Rating
Songbringer
Songbringer is a sci-fi, pixel, action-adventure game in which one journeys through procedurally-generated, Zelda-inspired worlds. Along the way one will uncover powerful artifacts and forge them anew. Those skilled with the nanosword will vanquish giants and save a planet from being overrun.
Details
- Released
- August 31, 2017
- Developer
- Wizard Fu Games
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG) · Adventure · Indie
- Publisher
- Double Eleven, Wizard Fu Games
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Songbringer Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Songbringer is the latest in a long line of games that have tried to capture the essence of The Legend of Zelda. On the surface, it does quite well: Super Nintendo era top down view? Check. Dungeons? Check. Grid-based maps? Check. A powerful sword of legend? Check. Calling Songbringer a simple Zelda clone would be doing it a huge disservice, however, as the game under the familiar surface is fascinating.
With a sci-fi twist on an old formula, Songbringer is almost a breath of fresh air. Occasional stereotypes aren’t as welcome as all of the new ideas the game brings forward, including a tongue-in-cheek style of humour to accompany a truly unique experience and a gorgeous visual style. With so many options and routes through the story, this is a game begging to be replayed for months to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVb26fJabjI
Songbringer's general aesthetic and sense of humor rubbed me the wrong way, but the procedurally generated worlds are actually a lot of fun to get lost in, and the art style and music, though occasionally harsh, have a lot of love and nuance put into them.
A rewarding sense of exploration drives this tribute to the 16-bit era. Strong ability based progression mechanics underline the Zelda-like comparison and procedurally generated elements complement the structure well. While its combat lacks precision, Songbringer is a very positive overall experience.
Songbringer’s procedurally generated world is a double-edged sword. While exploring a unique overworld is, on the whole, rather enjoyable, the map feature could’ve done more to aid traversal. On the flip side, dungeons feel rather uninspired due to the fact that they aren’t deliberately crafted. However, the aesthetic and combat system are both incredibly strong aspects of the game that prop up Songbringer’s weaker elements. While it does have flaws, the sum of Songbringer’s parts is an easily recommendable title for fans of the genre.
Songbringer blends the classic Zelda formula with procedural generation. However, does it capture that retro Zelda magic?
Songbringer is an adventure that is both reminiscent of many other popular titles, but also has a heart of its own. This makes for a juxtaposition of recognisable, rigid structure and a desire for free, rule-breaking indie design. It’s an odd mix that I think will turn off as many people as it turns on. But many players will find the cleansing of Ekzera a weird, dizzying challenge, that’s curiously familiar yet very unique. For this reason the game is a trip worth considering.
There have been a fair few top-down Zelda-inspired games, but not many take the sci-fi approach that Songbringer does. This action-RPG finds you and your skybot
Songbringer is a game where playing it more than once is the point; it’s what justifies the game’s whole existence. But each time I fed in a new world seed word, I found myself enjoying the game less. The generated worlds are an interesting gimmick, but they spread Songbringer’s shallow mechanics too thin. The game provides nearly limitless worlds to explore, but it didn’t give me much motivation to keep at it beyond those first couple runs.
I've not finished it, because curses those lizard men are tough, so I can't yet speak for length and conclusion, but the fact that I could just start a second game with a different seed and play it all through differently is enormously appealing. It's not the deepest game, but it's smart, ridiculously pretty, and has me completely hooked.
Sci-Fi and Acid Trips go hand in hand. The fantasies of far flung space and pushing the boundaries into psychedelic imagery found in the back of your imagination. Not all of it will change your world but will bring with it a lot of fun and distractions from the mundane reality we live in. Somewhere in the latter you’ll find Songbringer — a retro top down action-RPG game from indie studio Wizard Fu Games.