{"id":136787,"date":"2026-04-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-199265"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:00:00","slug":"preview-snes-rpg-meets-celtic-tradition-can-forge-of-the-fae-stand-out-in-the-pixel-art-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2026\/04\/10\/preview-snes-rpg-meets-celtic-tradition-can-forge-of-the-fae-stand-out-in-the-pixel-art-crowd\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: SNES RPG Meets Celtic Tradition – Can ‘Forge Of The Fae’ Stand Out In The Pixel-Art Crowd?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Forge<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Deck13 Spotlight<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve become a little wary of the plethora of gorgeous retro pixel-art RPGs that keep popping up in recent years. I\u2019m talking about the games that are inspired by classics such as Chrono Trigger<\/a>, Final Fantasy<\/strong>, and EarthBound<\/a>, or sell themselves as spiritual successors.<\/p>\n

These often look the part, sucking me in with stunning colours, extravagantly detailed spritework, and the promise of the magic of the classics. Except they often completely misunderstand what made those classics great, going for a rehash of ideas or simple pastiche rather than do something original with the inspirations.<\/p>\n

Forge of the Fae<\/a>, from indie developer Datadyne, does name-drop a few of those SNES gems mentioned -hours with an early-game demo on Steam, I think it\u2019s doing just<\/em> enough to feel a little different, while still feeling like an old-school turn-based RPG you could play on a near-16-bit console.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s because Datadyne doesn\u2019t just lead with those inspirations, instead championing Celtic myth and culture in a lush world filled with verdant, rolling hills, cosy towns, and snippets of steampunk. Breath of Fire<\/a> is<\/em> a part of it, too, but this is an RPG with more-mythical inspirations at the forefront.<\/p>\n

\"Forge<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re going beyond your typical Gae Bolgs, Banshees, and Cu Chulainns here \u2013 there are Glens aplenty, waystones in faerie rings, Irish flutes and fiddles and bagpipes woven throughout the soundtrack, and a healthy dollop of working-class miner culture to boot.<\/p>\n

Throughout the few environments I\u2019ve seen so far, Forge of the Fae\u2019s world is lovely, filled with soft, welcoming greens and sparkling blues. Tiny springs drip down cliffs and cave walls everywhere you look, and when you run through a field of flowers, dandelion spores float up into the air. In the Glens, there are spots where you can see the sunlight breaking through the trees, lighting up patches of grass.<\/p>\n

Even the more built-up areas like the warehouse, shaded in darkness and suspicious characters, and the city of Taliesin, lined with cobbled streets, steam-puffing machinery, and disgruntled protesters felt both magical, realistic, and a little bit homely \u2013 if I were from a steampunk Irish-inspired world.<\/p>\n