Epic Battle Fantasy Collection
- May 30, 2022
- Matt "Kupo" Roszak
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Get on itch.io StoreThe "Epic Battle Fantasy Collection" contains updated versions of 8 early internet games, including the RPG Epic Battle Fantasy 1, shoot-em-up Bullet Heaven, and platformer Adventure Story. Each game offers re-playability with difficulty options and achievements, and the collection includes a 65-track soundtrack. Upgrades, new characters, levels, and abilities have been added to enhance gameplay.
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Reviews
- The collection offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane, featuring classic flash games that many players enjoyed during their childhood.
- Each game in the collection has been polished with quality of life improvements, making them more accessible and enjoyable for both new and returning players.
- The bundle includes a wealth of content, including prototypes, artbooks, and achievements, providing great value for the price.
- Some games suffer from performance issues, including lag and slowdowns, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Certain games in the collection, like 'The Kitten Game' and 'Cat Cafe', are considered less enjoyable or overly simplistic compared to the others.
- The forced high difficulty for achievements can be frustrating for casual gamers, making it less enjoyable for those looking for a relaxed experience.
- music35 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players expressing disappointment over the replacement of copyrighted tracks, while others praise the new soundtrack as "really good" and "outstanding." Many reviewers highlight the nostalgic value of the music, noting its evolution alongside the game's development, and appreciate the inclusion of a free soundtrack download featuring over 65 tracks. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its charm and appeal.
“The soundtrack is great and the characters are very memorable.”
“Phyrnna's soundtracks are as good as ever, too.”
“A nostalgic piece of flash games and childhood memories, definitely would recommend, the music also slaps.”
“I'm not the biggest fan of the new music, but I understand it because it was other games and properties' music. It feels like a simple short game with reasonable balance on epic, but yeah, just keep your buffs active when you get a decent chance to and figure out which sword is best for Matt. The same four moves for each character can carry you in epic, and it was more RNG dependent. I never played this much as a kid over 2 and 3, but it's got solid progression and is short enough to warrant the old no saves policy.”
“Kind of a shame how a bunch of copyrighted characters and music had to be changed for the sake of this collection, but it's still a good means of experiencing these classic flash games.”
“The biggest changes are to EBF1, where all the music and many of the characters were copyrighted and had to be changed.”
- story23 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The "story" aspect of the game collection is described as casual and light-hearted, with "Adventure Story" being a standout title that offers a fun, albeit minimal narrative experience. While some players appreciate the charming art style and music, others criticize the lack of depth in the story, noting that it doesn't provide much adventure or exploration. Overall, the collection is seen as a nostalgic return to simpler gameplay, with "Adventure Story" serving as a gateway to the broader lore of the Epic Battle Fantasy series.
“Epic Battle Fantasy adventure story: this might be the best game in the entire collection if not for the bonus levels added to this version.”
“Adventure story alone is worth the price.”
“The gem of the bunch, the casual RPG that started it all. If you want to know the whole story of the EBF lore, you have to start here and grind your way to the end... or just watch the starting cutscene in EBF3 or 4.”
“Adventure story: this game has neither adventure nor story.”
“There is no real story or exploration.”
“I don't know why it builds up over time but it definitely builds up fastest in adventure story for some reason.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay across this collection is characterized by a mix of basic mechanics that require mastery to progress, with some titles presenting a steep difficulty curve and precision platforming challenges that feel out of place. While the intuitive pogo mechanic and variety of gameplay styles are praised, issues like bugs, slowdowns, and inconsistent performance detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration in more demanding sections. Despite these drawbacks, the nostalgic elements and engaging mechanics still resonate with many players, making it a mixed but generally positive experience.
“They mostly use basic mechanisms and indirectly keep teaching you how to use each mechanic.”
“Each game in this collection requires a different set of skills, and you need to nearly master their mechanics to get far.”
“Love the art, love the gameplay even more.”
“The whole game is on the harder side with hit points and lags, and all the mechanics.”
“In addition, my biggest problem, which is actually gameplay related, is that there are points where, if you get unlucky, you can lose two whole areas and a boss to bad luck, as two of the bosses can take your party from max HP to totally dead in a single turn.”
“For bullet heaven: that's the game where I truly noticed the bugs and glitches, one of them being a softlock where the game runs, the stage is selected, but it's just a black screen. The slowdowns appear in this game the most frequently, which can make the game either super easy or super difficult, depending on your skill level. The stutters and momentary freezes threw me off on more than one occasion, and I spent way too much time on the last stage than I want to admit. The bugs, both visual and gameplay-related, really make this an overall downgrade of the game.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its clever jokes, satirical elements, and entertaining dialogue that enhance the overall experience. Many reviews note the game's ability to balance fun and comedy, making it accessible and enjoyable for players of all ages. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's charm and replayability.
