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Do you like Zelda?


Nora's Tale is an action / puzzle rpg made by TamFey for RPG Maker VX Ace. Nora’s Tale executes a play style I have yet to see equaled by any other game made with this engine. If you’re a Zelda fan then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

Story:

The story starts off in a chapel where the evil Mirror Queen steals a magical scepter. Someone asks who is willing to retrieve the magical artifact back from the Mirror Queen. Nora steps forward and volunteers for this quest. In order to enter the Mirror Queen’s fortress you will need to retrieve 3 pendants (“Courage”, “Wisdom”, and “Power”) in order to pull out the “Master Sword.” (Of course with different names.)

The story aspect is relatively simple, which is common in Zelda type games. So I didn’t have much of a problem with that. I did think there could be slightly more interaction between you and the village people. For the most part they just seemed to be there.

Graphics:

The developer of this game has created custom graphics for this game. So I applaud the great effort that went into making these. The monsters and animations are especially well done in this game. Every area in the game had a unique feel to it. This was a job well done.




An example of a great puzzle.


Sound:

The sound effects were really well done. Everything from using a bomb to opening a chest was really well executed. The background music was a mix of different styles. I did notice some RTP resources in the mix here. I thought that with this game being a throw back to Zelda there could be some Zelda themed music in place of the RTP, but maybe that’s just a personal preference.

Game Play:

Mixing decent puzzles and great action based combat Nora’s Tale delivers some of the best game play I have seen in a while. Use bombs, a hook-shot, and a statue making tool to solve a variety of thought provoking puzzles. Each dungeon focuses on the tool you find in that dungeon. And this game comes up with some pretty creative ways to use its tools. The monsters and bosses are also well developed. Each monster has a different thing about it. Some will shoot arrows, others will electrocute you, and there’s even others that will follow your movement patterns. The bosses are a special treat, since each one has a unique way to defeat it. I particularly liked the hook-shot monster in the furnace room.




Boss battles are unique.


Overall:

This game really is the closest thing to Zelda you can play using this engine. And actually the developer has surpassed the capabilities of Zelda Classic, which is an engine dedicated to making Zelda games. I give this game a 4.5 / 5.