Bump 'em Dead: A Ringlorn Saga Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Retro-themed RPGs are rather common in today's gaming scene, but it's not too often when one chooses to emulate games that have a checkered history as far as the internet is concerned. Ringlorn Saga is an Action RPG that plays in a fashion similar to classic NEC PC-8801 games like Hydlide and Ys. Hydlide in particular has garnered a mostly negative reputation ever since gaming YouTube got a hold of it, and it's worth mentioning now that Ringlorn Saga arguably plays the most like that game in particular. This 8-Bit inspired game is developed by Graverobber Foundation, and published by Upscale Studio. It previously released on PC via Steam, and it's now available on the Nintendo Switch. We're going to be taking a look at that Switch release today, and figure out if that Hydlide-inspired formula actually works well in the modern era. There's a lot to go over in this one, so let's just get straight to the review!

Ringlorn Saga places you into the role of Prince Gerhard, the eldest son of King Wilhelm. The King and his sons lived rather uneventful lives until one day they noticed that the friendly neighboring kingdom has suddenly become blocked off by way of a magic barrier. Anyone who goes beyond the barrier is never seen again, and it's said that the only way to dispel it is to kill the one who put it up in the first place. Wilhelm resolves to bring down the barrier himself, and sets out with several knights in tow. Unfortunately for his own kingdom, he never returns from this expedition. It's at this point that Gerhard chooses to go after him, and he leaves his brother Hector to rule the kingdom if neither of he nor their father returns. Danger lies around every corner, and Gerhard is immediately attacked as soon as he crossed the barrier. Left for dead, he is rescued by the people of a nearby town. He's nursed back to health, and sets out to uncover the mystery of what happened to his father, as well as find out who is behind the magic barrier.

The story is a rather simple one, but I appreciate the handful of twists it throws at the player. I didn't mention this earlier, but the entire game is being told to Gerhard's daughter by a bard that Gerhard meets on his adventure. This character spends most of his time drinking and singing in the town's sole tavern, and he instantly became my favorite character in the entire game. There isn't a whole lot more to the story until the very end, though the main quests do provide more insight into the game's world and its inhabitants. The starting village is the only one that stands fully occupied, and you soon learn all there is to know about the terrors that plague them. You also find hints regarding King Wilhelm's presence, but I'll leave that for players to discover on their own. Basic story or not, there's a dark tone to the game that you don't usually find in RPGs like this. Entire towns have wiped out by hordes of monsters and undead, and those mobs still wander about freely. Not only that, but you'll come across several survivors who help Gerhard out of obligation, but simply want to be left to die in peace. It's a surprisingly grim tale, but the tonal shifts do make the game stand out more than it probably would have otherwise. Ringlorn Saga doesn't have a story that rivals the RPG greats, but I do think it stands on par with some of the games it's trying to emulate. On that note, I think it's time to move the discussion over to gameplay.

Discussing Ringlorn Saga's gameplay is quite difficult, as it sounds really odd outside of the context of the game. We're going to tackle combat first, since that's what you'll be doing the most. Those who have played Ys or Hydlide are probably familiar with "bump attack" mechanics, which are a form of attack that takes place when you simply walk into an enemy. You can often take the enemy unaware, but you can just as often be subject to an enemy's attack as well. That's how combat works here, so don't expect to be swinging a sword. Gerhard has to combat stances: Attack and Defense. Defending means you deal less damage but are more resistant to enemy attacks, and Attacking is the opposite of that. Attacking also means you have your sword drawn in-game, and most NPCs won't talk to you unless you're in the defensive stance. No matter your stance, attacks are only as powerful as your Power (PWR) Meter dictates. It fills up quickly, but it goes to zero after each attack. This makes it so that thought has to be put into each attack, as rapidly striking an enemy is ineffective. That's not it either, as there are also three types of attacks that you can switch between as well. These are Stab, Slash, and Bash, with each causing different amount of damage depending on the enemy that you're facing. The game drops some hints as to what monsters are most susceptible to which attacks, but you'll mostly have to figure that out by way of trial and error early on. Defeating monsters grants you experience, and levelling up makes you stronger. Losing all your health doesn't mean a Game Over though, as you're instead taken back to the house you started in, and the only penalty to dying is the loss of some experience points.

Ringlorn Saga's combat system manages to be both complicated and easy to learn at the same time. I just laid out all you need to know in the last section, though getting that to work in-game requires a lot of hands on learning too. It also doesn't help that Gerhard starts out very weak, and you'll most likely stay in the Defense stance until you hit his second or third level. During this time you'll learn the ins and outs of attacking, and also the quirks of how to best take advantage of an enemy's movement. Some enemies move faster than others, but they're almost always vulnerable right after they've taken a step. You'll quickly learn to hit them and run away before they move again, and you'll eventually graduate to learning which attacks you can rely on most, and which enemies should be taken out first. Things get more complicated as the mobs grow bigger, as you'll find yourself switching back and forth constantly between stances and attacks. Since just about all monsters will take some damage from even the attacks their strong against, it sometimes might be easier to just go ham on everything with a single attack and hope for the best. It's best to get the hang of the core mechanics as soon as you can, as the difficulty scales with each level you gain. Though you'll be better equipped to deal with most enemies by the mid-point of the game, this is also when overworld mobs will start tossing in some of the game's strongest enemies. Since enemies constantly respawn, you'll eventually face a never-ending wave of monsters that it sometimes makes more sense to simply move past than fight. That's probably the best advice I can give, as learning when to ignore enemies is as important as knowing how to take them out.

