My Playtime: 7.7h (100% achievement, finished the game)

Ringlorn Saga is an action RPG game featuring Gerhard in his adventures of searching for his father. The game offers a vast world map with freedom in exploration, allowing you to explore wherever you want except the locked key areas.

Pros:
- A lot of optional areas to explore
- CRT filter that can be turned on/off

Cons:
- Bulky enemies prevent exploration
- Can be repetitive and grindy

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

No.
As much as I hate to say it, the bulky enemy and "high respawn rate" don't make the game too enjoyable for me.

---

Ringlorn Saga is displayed in pixelated visuals, similar to older games that were meant as its homage. You can use the CRT filter to make the game feels more old-school too. To be honest, I liked the CRT filter in this game. I'm usually not a fan of such filters since they make the game blurry, but somehow the composition for this game feels just right. It gives the game more depth rather than just a blur, and the blur is still decent enough to see and read everything perfectly.

Ringlorn Saga is not a game that has a story as its focus. There will be some cutscenes at the beginning and the end of the game, along with the ones after you beat every boss, but it's mostly used as a means to progress the game. That being said, you can play the game just fine if you don't pay attention to it, as long as you take note of the dungeons and the key items that you get.

Gameplay
Ringlorn Saga is played in a top-down view, similar to other pixelated action-adventure games. Characters have tile-based movement, and combat is simple. There is no attack button; you will automatically attack just by moving your tile to the enemy's.

Exploration is the main meat of the game. It offers a vast overworld map that you can explore, but with enemies that scale with your level roaming around the area, you're bound to get lost often if you try to kill them all. Getting killed will respawn you back to the town at the cost of losing some EXP. Sometimes, you will encounter a dungeon that will net you some items. Enemies don't scale within dungeons, but since they are confined in smaller places, you are bound to kill some of them if you don't want to wait too long until they move out of their way. Yes, it's possible to navigate your way and avoid these enemies if you wish.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2931838634

You can get some items, but the game won't explicitly tell you to do so. The best that the game will do is say that you need x item to move forward if it's blocking your progression, but the information about where to get the item will be obscured. You need to talk to everyone that you know and figure it out yourself. However, some optional items seem to have less information than they should. There is no information about where you can get the Rosary item that can be used to beat some enemies except that it's in a dungeon, and you can't get any hint or repeat the instruction on what you have to do to get the magic spells since the quest giver will say their standard NPC line whenever you talk to them again. I didn't manage to get the magic spell until I finished the game, and I had to get myself killed in a boss fight because I didn't have the Rosary item yet.

Enemies
I hate the fact that enemies automatically spawn once you move screens. The enemies that spawn are random, and since you might have to fight harder enemies, it can take time to beat everything since they have a bulky HP. You can avoid fighting them to save time, but since you get higher EXP if you beat harder enemies, you'll be left with two choices: will you avoid them and lose the EXP, which can allow you to level up and have an easier time in future dungeons? Or will you take your time to kill them to make sure you are not under-leveled? Getting under-leveled in this game isn't fun, especially since enemies, mostly in the end game, attack fast and hard. Being under-leveled means that you will take minutes just to kill them - and they usually come in numbers.

That being said, I find that the enemies are too bulky for their own good. I am level 25 by the end game, which I believe is over-leveled, especially since I can kill enemies with ease, even not taking damage if I wanted to. However, it still takes me ~4 hits to kill the hardest enemies, and there are usually more than 3 enemies spawned in a screen. It just kills the exploration time, making it easy to get lost. I'm the type of person who prefers to explore the map once the enemies are defeated, but I kept on going mindlessly and got lost whenever I played the game since it still takes me minutes to clear a screen.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2885820070

Despite its bulkiness, enemies are easy to kill. You can kill them in the same way and not take any damage as long as you are not under-leveled and prioritize magic-type enemies first. The only difference in them is how hard it is to see their front side, and how fast they are attacking.

Length and Difficulty
I actually finished the game in 5.8h. There is also a bonus game where you start as a slime monster, allowing you to morph into the enemy that you just killed. I liked the bonus game, particularly how confusing the dungeon layout is since the main game's dungeons are way too straightforward for my taste. The bonus game only lasted 0.6h for me, and I spent the rest of my playtime making a guide. As for the difficulty, you might get killed a few times in the beginning, especially if you don't know how the game works, but you'll get to it quickly.

Issues
I wish there is a way we can repeat the bard stories, which will give a hint for some optional areas in the world and a sidequest. It can be hard to track them in memory, especially since they speak too long, and for the bard case, they are told without context.

I actually liked Ringlorn Saga. I liked the overworld exploration and the freedom that you are given in exploring the world map. I had fun the first few minutes exploring them, although it soon fade once I leveled up more and found the world map full of enemies that take a long time to beat. Having fixed enemies in the world map would ease the exploration part a bit, allowing me to focus more on my exploration instead of combat, which feels too grindy and repetitive for my taste. In my opinion, some tweaks and a more natural progression would make the game to be more enjoyable, especially once the need to grind was reduced and the enemies are tweaked, either in numbers or health bars.

This game was reviewed with a key provided by the developer for free through Curator Connect.

