Just before the start of the summer, I was searching the eShop for new games when this one stood out. It was like 5 AM and after spending like 30 minutes researching it, I found a place in my city that was selling a rare physical copy of the game and I ended up spending my day going to buy that copy. Then I went and bought a second copy to actually play. That was definitely the definition of an impulse buy but the trailer and gameplay videos on the eShop really made the game look like it could be amazing so I had to give it a chance.

GRAPHICS: 10/10

I literally bought two copies of the game strictly because of how it looks. When I first saw the game on the eShop, I looked at the trailer and saw how animated it was. At first, I thought it was going to be one of "those" games where there's an amazing art piece for the cover or an epic animation for trailer and the rest of the game is simple or retro styled. But then when I saw gameplay, my mind was blown because of the artwork.

There are lots of moments that look like they're straight out of your standard visual novel and at times the chibi designs don't look too great, but the environment is almost always stunning. The backgrounds and many of the battles look fantastic with their beautiful mix of lighting, shading, shadows, and movement. The game is stunning and the visuals to me are the best aspect by far.

SOUND: 9/10

There isn't much to say when it comes to sound. I'm not a big fan of the generic sounds of the game because there were a handful of times where it became too loud and clunky and would get annoying. But when it comes to music, there are a few really good songs that fit the mood well. On top of that, the episode is really short, so having close to a dozen songs and an anime style opening is really impressive.
In addition to buying a digital switch copy to play and a physical PS4 copy, I also bought a digital copy of the soundtrack on Steam which has 10 tracks and they're all decent or better. If the generic sounds were better and there was some voice acting, I would have easily given the game a perfect score for sound because of how compact it is. But just the music alone does a lot for this category.

ADDICTIVENESS: 8/10

In terms of gameplay and how much fun you're going to have playing Light Fairytale, the game has a lot to offer. The battles are going to be enjoyable and you're going to have so much fun walking through the different areas enjoying the scenery. Maybe there will be a time in the future where you just want to experience the beauty all over again and because of how short the episode is, you'll be able to easily start over from scratch and complete the episode in one day.

STORY: ?/?

There isn't a lot that I can say when it comes to the story. It's only the first episode so much of the game is still unknown and it's a very short episode, like two or three hours, so if I try to explain what happens, that might spoil a large chunk of the opening.

DEPTH: 6/10

I'm going to talk a little bit more about how long the game is later on, but it's a very short game. There isn't a lot to do and if you take your time, you can still beat the entire episode in a single sitting. There's a good assortment of music and lots of great artwork but there isn't a ton when it comes to content. That's going to change when there's more episodes released, but for just the first episode, there isn't much.

DIFFICULTY: 3

The game can be very easy because at it's core, it's your standard turn based RPG. If one battle seems like it's too tough, it might only take a change of strategy or a little extra grinding and it will become an easy battle in no time at all.

WHAT DIDN'T I LIKE?

There are just two minor issues that I have with the game, but they're barely a problem. The first is that it's super short. If anything, episode 1 feels more like a prologue than an actual episode. In terms of pure length, it's not worth the $10. If you're like me and it's the presentation that sold you on the game, then it's not something you should worry about because you're going to get a great experience.

If the amount of content is important to you, then you might not want to spend $10 on a short chapter. But if that's who you are, you can definitely wait for more episodes to be released. Because let's say down the road there's six short episodes that are a few episodes each, that's a much better package spending $60 than spending $10 right now for one. The game will get a lot more value as time goes on but right now what's available for the Switch is very limited.

I also didn't like that the Switch version was left out when it comes to extra goodies. The PS4 version had a rare physical release that came with a manual and a soundtrack and on Steam, you can buy and download the art book and soundtrack. The Switch version doesn't have anything extra and that was a little disappointing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's still pretty difficult to judge what the completed game is going to be like since it's only the first episode, but this episode still has a lot to offer. It might not be worth the full $10 to some people because of how short it is, but the game has some good gameplay, great music, and a fantastic art style that will make this a must buy for some people. If you look up the game and like the art, you're going to want to pay full price for the episode and all subsequent ones. It's such an ambitious game from a presentation standpoint and really worth playing. Overall, my rating for Light Fairytale Episode 1 for the Switch is an 8.3 out of 10.