Operencia: The Stolen Sun

I feel like this piece is one of the very few that faithfully carries on the spirit of the fabled golden age of blobbers (the late '90s and early 2000s), while bringing something of its own on top of that. Many recent titles — unfortunately, I'd even say the majority of them — simply fail to present a solid foundation, or steer too far away for whatever reason, ending up convoluted or dumbed down in one or more key features. If you are like me and long for another inspired title such as Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore, Stone Prophet, or Grimrock, fret no longer. This is the thing. The good kind of fairy-tale atmosphere, marvelous graphics that can stand the test of time for eternity to come, tough combat (at least on Hard, that is), an option to go Ironman, riddles and secrets that are neither simple nor overdone, and last but not least: a unique setting inspired by Hungarian myths and folklore. Much appreciated. It's only too bad that Zen Studios never made a sequel or another game.

This game is such a chore to play, not due to the gameplay. But the ungodly awful writing, how do adult humans write this without cringing. It's a drpg for christ's sake, nobody besides grown men and women are gonna play this, what is this 5 year old writing level. I've seen better writing in cartoon network. Also, whatever I played in the prologue was some insanely basic sleep inducing gameplay, barely appealing. I wish I played the demo instead of buying this.

I could barely play. I was expecting somethingt like Legends of Grimrock, but I don't understand the choice to allow free-camera movement if the actual movement is grid-based. The combat is a very uninspiring turn-based RPG Maker style, and the very first puzzle is already quite boring. The voice-acting itself is quite good, but voices don't match the characters. For example, a clearly old white-bearded druid has the voice of man in their 20s.

Undeniably one of the best dungeon crawlers on the market. Gorgeous art, interesting and fun story, voice acting on point, strong character customization, and more pros. I like the free camera approach; it's different than traditional fixed view dungeon crawlers but it works and gives even more emersion. I want to see more of this in the genre. Excellent game! You won't be disappointed.

I picked up this game during a sale without really knowing what to expect. The only thing I knew was that it was a dungeon crawler, and that's usually enough to get my attention since I love the genre. My first impression wasn't great. The prologue nearly made me press Alt+F4 and forget about the game entirely. Thankfully, I decided to give it a chance. Little by little, the game started to grow on me and become more interesting. By the time I reached the Tomb of Réka, I was completely hooked and genuinely invested in the game. Overall, for fans of dungeon crawlers, this is a surprisingly solid game. It may start slowly, but if you stick with it, you'll find an enjoyable and engaging experience that captures much of what makes the genre so appealing.

Recommended, but only barely. I really wanted to love Operencia. The world is beautiful, the environments stay fresh throughout the game, and the use of Central European folklore gives it a unique identity. The story and characters kept me invested from beginning to end, and exploring each new area was always exciting. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't quite keep up. Combat is functional but very basic. Once you've found a strategy that works, there's little reason to experiment. I also wasn't a fan of the level cap or the fact that every enemy encounter is predetermined. Instead of feeling like I'm adventuring through a dangerous world (Wizardry, Eye of the Beholder, Legend of Grimmrock), it often felt like I was simply progressing through someone else's script. My biggest disappointment was the reward for exploration. The game constantly encourages you to hunt down hidden secrets but the loot is usually mediocre or straight up trash. The perfect example is the optional secret boss with over 10,000 HP. By the time you can realistically reach it, you're already at about 99% completion, and the reward is an above average piece of gear you'll barely get to use before the game e…