Effie

About

"Effie" is a single-player, open-world, 3D action-adventure game that offers a 5-hour journey through a fantasy world. Play as Galand, cursed with premature old age, and use your magical Runestone shield to fight enemies, solve puzzles, and surf across the landscape. With classic elements and a nostalgic feel, "Effie" aims to evoke the spirit of cherished old-school video games.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews

story9 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features charming visuals and a delightful art style that evokes nostalgia for classic platformers.
The shield surfing mechanic is enjoyable and adds a unique element to the gameplay, providing a fun way to traverse the world.
The game offers a simple, casual experience that can be relaxing for players looking for a light-hearted adventure.

Combat is repetitive and lacks depth, often reducing gameplay to mindless button-mashing without strategic options.
The game is short and linear, with many areas locking players out after completion, making it frustrating to collect all items.
Voice acting and sound design are limited, leading to repetitive lines that detract from the overall experience.

story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The game's story is generally perceived as simplistic and lacking depth, with some reviewers noting its resemblance to a fairytale told by a grandfather, which may appeal to younger audiences. While the narrative is described as charming and visually appealing, it suffers from brevity and repetitive voice acting, leading to mixed feelings about its overall engagement and polish. Despite these critiques, many players find the story enjoyable for its lightheartedness and the pleasant surprises woven into the gameplay.
- “Nothing about this game is particularly difficult - very chill game to spend a few hours in and a story worth getting through.”
- “A beautiful story of human nature and the battle to be good.”
- “The story is simple, but the voice acting makes it really amusing, and favors fun moments like when you die and the narrator says 'that didn't happen!'.”
- “The story is bland and hollow, trying to imitate Disney on a Walmart budget.”
- “The game is pretty damn short and the story is very basic.”
- “On the narrative side, the story is very basic, but the voice acting is pretty lame, and you'd keep hearing the same voice lines over and over again.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fun mechanics like shield-surfing and the blend of platforming, puzzles, and combat, while others find it basic and lacking in challenge. Many appreciate the game's visual appeal and unique locations, but some feel it prioritizes style over substance, leading to a less engaging experience overall. Overall, the gameplay is described as light and enjoyable, but could benefit from deeper mechanics and more combat options.
- “Other than that, the game has a lot of nice surprises in its mechanics, story, and progression.”
- “The scenery and story are interesting, and most of the gameplay is really fun.”
- “The gameplay features the classic mix between platforming, simple puzzles and combat, and mixes it with the novelty of non-linear exploration with the awesome 'shield-surfing'.”
- “Could have been and deserved to be so much better, but too many indie devs go for style and 'feels' over substance and actual game design/decent gameplay.”
- “However... I have returned it after just about an hour, because I was simply having a difficult time adjusting to the gameplay.”
- “They start playing, and the gang is immediately puzzled by the gameplay.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style and overall visual appeal, particularly the pleasing environment designs. While some minor graphic glitches and camera issues are noted, they are generally not disruptive to the experience. Overall, the neo-retro aesthetic and charming visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “The visuals are great and a pretty game overall.”
- “It has a great art style and unique concept.”
- “Wonderful graphics that take my breath away and fun battle mechanics.”
- “Graphics are meh.”
- “Yes, there are a few graphic glitches where you poke through a wall, and the camera angle goes a bit wonky sometimes, but this is very rare and not really disturbing enough to hold your attention for more than a second or two.”
- “The puzzles are really basic; the art style might be the only thing that shines.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the experience, particularly during open-world exploration and cut scenes. However, some users noted issues with volume mixing, where music and sound effects can become imbalanced. Additionally, there is disappointment over the absence of an official soundtrack available for purchase.
- “I really liked the music; it's a shame there's no OST as DLC to buy.”
- “The music is excellent, and there is some good humor in the cut scenes.”
- “The music is great, and the feel of surfing around the open world is freeing.”
- “At random points in the game, the volume mixing becomes imbalanced, with the music and sound effects being too loud or too quiet.”
- “It's a shame there's no official soundtrack available as DLC to purchase.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its charming storytelling and playful dialogue, featuring amusing interactions between characters like Lil Jon and Scooby-Doo. Players can expect a blend of whimsical adventures and comedic moments that highlight gaming frustrations in a lighthearted manner.
- “Effie offers you a magical adventure which is told with a lot of charm and humor.”
- “A hilarious foray into gaming frustration where Scooby and Shaggy just want a snack and Lil Jon drops some Shakespearean bars!”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game demonstrates solid stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, requiring no adjustments for optimal performance. While there are occasional graphic glitches and camera issues, they are infrequent and minor enough not to significantly detract from the experience.
- “Runs great on the Steam Deck; no adjustments required.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs; the stability is impressive.”
- “Yes, there are a few graphic glitches where you poke through a wall, and the camera angle goes a bit wonky sometimes. However, this is very rare and not really disturbing enough to hold your attention for more than a second or two.”
- “This game is not perfect; there are some glitches that can make you angry at times, especially with the one-hit kill traps.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Players express a desire for enhanced replayability, particularly through expanded content in specific areas like the colosseum and quick imp zones, indicating that they value fun and engaging experiences that encourage them to revisit the game.
- “They seem to forget that games are meant to be fun, replayable, memorable, exciting, and entertaining.”
- “I would enjoy it if the colosseum and quick imp areas were expanded or made to be replayable!”
- “I would enjoy it if the colosseum and quick imp areas were expanded or made to be replayable, though!”
- “The lack of variety in missions makes it hard to want to play through the game again.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay it.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly simplistic and repetitive, likening it unfavorably to the combat mechanics of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy, resulting in a tedious experience.
- “The combat wants to be like Prince of Persia (The Sands of Time trilogy) but is extremely simplistic, repetitive, basic, and tedious.”
- “Grinding feels like an endless chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay invested in the story or characters.”