Operencia: The Stolen Sun Reviews, Interview

A couple of fresh reviews are now available for Zen Studios’ recently released dungeon-crawling RPG Operencia: The Stolen Sun. Both the reviews are quite positive, praising Operencia’s exploration, humorous elements, and mechanics. Have a look:

DarkStation 4/5:

Operencia: The Stolen Sun should appeal to a range of gamers: fans of well made, turn-based RPGs and anyone looking for a budget title that hasn’t compromised graphics or mechanics will also appreciate it. The game doesn’t take a lot of chances but there is plenty of depth and replayability in its character leveling and crafting systems and while it may seem easy in the first few hours, combat difficulty increases and the puzzles become challenging as the game progresses.

ZTGD 9.5/10:

Operencia: The Stolen Sun shouldn’t be skipped. What is here is a wonderful RPG that is welcoming to veterans and newcomers alike. Because this is on Microsoft Game Pass there is absolutely no reason to not give this game a shot. There is absolutely something for everyone who enjoys RPGs.

You may also be interested in this GamingBolt interview with Mel Kirk, Zen Studios’ VP of publishing, that went live slightly ahead of the game’s launch. Here’s a snippet:

How much do the maps in the game vary from each other? Are the variations from a visuals perspective, or do they vary in terms of design and mechanics as well?

We have more than ten different visual settings in Operencia and most maps highly differ from each other in their mechanics as well. Our main level design principle was to make the maps diverse and deliver as many “wow moments” as possible.

There are some dark dungeons with narrow corridors and some with huge, open spaces and the layout always defines the puzzles and the behaviour of the enemies. Let me give you some examples. Many towers have multi-level puzzles which mean the targets are linked somehow and you have to comprehend the connection between them.

Then you have to climb to the magical World Tree where you will walk on the trunk, use the branches to build new routes and even move into the tree’s interior lairs and get out on the other side.

Last but not least, some rooms of Anna’s castle are flooded so you are not allowed to spend too much time underwater in search for treasures or you are going to drown. Every level needs a different approach on how to progress.

[…]

The first person dungeon crawling genre obviously has a long and storied history- were there any standout games in particular that served as inspirations during the development of Operencia?

Everyone on the team has their own favorites, but some of the most commonly mentioned titles are Wizardry, The Bard’s Tale, Eye of the Beholder, and Lands of Lore. As I mentioned, there’s a lot of Final Fantasy influence for story, but even some of the turn-based mechanics are rooted there as well. And I would even say that puzzles are such a big part of things, you could point to classics like Myst and Riven for some inspiration there. It all comes together into a pretty awesome cohesive experience.