We travel to the search for the lost scrolls.
The Finnish developer Frozenyte it is certainly not new in the videogame scene but on the contrary, over the years, it has been able to create a fairly large fan base around itself. The reason? The software house is responsible for the realization of the award-winning and famous saga Trine, masterpiece and true trademark of the developer.
It would be too simplistic and disrespectful to remember the efforts of Frozenbyte exclusively for the Trine saga. In fact, the developer has amply demonstrated, over the years, that he has both the ideas and the courage, creating a good number of titles as artistically similar to each other as they are different in mechanics and fundamentals.
The last title in chronological order is Nine parchments, particular "twin stick shooter" set in no less than the same universe as Trine. The game is available from December on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and, in our review, we will analyze this latest version.
This Nine Parchment will he have convinced us? Find out in our review.
Academy Wizards and Witches
Nine Parchment, as already mentioned, it is a particular “twin stick shooter” with an isometric view and some RPG elements that makes the cooperative mode the fundamental element of the production. Let me be clear, the title is easily playable alone, but Nine parchments gives its best if played in company.
From a narrative point of view, the game does not differ much from the canons it has accustomed us to Frozenbyte, with a simple but still enjoyable story.
The game begins in the magic academy and, once you have selected your new wizard (eight in total but only two initially available) and finished a short tutorial we will attend the event that will start our adventure.
The nine scrolls, (hence the title of the game) following an explosion in the academy, have been lost and our task, as apprentice wizards, will be to recover them all and bring them back to safety.
This is the incipit at the base of the title which will act almost solely as a pretext to allow one or more players to venture into this new adventure in the name of magic.
Spells and spells are the order of the day
If from a narrative point of view the game does not excel, it cannot be said otherwise of the naked and raw gameplay. The efforts of Frozenbyte have certainly been placed in the creation of an accessible but, at the same time, challenging game system. The game therefore adapts preatically to every type of player, thanks to the four different options available to change the challenge level at the start of the game.
The controls also work very well, adapting perfectly to both the Joy Con (when attached to the console or the Grip) and the Pad Pro from Nintendo. Through various buttons we will be able to use spells, jump and even use teleportation. Using the backbones we will select the various types of magic (fire, ice, electricity, death ...), for a total of six types, while with the use of the triggers we will cast our spells. The spells at our disposal will also change depending on the characters used, which will gradually become available as you progress in the adventure.
In Nine parchments We will also find some classic elements of the RPG, such as the level of experience and a tree of skills among which to spend the points obtained by leveling up. The skills to choose from are many and allow you to give the game that minimum sense of progression and growth that is not always evident in this type of games.
During our adventure it will also be possible to find some chests whose contents will be composed of special equipment, such as hats, bracelets and sticks, which will allow us to obtain additional and useful bonuses during the battles. Also present are the unmissable collectibles, this time classified as "feathers", scattered throughout the game levels.
Finally, in certain levels, we will also have the opportunity to face real boss fights against some particularly large, inspired and interesting enemies to face.
The magic… of art
Also with regard to the technical side of the game Nine parchments he defends himself quite well, thanks above all to a respectable artistic direction.
The game on Nintendo Switch runs at 720p / 30fps in portable mode while in TV mode it runs at 1080p / 30fps. Having played it with both configurations, we can safely say that we have never encountered any drop in frame rates, denoting the excellent work done by the Finnish team.
The graphic design with which the title is packaged is, as per the Frozenbyte tradition, evocative and at the same time fascinating, which denotes a considerable attention to detail. Beautiful colors and tones used, even better the character design of the characters and enemies.
The sound sector is also good, with relaxing music that goes well with the settings and situations proposed by the title. present the subtitles in Spanish, while the dialogues are exclusively in English.
Special mention also to the multiplayer mode of the title which, among other things, is one of the most successful and successful elements of the production. It will in fact be possible to play the entire adventure in the company of friends both locally and in online multiplayer mode up to a maximum of four players. Both proposed modes were excellent and functional, making the games, especially in the local, fun and rewarding.
On the other hand, the duration of the title is negative. Despite the 32 levels of which it is composed Nine parchments in fact you will hardly spend more than 6/7 hours to complete the main adventure. Also to be taken into account is the repetitiveness factor which, in such a game, inevitably, is very high.
Final Comment
Nine parchments it is an interesting and fun game above all because of its deep and at the same time immediate gameplay. The guys from Frozenbyte from this point of view have done a great job creating what is probably the best co-op game available on Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, the title is by no means free from defects, especially as regards the story and its short duration. The events narrated in fact are not exciting and the title, especially if played in single player, could soon lead to repetition. In contrast to this, however, we point out the excellent artistic direction and the good technical sector, in line with the productions seen recently on Nintendo Switch.
