Game: Tanzia
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer/ publisher: Arcanity Inc.
Price: £16.99 / €19,99 /$16,99
Rating: UK 7/ EU 7/ US 10+
(Review code kindly provided by Arcanity)
Overall Feeling: I Like it a Lot!
It’s been awhile since I played a real RPG. So when this game came on my path I was very happy to review it. Tanzia is an action RPG adventure in an art style I like, the first independant game by indie studio Arcanity.
The game has been in Steam since april 2017 in early access. A concept that is used frequently on Steam, allowing players to be into the action from the first moment. And a chance for developers to make their game even smoother, deeper and bug free. A good deal all around, which leads to bringing a good and deep game to Steam, and at the same time, to the Nintendo Switch.
The story…a big part of the game
RPG adventures that I love are known to have a good story line. In fact, for me that is a main staple to be categorised as a good game. Tanzia doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it excels at the story. It’s deep, and is starting to span more then the game.
First though, what is the story? We meet our hero for the first time when he is a little baby in his grandfathers arms. (He, because you cannot choose the gender…) They are Akazi, a race that might look primitive at first glance, but it’s the life they choose to be happy and prosper. Grandfather is their Chief, the great Shaman.
Soon their happiness is destroyed by the Skeleton King when he tries to kill the little child. The Chief is wise, and has seen the Skeleton Kings plans, so he is able to prevent it. But it’s clear to him that if the people are to stay safe in their village, he must hide the child. He let’s the little boy be raised by others, and hasn’t been seen himself since. That’s where we come in: you take control of the grandson and train him to become the greatest shaman to ever lob a fireball.
All of this is told in an art style that is very compelling, and that brings me to my reference at the beginning of my review. The story is starting to span more then the game. There are now two comic books with a promise of more to come that tell more of the background story.
All the right RPG elements are represented
Tanzia has all the elements of a magical RPG: you can fight with weapons, learn spells to kill your enemies and use potions to keep up your health and mana. And what’s more, you can craft in this game too: make your own potions and enhance your weapons. To be able to do so, gathering is a must too. From plants to precious stones and even swine droppings
It’s not only a matter though of following the main storyline, you also get plenty of quests to make the game more fulfilling. Some quests are a mere fetch and bring, others require more ingenuity to clear. The most interesting one is the quest to gather the 6 pages of Mako’s Journal. When you manage to find them, you will see the story of the second official digital Tanzia comic.
So far all the elements are included to make this a wonderful gaming experience, but I have one complaint. To me, the game is hard and I played it on easy mode. This might be a result of me wanting to do as many sidequests as I can, but even the main quests can pose a problem.
Usually, a game breaks you in gently, letting you get to grips with the controls and such. But in Tanzia one of the first assignments is to kill more then one Akiri bird with one single attack. It took me a while to figure out how I could do this. Clobbering even one Akiri bird with my stick didn’t work: his beak was much sharper and I died every time. My first free spell wasn’t very powerful, I needed fire to do the job. Learning Fire costs money, which I didn’t have. It took patience but I finally managed.
This is just an example, there are more instances that I died more then once. And it did make me wonder if this is the way I want to play. The game is difficult and sets the standard high. That is a good thing for most, but it could turn out to be too big a hurdle to take for some gamers like me. I thought that’s why they included easy, normal and hard mode! Not hard, harder and insanely difficult, lol.
Visuals and sound draw me in
Some people might not like the visuals: they are colourful and in a style like Windwaker. I like that though. The sounds you hear in the game are good: when you walk close to the beach you hear the sea gulls. Such small details make a game a good one for me.
The camera works nicely, making it easy to look all around you.
The music varies with the setting, and it’s good. My Akazi boy doesn’t run very fast (when he’s not using a special speed potion) but they made sure fast travel is an option too. In every location you unlock a portal to whisk you where you want to go.
Saving is easy and done often, next to every Totem pole you find. Which also replenishes your stamina and magic power. The Quest map is easy to interpret, and I like the Hotbar controls which can be set to quick. That way you have 8 easy buttons (by combining with L and R) for potions and spells.
Conclusion
I like this game a lot, though I am concerned if I can finish it. If I won’t come to a main quest that I just can’t beat. Maybe they should have made the Easy playmate for people like me, who want a relaxing journey exploring the lands. The visuals, sounds and the storyline are great. I’ve been told the main quest can be rushed through in about 8 hours, but if you do the side quests too you will have hours of fun.
Don’t expect another Zelda adventure, and if you don’t like lots of text this might not be the game for you. I think for the price point this is a good game, the kind the Switch needs more of!
