Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King

Whether you're scouring the overworld for secrets or delving into the dungeons, Blossom Tales is a delightful take on a beloved genre

If I'm being honest, Blossom Tales might be a bit heavy-handed in its homage to the Zelda games of the past, but it brings a certain charm and fun to the Switch library. It also makes for a pretty good substitute as long as I still can't play A Link to the Past on my Switch.

Judging a game on its own merits is very important. However, when a title happens to borrow just about every aspect of its design from an iconic game series, it's hard not to acknowledge. Claims could be made that a game like this is nothing more than a shameless clone, but thankfully in the case of Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, the developer has intentionally crafted it with a sense of love and admiration of classic Zelda games. While it's not as flawlessly executed as the series it draws inspiration from and it doesn't add anything particularly groundbreaking, it's still a heartfelt tribute to the earlier entries in Nintendo's long-running series.

The decision as to whether or not Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King should be checked out boils down to the answer of a single question: does the potential buyer desire a new Zelda of the old school style? If the answer is yes, then this game is a must buy.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is an adventure strongly inspired by theLegend of Zelda saga that offers us a whole world to explore. We will have several dungeons full of challenges and puzzles, as well as several objects to get and secrets to discover. It's true that it doesn't risk too much in its development and the translation leaves a lot to be desired, but still it's a game that will keep us entertained for several hours.

... Blossom Tales stands tall even next to its legendary predecessor. It starts with its storytelling. Zelda games can get slightly repetitive with the “evil entity steals or harms the princess” arc, and admittedly, Blossom Tales doesn’t stray too far from that.

Blossom Tales proposes a wide world to explore, full of content and with enjoyable gameplay, not to mention a marvelous visual style. While the game may be trying to reach a higher status than it can, Blossom Tales certainly provides for a good adventure and exploration experience in the Nintendo Switch and it's yet another welcome addition to its growing catalogue.

Through its fun, witty writing and its grounded, sometimes challenging gameplay, Blossom Tales offers an adventure you honestly don’t want to miss out on.

Where The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild broke free from the long-held conventions that the green tunic-clad hero’s adventures had been built around, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King pays an irrepressibly charming tribute to them. This quest to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness is a standout addition to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch, and one that I’m certain many will enjoy sinking hours into.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King does a great job at paying homage to the Zelda franchise, and though a few things were found to be annoying at times, it's still very much a great game to play and definitely worth your time.