Rise of the Third Power
Rise of the Third Power
Game
Game2016
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition
Developer Stegosoft Games
Ara Fell is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Stegosoft Games for Microsoft Windows. An enhanced edition of the game made in the Unity engine was published by Dangen Entertainment for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in March 2020. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
233 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
92
LovedLoved
177 positive · 16 negative
95% range 87–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 177 | 16 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 21 | 2 | 13 |
| Mastodon * | 3 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,674 of 1,765 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
92% recommend · 176 yes, 16 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 192 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,199 of 2,332 positive).
Players praise Ara Fell as a charming, classic-style JRPG with beautiful pixel art and a cozy atmosphere. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game is polished but plays it safe, with a straightforward story and repetitive combat. [4][5][6] A few players report bugs or a frustrating timed event that undermines the game's promise of a relaxed experience. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
This game is committing the unforgivable sin of advertising itself as a cozy, leisurely turn-based game (even with a story mode and explicit support for color blind people, too!) and then out of the blue going back on this promise with a timed event that is impossible to complete for me and many others even in story mode. This severe debasement of the game was mendaciously added in the "enhanced" edition, which of …
- [1]
Overall a positive experience (and highly impressive for an indie title). If you like 2D graphics, a lot of effort went into the world design and making it feel vibrant and beautiful. The character art feels a bit more generic, but actually ends up giving the game more personality. I really enjoyed the gameplay, from the crafting system (I love collection games, to be fair) to getting to do your skill and stat …
- [3]
A truly beautiful, classic-style RPG, Ara Fell is. This Enhanced Edition, made in Unity, is a substantial improvement on the original, which was created using RPG Maker 2003, now featuring 16:9 aspect ratio, screenshots, new systems, and many other improvements. As for the game itself, it’s a modernised classic RPG with little need for grinding, mana that recharges turn by turn, and a story that’s not quite so …
- [5]
Ara Fell is a simple JRPG with a straightforward, charming story. Its combat is not complex, even on the hardest difficulty. You’ll rarely face a truly punishing encounter, and catching up in levels is always easy. At first, I was hesitant to recommend it. The gameplay can feel repetitive. With a party of four (which you’ll gather quickly) and each character has a minimal set of skills, and gear is upgraded …
- [2]
Man I really enjoyed this game. Would have played it sooner but unfortunately this game flew under my radar for a long time. Really enjoyed the story, the beautiful pixel art and the music which despite being a little repetitive throughout the game was still very nice and added a layer of wonder to this world and it's people. I'd love to see this game get a sequel one day, imo it absolutely deserves one. Great game, …
Summarised from 34 of the 231 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
92% of the 192 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition. The complaint that keeps coming up: repetitive combat and gameplay. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 233 · most liked firstThis game is committing the unforgivable sin of advertising itself as a cozy, leisurely turn-based game (even with a story mode and explicit support for color blind people, too!) and then out of the blue going back on this promise with a timed event that is impossible to complete for me and many others even in story mode. This severe debasement of the game was mendaciously added in the "enhanced" edition, which of course came out after a lot of the reviews and walkthroughs were written.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall a positive experience (and highly impressive for an indie title). If you like 2D graphics, a lot of effort went into the world design and making it feel vibrant and beautiful. The character art feels a bit more generic, but actually ends up giving the game more personality. I really enjoyed the gameplay, from the crafting system (I love collection games, to be fair) to getting to do your skill and stat upgrades to build your characters to suit your play style. In battle, you're…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short and breezy classical JRPG, with heavy emphasis on the "classic"- Ara Fell's dominant feel is that of professionalism- sometimes to its benefit, sometimes to its detriment. While it's indeed a solidly built game that's visually and mechanically polished, what lies within is played so safely, and built upon such well trodden ground that it's