LifeisXbox’s Serin Fate review | Remember that wonderful game called Stardew Valley that was released in 2016? I sure do! What if I tell you a similar game recently made its way to Steam? But wait, there is more! This new title not only has Stardew Valley elements… it also has magic! So, being a big Stardew Valley and Harry Potter fan myself, I got excited about Serin Fate from the moment I first heard about it. Developed by sole developer Vethergen, Serin Fate is a hand-crafted fantasy RPG that delves deep into the churning depths of Magic. The publisher behind this brand new game, Crytivo, is also responsible for games such as Weaving Tides and Farlanders (Prologue), so this was raising expectations even more. If you’re ready to dive into a magical take on Stardew Valley, you better start reading.
ℹ️ | Maui played Serin Fate for 15 hours on PC. This game is only available through Steam.
What we liked!
- Graphics and sound | When it comes down to the art style, I have zero complains and can only be super siked about it. It kind of follows the art style used in Pokémon, and we all know that this style is still as relevant today as it was a few years ago. Players are familiar with the bright 2D graphics and will guaranteed love it. There is plenty of detail and the characters that you will meet in Serin Fate all look very original and just really cute! The environments that you get to discover are always a pleasure to wander around in, and yes, even to die in. I absolutely loved the enemies and the Chimera (more about this later). Now, when you imagine a soundtrack for this sort of game in your head, you will most definitely get something similar to the sound that’s being used when you’re actually playing the game. It’s a typical (fantasy) RPG kind of music and I’m not even mad about it. It enriches the gameplay in a good way and it’s very enjoyable. There are plenty of sound effects in place to, like a crow flying away, your character walking through grass, or when you engage in combat. Again, it’s your typical sounds that will appear in similar games, but there is a reason these sounds work in these types of games.
- A lot of content | Serin Fate is an extensive game, that’s for sure. The Steam page already warns you that you will die a lot, but it honestly never got annoying. You die, get stronger, die, get stronger, and so on. There are 50 Chimera to be caught, a big map to explore, a shitton of enemies to defeat, and an elaborate story to uncover. And of course, there is also the mining, fishing, gardening, and crafting that you can focus on. The spell casting system is also easy to understand and fun to work with. Serin Fate may look like a simple and peaceful game, but I am here to tell you that it’s not and that’s perfectly fine. It offers so much, a little something for everyone, really.
- Overall gameplay | Because Serin Fate offers a lot of content, I think the gameplay can appeal to a wide variety of players. IF you keep the difficulty in the back of your head, of course. Because yes, this game looks easy, but let me tell you again that it is not at all. Anyway, you start by creating a character where you get to choose a few basic things like hair style and race (human, serin, val). Along the way, you’ll be able to customize your character a little more, adding masks, capes and more. You’ll follow a storyline in Serin Fate, but you can kind of do as you please if you wish to focus more on individual exploring (first). Rather quickly, you’ll be able to pick between a sword and a staff for your gameplay, but no matter which one you choose, you’ll always be able to perform spells since these are a vital part of the game. You see, spells are not only used in combat, they are also used to capture wild Chimera, to mine or woodcut, meditate, and even to create a growing boost for seeds. It all depends on which spells you find and learn.
- Notebook | Ah yes, your notebook comes in very handy at all times! In your notebook, you’ll keep track of plenty of things. First and foremost, it’s where you can look at your errands, which are the quests in this game. There isn’t too much information when you’re digging into an errand, but this game is meant to be difficult, so I understand that. Still, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the errand system, but I could work with it. Second, your notebook keeps track of collections. Here you can consult on everything you’ve ever discovered (after you consume an item so it can be added into your notebook), such as different seeds, fish, and materials. Third, there is the Chimera tab in which you can only see the species of Chimera you’ve caught. Fourth, your notebook has all the spells you’ve learned in it, which is super important. Some spells you’ll often use so you’ll know them by heart. Others, however, will be less frequently used so the notebook comes in quite handy here. Then for those of you who love numbers and tracking everything, there is also a part in the notebook that holds all your records. Statistics here include how many monsters you’ve slain, spells you’ve cast, bugs caught, rocks mined, eggs hatched, combat XP, and so on. And last, we have the cauldroning which has a list of recipes for you to craft like runes or potions.
