Azalea Detailed Opinions

Steam Curator

Original Steam Review

Overview

Azalea is a neat indie game from developer Rad Codex. It is a short 2d exploration game with puzzles, powerups, and some bosses.

Statistics at the time of review

100% of the 19 user reviews for this game are positive

Last updated Oct. 29, 2020 (48 days ago)

Gameplay

The game plays similarly to most exploration RPG adventure games with some minor puzzles. You run around using WASD and have some alternate abilities you find later on. Exploration is simple. For the most part, you will be traversing from one entrance of a map to the exit. Several types of biomes are explored. There are sometimes puzzles in your way that will require you to push things out of the way Sokoban style. These never really exceed three or four block puzzles. They go well with the simple play style. The other puzzles require the activation of objects using your abilities. There are two abilities you find in the game. There are some screens with monsters that will attack you. You don't really have attacks to oppose them. Instead, you either have to avoid them or lure them into a light that will stop them from attacking. There are a few bosses and chase scenes to overcome too.

Story and Dialogue

You play as a child who has dying parents. The medicine that is needed is in the Forbidden Forest. The way it is set up makes you think that this forest is the last in existence. When you leave, it starts out simple enough, but you soon realize that these woods are dangerous. There is a presence far more sinister than a child should be facing. The story is minimal, as is the dialogue. There are a few screens at the start setting up why you are going into the forest. There is a mysterious recurring character with whom you talk to in the forest. After you finish completing the story, there are similar ending screens. This method works well for the short play and journey. None of the dialogue overstays it's welcome and is written well.

Graphical Design

The graphics are really well done. There is a lot of detail in minor objects, and all of it merges pretty well. There are some spaces in between objects such as trees, bushes, and graves. This makes you think exploration is possible when it's not. The only other strange thing I noticed in the area design was in the graveyard. It was odd to see small graves directly in front of large graves within a few inches apart. The colors are appropriately dark and vibrant, depending on the biome you're located in. The characters fit well and are also designed for the biome in which they are located. Some movement can look a bit awkward at times, but I feel that is just the engine used.

Music & Sound

I really enjoyed the music in this game. It does well of fitting the area you are exploring. There was one particular area that made me think of the title Jade Cocoon. Moments like this added to the environment, so I love that. About the only place I wasn't a major fan of the music was the caves. It feels like more could have been done with the sound design to make it feel more isolated and mysterious. The rest of the music is spot on. The sound design is done well. No sounds really bleed out as annoying or too unbalanced.

Options and Accessibility

The game can run on most standard builds. There are several checkpoints in the game, which makes difficulty pretty simple. You can hit roughly five times on the default difficulty. You can choose from five difficulties to adjust how many times it takes to get hit before you die. Aside from that, the options are simple. You can rebind controls, which is nice. I personally played the game on an Xbox controller. It's good to know that I can rebind controls if I needed to.

My overall experience

The game is pretty short. It took me around 40 minutes to clear the default difficulty. For the most part, I knew what I needed to do as I ran into it. There was one particular part I was unaware I could push a fire pit object. It was required for progression, and since it was introduced earlier as something you could not interact with, it took more time than it should have. The game length was fair for the price, and I don't regret the purchase. I hope the developer comes out with any more fleshed out or similarly small project because they did a great job with this one.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ pros ♥

+Short & Simple

*Around a dollar for around an hour of gameplay

+Enjoyable Music Design

*Really sets the mood for the areas

+Variable difficulties

*Can make good for speed runs or perfect no-hit runs

(っ>▬<)っ x cons x

-Limited power explanation

*I only say this because of the snag I hit a few times when a new power was introduced. Such as pushing the fire pits or hitting the eyes with the light. An indicator above said object the first time could do wonders for this.

Wrap Up

For the price, this is an excellent little game. I would recommend it as a short little one session game. You can replay it, but it really only is for speed run or perfect runs. There is no reason to catch this one on sale. If you like adventure games with simple puzzles, then check it out.

Initial Gameplay

Overall score 8/10

𝕀𝕗 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔼𝕟𝕛𝕠𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕋𝕣𝕪

Milo's Quest