Alexx Aplin
Alexx AplinIt is rare for an RPG to surprise me these days. Yes, a lot of RPG’s are unique, but many of them have similar elements to them. Ikenfell is surprising in multiple ways and not just in terms of mechanics either. Ikenfell is a story about love, loss, and family. It is different than the sources it takes inspiration from, such as Paper Mario, Zelda, and old-school JRPGs.
In Ikenfell, you play as Maritte, who is looking for her missing sister Safina. Safina goes to school at the magical school Ikenfell, so Maritte ventures there to find her. Along the way, she discovers that Safina’s disappearance is connected to Maritte’s sudden, strange new powers, as well as other strange magic appearing all over the school.
Ikenfell’s gameplay plays a lot like the Paper Mario franchise. You explore the world, solving puzzles, following along the story, and fighting enemies. Combat plays out on a 2.5D plane. You can move your characters around a strategic grid, setting up attacks. Each attack has a timing mechanic like the Paper Mario games, where you can get a standard hit, a “nice” which does a little extra damage, and a “Great” which does maximum damage.
The cool part about Ikenfell though, is that it has multiple accessibility options for people who have reflex issues or simply find the game’s difficulty too tough with the timing. You can set attacks to always hit the “nice” or higher regardless of your timing, or set them to always give a “great” with max damage or defense. On top of that, if you want to focus on the story (or want to grind faster for levels) you can turn on the “instant victory” option, where you can instantly win battles without having to fight through them.
This is especially great for grinding because battles take a while. Enemies take a fair bit of a beating, and each enemy requires you to learn their unique patterns and timing to block their attacks. Even on the “auto-great” setting, Ikenfell isn’t an easy game. It is, however, incredibly fun. Friendly fire is also a thing in terms of your attacks, so proper placement of your party members is important.
However, friendly fire also works on enemies too, so bosses can be damaged by their minions, and so on. Sometimes, this is required to defeat a boss and each boss has a unique strategy to it. I love the variety in Ikenfell, in terms of character and enemy design. The attacks are flashy and beautiful, the pixel-art is fantastic, though one complaint I have is that flying enemies can be difficult to deal with.
The reason is that sometimes it is hard to see what tile they are hovering over. Bigger enemies can also be difficult to gauge as well, but they are less of an annoyance. Sometimes combat takes a little trial and error in terms of aiming abilities, but on the whole, it is easy to pick up and understand.
The school of Ikenfell is large and beautifully designed. The game opens up new areas slowly over time, and while the map isn’t super helpful, it does help you figure out where you are in relation to other things. You can also fast travel by interacting with a specific tree in each area, which allows you to quickly teleport between sections.
You’ll be encouraged to backtrack to previous areas too, as there are lots of hidden collectibles and things that you may not be able to access at first. You can collect gems of various varieties, which can be traded for various accessories that you can equip. You can also purchase weapons and clothing (armor) with coins gained from enemies, as well as restorative and support items.
My favorite part of Ikenfell though is the diverse cast. There are all kinds of LGBT characters in Ikenfell. From a gay couple to a lesbian with a crush on your main character to non-binary and trans characters, there is a lot of diversity here. The best part is, the game doesn’t use it as a “Hey! Look! Diversity!” ploy for attention. These characters have lives and histories that aren’t defined by their sexuality or gender identity. They exist in this world and are accepted for who they are.
Ikenfell’s story also has some important things to say, things about anxiety, mental health, bullying, and discovering that things might not be the way you thought they were. I greatly appreciate what the developers have done with Ikenfell, blending a magical school and fantastical settings, with characters who struggle with things that everyday people struggle with.
Even the side characters are charming and interesting. The character design is well done and I really hope that Happy Ray Games creates more fantastic experiences like Ikenfell. A lot of people might overlook it due to the cute, pixel graphics, but I encourage people to look past that and give it a try. Ikenfell is a surprisingly complex, well-crafted RPG that any RPG enthusiast should play.
Whether you play it on Switch, PC, PS4, or Xbox One, Ikenfell is a must-play in my opinion. It redefines representation on a level that AAA devs should take notice of. It also has a quirky, fun story and setting, meshed with deep combat and smooth controls. Seriously, what are you waiting for?
A Nintendo Switch review copy of Ikenfell was provided by Humble Games for this review.
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Ikenfell
$19.99 USD
Pros
- Fantastic Representation and Diversity
- Fun Combat System
- Tons of Accessibility and Difficulty Customization
- Beautiful Visual Design
- Great Story and Characters
Cons
- Map Could be Better
- Flying Enemies Can be Hard to Line Up
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