The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology Review

Game: The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie
System: Steam (Windows) & macOS (also available on PS4 & Xbox Series X)
Developers | Publishers: Soma Games | Forthright Entertainment
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $24.99 | UK £20.99 | EU € 24,50
Release Date: February, 20th 2024

A review code was used, with many thanks to Press Engine.

Redwall is a children’s book series by author Brian Jacques that has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Redwall has also been featured as an audiobook and as an Opera, and it has been turned into a narrative puzzle-driven adventure game.

The books and this game, The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology, both follow the escapades of anthropomorphic animals residing in Redwall Abbey and the nearby Mossflower Wood, featuring mice, moles, hares, badgers, and various woodland creatures. Often, the gentle inhabitants of Mossflower find themselves compelled to take up arms as warriors to protect their homeland from invading bands of vermin, including rats, weasels, and foxes.

Trilogy of Episodic Adventures

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology In-game dialogue scene featuring two anthropomorphic mouse characters dressed in scout uniforms within a warmly lit cave environment. The left character stands attentively, while the right character appears in a dialogue portrait, named Sophia, with a text box below. Sophia's portrait shows a gray mouse with green eyes and a friendly expression. The text reads, 'I'm so excited for you to finally join us as a fully-fledged Scout, Liam! And guess what? Coyle's going to let me oversee your trials myself! Captain Robin thought I'd be too biased to be the best judge of your skills, but I assured him I've never gone easy on you before, nor will I start tonight.' The cave's walls are brown and rugged, with glowing particles and wooden fences enhancing the mystical atmosphere. — Sophia and Liam, the scouts

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology is a trilogy of episodic adventures combined into one game with three acts featuring the characters from the Redwall books. I haven’t read the Redwall books, but I don’t think you need to have read the books to enjoy the game.

For act one in The Scout Anthology, Sophia and Liam are the latest recruits to the Lilygrove Scout Corp. After lots of practice, Liam and Sophia are about to become full Scouts who protect the land and know all about the woods. But before their graduation, their home is attacked by sea rats.

Act two sees troops gather to fight off the invading searats, and Liam finds Sophia. But trouble isn’t over yet. Scumsnout, the rat and their enemy, is still a threat, and a wereat’s bite has poisoned Sophia. Hurrying, they head to the Winsome Wraith to find an antidote. Finally, in act three, we see what happens to Liam and Sophia after they reach the Winsome Wraith. Of course, there is much more to the story than my simple explanation of this adventure.

Choose to Play as Either Sophie or Liam Mouse

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology A screenshot from a video game depicting an anthropomorphic mouse character climbing a vine-covered cliff. The mouse is dressed in a scout uniform and is midway through an ascent, with its head turned towards the viewer. The environment has a magical feel, with the cave walls illuminated by a soft, greenish glow and dotted with sparkling particles. At the base of the cliff, luminescent mushrooms emit a gentle light, adding to the enchantment of the scene. The overall atmosphere is one of adventure and exploration within a richly detailed, fantastical underground setting. — Liam the mouse climbing along a wall.

At the beginning of act one, you can choose to play either Sophia or Liam as your character. Overall, it does not matter which character you play from the beginning.

However, there are many unique conversations between the characters that will reveal different backstories when playing Sophia or Liam. Still, the main story of the game will remain the same when you choose either character. Having different backstories for each character you speak to means you can replay the game as a different character.

Slingshot and Sniff Ability

An atmospheric video game screenshot capturing a magical tracking scene. The viewpoint is from above, focusing on the back of an anthropomorphic character wearing a brown cloak and scout uniform, standing on a dirt path. The character seems to be observing or following a trail of glowing green paw prints and white footsteps that appear to float above the ground, suggesting movement of an unseen creature. The trail leads towards a wooden fence surrounded by lush vegetation. Ethereal green and blue wisps float through the air, adding to the mystique of the chase. — Use the sniffing ability.

For my adventure, I went with Liam, the Mouse Scout, who is equipped with his trusty homemade slingshot and a journal to keep me right.

Both Sophia and Liam can also use their special mouse ability, a real-time scent mechanic to sniff scents in the air, allowing you to find out if there is danger ahead, sniff out the positions of guards and find items. It is a neat ability and fun to use. Additionally, being a mouse, Liam can scurry through small holes, dig tunnels through soft walls when needed and walk across narrow beams.

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology. A video game scene showing an anthropomorphic mouse character in a scout's uniform, wielding a sword and looking ready for adventure. The character stands in a cluttered, cave-like environment, surrounded by wooden planks, stone walls, and debris. A mystical atmosphere is conveyed by the glowing, luminescent mushrooms on the ground and wisps of smoke drifting through the air, suggesting recent action or disturbance. The warm lighting casts dynamic shadows, adding depth and intrigue to the setting. Liam scurries' through walls — Scurry through walls

The Scout Anthology is heavy on the narrative side and fully voice-acted and narrated, which is excellent. In between the storyline storyboards, you’ll adventure along a very linear path and complete quests from other characters; some are straightforward to complete, like finding ingredients for a recipe, and others are a bit more involved.

