Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown
- July 31, 2019
- Silver Lemur Games
- 22h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown" is a classic western RPG inspired by games from the 90s, offering a light, fairy tale-like experience. It aims to provide a nostalgic adventure that is heroic, humorous, and can be completed in a reasonable amount of time without excessive grinding. The game draws inspiration from titles such as Dungeon Master, Eye of The Beholder 2, Might & Magic 3-5, Crystals of Arborea, and the GoldBox series.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- Captures the essence of classic RPGs, especially reminiscent of Might & Magic 3-5.
- Engaging gameplay with a good mix of exploration, character development, and turn-based combat.
- User-friendly interface and quality of life features, such as auto-mapping and fast travel, enhance the overall experience.
- Combat can become repetitive and lacks depth, with many encounters feeling similar.
- Limited class diversity and some classes feel underpowered compared to others.
- The game may feel too easy for experienced players, with a lack of challenging content and puzzles.
- story108 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered simple and straightforward, revolving around a typical quest to find a stolen magical artifact and save the kingdom. While it features a whimsical tone and light-hearted humor, many players find the narrative lacking depth and originality, with quests often feeling repetitive and formulaic. Overall, the story provides a fun backdrop for exploration and gameplay, but those seeking a rich narrative experience may be disappointed.
“The game offers a vast world to explore, intriguing quests to undertake, and a captivating storyline that will keep you entertained for hours.”
“The story in LOA is whimsical and more than a little silly from time to time, but never completely descends into the absurd.”
“I enjoyed the light-hearted story and use of humor.”
“The storyline is very simple.”
“Same goes for the end of this game; the beginning is more expansive with exploration and different difficulty areas, but as you approach the end, it's just mash button/kill things easy/the story fizzles out.”
“The story and text that surrounds it is far too short.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as pixelated and simplistic, often evoking nostalgia for old-school titles, which some players find charming while others consider them crude and outdated. While the art style is appreciated for its colorfulness and overall aesthetic, many reviewers express a desire for higher resolution and more detailed graphics to enhance the experience. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose but may not appeal to everyone, particularly those expecting modern visuals.
“The graphics were classic pixel art yet colorful and enjoyable.”
“Thought I'd be turned off by the pixelated graphics, but found them pretty charming as I played the game.”
“Lovely graphics and simple but fun combat, and a big world to explore.”
“The graphics are very crude and the dungeons feel empty.”
“In 2020, we shouldn't have graphics like the original mm1.”
“I guess the graphics are my biggest complaint.”
- gameplay64 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of engaging mechanics and nostalgic charm, particularly appealing to fans of old-school RPGs. However, many players note repetitive combat and a lack of depth, with some expressing a desire for more features like ranged combat to enhance the experience. While the game is accessible and visually appealing, it suffers from a simplistic approach that may leave hardcore players wanting more complexity and innovation.
“Lots of fun exploration, interesting mechanics, and visually appealing.”
“With its charming pixel art, engaging gameplay, and nostalgic feel, it's a must-play for fans of old-school RPGs.”
“You also won't need to study a thick game manual or learn complex game mechanics in order to build an effective team of adventurers as the game goes the Diablo route and greatly simplifies things to the point that anyone can learn the game in under 10 minutes.”
“The mechanics make for most encounters playing out exactly the same, and the combat doesn't feel anywhere near gratifying enough for that to be enjoyable.”
“Very primitive, stupid grinding gameplay.”
“Magic system that is just straight bad, bland mechanics, very average writing, and a lot of stuff that seems like the dev couldn't care less about make this game extremely bland, boring, and frustrating, as it definitely has a foundation that would offer it to be a lot better, given some time and effort.”
- music42 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its nostalgic quality and memorable melodies reminiscent of classic RPGs like Might & Magic and Zelda. While some noted moments of repetitiveness and occasional irritation, the overall sentiment highlights the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the game's atmosphere. Many players appreciated the music so much that they chose to keep it on throughout their gameplay, indicating its strong impact.
“The soundtrack is excellent whether trekking through a dangerous desert or exploring a dark castle.”
“It's one of the more memorable soundtracks I've heard in a game for some time, and reminded me of the atmospheric and catchy music that accompanied my quests in such classic RPGs as Might & Magic III-V and the latter Ultima games.”
“I usually turn off the music when I play games, but I loved it so much that I kept it on throughout the game.”
“I didn't have to turn Amberland’s music off, but it definitely registered as kind of irritating to me.”
