January '19 Play Log II

I feel bad giving this game a thumbs down, but I just can't recommend it. The proceeds go to a good cause so if you want to support that by all means get it, but don't expect the game to be worth the money.

Pros:

• Great soundtrack
• The simple and cutesy graphics are quite fitting
• Supports a good cause

Cons:

• Poor voice acting
• The fighting is still not great - some enemies seem to hit you even if you're standing beside them, others rarely hit you if you stand still right in front of them
• The fighting is overly simplistic - making this more challenging/interesting would have been better. As it is you have your main attack, dodge, and a secondary magic-type attack that seems to kill most non-boss enemies in one hit.
• Both the fighting and the puzzles are for the most part very easy, there was never any challenge thus no feeling of achievement on succeeding.
• Dying doesn't seem to matter. Don't get me wrong, having to restart a level every time you die would be frustrating, but there's no 'oh no I died' feeling. You just pick up where you left off - killed enemies are still dead, whatever you were fighting is back to full health. Taking Zelda Majora's Mask as a random example, Link generally had some sort of groan/sound effect, there was sad music, and the camera zoomed in on him as he died, and you restart at the begining of a small area. This just restarts where you left off.
• You're never invested in the story (perhaps that would be different if you were personally affected by cancer). At the beginning you're told there's a celebration (a celebration of what?) and oh no cancer has attacked, now you have to save the village (there's a village?). Having the game start during the celebration in the village, allowing you to see even a small square and talk to people to find out more about the village, it's history, and what the celebration is likely would have made me much more invested in saving it.
• It felt a little to cliched (is that the right word?). This is entirely a matter of opinion - maybe it would be great for those personally affected by cancer, but for me I would have preferred a more metaphorical, read between the lines type of experience. Battling cancer using inner strength as a weapon in a game felt silly, even though it is true in real life.

Verdict: 4/10