Hazelnut Bastille

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a game by Aloft Studio LLC
Platform: PC (2021)
Editor Rating: 9/10, based on 1 review
User Rating: 9.0/10 - 2 votes
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See also: Action Adventure Games, Action Games, Best Indie Games, RPGs, Pixel Art Games
Hazelnut Bastille
Hazelnut Bastille
Hazelnut Bastille
Hazelnut Bastille

Inspired by some of the greatest 16bit adventure titles of all time, Hazelnut Bastille is a charming retro adventure that will appeal to veterans and new players alike. The game follows a young woman who embarks on an adventure into a fantasy kingdom, hoping to find one of her most beloved treasures.

Hazelnut Bastille might feel a bit too familiar for veterans of the ARPG genre, but there’s no denying the sheer amount of work that went into making this game looks as gorgeous as it does. In a time when 3D games reign supreme, this title proves that there’s still a niche for this kind of top-down adventure game.

The Legend of Hazelnut

First things first: yes, Hazelnut Bastille was clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the game has to be derivative in any way. From the very beginning, it’s clear that the developers of this game tried to best to replicate Nintendo’s visual style while making a modern adventure game featuring some of the quality of life improvements we’ve come to expect from modern titles.

You play as a young woman who has lost something very dear to her. To recover this treasure, she’ll embark on a journey where she’ll meet other castaways like her. However, as is the case with these ARPG games, the simple story suddenly turns into a grand tale of adventure, legends, and lost civilizations.

16bit Love

Looking at some screenshots of the game, it’s incredible to think of the amount of care and planning that must have gone to achieve Hazelnut Bastille’s visual style. The top-down look and map design might immediately look like something straight out of a classic Zelda game, but it also wouldn’t look too out of place in games like Chrono Trigger.

Every single sprite in Hazelnut Bastille looks fantastic. Unlike some other indie games that go for a retro look, everything we saw here could potentially be achieved with 16bit hardware.

The character art in the dialog boxes also looks great. Character designs never look too outlandish or boring for the setting, leading to everything looking like a cohesive and pleasing experience.

Think Outside the 2D Box

As a Zelda clone, puzzles make up a large majority of Hazelnut Bastille’s gameplay. Unlocking new abilities and items will let players traverse the dungeons and the overworld more easily, something that seems to be inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and other Metroidvania titles.

However, unlike in Zelda, puzzles here need the player to carefully plan their every move. Some puzzles even need some lateral thinking to be completed, allowing players to experiment with all of their abilities to find the correct solution.

All in all, Hazelnut Bastille is a beautiful love letter to a bygone era of action RPGs. The impressive visuals alone turn this game into a unique experience, so let’s hope that the final version of the game turns out to be a worthy successor to its 16bit inspirations.

9

Filled to the brim with charm, Hazelnut Bastille promises to be a great modern classic for fans of the ARPG genre.

Pros

  • Beautiful sprites
  • Catchy music
  • Great plot and well-written characters
  • Creative puzzles will test your lateral thinking abilities

Cons

  • Relies a bit too much on its 16bit inspirations

Download Hazelnut Bastille

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

See Also

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