Sparklite

Pure NintendoJaime Carrillo

10/10

Sparklite, even at a cursory glance, smacks of Zelda. However, the latest title by Red Blue Games for the Nintendo Switch digs far deeper than just another SNES

Game SkinnyDavid Jagneaux

8/10

Sparklite is a good example of how creativity and sharp game design can elevate a genre even if you thought you'd seen everything it has to offer.

Nintendo LifeJamie Sharp

8/10

Sparklite is a fantastic rogue-lite adventure title that provides a nostalgia hit for 2D Zelda fans without feeling like a bad copy. The game’s rich world fuses mechanics and story without it feeling obnoxious, and the cast of characters are lovable and well-rounded, with each one standing out from the crowd. By the end, players will be begging for more, even if the final road is a little bumpy with some awkward difficulty spikes. Geodia is a world no one wants to leave by the end, but it’s one that’s enjoyable to return to again and again.

ShackNewsDonovan Erskine

8/10

Sparklite is an impressive outing from mobile developer Red Blue Games. It’s visuals and core mechanics harken back to classic action-adventure titles. At the same time, cleverly designed and well defined systems provide for something fresh and exciting. All of this tied together by a gorgeous pixelated art style. Sparklite is a welcomed addition that honors what came before it, while setting out on its own path.

Playstation LifestyleAnnette Polis

7/10

The holiday season is well underway in the world of video games. While we’re all trying to juggle our time with the AAA heavyweights like Death Stranding and our annual Call of Duty installments, smaller gems are making their way onto digital marketplaces. One such game hoping to worm its way into our hearts is Sparklite, a rogue-like adventure in which gamers help Ada fight to reclaim Geodia for its people.

GameSpewBecca Smith

7/10

For fans of the Rogue-like genre, Sparklite is a cute, easy-to-learn title. If you’re looking for a single-player adventure and you don’t mind spending some time grinding in order to upgrade your character, then this is a great title for you. The controls are smooth and sleek, its characters intriguing, and its boss battles ingeniously challenging. The fun soundtrack is also worth a mention, channelling classic adventure games of the 90s. Just don’t expect much from the co-op elements of the game, and you’ll have a good time.

TheSixthAxisSteve C

6/10

There's much to love about Sparklite, and it's clearly been a passion project for the small development team, but my overall experience was a frustrating one. It's hamstrung by its half-formed and unnecessarily repetitive roguelite structure that undermines the positives of the aesthetic and challenging boss fights. A good roguelite gets better and more complex with repetition, but Sparklite just increasingly overstays its welcome.

TechRaptorJeffrey Lerman

6/10

Sparklite’s difficulty is more frustrating than enjoyable to conquer. The struggle draws out the time to beat it and makes anything entertaining feel like a slog.

Game RevolutionAlex Santa Maria

4/10

Creating a new world must be pretty hard. Well-established tropes in sci-fi and fantasy cover a lot of bases, so carving out new space is a difficult task. It’s a similar situation when you try to find a new way forward in the roguelike space. The genre blew up this generation, and there’s pretty much something for everyone if you know where to look. It doesn’t leave much room for games like SPARKLITE, a functional riff on retro games and procedural design that fails to find a unique hook to keep people invested.

GameTyrant Dean Clark

0/10

Sparklite is one of the better games to have been released this fall!

The Punished BacklogDavid Silbert

Unscored

RedBlue Games' Sparklite offers an intriguing mashup of Zelda and traditional roguelikes. But is it worth a purchase? Read on for my full Sparklite review.

Checkpoint GamingJustin White

Unscored

Sparklite is the first full release video game from Red Blue Games, a small development studio that clearly has a passion for 16-bit titles. With plenty of colourful indie titles with the same visual style already for sale, does Sparklite do enough different to stand out from the pack?