|| REVIEW || The Adventures of Elena Temple - Definitive Editon (Nintendo Switch)
Developed By : GrimTalin Published By : GrimTalin
Category : Platformer, Puzzle, Action
Release Date : December 24, 2019
As gamers who play through multiple generations of platforms, it's always great to see how things improve and progress. But for some of us, we love seeing games from our past. Either being remade and brought to the present, or taking that nostalgia trip and playing them in their full retro glory.No matter what, there have always been new-old games. Games from indie developers and smaller studios that are purely meant to focus on the way games used to be, and such is the case with The Adventures of Elena Temple.
The original version of Elena Temple came out in May of 2018, and was specifically made to bring you back to your childhood with a game you never knew existed. It's a simple platformer where you'll take control of the titular character and go exploring various dungeons. These dungeons are made up of dozens rooms with tons of treasure and secrets to discover!
Elena herself can't do a whole lot. She moves at a single speed, she can jump and has a gun that she can use to either break walls, clay pots, or eliminate enemies. The gun can only fire two shots, and ammo for it is scattered around the rooms you'll be exploring. Anything that can be shot can be broken or killed with a single hit, and it takes a bit for these ammo spots to respawn, so don't go too crazy shooting.
The dungeons have plenty of rooms to explore, each one of them containing something useful for you to grab. For the most part, navigating from room to room will be pretty straightforward, but there will be times where you have to completely loop around or find a wall you'll need to break to gain access.
What makes these rooms even more fun is that they are all like their own mini-levels contained within the bigger level that is the dungeon. You'll have pits to jump over, spikes to avoid, series of platforms you'll have to jump up, and some of these will disappear after you stand on them so you'll need to be quick. Mix in enemies and pots you'll need to open up, and you can look at it as a series of puzzles to solve.
The thing that sets Elena Temple a little bit apart from other simple platformers is the way it's presented to you. Instead of utilizing the full Switch screen for gameplay, GrimTalin really tries to bring you back to playing games in the old days and gives you a variety of gaming consoles that "maybe existed" for you to enjoy the game on. It's presented in a monochromatic style, and each console has it's own sort of color scheme which you can see a sample of in the title image at the top of the article.
So I'm sure you've noticed by now, that the title of this article says it's for the "Definitive Edition" of the game, and I have yet to talk about that. Well, look no further, but first let me point out that while the DE itself runs on the eShop for $4.99, you can upgrade from the base version of the game for just $.99.
Now, whats the difference between the two versions? Through this review I've mentioned going through multiple dungeons. Two of those dungeons are brand new, with the original only having one. There's in-game achievements for you to unlock as you play, and even game modifiers to allow you change your experience with playthrough. With these you can give yourself limited lives, a double jump maneuver, infinite ammo, or other modifiers too.
While it might not be the most invigorating experience, The Adventures of Elena Temple is a honored callback to the gaming days of old. Having multiple different consoles to play on, you can bring yourself back to whatever old-school monochrome gaming experience you remember, or wish to see for the first time. It's a game that is simple in appearance and controls, but that simplicity just lets the full experience that Elena Temple brings you shine through. And whether or not you're buying this one outright, or upgrading from the original edition, it's a game that's very easy on the wallet, so don't hesitate to bring this one into your digital library.
The original version of Elena Temple came out in May of 2018, and was specifically made to bring you back to your childhood with a game you never knew existed. It's a simple platformer where you'll take control of the titular character and go exploring various dungeons. These dungeons are made up of dozens rooms with tons of treasure and secrets to discover!
Elena herself can't do a whole lot. She moves at a single speed, she can jump and has a gun that she can use to either break walls, clay pots, or eliminate enemies. The gun can only fire two shots, and ammo for it is scattered around the rooms you'll be exploring. Anything that can be shot can be broken or killed with a single hit, and it takes a bit for these ammo spots to respawn, so don't go too crazy shooting.
The dungeons have plenty of rooms to explore, each one of them containing something useful for you to grab. For the most part, navigating from room to room will be pretty straightforward, but there will be times where you have to completely loop around or find a wall you'll need to break to gain access.
What makes these rooms even more fun is that they are all like their own mini-levels contained within the bigger level that is the dungeon. You'll have pits to jump over, spikes to avoid, series of platforms you'll have to jump up, and some of these will disappear after you stand on them so you'll need to be quick. Mix in enemies and pots you'll need to open up, and you can look at it as a series of puzzles to solve.
The thing that sets Elena Temple a little bit apart from other simple platformers is the way it's presented to you. Instead of utilizing the full Switch screen for gameplay, GrimTalin really tries to bring you back to playing games in the old days and gives you a variety of gaming consoles that "maybe existed" for you to enjoy the game on. It's presented in a monochromatic style, and each console has it's own sort of color scheme which you can see a sample of in the title image at the top of the article.
So I'm sure you've noticed by now, that the title of this article says it's for the "Definitive Edition" of the game, and I have yet to talk about that. Well, look no further, but first let me point out that while the DE itself runs on the eShop for $4.99, you can upgrade from the base version of the game for just $.99.
Now, whats the difference between the two versions? Through this review I've mentioned going through multiple dungeons. Two of those dungeons are brand new, with the original only having one. There's in-game achievements for you to unlock as you play, and even game modifiers to allow you change your experience with playthrough. With these you can give yourself limited lives, a double jump maneuver, infinite ammo, or other modifiers too.
While it might not be the most invigorating experience, The Adventures of Elena Temple is a honored callback to the gaming days of old. Having multiple different consoles to play on, you can bring yourself back to whatever old-school monochrome gaming experience you remember, or wish to see for the first time. It's a game that is simple in appearance and controls, but that simplicity just lets the full experience that Elena Temple brings you shine through. And whether or not you're buying this one outright, or upgrading from the original edition, it's a game that's very easy on the wallet, so don't hesitate to bring this one into your digital library.
Game Rating : 8.5/10
Pick up the game HERE for the Nintendo Switch
Also available on : Xbox One, PC (Steam)
A code for this game was graciously provided to the site for the purpose of a review
