Kandria Reviews

While most other reviews focus on gameplay and platformer mechanics, I just really enjoyed the story and characters :)

I liked it, but note that platformer sections are brutal and require exceptional precision. There are accessibility options that include game speed though.

Pros: 1. [b]Unique Narrative:[/b] Deep, post-apocalyptic story filled with mysteries. 2. [b]Engaging Exploration:[/b] Open world with diverse environments for discovery. 3. [b]Impressive Pixel Art:[/b] Detailed and expressive visuals create a distinct world. 4. [b]Atmospheric Soundtrack:[/b] Music enhances theme and atmosphere. Cons: 1. [b]Navigation Issues:[/b] Unclear objectives may confuse players. 2. [b]Challenging Platforming:[/b] Some segments may frustrate with difficulty. 3. [b]Shallow Combat:[/b] Lack of variety in combat mechanics. 4. [b]Incomplete Explanations:[/b] Mechanics may lack clear guidance. Overall, the game offers a unique narrative and engaging exploration, but faces challenges in navigation, platforming, combat depth, and explanations. Its distinctive qualities make it worth considering.

as much as i liked the idea of this game and its setting i must say that the combat feels unresponsive at times (it is very unclear wether you parry or not(the dodgeroll animation is not a good enought indication in the middle of a fight its hard at times to notice it), and the attack moves feel weightless which is unsatisfying) the movement itself the platforming is just not that fun the dash having a weird delay doesnt make the game fun its makes is dishorienting and you start falling at mach speeds in seconds while midair making precision platforming with that move set is bound to be hard but not like celeste hard where its challenging but fun cause it feels fair but more of a rage game feel which seems stupid i have put 4 hours into this game and the point where i had to stop was the final area of the game because of how the fast travel and save system works you can get yourself almost softlocked at times where you have low hp but cant get out of the area and i remember doing all the annoying platforming in that area backtracking trying to get out just to see that the elevator(the main way to get through some of the final areas) is broken now in hignsight when i got there i knew it but people can forget that THE WAY THEY CAME FROM IS NOT A WAY OUT the music is good but it changes to rapidly stops fast at times and theres a very minor amount of tracks which literaly by the point of 4 hours i was kinda sick of it which is not a good thing if your game is a metroidvania the one good thing i do have to say is that the exploration in this game (when its not trying to do platforming) and looking at the art is great that was all delightful i only hope the devs improve because the general idea of this game is sick in my opinion

I'm enjoying Kandria a lot - really smooth Celeste-esque platforming with tight combat mechanics mixed in, and great music, art and an engaging story to go with! There are also some cool ideas like marking deaths on your map, and the accessibility options are appreciated as well. Will update review once I've completed the game but highly recommended thus far!

I Quit playing because the save system is absolutely, unequivocally, the stupidest I've experienced in a game. OST is great, and gameplay is also decent, it just makes no sense that the game will allow you to replay deaths on a micro scale (jump puzzles) but walk into the wrong room and forgetting to save puts you back hours. Nonsensical, borderline terrible design. Save stations are few and far between, but the game expects you to adventure deeper and deeper into the world. In order to go on a new venture, you must always remember to press a yellow phone that's basically only in the main areas, and fast travel is only available in these areas. So, have fun retracing your steps over and over just to save, and God forbid you don't do a dozen quests (being engrossed in the game) without hitting a save point, because once you start playing, they are NOT in your path. Honestly, don't waste your time. Great game, terrible design choices.

It's a damn good game, lots of difficult platforming challenges. Can't say I enjoy the combat that much, but it's there. And if you die in combat you have to reload the last same, but here's a tip: you can go into the options menu and turn on the "respawn after death" option, so it will just respawn you even after combat. In general, the accessibility options are quite a good addition. Though, I feel like enabling this option loses you the preparation aspect of each journey, where you really have to get lots of healing items and such, since there isn't much to spend money on otherwise. It can be annoying to lose a lot of progress but you should have prepared better. Also, lots of references to other games in form of alternative character costumes and some things in the world, pretty cute.

Very good game. Good Story. Good Atmosphere. This game is very unique and is a mashup of different genres. I think the best part of the game is the story. I did not like Celeste too much and these jumping puzzles, although some people like them alot. In the options you can turn on infinite dash and skip most of the jumping puzzles.

I do not know what to make of Kandria. I mean this as the *highest compliment possible*: It's not a Metroidvania, exactly. It's not a 2D Soulsborne in the vein of Hollow Knight, exactly. It's not a technical platformer like Celeste, exactly. It uses pixel art (big, chunky pixels, too!) but it's definitely not "retro". It's its *own game* and that's a rare enough thing to see. What I can say is that if you like any of those things, Kandria is worth your twenty bucks.

You're going to get sick of reading comparisons of this game to Celeste and admittedly the dashing and movement-puzzle rooms do have that same vibe but that's really where the parallel ends. Kandria is much more than that and holds its own, style-wise and gameplay-wise, offering something different yet comfortingly familiar in a refreshing way. It's a joy to play, with immersive details like the ability to take a seat and chill out on a rock while absorbing the epic soundtrack, or pull out your fishing rod and see what you can find in the water. You could spend hours just doing that if it wasn't for the compelling plot, quests and challenges that will be offered to you by a rich mix of NPCs, some of whom you will fall in love with and others you will want to sock in the jaw soon after meeting them. So far I have spent too much time fishing and exploring (and obsessively collecting every shiny item I see) to really encounter challenging combat but I'm sure that will come soon. I look forward to progressing the story and finding out more about the Stranger and how the calamity came to pass. But perhaps a little more fishing first... (Played on Linux with a DualShock 2 controller.)