difficult to really find anything to say about it at all besides "it's enjoyable". Chances are that if you've played one or two of the big name…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cozy. It's not the deepest game ever, but everything is just strong enough to elevate it above average for me. I think the biggest sticking point for recommendation is how much emphasis there is on collecting and crafting things. I would say more than half my playtime was spent wandering the maps and picking flowers, diving for fish, or mining minerals. Normally even i hate that stuff. Ara Fell makes it okay for me though by making all of its crafting finds a one-time thing. It's more like…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super entertaining RPG. The art style is gorgeous, as it is obvious. I felt that the gameplay was really balanced, even in Expert (The difficulty I played in). The only time I had to grind there was a quest to motivate me, so it didn't feel boring at all. You would have to grind to get to lvl 50 if you want the achievement, but that's you torturing yourself. The story is serviceable and a good ground for jokes. The humor is a big part of the experience; there aren't any outstanding ones,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I started it, I loved it. As time went by, it was getting more and more old, until it became frustratingly repetitive, both in terms of gameplay, but even worse, in terms of story and character development. Instead of making it shorter then, the developers still made it too long, padded with meaningless wondering around large maps with extremely repetitive combat (granted, it can be skipped, but even the act of skipping it is repetitive and boring). The pattern of the story is: pursue a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think the internet is stable enough now tonight despite the winter storm. So we start Ara Fell tonight, a game in which i know almost nothing about. www.twitch.tv/inerull #ENVtuber #Vtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →Game 28: Ara Fell This was a random game I saw on sale for $3.75 and it looked good so I took a chance, and I'm glad I did. I had a blast with this game. It's a pretty typical JRPG with a good story but it felt good to control and play; and I would definitely recommend others pick it up on sale.
positive · AI labelView post →I loved this game. It was such a sweet journey, the characters were well rounded, and I loved seeing where the story went. This is one of those games where I wish that I could play it again without knowing what was going to happen, because it was just that much fun! For new players, my recommendations are to 1) barely buy any crafting things 2) explore/talk to EVERYTHING/EVERYONE 3) grinding is GOOD 4) use your items/ultimates!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell may be the first 2D game I've seen (or the first RPG in any case) that properly balances the "glare" level from a cloud layer underneath a dark area like this, it's a very nice and subtle effect
positive · AI labelView post →Man I really enjoyed this game. Would have played it sooner but unfortunately this game flew under my radar for a long time. Really enjoyed the story, the beautiful pixel art and the music which despite being a little repetitive throughout the game was still very nice and added a layer of wonder to this world and it's people. I'd love to see this game get a sequel one day, imo it absolutely deserves one. Great game, highly recommend. Especially to people who enjoy classic 16-32bit era…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't dislike this game, but it's pretty repetitive and the plot isn't strong enough to support the tedium of the combat. The graphics, which were charming at first, got uglier the longer I played it, too. I estimate I'm about 2/3 of the way through the game right now, and I'll still finish it, because it's not insufferable to play. The one praise I can give it is the way you level up your equipment, which is more akin to Secrets of Mana than most RPGs, so instead of buying new gear with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A truly beautiful, classic-style RPG, Ara Fell is. This Enhanced Edition, made in Unity, is a substantial improvement on the original, which was created using RPG Maker 2003, now featuring 16:9 aspect ratio, screenshots, new systems, and many other improvements. As for the game itself, it’s a modernised classic RPG with little need for grinding, mana that recharges turn by turn, and a story that’s not quite so traditional, featuring vampires, elves, and flying cities. I’m really glad I chose…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute retro RPG, nice music and sprites. The story is nothing to write home about but it's good enough (with a couple of nice turns). The new Enhanced Edition polishes a lot of the rough edges leaving you with a tight experience with some interesting item and passive systems. Works great on Steam Deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Picked up the Switch version of Ara Fell on sale. It's an excellent game! Highly recommend it, and psyched to play it portable when I can find the time. www.nintendo.com/us/store/pro...
