| Elin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Elin is a chaotic sandbox RPG packed with absurd freedoms, eccentric characters, and unpredictable adventures. Read on to learn everything we know, our review of the demo, and more.
Everything We Know About Elin
Elin Plot
In Elin, players enter the world of Mysilia, a richly detailed realm where they forge a life of adventure or contemplation. Acting as a prequel to the cult-favorite Elona, Elin focuses on freedom, survival, and personal choice. Players can choose their path, from being an altruistic hero to a notorious figure or a secluded builder of peaceful havens. The story intertwines with Ylva’s history, depicting themes of coexistence between humans and the Elea, an ancient race central to the game’s lore. The world evolves with each decision, letting players uncover mysteries and connect to the land in diverse ways.
Elin Gameplay
Elin combines roguelike, life-sim, and base-building elements, offering a uniquely open-ended sandbox experience. The gameplay allows players to engage in nearly limitless activities: they can build sprawling homesteads, grow bustling towns, engage in dungeon crawling, and partake in deep crafting systems. Elin encourages creativity, with a freedom to choose lifestyle, morality, and career paths—be it as a builder, farmer, hero, or rogue. Players can customize their surroundings extensively, crafting everything from rustic farmhouses to advanced fortresses. As they grow in reputation and strength, new locations open up, adding quests and possibilities to their adventures.
Elin Release Date
Elin’s Early Access version was released on November 1, 2024 for PC via Steam. According to its Steam page, it came out around 4 a.m. EDT / 1 a.m. PDT.
Elin Review (Demo)
Delightfully Unhinged
To preface this review, I’d like to mention that I have absolutely no experience with Elin’s predecessor, Elona. However, I do have a vague idea of what it’s about, thanks to a reputable YouTuber known for starting his reviews with, “Hey hey, people.”
That said, I still didn’t really know what to expect. I’m not big into sandbox games, and my understanding of how they work is limited. But that wasn’t about to deter me from diving into the next installment of one of the most beloved single-player sandbox RPGs, so I dove in fully prepared to treat myself like a five-year-old.
And, oh, am I glad I did. Despite only playing a handful of hours (making this more of an “early impressions” review), it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had since getting repeatedly mauled in Wizardry Variants Daphne awakened something strange inside me. But since many of those moments can’t be conveyed descriptively—especially given the game’s simple visuals—I’ll approach most of this review by narrating my own experience with it.
Deranged Design Done Right
The first sign that this game would be a good time showed up during character creation. I had absolutely no clue what the game had in store at this stage, so I casually browsed the randomly generated backstory it provided: I was a male Juere, a member of a nomadic people known to drift into banditry and value freedom and autonomy. My alias? “Bitching Surprise.”
I choked. That can’t be, right? I rubbed my eyes, but that nickname remained. And it didn’t end there. Apparently, my father was an “amiable little girl.” Yes, my father was a little girl. An amiable one, at least? My mother, meanwhile, had a much less exciting background as an “exiled champion.” Exiled from where? Who knows. Maybe from my birthplace, which the game simply described as “some scary place in a sad village.”
Then there was my character profile. According to the image, I was a disgruntled-looking old man with gray facial hair. But my character sprite seemed to have been modeled half a century earlier. Puzzled, I glanced at my age: sixteen. That’s when I realized, “Darn, my character must’ve been through some tough stuff.”
Eventually, I decided against playing a grumpy old man and rerolled until I landed on something slightly less eyebrow-raising: a 240-year-old undead who was somehow still in her “youth,” with a “hopeless witch” for a father and born in “some villa in the East.” But considering that I had an intact face and a voluptuous body, it left me wondering: “did I just steal a body from some unfortunate lass?”
Anyway, I finally entered the game proper, glassy-eyed from the character rerolling experience, and immediately encountered two very suspicious hooded figures. After a brief exchange that didn’t explain my origin at all, I was left to my own devices—mostly. Based on the character creation segment, however, I seemed to have immigrated just recently. My reward for moving in? A title deed to the surrounding land.
Just like that, with no payment required aside from a promise to pay taxes, I had gotten myself a decently-sized swath of land. Very suspicious.
I went along with it and began developing the land for future taxation. Under the watchful eyes of the hooded figures, I was taught to fight strung-up bandits and boars (who for some reason could still retaliate), craft tools, build houses, and fish for, well, fish. Eventually, I was rewarded once again for my efforts; a choice between four “animal” companions: a dog, a cat, a bear, or… a little girl?
What?
At that point, I was already having a bit too much fun just messing around and trying to survive. But being offered a little girl as an “animal companion” understandably threw me off. Of course, I had to pick the most unhinged option, right?
All of that happened within the first thirty minutes of gameplay, mind you. The game is practically overflowing with insane yet oddly engaging developments, like being able to put up the corpses of your kills as trophies and “tourist attractions,” or one of the hooded characters informing you they’ll start collecting taxes soon—while the other offers lessons in dodging them.
It was overall a bafflingly hilarious experience that’ll stick with me for a long, long time.
Sandbox Freedom at Its Finest
It’s incredibly rare to find sandbox games that allow as much freedom as Elin does, at least on the brighter side of the internet. So far, I’ve discovered options to be an adventurer, a mayor, a merchant, a mercenary, a criminal, or a lazy good-for-nothing. I’m pretty sure there’s more out there I haven’t uncovered yet. But as long as you survive, you can pursue any occupation you want, honorable or otherwise.
In fact, the game tries so hard to provide you with every possible path that it even includes some extremely fringe-case actions, just in case. Like, do you want to bite the dust for some reason? Elin lets you inflict self-harm. According to the description, it “damages your own body and inflicts various status effects,” which might come in handy in specific scenarios. On the other hand, it’s also described as “the last card to play when there’s nothing else you can do,” suggesting you can use it out of sheer boredom.
In Elin, the world is truly your oyster—however you want to use that knowledge.
Not Very Entry-Friendly
Considering the freedom Elin gives players, figuring out your direction can get confusing fast, especially if you venture outside the scenario used as a tutorial. For example, if you want to be an adventurer and explore the far reaches of the world, much of what you learned from the hooded figures about settling down becomes irrelevant.
This is especially true if you choose a path that doesn’t emphasize renown, as you’ll have to learn almost everything on your own until you find and befriend your own kind (and not accidentally attacking them).
The combat system, too, takes some getting used to, especially if you’re familiar with more polished turn-based systems. In other words, Elin’s combat is extremely basic and messy—though it has the benefit of a much faster pace and less mechanics to learn.
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Elin Product Information
 | |
| Title | ELIN |
|---|---|
| Release Date | November 1, 2024 |
| Developer | Lafrontier |
| Publisher | Lafrontier |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | JRPG, Roguelike, Life-Sim |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | N/A |
| Official Website | Elin Kickstarter Website |
