When dealing with a rowdy group of kids, sometimes we don’t always know how to get them to relax. And sometimes we know exactly what to do, and in Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince; it seems our grandpa knew exactly that. I recently got the chance to sit down and play the sequel to blossom tales: The Sleeping King. So Check out my Blossom Tales 2 Review down below.
Spoiler Warning: continue reading at your own risk as there will be spoilers ahead.
Story:
Our story starts around a campfire as our sleepy grandpa is roused by his grandchildren, Lily and Chrys. Chrys is upset after lily broke his sword and grandpa has just a solution. He gathers the kids to tell him another tale set several hundred years after his first story.
The kids are excited as not only is Lily in it again but so is Chrys. It starts on the day of the Minotaur Moon Festival 500 years later. Our young characters wake on the morning of the Minotaur Moon festival to have fun with the activities around town. They have to collect coins to be able to join in the tournament.
After Lily and Chrys both gather 5 moon coins they enter the competition. While fighting Chrys interrupts the story to cheat, and this upsets Lily. Upon his cheating she wishes the Minotaur king to take him away. Upon hearing her words the King appears to do just that, he sends Chrys far away and knocks her out.
It is here our story opens up as Lily is set on a journey of redemption and atonement to save her beloved little brother. The story is so fun as it embraces the campiness of being a story, with lots of references and inspiration. The story itself is very inspired by Labyrinth with the Older sister wishing away her younger brother, but then going to find him. There were even References to movies like The Princess Bride!!
What makes this even more fun is the fact that since it’s a story being told, the kids interrupt, a lot. And it offers the chance to change the story at certain points. Allowing for a more fun, and personal adventure.
Visuals:
The art style in the game takes a very fun 64-bit-inspired one. The game looks like an old-school legend of Zelda game, with its color and top-down view. However, while it is inspired, the characters are all their own.
Both Lily and Chrys have wonderful designs to show that of young kids. The Look of the Minotaur King is very imposing and scary, with just a touch of awe. And the environments are absolutely stunning. From vibrant greens of the forest to the soft blues of the sea and beach, everything just pops looking both new and retro.
64-bit art is one that is timeless, and when done properly like this, can give a new-age game a nostalgic feel. And that seems to be the essence of the art style here, familiar and fun, yet new and breathtaking.
Audio:
The audio in the game is rather tame in its approach. It utilizes a lot of chiptunes and this is not a bad thing by any means. The music really helps to sell the nostalgic feel, and it changes when you get to different towns. With a more upbeat sound for in your hometown of Blossomdale, to a more sea shanty style song in the town of Anchortown.
Along with the music, the sounds of the game are very reminiscent of older titles, from collecting coins to fighting enemies. Even the sounds in the menu are very retro-inspired. There is even a unique sound that plays when you acquire a permanent item, much like Zelda! The audio in the game is simply a nice, tame, and nostalgic feel that is also modern.
Gameplay:
Now for the gameplay, if you heard me reference Zelda a lot, that’s because there is a lot of love for it. That old-school dungeon crawler style of gameplay that became a core thanks to games like Link to the Past; is very much on display here in blossom tales.
But, don’t write this game off as a Zelda clone, oh no there are many things that make it unique. The first is the game plays like a choose your own adventure. Throughout the game, you can make certain choices, like whether to fight toads or honey badgers. Or whether or not to excitedly throw a rock into a curious pool of water or to be cautious. With the kids listening to the story they will make comments that break the 4th wall, and their grandpa (aka the storyteller) will make a comment and then you can pick your choice from the screen.
There are also side quests for the player to do to help the villagers, as well. You may get asked to find weird things or go find another villager elsewhere. There are plenty of places to explore and new friends to meet. Along with quests, you can make things like potions from finding items in the world to crafting in your bottles while learning under the witch for “Alchemy class.”
Of course at the heart of the game, you have our dungeon-crawling fun. Going into a dungeon that is one part new equipment, one part puzzles, and all parts funny story. The gameplay really locks in the retro feel that is trying to capture.
Closing thoughts:
Blossom Tales 2 is a fun nostalgia trip for lovers of that old-school 80’s retro gaming feel. From its cute character designs and vibrant colors to its chiptune sound, everything is so much fun. Not to mention, the fact that the game is a story being told; with dialogue that is entertaining and had me giggling through most of it. Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince has a lot of heart and is endearing in all the right ways.
I hope you enjoyed my Blossom Tales 2 Review, and we want to thank the team for providing a key for the game. If you want to read other reviews we have done you can find them all on our site.
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Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince
