Operencia: The Stolen Sun - Gameplay Preview

HiddenX

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Lady Lilia checked out the beginning of Operencia: The Stolen Sun:

(Prologue) OPERENCIA: THE STOLEN SUN | Part 1



Let's play Operencia RPG! Operencia is grid based AND turn based RPG inspired by classic first-person dungeon-crawlers. The theme is inspired by faraway land referenced in countless Central European folktales.
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It's really looking pretty beautiful and damn good :)
 
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I think that's rude. You should refer to her as Lady Lilia.

????????

Lol, I was referring to the game. The GAME is pretty beautiful and good. My bad here if I didn't make it clear beforehand.

On a second thought.... wanna know what? Lady Lilia is pretty beautiful as well :)
 
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I probably should have included a winking smiley with that post. :)

Yeah, it's a pretty game. It uses Unreal 4, so it's no surprise that it looks good.
 
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I've been playing it and having a blast. I still have yet to get 100% completion in any areas, but I am about 12 hours into the game. It reminds me VERY STRONGLY of Lands of Lore. I'll report more as it comes available. And yeah, that streamer is one of my favorites. I was expecting the typical crap in this thread of "Oh, a gamer girl, isn't she hot!" rather than focusing on the game, but it looks like all's clear. ;)
 
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I've been playing it and having a blast. I still have yet to get 100% completion in any areas, but I am about 12 hours into the game. It reminds me VERY STRONGLY of Lands of Lore. I'll report more as it comes available. And yeah, that streamer is one of my favorites. I was expecting the typical crap in this thread of "Oh, a gamer girl, isn't she hot!" rather than focusing on the game, but it looks like all's clear. ;)

I tried it the other night, and it reminded me more of something like M&M X. I like the art style, but the dialogue doesn't seem very well written, and the voice acting is pretty bad.

Let us know how the puzzles are after you've played it more. I'd be interested in knowing if it has puzzles that are on or near the same level as those in Legend of Grimrock, or if it's more about just finding the right key/item to get access to hidden goodies.
 
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JDR13 - there are proper puzzles, and plenty of them. I don't want to spoil anything, but every level has at least one, if not two, which will require you to observe your environment and interact with objects/manipulate them.

Also, crafting (which occurs at camp) is nothing like you'd expect - it's a logic puzzle mini-game where you have to read clues and figure out what component is needed where. It's a lovely change of pace.

Essentially this is the game Bard's Tale 4 wishes it was - the love-child of Wizardry 5/6, MMX and EOB/Grimrock.

(I've just finished the sixth main area, having just solved about 5 puzzles on this level alone, some movement-based, some "interaction" based, some observation, one portal-based, and several in secret areas).
 
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I definitely got the lands of lore feeling....funny I was thinking the exact same thing.
 
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My girlfriend is playing a game! Everybody get to cover quickly!!
 
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I tried it the other night, and it reminded me more of something like M&M X. I like the art style, but the dialogue doesn't seem very well written, and the voice acting is pretty bad.

Let us know how the puzzles are after you've played it more. I'd be interested in knowing if it has puzzles that are on or near the same level as those in Legend of Grimrock, or if it's more about just finding the right key/item to get access to hidden goodies.

I haven't played Grimrock (not a fan of realtime combat), but the puzzles are incredibly clever, and require you to return to areas multiple times. For instance, there is a light vial you can fill which allows you to see secrets runes on walls that contain recipes for potions, and runes to open specially locked doors. There's also a shovel which allows you to dig for buried treasure, and an item that allows you to rebuild broken bridges that you get later in the game (I suggest returning to earlier areas to use it, there's a fast travel option, but some puzzles bleed across multiple zones.) And the usual tropes, such as hidden walls, levers that open doors elsewhere, stones in walls that open secret passages, and a quite a few others that are MUCH more clever and difficult, and are reminiscent of Myst, if not quite as hard.

And yes, M&M X is a good reference point.
 
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You guys are making it sound a lot better than my first impression of it was. Granted, I only played through the prologue and the first dungeon, but it didn't seem like a game with that kind of depth, and the writing/dialogue was a turn-off.

I'll definitely have to give it another try. If only I had the time for more games right now..
 
