I was not ready for this game to hit me the way it did. In fact, about five years ago, I played the first game in this series while on vacation and although I found it to be fun, clever and humorous, it did not make much of an impression beyond that (which is why I did not and am not going to review it separately). This year, I decided to play the sequel as a sort of anniversary, but while my impressions of the original carry over, this game is so much more heartfelt with a genuine message [spoiler] that is a quantum leap beyond the usual identity activism so prevalent (and quickly becoming cliched) in today’s pop-culture environment [/spoiler] ; to wit, I got a little verklempt whilst playing it. First, I should point out... well, something that should be obvious: the Blossom Tales games are Zelda parodies! While the aesthetic is primarily reminiscent of Minish Cap, there are many other zeldavania elements that are present from all eras of the games [spoiler] (even from Breath o...

If you're a fan of old 2-D Zelda games, this is the closest thing you're likely to find. There's a ton to love here! While Blossom Tales 2 shares a lot with its predecessor, it's a more polished and ultimately satisfying experience. It has all the monster-fighting, puzzle-solving goodness of a Zelda classic. While I enjoyed the game a lot, and am grateful for such a polished Zelda alike, I do have a bunch of small nits to pick: [h2]Story[/h2] The story of the game is probably its weakest point. Like the first game, there's a cursory story within a story framing device that puts the action in a morality tale told by a grandfather to his grandkids. The story is a simple one of getting the magic widgets inside dungeons to gain access to the final area to beat up the big bad. It's not only derivative, it doesn't even feel like they were trying. A lot of reviews of this game emphasize how it doesn't stand out by doing anything different with the formula of old Zelda games. I, for ...