Recent reviews by Ralohn

Tl;dr Night Stones is a cute/cozy type game with a lot of mechanics that could have been utilised more. Would still recommend.

All in all, this game took me about three hours to complete. Which isn't a lot for a game that costs ~20 euro. The game is cute and relaxing to play and doesn't get challenging anywhere at all. Combat is basically none existent but that kind of fits with the type of game this aims to be.

The story is straightforward and predictable, but fits the cutesy look of this game well. The exploration is fun and the world is enjoyable to be in. My biggest personal issue stems from the game design. This game has quite a lot of mechanics, there's flying, there's a boat, there's climbing... And none of these really felt necessary. Don't get me wrong, you NEED them in order to complete the game, but only in a handful of areas.

The issue here stems mostly from the size of the game. The world is just too small to gain the full benefits of all these items/mechanics. I used a boat once to get to a small island. Never touched it since. Climbing was the one that truly and mostly opened up the world in combination with the air glider. But especially then it became very clear that the island is just not that big. I never even unlocked the sprinting boots and was only annoyed by it because I accidentally pressed the shift button and got a rather large warning on my screen.

I feel like some of the most interesting mechanics started to be used in the last dungeons. It was only then that I had to think about one puzzle and I felt like the game was coming together. The mechanics were utilised in a way that seemed clever and interesting. And then the game ended.

I feel like the developer spend a lot of time creating amazing mechanics and then only used them a handful of times. With the amount of mechanics available, the game could have been twice as long and utilised these mechanics in many more fun and interesting/creative ways. I felt like I got introduced to a new mechanic every five minutes without them having the time to truly flourish in their own right. Let me give you an example: (Spoilers for this one!)

In the start, you get introduced to the mechanic of lifting crates and you get taught that in order to stop vines from regrowing. You have to hit them with a stick and then place a crate on it. I assumed this would be used in puzzles further on in the game. Clearing vines and stopping them from regrowing with a crate so I can then jump over them in order to reach new areas. Instead, the vines were never to be seen again.

The game is full with mechanics that lack the puzzles they deserve. It's a shame, because I feel like this game has a lot more potential than it currently reaches. I for one hope the developer continues to work with what's already here and expand upon it. This is a debut game that I feel is a great start and seems just inches away from greatness!

All in all however, Night Stones is still an enjoyable game and one I would still recommend. The game gives you a cute story and a few hours away from real life by allowing you to step into a dreamlike scenario with cute npc's and a charming island to explore. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need.

I had a lot of fun with this game in the first 10-ish hours, I was really eager to find out what else the game was going to bring me. However, not even having reached level 30 yet. The game has already turned into a rather ridiculous grind that exists of repeating the same three quests over and over. Go to a location and either: Loot all the chests, kill all the enemies or pick up some quest objects around the place.

I know this is something that a lot of people enjoy, the simple grindy nature of the game. If you however expect a game that tells you an amazing story and immerses you into the universe. This is not the game for you... If you however enjoy mindlesly running around doing simple quests and combat that's very hard to lose at. This is just the game for you!

It's hard to give a proper review on a game such as this. But I've been playing it over the last month or so in about sessions of 30 mins each. If you're willing to learn and slowly build upwards, this game it amazing. Intense and just all around great joh. And this is coming from someone who never liked rhythm games previously! Highly recommend.