Farlands Journey | PS4 Review

Following in the footsteps of a witch with a wand we find a curious collect-a-thon adventure about a magic academy that lost it's crown jewel, the very source of it's power. As the little witch on the job you pursue an evil porcine threat, and his piglet army through various lands where they have lost fragments of the jewel along with puzzle pieces, and special orbs. As you combat the threat with your wand and collect what needs to be collected you will sport the hats of the enemy using their unique capabilities to platform your way through each stage. The end goal being the collecting of all the jewels, and everything else that is collectible.

As a 2D platforming collect-a-thon with enemies there's not really much to do in 'Farlands Journey' other than collect things, and deal with the enemies. Being the magician on a mission that you are you have the ability to point and shoot projectiles with your wand. This includes an original star blast, and even a cast bubble that will capture enemies for the popping. Both of which can be charged up for an even more powerful shot. Your wand, in all it's magical glory, can be pointed in all four cardinal directions and will also aide in additional platforming efforts. These additional efforts include things like breaking walls, pushing weights onto switches, and even using bubbles to bounce to higher platforms just to name a few.

Killing enemies along the way will sometimes cause them to drop their hat. The hats are a useful item, and bestow upon the witch an ability that effects stage interaction. There are hats for floating, bursting bricks, and others that do things like shed light on a darkened situation. Between the wand and the hats you will be well equipped to deal with the enemy threat as you go about collecting the jewels, and hidden items that often times lie in hidden nooks and crannies not visible to the naked eye. There are a lot of secret areas hidden behind walls that contain all the collectibles needed for that 100% completion rate.

Stages, as they were, are all about collecting everything and making it to the end portal for the jewel tally. Something that plays into the collect-a-thon fulfillment. There are also bosses to beat with attack patterns that must be minded as your witch has a limited three hearts worth of health that are depleted with each hit taken. Be it from a pitfall, or collision with an enemy. Of course there are also bonus objectives in the way of collecting all the golden puzzle pieces that make a secret picture when completed.

The Presentation ...

Farlands Journey honestly looks like a game from the Sega Genesis era of gaming. The character sprites and environmental set pieces are larger than usual, and pixel in nature like games on that console. The color palette is vibrant, colorful, and mixed as well in a similar fashion. Giving a hint of fantasy to the gameplay. All of this is further accented by a style of music that you'd have also heard from the Sega Genesis era of gaming. It is fun, fantastical in an 80's sense, and filled with punchy instrumental tunes that lighten the mood of the experience.

The Verdict ...

I had fun with this one. It's definitely a throwback to classic Sega Genesis collect-a-thon style games. The art style is very reminiscent of that era, and features a colorful cast of characters that make the game as interesting as it is. The wand play, and hat mechanics do what they are supposed although a bit loosely. Nothing is really explained from the start, and only by playing and experimenting will you find out a lot of the mechanics tied to the two core mechanics. 

I do feel the developer kind of went light on the story as well, and focused mostly on the gameplay elements. It's not a bad thing, but it is an interesting choice, nonetheless. Price-wise it's a decent game for what you pay. Something the kids and adults can enjoy as it has a bit of nostalgia to it. If you fancy something relaxing, and chill from the collect-a-thon genre, 'Farlands Journey' has got you covered!