- Secrets to discover | Who doesn’t love some hidden secrets around a map? There is so much exploring to do in Serin Fate. I discoverd a few things myself, but I’m sure there is still a lot more where that came from. For example, on my screen it didn’t really show a path to the right, but I just walked right into the trees, and boom, secret hidden space! These spaces usually don’t have anything that is really required, but they have useful stuff to make you stronger. Another ‘secret’ is to check the houses and open chests that you find there. I think this is probably a reflex most players have, but still, these nice little features really make the overall exploration of the game extra cool.
- Chimera | Serin Fate’s very own Pokémon! There are a ton of Chimera to discover in Serin Fate (50 to be exact), and just like Pokémon, you can catch them in the wild and they help you in combat. Rather than throwing a pokéball, you’ll be casting a capturing spell, though. Of course, you also have different species like nature, storm, sun, moon, and void classes. Depending on your starting element, you’ll get a Chimera from a certain class. I started out with a red Gemage (Void species), who are playful by nature and pack a surprising punch despite being small. I soon discovered the Wingluck, a chicken-like Chimera, and a lot more followed. Here I am again with the Pokémon resemblance, but just as in Pokémon, these Chimera are often based on animals we know from real life. Quiddle looks like an octopus, OwlGlitz looks like an owl, and Glomox looks like a rat. When you have caught multiple Chimera, you can build a Chimera Pen to house them. In here, your Chimera can chill, eat, play with you, and produce useful items and more importantly, Chimera pearls.
- Regaining mana | Besides the original ways to regain mana (like drinking potions) there is one way that I really loved. When you’re sleeping, an astral projection of your character shows up and you can play as it. As your spirit form, you have to go outside and look for falling rune stones. These will help you to recharge your mana in an easy way. I found this to be a very original way, and it’s really cool that you’re doing something even when you’re asleep!
- Skill tree | Every time you level up, you get stat and skill points. The stat points can be awarded to Combat, Chimera Power, Dexterity, Intellect, and Vitality. Depending on whether you want to focus on decreasing Chimera sleepiness, increase physical offense, increase max HP, etc., you can distribute your XP stat points as you wish. Then there is also a skill or perks tree in which four perks are of importance: Witchery, Harvest, Combat, and Necromancy. You’ll get points per perk and unlocking new skills require a certain amount of points. Plus, you have to be able to reach a perk, meaning that you need to unlock the previous linked skill first. It’s a pretty basic system, but keeping track of this skill tree is so very important because it offers some very interesting perks!
Somewhere between
- Lack of guidance | Serin Fate will not hold your hand throughout the journey, not even in the beginning. There is a lot to discover in this game, and you will have to depend on yourself to figure things out, at least for most of the time. There is barely any direction and even basic game mechanics aren’t really explained. This lack of guidance and information actually starts in the very beginning. You get to create a character and while doing this, you have to pick one of three races (human, serin or val). Unfortunately, it is not at all explained what race has what benefits. It also took me a while to figure out there was a freaking skill tree, or a perk tree as it’s called in the game. These things should be super clear from the start. I understand the developer’s choice to make this a difficult and hard game, but things like this should be explaind as it created a feeling of helplessness from the very start, where there shouldn’t be one. I just want to create my character and have some background information on things, you know. I think a lot of people will get frustrated because Serin Fate does not hold your hand at all and this might prevent other players from buying it.
- Grinding | Yes, the Steam page mentions that heavy grinding is required so most players will be aware of this before they start to play. However, the amount of grinding and the vagueness around it can be quite annoying. The beginning of the game is really hard, like getting through that damn forest is incredibly difficult. I died a lot and it took me a while to become strong enough, and still, during the nights I don’t really go in there because I will sure as hell end up dead. But again, the game doesn’t always explain what you need to do or how long it will take for you to be strong enough. It’s a lot of trial and error, and thus, a lot of dying. This can be nasty especially due to the overall vagueness during the entire game.
What we disliked
- Nothing here.
How long to beat the story | 80+ hours
How long to achieve 1000G | 100+ hours
Similar with | Stardew Valley meets Pokémon
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Head of PC team. PC, Switch, and Xbox game reviewer. Also a marketeer, concert and animal lover, and photographer in training 🙂
Steam: Mauitje
Xbox: Mauitjexo
