble house, you'll navigate intrigue and conflicting ideals in a tale without simple rights or wrongs. Nine years have passed since the previous game, making this a standalone entry for new players to explore.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and a charming art style reminiscent of classic RPGs.
- The story is engaging with well-written dialogues and mature character development.
- Combat is well-balanced, allowing for strategic gameplay that can be rewarding if players pay attention.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with character movement and quest progression.
- Key quality of life features such as a journal, mini-map, and enemy initiative display are missing, making navigation and tracking quests difficult.
- The user interface and overall polish are lacking compared to its predecessor, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.
- story20 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its depth, character development, and engaging plot twists that keep players invested. While some players express disappointment over the potential lack of a conclusion, others highlight the game's ability to present hard choices that significantly impact the narrative. Overall, the story is considered strong and compelling, particularly for RPG enthusiasts, though some gameplay mechanics may detract from the experience.
“The story line in Old North was good enough to keep you interested, but in Realms Beyond, it takes a darker, more realistic turn.”
“Unlike the previous game, Realms Beyond allows you to make the hard choices and then you see the effect that those choices have on the game's overall story; some that have a serious and direct bearing on how the story plays out.”
“The game tells a strong story about the dark side of politics and shows how cruel betrayal can be.”
“It doesn't look like they are going to finish the story, so why bother?”
“A lot of time you have to exit and re-enter an area to activate the storyline event to progress the story.”
“Feels so limiting even with its plot relevance.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful, hand-painted art style and watercolor accents that create memorable characters and environments. However, some players find the overall graphical quality basic and lacking in essential quality-of-life features, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as gorgeous, they are contrasted by gameplay elements that some consider tedious and underdeveloped.
“This game has an absolutely fantastic art style; the character portraits and environments are hand-painted with watercolor accents.”
“Beautiful artwork.”
“It's graphics are simple but pleasing to the eyes and have their own scattered amounts of detail and dedication.”
“While the gameplay in both games is simplistic and the same, the visuals, music, and depth of story are worlds apart.”
“-art style.”
“Dialogue is tedious and slow, graphics are basic but passable, but the real kicker is that basic quality of life features such as showing where you are on the map, a journal to track your quests, and an in-game bestiary so you can see what you're fighting - all these features are missing completely from the game which frankly makes enjoyment impossible.”
- music9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the games is generally praised for its uniqueness and emotional depth, with some tracks described as hauntingly beautiful and a blend of classic fantasy and opera influences. While some reviewers find the music to be a standout feature, others consider it pleasant but not particularly memorable. Overall, it contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, enhancing the experience despite other gameplay shortcomings.
“Realms Beyond had a great title screen and opening music.”
“The songs are very unique and stand out from each other, and they all have a nice mix of both classic fantasy and opera.”
“The potential is all there; incredible writing, beautiful artistry, and great music.”
“While the gameplay in both games is simplistic and the same, the visuals, music, and depth of story are worlds apart.”
“The music is nothing to write home about, but it is nice and calm.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as simplistic yet enjoyable, lacking depth in mechanics like crafting, but still capturing the essence of classic titles like Suikoden. While it may not offer complex systems, it provides a fun experience that resonates with fans of the genre.
“The gameplay is basic but fun.”
“While the gameplay in both games is simplistic and the same, the visuals, music, and depth of story are worlds apart.”
“The crafting mechanic is too basic and does not offer much to the game.”
“It does not have the Suikoden 108 Stars of Destiny system, but from gameplay to storytelling, the game has that Suikoden feeling of the first two games.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to the difficulty in farming materials and the absence of essential quality-of-life features like a map, quest journal, and bestiary. The slow-paced dialogue and awkward controls further detract from the experience, making it challenging to enjoy the game despite its potential.
“Farming certain materials is very hard.”
“Dialogue is tedious and slow, graphics are basic but passable, but the real kicker is that basic quality of life features such as showing where you are on the map, a journal to track your quests, and an in-game bestiary to see what you're fighting - all these features are missing completely from the game, which frankly makes enjoyment impossible.”
“Its slow pace and tedious dialogue could be overlooked as a not-quite-on-target effort at world building, but the awkward keyboard controls that apparently can't be mapped to something less awkward, coupled with an excessively bouncy camera view in combat, undercuts the game's potential.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with some characters, particularly Ylianee, showcasing compelling and engaging story arcs that enhance the overall experience.
“Some characters have a pretty interesting story and character development.”
“Ylianee's character development is especially good.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, while players have not encountered any game-breaking bugs, they report experiencing various stability issues such as character movement glitches and inconsistent frame rates, which were not present in previous titles like Old North.
“The bugs are present; while I haven't encountered any game-breaking ones, issues like characters moving oddly, glitches, and hiccuping frame rates have plagued my experience, especially compared to the stability of Old North.”
“I frequently experience frame rate drops and strange character movements, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
“The game is riddled with glitches that disrupt immersion, making it feel less polished than previous titles.”