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I liked the prologue video, except my first impression is that the character building is very shallow, especially say in comparison with something like Might and Magic X or Wizardry 6. Tell me I'm wrong and you've probably sold me on my first Window Stores game.
 
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I liked the prologue video, except my first impression is that the character building is very shallow, especially say in comparison with something like Might and Magic X or Wizardry 6. Tell me I'm wrong and you've probably sold me on my first Window Stores game.

When you level up, you gain three stat points, and you get one point to put into a skill tree. Passives are unlocked automatically, and you can have three of them active at a time. Armor and equipment give you various bonuses and buffs as well (for instance, +10% lightning damage.) I wouldn't say it's in detail, but if you've beaten the first dungeon and didn't like it, I see no reason to continue, because it persists in the same manner as the first dungeon, though the art gets prettier in some areas than others--the copper forest, for instance.

As far as the voice acting and dialogue, some people really liked it in the reviews I've read, but a lot of players hated it. Not sure why that is so. I tend to gloss over dialogue and get to the meat of the gameplay--the dungeons and well-made puzzles.

It kinda does remind me of what Bard's Tale 4 should have been. Kinda.
 
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Actually sounds pretty good, and I'm not the biggest fan of blobbers. Also the let's-play lady was reasonably watchable for a while, and didn't make me immediately want to drop kick my monitor into the garden.
 
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The reason I don't compare it to Grimrock (despite obvious visual similarities) is that there is very little real-time content. I'd almost say none, but then I found one real-time puzzle/test (my least favourite 15 mins of the game!). But, equally, that EOB/ LoL / Grimrock feel is right there in the environments, *some* of the puzzles/secrets (but by no means all).

Character development is (as I recall) very similar to MMX, but with fewer race/class combinations. This is offset by the variety in companion skill trees. So, whilst the main player character only has three possible class combinations (each with 3 skill trees), NPCs have very different makeups.

With the level-up options, you'll be able to tailor each character how you want, and take them in different directions. Similarly, the number of gear slots ensures that you have a lot of flexiblity there too, as you can boost stats via gear and change a character's emphasis.

I think really, the only people (on RPGwatch) who aren't going to love this are action-RPG players (realtime) and those who who require their RPGs isomertic(ish) ie. BG, PoE, etc.

(Game of 2019 for me so far, although I did rather like Octopath that I played just before).
 
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but if you've beaten the first dungeon and didn't like it, I see no reason to continue, because it persists in the same manner as the first dungeon

The first dungeon didn't seem to have much in the way of puzzles though. It sounds like that aspect of the game gets significantly better later on.
 
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The first dungeon didn't seem to have much in the way of puzzles though. It sounds like that aspect of the game gets significantly better later on.

Maybe you didn't notice some of the puzzles. There are tiles on walls you can press to open secret doors. Hidden walls you can walk through--if you look closely, you can see them up close. There is a puzzle with three animals which you have to complete to free the remaining captives, and a statue without a head next to a body of water you cannot walk across until later in the game. A door which can only be opened by hanging weights on a lever. Doors which opens only when you light or twist several torches. Also, doors shut with rune keys, which you can only find by using a magical light which must be refilled at specific locales.

If you really want to see how much you are missing, check the map. It tells you how many secrets you've found out of the total amount in each area. I'd say the game is about 40% puzzles, 60% combat, much like Bard's Tale 4 (though much, much better, in this humble gamer's estimation.)
 
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For me, the "Lake of Anna" first "proper" level was the least interesting. It was fun, as a starting point, and made me take note, but the subsequent levels were better.

I think this was because it felt over-familiar with its "Castle" environment (albeit under water). We've seen this kind of environment in many other EOB/Grimrock/MMX games.

Also, although there *are* puzzles (eg. Wine Cellar or hanging animal figurines) , they weren't particularly elaborate.

Finally, the first level felt quite disconnected from the rest of the game. Many of the systems weren't introduced yet (eg. buying/selling, crafting, travelling between levels) and I felt no real sense of "world".

However, the links between levels become stronger as the game progresses, and once fast-travel back to previous locations is available, it all becomes much more coherent.

The first "castle" area is more of a tutorial, I'd say, or perhaps "introductory level". In some ways the mini-level with Attila at the very start is more representative of the game as a whole - more interesting puzzles/fights.
 
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