Eventide: Slavic Fable – Review

If you ever needed your Slavic mythology fix this is the game for you. Let’s see if this is just another point & click adventure or is there more than meets the eye.

Eventide: Slavic Fable review
In Eventide: Slavic Fable you play as the main protagonist (Mary, I think is her original name, but you could name her whatever you like) whose gone to see her grandma by invitation. The player is assigned to save an endangered plant, but things go awry when dear old grandma gets kidnapped by Boruta and it is up to the player to save the grandma and also save the world. This is a point & click adventure game developed by The House Of Fables and published by Artifex Mundi sp. z o.o.,released Jan 28, 2016. Eventide: Slavic Fable is now currently as I write is $9.99 on the Steam store; get ready to explore this world of Slavic legends and mythology.

Graphics

The game takes place in a park where it’s very misty, but ultimately visible. The game doesn’t really offer you graphical tweaks aside from the full screen option and making the game high definition, there is no low to high setting, so what you see is basically what you get. The game is artsy, with every scenario that looks like it has been drawn, besides some of the cut scenes that make an attempt of going 3D. The colors in this game or very dark e.g. dark greens, greys, purples, with the exception of some glowing flowers and mushrooms making them stand out as any glowing object probably would.  Every character is distinguishable from one another, from Baba (your grandma), to Boruta and the little creatures that are native to this park that you probably won’t mix up your characters. There are no animation unless you consider after completing a puzzle there is a mini cut scene showing anything from unlocking a door, to creating an object where it supposed to act like your character is the doing the action, but you don’t see her hands so it just looks like a ghost is doing the deed, then yeah I guess there are animation, but mostly it’s cut scenes that show the actions that you are doing. As you progress through the game you come across a multitude of area for e.g. huts, museums, a castle, that are different from one another, so that you always know which locations is which (except for that one maze part).

Protagonist needs to put out the fireProtagonist needs to cross the water to get closer to the castle

Audio

With harp-like sounding music it’s hard not feel like the music is setting up a mysterious and mystical mood. The music generally stays the same unless it’s an important event happening, or you are doing something heroic of the sorts. There are audio cues for just about everything you do, whether you are walking, opening doors, doing puzzles, you name it, it probably has sound to it. There is voice acting in the game bound to almost all the characters you come across. Each sounding different and unique to that character; not all characters talk willing though, there are a few that you must engage them in a conversation if you want them to talk, but for the most part the ones that help you in your quest to save Baba will speak to you.

Talking with our furry friend

Gameplay

Pointing & clicking is just about the only thing you do to play. Click an area you want to go to here and a spot you want to inspect over there, you just click it and you are where you want to be. There is more to it than just walking over there and inspecting. When you are first asked to start up the game, you are given the choice of picking a difficulty when you select the Slavic Fable story: casual, advanced, and expert. Each making the game more difficult by not giving you as much hints and the slowing down the recharge rate of the ‘hint flower’.  You are given a map and also a little hint helper in the form of a flower so you are never that lost in the game. If you are not sure where to go, the map will just about almost every time tell you the general area of where to look, and if you need a little bit more help the ‘hint flower’ is always there to help you in your time of need.  There are puzzles galore that are connected to just about every aspect in this game. There are a variety of puzzle that can come in any way, shape, or form. To name a few of the puzzles you are expected to do are: find hidden objects, matching tiles, untying knots, etc. There is a lot and they can come at any time, from investigating a table, to making an item and so on. Besides all the countless puzzles there are to do, there is exploring to progress the game, and collectibles to be had if you want more lore of the game.

Mini game: shooting the sandbags to lower the bridgeHidden Objects mini game puzzle

Story

Grandma is kidnapped and you must save her. This is basically the point of the story, but of course there are twist and turns to have the player hooked into the story. Throughout the game, you get some of the story through some of the puzzles you encounter. They give you understanding of the world in this game, as well as Boruta, plus so much more. There is also an endangered flower that you must find in order to ensure its survival. It actually plays a pivotal role and you see why as you progress through the game.

Vision of Boruta speaking with Baba (protagonist grandma)Protagonist speaking to Leshy

Replay Value

I do my replay value scale low-medium-high. This game has low replay value. I say low because after you complete the story there isn’t really that much to do. Even at a certain point you can’t go back to the beginning area because of a certain something that voids you of getting any collectibles you missed in the beginning. The only replay value I see for this game is getting the collectibles and also getting achievements that’s about it. There is an extra story, but can be completed in less time than the Slavic Fable story.

Collectibles News article of main protagonist

Final thoughts

In Eventide: Slavic Fable the mystical nature of this game will keep it interesting until the very end. The story is as simple as finding your grandma, with the occasional twist and turns, but I felt like there was nothing really keeping me invested or emotional attached to the story. Everything felt very calm thanks the music. It really made me feel relaxed no matter what situation I was in. The games mysterious, magical, and mystical vibe gives me some interest in this the Slavic fable world. From the potions I was making to the characters I came across, it was always nice to see such detail and design in everything I came across. The voice acting was a bit stale from everybody’s part. Not as much from the main protagonist, but at times the dialogue was just lame and even unbearable to hear. The puzzles were terrific. In design, difficulty, and uniqueness, puzzles were always a joy to do. Although towards the end the puzzle kept coming in more and more frequently, to do the point where I felt like the developers put it in just to squeeze out more gameplay then it should have, but none the less the puzzle were always welcome. I also really liked and appreciated the guidance system in this game. The map you get is a blessing to have, and a quick look at it always saved me precious time and frustration, when navigating the park. Overall I enjoyed the shadowy art and the puzzles, and I recommend it to anybody who likes point & click adventure games, who likes uniquely designed puzzles, and is interested in Slavic mythology.

Boruta variationOur underwater friendly creature

Pros:

  • Puzzles
  • Shadowy art
  • Calming harp-like music

Cons:

  • Story
  • Voice acting
7
Good

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