Once in a while, a game brings up an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. It just so happens that Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is that kind of game. This game reminds me a lot of the older Zelda titles such as A Link to the Past and The Minish Cap. It has all the makings of an instant classic: From a great soundtrack, to spot on controls, to its retro vibe. There is certainly a lot to love about this game!
It opens up with a group of kids asking their grandfather to tell them a story. He then tells them about our heroine, who wants to become a knight of the kingdom. Without spoiling too much, some things happen and she eventually goes off on an adventure to save the king. It is a pretty basic story, but it does get the plot going. Eventually you run into challenges where you need certain abilities to progress. Just like Zelda titles you run into a dungeon, solve puzzles, kill enemies, and even defeat bosses! The story is definitely the most interesting part of this game.
The gameplay takes a basic top-down perspective, just like The Legend of Zelda. The swordplay also feels like it was lifted directly from The Legend of Zelda but simplified by modern standards. There are many items in the game. but I didn’t get them all. A particularly fun item to find was the bee medallion, which spawns bees to fight for you. There are a lot of silly things like in this game that you can get to change up how you play. That’s genuinely part of why the gameplay feels so good. The one downside to all this is that the D-pad feels incredibly awkward to use, so I highly recommend the analog stick.
Another highlight of Blossom Tales is in the aesthetics. It feels like a modern upbringing of a classic top-down adventure game. Visually, it’s a 16-bit style game with lots of modern particle effects and very smooth animations. The music is very reminiscent of another time, and it ties everything together in one tight package. The variety of enemies also makes for a very interesting experience, as you never know what you will face around the next corner.
Overall, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a must-have for any Switch owner. Its retro vibe is a draw for any classic Zelda fan. The one thing that makes this game unique, though, is its variety of items and abilities. I highly recommend picking it up on the eShop, as this game is certainly going to have a lot of buzz in the future!
GAME: Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King
ESRB: E for Everyone
PUBLISHER: FDG Entertainment
OBTAINED: Review code provided by FDG Entertainment
Mike has been with NintendoFuse since January 2015 as a Social Media Manager. He has always had a passion for Nintendo games, and his favorite game series is Donkey Kong Country.