positive · AI labelView post →So far so good. "Extreme difficulty" feels like medium or "hard" at best. There's only 1 achievement linked to difficulty and requires max difficulty from start to finish (Achievement says you need to win all fights, which is false according to my researches). I enjoy the sassy main character and the touch of random humor here and there. It feels more normal than a lot of AAA games' dialogues. Like the dialogues were meant to be read by other humans and feel a connection. The "craft" menu is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →t's that time again. We go live for some Ara Fell, I really am not sure what to expect out of this game. Retro but with QoL, and some generic bits. Still fun though. www.twitch.tv/inerull #ENVtuber #Vtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →While the game doesn't do anything hugely groundbreaking, it was a well polished experience from start to finish. If you are looking for something lighthearted with an amazing OST, this is the JRPG for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →16/ The original Ara Fell was a stellar achievement in the RPG Maker community. I still think about scenes from that game. I have the Enhanced Version, and I loved what I played in the first part. Once I get more time I want to sit down and give that game its due.
positive · AI labelView post →Okay look, this is a really impressive game... or it was when it came out. First off, playing this game in the first place is kind of a pain. You have to ruin it in windowed mode or deal with screen tearing. Then there is the gameplay. The Battle System works and that is the best I can say about it. It's the most standard battle system you could ever imagine. There is not a single interesting thing about it and the only time it is ever anything but tedious is in some boss fights (they are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For me, I’ve got a couple. Ara Fell is an RPG I enjoyed and admittedly still need to do the studio’s follow up game Rise of the Third Power!
positive · AI labelView post →very cute game, the story was pretty good, pretty standard "I didn't ask for this" fare. No complaints with the story. The gameplay was getting tiring by the end mainly because once you figured out a rotation, you rarely deviated from it unless it was a boss fight. Overall though, it did not overstay its welcome which I liked.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell has been beaten! What a fun game!
positive · AI labelView post →Wow. Don't you love it when you happened to find a hidden gem? Ara fell went beyond my expectation, the passion from the Devs is clearly felt in every aspect of this game! If you love traditional Jrpg with a mix of western, you love this game. To the devs, Cheers, and a toast, obviously with an health potion! Looking forward to what you guys have planned next!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't played very far at this point. It's a fine little game so far, except for the very many bugs. There are graphics glitches that don't let you see what your loot is. It's hard to see what option you have selected on the menu sometimes. It glitches out when increasing your stats on level up frequently. I'm hoping a bug patch will fix this into an actually good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story and dialogue are surprisingly engaging. The combat system has a twist in that your HP and MP fully heal after every fight, so it's designed for you to go all out all the time. Purchasing equipment upgrades has been entirely replaced with crafting upgrades on the go. It also lets you save anywhere and is usually pretty good about giving you fair warning before you walk into a boss fight. This game has a lot of breaks from genre standards that work pretty well for it. I would say…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You'll probably like Ara Fell if (but not only if!): You're game for an RPG that follows in the footsteps of 16-bit-era top-down RPGs, and is fairly nicely polished, although is still in some ways fairly obviously a product of indie development. (No shade there -- I'm an indie RPG developer too!)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell is a short but well developed game about a girl that needs to save the world but doesn’t actually want to. I played this on steamdeck from start to end. I pretty much enjoyed the 20 hours I put into this game. I didn’t 100% it though. Some things were quite outstanding for me, which were the characters, the pixel art and the humor in this game. The characters with their behavior -in my opinion- were reasonable. At some point, I felt like I was part of their little group (even…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game "Ara Fell" does what y'all are asking and it blows... when every area is an Undersea Palace then no area is
negative · AI labelView post →Ara Fell- polished and pretty, but kind of iconically average overall. The most "that sure is a game" JRPG I've played in ages.
