Faeland – Early Access

If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.

• DEVELOPER: Talegames
• PUBLISHER: Talegames
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Metroidvania
• RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2023
• STARTING PRICE: 16,79€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Faeland is a project that has been in development for a long time. It was funded through a Kickstarter campaign back in 2018, and since then, the developers at Talegames have been dedicatedly working to finally bring the game to light. You might be wondering how much content the game currently offers? Unfortunately, it’s only enough for about 3 hours of gameplay. However, a wealth of new content is expected to be added over the coming years, and if you choose to buy the game now, you’ll likely enjoy it more than you think, and every new chapter will certainly be worth the wait.

This is a Metroidvania action-adventure RPG crafted in a pixel art style, inspired by nostalgic 8-bit classics, and enriched with beautiful and exceptionally well-animated scenes. I was personally surprised by the quality of the game’s visuals; I didn’t expect pixel graphics to look so impressive. Furthermore, the characters in this game are not just ordinary and lifeless; they authentically express emotions. Whether our main character is injured or sad, we can clearly see how he reacts to the events unfolding in the background.

A Pixelated Paradise

The game’s story is set a thousand years after the creators of the humanities, called The Fae, caused a civil war and eradicated their own race. The game’s protagonist, Sam, faces an attack by various monsters on his home, forcing him on a journey through the game to uncover the evil that is devastating the kingdom. The game brings this all to life through an atmosphere where you will explore different areas, whether you are underground in caves, on the surface in forests, or delving into dungeons. 

The world is extremely rich in detail; every corner of the game is carefully filled to avoid empty spaces. The music fits perfectly, following the events in the game, while beautiful animations and a dynamic story accompany you throughout the playthrough. Indeed, Faeland attempts to equally emphasize both the story and the other gameplay elements it offers.

The design of enemies and characters is an aspect that will grab every player’s attention. The approach to their diversity is extremely intriguing; you will fight not only spiders or slimes, but you will also encounter goblins, strange fish-like creatures, crabs, and powerful bosses on your path. However, this is not the first time we’ve encountered elements like this. 

The landscapes and areas we explore have already appeared in other similar games, and we even have quite similar quests (help the blacksmith with a rat infestation). This in itself doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, but it can result in the game losing its uniqueness, as it becomes challenging to differentiate it from others, or to find something that makes Faeland stand out in this regard.

Simple Gameplay and World Navigation

Don’t repeat my mistake and forget to explore every corner of the game before you dive into a boss fight (I even forgot to pick up a precious sword). Faeland, however, provides exceptional freedom to explore a large world. The map you’ll use regularly is similar to the one from Blasphemous, and you can mark any location of interest yourself. 

Besides exploring and traveling from one part of the world to another, it’s vital to communicate with various NPCs (of which there are an exceptionally large number in this game). You can also buy various items, open chests with hidden treasures, acquire new equipment, consumables, and solve main and side quests.

At the very heart of the game, the focus will naturally be on traversing platforms; you’ll have a wide range of movements—you can jump, climb walls, crouch, roll, perform a backflip, swim, punch and leap, and much more. All these options make the game extremely dynamic; you don’t waste too much time transitioning between locations because the game is quite fast in that regard, and no feature is neglected. 

Every exploration rewards you with new knowledge, so who knows what hidden secrets you might uncover or what special skills you might find (though this is currently quite limited in the game’s present version).

Although Faeland is known as an RPG, it technically lacks a traditional leveling system. Instead, the game uses a system of food to restore energy, various types of equipment to increase your health, and weapons like the bow and arrow, sword, and axe. Chests you find along the way can increase your health capacity or the number of items you can carry, including the amount of potions. In Faeland, there are no marked directions or places that precisely indicate where you need to go, which may not suit every player but contributes to the feeling of freedom and exploration within the game.

Combat Is Surprisingly Fun, But Debatable

Enemies are relatively easy to eliminate; some will react to your blows, while others won’t, meaning you’ll have to dodge them. You lose hearts if you fall into a pit or are hit by traps, like hidden arrows, while some enemies will inflict varying amounts of damage. If you die, you simply teleport back to your previous location or the spot where you last saved the game, which is where you lit a campfire. 

You will die often, but this isn’t necessarily bad as the game encourages finding different approaches before successfully completing a task. However, the hitbox can sometimes be a subject of discussion; occasionally, you’ll wonder how you missed someone or why your attack failed, even though you seemed close enough. Furthermore, some enemies stagger backward, meaning you have to close the distance again before attacking them, which I personally didn’t like. The combat is fun due to its simplicity, but it can be frustrating at certain moments.

The dungeons are remarkably well-designed, with diverse themes and their own puzzles to solve. For example, in one of them, you have to find three keys to unlock the path forward. I would dare to say that they carry the weight of the entire game. You will also encounter bosses here (there are only two in the current version), and each differs not only in their attack patterns but also in their very concept. 

Although the massive spider is, unfortunately, quite easy to defeat, I expected a greater challenge considering we practically kill it with a stick—the Kraken is extremely demanding and will take you several attempts before you successfully defeat it. You must sever its tentacles and try to hit its eye before it attempts to suck you into its mouth.

Conclusion

Faeland is still not a finished product and won’t be anytime soon. Although some might question why it would be worth buying the game now, there’s a possibility that the price will increase in the future. It is therefore reasonable to invest in the game now, which will certainly help the developers, and gradually return as new chapters are released. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I see no reason not to dive deeper into this game when the time comes, gradually returning to it after a break. Furthermore, unlike most similar games, Faeland offers a greater ability to customize your own character and lets you give him the name you want.

Personally, I would like to see certain additional elements in the game, such as a voice for the main protagonist when taking damage, falling from a height, or discovering something new. It would also be desirable to see more variety in the starting items and weapons we receive; we practically don’t see the bow and arrow throughout the entire playthrough, even though there’s a tutorial for that weapon. Furthermore, I would like the game to better reward thorough exploration, as constantly receiving the same item from chests can be demotivating, especially when you also constantly receive money. Conversely, acquiring money is extremely easy; a slightly bigger grind allows for the quick purchase of a cloak that significantly increases rewards.

The gameplay itself is quite competent, intriguing, and fun. The platforming is solid, though not flawless, as it requires some time to adapt and can feel a bit slow at certain moments. The quality of the game’s graphics should be particularly commended, as the experience would be significantly less exciting without them. Exploring areas encourages your activity; not everything is laid out on the canvas. For an Early Access title, Faeland will definitely win many hearts, and it will be interesting to see what else the developers at Talegames can cook up for us.

Review copy provided by the publisher