Reindeer Story

There's a ton of content in what I expected to be a short demo. The events are paced very well; with platforming, a wide variety of combat mechanics (bolstered by equip-able abilities that can utterly transform your party's play style), and fast-but-fun story beats that still manage a twist on the formula.

It's not often you find a holiday-oriented RPG. It's even less common to find one with a world so lived-in and mischievous. The party members rib their enemies and each other plenty, sometimes to the point where they wonder if they're still on Santa's good list. I'm a great fan of how it all worked out.

I've already touched on this with the variety of abilities, but the range of items (full party heals, lesser heals, full heals, and un-buyable MP items) shows how much was put into mechanically fleshing out the game. This applies to the equipment as well. All these items are laid about in perspective-tricked nooks, crannies, and challenge jumps.

The combat was also very fun. The bullet hell enemy patterns can be countered with z-attacks, which you can freely aim while dodging. This, along with the variety of abilities and other party members, can make combat very quick once you get a groove going. This being said, the game doesn't feel too easy, and the bosses pull you for the long haul. If one doesn't want to fight constantly, no worries. Enemies appear in the overworld and lesser ones can be bucked into dust, which is a very considerate option to give to players.

My few gripes with this game so far are likely due to being a demo, but some of the animation transitions glitch, occasionally, especially when doing those spinning jumps. They're adorable, but rarely play when moving vertically (up or down), which made it difficult to understand that it was a feature on the first few minutes of play.

I also ran into a few crashes when talking to NPCs, namely Bob's Sleds. This may be due to the nature of my old laptop. Also, I couldn't purchase a sled from him at all, and his dialogue wouldn't reload even after re-entering the area and rebooting the game. Again, this may be just part of the demo that's unfinished. Regardless, I was blown away by what I've seen, heard, and played thus far.