The Fall Of Gods review

A little ambition can go a long way. The bugs and rough edges that chafe throughout The Fall Of Gods' ten-hour runtime are far from unique on a service hardly renowned for prioritising polish, though they're no less disappointing when they arrive. But they're minor flaws in a charmingly retrograde adventure that leans on the likes of Secret Of Mana and early Zelda for inspiration – and doesn't suffer too badly from the comparison.

The story is happy to fall back on familiar RPG form – a chosen youngster is tasked with saving the world from a mysterious encroaching darkness - yet the dialogue is savvy enough to slyly reference such archetypes. As a descendant of the gods, you're able to channel their deific magic, your expanding arsenal of spells used to solve environmental conundrums and defeat enemies, even though your trusty sword is usually more than capable of dealing with the latter. Combat is rudimentary, but it's hardly the focus, the game preferring to concentrate on relaxed exploration and gentle puzzling.

It soon settles into a comfortable rhythm, with trade-chains proving a compelling distraction from dungeoneering, while the large overworld is crammed with enough secrets to encourage meticulous investigation. Such thoroughness is often rewarded: conversations with random NPCs and study of background objects can result in your map being marked with new areas of interest. The presentation, meanwhile, is inconsistent but characterful: a faintly melodramatic orchestral soundtrack appears to have been recorded directly from warped vinyl, crackles and all, but it's one of a number of idiosyncrasies that only add to the appeal.

Aside from glitches which see your character permanently glued to various pieces of scenery – the solution, of course, is to save regularly – an abrupt ending is the main disappointment, even if developer Geex suggests this is merely the opening chapter of a much larger story. The Fall Of Gods' reach may exceed its grasp on several occasions, but it's heartening to bear witness to a small game that isn't afraid to dream big. [6]