If you were a fan of the original outings, you will certainly like this upgrade but if you are venturing into the realm of Fairune for the first time, heads up: you might have just discovered the perfect lazy summer afternoon game of the year.
There is a lot to like about Fairune Collection, and despite somewhat lacking RPG mechanics, an uninspired story, and some monotonous backtracking, the two main games offer a charming and accessible take on the top-down adventure genre. No deep challenge exists in any of the four games, but the in-game collections and achievements add replay value.
Now this is a hard 10 to give. I cannot put it up there with my favourite games of all time but I think putting it in perspective price wise, it would be a total injustice to not rate this in relation to cost.
I have nearly completed Fairune. The game is absolute quality. They have mastered the puzzle element. I am literally just getting to the point of I have tried everything and then bam, the solution hits me.
It looks a little odd with the colour scheme, which is why giving it a 10 is questionable. But I am not going to drop points based on its colour scheme.
So I started this and thought to myself, oh no. This is rubbish compared to Kamiko but bear in mind that Kamiko is very much my genre of game. Now I had no interest and the game just seemed odd and cheap looking. I didn't have a clue what to do, to be honest, I bought it as a gift for my son 'cos he loved Kamiko. I tried a second time, still hated it and thought I had better try again, so I can help him. Well that was it. Everything clicked and I couldn't put the thing down. I have just about completed the first game and that alone has been worth every penny. I noticed other reviews saying this needed a guide but it really doesn't. Everything makes sense, you just have to look at things properly.
For reference, I'm a bit crap at games and often miss solutions to puzzles but I haven't had to reference a guide yet and judging by my progress, I won't need to.
What an impressive game. Most impressive game I have played since Ara Fell.
Really enjoying this. I was worried that it would be like Kamiko, which I didn’t really like. This is more like Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, and not unlike the first Phantasy Star in aesthetic, if not gameplay. It’s a simple old school puzzle RPG. Short, but surprisingly fun and interesting. And another thing that I wasn’t anticipating: I LOVE the soundtrack. This is chiptune perfection of the sort that you don’t realise is the real thing until you realise how much it takes to back compared with everything else that purports to do the same (The caveat is that you have to have experienced the 8 and 16 bit the first time around). Anyway, this is amazing value for money, and is surprisingly awesome. I was ready to be disappointed, as I was with kamiko. Not so here!
A good portion of adventure served with care and simplicity makes this a great title. A very entertaining collection as a rule, although you'll miss a run button and complain that they haven't released the next game. A "Must have" for all those who love retro adventures.
In the end the problem with the Fairune Collection comes from the fact the series is a short lived one and yet it still took its time to find its stride. The most recent game, Fairune 2, should have been the foundation and the first title, but as it is, it's the only one that feels complete, with the rest of this collection being more akin to proof of concepts or tech demos.
Fairune is a very good puzzle rpg, while it is severely basic at its core when it comes to rpg elements and combat, the game more focuses on the exploration and discovery, however vague it may be, using items to progress in the game similar to zelda. Zelda fans may also like this game as at times it feels like it. For its price and the content it offers I can easily recommend this game.
First of all, this collection contains 4 different games: Fairune, Fairune 2, Fairune Origin and Fairune Blast. While the first three games are Zelda-like puzzle games, Fairune Blast is a shoot em’ up, which you unlock by beating the previous games.
Fairune introduces you into the core mechanics of the series. You fight enemies by running into to them and collect and use different items. By defeating monsters you earn exp, which allows you to fight stronger enemies. Depending on your level, you get more or less damage and exp from running into monsters. I have to admit, that I’m not a big fan of that combat system, because it doesn’t require input from the user. It’s also annoying, how some of the enemies can kill you with just one hit. However, the puzzles of this game are the part, where the fun begins. Even though some of them are almost a bit too tricky, they are creative and really well-made. You really need to pay attention to your environment, because even the smallest unusual detail might be the solution to your problem. Other than that, there isn’t much left to say about the first game.
Fairune 2 is the game with the largest world and the most comprehensive story of the series. It adds many new elements, which make the game more interesting than the prequel. The puzzles are at least as good as the ones from the first game, if not better. One thing I didn’t like that much about this one, is the amount of backtracking you gotta do. It just felt like, they wanted to prolong the ending.
Fairune Origin is the smallest game of the series. It can be completed in about 10 minutes. The gameplay is the same as the one of the previous games and while the puzzles aren’t as comprehensive, they are still enjoyable.
And then we have Fairune Blast. Like I already said, this is a shoot em’ up, which includes all enemies and characters of the series. It’s the reward for completing all the other games. Even though there isn’t much to do in this game, it’s still a nice thing to have.
To conclude, the Fairune games are simple, but enjoyable. The soundtrack and graphic really capture the retro feeling. If you are a fan of puzzle games, like the older Zelda games, you should give it a try, even though the combat system isn’t the best.
Got it since it seemed pretty interesting as someone who liked Kamiko, but I really don't like these nearly as much. The combat is overly simplistic, it has far too much of an emphasis on backtracking and leveling up which feels like a cheap way to make the game longer, and the game is just way too cryptic about what you need to do to progress at times. It feels like a game for fans of cryptic old NES games like Simon's Quest, the kind of games where you need to reference a strategy guide.