Clarent Saga: Prologue

About

Clarent Saga: Prologue is a single player role playing game. It was developed by David Nguyen and was released on September 14, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

A very short RPG with action battles. The first entry of Clarent Saga. Features action RPG battles inspired by the 16-bit Action JRPG; soundtrack composed by Hiroki Kikuta and reminiscent of the 16-bit Action JRPG; pixel graphics reminiscent of 16-bit JRPG; 3 difficulties. Story When the evil cult of Brax summons its demon lord, can raider Alex use the Clarent sword to stop th…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 10 reviews

emotional3 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features charming pixel art and a pleasant retro soundtrack, creating a nostalgic atmosphere.
It offers a smooth and polished experience, making it a great choice for casual gaming after a long day.
The raider concept and enemy system are innovative, with well-executed area transitions that hint at potential for future chapters.

The game is very short, feeling more like a demo than a full RPG, with basic combat mechanics that lack depth.
There is a lack of guidance and direction, making the beginning confusing and leading to moments where players can get stuck.
The script and dialogue are poorly written, using modern slang that feels out of place in the fantasy setting, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The story is criticized for being a conventional good versus evil narrative that is undermined by a contrived plot twist, which diminishes its emotional impact and leads to a disappointing ending. Reviewers note that the dialogue feels out of place with modern lingo inappropriate for the fantasy setting, and the main character becomes unlikable, further detracting from the experience. Overall, the narrative is deemed unpolished and unsatisfying, with a cliffhanger that poorly sets up future chapters.
- “The story teases at a conventional tale of good versus evil but has one contrived plot twist at the end which completely undermines the emotional impact that the story built up to that point while the ending has a horrible cliffhanger which does not set up future chapters well at all.”
- “The story is a typical tale of good versus evil but has one plot twist which ruins the emotional impact that the story built up to that point.”
- “I'm of the belief that characters should at least be somewhat likeable if we're expected to spend any serious amount of time with them but the main character unfortunately becomes equally unlikeable during the ending which is utterly disconcerting and doesn't bode well for the remainder of the story.”
- “The performance is smooth, but the experience is very short (1–2 hours) with basic combat and a light story.”
- “Overall, I don't recommend it because it is an unpolished game which has mind-numbingly slow combat, drab graphics, a bafflingly ridiculous script that uses modern-day verbiage and lingo that feel wholly inappropriate for the fantasy setting, and a contrived story with a cheap plot twist and a horrendous ending that sets up the future chapters very poorly.”
- “I'm of the belief that characters should at least be somewhat likeable if we're expected to spend any serious amount of time with them, but the main character unfortunately becomes equally unlikeable during the ending, which is utterly disconcerting and doesn't bode well for the remainder of the story.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
42%
29%
The music in the game features a chill retro vibe with clean, pixel art visuals, but opinions are mixed; while some find the adventure songs serviceable, they are often described as generic and forgettable. Notably, the "field" song has been criticized for being annoying and repetitive, leading some players to mute the game entirely. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a tolerable aspect, though it lacks memorability.
- “The pixel art is clean and charming, the music gives off a chill retro vibe, and the whole experience runs super smoothly.”
- “Visually, it features clean pixel art and a pleasant retro soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is composed of generic but fitting adventure songs which aren't memorable.”
- “The soundtrack is the one tolerable aspect of the game because the adventure songs are actually quite decent -- they aren't anything special by any means but are otherwise serviceable except for the 'field' song which is annoying and repetitive to the point where I had to mute the game after being forced to listen to it for 30 minutes.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics feature a nostalgic 16-bit pixel art style that is colorful and detailed for the sprites, but the overall visual experience is marred by subpar art assets for enemies and bosses that clash with the game's aesthetic. While some elements evoke nostalgia, the inconsistent quality and restrictive color palette detract from the overall appeal.
- “A nostalgic mini-RPG with nice visuals.”
- “The graphics are made up of a mix of standard 16-bit pixel art for the sprites which look colorful and detailed.”
- “The graphics are made up of a mix of standard 16-bit pixel art for the sprites which look colorful and detailed but shabby-looking art assets for the enemies and bosses which don't mesh well with the rest of the game's art style.”
- “Overall, I don't recommend it because it is an unpolished game which has mind-numbingly slow combat, drab graphics, a bafflingly ridiculous script that uses modern-day verbiage and lingo that feel wholly inappropriate for the fantasy setting, and a contrived story with a cheap plot twist and a horrendous ending that sets up the future chapters very poorly.”
- “The graphics are made up of a mix of standard 16-bit pixel art for the sprites which look colorful and detailed but shabby-looking art assets for the enemies and bosses which don't mesh well with the rest of the game's art style and deliberately restrictive color palette.”
- “The graphics are made up of 16-bit pixel art for the sprites but subpar art assets for the enemies and bosses which clash with the pixel art.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is criticized for its inconsistency, featuring fast movement that contrasts sharply with sluggish and overly simplistic combat mechanics, where players can easily defeat enemies through repetitive button mashing. This discordance detracts from the overall experience, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement.
- “That being said, a mechanic needed to be included to prevent you from absolutely steamrolling every enemy because you can always get a positional advantage on them and stun-lock them by mashing.”
- “Overall, I don't recommend it because the gameplay is discordant, rudimentary, and slow.”
- “The gameplay is perplexingly incongruous and jarring: on the one hand, you move as fast as lightning when running and can cover so much ground very quickly, but on the other hand, the combat is as slow as molasses.”
- “The gameplay is at odds with itself since you move extremely fast, but combat is sluggish and overly simple since you can slay anything just by mashing.”
- “Overall, I don't recommend it because the gameplay is discordant, rudimentary, and slow; the plot twist is absurd and ruins any emotional impact that the story should have had, and the script is preposterous and abysmal.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has low replayability due to its short and linear narrative, which offers little incentive for players to revisit it after completing the story.
- “The replay value is non-existent since it's a short and linear narrative-driven game.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
- “The lack of branching paths and choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly undermined by a contrived plot twist that detracts from the buildup of the story, which is otherwise a conventional good versus evil narrative. Additionally, the ending leaves players with a frustrating cliffhanger that fails to effectively set up future developments, leading to an overall negative reception regarding its emotional resonance.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance; however, players note that the overall experience is quite brief, lasting only 1-2 hours, and features basic combat and a minimal storyline.
- “The performance is smooth, but the experience is very short (1–2 hours) with basic combat and a light story.”