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Night Stones had me at "inspired by the classics like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Final Fantasy 7." The upcoming open world indie adventure game from the solo developer at Advance Nine has reached half of its funding goal on Kickstarter in just 48 hours, and it's easy to see why.
Advance Nine teases "nostalgic exploration, quests, puzzle solving, and character engagement with smart, modern storytelling, expect to be blown away." And while Night Stones does seem to wear its inspirations on its sleeve, it also appears to be doing its own thing with the addition few really interesting mechanics.
Yes, you play as a young, vaguely elf-like person with blonde hair, a green tunic, and a suspiciously Hylian-looking shield; and yes, you get through blocked paths by throwing bombs at walls with cracks in them; and yes, you can fly around the big open world with a glider or sail through water in a boat, but what I like about Night Stones is that isn't just an amalgamation of the games it's inspired by.
For example, there's no combat. The developer says there will be enemies in your way, but you'll need to get around them non-violently. "There is always a way around enemies. It might be as simple as sneaking around a Night Walker, or you might need to use an item in your inventory or the world around you."
Progression, then, is mainly tied to interacting with locals around town, finding treasure - some of which is mandatory - and solving "a variety of complex, original puzzles," which are "seamlessly built into the game's open world format." You'll also complete quests to unlock new abilities and regions of the map, eventually opening up the whole thing when you get your glider.
I'm also a fan of the day/night system. Instead of having to wait for the in-game clock to change from day to night and vice-versa naturally or camp out at a rest stop, you can manipulate time with the titular Night Stones. Gameplay elements will open up depending on what time of day it is, like owls who hold vital information but sleep all throughout the day.
The story seems a little cliched, but compelling enough. You awake from a dream in which you explored a magical place where you can fly and change day to night in an instant, only to find that you've been transported there in real life and have to find your way home. Again, nothing groundbreaking, but I'm hopeful the charming open world and puzzles are enough to keep me blissfully occupied.
Night Stones is currently right around 50% funded on Kickstarter with 26 days still to go, and if all goes well it'll get a Steam Alpha launch in December and console ports "6-9 months" later. If you want to keep track of its development, you can check out the studio's YouTube channel for a whole bunch of in-depth devlogs.
Here are some games like Zelda you can play right now.