“I would really want to rate this higher considering how much I love Epic Battle for its humor and art style.”
“This is an amazing game packed with content and funny jokes.”
“Who doesn't know the game? It's a great opportunity for you to get to know a very good franchise like EBF, with funny conversations, controversial subjects, satire, comedy, adventure, and much more!”
- graphics7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming art style and nostalgic appeal, reflecting the developer's distinctive visuals that have evolved over two decades. Players appreciate the combination of cute aesthetics and solid design, which enhances the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience. The remastered content showcases the developer's artistic journey, adding depth to the visual presentation.
“I would really want to rate this higher considering how much I love Epic Battle for its humor and art style.”
“A collection of one of the most recognizable and important franchises of flash games, you've got all of the dev's previous work right here, includes tons of content: 8 remastered games, the dev's sketchbook in which you can see his art style, a monster book that shows his evolution as an artist and a section of prototypes, that includes games and demos that served as the base for the games.”
“Somehow the most enjoyable part of this was looking through Matt's 20-year-old artworks.”
“If you haven't played one of Matt's games before, expect nostalgic flash gaming, enjoyable turn-based combat, solid and distinctive visuals, and banger soundtracks.”
“✨ graphics ✨”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Overall, the stability of the games varies significantly. While "Kittens Game" and "Cat Cafe" are praised for being bug-free and enjoyable, "Bullet Heaven" suffers from notable issues such as softlocks, slowdowns, and visual glitches, which detract from the experience despite recent updates aimed at fixing these problems. The "EBF Collection" is described as a mixed bag, with some games experiencing bugs that impact gameplay, though there is hope for future improvements.
“The game runs bug-free, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“I haven't encountered any glitches, which makes the gameplay feel very stable.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; it rarely crashes or freezes.”
“Now to address the big elephant in the room: the games I personally found either buggy or flat-out unenjoyable because of these problems.”
“For Bullet Heaven: that's the game I truly noticed the bugs and glitches. One of them being a softlock where the game runs, the stage is selected, but it's just a black screen. The slowdowns appear in this game the most frequently, which, for a bullet hell game, can make the game either super easy or super difficult. The stutters and momentary freezes threw me off on more than one occasion. The bugs, both visual and gameplay ones, really just make this an overall downgrade of the game.”
“Overall, my experience with the EBF collection has been one of a hit or miss. The bugs and glitches do take away from an otherwise really enjoyable experience. I see the dev publishing updates for the collection, so I'm hopeful that he fixes some of these issues.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The optimization of the collection is generally criticized, with notable lag issues affecting gameplay, particularly in certain titles. While some users suggest tempering expectations due to the limitations of the Flash engine, others report that ongoing fixes are being developed to address these performance problems. Overall, players may experience slowdowns that require restarts, indicating that further optimization is needed.
“Flash is an old unoptimized engine not designed for complex games, so if you temper your expectations and don't expect flawless 60 fps, you'll have a great time.”
“There are a couple of optimization issues (mostly lag), but fixes are actively being worked on.”
“Some games still need optimization though, as they tend to slow down until you restart them.”
“Epic on both is just annoying, especially with the optimization issues.”
“Flash is an old, unoptimized engine not designed for complex games, so if you temper your expectations and don't expect flawless 60 fps, you'll have a great time.”
“Some games still need optimization, as they tend to slow down until you restart them.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find grinding in these games to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the challenge of bullet hell, others find the grinding tedious, particularly in games like the cat cafe, which can feel overly time-consuming for achievements. In contrast, one game allows players to start at max level, eliminating the need for grinding altogether. Overall, the grinding aspect varies significantly across titles, with some requiring extensive time investment.
“The game offers a unique experience where you start at max level, eliminating the need for grinding.”
“The grind can be extensive, taking anywhere from 60 to 100 hours to fully experience the game.”
“When you're good at bullet hell, this game is easy, and grinding is the most annoying thing.”
“For the other two games, the cat cafe can be entertaining for about 20 minutes, maybe more, but the achievements are really grindy.”
“Grindy (60 - 100 hours)”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mix of replayability experiences; while some players find it highly replayable due to its entertainment value and numerous achievements, others note limitations stemming from a lack of character progression. The affordable price point enhances its appeal, providing significant content for players to explore.
“Also very replayable!”
“They hold hours of entertainment value, and one of them is extremely replayable too.”
“For the cheap price of 9 Canadian bucks (or 5-6 if you got it on sale like me), you get 8 multiple hour games with insane replayability, way too much prototypes, a lot, like a lot of art and a hundred and a half achievements to go for.”
“It's simple, but a lot of fun, even if it's not very replayable due to the lack of a character progression system.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
“The game offers a great initial experience, but the lack of varied content makes replaying it feel redundant.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is positively received, with players appreciating the nostalgic elements and enhancements that evoke strong feelings, leading to an overall favorable impression.
