Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download There’s a comforting familiarity to Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition that lends the whole game a veneer of nostalgia. That’s not just in terms of its debt to classic JRPGs – which, naturally, it has in spades – but also in its character writing, which conjures up memories of old-school webcomics, fanfiction and English-translated manga. Each to their own whether or not you take that as a negative point, but the fusion of earnest JRPG aesthetics with enthusiastic characterisation gave us pleasant flashbacks to the era of webrings and Tokyopop. ROMSLAB.COM Best Switch Games

Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

From the get-go, we were drawn into Ara Fell’s world. It’s a beautiful-looking thing, with a striking landscape of floating islands in bright blue skies. The locations are busy with wildlife and well-populated with NPCs. Even the underground environments glitter with mineral deposits and are enlivened by rushing water and beautiful vistas viewed through the cracks in the cavern walls. Of course, it’s nothing that you haven’t seen before, but we came to understand that really isn’t the point. Ara Fell deals in clichés and familiar scenarios, yes, but it uses them gracefully to create an experience that’s downright pleasant; a soothing balm in these extraordinarily troubled times.

A charming adventure

First off, a standout in Ara Fell is the writing. It’s very charming and witty, especially the dynamic between Lita and Adrian. I was constantly chuckling. However, the relationship between Lita and her overprotective, worrisome dad is very intriguing and more serious in tone.Lita and Adrian are from a bustling town called Aloria where things recently started feeling off. The animals are disappearing, and there is word of a vampire war on the horizon. I won’t dive much deeper into the story to avoid spoilers, but I must say that I got invested in the character relationships and main plot throughout the game. While the story does have common JRPG tropes and is a bit predictable, it still kept me engaged throughout. TOHU Switch NSP

Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

As for the presentation, the game is pretty damn stunning. I constantly found myself gawking at the beautiful 16-bit pixel art. However, where the presentation truly shines is the soundtrack. While the art style is 16-bit, the score is modern instruments, and there are some truly breathtaking songs. Seriously, if you’re not captivated by the opening song, you may have no soul. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack even when I’m not playing the game, which is the highest praise it can receive from me.

Too big for its own good?

The game world itself is pretty darn massive though — a bit too massive for my taste. Ara Fell is well known for being an open-ended experience where you’re free to explore most areas even if you’re ill-prepared. And while this will surely be an admirable quality to many, it slightly hindered my experience with the game. I would have preferred a bit more linearity. I often found myself lost and confused on where to go. Sometimes the quest objective could be too vague on where you should be heading next. If you’re like me and don’t have much sense of direction, prepare to roam around for longer than necessary looking for where to go next. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Switch NSP

Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

The game looks and runs well on Nintendo Switch. Handheld mode specifically looks seriously stunning. The colors really pop and look more crisp on the smaller screen. And of course, RPGs work so well as on-the-go experiences. So Nintendo Switch is the best place to play Ara Fell. Battles, on the other hand, look a little basic. Special abilities spice things up a bit, but I wouldn’t put them on the same level as something like Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross visually. But despite this, the actual combat itself is fun and engaging.

The storytelling

The storytelling, thankfully, works well. The characters are interesting examples of the archetypes they embody (protagonist Lita is your scrappy tomboy archer, Adrian your stoic tank swordsman, and so on) and their relationships are convincing in a way that a lot of games don’t bother to portray. Lena’s brittle impatience is a lot of fun and you really get a sense of immersion from the way she interacts with the world that’s so familiar to her. There’s plenty of lore and extraneous information to gather, but very little in the way of droning exposition. Exploration and investigating are rewarded with amusing interactions or interesting tidbits. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 Plus 2 Switch NSP

Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

A lot of care and attention has gone into the world and it shows very clearly that the developers truly cared about these characters. The pixel art is terrific, adding another good reason to search every nook and cranny of the large and surprisingly open map. Every new area looks great and the character sprites are well-drawn and defined. There’s also plenty of unnecessary, flavour-enhancing detail, such as the way Lita clambers in and out of water. It’s only little things, but most RPGs we’ve played don’t bother with these flourishes, so they stand out. Also rather outstanding is the music; it’s stirring to the point of being downright emotional at times. Transistor Switch NSP

Add-ons (DLC): Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Switch NSP