Operencia: The Stolen Sun Reviews

To do today: get up, brush teeth, follow strange dream about a deer and head off to the cursed castle to see what happens. Sounds like a plan, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, we all know the answer to that question, don’t we?Read More

Interesting folklore with a sluggish second half.

After sinking a ton of hours into Operencia: The Stolen Sun, I realized that developer Zen Studios is really good at pivoting old-school game design into the modern age. They did it so expertly with the Pinball FX series, and I’m happy to say they’ve done it again with Operencia, their latest passion project that hopes to revitalize the classic first-person dungeon-crawling experience from the ’80s and ’90s. Not only is Operencia a treat for old-school blobber fans, but it’s also a perfect starting point for anyone that’s never played one before.

Zen Studios is best known for its plethora of pinball-based projects, but the eccentric interests of the Hungary-based developer don’t end there. Its newest title, Operencia: The Stolen Sun, is a first-person, grid-based dungeon crawler – a style of RPG established decades ago by games like Wizardry and Dungeon Master. Thankfully, Operencia features as many new and unique ideas as it does nods to the past, making it a satisfying adventure.

I’ll admit that I was not expecting much when I first started up Operencia, but the more I played the more I fell in love with the experience, despite some glaring issues. There’s just something that draws you into Zen Studio’s captivating world of Operencia.

While role-playing games may not have changed all that much over the course of the years, there was a time when they were much harder to get into, mostly due to the fact that these games actually made the player take on the role of a true adventurer, meaning that they were to venture into dungeons without knowing anything about the dangers that could have been lurking within. Limited resources and being outnumbered by monsters completed a very engaging, but also frustrating, picture. Operencia: The Stolen Sun, developed by Zen Studios (a Hungarian studio known mostly for its Pinball games), manages to capture the spirit of the old-school first-person dungeon crawler RPGs, but it also modernizes the experience in some very interesting ways, so much that even those who never played a similar game will be able to enjoy it to the fullest.

Operencia is a great dungeon crawling experience that you shouldn’t sleep on, especially if you’re a fan of the genre. While some of the mechanics and presentation are a little hit-or-miss, that shouldn’t scare you away from the unique world, memorable characters, and excellent combat that Operencia has to offer.

As a huge fan of first-person grid-based dungeon RPGs, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Operencia. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

A solid but straightforward indie dungeon crawler.