REVIEW
Written byDethyan
Secrets of Temple Isle feels like the kind of game I would have been completely obsessed with during the Nintendo 64 era. The visuals have that chunky, colorful 3D style, but the game itself feels playful rather than simply trying to imitate the past.
Exploring the island has been genuinely fun so far. Combat is simple, the world is easy to understand, and there is enough going on to keep me curious about what is around the next corner. Buying your own house and being able to decorate it was also a really nice surprise. It is a small feature, but it gives the game a bit more personality.
It still has some rough edges. I ran into a few minor visual bugs, including one after the first boss where the objective arrow continued pointing toward a key I had already collected. Nothing game-breaking, but it is the kind of thing that could use another polish pass.
The UI could use some work too, especially the item menu and the way information is presented. Mission text can overlap in places, and the map interface can become a little messy. The information is there, it just does not always feel organized as clearly as it could be.
Controller support was probably my biggest issue. Moving around is fine, but controlling the camera with a gamepad never felt particularly comfortable to me. Switching to mouse and keyboard made a huge difference and the game immediately felt much better to play.
And then there are the bees.
Getting surrounded by a swarm of them turns an otherwise peaceful adventure into a few seconds of absolute panic. I was not prepared for how stressful those little things would be.
Despite the bugs and interface issues, I am having a really good time with Secrets of Temple Isle. There is something charming about its slightly rough, old-school feel, and more importantly, I actually want to keep playing it.
That is probably the best compliment I can give it right now. I am already planning to go back, explore everything I missed, and try to get 100% of the achievements.
— Dethyan / Noobsnoplay