Sometimes you run into indie games where it feels like a variety of decisions were made that don’t do the end product many favors. Whether it’s small mistakes, or bigger blunders, how a game starts out can make an outstanding first impression, or leave you wondering when things will finally start to get interesting. Book of Korvald isn’t the first title I’ve run into where it feels like the developers lost sight of how best to onboard new players and get them invested and excited about the journey ahead. But the fact that it leads with at least 10 minutes of forgettable story before providing even a taste of any excitement, really sapped my energy for the experience before it even started.

Feeling like a side-scrolling actioner from a generation or two ago, you’ll be working through levels and taking out enemies in a flow of play that should feel familiar to almost anyone. Your repertoire of moves may not be that extensive at first, but it’s at least not as limited as some titles out there, and you will also accumulate some more skills along the way as well. For the most part it feels like most enemies are just there as fodder for you to blow through, but there are pretty frequent bosses you’ll encounter as well that are more challenging and at least infuse some personality into the mix. A small number of diversions in the form of periodic mini games also provide some variety the further you go, though they also vary in quality.

The real issue here is that in an eShop filled with all sorts of takes on this genre this offering comes up short. Whether the issue is feeling like more emphasis was placed on trying to tell a story than making the action more refined, the voice acting that often sounds like it was recorded in a closet, or the combat generally feeling stiff and awkward, there are a number of fatal flaws to this endeavor. While perhaps a stronger gameplay experience could weather some of these issues, having them all combined results in a game that’s greatly outshone by its peers.