Tales Of Illyria’ Review – Endless Quest Remembrance

‘Tales Of Illyria’ Review – Endless Quest Remembrance
When I was young, one of my favorite pastimes was reading Endless Quest books.

books. It was an easy way to play Dungeons & Dragons solo and without all the work. So when I found Tales of Illyria on the Google Playstore, I was immediately intrigued. I couldn’t wait to gather this garnet and see in its reflections the coveted memories of my youth. The team of developers that crafted the Android App is Little Killerz , who loosened their luster into every facet of this accolade. Previously they produced another RPG called Legends Arcanawhich released back in 2010 and is available on Google Play.

To start, do not be deterred by the near five dollar cost; especially if your goggle on google chances upon the rather small file size of five megabytes. Upon installation, a sizable trove of additional data will need to be downloaded to round out all this app has to offer. This will vary in size from 185mb to 750mb depending on your resolution choices. For your fiver, you are granted over twenty hours of game play which includes: 1.5GB of art at full 1080P, 700 unique encounters, 275K of word data, and six unique kingdoms which comprise forty-two villages, castles, and cities to visit. For the record, that chunk of word data equals about four novels worth of words penned by six different writers. More information on each writer can be found by tapping on their names within the in-game credits under ‘more options’.

Tales of Illyria is advertised by Little Killerz as being a party based RPG hybrid mixing of Oregon Trail and Choose Your Own Adventure game mechanics. This description is spot on. Whether in town or sorting out an event, it is exactly like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Pop-up windows called Menus provided the descriptive narrative in precise chunks followed by a list of choices to decide upon. The affair plays out subsequently until fully resolved or combat ensues. The journeys between locations is styled like Oregon Trail where you manage your resources, such as food and water, in attempt to survive each trip amid the unforeseeable challenges that besiege your party.

Combat in Tales of Illyria is fascinating. It is an impeccable blend of turn-based strategy and automated (yet controllable) tactical combat actions. A front row of three melee units followed by a second row of three supportive units comprises each group which face off against one another reciprocally. A scrolling column of thumbnail icons lists the turn order and readied action or skill for each combatant. Game options allow you to enact pauses during combat to make changes and employ detailed commands. However, the AI does a superb job of streamlining combat while making it pleasurable to watch each and every time. Despite your choice, tapping on a unit during battle will always allow you to issue a one-off command if the tides shift against you. Effective hit point bars with buffs and afflictions for each combatant further help you manage battles.

The story is very well written without being drawn out to maintain an active pace. Lengthier prose was reserved for the included Codex that expounds on Illyria’s wonders which can be delved into at your leisure. The textual game events are structured to retain your interest and make you feel like you are there and a part of the story. The characters are engaging and the conversations between them are never flat. Even your former actions harry you in shadow to become the vivid reminders that make your bygone decisions all the more real. In keeping to mostly words, the immersion factor found here is noteworthy and will inspire the imagination to take wing in Little Killerz world.

In summary, I found it hard to find fault with any aspect of Tales of Illyria . Its minor, but the only issue I had was with screen rotation. Although this game would not bode well in portrait, I would have preferred it to switch between the two sides in landscape; for which it did not. Apart from that this is a well designed game. It has a lot of content to offer. The artwork is a unique style of brushy oil paintings that lend a feeling of antiquity which complement the production. Character appearances change in accordance to gear and weaponry equipped. The seventy-five original music compositions are woven in as not to distract, but to enrich your travels in Illyria . Fortunately a sequel is already in production. Visit the official Tales of Illyriawebsite or follow them on Twitter.

[review pros=”Untold variety throughout, quaint artwork, novel quality writing” cons=”Fixed screen does not rotate between landscaped views” score=99]