The developer of this game was kind enough to provide me a preview copy of the game and also encouraged me to play this game with my 9 year old daughter. At the time of the writing of this review we are about 4 hours into the game and we absolutely love it!

The tale being told throughout this game is rich and deep with a 'Bedtime Story' feel to it which quickly captivates an audience. I confess that at first I let my daughter take the lead while I watched over her shoulder but soon found myself getting caught up in the story and we were soon taking turns at the keyboard as the story continued to develop.

While the game is mostly linear, with clear but gentle prods to keep you on track, you are still challenged to put on your thinking cap and utilize your problem solving skills. At one time I thought we were never going to find our way out of the Spirit World as the scope of it seemed endless but there was an extreme sense of satisfaction when we did!

The voice over work is fantastic. Hearing Sydney's talk instantly allowed my daughter to identify and relate to her character. While I knew that the developer's real life daughter had made that contribution to the game I was surprised to find even more voice over work from some of the NPCs which further added humor & diversity to the characters. This was a refreshing change that I have yet to see from many of the other RPGMaker titles that are out there.

The combat system is straight forward but my daughter learned the hard lesson of what happens when you don't save often as her first solo battle did not go well and we had to go back a fair bit and replay a good chunk. She now is in the habit of saving after every single significant gain or achievement. We have also settled on her doing the bulk of the exploring and NPC interaction while I handle the combat. I don't know if it is a bug, or a lesson in precision, but I find as your cycle through your party's combat actions that one misplaced keystroke can cause you to skip over a characters turn resulting in no action which can be costly in some of these battles which are tough! (currently battling the hordes of zombies!)

In having spoken with the developer and from I have seen in this game so far it is easy to tell that the time & effort put into the creation of this game was a real labor of love. It is good, clean, wholesome family fun that I would recommend to anyone, particularly to those with young children who love good stories. The price of the game is super reasonable and the bonding moments that it is creating for my daughter and I make it so much more valuable.

My daughter is standing here now, waiting patiently for me to finish the review so that we can continue our journey with Sydney & Snowball and see how the story ends. :)

I tip my hat to the developer! You have created something very special here. Thank you! We need more people just like you!

Bravo! 10/10

If you have the patience to put up with a gameplay made out of sheer trial and error, then Sydney’s World can offer you one of the cutest, most charming tales ever put on Steam.

On the surface, Sydney’s World seems like a clichéd fantasy story about a brave little girl trying to save her dad from an evil wizard. However, upon closer inspection, we see a tale full of imagination, a large cast of fun characters (although we rotate them out a bit too fast), exciting adventure, adorable voice acting, wonderful music, some morals about the world, and everything else you need for what this game really is: the perfect bedtime story.

If Sydney’s World only had those ingredients, it could have been a perfect visual novel. Alas, it had the urge to include standard RPG Maker gameplay, only with terrible design choices: trial-and-error mazes and death traps, puzzles where the solutions are more like blind guesses, and one of the most unpredictable and random combat systems I ever met.
It will take a special kind of patience to face these challenges, but those who persist through the game’s many levels can find an enchantingly cute journey that will leave them all warm and fuzzy inside.

I found this RPG quite enjoyable. Sydney's World revolves around the adventures of a young girl who is transported to a different world where she finds she can do magic and her toy elf becomes a real elf. There's some voice acting and mainly from a real little girl, actually named Sydney, eight and a half years of age. She does an exceptional job. The main villain on the other hand..... ugh. I'll forgive that though because I love Sydney and the game is chock-full of great music and lovely art.

A few things you should be aware of. There are no random battles and no way to power level. You DO level up and gain new abilities and higher stats but almost all battles are part of the story. Some dungeons or hazardous areas have creatures that you can see and choose to come in contact with for a few extra battles. This RPG is more about experiencing the story than fighting. Though there ARE some tough battles so you'll need to figure out what your skills do and come up with strategies. You can save whenever you please so just make sure to do that often and you'll be fine.

