Review: Angeline Era Is More Than a Tribute to Ys Style Games

Angeline Era is a surprise. It’s one of those titles you might have missed as December began due to the number of releases and events. It feels like a loving reference to the earliest Ys games and similar early action-RPGs on the PS1 and PC. It is an examination of  trauma affects people. But more importantly, it’s a game you should play if you get a chance, as it is a valuable and important experience.

Tets Kinoshta is headed to Era as Angeline Era began. Angels summoned him there, suggesting only he can collect and protect the nine bicones. After arriving and collecting two of them, he meets a wandering angel named Arkas who fell to earth when their ship Throne crash landed there. In the process, angels lost the ability to Shimmer. Arkas again asks Tets to gather the bicones, get to Throne, and dispel the storm surrounding it to allow angels to shimmer again. However, that means facing the fae princess Niamh McManann along the way.

Angeline Era is many things all at once. When exploring areas and the world, it looks like a polygonal RPG. Bumping into people allows you to talk to them. (The dialogue is usually quite clever!) Bumping into enemies destroys them. There can also be light puzzle-solving elements. When in an overworld map, you can press a button to “search” an area for a level. If you find a spot to reach one, you go through a brief, 2D, first-person trek to reach the new space, which becomes an isolated slice of another space where you can find new enemies and encounters. There are times when it can feel like the priority is getting through a stage, pushing yourself for optimal jumps and placements, rather than fighting. 

These levels and boss fights can feel really extraordinary sometimes. While there are RPG elements to them as in the Ys games, as we can manage equipment, stop at mirrors to restore health, and such, Angeline Era often feels more like a platformer. We jump and double jump to reach places and attack enemies at different positions. There are hazards to avoid and different paths to follow. When we get to major foes, the fights can be clever and challenging! The first fight against the various fish (which goes from two to eventually 32 on screen at once) feels like a bullet-hell affair. When we face Dulla and Han, it’s a more traditional type of foe with close range, ranged, projectile, and even what amounts to a one-hit KO move. This is all accompanied by a script that can sometimes initially feel goofy, humorous, over dramatic, and a send-up of early PS1 and PC adventures.

However, there’s so much more to the story than that. As someone goes through Angeline Era, they might wonder what’s happening with the angels, fae, Throne, and Shimmer ability. Alongside silly NPC dialogue, there can actually be poignant moments. So much so that when the more genuinely serious, thought-provoking, philosophical comes up, it fits in seamlessly and manages to make an already engaging experience even better. I fear I can’t say too much, because there’s so much going on that it would ruin things.

That’s because Angeline Era isn’t just an action game like Ys in which Tets plays the Adol role and ends up being the hero to save the day. This is more than a tale about a conflict between angels and fae, and reclaiming an ability. It’s an examination into Tets too. We’re learning about this character’s life and who he is as a person.  

The gameplay in Angeline Era is challenging and entertaining, reminiscent of Ys games, but its story feels even more important. There’s so much to it that should be discovered firsthand and not spoiled that I fear anything I say could spoil too much. But the examination into who Tets is and the quest to save Era is executed well. The stage and boss fight design is great. Especially since the varied difficulty levels lets anyone enjoy it. It’s a game that begs you to check everywhere and see it through to the end.

Angeline Era is available for PCs.