Luke Heyen- @HitStartpod, @stickersplays, co-host of the Hit Start Podcast.

We all get that itch to explore, dungeon crawl and just be the hero and Reverie really scratches that itch for all of these.





Reverie is a 2D, open-world action adventure game set on a fictional island off the coast of New Zealand. It starts with you playing as the protagonist, Tai, trying to solve the mysteries on the island that is inspired by Maori legends. Reverie: Sweet as Edition is Developed by a small indie team based in Auckland, New Zealand. This is the second game they have made under Rainbite.

The combat system is basic and easy to learn. You’re given a trusty cricket bat as your main “sword” to fight enemies, As you proceed through the dungeons you get other items to help you on your quest to put the spirits to rest. The only thing letting the combat system down was the quick select wheel. Having to press R2 and X on your switch controller to select a secondary weapon and it was uncomfortable to select I found myself going into the start menu more often than I should have.

The enemies never really went up in difficulty and the bosses were easy enough to defeat.

The developers put a lot of work into the dungeons and the puzzles that go with them. The puzzles are fun and reasonably easy, Some of them however you are left scratching your head and wondering where to go or what you forgot, and with little to no explanation on what each item is used for or does you are sometimes left wondering what to do. whilst frustrating and some items, most of the time the puzzles are pretty straight forward and you get through each dungeon in 20-30 minutes. There are a total of 6 dungeons each with its own little twist that uses a new secondary item to get through to the dungeon boss. Additionally, Each boss drops a health orb that levels up your health by 1. I died a handful of times but not because of the difficulty of the enemies but my own stupidity.





The 16-bit pixel art is perfect for this game and plays to its favour, each dungeon and each area are well detailed and a lot of thought has gone into the level designs.

Some side quests would have been a nice addition to the 6-8 hour gameplay as I would have liked to explore the world a little bit more.

I enjoyed my time with Reverie but I don’t think I’ll be jumping back in to finish the collectables and I recommend if you enjoy the legend of Zelda: A Link to the past you will definitely enjoy this.

Summary.

Overall, Reverie scratches that itch for a pleasant chill game that isn’t too long and isn’t too stressful. This a 16-bit throwback to some favourite Zelda games. no side quest or end game content will make it hard to come back to but a must have for everyone that needs to scratch that itch of an action/adventure game.

Final score

8.5/10 hearts