I’ve dabbled in quite a few text-based RPGs, and each brings back memories. So was the case with Halfling Dale, and below I’ll give you a complete overview of what my experience playing it was, in this Halfling Dale review.
Right off the bat, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. The game took me by surprise with the myriad of text, plenty of names (that admittedly I had a tough time remembering at first), and action that made me think it would lead to one thing, but surprised me in other ways.
The gameplay is exactly what you expect it to be
Let’s start off by discussing the gameplay aspect of Halfling Dale. The story is set in a fantasy world, where elves, dwarves and halflings live peacefully, and the tall men are the marauders that antagonise them. It’s a story that sort of reminds me of Tolkien’s books, and I am pretty sure that was the point.
You are introduced to every character that lives in the Dale, their backgrounds, and you better remember them well, because when it comes to making choices and taking various routes, each one plays an important role.
Each decision you make is carefully thought out, so you better ponder well before turning one way or another. I’ve had my fair share of surprises, so I tell you from experience. It was all a good surprise though, so no harm was done (quite the opposite).
In short, in Halfling Dale you have the main text, and sometimes you have a few options to choose from that dictate which direction the story unfolds in. It’s a “textbook text-based RPG”, and if you like that, it’s most certainly something that is brilliantly done here.
How about a little romance?
Yep, you are not mistaken – there is also an angle you could go in, to unfold a little hidden romance, a romance that comes from an unexpected place! If you like the choose-your-own-adventure formula, you will find a lot of replay possibilities in Halfling Dale, because it has a handful of romanceable characters, and more than a few possible endings.
Of course, you might have to purchase the game to unlock everything, but if this genre is your bread and butter, then by all means it’s worth it. Oh, did I mention that romance is not gender-locked? That’s a major plus, too!
Let’s talk about the interface
While I like a simple interface, the UI in Halfling Dale goes a little too far. In my opinion, it would only do it justice to have it a little more refined, and more interesting. Why not, even having a few more options available would be nice.
When opening the upper-right menu while immersed in a story, it’s quite plain, but in its defence, I believe the developers put all of their effort into the narrative and the 20+ possible endings.
Therefore, while Halfling Dale is not a game that blows you away with its visuals, the story more than makes up for it.
A lot of replay possibilities
The story unfolds in a set way, much like in many other choose-your-own-adventure games, but there are many different routes you can take. Each of these routes leads you down a different path, and more often than not, you can already tell what is about to happen after your first playthrough.
On the bright side, if you are eager to play the game a certain way and go down a specific route, after your first playthrough you should already know how the main story unfolds. By the time you have to make your choices, you can skip through the text and see what each different choice brings.
I know that certain paths feel “harder” to take than others (who wouldn’t want to save the little deer, right?), but they have to be considered in order to see what the outcome is.
If you like text-based games, you should take a look at our list of the 25 best text-based games for Android and iOS.
All in all, I had a blast playing Halfling Dale – even if text-based RPGs are not my first choice when it comes to gaming genre, this one let me get immersed into the experience with ease, and offered plenty of surprises (at least, after I managed to remember the names of all the characters).
It’s a cosy game, and you can easily go through all the chapters in one sitting. While the interface and sound feel a little lacking, the narrative is hands-down a 10!
