Do you miss the olden days? Way back when playing a classic action RPG on the NES? Clamouring for something to take you back to when you played Zelda in your parents’ house? Well wait no longer, Stories of Bethem: Full Moon is about to firmly scratch that itch. And you can play it from the comfort of your own living room on a big TV.
Yep, Stories of Bethem is a classic style action RPG adventure game where you take control of a young man called Khoma whose father has been cursed by the blue witch while exploring a forest near to his home. Only with the help of the Red Witch can Khona hope to reverse the spell and save his father. What follows is a game full of adventure, exploration, puzzles and spell casting. This is a long game aswell, pushing 20+ hours of content.
Firstly, let’s address the graphics. Yes, this is a game that looks like it belongs on a handheld device. But I actually quite liked how good they looked on a big TV. Yes there is a retro style to them, in fact on first glance I thought this was going to be a Pokemon clone. But there is something nice being able to experience classic 2D ARPG in this manner, even if it isn’t a game I would normally aim to play. The simplistic graphical direction of the game actually help with how the puzzles have been designed. Puzzles you say? Yep, and there are a lot of them, many of which have to be solved to progress, others, putting the work into them will get you rewards which will make your journey that little bit easier and satisfying.
Exploration is also a big part of the game. By going to each area, and using your spells (there are no melee weapons here) to get to other areas you’ll be rewarded with treasure, keys and others goodies. Talking of spells, you do have a meter to keep an eye on, cast too many spells too quickly it’ll soon deplete, so make sure you are picking up all the dropped items to keep yourself replenished, and used spells sparingly when possible.
One thing to beware of when considering Bethem, you will need to have somewhat of a decent sense of direction. You will find yourself backtracking through areas again to access other areas you couldn’t before due to needing keys or spells etc. This isn’t major issue but the main map is not the easiest to read, and it is quite possible to get lost or go the wrong way. Though, the level designs are well thought out, and are certainly not a negative point, just that the navigation can at times become tiresome.
If you’re looking for a game that has a retro vibe, tests your puzzle skills and sends you on an adventure of decent length, then take a look at Stories of Bethem. There is a certain charm to the game which makes you feel like a lot of effort has been put in by the developers, and it’s an enjoyable journey.
**Thank you to XCN for providing the review copy of the game**