Blast Annual


Laetitia

Author: Dougie MCG
Publisher: Bum Fun
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2/+3

 
Published in Blast Annual 2020 Volume 1

Laetitia

With ten games under his belt already, Jaime Grilo brings us the story of Laetita. Expectations were already high when it was announced, then they sky-rocketed when we found out that the game would sprawl over no fewer than four parts. This is another AGDX game and Jaime Grilo is certainly honing his skills in using the engine to create quality games.

Gameplay

The plot of the game is a standard good witch vs bad witch affair. The story takes place in the village of Grynnet where the evil witch Grizelda has cast a wicked curse. All have succumbed to her power except for a wise old sorceress called Runella who is hiding at the furthest reaches of the village. Too weak to take on the might of Grizelda herself, she turns to her young niece and the heroine of this tale Laetita. Overtones of Willow are here with the coming of age of the promising young apprentice to overthrow the evil tyrant and restore peace to the land.

Before the game even starts you know that something special is in store when the loading screen appears. Another Andy Green masterpiece reveals itself before your eyes and you see that Laetita is not the kind of witch you'd find in stories of old, covered in warts with grey hair or green skin!

Laetitia

Laetita is a young, cool witch who isn't going to take any nonsense! As the loading screen fades the fantastic music from Fox Fluffy kicks in and further sets the ambience for the adventure ahead. The music is missing from the 48k version but the rest of the game is there in its entirety. The game takes a lot of inspiration from the ZX classic Cauldron in terms of the gameplay and the general feel and atmosphere of the game.

Due to memory restrictions, the game is split into four parts:

Part 1: The Dragon and the Pumpkins' caves
Part 2: The Crypt
Part 3: The Pentagrams' Cave
Part 4: Facing Grizelda

Laetitia

Each part can be played individually so you can jump straight into the Grizelda showdown if you want some fast paced action.

The first three parts involve some skilled flying as you find the ingredients you need for the spells. The controls for the game immediately feel familiar and you will find yourself deftly flying through small spaces to escape the ghastly ghouls in your way. You have a generous energy bar and the ability to shoot magic when you get into trouble. After ten minutes you reach a level where flying becomes second nature and you can focus on solving the problems and finding the items needed to progress.

Likes

The game is ambitious in its sheer scale and thoroughly enjoyable as an adventure. By dividing the game into four parts, Jaime Grilo has not needed to compromise any of Laetitia's graphics and animation, meaning you get not only a much bigger game, but one which looks superb. The flying feels fun and intuitive adding to the enjoyment of the game.

Dislikes

Laetitia

Objects can be hard to pick out against some of the backgrounds. It takes some work and some trial and error but is worth the perseverance.

Keep an eye on the energy bar as you need to learn quickly what does and doesn't cause damage.

Verdict

We have to applaud Jaime Grilo for his vision and commitment to producing the game he wanted. This was clearly a labour of love and the personality of the characters shines through the engaging storyline. For fans of Cauldron, this is one you should definitely add to your playlist.

Dougie MCG

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