We have all been told some kind of folktale at some point in our lives, usually childhood. These fantasy stories contain unique characters and usually aim to teach some sort of moral, or lesson. Many of the tales my parents had read to me in my youth were a bit disturbing, and actually seemed to use violence and horror to scare kids into being on their best behavior. Fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel are notorious for being dark and somewhat inappropriate for little kids. The Count Lucanor pays homage to these creepy classics by creating an atmosphere right out of a storybook.
In The Count Lucanor, you play as a young boy named Hans who runs away from his mother because she cannot afford to buy him a birthday present, as her husband has gone to war. Hans decides to go on an adventure, which we soon discover is not a smart idea. He explores the forest near his house for a while, and then gets knocked out and transported to a twisted world. This is where your journey begins. Just this simple introduction segment contains some great aspects. We obviously know that Hans should just suck it up and stay at home; however, he leaves his mother and therefore needs to be taught a lesson. Already, The Count Lucanor has established the initial elements of a popular fairy tale.
The majority of the game takes place in a castle, where your task is to retrieve several lettered blocks in order to solve a world scramble. Completing this general puzzle will supposedly grant you a massive treasure, monumental fame, and ultimately escape. Each letter contains its own individual puzzle, and the entire castle is a mystery in itself. The stronghold’s head servant hands you riddles along the way and claims that the all-powerful Count Lucanor runs the show. I found this plotline to be extremely similar to that of The Wizard of Oz. Hans even meets three characters who try and help him succeed in his adventure. They aren’t the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion, but they sure are very similar.
At its core, The Count Lucanor is an RPG with three simple, but effective gameplay elements. First, players must place candles to explore dark areas and anticipate attacks from enemies. Second, solving puzzles and mazes to retrieve the overarching puzzle components comprises the main objective of the game. Lastly, speaking to characters and interacting with various objects allows players to uncover mysterious lore and receive important items. Simple inventory systems, exploration, and dialogue all correspond well with these goals. Also, many of the puzzles can be solved in different ways, some of which are less obvious. Fortunately, anyone can pick up and solve the puzzles with relative ease. Absolutely no combat system is present, which is quite unusual for an RPG. However, the lack of fighting amplifies stealth and survival aspects. It plays on the fact that Hans is just a little kid, and realistically would not be able to fight monsters and demons that inhabit the castle. Realism always intensifies horror in my opinion, and The Count Lucanor practices this feature well.
In regards to horror, there are no jump scares involved. Everything from chilling music to cryptic dialogue fosters a creepy atmosphere in general. I found that wearing headphones with decent sound helps accomplish the intended mood. Even though The Count Lucanor is presented in classic 8-bit and 16-bit style graphics, it manages to keep things spooky with several plot twists. One minor weakness is that there are five endings available and one is unfortunately pretty weak. I obviously won’t spoil anything in this review, but just know that the story as a whole is worth experiencing.
Gold coins are the sole currency in the game and are used for a variety of purposes. They can be spent on purchasing essential items from a merchant or can be used to save the game. Saving can only occur by visiting a raven in the castle courtyard, which can be difficult to access due to a high number of roaming monsters. This adds a unique level of difficulty, forcing players to budget their number of saves and to search for coins when running low. Some may view this as a negative, since it is difficult to judge when to save and when to risk having to replay a certain section. I personally believe it’s a one of a kind feature since it is so uncommon for a player to have to buy their save states in a game.
As I mentioned earlier, Hans cannot fight his enemies. Luckily, he can hide. Many areas in the castle serve as handy hiding spots where you can wait for monsters to pass by. Usually this works, but sometimes the demons get confused and park themselves right in front of your escape path and will not move for 5-10 minutes. I do not believe this was intentional; most of the time the enemies simply walk right past. This slight AI mess-up cost me some precious health restoration items on multiple occasions.
The Count Lucanor takes direct inspiration from so many different sources that it really grows into its own title. Every game can be compared to a well-established work, but few can break what’s mainstream at the same time. The Count Lucanor does this by borrowing basic gameplay elements that usually succeed but tweaks them to become extraordinary. Its final message applies to people of all ages, and The Count Lucanor will stick with you; just like the famous fairytales we all know and love.
A PC code of The Count Lucanor was provided by Baroque Decay for the purpose of this review.