There's more to Ringlorn Saga than just fighting of course, so let's cover some of the other aspects of the game. Like many other classics of the 8-Bit era, exploration in Ringlorn Saga is mostly open world beyond certain areas being blocked off by way of items you have to find in order to progress. There are also caves and dungeons to explore, though you'll want to avoid these in the early sections of the game. Exploring caves and dungeons is also a bit tricky, since these areas start out completely dark. You do gain access to a lantern early on, but it only helps out slightly. There are plenty of items to collect besides that lantern, though there really isn't an inventory system in the game. Most items are used automatically as needed, with little player input involved. This extends to equipment too, as more powerful weapons and armor simply replace weaker ones. On a slightly interesting note, gold isn't obtained by defeating enemies, and there actually is only a finite amount of it in the game. This doesn't really matter much since buying items isn't really a mechanic used here, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. There's also an entire magic system that opens up to the player, but it's probably a bit too complicated to explain here. Suffice it to say that you gain magic by completing an in-game quest, and you acquire more spells by "growing stronger". (Read: levelling up) You can go through much of the game without using magic, though you'll have a much easier time if you learn when to best apply it. And that pretty much covers the last bits of gameplay.

I personally had a blast playing through Ringlorn Saga, but even I have to admit that it's a bit rough around the edges. It's more than likely that your first 30-60 minutes of playing will be filled with frustration and annoyance, but I assure you that there is fun to be had once you get over that initial hurdle. The problem is that I'm not exactly sure that many will have the level of patience required to get to the point where the game truly becomes fun. Ringlorn Saga does do a decent job of explaining its gameplay quirks early on, but I honestly think that it was my prior experience with both Hydlide and Ys that readied me for what was to come. Players without that frame of reference will most likely rage quit long before things get interesting, as even I was tempted to do so once or twice. I obviously had a review to write, but I also knew that the game would get easier once I managed to get Gerhard to a better fighting state. This is a wonderful game that wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and it's not often that one sees a title succeed in capturing the essence of the games that it’s inspired by. I know that a lot of the game's charm would be lost if things were made too easy or dumbed down, but I also can't help but feel that it would've made the game far more accessible to those who didn't grow up playing games like this.

I don't really have a lot to say regarding Ringlorn Saga's graphics and music, so I'll cover them both right now. I'll be the first to admit that the look and feel of Ringlorn Saga is something of an acquired taste, but I think it looks great for what it is. It may not be as detailed and colorful as some of the more famous NES/Famicom ports of the Hydlide and Ys games, but there's no denying that the NEC PC-8801 vibes are alive and well here. Having said that, I do have to point out that there are countless retro-themed games out there with better pixel-based graphics. When I say that this game looks like a lost 8-Bit game, I mean that in both positive and negative terms. Stepping away from the visuals a bit, I found that the music leaves a lot to be desired. I'm actually very disappointed by this game's soundtrack, as I was expecting the music to match what can be found in other classics of the era. I know this isn't going to get a Yuzo Koshiro score, but the music here just doesn't sound all that good. There are a couple decent tunes here and there, but most are forgettable, and I grew to dislike the main overworld theme in particular. It's not a deal breaker by any means, but it makes for an uneven experience when coupled with the graphics. I have to commend the developers for sticking to their guns as far as presentation goes, but it's the one aspect of the game that I feel should've had a bit more of a modern touch.

Minor gripes aside, I loved every minute I put into Ringlorn Saga, and I give it the fullest of recommendations. It may be a bit too out there for casual Action RPG fans, but those who have fond memories of Hydlide and Ys will find plenty to enjoy here. Not only is the game fun and rewarding, but you can even pick it up for a very reasonable $9.99. The Nintendo Switch might be on its way out, but I love the idea of playing it on Nintendo's hybrid console. You can also pick it up for Steam, though I wasn't able to try out that version for this review. This game has been on my radar since its PC release, and I'm glad I finally got a chance to play it. I hope that Graverobber Foundation puts out more games like it, and I look forward to reviewing those in the future too. I do suggest they work a bit more on the soundtrack the next time around, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. See you in the next one!

Check Out Ringlorn Saga on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ringlorn-saga-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: A-
Graphics: A-
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ A great homage to the Action RPGs that have went on to define the genre. This is a cut above most other retro-themed spiritual successor titles out there.
+ The combat system takes some getting used to, but it helps keep the game interesting to the very end.
+ Not only is the plot surprisingly deep for a game like this, but there's also a lot of humor in the writing that I wasn't expecting.
+ Though purposely difficult at times, the challenge is balanced enough to still be entertaining too.
+ The graphics very authentic to the time period they're trying to emulate, with some great monster designs too.
+ Priced very affordably for the quality, and amount, of content on offer.

+/- Proves that the Hydlide formula could've worked with a bit more polish!

Cons:
- The opening sections of the game feel like a trial by fire. You'll more than likely die a couple of times before you truly grasp what the game expects of you.
- The open-ended nature of exploration means that you're pretty much wandering around randomly looking for things to do. This is the one retro gaming mechanic that I wish wasn't included.
- I personally feel like the music didn't live up to the rest of the game's presentation. There are some good tracks, but most of them were forgettable.
- Though not a short game, it doesn't really invite much replayability once you've cleared it. There aren't even multiple save files to go at the game in different runs.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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