Prodigal

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An absolute hidden gem. The music is fantastic, and both the gameplay and story are genuinely a lot of fun. For the price, it’s honestly a no-brainer. This could easily sell for $25. That said, there are a few things that really got on my nerves: Clunky movement: It’s way too easy to fall off edges. Since enemies don’t drop HP, dying because of some stupid fall and then having to run through the same dungeon again for the tenth time gets old really quickly. A mile wide, an inch deep: The game tries to do a lot, but doesn’t always make the most of it. You unlock a ton of weapons and items way too late, so by the time you finish the main game, you barely get to use most of the cool stuff. Then the game throws a bunch of it at you afterwards. I understand why it’s there for the harder dungeons, but it still feels like a missed opportunity. The story has a similar issue. There are quite a few moments where things suddenly happen without much explanation, and you’re left with a bunch of questions by the end. Maybe some of the answers are hidden in the secret dungeons, but those are extremely difficult, and having to go through them just to get more of the story feels frustrating…

I forgot when I picked this up, but it must have been a while ago. The game delivers very well on the retro graphic vibe, but begins to deviate almost as soon as you exit the tutorial. While some may like the features offered in this game, they feel misguided. A LOT of love went into the development of this game and I can tell. There's references and several other very creative sprites that scream passion. But they tried to fit to much into this game. Romance feels forced, and very shaky. Side plots that can entirely be destroyed if you answer wrong, and several open directions which rather than helping the player, hurts. That's not mentioning the buttload of items to collect. If you like sifting through many different items then this game is perfect, but it just got way to confusing. I beat the game, I had a lot more to do, but the game wasn't fun for me. I can see it being a blast for most, but I'm a stickler when it comes to cohesion, and this ain't cohesive chief. Oh, and some advice if you're just starting. Save up 70 coins and buy that food item at the inn ASAP. You can thank me later.

I'll be honest, this might be one of the best 2D zelda-like game I've played. I've played other 2D zelda-like such as Blossom Tales and Lenna's Inception but when I played those game there is always something missing. They have copied core zelda mechanics like sword and boomerang but the gameplay and puzzle does not have those zelda game touch. But Prodigal nailed it. The gameplay is really fun even though it does not have all of 2D zelda mechanics. It does have different mechanics which make it feels like its own thing rather than just a zelda copy. I also like the fact that there's freedom in the game. Like, there's this puzzle where I can see how the developer intended the player to solve it but I just cheese it in some ways. It's great because I don't have to fully follow the game rules to get things done. The music is pretty good too, the same can be said with the visual. So yeah, pick this up if you enjoy 2D zelda games like The Minish Cap and Oracle of Seasons/Ages. You'll enjoy it

TLDR really enjoyed this game which is clearly a labour of love. Prodigal clearly knows what it wants to be and concentrates on a handful of aspects surprising you with their depth: its story, NPC interaction, and the many dungeons (most of which you return to more than once). Prodigal does a great job of starting you slow and pointing you in the right directions. There is no farming or much in the way of sim-like activities a la Stardew, so it is not overwhelming. This is most evident in the early story where you have returned to your home village and redeem yourself in the eyes of the local bumpkins (hence the title) by performing simple tasks and some light questing. Later I needed a guide to help in some parts where what you need to do and where to go is much more obscure. The basic gameplay is an enjoyable retro experience of exploring, puzzling (a LOT of block pushing, too much tbh), and fighting sprites. Combat is limited to a couple of melee weapons and no ranged weapons. One of the things Prodigal does best is story telling and talking with the NPCs. So many games have very shallow NPCs who stop having new things to say quite quickly. Prodigal's stable of potential wai…

I went in expecting a fairly brief trot through a GBC Zelda-like, and got a trek with a shocking degree of depth in its character and worldbuilding. The abilities are few, but used creatively, and the map is small but dense with both dungeons and side quests. I consider myself a fairly accomplished secret hunter, but this one had me beat by a fair margin. Play and exploration felt great, and the reward was almost always more story or more character development rather than another trinket for the junk pile. Recommended for people who see "post-game" and think "heck yeah". Not recommended for completionists - while I do praise it for the amount of content, the game does in my opinion overstay its welcome, and the abundance of romance options demands that you either put dozens of hours into replays or objectify love via savescumming in a way that I find repulsive in a game whose major selling points include meaningful character development.