Sacred Stones

About

"Sacred Stones" is a challenging retro-style platformer focused on boss battles, with a pixelated world to explore and items to collect. The game, created by Sungjun Jo, features a linear and difficult gameplay with sensitive input controls, taking you back to the 8-bit era. Be prepared to face many obstacles and hone your skills to emerge victorious.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 15 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a charming pixel art style reminiscent of classics like Cave Story, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience.
Boss fights are engaging and require players to learn patterns and strategies, providing a satisfying challenge for those who enjoy skill-based gameplay.
The game offers a quick playtime of around 1.5 to 2 hours, making it a good option for players looking for a short, intense gaming session.

Many bosses lack clear attack telegraphs, leading to frustrating moments where players can be hit without warning, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
The game suffers from balance issues, with some bosses being overly tedious and taking too long to defeat, which can make the experience feel repetitive.
There is minimal replay value and the game is described as barebones, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied after completing it.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The story in "Sacred Stones" is largely minimal, serving primarily as a backdrop for its intense boss rush gameplay. While it draws inspiration from titles like "Cave Story," the narrative is overshadowed by the focus on combat and memorization of boss patterns, leaving players with a simplistic quest to defeat enemies rather than a rich storyline. The game features charming visuals and a whimsical aesthetic, but those seeking a deep narrative experience may find it lacking.
- “The appealing and accessible charm of an indie platformer but with the brutality, challenge, and focus of a boss rush brawler, Sacred Stones lures players in with a whimsical and attractive Cave Story-inspired visual style but crushes their hopes and dreams with a Titan Souls or Furi-like progression of stages of pure boss pattern memorizing and reflexive dodging mayhem.”
- “You poke around finding several clues and several dead-ends, and having to search for this hero's first starting weapon and items feels a lot like Cave Story with its long-winded intro, yet Sacred Stones wastes no time and after a quick retrieval of your ME-1 bullet you're thrust directly into a massive yet easy boss battle with a gigantic stone head to learn the straightforward run'n'gun nature of the game.”
- “If that was before your time then the difficult boss rush hook of deep memorization of fancy patterns might not be as exciting to you, but the charming indie visuals a la Cave Story with the hypnotic and dreamlike chiptune soundtrack might be enough to win you over anyway.”
- “The story is nearly non-existent.”
- “The graphics are great for a simplistic concept, the difficulty is fair (but very frustrating), and the story is essentially non-existent.”
- “Sacred Stones lures players in with a whimsical and attractive Cave Story-inspired visual style but crushes their hopes and dreams with a Titan Souls or Furi-like progression of stages of pure boss pattern memorizing and reflexive dodging mayhem.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming, simplistic pixel art reminiscent of Cave Story, featuring vibrant and colorful visuals that enhance the overall aesthetic. The animations are well-executed and intuitive, contributing to a natural and organic feel during boss battles. While the artwork is appealing, some players feel that the weapon choices lack variety and depth.
- “The graphics are great for a simplistic concept, the difficulty is fair (but very frustrating), and the story is essentially non-existent.”
- “Just like the aesthetics behind the stages you initiate the boss battles from, they all have a very natural and organic feeling to them, drawing from elements of the earth itself and featuring some very vibrant, rich, and colorful pixel art.”
- “The art style is nice, the animations are well done - I didn't need a tutorial to understand how things worked - it's all self-explanatory.”
- “The graphics are reminiscent of Cave Story, but they feel overly simplistic and lack the depth needed to engage players fully.”
- “The visuals are quite basic, which detracts from the overall experience, making it feel less polished than other games in the genre.”
- “While the pixel art is colorful, it doesn't compensate for the lack of detail and creativity in the overall design.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in "P" features a nostalgic retro soundtrack filled with catchy, memorable tunes that enhance the gameplay experience, particularly during boss battles. The combination of heavy sound effects and an electrifying chiptune score creates a satisfying arcade atmosphere, appealing to both fans of classic gaming and those drawn in by its charming indie visuals.
- “P has composed a retro game soundtrack that is classic in every way, with infectiously hummable tunes that get caught in your head long after you've slayed its corresponding boss.”
- “Heavy, crunchy explosions and high-pitched pew-pew lasers make every shot and jump feel satisfying in that arcade sort of way and combine with the already electric soundtrack.”
- “The charming indie visuals a la Cave Story, combined with the hypnotic and dreamlike chiptune soundtrack, might be enough to win you over.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during longer play sessions.”
- “While the chiptune soundtrack has its moments, it often feels like a generic homage rather than an original composition.”
- “The audio mixing is off, with the music often drowning out important sound effects, which can lead to frustrating gameplay.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The gameplay is centered around a boss rush format with artwork reminiscent of Cave Story, but many players find the difficulty lacking, as several bosses are considered too easy. Additionally, the limited variety in weapon choices diminishes the incentive to experiment, as players tend to stick with the most effective weapon once acquired.
- “The gameplay is engaging and offers a unique boss rush experience with artwork reminiscent of Cave Story.”
- “While the weapon choices could be more varied, the core mechanics provide a solid foundation for the gameplay.”
- “The challenge level varies, making some bosses feel easier than expected, but the overall gameplay remains enjoyable.”
- “It's a boss rush game with clearly Cave Story-inspired artwork. However, while playing on normal difficulty, I found a good number of bosses to be way too easy. The weapon choices weren't very inspiring; once you get the best one, there's really no point in changing weapons anymore, so that mechanic feels pointless.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as most bosses are described as bullet sponges that require excessive time to defeat. While this encourages learning boss patterns, it often leads to a frustrating and monotonous experience.
- “Most bosses are absolute bullet sponges; it takes way too long to kill them. This forces you to learn their patterns, but it also makes the experience pretty boring and tedious.”
- “The grinding required to level up feels excessive and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over just to progress, which quickly becomes monotonous and frustrating.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users note that the humor in the game often stems from its challenging difficulty, which can lead to amusing moments of frustration and unexpected outcomes due to poor balance.
- “The humor in this game is brilliantly woven into the gameplay, making even the toughest challenges feel lighthearted.”
- “I love how the game uses witty dialogue and absurd situations to keep me laughing, even during intense moments.”
- “The quirky characters and their hilarious interactions add a delightful layer of comedy that enhances the overall experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users note that the game lacks replayability, describing it as overly simplistic and devoid of engaging content that would encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “Beware though - there is no replay value, and it is really, really, really barebones simple.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of "Sacred Stones" is characterized as atmospheric and dreamlike, enhanced by a beautiful chiptune soundtrack that features hazy and distorted sounds, effectively evoking a nostalgic and retro ambiance throughout the game.
- “Atmospheric and dreamlike, Sacred Stones has a beautiful chiptune style with hazy and distorted sounds that perfectly fit the nostalgic and retro feel of the entire game.”