Isle of Reveries

This is honestly what I wanted Mina the Hollower to be. This is a genuine attempt to recreate the soul of the GBC Zelda games (specifically the Oracle games judging from things like the trinkets and goddess seeds) that mostly gets it right. Mostly good puzzles, fantastic music, and a world that's really fun to explore with a surprising amount of content. Biggest issue is that it is a bit on the buggy side. There are some dungeons where it's very easy to get softlocked. Luckily, it's not that big of a deal since the game is very forgiving and autosaves pretty frequently, but it still got frustrating getting stuck due to poor level design or weird glitches. Regardless, those moments were few and far between and I still had a ton of fun with this. Really hope this gets a bit more traction because I do think it deserves it.

Very good Zelda-like game. The developer has a real grasp on designing tight dungeons with thoughtful puzzles. The story is serviceable but the overworld is fun to explore and collect the extras in. For any fan of Zelda this is a great buy.

Game is a top tier Zelda-like and hidden gem. There is a lot of content packed into this game with collectibles and upgrades all over the place. The first stretch of the game is somewhat linear then it opens up a lot and gives you the freedom to fast travel around the map with relative comfort. Due note that this game has a lot of puzzles, and the dungeons in this game are much more puzzle heavy than those in the average Zelda game. One interesting aspect is the fact that there are a lot of upgrades and tools that are off the main path that are not required to win the game but add comfort and flexibility. Overall 19 hours to get the credits to roll for the standard ending, there's still a handful of things to root out though for the perfect ending which could take a bit longer depending on how fast I am able to track down loose ends. Highly recommend to any Zelda fan, it's far more Zelda than Mina is in terms of game structure.

Playing this games feels like what you remember Zelda games being like when you were a kid. Every aspect of this game surprised me, but the puzzles especially are incredibly well done. If you want to play something like the gb era Zelda games, this might be the perfect game for you.

fun

A lovely, meticulously crafted game. Everyone who loves traditional, old-school Zelda owes it to themselves to play it. I write this review after beating the game and having done probably 95%+ of the optional content, aside from a few collectibles I couldn't be bothered to comb the map for. The easiest way to describe this game is if Nintendo had made a secret fourth Zelda on the Game Boy Color after Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages. There are no Soulslike elements, no open world that gives you all the tools at the start, no choosing which dungeons you want to do in which order. It is only trying to be a faithful Zelda experience, and in that regard it succeeds admirably. Maybe this strict adherence to well-trodden ground would be a knock against the game if the Zeldalike subgenre were as crowded as Metroidvanias and Soulslikes, but there are so few pure Zeldalikes that I love the commitment to the traditional experience. It fulfills a desire for a type of experience that even Nintendo themselves have left by the wayside. If you've played any of its inspirations, you know what to expect here: A linear progression of puzzle box dungeons, each containing a n…