Puzzle games are funny beasts. There are a wide variety of styles and structures for the genre and you never know if you’re getting into something fast and frantic like Puyo Puyo, or slow, contemplative, and funny like Puzzle Agent. When we think of the puzzle genre, we typically think of some variation on the Match 3 game, but there are definitely other sorts of titles as well!
Roniu’s Tale from developer Kunjee Studio and publisher 8-Bit Legit is one such puzzle game. Rather than a competitive experience, you play as Roniu, a boy who ends up trapped in a magical dungeon. While there, he encounters the ghost of a dead girl who was also trapped and together, they head off to find their way out of the labyrinth, collecting gems as they go to free themselves from the mystical maze.
It’s not a deep plot as plots go, especially with ‘Tale’ in the title, but this is a game that is intended for the NES. Much like Blazing Rangers (review here), Roniu’s Tale is another throwback to the original 8-bit style of gaming. But that’s where the comparisons end because Roniu’s Tale plays noticeably differently.
Once the game starts, it’s time to start paying attention. Every step Roniu takes disintegrates behind him. Go the wrong way and you’re trapped. Push forward at the edge of a cliff…dead. And the enemies littering the level? They’ll kill you with a touch. Like all good NES games you get four chances for success and then you’re toast, forced to use a passcode to return to the level you were on and start over. Of course, chances are good you’ve memorized some of those levels by dying a bunch, so each time you’ll get a bit further. Roniu’s Tale is not a hard game, but it is a bit time consuming. There is really only one path to take for each level and once you find it, you move on.
Along the way, you’ll earn a number of magical spells that will assist you in your escape. First are fireballs. They destroy weak bricks and enemies but you only have three and they don’t reset until you either die or go to the next level. That goes for all of your abilities…you’d best conserve! Next you’ll get a winged boot which will allow you to float safely for one space, crossing over gaps in order to survive and move along. After the boot you get a ghost form, turning you into a NES version of Kitty Pryde and letting you phase through solid objects. Finally there’s a land creation power that lets you turn an empty space into a block you can walk over. It’s not a huge repertoire but it will be enough to let you survive all 47 levels of Roniu’s Tale if you’re patient enough!
There are nine stages in all plus a final boss level to the game. There are three bosses in total and a bunch of weird creatures and obstacles as well, so you’ll be spending a bit of time with the game unless you’re a whiz at puzzle solving! Some of the levels are noticeably intuitive but others are remarkably challenging, requiring a number of attempts and a few restarts to figure out exactly what you have to do to pass through.
Visually, this is a fun 8-bit throwback that looks really cool. Initially it could almost pass for Startropics or something like that but the puzzle mechanics are of course noticeably different and you’ll be slowly creeping through the game most of the time. Each stage has completely different tiles and some new gimmicks, but the overall aesthetic is very cool. The chiptune music is fairly catchy too, but it is a bit unfortunate that a couple songs repeat a lot more than others. While good, there should have been just a hair more variety in the music.
The only real downside to Roniu’s Tale is the game design. While it’s an obvious nod to Solomon’s Key, this is also a rather straightforward gaming experience. Once you learn how to beat a stage, nothing ever changes. There are no pattern variations, no randomness at all, and so if you’ve played through the game, there’s no reason to come back to it. When you can blow through a whole set of stages in a few minutes if you’re decent at understanding the game, it’s not particularly entertaining. There are no alternate paths typically and once your solution is achieved, there’s no magic in returning. Chances are, most gamers will only spend about 5-6 hours on Roniu’s Tale tops and that’s just not that much of an experience. Even the final boss levels only took about 10 minutes to complete.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a short game and Roniu’s Tale isn’t all that expensive. At only $8, you’re not going to break the bank. But there’s also a physical NES release that weighs in at a hefty $50 for the cart and $60 if you want a boxed version and unless you’re a really, really big fan, that’s a substantial price tag. The digital version is certainly worth your time if you like this style of methodical puzzle action but only a handful of hardcore fans are likely to spring for the physical edition.
Roniu’s Tale is an interesting little game that’s a fun, short diversion for retro gamers on the Switch. It’s not very expensive, it won’t suck up 50 hours of your time, and it’s got some clever puzzles to go along with the excellent visuals and solid NES music. Not everyone loves this style of puzzle game though, and there’s no two player mode, no extras (other than a couple of background options) and not much additional content here. If you just want to chill and find your way through a few dungeons, Roniu’s Tale is the game for you. If you’re looking for a bit more depth, you might have to look elsewhere.
This review is based on a digital copy of Roniu’s Tale provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and played equally well on both. Roniu’s Tale is also available physically on a NES cart from Mega Cat Studios (link).