They may not be wholly unique, but they provide a lot of personality that makes up for it. The characters are a highly-enjoyable lot, from the fanboy-ish bookworm Rook to the enthusiastic battler Gilda. Appropriately enough, a lot the tone does remind be of a young adult novel, partially due the structure and largely due to the cast. Ikenfell’s story is an engrossing piece of work, with several twists and turns along the way, including a few bits that I didn’t predict (and a few blatant plot twists that I did). Yep, it isn’t afraid to go down certain wells at times. The bright and chipper, cartoonish art style, the feeling of influences from magical girl anime, the LGBTQ representation and of course, a colorful exterior that gives way to a rather deep story about kids having to deal with inferiority complexes, trauma, broken pedestals and more. It might sound odd to lead off this review by discussing the music, but that’s because having avi & surasshu on board emphasized how much I was reminded of Steven Universe while playing Ikenfell, and I mean that in a good way. That said, when you have lengthy boss fights, there will be some lyrics that repeat themselves, but it’s still an amazing score overall. There even a few vocal tracks during significant boss fights and story moments which enhance the mood even further and create an epic feel. One of the first things that immediately stands out in Ikenfell is its soundtrack, provided by none other than aivi & surasshu of Steven Universe fame, who contribute stunning tracks that perfectly fit the retro feel of the game, with terrific synth tunes that expertly provide an upbeat feeling that matches the game’s world and actually feel magical. And it goes without saying, but it becomes clear after a while that Ikenfell is hiding some rather dark secrets, and as usual, it’s up to a group of troublesome students to get to the bottom of them. After meeting up with some of Safina’s friends (and a few of their rivals) and discovering that Maritte can suddenly wield fire magic, however, it becomes clear that Safina was involved in a rather deep mess, which would explain why Ikenfell has been on lockdown and monsters have been roaming all throughout its halls. Not having heard from Safina in the longest time, however, a worried Maritte sets out to look for them, eventually sneaking into Ikenfell with some assistance. Ikenfell casts you in the role of Maritte, an Ordinary whose sister, Safina, attends the titular school. But does Ikenfell have what it takes to be another fantasy classic as well? The new tactical RPG from Humble Games and developers Happy Ray Games takes places in its own school of magic, meaning comparisons are rather unavoidable. Maybe we need something fresh instead, which is why I was immediately intrigued by Ikenfell. None of it recaptures the magic of the original books or stokes any nostalgia. I think this is largely because ever since the series ended, all efforts to keep the franchise in the public eye have felt forced, from the so-so Fantastic Beasts films to the random and annoying Pottermore tidbits like how wizards would apparently just crap on the floor in the olden days. Despite being a big fan of the Harry Potter franchise during the height of its popularity, today I no longer care about the series at all.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |