Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition

 Switch
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Apr 1, 2020
    75
    Ultimately, Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition quenched my thirst for a retro, Chrono Trigger-like experience. With rock-solid presentation, smart writing, and a battle system that gets the job done, Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition should be a part of any classic RPG fan’s collection.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Apr 2, 2020
    70
    If you’re looking for the next gripping narrative or memorable character moments, this is where Ara Fell trips up. If you just want a simple and recognizable JRPG experience to add to your Switch library, you could certainly do worse.
  3. RPGamer
    Mar 26, 2020
    70
    In the end, Ara Fell isn’t showing off anything that hasn’t been seen in games for many years, but the full package comes together well; while the adage “greater than the sum of its parts” is sometimes overused, Ara Fell is an excellent example of the way a game can come together and simply be fun. For those craving a JRPG that feels like it could be played on a Super Nintendo, but still want modern conveniences like adjustable difficulty level, efficient world travel, and moulding characters based on what makes the most interesting party for the player, Ara Fell is a prime example of a throwback RPG.
  5. Nintendo Life
    Apr 5, 2020
    60
    Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition is a difficult game to wholeheartedly recommend. JRPG veterans will likely fall into one of two camps – scornful of the game's simplistic mechanics, or appreciative of its polished take on very familiar genre tropes. For newcomers to this sort of game, it's a similar problem; the lack of complexity will either make the game pleasingly accessible or simply bore them. It's therefore best to consider whether or not you feel a JRPG can sustain itself on strong worldbuilding and characters, or if you feel that gameplay is king and without a meaty combat system there's just not enough to get your teeth into. For us, while Ara Fell is profoundly lovely in every aspect besides its gameplay; it is still a game, and it wouldn't have taken much more combat polish to turn this into an unequivocal recommendation. If you don't care about the combat, then it's easier to recommend.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. Bobkatron
    Apr 10, 2020
    9
    Love this game so mutch! The only downside i could posible find is that the walking was a bit rough if you only wanted to go 1 step for example
  2. ArtemisKnight
    Apr 12, 2020
    7
    Let me start with Ara Fell is a good game, bordering on the cusp of great. I spent 21 hours with the game on normal difficulty.

    So what's    Let me start with Ara Fell is a good game, bordering on the cusp of great. I spent 21 hours with the game on normal difficulty.

    So what's good about it? First it has a fantastic storyline, wonderfully developed characters who feel right for the world they inhabit. Without spoilers, the motives of the characters and their reactions to events make sense, not just the main cast but the NPCs as well. There's depth to them, as events unfold NPC dialogue will change to fit what has transpired in the game. The world is chocked full of interesting NPCs and locales. Lore and worldbuilding are top notch.

    Secondly art style, admittedly some of this is nostalgia. The character designs and overall retro look. This game feels like it should be sitting on my shelf next to Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. Sprite design and character portraits are wonderful, the dialogue portraits capture the feel of what the characters are saying. They convey when someone's snarky, when they're sad, and a host of other emotions. The world itself is gorgeous, with plenty to explore. Lush forests, an icy valley, lava caves, and more.

    Third thing that's great is the exploration, and other game designers should take note. There's interesting ways to explore, you're not just walking around this world. You get to jump up cliffs and across gaps, swim across ponds and through sunken caves, crawl through small tunnels and under traps. Later you even gain a limited way to fly.

    Lastly game mechanics, the characters have several ways to grow in power. From assigning ability points as you level, crafting equipment upgrades, and purchasing skill enhancements. The class system gives this some replayability. Each of the four main characters can complete a sidequest which gives them a choice of two classes, that choice will change how you approach combat. Speaking of combat, it's good, while it's no Chrono Trigger active battletime (seriously someone make another game with that combat system!). Combat here is pretty standard for the genre with some twists. It's turn based and you actually get to see what the order of initiative is. With the ability to upgrade your characters agility you can set the order of combat somewhat. And there are some skills that can alter the order of combat by pushing enemies back in the order. Another welcome twist is the ultimate charge bar. The characters all have an ultimate ability, using it is covered by a meter that all the characters share, it's a great addition but could have used some more work. I found I really only using one characters ability.

    So what keeps it from being great? Two main things, and some small things as well.

    First the pacing leaves something to be desired. in the first and last chapters I constantly felt like I wanted the game to just get on with it. Long exposition dumps, a short bit of game that may not even have anything significant more that walking to another exposition dump. This game could have used some more story editing. Another issue is too many 'points of no return'. A nice feature the game uses to tell you things are about to change, save now. Unfortunately it was overused, about half of them were completely unnecessary and a few were one right after another. Great idea but the implementation left something to be desired.

    Secondly, level design. While the world building is fantastic, Ara Fell has some issues when it comes to level design. It's a bit cluttered and ends up suffering because of it. Other games in the genre make it clear where you can go, where you can't go, and where is worth going.

    There's more than a few places that seem like you should be able to go to then next screen, but you can't. Then there's random tiles in the pathways that are impassable, you can walk around them sure but it gets annoying, I just want to go over there, now I'm stopped by one tile randomly placed in the path, if it was less prevalent it would have been fine, but they're EVERYWHERE. Random little streams in your way, which may not even lead anywhere. Which highlights where is worth going to? I get why this happened. With all the crafting systems they needed nooks and crannies to have things to collect in, but I found myself in dead ends with little or no pay off. With other games of the type you have side passages but they all had some reward here it's too often and yay another ore I don't need. If they had scrapped the potion (which I never used aside from the tutorial) and enchanting crafting, they could have cut out half of these areas and it would have felt more rewarding to find a potion or an enchantment down a side path. With all of that it made getting around the levels tedious.

    Taken all together, Ara Fell is a good game, worth your time a solid 7.5 rating. Despite the issues and some minor unmentioned nitpicks. The story, the world, and the characters all make this a good game, and a playable epilogue did get me excited for a sequel.    … Full Review »
  3. Rpg89
    Mar 29, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Look beyond and download. You will be blown away by what you see!! This game story isn't average.
    It's epic!    … Full Review »
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