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
- The game is a heartfelt tribute to Mega Man Legends, capturing its charm and atmosphere effectively.
- Movement and combat mechanics, especially with the jet skates, provide a fun and fluid gameplay experience.
- The developer is actively addressing bugs and issues, showing a commitment to improving the game based on player feedback.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, particularly during boss fights, leading to frustrating loss of progress.
- The user interface and control scheme are often confusing and can require switching between controller and mouse for certain actions.
- The game lacks sufficient quality of life features, such as clear saving mechanisms and a map, which can hinder the overall experience.
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs, freezes, and glitches that can lead to lost progress, particularly during boss fights. Players have expressed frustration over the lack of adequate save points, which exacerbates the problem, although some appreciate the effort behind the game and hope for future fixes. Overall, while there is potential, the current instability makes it hard to recommend.
“I hated how buggy this game was, because the 1st and 2nd boss resulted in bugs, freezes, and glitches that made you lose all progress and start over.”
“I had to beat the 1st boss 3 times and the 2nd boss 6 times due to glitches that'd require a force close, resulting in loss of progress and needing to reload.”
“Short version: there's some genuine work and effort put into this passion project, and there is a good game underneath the issues; however, it's currently a very buggy game, and this makes it difficult for me to recommend to anyone.”
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story in the game is engaging and humorous, with players expressing intrigue about its progression after the introductory dungeon. The open-world design allows for extensive exploration and numerous side quests, enhancing the overall experience and making the game feel vibrant and alive. However, players are advised to upgrade mobility before tackling certain quests to avoid frustration.
“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.”
“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).”
“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.”
“Warn players they shouldn't do the cow, sheep, cat quest until after upgrading mobility (and I have no idea where the cat is, more hints needed).”
“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.”
“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.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % 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 expected to improve with updates and new abilities, there are calls for better animations and tighter controls.
“The gameplay itself is nice, though I expect it will only improve as I unlock more abilities.”
“The music is solid, the gameplay is good but could use just a little tightening.”
“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.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their stunning blend of nostalgic low-poly aesthetics reminiscent of PS1 titles and modern visual features, creating a charming and immersive atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the unsettling ambience of the ruins and the overall aesthetic variety, contributing to a visually captivating experience that resonates with players' nostalgia.
“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.”
“Aesthetically, the game is amazing and quite varied in my opinion.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The character models are poorly designed and look like they belong in a much older game.”
“The environments are bland and lack detail, making the world feel lifeless.”
- music5 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 influences reminiscent of the original titles, while others find the hard metal soundtrack to be a divisive choice. Overall, the soundtrack is described as solid and enjoyable, complementing the gameplay effectively.
“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 Legend titles games were.”
“It has some great rock music and funny dialogue.”
“Loved the music and the polygonal art style too!”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players noting its ability to elicit chuckles through witty dialogue and amusing scenarios. While some moments may tread a fine line, the overall writing and comedic elements contribute positively to the experience, enhancing player engagement with the story.
“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.”
“It has some great rock music and funny dialogue.”
“It's kinda funny but probably shouldn't be able to do that.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, particularly for causing high temperatures and performance issues on powerful hardware, such as an RTX 3070 Ti. Users report that the lack of optimization leads to overheating and spikes in GPU temperature, especially during map loading.
“Performance is potentially another issue, and I'm sure Rock and Roll Gas Station is working on this. On my machine, running at 1440p on an RTX 3070 Ti that's water-cooled, with all settings except frame rate limit set to max, my card occasionally spikes to over 70°C in certain areas.”
“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 to 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.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers generally find the game's atmosphere to be immersive and fitting, with the music enhancing the experience, reminiscent of the original titles in the series. While some criticisms exist regarding the soundtrack, many players appreciate its atmospheric qualities.
“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 Legend titles.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Halcyon Days offers significant replayability for a solo-developed indie game, featuring extensive character customization and unique elements that distinguish it from similar titles.
“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.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more; every playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple paths and endings, I find myself discovering new content each time I play, making it hard to put down.”