Zeran's Folly

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 40 reviews
  • story
  • humor
  • music
Zeran's Folly Game Cover
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"Zeran's Folly" is a story-driven action-adventure game with crude/suggestive dialogue and nudity. Switch between unique characters, each with different abilities and talents, as you explore seven dungeons and collect an array of rings and outfits. With New Game +, you can start a new game with all your previously acquired items and progress, ensuring that you never lose your hard-earned gains.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews
story9 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and colorful cast of characters, with engaging dialogue and a mix of dark humor that many players find enjoyable.
  • The platforming mechanics are solid, providing a satisfying challenge with a variety of upgrades and abilities that enhance gameplay.
  • For a game developed by a single person, the amount of content and the overall quality of the art and music are commendable, making it a fun experience for players who appreciate indie titles.
  • The humor often crosses the line into crude and offensive territory, with many players finding the sexual content and jokes to be excessive and poorly executed.
  • Gameplay can feel janky and unresponsive at times, with issues like floaty controls, poorly defined hitboxes, and repetitive enemy designs detracting from the overall experience.
  • The story and character writing are criticized for being shallow and relying heavily on shock value rather than meaningful content, leaving some players feeling unsatisfied.
  • story31 mentions

    The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its interesting characters and engaging worldbuilding, while others criticize it for being weak or non-existent. Many appreciate the bold storytelling style and emotional depth, despite its occasional lewdness and unconventional scenarios. Overall, the narrative is seen as a significant aspect of the game, enhancing the metroidvania experience for those who connect with it.

    • “An amazing metroidvania game with a mature story and interesting characters.”
    • “All in all, the story was very well done with quite a bit of emotional moments, and it’s worth sticking to it to the very end.”
    • “The storytelling employs a variety of scenarios that is not typically used in mainstream storytelling.”
    • “Before I purchased, I read that there was no story; I thought, 'as long as the gameplay is good, I'll try it out.' The story is so bad and non-existent it makes you quit the game.”
    • “Story sucks, there is no story.”
    • “It reeks of desperation and you're just gonna end up sighing and waiting for them to get back to the story.”
  • humor25 mentions

    The humor in the game is polarizing, characterized by a mix of crude, dark, and often offensive jokes that may not resonate with all players. While some appreciate the raunchy and explicit humor as a refreshing departure from political correctness, others find it forced and juvenile, detracting from the overall experience. Ultimately, the humor is a significant aspect of the game, appealing primarily to those who enjoy vulgar and outrageous comedy.

    • “The artwork makes me smile, and the humor is right up my alley.”
    • “Well let me set the record straight, yeah this game has some hella raunchy moments and weird 'what the hell' bosses but underneath the crass this is a solid game with good humor.”
    • “All the characters have distinct and likeable personalities and the cutesy atmosphere is offset by some hilariously blunt innuendo and a few heartfelt sentiments that help flesh out the world.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as one of the best soundtracks since Cuphead, featuring a varied mix of metal and rock that enhances the gameplay experience. However, others find it generic or unremarkable, often opting to play with the music muted. Overall, while the soundtrack has its standout moments, opinions vary significantly on its impact and quality.

    • “The soundtrack and writing are particularly good and make what might have been a mediocre platformer into an excellent indie gem.”
    • “The music is varied and always fits the theme of the location and situation, often providing a crunchy metal backdrop while you gleefully slaughter your way across levels.”
    • “The accompanying music has a healthy mix of various melodies, such as soft and hard rock, each heard in appropriate settings.”
    • “Combat feels absolutely weird and random, badly defined hitboxes, floaty gameplay and unresponsive controls, generic soundtrack, stupid nonsense humor... do I need to say more?”
    • “Zeran's folly is a bog-standard metroidvania with floaty controls, constant pauses for loading, obvious bugs, and an irritating generic soundtrack.”
    • “The music is alright, but I normally play with music muted on games just because I like catching up on videos while I play games.”
  • gameplay15 mentions

    Gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and fun, particularly in platforming and exploration, while others criticize it for janky mechanics, unresponsive controls, and poorly defined hitboxes. The combat system feels random and lacks depth, detracting from the overall experience. Despite some unique character abilities and a sense of progression, many feel that the gameplay alone isn't enough to compensate for a weak story.

    • “The partners and characters are unique and very engaging, and the gameplay is solid.”
    • “On one side, a rather fun platforming outside dungeons, interesting story, fun mechanics to mess around with, and a really great sense of progression once you get your hands on something new.”
    • “Not only that, the gameplay is a fluid experience of platforming action to get through a variety of levels with distinct thematic looks and enemies.”
    • “Combat feels absolutely weird and random, with badly defined hitboxes, floaty gameplay, and unresponsive controls. The generic soundtrack and stupid nonsense humor don't help either... do I need to say more?”
    • “The gameplay isn't enough to carry it.”
    • “Gameplay is okay, but it's definitely on the janky side.”
  • graphics7 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally praised for their quality, featuring cute and detailed artwork with fluid animations and large sprites. However, some players feel that the game crosses a line with its suggestive themes and juvenile content, which detracts from the overall aesthetic appeal.

    • “The artwork makes me smile, and the humor is right up my alley.”
    • “The artwork is good quality and the animations are fluid.”
    • “The graphic style is cute and detailed, large sprites and well animated.”
    • “This game goes beyond 'suggestive' into juvenile pornographic garbage out of nowhere.”
    • “Characters openly talk about sex, rape, incest, child molestation, etc. Nothing graphic happens or is implied to happen during the course of the game, except a boss and several costumes have exposed breasts.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    The game effectively balances its lewd elements with a heartwarming story, featuring distinct and likable characters that contribute to its emotional depth. Players appreciate the blend of humor and heartfelt moments, making the overall experience enjoyable and worth following to the end.

    • “Despite the lewdness of some scenes, the story as a whole still manages to be heartwarming and enjoyable in its own right.”
    • “All in all, the story was very well done with quite a bit of emotional moments, and it’s worth sticking to it to the very end.”
    • “All the characters have distinct and likeable personalities, and the cutesy atmosphere is offset by some hilariously blunt innuendo and a few heartfelt sentiments that help flesh out the world.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while it can feel tedious and lead to frustration, particularly with character switching and a convoluted fast travel system, it ultimately allows for significant upgrades that can enhance enjoyment and make later gameplay more manageable.

    • “I almost gave up about halfway through because the game was starting to feel like a slog. I did some money grinding for a while and maxed out my health and got a ton of flask upgrades. Once I could just tank through the rest of the game, I actually liked it more.”
    • “There are so many playable characters that switching between them can be difficult and tedious. The fast travel system is split between two different characters for no real reason, and the combat system is a little too fast to feel fair.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development is highlighted by charming designs, particularly noting the appeal of certain faeries and the character Lisa, which adds a delightful visual element to the overall experience.

    • “The character designs are adorable, especially some of the faeries and Lisa, who are my favorites.”
    • “The depth of character development really makes you feel connected to each character's journey.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their stories feel personal and engaging.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game suffers from poor optimization for controller use, leading to a subpar experience for players relying on this input method.

    • “Controls were not optimized for controller use.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by its charming and distinct characters, blending a cutesy aesthetic with humorous innuendos and heartfelt moments, which enrich the overall experience and world-building.

    • “All the characters have distinct and likable personalities, and the cutesy atmosphere is offset by some hilariously blunt innuendo and a few heartfelt sentiments that help flesh out the world.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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