There was a time when I wasn't cynical (and bald), where I had hope (and also hair) and the world hadn't worn me (or my scalp) down. See, young Harvey was an Adventure Quest player—though they also frequented all those little flash-made RPGs that'd do the rounds on sites like Miniclip and Newgrounds.
I'm aware these websites still exist, obviously, but there was a time where they were the raging heart of the prepubescent gaming ecosystem. I missed the boat on MUDs and grew too old too fast for Roblox and Fortnite, but I was born just in time to hit up AQ, Club Penguin, Fancy Pants Adventures, Line Rider… Simpler, gentler times.
Heroes of the Seven Islands has me going full Ego-eating-ratatoullie. It isn't just a charming little game, it's also a time machine—and it's thoroughly sent me back to those halcyon, hair-filled years. It's a party-based RPG with a naive artstyle that looks like it was scribbled in MS Paint (positive).
It was actually hand-drawn, though, lending an adorable sort of wobbliness to everything. The kind you might doodle in the margins of your schoolbook.
It's got a demo you can test out yourself, but the core premise should be familiar if you were online and gaming in the mid-2000s: You click to take yourself around a series of islands, each of which have teeny little vignettes and interactables. You occasionally fight some monsters. You rinse and repeat until your numbers go up.
The real task of a long playthrough, I imagine, will involve making a note of all the locations you can visit (such as a tree my party needed more cumulative Dexterity to climb) or chests you can pop open (such as a lockbox that required a level of lockpicking I didn't have) in order to progress.
The RPG mechanics are solid from what I've played, too. I had some pleasant little synergies going from the default party the game gives you—buffing my barbarian up until he was doing 20 damage a swing. Progression is exploration-based, as well. If you want to level up, you need to go back to a tavern, if you want to use a shield you have to train to use it, and so on.
If you're in the mood for a cheap and cheerful nostalgia trip, I don't think you can go wrong with this lovely little game. Heroes of the Seven Islands is available on Steam.
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