Sparklite Reviews
The patch system is fun to mess around with as well, but it can help with the tediousness and make you feel weak because of the randomized nature. The final fight was the best part of the forgettable journey, but if you don't have the right patches, Geodia will be doomed.
Sparklite's constant earthquakes make for a roguelike full of variety and challenge, but that doesn't last forever.
There's much to love about Sparklite, and it's clearly been a passion project for the small development team, but my overall experience was a frustrating one. It's hamstrung by its half-formed and unnecessarily repetitive roguelite structure that undermines the positives of the aesthetic and challenging boss fights. A good roguelite gets better and more complex with repetition, but Sparklite just increasingly overstays its welcome.
Sparklite is a safe, stock-standard rogue-lite RPG that attempts to mimic The Legend of Zelda, but never manages to emulate it. An otherwise brief journey that requires some samey exploration to prepare for late-game hurdles leaves this adventure feeling a little stale.
Sparklite's difficulty is more frustrating than enjoyable to conquer. The struggle draws out the time to beat it and makes anything entertaining feel like a slog.
Sparklite is a colourful rogue-like that yearns for the pixel-based games on the original NES. By removing most of the challenges generally found in rogue-likes, this puts itself at the top of the list for newcomers who want to dip their toes into the water. Aged fans of the genre won't find any surprises or challenges here, and the lack of a real contest or a risk-versus-reward system can be a turn off. Ada's journey can be a short one, as it can be completed in less than five hours, and it provides enjoyment due to an addictive gameplay loop, catchy music, and the ability to relive the pixelated days of old.
Overall, I did enjoy my time with Sparklite. It’s a lovingly crafted game with buckets loads of charm. However, it just doesn’t have enough variety to make it stand out from its peers. That said, Red Blue Games have shown a lot of promise here, and I truly look forward to whatever they do next. For now, though, I’d recommend Sparklite to fans of the genre looking for a short game to play over a weekend. Just don’t expect something you’ll keep coming back to. With this in mind, I award Sparklite a Thumb Culture Silver Award!
Sparklite has all the ingredients required for a great game but fails to brew them into something memorable.
Sparklite has several aspects that are quite enjoyable and well made. The soundtrack is delightfully happy and well composed, the world can be a pleasure to explore and the gadget crafting system in the workshop provides you with so many cool things. All of these are held back by an endless grind for money. The 2 hours of content are padded with hours upon hours of painful grinding that will poison the experience resulting in a game you will loathe rather than enjoy.
Sparklite struggles to find its audience and its pacing. Sometimes relies a bit heavy on exploration, sometimes the boss fights feel like they’re the only redeeming quality. The end result is a game that is way less than the sum of its parts.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sparklite is a painfully static game that can’t overcome its inspirations or its ambitions. Whether you’re looking for a retro throwback, a new obsession, or something in-between, there are far better options than this sleepy clunker.
A journey to salvage a scintillating steampunk world from the clutches of a man hellbent on seeing its destruction? Sign me up.
Despite Sparklite being yet another retro-indie title, I still think it is worth checking out.
Sparklite is a fun rogue-like, yet feels like it's missing a small piece to make it truly epic. Hardcore rogue-like fans will grow bored quickly, but newer rogue-like gamers may fall in love with Sparklite. I hope to see a sequel in the future!