There's probably a lot more I could say about the game but I think I'll keep this review on the shorter side. In closing, I REALLY liked Sydney's World and I give it two thumbs up.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS?

- Fathers of young daughters
- old school JRPG fans
- People who use RPG Maker and want to support their community
- People who want to see what you can do with RPG Maker VX ACE - It's cheaper than buying the full RPG Maker software, and quicker than learning how to use the RPG Maker demo.

WHO SHOULDN'T BUY THIS?

- People expecting an RPG like Skyrim. This is an old school RPG, not an action game with skill trees.
- People who are unforgiving of new devs.
- People who hate cuteness, specifically puppies.

REVIEW

This is the first time I've ever written a review before I have finished the game. Well, I should say 'we' - I'm playing through with my youngest daughter.

One of the things that I really like about this game is that the dev is approachable and very friendly. Call me old-fashioned, but that goes a long way in this day and age. He posts gametips in the Steam forums. Contrast and compare to AAA companies, who often don't even come here.

Some people say that this game has mismatching art styles: These people have missed the point. According to my daughter - who might I point out, is actually in the target demographic - the art is PERFECT, and explains everything you need to know about the characters before they even speak.

That's another thing, this has voice acting. And it's pretty damn good when compared to AAA titles. And the vocal direction is spot on, seriously some of the best I've ever seen.

As for the game itself? It was clearly a labour of love for the dev, and I suspect that he would not have released it were he not a father.

It's a cute little RPG Maker game. The dev doesn't always use the graphics in the way that we are accustomed to seeing them used, but he is clearly a very creative person. He is not afraid to turn convention on its head, and he doesn't hold your hand throughout the puzzles.

CONLCUSION.

I 100% think that you should buy this game because it's worth the money and the time, and I would be very proud of myself if I had made and released a game for my daughter: without being morbid, I think the dev has achieved a kind of immortality here, if you take my meaning.

(As I play through the game, I will adjust my review accordingly, adding more specific information.)

Sydney's World pixel graphic JRPG. To make this game developer used RPGmaker, anyway this game looks very good and have a potential.
The story same like a other similar games, but enough interesting. The game is mostly linear, but still can be enjoyable,challenging and bring for you some good hours. The cutscenes and art looks very nice. The biggest feature in a game i think its a music and the voices. Music is nice, and yes this game have voice to! Not all character got this, but this feature still a bit unusual for this game style. This is nice refresh for this game genre.
Also the other interesting feature of this game is a family friendly style. In this game you don't found a blood or any thing what can damage a children emotional world, so this game can play even a little child's.

So my verdict

+new bright in this game genre
+family friendly
+nice voices and music
+nice art
+steam trading cards

-no steam achievements

So i think this game is enough interesting, bringing the new bright to this game genre. If you like style or want buy some interesting game what can play even you little children, you should try this one.

Sydney's World is an 16-bit JRPG where you're going to play as a young girl seeking her father and a king in search of redemption.

The character is easy to control using keyboard.

The graphics are comic style and full of colours and animations are normal for a game of these characteristics.

At the first moment the game introduces you in all the aspects using some hints and tips explained by a little dog that you find in the scenario.

The map is not complex but i miss the little map of the area in the corner of the screen.

During the game I've only found some healing potions hidden in some places but nothing else. I don't improve my skills or raise my level and I haven't been able to find new equipment so it seems there is no inventory management or traits/abilities/skill point.

The game is very linear and there's no side-quest, but it's well written and its story seems long enough to give you some hours of entertainment.

Music ans sound are quite good. Sydney and villains are very well voice-acted. This fact surprise me in a positive way because i've never heard voices in a game of this kind.

Also the other interesting feature of this game is its family friendly style. There is no blood or violence, there are combats and battles but they dont'show anything so it's a good to choice to introduce young players in RPGs.

The game has no achievements but drops five trading cards.

Good choice if you like Japanese style role games

PS: Thanks to Shade00

Published by: Wise Dad Games
Developed by: Wise Dad Games
Genre: RPG, Fantasy
Release Date: 2 Feb, 2016
Time to complete: 12 hours

Sydney’s World is a family-friendly RPG game where you follow the intersecting adventures of a cheeky young girl, Sydney, and a King. The story is full of moral lessons, educational content (for the younger players) and engaging characters.

In Sydney’s World, you play as two main characters who embark on two differing quests; Sydney, who is trying to find her father, and the King who is seeking redemption. The protagonists show real character progression as the game goes on, learning important life lessons as they venture further in their expeditions. As the characters continue their journeys, they come across different villains that they must fight in order to proceed.
Sydney and the King have other characters following them throughout their journey that contribute in the battles and support the main characters, all of which have different abilities. The main characters (notably Sydney and Snowball) are not only humorous, but also have really sweet personalities that will definitely appeal to children.

Sydney’s World is a fantastic introduction to the RPG genre. The game starts off fairly easy, and increases in difficulty the further you get into the game. As the combat difficulty increases, you have to be more strategic about the fights, whereas at the start it is very simple.
For parents: Another point to mention in this category is the reading. Though the vast majority of the game contains language that is easy to understand, I would recommend accompanying your child during the game to help out with the more complicated words. It is however still easy enough to understand with the character’s facial cues accompanying the text.

The game is very linear (there are no side quests) and starts off very simple. As the game progresses, you must use problem solving and a bit of trial-and-error to advance to the next stage of the game.
There are philosophical quotes that can be found throughout the game, which are a nice touch for the older audience, especially those that are playing alongside their children.
The controls are very simplistic; only a keyboard is needed.

Not all characters in the game are voice-acted. This is, as I quote from the Developer, ‘’to enhance engagement’’, and ‘’to promote reading’’. I think this is a really nice addition.
The voice acting is done really well, and fits in well with the character that is being portrayed.
The music throughout the game is pleasant, and also varies depending on the chapter/scene, helping to encapsulate the mood and surroundings.

The game is a story, and thus doesn’t have any real replay value. Despite this, it is quite long (it goes for roughly 12 hours), which is amazing value for the low price of the game.

Sydney’s World has fantastic life lessons demonstrated throughout. There’s a strong emphasis on wise decision making (with multiple choice questions), morals, the importance of friendship and learning manners and respect. You can see the characters growing in these areas as the game goes on.
It’s also a great opportunity to expand your child’s vocabulary by playing it through with them.
I recommend checking out the Sydney’s World website for those interested in finding out more about the educational value of the game; I found it really interesting.

I started playing Sydney’s World with the assumption I wouldn’t like it. I’m not a fan of the genre or the art style, and I thought it wouldn’t appeal to an older audience. But alas, I fell in love and it captivated me for many hours.
Sydney’s World has perfectly combined education, a rich story, important values and entertainment, all the while making it safe for a younger audience. The game contains no profanity, and I’m very impressed with how they managed to incorporate fight scenes into the game without it being frightening or containing any gore.
The game is beautifully made and it is clear that Sydney’s World is a product of the Developer’s hard work and passion.

Sydney's World is a game that caught my attention when he entered in greenlight
an interesting JRPG with a great story, many great characters.
personally I love RPG games.
however many of today's RPGs are boring .....
same type of story
same gameplay
all repeated
but Sydney 's World was more than that ....
had a great story, many great sound effects and very creative.
I would say this was the best RPG I've played this year
then I say if you are looking for a great RPG I recommend Sydney's World
and the game still gets updates from players requests ^~^
thanks for this great game and continue creating great stories.

I have very mixed feeling writing review for Sydney's World. As educational game (also called DGBL/Digital Game Based Learning by the developer), it lean on good side. But as RPGMaker game, unfortunately it doesn't lean on good side even considering the developer primarily target younger audience. Valve really should let game owner choose "Neutral" or "Informational" when curators already given "Informational" option.