“The music became a little repetitive at times and the sound effects could have used a little more work.”
“Graphics are very basic, sounds and music are decent.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, reviews indicate a mixed experience with grinding in the game. While some players appreciate the lack of tedious grinding and find the gameplay enjoyable and fast-paced, others criticize certain aspects, such as clumsy UI and repetitive back-and-forth screen navigation, which can lead to a tedious experience. The game seems to balance encounters well, allowing players to progress without excessive grinding, though some still find elements of the genre inherently tedious.
“It's not complicated and no tedious stuff, just enjoy the FPS dungeon crawler.”
“The game prides itself on no level-scaling and no grinding, but don't worry... there seems to be plenty of encounters for even the most battle-addicted adventurers.”
“The gameplay isn't tedious.”
“Very primitive, stupid grinding gameplay.”
“The game is not very difficult, but, according to the canons of the genre, it is sometimes exceptionally tedious (desert, swamps).”
“You have to go back and forth between screens, and doing this over and over again with a party of seven can get tedious.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the memorable soundtrack that evokes nostalgia for classic RPGs, others criticize the overall lack of atmosphere and polish, citing technical issues and a lack of innovation. Overall, the music is highlighted as a strong point, compensating for the game's graphical shortcomings.
“It's one of the more memorable soundtracks I've heard in a game for some time, and reminded me of the atmospheric and catchy music that accompanied my quests in such classic RPGs as Might & Magic III-V and the latter Ultima games.”
“Is the full game as great as those old ones? No idea yet, but so far enjoying the ride, atmosphere, and music.”
“The game has no atmosphere, no flair, nothing.”
“Tl;dr: no vision, innovation, flair, or atmosphere; annoying technical issues and on top of that: zero polish.”
“It truly provides the atmosphere that the graphics aren't quite up to the task of providing.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as light-hearted and charming, with a mix of goofy and dry wit that evokes the spirit of classic fairy tales and epic adventures. However, some reviewers feel that the writing lacks creativity, resulting in humor that can come off as lazy and uninspired. Overall, while the game has its moments of charm, opinions on its comedic effectiveness are mixed.
“There are plenty of characters to interact with and some of the dialog shares the humor of the games that inspired it.”
“The dialog in the game is goofy in a charming way with some nice dry humor.”
“I enjoyed the light-hearted story and use of humor.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, lacking a new game plus feature, which has led some users to recommend avoiding it for those seeking extensive replay value. However, it does provide some replayability through varied classes and multiple difficulty levels, making it appealing for players who enjoy exploring different gameplay styles. Overall, while it has some replayable elements, it may not satisfy those looking for a robust replay experience.
“Very nice old school RPG, short but with some replayability due to the varied classes.”
“There's no new game plus for replayability.”
“If you're looking for some kind of replayability, I'd strongly recommend avoiding.”
“There are several difficulties to play through, offering a decent amount of replayability.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its addictive nature and balance between challenge and accessibility, avoiding tedious grinding. Players appreciate the variety of progression mechanics, including multiple equipment slots and decent itemization, although some feel they need more time to fully explore the depth of builds and attributes. Overall, the game offers a promising scope for exploration and character growth.
“Exploration and character development is addictive.”
“The game has great scope for exploration and character development while being challenging but not a time sink grind fest!”
“Admittedly, I haven't had enough time to really experience character development, progression mechanics, builds, talents/attributes, etc. I will say there are a fair amount of equipment slots (~ 8 including accessories), and itemization/loot seems decent so far.”
“I feel like the character development is lacking depth and variety. The progression mechanics don't offer enough meaningful choices, making it hard to feel invested in my character's growth.”
“The talent and attribute system feels underwhelming. There aren't enough unique builds to explore, which makes the character development feel stagnant.”
“While there are a decent number of equipment slots, the overall character development lacks the complexity and engagement that I was hoping for.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game is highly praised, offering a hardcore experience with extensive content, diverse mechanics, and intricate rulesets that encourage players to invest significant time in creating the most effective party to tackle its challenging gameplay.
“You're looking for a hardcore experience that is comparable to, if not better than W7, providing hundreds of hours of content, tons of different mechanics, and deep rulesets. You can spend a whole day just creating the most optimized party possible, which you need to do because the game is tough as nails.”
“The game lacks proper optimization, leading to frustrating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
“Despite the depth of mechanics, the optimization feels rushed, resulting in unbalanced gameplay that makes certain strategies ineffective.”
“I found the optimization to be lacking, as the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end systems.”