neutral · AI labelView post →Ara Fell really brought back that nostalgic feeling I used to get playing FF dawn of souls on my Game Boy Advance SP as a kid. It doesn’t fully reach that same level, but it absolutely captures that classic jrpg/rpg charm in a way that’s hard to find now. I found myself thinking about the game throughout the day at work, planning my next moves, and even staying up later than I should just to push the story forward, grind a bit, or take on side bosses. That kind of pull is rare for me, and it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell is a simple JRPG with a straightforward, charming story. Its combat is not complex, even on the hardest difficulty. You’ll rarely face a truly punishing encounter, and catching up in levels is always easy. At first, I was hesitant to recommend it. The gameplay can feel repetitive. With a party of four (which you’ll gather quickly) and each character has a minimal set of skills, and gear is upgraded linearly, with enhancements that feel minor rather than game changing. The difficulty…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell! Very much a hidden gem RPG and I still need to do Rise of the Third Power myself (dev's follow up game)
positive · AI labelView post →This game is so engrossing. Lots of hours of playtime and very detailed. So many different characters to interact with and great side quests. Upgrading equipment by either grinding or buying at shops. So many different ways to advance your character, too. Worth playing through more than once.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recent, but Ara Fell is absolutely gorgeous and I'm amazed no one talks about it. On a Steam Deck, it feels like a long lost PSP game. Playing Fantasian right now. It has the issue of starting off derivative and then introducing cool shit that honestly should have been there the start.
neutral · AI labelView post →Fourth one is by the maker of Ara Fell. « Don’t judge a book by its cover » applies to this game imo because the story and characters are up there with the likes of ff9 and other great jrpgs imo. Soundtrack is excellent as well. Pacing and character portraits could be better though.
neutral · AI labelView post →bought Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition on Steam after eyeing the game for weeks and 1h in it feels great so far. simple, but great. early 2000s nostalgia with these RPG Maker graphics.
positive · AI labelView post →Kinda mixed on this game on one hand, this is quite honestly a super average game. you pretty much know what to expect if you've played a 90s jrpg. on the other, i ended up enjoying the game. it's decent for what it is, and it's got some surprises here and there. the story was better than I initially expected. the ending was really good but the beginning hours was a genuine slog. its not helped by how downright corny and painful some of the dialogue is. the combat can be very repetitive.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Styled like a traditional rpg game, nothing super different but quite enjoyable
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Note: I played the entire game, from start to finish, on the Steam Deck. The game was completed once, in Expert mode. TLDR: An outstanding jRPG which can be recommended without hesitation, as long as you are aware of one major negative (the lighting). Ara Fell is simply amazing. It does almost everything right. The story is fantastic. You are given the time to get to know the characters, and they are written well. There are no translation issues here! The story has its ups and downs, some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, Ara Fell is really good so far! The music is AMAZING! I have some complaints but I am genuinely loving this game. I don't like the MC, but that's normal for me. The vampires thing...??? Elves vs. Vampires sounds like a crummy late night horror movie but it's working so far. Definitely recommend!
positive · AI labelView post →TL,DR: I really enjoyed this game and I think it's a great addition to any Steam library. Ara Fell is a turn based JRPG that clocks in at just over 20 hours to complete the game and all side content. Despite the relatively short length it manages to tell a complete and satisfying narrative that ties up its loose ends, develops its characters, and hits all the right emotional beats. Things that stood out to me: Character progression gives enough freedom to the player to feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Posted on the behalf of family member. This gave was obviously made with love, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone. I just beat it, and could barely bring myself to talk to most people during the epilogue. The game fails to hit the mark on so so so much. The story is as generic as can be. The one interesting plotpoint (everyone lives on floating islands) is the only one you get, otherwise it's a generic vampires vs elves story. It tries to go for surprise reveals, but,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first thought when booting this up for the first time was, “I hope this RPG maker looking game is at least decent”. Having completed it, I am happy to say that I enjoyed my experience a lot more than a decent game would provide. It didn't take long to realize that this was going to be better than decent. In the first 5 minutes of the game, you can tell from the quality of the weather effects, sound effects and music that this game was going to be a step above the average indie RPG. Now…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this game on steep discount, but even at full price I think it is well worth it despite being a relatively short game (100% in <25 hrs, despite my own play time). The pixel art and music are extremely well done, with a well done story with dialogue that has enough wit and self awareness to remain entertaining throughout. The combat system I like, though it is on the simpler side for jrpgs and the game is generally pretty easy even on the highest difficulty. My only real complaint is that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've kept hearing about Ara Fell for years on rpg maker forums and reddit. I finally picked up this gem and was blown away by the music, the mature dialogue, and the the game play loop. One of the best RPGs I have had the pleasure of playing. Thank you devs for respecting my money, time, and intellect.