Sofiya and the Ancient Clan

Sofiya and the Ancient Clan’s art style is pretty nice but everything else about it just feels average at best. The gameplay is mindless and forgettable and what is left of the fan service doesn’t even make much sense in its dumbed down form. This is another game from eastasiasoft for the trophy hunters as anyone else is better off finding one of the many other platformers out there for their fix.

The main draw that will keep players invested and are most likely the reason most even picked up the game – collectible lewd images. Keeping with the modern pixel art style, there will be collectible images that progress the story as Sofiya discovers herself and offers herself in increasingly more provocative poses. It was innocent enough for the most part and offered tongue-in-cheek humour at the same time. The overall play time meant that you could burn through the game quickly, and if you put in a bit of exploration, you would be able to fill the galley for your viewing pleasure with ease.

Sofiya and the Ancient Clan could have been pretty good with a bit of tweaking here and there. Unfortunately, it’s clear that the developer’s priorities were on the game’s aesthetic rather than making sure it plays well — and as such it’s tough to recommend this one. It’s by no means as poor as the aforementioned Arsonist Heaven was, and if you have a soft spot for mediocre 16-bit platform games you may get a kick out of this — but for everyone else, there is much better fare available.

I was really hoping for more from Sofiya and the Ancient Clan. While it wasn’t all bad, it’s still a disappointing platformer with boring combat to boot. Sure, the artwork is fine, even Sofiya’s amorous journal entries. It just doesn’t do enough to make this a better game, despite the surprisingly enjoyable music. If you like platformers and want something inexpensive, you might enjoy this. If nothing else, it’s a very short burn that can be completed in a lazy afternoon. For everyone else, stay away from this absurd little witch.