Fairune Collection
- May 16, 2018
- ESQUADRA,inc.
Fairune Collection is a compilation of four games featuring retro-style adventure RPG gameplay. The games include Fairune, Fairune 2, Fairune Origin, and Fairune Blast. In these games, players solve puzzles, fight monsters, and upgrade abilities while on quests to seal evil and find lost fairies. Fairune Blast offers a shoot-em-up experience, making it a fun diversion from the main adventures.
Reviews
- The Fairune collection offers a charming blend of exploration and puzzle-solving, reminiscent of classic Zelda games.
- Fairune 1 and 2 are well-designed with a good sense of progression, featuring enjoyable puzzles and cute visuals.
- The collection provides a nostalgic experience with simple mechanics, making it accessible for casual gamers while still offering some challenge.
- The combat system is overly simplistic, relying on bumping into enemies, which can feel unengaging and tedious.
- Fairune 2's larger map can be overwhelming and confusing, leading to frustrating moments of aimless wandering.
- Some puzzles lack clear direction, making it easy to get stuck without a guide, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- music13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the games is generally praised for its upbeat and fitting nature, with many reviewers highlighting its retro style and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. While some titles feature a more limited selection of tracks, the sound design is often described as enjoyable and complementary to the gameplay experience. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect, contributing positively to the charm and mood of the games.
“The music is also stellar; I love it all to bits.”
“The music is fun and fits the mood.”
“Nice retro graphics, nice retro music, silly story with some funny parts.”
“Fairune origin: an even more stripped-down game with some jarring differences and, sadly, seemingly no sound test despite some musical variety and no real final boss.”
“The only music tracks are the title theme, one in-game theme and the game clear theme, and there's only a 2-minute mode and no 5-minute mode, let alone a full-length story mode.”
“Music is 8-bit style, I'd say nothing memorable but definitely not annoying and it fits the atmosphere nicely.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Fairune 2 retains the core gameplay of its predecessor, Fairune 1, with improvements but minimal changes to mechanics. Players engage in straightforward action puzzle RPG elements, focusing on combat and item collection, where experience points are gained primarily from defeating enemies of similar levels. Overall, the gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and minimalist mechanics, lacking complex combat systems or extensive spell options.
“Fairune 1 & 2 are, in my opinion, really good action puzzle RPGs, with an interesting mechanic where you'll only gain experience points from a foe if it is just about the same level you are.”
“The base mechanics work well, but won't blow your mind with complex combat or dozens of spells.”
“It's less of an advancement of systems as say between Hydlide 1 & 2 because not much has changed mechanically, and it's certainly not any more of an RPG.”
“The gameplay is rather simple; you start out needing to find a weapon, and once you do, you can start attacking enemies to gain experience and level up.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story in Fairune 2 is described as straightforward yet interesting, enhancing the exploration experience across four visually improved worlds with new items and puzzles. In contrast, Fairune 1 is noted for its minimal plot and brevity, focusing more on gameplay than narrative depth. Overall, while the series offers some charming and humorous elements, the story is not the primary focus, with environmental storytelling being less prominent compared to earlier gaming eras.
“This is the Zelda-like for those who really wanted to do exploring and have a little more story than an implied whisper.”
“Fairune 2 includes the innovation of an actual story and expands the adventure over the course of four worlds which are graphically superior and include new items and puzzles and some familiar ones as well.”
“The story is straightforward but interesting, but hardly a focal point (which really, environmental storytelling has dwindled in the modern gaming age when it was a much more prevalent thing in the 80's and 90's).”
“Fairune 1: a very stripped-down action RPG, very short and lacking in plot but with fairly good music and visuals.”
“The only music tracks are the title theme, one in-game theme and the game clear theme, and there's only a 2-minute mode and no 5-minute mode, let alone a full-length story mode.”
“And while most of the games don't really have a story, one of them was actually kinda cute, I thought!”
- graphics8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game collection are characterized by cute, colorful visuals and a charming retro pixel-art style that appeals to nostalgic gamers. While the first installment features modest visuals, the sequel, Fairune 2, showcases significant graphical improvements across its four worlds, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the combination of engaging visuals and a fitting soundtrack that complements the gameplay.
“Besides all this, all the games featured in the collection have cute, colorful visuals and a pretty good soundtrack!”
“Nice retro graphics, nice retro music, silly story with some funny parts.”
“The graphics are awesome.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The character models are poorly designed and lack detail, making them feel lifeless.”
“The environments are bland and repetitive, which detracts from the overall immersion of the game.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the quick nature of grinding and the rewards from exploration, others feel that it becomes tedious and unnecessarily prolongs gameplay, especially in the later stages.
“It's fun, it's simple, but sometimes the grinding feels like it's only there so the player has to spend more time in the game than they should.”
“My only complaint is that towards the end game, the overworld is extremely tedious to traverse.”
“Exploration is rewarded with secret upgrades that help a lot to go through the most annoying part of the game: grinding monsters.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of self-aware commentary on game design flaws and a lighthearted, silly narrative complemented by retro graphics and music. Players find amusement in both the absurdity of certain gameplay elements and the quirky story moments.
“Nice retro graphics, nice retro music, silly story with some funny parts.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to the presence of hidden secrets and various challenges that encourage them to revisit the experience.
“It's fun and replayable with secrets to find and challenges to return to.”
“The game offers multiple endings and diverse character paths, making each playthrough feel unique.”
“With various difficulty levels and unlockable content, I find myself coming back for more.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The 8-bit style music complements the game's atmosphere effectively, though it may not be particularly memorable, it is described as fitting and not distracting.
“The 8-bit music is not particularly memorable, but it fits the atmosphere perfectly and isn't annoying at all.”
“The game's atmosphere is immersive, drawing you into its unique world with every detail.”
“The combination of visuals and sound creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout the experience.”