The RPS Advent Calendar 2024, December 2nd
Day two and already on the booze
Today’s advent calendar window has an entire cult inside of it. Also, an alcoholic knight speaking in plummy prose between mouthfuls of booze and porridge. What’s more Christmassy than booze and porridge, eh? Not much, we’ll wager. You could pour the booze in the porridge, perhaps? You could call it ‘inebrioats’!
Or, you could just play Felvidek!
Nic: Felvidek was the loveliest surprise of the year for me. Like pulling your hand out of your stocking to find a baby alligator chomping on your fingers but then becoming best mates for life, Felvidek hides a surprising amount of heart beneath its jagged exterior. Like getting your fingers bitten off by said baby alligator, Felvidek also makes you really want a drink, because hapless but stalwart protagonist Pavol makes being a wretched alcoholic seem both cool and fun.
Genre wise, it's a JRPG. You can’t argue with me on this, because it says JRPG on the Steam page. Go argue with that. In actuality, the game is set in 15th century Slovakia, but you will do some familiar JRPG things, such as turn-based battling. That all progress here is based on equipment, and there’s no levelling up, might be an issue in a longer game, but Felvidek is a svelte four hours long - an absolute balm in a genre that’s given us a few brilliant though intimidatingly lengthy entries this year.
Really though, Felvidek’s brilliance is down to the story it tells, which has the feel of a very elaborate stage play. It’s both surreal and grounded in the medieval era, with bizarre demonic cults stepping on stage alongside internally conflicted priests. It’s both winkingly baroque in how convoluted and archaic some of the language is, but also quite chatty and matey in its two-man buddy comedy of errors. Alongside the occasionally deadly combat, it really does evoke a singular view of medieval life that’s deadly, goofy, and heartfelt all at once.
Head back to the advent calendar to open another door!