“A narrative inside a narrative” is how the Blossom Tales sequence is described. Identical to within the first sport, the story in Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince is definitely narrated by Lily (the primary character) and her brother Chrys’ Grandpa. It tells the story of the aforementioned Lily, on a journey to rescue her brother from the Minotaur King. He’s influencing younger Chrys within the hope that he’ll develop into the Minotaur Prince, and he’s naively following alongside, considering his sister is the dangerous man in all of this. It’s a easy premise that does an honest job in setting you up for the journey forward. The story and the best way it’s introduced are one of many few distinctive components to the sport.
When you performed the unique Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, you’d know proper from the off that it took a whole lot of inspiration from The Legend of Zelda sequence. Extra so A Hyperlink to the Previous and handheld titles such because the Oracle video games or The Minish Cap. The Minotaur Prince isn’t any completely different and it feels proper at residence on Nintendo’s present handheld system. When you haven’t performed the primary sport, fret not, you don’t have to have performed it earlier than this one. There are moments the place the occasions of the primary sport are referenced and talked about, however it’s so minor that it makes completely no distinction to the expertise.
As soon as you are taking management, you end up within the midst of a carnival in Blossomdale, competing in numerous enjoyable carnival video games that act as tutorials. You then enter a event that teaches you how you can use your sword and protect. It’s throughout this part that you’ll realise – in case you hadn’t already – simply how comparable that is to Hyperlink’s top-down adventures.
All through the course of the sport, Grandpa, Chrys and Lily typically interject to debate present happenings within the sport. Chrys and Lily typically need two separate issues to happen, for instance when encountering enemies (not on a regular basis, simply in very particular circumstances) and one needs it to be wolves and the opposite needs it to be slugs, so Grandpa offers the participant a selection between these two issues, and it then modifications in entrance of your eyes. In rarer circumstances, you get the choice between two issues that final for all the sport, the primary instance of this being the instrument you carry with you, it could possibly both be a guitar or an accordion. You may also select between completely different sword strategies to study. Primarily, there are not any modifications that may have an effect on something drastically, however it’s a nice mechanic that makes the participant really feel as if they’ve a direct say in the best way some components of the story ought to play out.
The gear and gadgets you acquire throughout the journey are lifted straight from a Zelda title. We’ve the bow and arrow, lantern, hookshot and bombs to call just some. There is just one single merchandise right here that isn’t from Hyperlink’s adventures – I gained’t point out what it’s, because it was a pleasant shock. Every of them works in the very same means, too. For instance, you will note many partitions which have cracks that may be destroyed with bombs and you may shoot by means of fireplace to gentle far-off torches. They’re mechanics which are enjoyable and that clearly work – they’ve for 30 years – there’s simply little or no originality and you are feeling like you realize what’s coming earlier than it has occurred.
Objects in Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince require power so as to use them – consider the magic meter in A Hyperlink to the Previous, however one which routinely regenerates itself. Due to this fact, you don’t should be gathering provides similar to arrows for the bow as you make your means round. This is usually a good and dangerous factor, relying in your preferences. On one hand, it means you by no means run out of something, so you’re at all times outfitted for something in your path. Then again, it could possibly make some fights very straightforward as you have got overpowered gadgets similar to bombs to hit giant crowds of enemies, and you should use them again and again with solely a small break after just a few bombs.
In case you are someone who likes a whole lot of collectables in your video games, then you definitely’ll be thrilled to know that there are loads in Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince. To start with, you have got frequent pickups that you simply use for crafting new potions, or trade-in to get different helpful issues, similar to coronary heart containers and power items. These are available an entire raft of sorts similar to flowers, fruit, and fish. Once I completed my playthrough, I had a complete of 45 differing types in my gadgets record. As talked about above, there are additionally potions so that you can make – 10 of them to be actual – starting from well being potions to those who act like fairies in Zelda which regenerate your well being after you fall in battle. You first should study the recipes so as to have the ability to craft them, just one is important for beating the sport, nonetheless.
Subsequent you have got sidequest collectables, similar to Honeycomb items and Previous Bones. As one would think about, when you accumulate all of those and take them to the related particular person, you’ll obtain a non-essential merchandise that may aid you out in your journey, however one which completionists will wish to have for certain. Lastly, there are 24 statues littered across the map that you could supply fruit to so as to activate them.
The dungeon designs listed here are one of many robust factors and you would simply envision a few of these in an precise Zelda sport and it wouldn’t make the expertise any weaker – they are surely that good. They aren’t the longest dungeons, however I feel this helps them in some methods. It might have been straightforward for the developer to extend the dimensions and period of the dungeons and to repeat a few of the concepts and puzzles to do that. Because of this if you deal with the puzzles, for instance, all of them really feel genuinely satisfying as soon as you’re employed out the answer and don’t really feel like you’re simply repeating the identical factor again and again.
The issue feels well-balanced on the entire however can veer extra on the better facet on events. I solely died as soon as throughout all the sport and that was early on after I had only a few hearts. When you begin gaining coronary heart containers, it will get more durable and more durable to perish. Boss battles are often tense affairs at first however can typically be crushed purely by slashing at it with out worrying about your well being. The primary problem that I discovered throughout my time with the sport was really because of the map and remembering the place every part is. The map doesn’t replace itself aside from filling within the sq. / tile as you get to it and there isn’t any sort of stamp system. Usually you’ll come throughout one thing within the overworld which you realize you want a sure merchandise for, so you realize you could come again later for it. When you don’t write that down on a chunk of paper or preserve a document someplace, you will have a tough time discovering it once more.
The worst factor I can say about Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince, is that there are only a few of the developer’s personal concepts in all the sport. On the flip facet of that, you would argue that as a result of it’s taking its inspiration from one of many biggest franchises of all time – and does an excellent job of replicating it – the standard of the sport may be very excessive. At no level throughout my whole playthrough, did I wish to cease enjoying or really feel like I needed the sport to finish. The journey was enjoyable from starting to finish.
Model Examined: Nintendo Swap
Evaluate copy supplied by Playtonic Associates