Halcyon Days
- January 15, 2024
- Rock And Roll Gas Station Games
"Halcyon Days" is an action-adventure game where players explore ancient ruins and fight through dungeons. The story revolves around a treasure hunter, with a mysterious woman and her guardian, and features intense 3rd person combat. The game also includes a development system for weapons, armors, and upgrades, as well as voice-acted story scenes and 15 side quests across 5 open islands.
Reviews
- Halcyon Days is a heartfelt tribute to Mega Man Legends, capturing its charm and nostalgia while introducing new elements like jet skates and a more open-world design.
- The game features a lot of customization options, side quests, and a vibrant world that feels alive, showcasing the developer's passion and attention to detail.
- Despite its rough edges, the gameplay is enjoyable and reminiscent of classic action games, making it a fun experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including soft locks, UI issues, and inconsistent controls, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Movement and combat mechanics feel unpolished, with floaty controls and collision detection problems that can lead to frustrating gameplay moments.
- The lack of a map and unclear saving mechanics can make navigation cumbersome, especially in the larger open-world areas.
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story of "Halcyon Days" is engaging and humorous, with players expressing intrigue about its progression after the introductory dungeon. The game features an open-world design with numerous side quests, making towns feel vibrant and alive, reminiscent of the original Mega Man Legends. However, some gameplay elements, like escort quests, can temporarily hinder exploration and the use of new abilities.
“The writing had me chuckling as soon as I reached the end of the introductory dungeon, and I'm intrigued to see where the story goes.”
“Like the original Mega Man Legends, towns have things going on in them, side quests to do, stuff to look at, and things to interact with, which make the game feel more alive than a lot of even AAA games out there.”
“This is alleviated after you complete the starter town and you receive the jet skates, but then you're forced into an escort quest which invalidates the use of them until after you're done.”
“Unlike Mega Man Legends, Halcyon Days is more open-world based, and there's a lot more to explore with tons of side quests (15 main ones, a lot more smaller ones).”
“On average, it'll probably take a new player around four hours to complete the game and another 4-6 to complete every mission and unlock every weapon.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their beautiful blend of nostalgic low-poly PS1 aesthetics and modern features, creating a charming and varied visual experience. Reviewers highlight the striking ambiance and the effective portrayal of ruins, which contribute to an overall captivating atmosphere. The art style, combined with the music, enhances the emotional impact, evoking a sense of nostalgia.
“Aesthetically, the game is amazing and quite varied in my opinion.”
“It nails the unsettling ambience and visuals of the ruins perfectly.”
“In 1440p, the game is absolutely beautiful, striking a wonderful balance of the old low-poly PS1 titles, while preserving more modern graphical features to make the world feel very charming.”
“I can clearly imagine a movement set somewhere between this and pseudoregalia with a similar art style to that generation becoming something really special that hits all of us drowning our sorrows in nostalgia with the purest of dopamine hits.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Gameplay is described as enjoyable and reminiscent of classic titles like Mega Man Legends, though it lacks a map feature, which can hinder exploration. While the overall mechanics are solid and fun, players desire improvements in animations and a bit more refinement. Many anticipate that gameplay will enhance as they unlock additional abilities.
“The music is solid, the gameplay is good but could use just a little tightening.”
“The gameplay itself is nice though and I expect it will only improve as I unlock more abilities.”
“The largest gameplay quibble I have is that there's no map, either in the pause screen or a minimap, which means you'll be rocking old-school graph paper if you want to make sure you visit every nook and cranny of every dungeon.”
“The gameplay is a throwback to the Mega Man Legends days.”
- music10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some reviewers appreciating its atmospheric quality and rock-heavy soundtrack, reminiscent of the original titles. While many enjoy the hard metal and rock elements, opinions vary on whether this choice resonates with all fans. Overall, the music is generally considered solid and complements the gameplay well.
“I know some other reviewers have complained about the music, but in my (so far) short time in the game, I've found most of it to be just as atmospheric and appropriate as the original Legends titles games were.”
“It has some great rock music and funny dialogue.”
“Loved the music and the polygonal art style also!”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players noting that the writing elicits chuckles from the start, particularly after the introductory dungeon. The combination of witty dialogue and engaging rock music enhances the comedic experience, making it an intriguing aspect of the overall narrative.
“The writing had me chuckling as soon as I'd reached the end of the introductory dungeon, and I'm intrigued to see where the story goes.”
“It has some great rock music and funny dialogue.”
“It's kinda funny but probably shouldn't be able to do that.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several bugs and glitches, particularly with the lock-on function, which detracts from overall stability. While some design elements may require further refinement, fans of the Mega Man series may still find aspects to enjoy.
“The lock-on function is buggy.”
“It is a bit buggy and/or glitchy here and there, and the design might need some rethinking.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be lacking, as users report significant performance issues, including overheating of hardware even on high-end systems like the RTX 3070 Ti. The game loads entire maps without adequate optimization, leading to spikes in temperature and potential performance drops.
“Performance is potentially another issue, and I'm sure Rock and Roll Gas Station is working on this, but on my machine, running at 1440p on an RTX 3070 Ti that's water-cooled, with all settings except frame rate limit set on max, my card occasionally spikes to over 70°C in certain areas.”
“My computer also overheats quickly as each map is loaded entirely without any kind of optimization.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its music, which many players find to be fitting and reminiscent of the original Legends titles, despite some criticisms from other reviewers. Overall, the ambiance contributes positively to the gaming experience.
“I know some other reviewers have complained about the music, but in my (so far) short time in the game, I've found most of it to be just as atmospheric and appropriate as the original Legends titles.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the impressive replayability of "Halcyon Days," noting its extensive character customization and unique features that distinguish it from similar titles, especially considering it was developed by a solo developer.
“For a solo-developer indie game, there's tons of replay value, character customization, and lots of other unique elements that set Halcyon Days apart from other similar games.”