It's that time again for a new episode of Chichuki Plays, the show where I go hands-on with upcoming games and show them off. Usually, it's about an hour or so but I don't want to spoil too much of the game for you. This time we're looking at The Edge of Allegoria on the Nintendo Switch. This game is also available on Steam if you'd like to play it there.
Let me start out by saying that when I played the Steam version of The Edge of Allegoria, I felt it would have been a perfect fit on the Nintendo Switch. Fast-forward from that time and now I'm playing The Edge of Allegoria on the Nintendo Switch. Since it pays homage to the Game Boy era of gaming, what better company to have the game on its system than Nintendo?
Long story short, you start out on your adventure because your life has become too mundane, too boring. That being said, you and your trusty dog, who you get to name and can pet, set out to have a good time. Along the way things like fighting a Goblin King and gaining the trust of the Forest Deity are just some of the things you'll encounter.
This game might look like an old-school Game Boy game but it's far from that. I said that it felt like Pokemon with side of kick-ass because if you didn't know better, you might think it's a Rom-hack of a Pokemon game I have to say that The Edge of Allegoria does a good job in differentiating itself from the likes of Pokemon and other monster hunting/catching games. One way it does that is by the writing. The writing shows off its edginess/ in your face attitude almost every chance it gets. You'll be minding your own business when the game drops a few F bombs before a fight starts. You'll be walking into the next town, find a guy who blew up is horse and asks you to collect the pieces. AND did I mention the hooker who can only live in town because of the sexual tricks she turns. The game does warn the player that things are going to get a little dark but it's tongue and cheek and I doubt the player thinks things are going that far. I know I didn't think things would get where they went but that makes story telling interesting.
The battle system is pretty interesting where you master weapons and equipment the ore you use them. After you master a weapon, you'll be able to use the skill from said weapon without having to have the weapon equipped. You'll be able to have a handful of attacks at the ready during battle so plan accordingly. The equipment on the other hand needs to be attacked by enemies so you can master it. Weapons and equipment don't take too much to master but save the game often. If you die in battle, your weapon and equipment will revert to zero percent mastery and you'll have to start mastering all over again.
The towns are small and so are some of the locations. That being said, you can use your dog to fast-travel to locations you've already been to. That's beneficial when you need to buy new weapons/equipment to master or items. You can also find junk to sell in shops for a good amount of money. Graphically, the game looks and sounds really good. I was having a fun time listening to the music for the towns and fights. It really looks like I was playing a Game Boy game too. That is until the Vampiress and Missa Mortis showed up on screen. I knew what I was looking at and that puts it ahead of a classic Game Boy Game. Sometimes there were things on a Game Boy screen that no one knew what it was.
Now a few minor issues I had with The Edge of Allegoria. I would have loved a run option for the playable character. There were times when I had to level grind and encounters aren't super quick so being able to run would have been a nice touch. It certainly would have made grinding easier. In the same context, being able to change the encounter rate of enemies would have been nice too. I get why it isn't a thing since you don't have to level grind too often but it would have made things easier. The game is really fun and just know going in that it's going to take you down some dark, weird, interesting paths so buckle up.
Make sure you check out the hands-on video below.