Felvidek developer Jozef Pavelka has somehow zeroed in on basically everything that excites me about video games. Anything that takes a swing outside of the popular norm immediately rockets up the chart labeled My Interests, and a self-described JRPG that just so happens to feature a knight with alcohol problems in 15th century Slovakia with an unusual, grainy aesthetic and gameplay ripped out of games like Wizardry is... well, I'd say that counts as exactly that.
"Find out what unlikely events take place in this alternate history region of Slovak Highlands," the game's official description reads in part. "This land is ravaged by Hussite pillagers and Ottoman spies while surreal horrors dwell in the dark." And it's up to Pavol, the aforementioned alcoholic knight, and the party he gathers to set things right again.
Trying to describe the game using words alone doesn't quite convey its beauty. Anyone that finds themselves raising an eyebrow of curiosity at the above really owes it to themself to check out Felvidek's trailer:
Felvidek is OUT NOW! (OST too)Links in bioDon't forget to leave a good review if you like it. pic.twitter.com/36jyCEuoYzMarch 29, 2024
But it seems like I'm not alone in finding this particular combination of flavors to be interesting as the game was only released at the end of March on Steam and has already gathered nearly 350 reviews. Even better? It's currently sitting at a strong "Very Positive," with 98% of those reviews being pro rather than con.
Honestly, the movement and overall aesthetic reminds me of the Trogdor video game from the Homestar Runner folks, which itself was just a parody of the King's Quest games. There's just something about the entire package that really speaks to the kid in me that desires to play nothing but somewhat clunky PS1 RPGs, and you'd better believe Felvidek is one I'll be keeping an eye on going forward.
If you're looking to try something that isn't set in 15th century Slovakia, there's always our ranking of the best JRPGs to play.
