Pharonic

This adventure is one of those games that's easy to pick up and play but likely will cause frustration in anyone trying to see it through to the end. The game's straightforward, decidedly non-dazzling looks hide an incredible difficulty with which you'll be greeted upon your first fight. The difficulty comes about from a few places, mainly from clunky and sticky controls. Technically, it's meant to encourage you to play more tactfully and carefully. Unfortunately, because of your limited stamina, with every move sapping your energy, you'll frequently find yourself cornered by two or more enemies, not able to attack as quickly as your foes. It's frustrating, but not the kind of frustrating you can have an ironclad defense against. Sooner or later, you'll have to die to learn that you should come back to this area later or try a different approach. The game takes inspiration from games such as Dark Souls -- when you die, you leave behind a ball of all your experience you've earned so far, meaning you'll have to risk coming back to where you were killed to scoop it up before it disappears forever.

Although the game looks like a side-scrolling game, the world is actually in 3D. Many corridors or paths you come across that show up in the background can actually be explored. That means you can quickly wind up getting lost, but you could also discover a new or different area leading to a much-needed weapon or shield. The result means there's a fair amount of backtracking you'll need to do. Although this is eased with occasional shrines that let you teleport around, by and large you're running around, exploring, and hoping you don't cross paths with too many enemies that will kill you easily. The game has its share of flaws, but the tension and fun of finding a new place and winning a battle will keep you on your toes and remind you why you keep pressing on. It's far from perfect but still a decent outing that is worth a shot if you're a big fan of the time period or just itching for a challenge.