Gamertell Review: Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals for PC

Title: Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals
Price: $19.95
System(s): PC
Release Date: March 11, 2010
Publisher (Developer): John Wizard Games (John Wizard Games)
ESRB Rating: N/A
Pros: Detailed character sprites, menu and other information constantly accessible and shown at the bottom of the screen, multiple puzzles to solve, clever puzzles, multiple difficulty levels, witty script, can keep pets, can keep track of facts, nice side-quest selection, stats and quests in a journal, has background music that’s actually worth listening to, nice use of sound effects, can see area maps, enemies visible on battlefield and runes can be used to enhance attacks and abilities.
Cons: No explanation that the arrows in the lower right corner/S button make you run or walk., can’t sneak up on/get the upper hand on enemies, no extra skills or abilities to learn, more of a focus on puzzles and fetch-quests than leveling up or battle and shorter than Dawn’s Light.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways, 85/100, B, * * * 1/2 out of 5

The number of casual gamers is constantly growing, and they aren’t going to be satisfied with endless hidden object and match-3 games. They are going to need more substantial titles from different genres to offer more diversity. Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals is the perfect example of the kind of game casual gamers are going to want. It has multiple difficulty levels, accomodating gameplay that encourages both short and long gaming sessions and an engaging script. It’s yet another fine RPG from the indie developer John Wizard Games.

Don’t talk to, and never ever help, suspicious strangers.

Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals begins with Lilly, Sasha, a guide and a mysterious man named Donovan journeying to the shrine of Zahhak, inside of a old cave. Donovan says that the power to change and revitalize the world lies inside, and he requires Lilly and Sasha’s divine powers to open the door to the shrine and get inside. Sasha’s eager to do so, since they’re being well paid, but Lilly senses something isn’t right.

Once inside the shrine, Donovan traps the three of them in there and says that no one is leaving until either Lilly or Sasha touches the shrine. Apparently, only one pure of heart can do so. Lilly says no, but Sasha goes right ahead and touches it. After doing so, Zahhak ends up inside of Sasha, and directs Donovan to begin carrying out preparations for some unknown, and unpleasant, plan.

Witty, with lots to do, but battles are simply average.

Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals is focused on quests. Lots of story and extra quests, which are all neatly organized in an in-game journal. Normally, knowing there are quite a few quests ahead of you, which often require journeying from point A, to point B, sometimes to point C and then all the way back to point A, would be daunting. However, Lilly & Sasha, like John Wizard’s earlier game Dawn’s Light, has a wonderfully clever and funny script which makes it all worthwhile. There may be a few RPG stereotypes, but overall the story is well written and dialogue witty.

For example, allow me to highlight my favorite sidequest . It is a Harvest Moon-inspired mission, called “Back to Nature.” Lilly, Sasha, Griffin and Enoch assisting a young man named Jack who just inherited a dilapidated farm from his grandpa. They do stuff like kidnap/tame sheep, deliver crops and so on. It’s quite clever, and a prime example of the lighthearted sidequests and writing that appears from time to time throughout the game.

There were two things that bothered me in Lilly & Sasha, and both had to do with battles. First, battles seemed to take a backseat to fetch quests and puzzle solving. Yes, there’d be enemies in the field to fight and beef up characters, but it seemed like most of my time was spent walking from one place to another, running errands or doing push the crate/barrel/jug/rock puzzles. Second, there weren’t really any rewards for leveling up. Yes, your characters’ stats will improve, but that’s it. Your characters only get two special skills in battle, and know them right away. You can add runes to customize these skills’ effects and range, but it still is lacking in diversity.

If you’re looking for a casual, PC rpg, look no further!

There may be times when Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals has you constantly running back and forth, but overall it’s a solid RPG with a strong focus on dialogue and puzzles. It’s perfect for players of any skill level, thanks to selectable difficulty levels and an intuitive battle system, and features lots of side quests and extras for players who want to enjoy every moment of the adventure. John Wizard Games is definitely an independent developer to keep an eye on.

Site [Lilly & Sasha: Curse of the Immortals]