Operencia: The Stolen Sun (Switch) Review
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Publisher/Developer: Zen Studios
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Price: $29.99
Operencia: The Stolen Sun evokes classic first-person dungeon crawling RPGs but adds in modern amenities to bring the classic genre to the modern age. Operencia depicts a “far away land” filled with characters reminiscent of classic mythology. This genre has a lot of history in early PC gaming, with rudimentary mazelike dungeons in a pseudo-3D environment and turn-based gameplay. Operencia manages to improve on, even remove some of the hinderances of the genre and make it feel like something that fits in the modern gameplay spectrum.
Gameplay centers around navigating the mazelike dungeons and dealing with the enemies therein. Original games in this genre were limited to grid-based movement. Operencia is by and large no different, but it operates very smoothly. You have full control of your view (most games in this genre lock you to NSEW directions on the grid, and you really only “feel” gridded in when you go into battle. I appreciated this because it allows certain puzzles to require a bit more complexity. You may need a special item, but instead of just getting to a room and finding it, you may have to look around until the item is highlighted. Some puzzles are very straightforward whilst others are rather obtuse, but in general there’s a nice combination, helping you feel smart or giving you a chance to stretch your mind. There were a time or two I was stumped due to presentation: such as when a prisoner said “this key will help you” but I couldn’t unlock the door. Apparently they were discussing the key I could pick up on the wall, not the fact that they had handed me one.
Battles are turn based. Enemies have three different ranks they can be in, and they are actively canvassing the map to attack. Combined with the free-head movement, it makes this turn-based strategy game feel a lot more action-oriented. Winning battles and solving puzzles gains you experience and loot, and you get to distribute several attribute points after each level up to truly craft your warriors. Most of this is pretty bog standard for RPGs, but I felt the menus showing just how your attributes change with each skill point were very user friendly. Battle can feel cumbersome at times, as you have to micromanage your items which may leave the best option to run through a few turns hacking back and forth with your enemies as a war of attrition.
The presentaton of Operencia is my favorite part. The music is comfortable, adding a nice background to your quest, and the sound effects are fine, but the banter between party members is strong. Many of these characters feel like they are seasoned warriors, taunting the enemy or bickering back and forth with each other like we were battling in the Princess Bride. Voice acting is very well done, feeling like part of the world and not just people in a recording room. Cutscenes are done with my favorite, slightly animated paper-cut-out 2D style.
Operencia’s presentation is interesting enough to keep me engaged in the simple yet enthralling plot through to the end, and will likely entertain those who may not have been into this genre in the past. What rough there is around the edges will be appreciated by fans of the genre as some of it’s staple cornerstones.
Pros:
-Banter and audio are engaging and genuinely funny at times
-Camera movement is loosened up to prevent feeling snapped to a grid and helps make puzzles more interesting
-Leveling and equipment are very natural and understandable thanks to a simple menu that shows how an upgrade effects all of your stats
Cons:
-The story is straightforward and, whilst interesting, shuffled to the back over gameplay
-Some battles feel like wars of attrition and rationing valuable items
Special thanks to Zen Studios for providing a code for review!