There are potential spoilers in this review
Scéal: The Irish Folklore Adventure by developer Joint Custody, is a supernatural adventure game centered around Irish folklore and music, which places the player in a watercolor storybook world on a quest to help a lost soul find her memory. The world of the game is comprised of an art style you would find in a children’s book, but a much more haunting tale. The game is quite small and it only takes about an hour to finish the entire game.
The gameplay requires you to click and drag your character while navigating the map, which can be a little confusing at times. Other than that, I really liked the paint brush mechanic and how it sometimes would reveal memories. I just wish that this occurred every time you painted something and that the object you painted related to the memory. I also wished more information on Irish folklore to be integrated into the game because as someone with no knowledge I found it difficult to see the ways it was incorporated into the storyline. Still, I found the gameplay to be creative and the story to still be entertaining.
The ending features three choices, which does add some replay value to the game. The choices are a little obvious though and leave the player hesitant to pick the other two. I will say that all three do offer interesting insights into the conclusion and are worth pursuing. It is really not a hassle to replay the game as it goes by much quicker once you know what to do.
The only other issue I found within Scéal were a few clipping textures with the raven and the townsfolk often walked through walls or blinked on the pathways. This did not affect the gameplay other than a possible visual distraction. Other than that I really love how the character navigates the environment and the environment changes with the character’s movement. This made it really enjoyable to explore the world, especially as the story progressed.
Overall, I think this is a really creative game. If you are a fan of story-based games, especially those that center around other cultures, such as Never Alone, then you will probably find enjoyment in this “living story.”
Rating: 8/10
Here is the Scéal: The Irish Folklore Adventure PC Trailer:
Scéal: The Irish Folklore Adventure is available for PC on Steam and iOS on the App Store.
PC Review
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Overall Score - 8/108/10
Most of my childhood was dedicated to raising my Pokémon, but nowadays I find myself taking time off to enjoy indie games and RPGs. I have always been fascinated by how easily videogames immerse us into their own worlds and stories, and I hope to be a part of this one day. Until then, I would like to serve my gamer community in helping you to navigate between the great and the overhyped.
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