Overall the story is great, while considering it primarily target younger audience. It has some good moral message, choice which could invoke critical thinking and some fun cast/character. But for older audience, you might find the story/character is shallow/not deep enough. Even though the developer attempt to mitigate that by including selected philosophy quote/text on bookshelf, personally i find it's boring. If you're looking for something casual with teen/all ages age rating which could spark one's curiosity about philosophy, you might want to check Girls Last Tour (anime/TV series version) instead.

Unfortunately the story has few serious flaws. The beginning part of story is weakest part where the pacing is very fast, many character shown with little introduction and there's no room for breathe needed by player to figure what's going on. While it gets better latter, i find there are so many characters with little appearance time. Even for child story, IMO fewer character with more appearance time would be better option.

While many RPGMaker game (even few RPGMaker game which cost higher than 5 USD) suffer from mediocre combat where decent amount of grinding is required and player only spam attack/skill with biggest MP cost, fortunately Sydney's World does better than that. Some strategy is needed to win in a fight where it's not hard to find optimal strategy. Grinding is optional and there's no random encounter, although i find combat on last part of story/area is rather difficult since i always try to avoid combat. Character on your party sometimes changes following flow the story. While it add variant to gameplay and strategy planning to keep you engaged, unfortunately some character has very low level when they join the party which makes that character die quickly in combat.

Aside from combat, there's fair amount of puzzle and maze. The difficulty is just what i expected from RPGMaker game, but many of them require trial-and-error which isn't really fun. Halfway the game, the maze become more difficult. While the game let you skip maze by then, i expect younger and impatient player would feel frustrated if they decide not to skip the maze.

The game offer so many tutorial/advice without shoving it to player face, which can be found through interacting with the puppy. RPGMaker veteran wouldn't value it much, but IMO it's very helpful for everyone else especially those who're not familiar with RPG game. But on the other hand, this game lack auto-save feature which is very odd choice considering some choice you made could lead to sudden game over or teleport you to entry/spawn point of a level.

Overall the visual is mediocre, where it use generic/stock-looking asset. Although i have no problem with mismatch artstyle. The game CG is nice though.

This game surprise me since voice acting is rarely used feature on RPGMaker game, even for top-rated or popular RPGMaker I've played so far. The voice acting for Sydney (the main character) is great and greatly enhance story immersion. But voice acting for other characters is mixed bags which varied from improving immersion, just exist or even break the immersion. As for soundtrack and sound effect, i find it's mediocre. But it's probably because i have expectation RPGMaker game should have great soundtrack/SFX.

Sydney's World is great educational game. It manages to escape major pitfall/flaws which usually exist on educational game, such as gaining player interest first. However as RPGMaker game, it has few major flaws which ultimately made me choose not to recommend this game. Unless you're parent looking for fun-and-educational game or huge RPGMaker enthusiast, you should look for different game.

Before writing this review, i checked developers website and read few article about educational game. Take note few links are also mentioned on developer's website. If you seriously consider buying this game, these link dump might be helpful for you.

• Developer's website which can be accessed by clicking "Visit the website" on this game's store page.
  
• https://districtadministration.com/reading-as-an-adventure/
  
• https://web.archive.org/web/20191214113551/https://www.njea.org/digital-game-based-learning-enhances-literacy/
  
• https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-08-09-how-video-games-can-teach-reading-just-as-well-as-books
  
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yhTiVbKpP8fapz1Gjldbwgcz18wYoUor/view
  
• https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/113783/how-do-i-make-educational-games-engaging-not-boring

This game is great! Developer has put so much into it with voices and story that you can ignore RPGmaker-style gameplay if you are not freak for old school games. Even tho I had the game, I bought one for my little cousin so I can support this Developer. Great job!

10/10