Shrine's Legacy Review

Get ready to be transported back to the ’90s, when RPGs on the Super Nintendo took up all of my free time. Developer Positive Concept Games has created Shrine’s Legacy, an action-adventure RPG that looks as though it belongs alongside other pixelated titles from that era. But will it deliver great gameplay and a compelling story like those other classics?

Aklor, the otherworldly evil entity, once attempted to take over Ardemia. He was unstoppable until the heroine, Kailee Shrine, rose up against him, armed with the Sword of Shrine. This weapon was no ordinary blade: it was powered by eight gemstones, which brought about Aklor’s downfall. After this, peace lasted for centuries, but now rumours are spreading of the entity’s return.

Immediately after this intro, we transition to a scene where a character, who we know as the Cloaked Figure, is visiting his mother's grave, saying he can't handle it anymore. Then he is ambushed by a group of enemies. This is where we are introduced to the combat mechanics of the game by a hands-on tutorial that goes over the easy to learn basics of melee combat and spell casting.  

After learning how to fight in battle tutorial and basics, we're introduced to our main character, Rio, the wielder of the Sword of Shrine that we saw in the introduction. Right from the get-go, he's shown to us as a warrior, practising his sword skills on a training dummy at Youel village (alongside some red and blue pots, which stirred my smashing instincts from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past!). During his training session, he remembers that he is supposed to meet up with his childhood friend, Mala, over at her house. 

Now in control of Rio, we're introduced to everything we need from the HUD: map, items, character status, and configuration settings. These include the option to turn on a speedrun timer, if that is something you are interested in. You also see that Shrine’s Legacy has a two-player co-op option. This is not available right at the start but unlocks shortly after progressing the story. I was so excited for this; you don’t often see games like this with co-op, apart from Secret of Mana.

Once this mode is unlocked, if one character’s HP reaches zero, you can revive them with the action button. But if both heroes go down, it’s game over. If you are playing solo, switching between the two is very straightforward, and your partner will fight alongside you when you attack an enemy. One feature that makes Shrine’s Legacy feel like a classic is the lack of auto-save, meaning you must save often. Forget to do so and die, and you’ll quickly learn how frustrating it is to lose progress. It reminds me of playing RPGs on my Super Nintendo, where a careless mistake could cost an hour’s worth of playtime.

When you check each character’s status menu, you can view their Strength, Magic, Defence, and Resistance. There are also four jewel-shaped slots, where you can equip powerful gems found during your journey to grant characters special perks. The first you acquire is the Dungeoneer Jewel, which displays a minimap in the corner of the screen whenever you are in a dungeon. These items cannot be equipped at any time; they must be assigned at a save point. However, they are not permanent and can be swapped around. With 32 different Jewels to collect and equip, you can tailor each character’s abilities to suit your style.

The story in Shrine’s Legacy is really interesting and is full of humour with silly characters to interact with. Our protagonist, Rio, has always wanted to be a hero since his ancestor was the person who had defeated Aklor long ago. This is how he came into possession of the Sword of Shrine that only he can wield. Teaming with magic user Reima, who is seeking revenge against Aklor, these two young heroes need to work together to save the world. But first, we need to collect the eight elemental gems of magic to restore the full power of the Sword to take down this evil force. 

Visually, Shrine’s Legacy resembles a blend of Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, especially in two-player mode, with both characters running around. The game is full of detail, bright colours, and crisp 16-bit sprites, just like the RPGs we once saw on the Super Nintendo. Gameplay-wise, it reminds me of A Link to the Past, with combat involving running up to enemies and smashing them, rather than turn-based mechanics.

Switching between characters, magic, and attacks is easy to do. Even as you learn new spells, you can swap them with a simple press of the shoulder button. My only issue is that environmental objects, such as trees, can sometimes obscure your view, making it difficult to see necessary things, like enemies you must defeat to progress in that area. It can be quite frustrating, and you feel stuck.

I must also mention how excellent the music in Shrine’s Legacy is; it enhances the atmosphere of each scene perfectly. It shifts from cheerful and carefree to tense and suspenseful in an instant. The dramatic organ music when you first encounter Aklor lets you know that this demon is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Even the sound effects, like the tones accompanying dialogue text, match the characters’ personalities. With Aklor, for example, the sound is deep and ominous, fitting his presence perfectly.

There is so much in Shrine’s Legacy that I could talk about, but I think it’s best if you experience the game for yourself! If you are a fan of Super Nintendo-era action-adventure RPGs, you are guaranteed to find plenty here to love. Positive Concept Games has done a brilliant job of capturing the magic of those classic titles. Just remember to save often, and yes, you can cut the grass and smash the pots!