Ceville
- February 26, 2009
- Realmforge Studios
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Ceville" is a single-player fantasy arcade game with compelling visuals and humor. Players control the exiled tyrant Ceville, who must save his kingdom from a new evil threatening to destroy it. Despite his cruel past, Ceville is the realm's unlikely hope in this intriguing story filled with twists, turns, and laughs.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Ceville offers a unique and humorous take on the point-and-click adventure genre, featuring memorable characters and witty dialogue.
- The game includes a variety of clever puzzles that, while not overly complex, keep players engaged and entertained throughout the experience.
- The colorful graphics and charming art style, along with good voice acting, contribute to an enjoyable atmosphere that appeals to both younger and older audiences.
- Ceville is plagued by numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes, long loading times, and cutscenes that often fail to display properly.
- The game's humor can be hit or miss, with some jokes feeling outdated or relying on pop culture references that may not resonate with all players.
- Certain puzzles can be illogical or frustrating, leading to a reliance on guides, which detracts from the overall adventure experience.
- humor53 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Ceville" is widely praised as one of its strongest aspects, featuring a mix of traditional fantasy satire, quirky character interactions, and clever dialogue filled with pop-culture references. Players appreciate the game's cartoonish charm and the comedic dynamics between characters like Ceville, Ambrosius, and Lilly, although some note that the humor can lean towards in-jokes and may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game delivers a delightful and engaging comedic experience, despite some technical issues.
“The humor is one of the game's strongest points and often pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes.”
“Ceville's interactions with others, such as the pompous paladin Ambrosius and the clever orphan Lilly, are absolutely hilarious.”
“Delightfully demented in its humor.”
- story45 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Ceville" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its humor and unique perspective from the antagonist's viewpoint, while others find it lacking in depth and engagement. The characters are often described as caricatures, with some being likable and others unpleasant, leading to a disconnect for some players. Overall, while the narrative has its entertaining moments and a colorful fantasy setting, it struggles with pacing and predictability, leaving some players feeling unmotivated to progress.
“A fantastic game with an engrossing story and cute humor.”
“The storyline is creative and every bit of it is humorous.”
“The characters were fun to play, the voice acting wasn't too over the top, funny scenarios, the puzzles were perfect in the sense that someone like myself can solve them without a strategy guide, and overall the story kept me interested.”
“It's in Ceville's story that I find myself getting disconnected from the game.”
“Unfortunately, the pacing of the story was terrible.”
“The story isn't that compelling and the writing is only passable.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many reviewers noting that while the cartoony and colorful style is charming and fits the game's tone, it feels outdated compared to modern standards. Some players appreciate the nostalgic appeal and decent quality for its age, while others criticize it for being reminiscent of lower-quality mobile games, detracting from immersion. Overall, the visuals are generally considered acceptable but not groundbreaking, with a few standout elements that contribute positively to the experience.
“✅ Gorgeous looking, cartoony and colorful background graphics and character models.”
“The game, although a little dated by now, still works perfectly with new systems and its cartoony graphics fit the game perfectly.”
“The art style perfectly complements the mood and the game made me really fall in love with the characters.”
“Though this game is nearly a decade and a half old and can’t be too heavily criticized for its graphics, the choices it makes for how to portray its world evoke some of the worst elements of mobile games.”
“Unfortunately, the graphics are very outdated and that doesn't help with the immersion in the story and puzzles.”
“At the time I'm writing this (2019), I realize the graphics may not be up to modern standards 10 years later, but I never liked this style of clunky, cartoonish 3D animation and I know that they could probably have done better in 2009.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Ceville features traditional point-and-click gameplay, relying on familiar mechanics such as item interactions and character switching, though it lacks the depth of puzzles found in other titles within the genre. While the gameplay is generally decent and offers a comedic experience reminiscent of classics like Shrek and Monkey Island, it suffers from technical issues, including frequent crashes and long loading times, which detract from the overall experience.
“While it lacks many of the puzzle elements found in other point and clicks, it still includes the all-important apply-thing-to-other-thing-to-get-third-thing mechanic.”
“Puzzles and gameplay-wise, Ceville is not explicitly puzzle-heavy, but relies instead on situational puzzles, and figuring out what item does what.”
“The ability to switch between characters adds another layer to the gameplay.”
“I experienced about 15 crashes in 3 hours of gameplay, which would not even be fine if the loading times were not as obnoxiously long.”
“Ceville’s gameplay plays like any other 3D point and click – get things, rub them on other things, sometimes sensibly, sometimes 'creatively', talk to characters, unlock locations, rinse and repeat.”
“Not mechanically innovative, the game introduces nothing to add to the genre that hasn’t been done before.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its fitting background scores that enhance the overall experience and evoke nostalgia, particularly for fans of similar titles. While the variety keeps it engaging during exploration, some players noted that it can become repetitive if stuck in one location for too long. Overall, the soundtrack is considered adequate, contributing positively to the game's humor and atmosphere.
“Nice background music perfectly fits the game's style.”
“I'm having fun, and I'm sure every fan of Monkey Island and similar games will find this very close to those for the clever puzzles, humor, good music, and crazy plot.”
“Great nostalgic ambient music.”
“Music is overall varied enough to not get boring or irritating while you're traveling through locations, but it might get repetitive if you're stuck in one location for a while.”
“Sound and music felt generic but adequate.”
“Sound and music are okay, albeit a bit repetitive after a while.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and freezes reported by users, particularly during map transitions in the second chapter. While players find the gameplay enjoyable, the persistent bugs detract from the overall experience.
“The game crashes and freezes.”
“Multiple freezes that don’t even let your task manager shut it down, won't alt + F4, and ultimately force you to reset.”
“It usually freezes up when traveling between map locations during the lengthy second chapter.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is hindered by an unpleasant play experience, as the clash between the intended narrative and the execution is exacerbated by unappealing visuals and lackluster character designs.
“In so doing, it creates an unpleasant play experience that clashes with the character development the game is trying to present.”
“The colors are garish, and the character designs are flat and doughy.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Ceville" is characterized by its rebellious tone against traditional, wholesome fairy tales, embracing a more edgy and irreverent style. Reviewers appreciate this bold approach, acknowledging the developers' creativity and effort in crafting a unique emotional experience.
“In some ways, it feels like Ceville became reactionary against the wholesomeness of Disney-fied fairy tales, choosing instead to rebel against them in a froth of teenage-gamer edginess.”
“A heartfelt salute to the devs with a grin, 👏”