Follow our curator page: IndieGems if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 7.7h (100% achievement, finished the game) [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]Ringlorn Saga[/b] is an action RPG game featuring Gerhard in his adventures of searching for his father. The game offers a vast world map with freedom in exploration, allowing you to explore wherever you want except the locked key areas. [b]Pros:[/b] - A lot of optional areas to explore - CRT filter that can be turned on/off [b]Cons:[/b] - Bulky enemies prevent exploration - Can be repetitive and grindy [b]Specs[/b] Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 [h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1] [b]No.[/b] [i]As much as I hate to say it, the bulky enemy and "high respawn rate" don't make the game too enjoyable for me.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] [b]Ringlorn Saga[/b] is displayed in pixelated visuals, similar to older games that were meant as its homage. You can use the CRT filter to make the game feels more old-school too. To be honest, I liked the CRT filter in this game. I'm usually not a fan of such filters since they make the game blurry, but somehow the composition for this game feels just right. It gives the game more depth rather than just a blur, and the blur is still decent enough to see and read everything perfectly. [h3]Story[/h3] [b]Ringlorn Saga[/b] is not a game that has a story as its focus. There will be some cutscenes at the beginning and the end of the game, along with the ones after you beat every boss, but it's mostly used as a means to progress the game. That being said, you can play the game just fine if you don't pay attention to it, as long as you take note of the dungeons and the key items that you get. [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] [b]Ringlorn Saga[/b] is played in a top-down view, similar to other pixelated action-adventure games. Characters have tile-based movement, and combat is simple. There is no attack button; you will automatically attack just by moving your tile to the enemy's. Exploration is the main meat of the game. It offers a vast overworld map that you can explore, but with enemies that scale with your level roaming around the area, you're bound to get lost often if you try to kill them all. Getting killed will respawn you back to the town at the cost of losing some EXP. Sometimes, you will encounter a dungeon that will net you some items. Enemies don't scale within dungeons, but since they are confined in smaller places, you are bound to kill some of them if you don't want to wait too long until they move out of their way. Yes, it's possible to navigate your way and avoid these enemies if you wish. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2931838634 You can get some items, but the game won't explicitly tell you to do so. The best that the game will do is say that you need x item to move forward if it's blocking your progression, but the information about where to get the item will be obscured. You need to talk to everyone that you know and figure it out yourself. However, some optional items seem to have less information than they should. There is no information about where you can get the Rosary item that can be used to beat some enemies except that it's in a dungeon, and you can't get any hint or repeat the instruction on what you have to do to get the magic spells since the quest giver will say their standard NPC line whenever you talk to them again. I didn't manage to get the magic spell until I finished the game, and I had to get myself killed in a boss fight because I didn't have the Rosary item yet. [b]Enemies[/b] I hate the fact that enemies automatically spawn once you move screens. The enemies that spawn are random, and since you might have to fight harder enemies, it can take time to beat everything since they have a bulky HP. You can avoid fighting them to save time, but since you get higher EXP if you beat harder enemies, you'll be left with two choices: will you avoid them and lose the EXP, which can allow you to level up and have an easier time in future dungeons? Or will you take your time to kill them to make sure you are not under-leveled? Getting under-leveled in this game isn't fun, especially since enemies, mostly in the end game, attack fast and hard. Being under-leveled means that you will take minutes just to kill them - and they usually come in numbers. That being said, I find that the enemies are too bulky for their own good. I am level 25 by the end game, which I believe is over-leveled, especially since I can kill enemies with ease, even not taking damage if I wanted to. However, it still takes me ~4 hits to kill the hardest enemies, and there are usually more than 3 enemies spawned in a screen. It just kills the exploration time, making it easy to get lost. I'm the type of person who prefers to explore the map once the enemies are defeated, but I kept on going mindlessly and got lost whenever I played the game since it still takes me minutes to clear a screen. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2885820070 Despite its bulkiness, enemies are easy to kill. You can kill them in the same way and not take any damage as long as you are not under-leveled and prioritize magic-type enemies first. The only difference in them is how hard it is to see their front side, and how fast they are attacking. [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I actually finished the game in 5.8h. There is also a bonus game where you start as a slime monster, allowing you to morph into the enemy that you just killed. I liked the bonus game, particularly how confusing the dungeon layout is since the main game's dungeons are way too straightforward for my taste. The bonus game only lasted 0.6h for me, and I spent the rest of my playtime making a guide. As for the difficulty, you might get killed a few times in the beginning, especially if you don't know how the game works, but you'll get to it quickly. [b]Issues[/b] I wish there is a way we can repeat the bard stories, which will give a hint for some optional areas in the world and a sidequest. It can be hard to track them in memory, especially since they speak too long, and for the bard case, they are told without context. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] I actually liked [b]Ringlorn Saga[/b]. I liked the overworld exploration and the freedom that you are given in exploring the world map. I had fun the first few minutes exploring them, although it soon fade once I leveled up more and found the world map full of enemies that take a long time to beat. Having fixed enemies in the world map would ease the exploration part a bit, allowing me to focus more on my exploration instead of combat, which feels too grindy and repetitive for my taste. In my opinion, some tweaks and a more natural progression would make the game to be more enjoyable, especially once the need to grind was reduced and the enemies are tweaked, either in numbers or health bars. [quote]This game was reviewed with a key provided by the developer for free through Curator Connect.[/quote] [quote]Follow our curator page: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/quote]