Operencia: The Stolen Sun

Operencia transports you somewhere far, far away, and once you get there, you'll probably want to stay a while.

Unique folkloric inspiration and interesting tactical considerations are let down by a slow second half.

Operencia offers a consistently entertaining blend of combat and puzzle-solving from beginning to end

Where the game really shines is in its entertaining writing and story-telling.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun is a mostly excellent first person, grid-based dungeon crawler that's brought brilliantly to life via an engaging story, fun cast of characters and some well-designed and hugely atmospheric dungeons. Combat here is satisfying and puzzles, for the most part, land just on the right side of challenging. If you're looking for a meaty old-school dungeon-crawling adventure with a ton of secrets and treasures to find as you make your way across its world, this one comes as a nice surprise and is highly recommended.

A solid but straightforward indie dungeon crawler.

A decent dungeon crawl of light to moderate length which is fun overall and may have replay value, but lacking in consistency.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun is an excellent throwback to old-school first-person dungeon crawler games, complete with solid mechanics, a predictable yet enjoyable story and a very well written cast of characters. While the old-school influence is dominant throughout the game, many of these features have been modernized, so even those who never played the classics will find something to enjoy in Operencia, from the beautiful art style to the turn-based battle system and dungeon exploration.

There are many RPGs to choose from on the Nintendo Switch. With the likes of Octopath Traveller, Dragon Quest XI and Divinity: Original Sin 2, why should you play Operencia: The Stolen Sun? I’m here to tell you.

Overall, Operencia does a lot of interesting and new things to the genre. Unfortunately this is bogged down by some infuriatingly annoying fights, cringey dialogue, and some very aggravating skills from enemies, it's easy to lose the magic that the game starts out with. The synthesis is a nice break from the tedium and frustration that can set in, which is a shame given how hopeful I was when I started. While I really did want to like Operencia: the Stolen Sun more than I did, that doesn't mean it's bad, just probably not what a veteran dungeon crawler would really drive for.