Sydney's World

About

Sydney's World is a family-friendly JRPG. Game focus is on the intersecting story arcs of a young girl seeking her father and a king in search of redemption.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

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

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews

story19 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Sydney's World features a heartwarming story with engaging characters and moral lessons, making it suitable for a family-friendly audience.
The game includes enjoyable voice acting, particularly from the main character, Sydney, which enhances the overall immersion and experience.
The gameplay is accessible for younger players, with a focus on exploration and problem-solving rather than grinding, making it a good introduction to the RPG genre.

The game suffers from pacing issues, particularly at the beginning, where the story feels rushed and characters are introduced too quickly.
Some gameplay elements, such as trial-and-error puzzles and a lack of inventory management, can lead to frustration, especially for younger players.
The visual style is inconsistent, with some character designs and assets feeling generic or mismatched, which may detract from the overall aesthetic experience.

story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The story of the game is primarily aimed at a younger audience, featuring a heartwarming narrative about a girl named Sydney on a quest to save her father from an evil wizard. While the tale is rich with imagination and moral lessons, some players find the pacing uneven and character development lacking, particularly in the early stages. Overall, the engaging story, complemented by charming voice acting and music, makes it a delightful experience, though it may not satisfy those seeking a deeper narrative.
- “The story is full of moral lessons, educational content (for the younger players), and engaging characters.”
- “Sydney’s world has perfectly combined education, a rich story, important values, and entertainment, all the while making it safe for a younger audience.”
- “The tale being told throughout this game is rich and deep with a 'bedtime story' feel to it which quickly captivates an audience.”
- “But for an older audience, you might find the story and characters shallow and not deep enough.”
- “Unfortunately, the story has a few serious flaws.”
- “The beginning part of the story is the weakest part, where the pacing is very fast, many characters are shown with little introduction, and there's no room for the player to breathe and figure out what's going on.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it mediocre while others praise it as wonderful and fitting for various scenes. Many highlight the custom soundtrack's ability to enhance the mood and atmosphere, with specific themes for different chapters and engaging voice acting. Overall, the music is seen as a significant aspect that contributes positively to the game's experience, despite some initial expectations for a higher quality typical of RPG Maker games.
- “A simple game with a heartwarming story, snazzy music, and fun elements.”
- “The music throughout the game is pleasant and varies depending on the chapter or scene, helping to encapsulate the mood and surroundings.”
- “The music is wonderful, with many scenes having their own themes and ambiance.”
- “As for the soundtrack and sound effects, I find them mediocre.”
- “The biggest feature in a game, I think, is the music and the voices.”
- “Bosses brawl to dangerous soundtracks.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
71%
18%
The gameplay is a mix of engaging strategy and charming storytelling, though it suffers from issues like low-level characters joining the party and simplistic combat mechanics that can lead to frustrating encounters. While some players appreciate the nostalgic RPG Maker style, others criticize the trial-and-error design and unpredictable combat system. Overall, the game offers a family-friendly experience with a focus on narrative, making it accessible to a wide audience despite its gameplay flaws.
- “Take several styles of art from cutscenes to gameplay areas woven around and makes a believable world come to life.”
- “The gameplay is more like an adventure story set to a JRPG style.”
- “While it adds variety to gameplay and strategy planning to keep you engaged, unfortunately some characters have very low levels when they join the party, which makes those characters die quickly in combat.”
- “Alas, it had the urge to include standard RPG Maker gameplay, only with terrible design choices: trial-and-error mazes and death traps, puzzles where the solutions are more like blind guesses, and one of the most unpredictable and random combat systems I have ever encountered.”
- “If you have the patience to put up with gameplay made out of sheer trial and error, then Sydney’s world can offer you one of the cutest, most charming tales ever put on Steam.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The graphics of the game are characterized by vibrant, colorful artwork and a unique comic style that some players find mismatched, while others appreciate its creativity and ability to convey character narratives effectively. The visuals are described as bright and engaging, with well-designed enemies and bosses that enhance the overall experience. Overall, the artistic direction is praised for its charm and suitability for the target demographic, despite some differing opinions on its appeal to older audiences.
- “According to my daughter - who might I point out, is actually in the target demographic - the art is perfect, and explains everything you need to know about the characters before they even speak.”
- “I found this game to have excellent music and sound effects, and the graphics were bright, colorful, creative, and interesting.”
- “Everything is magical and beautiful from artwork, story to partial voice-acting, just wonderful.”
- “Although I have no problem with mismatched art styles.”
- “I'm not a fan of the genre or the art style, and I thought it wouldn't appeal to an older audience.”
- “Sydney's world pixel graphic JRPG.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through the charming personalities of main characters like Sydney and Snowball, which resonate well with children. The inclusion of diverse NPC voiceovers and cleverly named items enhances the comedic experience, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that adds depth and fun to the gameplay.
- “The main characters (notably Sydney and Snowball) are not only humorous, but also have really sweet personalities that will definitely appeal to children.”
- “While I knew that the developer's real-life daughter had made that contribution to the game, I was surprised to find even more voice-over work from some of the NPCs, which further added humor and diversity to the characters.”
- “Even the names of the items made me laugh, but in a good way.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartwarming story and engaging music, making it suitable for all ages, including young children. Reviewers highlight its wholesome and clean content, which evokes emotional responses, even from seasoned gamers who typically find it challenging to connect with new titles. Overall, it is recommended for families seeking enjoyable and meaningful gaming experiences.
- “A simple game with a heartwarming story, snazzy music, and fun elements.”
- “In this game, you won't find any blood or anything that could damage a child's emotional world, making it suitable for even the youngest players.”
- “As a bitter 34-year-old gamer who's played every RPG possible, often not finding them engaging like my childhood favorites, getting an emotional reaction out of me is very difficult.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Sydney's World offers a refreshing take on grinding, making it optional and eliminating random encounters, which sets it apart from many RPG Maker games that require significant grinding. While some players may find the final combat challenging, the overall experience is less grind-heavy, making it a suitable introduction to RPGs for younger audiences.
- “While many RPG Maker games (even a few RPG Maker games that cost higher than $5) suffer from mediocre combat where a decent amount of grinding is required and players only spam attack/skill with the biggest MP cost, fortunately, Sydney's World does better than that.”
- “Grinding is optional and there's no random encounter, although I find combat in the last part of the story/area rather difficult since I always try to avoid combat.”
- “It is less grindy than usual and is a good introduction to RPGs for younger players.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game has limited replayability due to its narrative-driven nature, which means players are unlikely to revisit it once the story has been completed.
- “The game is a story, and thus doesn’t have any real replay value.”