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition is a fantasy role-playing adventure developed by Stegosoft Games and published by DANGEN Entertainment. Inspired by the beloved era of classic 16-bit RPGs, the game successfully combines old-school design principles with modern conveniences to create an experience that feels both nostalgic and approachable. Set in the magical floating world of Ara Fell, the story follows Lita, a young woman whose ordinary life is turned upside down when she becomes entangled in a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →JRPG for people who don't really like the bad parts of JRPGs. Quick saves often. Grind is low. Semi-open world with encounters being visible on the overworld (choose to encounter). If you can get past the RPGXP-like graphics I suggest playing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gave up on it very early when the heroine acts dumb, gets in danger, ends up being rescued by her father, and both she and the game's writing end up being incredibly disrespectful towards that father figure. Then they play it off as being "sassy". On top of that, her expressions next to the dialogue are ugly and overused, especially that dumb winking portrait. I just don't wanna play that character anymore or read more of that awful writing - too bad, because the environments looked good - if…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the game. - I would say it is a solid 7/10. Unfortunately, although I love classic JRPGs, the game gets very boring because of the repetitive combat system - it is even more boring when playing on harder difficulties. Therefore my honest recommendation: Play the game on the normal difficulty (at least at first). I didn't do it got veeeeeeery boring until I changed the difficulty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do you like games that turn out to be utter wastes of your time because absolutely nothing you do matters? Do you love pointless stories where the exact same thing would have happened if the protagonist had just stayed home? Does it excite you when interesting plot threads get set up only to be dropped with zero payoff? Then this is the game for you! If you're looking for a satisfying RPGmaker game with great gameplay and an actual well-written story that isn't pointless and actually lets its…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, good combat. Hope there's a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just beat Ara Fell! It's a cute and cozy little RPG. The story is pretty basic, but I'm very fine with that. It was nice having an RPG that I could just turn my brain off for and enjoy. It's not a difficult game either, very middle of the road and fairly short too. Give it a try! It's a fun time!
positive · AI labelView post →I Vaguely Remember Hearing About This Game a Decade Ago. Starting a Playthrough Of Ara Fell! www.twitch.tv/worldwidealex
positive · AI labelView post →great visuals. i know this is an old JRPG game and the story is not that great either i would say like around 6/10 so far, the game have 5 chapter and an epilogue. But whats makes this game stand out is the visuals and the sound track so worth it to be added in your steam library only when this game gets on sale. NOTE: i havent completed the game yet im on chapter 2 so far but i think the game don't have much interesting or more to offer to me. like the puzzles are so easy i can read the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I grew up playing PC RPGs in the 90s, so I can still tolerate a lot of old-school design. What I have much less patience for nowadays is slow pacing, huge empty maps, slow movement and games that constantly waste your time. Ara Fell feels old-school, but thankfully it rarely feels slow. The game is fairly compact, but exploration is rewarding. There are hidden paths, caves, relics, materials and little secrets everywhere, so I usually felt there was a reason to look around. The side quests…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved Ara Fell. Super fun and I don't know how to describe it other than it felt good to play it. It was such an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend their second game, Rise of the Third Power, although it is a much more adult story.
positive · AI labelView post →One of the best JRPG's I've played in awhile. I read it was made in RPGMaker and wrote it off for so long,,,, Don't make the same mistake as me! The writing is great, combat system fantastic, progression system is top notch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ara Fell is such a charming and fun game. Rise of the Third Power is very mature in its themes. Highly recommend both.
positive · AI labelView post →Game called "Ara Fell". I started playing it despite it looking like an RPG maker game since it had very high reviews, but so far, it has nothing interesting going on either story-wise or gameplay-wise
negative · AI labelView post →
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