Archvale is the first big release for the small team comprising Idoz & Phops. Putting out any game for the public to consume must be nerve-wracking but thankfully the indie team isn’t alone in this endeavor. Humble Bundle is helping publish it. They’ve always been great about putting new indie developers and games out there.
2021 might have been their most ambitious year yet with such hits as Dodgeball Academia and Unsighted under their collective indie belts. How does Archvale measure up to those and as a game trying time emulate The Legend of Zelda? It has some issues, but there’s a lot of positive things to say about it as well.
6 Best: The Open-World
There aren’t many games like Archvale anymore. Players will wake up in a dungeon with a vague goal in mind. After a quick tutorial, the world is their oyster. It’s not a seamless open-world as the game operates in a grid-based manner. However, it is open-ended which is close enough.
There are very few barriers to restrict players from entering sections of the game. There are some gadgets required like bombs but they are far and few between. Other areas might be too tough as another example. Don’t wander into the tundra before the desert. That’s one example where exploring too much can be bad. The game also has an excellent fast travel system via statues. Overall, Archvale is very inviting for gamers that love freedom in their action RPGs.
5 Worst: The Level Design
The art style is bright and colorful and very inviting for fans of retro-themed indie games. The monster design is also a highlight. However, the cute and simple graphics can only go so far. The overall level design is lacking. There is a nice variety to the many areas of Archvale which include the aforementioned desert and tundra regions along with forests and grassy plains.
Each square in these sections is like cookie-cutter replacements that are rearranged to look different. It’s the same design philosophy as roguelikes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as these similar-looking areas don’t hurt the gameplay. There’s just not a lot of curated artistry to this style which can make the game feel monotonous especially in dungeons.
4 Best: Co-Op
Archvale supports local couch co-op. That is a plus to see in any game as an option. It’s one of the things missing in most Zelda games. Demand for co-op in a game like Breath of the Wild is so high that there are even people trying to incentivize modders to add it in for a money drop. That’s how desperate some fans are.
While Archvale is no Breath of the Wild in terms of scope, it is fun with a friend or loved one. It can also make the game easier as some rooms can get overwhelming with the number of monsters that pop up. This is not a bullet-hell shooter but the game can get close when alone.
3 Worst: Locked In Difficulty And Multiplayer
There is a big downside to the design of co-op. Multiplayer is locked from the beginning of the game. What difficulty mode players choose is also locked to a profile. That means players can’t do drop-in and drop-out co-op which is odd to see as that’s how most games operate. This was seemingly done to balance Archvale’s challenge level.
Being able to have a friend jump into a challenging boss fight, for example, while near death may seem like a cheat. There are ways co-op could have been added in other ways to prevent this “cheat” from happening. For example, the co-op could have been activated at statues around the world as they are the game’s save points. The same idea could work for changing difficulty options. Hopefully, both of these issues can get fixed via patches.
2 Best: The Weapon Variety
There are so many weapons to choose from in Archvale. Players will begin collecting typical action RPG gear such as swords, daggers, spears, and so on. Then magical artifacts will start appearing like books and rods. Many of the books have heat-seeking projectiles too from fireballs to ice chunks. The rods can shoot concentrated beams of energy which are slow but powerful.
The wackiness doesn’t stop there as Archvale also has gun-like weapons. There is a cannon that shoots out poison mist. Whenever combat might start to feel stale, a new weapon will appear to reinvigorate gameplay. Plus there are fun ways to upgrade weapons as well. It’s a true wonder and gets even better when combining powers in co-op.
1 Worst: The Story
There is essentially no story to the game. It begins with a vague mission of collecting seven magic stones to unlock some great power players are destined for. That’s about it. Archvale is about gameplay over the story which is great. Not all games need an impactful story to be considered good.
However, it would have been nice if the NPCs players encounter in town were at least more animated. Their designs and dialogue are about as stale as the 8-bit games Archvale is trying to emulate graphically. A few jokes would have brightened up the world a bit. It’s a small complaint but one still worth voicing for fans of either compelling stories or fun interactive characters.
Archvale was released on December 2, 2021, and is available on PC and Switch.