Explore a strange world and discover your purpose in this open-world adventure.
Fairy Song was designed in 15 days as part of the 1-Bit Clicker Jam. As such, it features minimal and simplified controls as well as sound and color scheme. Despite the restrictions of the contest, the game works very well and looks quite good. The simple graphics give it a clean design, and a night/day cycle is used to keep things looking fresh as well as a game mechanic.
You play as a fairy that can fly, swim and sometimes pick up things. What you do in the game isn't entirely clear at the start, as there's no introduction, dialogue or explanations. That doesn't mean it's a difficult game - in fact, I'm fairly certain you cannot die - but figuring out what you're supposed to do requires exploration.
Having gone in blind, I had a lot of "ooh, what's this?" moments, and the discovery was perhaps the best part of the game. Assuming you watched the video, I should be able to talk about the game in more detail (so, SPOILERS AHEAD).
I noticed some huge similarities between this title and Mandagon (which I covered a couple months ago). They both feature big, explorable worlds, a device to allow you to see the entire map and a multi-locked door with its keys scattered and hidden away, typically via puzzles. They have their differences, too - Mandagon has bits of a written tale that you piece together and uses platforming, while Fairy Song has full-on flight, a day/night cycle and a fast travel mechanic through use of doors. Of the two, I think I actually prefer Fairy Song, perhaps due to the fast travel addition.
Both titles end up suffering a bit with the crystal ball device, but I feel it's a necessary evil to reduce the amount of backtracking while looking for that teeny tiny (but super-important) thing you missed. Sadly, people in general (myself included) tend to use this feature as a way to quickly plan how to get the next puzzle piece, instead of as a last-resort mechanic, which is probably the intention.
Human failings aside, Fairy Song is a fun and charming little title. The location of the big door has me wondering if it stays that way through the end, but that's the mystery...
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