Some quests tell you they are optional; however, if you choose not to do an optional quest, the journal will show the quest as failed. I found that to be very misleading as an “optional” quest is one a player can choose to do or not, and they should not fail the quest if they choose not to do it. But the word optional has a different meaning in The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology; optional quests are must-do quests!

Stealth and Platforming

A screenshot from a video game showing an anthropomorphic mouse character in a wintery landscape, sliding down a zip wire. The mouse, wearing a green cloak, is crossing a narrow wooden bridge over a snowy chasm. The environment is serene and picturesque, with snow-covered bushes, rocks, and trees, and a magical ambiance created by floating golden particles in the air. The mouse appears focused on its path, embodying a sense of determination and adventure amidst the tranquil beauty of the winter scene. — Sliding down a zip wire

The gameplay is a mix of stealth and sneaking past guards, climbing and platforming, using the sniffing ability and some puzzle-solving. It’s pretty varied, and sometimes it took me by surprise. For instance, after sneaking past guards through the catacombs, the gameplay changes from stealth gameplay to a running sequence where you must escape a gigantic rat. It’s like those constant running games. I wasn’t expecting the gameplay to change, so suddenly, it took me by surprise to go from sneaking quietly to haring along a path at full speed, trying not to get caught by a nasty giant rat and avoiding obstacles at the same time.

A video game screenshot featuring a snowy village scene at night, illuminated by a blue hue and glowing snowflakes. In the foreground, an anthropomorphic mouse character is highlighted by a circle of light, suggesting a focus of action. Around the character, the aftermath of chaos is visible, with wooden barrels, carts, and fences broken and strewn about the area. The text overlay at the bottom reads, 'Jethro: Escape was impossible! With every dodge and jump, the enormous monster somehow kept pace — effortlessly smashing through every barrel and barrier like a juggernaut.' This narrative text suggests a tense moment in the game where the character is running from a formidable foe. — Running for my life

Engaging Story in The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology

After completing each act and progressing to the next segment, you sit through a recap of the story from the preceding act. Initially, The Legends of Redwall games were released before, as each act was sold separately on Steam. The story recaps provided at the start of each act gives the impression, though I’m sure that is not the case, that each game was merely amalgamated to create this current game experience.

The story in The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology is engaging and entertaining. It kept me hooked, and I wanted to see the outcome and what happened with Liam and Sophie.

Visuals and Music

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology A vivid screenshot from a video game showcasing an anthropomorphic mouse character exploring an icy cave. The character is dressed in a green and brown scout's outfit, looking up cautiously at the sharp blue icicles hanging from the cave's ceiling. The environment is a mix of frosty blues and earthy greens, with snow on the ground and luminescent mushrooms providing a soft glow. The textures are rich and detailed, suggesting a cold, yet enchanting underground setting ripe for adventure. — Liam the mouse

The storyline cutscenes are not animated; however, they are beautifully illustrated. The game’s lighting and overall ambience are lovely in this non-combat adventure. Furthermore, the game is set in winter, and the season is well depicted with snow all around.

The music is the icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned, as it is great. The soundtrack was specially composed for The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology, and there are some lovely tunes in the game.

Camera Clipping

A tense moment captured in a video game screenshot where an anthropomorphic mouse character in a scout's cloak peers around a large parchment scroll. The environment suggests a dimly lit interior, possibly a tent or canvas structure, with a warm reddish glow and the ground covered in snow. The atmosphere is one of stealth and secrecy, as the character is sneaking past a guard, with just the back of its head and one eye visible from behind the scroll. The scene is filled with anticipation, suggesting a narrative of espionage or careful exploration. — Sneaking past a guard

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology ran reasonably well on my computer; I had one instance where the game froze, but once reloaded, it worked fine after that. Furthermore, I noticed quite a lot of scenery clipping, where Liam would melt/clip into his surroundings; again, this could be due to camera angles, which can’t be adjusted in the settings.

Be aware, though, that if you get motion sickness from playing games, this game might bring that on. I have never had motion sickness from a 3rd person game before, but an hour into playing The Scout Anthology, I started to feel a little green. I think it’s due to the position of the camera, which is pretty close to the back of the character.

A serene and enchanting screenshot from a video game depicting two anthropomorphic mouse characters rowing a wooden boat across a calm, reflective lake. The scene is bathed in the soft light of a winter morning, with snow-covered pine trees and mountains in the background. One mouse, wearing a green tunic, is rowing with a focused expression, while the other, in a white shirt, seems to be engaged in a lively conversation with its companion. The peaceful atmosphere is emphasized by the mist rising from the water’s surface, contributing to the magical quality of the moment. — Sophia and Liam in a rowing boat

Conclusion

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology delivers an engaging adventure set in the world of Redwall. Despite minor issues, such as misleading optional quests and occasional technical glitches I encountered, the game’s storytelling has beautifully illustrated cutscenes and an enchanting soundtrack. While players prone to motion sickness should be cautious due to the camera positioning, overall, it should appeal to fans of the Redwall universe and newcomers alike.

Final Verdict: I Like it