Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Charming, lighthearted storytelling
The tale of Lily and her adventures in the Kingdom of Blossom are told from the point of view of a grandfather who is weaving the story for his grandchildren. Huddled around their grandfather by a roaring fire, they will often interrupt his storytelling to interject a bit of childlike humor or ask questions. While the story of Lily herself is an otherwise a generic fantasy tale, the delivery method of using the dynamic of grandfather and grandchildren is charming, filled with humor, and adds a whole lot of personality.
Pro Gameplay mechanics are presented clearly and are easy to learn
Blossom King gradually introduces puzzle and traps to you in an easy to understand way, and then slowly builds on them over time. This alleviates overly punishing mechanics that can cause frustration while learning the ropes. Whether it's a sliding block puzzle, fireballs you need to dodge, or a locked gate, chances are good that you've already been introduced to the simple version of the mechanic before you encounter the more challenging ones.
For example, there is a certain type of floor tile that will damage you if you stand on them for too long. The first time you encounter it, it will flash red. This alerts you to the danger and gives you time to move. Over the course of the dungeons, these trap tiles will become more and more numerous, but you're already aware of how the mechanic works, so you can overcome them with more confidence. All of the game's various puzzles and traps are handled in a similar way.
Pro Simple but enjoyable gameplay
This game was designed to be a Zelda clone, right down to the pixel art. Running around swinging your sword to smash barrels and hit enemies is simplistic, but gets the job done. You also get a boomerang and bow to attack from range, so there is a little depth to the combat. You can bomb walls to reveal secret passages, talk to NPCs in the overworld, and crawl through a handful of large dungeons. The story is told from the point of view of a grandfather talking to his grandkids, but every once in a while, a dialogue window will pop up which lets you choose the direction the story takes. Overall, the simple gameplay, retro pixel art, and rather large world contribute to a rather enjoyable adventure.
Cons
Con The shield takes up a weapon slot
You can only have 3 active weapons at a time. Since the swords, bombs, and a bow are used so often, those will most likely be your preferred choices. However, for some baffling reason, the shield counts as a weapon and uses up one of your precious slots. Rather than giving the shield it's own button/hotkey, you have to go back into the menu system and swap in your shield every time it's needed. This means you'll be spending way more time in menus and micromanaging your weapon setup than you would reasonably want to.
Con Dungeons tend to drag on a bit too long
Dungeons are massive in size and are rather linear, usually only having one defined path to the boss. Encountering the same puzzles, traps, and enemies can make the dungeon feel stale after a while. By the time you've made it to the boss, the repetitive and linear nature combine into an experience that feels like it's definitely overstayed its welcome.
Con Loading screens can be annoying
The game world is grid based, and moving from one screen to the next requires a loading screen. While they aren't incredibly long loads, you will encounter them often enough to the point they can get annoying and mildly immersion breaking. Why a game with such a simple 8 bit style has loading screens at all is also quite puzzling.
Con Doesn't really bring any new gameplay ideas to the table
Everything in Blossom Tales has been seen before in other games. Puzzles mainly consist of dragging blocks onto pressure switches, dodging fireballs, or blocking arrows with your shield. Weapons consist of the standard sword, shield, and bow. Dungeons are fairly linear with traps and enemies being mostly generic transplanted ideas from other games. While the gameplay itself is good and executed well, you won't be encountering anything you haven't seen before.