Some of these include unlocking new ingredients which can be thrown together to cook different meals. Resources can be found in the dungeons which are used as currency, and can unlock a range of cosmetic, combative and stat boosting buffs. Upgrades will become available as you rescue characters and return life to their stone forms which reside in the overworld.

The board also tracks your main missions, as well as missing residents who can also be rescued from the dungeon alongside your primary targets. These are only open at certain points in the story, and will expire if you choose to move along with the main campaign. The telltale sign of an ellipsis above someone’s head will alert you to a side quest which has become available. The side quests are extremely simple distractions from the main story, and can be viewed from the town noticeboard. You will also unlock a portal to fast travel as you progress, so the biggest challenge is remembering to save your data. In fairness you are warned about this and the world is pretty small, so it isn’t too much hassle to trek back to save. You will also need to visit the Chief’s house to save your progress, as there is no autosave feature in Anuchard.

It’s here where you can interact with the townspeople and accept side quests, alongside cooking up meals and purchasing all sorts of upgrades. The overworld is where you live, within a small Orchard. We will come back to the dungeon shortly. The ending makes for a fascinating final act however. Truth be told, I would have preferred less chat and more exploring for a better balance.

This isn’t a huge problem in itself, however the most enjoyable part of the game takes place in the dungeon, so these conversation heavy passages of play can really disrupt the pacing. Essentially, these segments are a means to an end because you need an item connected to the person you are trying to save before you can proceed to the dungeon. There is a story to be told, albeit a fairly straightforward one, however lots of time is given to flesh out characters which results in plenty of non “narrative crucial” dialogue. On that note, Anuchard is text heavy with a lot of reading to be done. It also has a three way split personality which makes for some interesting dialogue. The Audros Bell has many uses, from fighting off monsters to solving puzzles. As I am sure you have figured out, Anuchard sees you (the player) take up the Bellwielder’s mission to save the land.

Free for apple download Anuchard