Tales of Seikyu Preview: Stardew Valley vibes but in an anime style

During this Steam Next Fest we had the pleasure of testing many games and one that has caught our attention has been Tales of Seikyu. It should be noted that we are testing a demo a few days before its public release and that the game will be released first in Early Access this spring, so we will have to be patient to see how the product evolves and if it manages to convince the public. In this project from ACE Entertainment, a currently unknown studio, we will use the powers of the yokais to build an idyllic life on the mystical island of Seikyu, where we will experience adventure, wonder and romance. Settling into a magical new life, we will harness our powers to manage our farm and discover a new world. We must use our ties with the different islanders and uncover the secrets of Seikyu.

The most remarkable thing about this title right now is the visual elements, which without revolutionising the sector, you can see that they want to take the right path and the result is quite pleasant when looking over the bugs that are normal at this stage of development. Also worth noting is the music and sound effects, which in the absence of polishing, look good and are suitable for this type of quiet game. However, I found it a bit difficult to hear the footsteps of the villagers or monsters when I was 50 metres away from them; they should calibrate it a bit better in the future. Another aspect I found interesting to see how they explore in the future is the yokai powers. Right now there are three available ones with different uses, but I think we'll eventually get some more to add depth to the mechanics.

As the title of these impressions implies, this game brings back different memories of other titles that have been quite popular in recent years. The first of these, the one they seem to have looked most at, is Stardew Valley. The well-known indie has gained a lot of fame for being very easy to play, with very well worked aspects that have been polished over time. That's why we are hopeful about this project and expect they will improve the aspects that are currently weaknesses. They have different similar features, especially the farm, because you can grow crops on your land and then sell them to the villagers and make a profit. We can give different items to villagers to earn their friendship, love, and even hate.

The combat is uncomplicated, the moves are simple and the enemies look a lot like the Hilichurls from Genshin Impact, clearly their other major inspiration. The spearhead of HoYoverse, which was widely criticised for its resemblance to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but ultimately earned its own fame, has achieved a huge success that is prompting more studios to replicate the formula of the anime look in their characters and their respective canons. The mysterious thirtysomething man, the super-sweet young girl with the protagonist, the older woman who acts seductively, among many others, are the character archetypes that we usually find in their games and that many have replicated.

Moving on to the more negative aspects of the title and looking for constructive criticism, we have seen several bugs that can hinder the gameplay experience. Maybe it is a bug that depends on the device you are using, but in our case, we have had to restart the game on several occasions due to failures in loading, getting stuck on a bump or in dialogue with a character and having no alternative to get out of it. In addition, some of the textures, especially in the buildings of the village or some trees that we find on our way to the ranch, still lack some polishing to make them reflect the level that the studio seems to want. The animations of the characters during the cinematic sequences with the game engine are quite static, and also during combat, making it feel a bit like they are dolls moving strangely, although during the story sequences it is noticeable that they are animated separately and that's a positive. The missions are simple and don't require too much effort to complete fairly quickly, so it does speed up the game quite a bit, but it does make it shallower. The same goes for the characters, who have rather empty dialogue, which I guess will be improved for the final version. As a detail, the design of the characters, which when you talk to them their image appears in the text box, this seems to have been generated by artificial intelligence. Maybe it's just a feeling and it's not an accusation as AI is just another tool for the studios, but I wanted to share it in this impression.

All in all, the game has a lot of promise, but you can tell that it still has a few more steps to go and some more straightening out of the main story beyond the two main brothers. For now, if you like these life simulation games, where you grow plants and relationships, we at Gamereactor encourage you to give it a try.