A Fun, But Weak, Followup to Epistory
The game is, in some ways, a bit of a step backward from Epistory. The story is far more straightforward, without any greater story in the background as Epistory had. Also, having to type out the powers each time they're to be used (epistory had you locking into different "modes" of attack) makes enemy encounters more stressful than the previous title, especially early on. The art style, while still very pleasing, is more in line with other indie titles. At least it's still pleasant to look at.
In other ways, the game progresses past Epistory with its increased gameplay diversity. The ability to use your typing powers to affect the environment has expanded, leading to some interesting terrain puzzles, and there's more effort required in unlocking more of the world, giving the game a bit more of a Zelda-ish feel. Also, the locked-in-place nests have been replaced by screen-sized battles that allow the player to make strategic retreats and maximize area-of-effect powers, which is often needed when dealing with the bosses.
Unfortunately, there are three damning elements in this game. First off, there's no distinction between UK and US English in the settings, which led to me having a couple of frustrating moments where the spelling of some words were against my reflexes, affecting typing speed. Second, the game's actually MUCH shorter. The first game was fairly short, but this game has only three areas, all of which can be cleared pretty easily. Lastly, however, the ending is trash. Going for a straightforward story makes the lackluster ending. Seriously, there's no real closure, like the devs were in a rush to get this over with. Doesn't help that the final fight is more cryptic than the rest.
Sadly, despite some enjoyable elements and building on the gameplay loop, Nanotale ends up being the lesser game, and it's not even close. How the mighty have fallen.
5 gamers found this review helpful