RAIDBORN
Last updated: 2025-06-13
- Addictive gameplay and enjoyable combat system.
- Polished graphics create immersive atmosphere.
- Rewarding loot and character leveling system.
- Significant bugs and glitches impact gameplay.
- Lacks content and overall variety.
- Poor enemy AI and stealth mechanics.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 72% · Negative 28%. Score: 28 / 100
Positives:
- The game is consistently praised for being fun, enjoyable, and addictive, with many reviewers noting its simple yet effective gameplay loop. It's often compared to classic RPGs like Skyrim and Dark Messiah, offering a satisfying experience for fans of the genre. The game is also noted for being suitable for both short and long play sessions.
- Many reviewers highlight the game's polished graphics, immersive atmosphere, and well-designed levels. The art style is often described as aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eyes, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The sound design is also praised for enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- The combat system is described as simple, effective, and engaging, with visceral feedback and satisfying mechanics. The game also incorporates crafting mechanics that add depth and grind to the gameplay experience. The combat is also compared to Dark Messiah.
- The game features a rewarding loot system and a well-paced leveling progression. Leveling up leads to higher quality loot and level-appropriate weapons, keeping players engaged and motivated to progress.
- The game's developer is highly praised for being active in the community, listening to feedback, and frequently releasing updates to improve the game. This responsiveness and commitment to the game's development are seen as a major positive aspect.
Negatives:
- Several reviewers reported encountering bugs, including corrupted save data, tutorial glitches, and random deaths. These technical issues significantly hampered their progression and enjoyment of the game. The absence of a manual save option exacerbates the impact of save data corruption.
- Stealth mechanics are ineffective due to enemy spawning and instant alerts. This, combined with simplistic enemy AI, reduces combat strategy to basic attack spam and potion consumption. The lack of enemy variety and tactical maneuvering further contributes to the shallow combat experience.
- The game relies heavily on hidden keys to open doors, which reviewers found frustrating. The keys can clip into the terrain or fail to spawn, hindering progress. Additionally, the lockpicking mini-game relies too much on chance and feels unsatisfying.
- Reviewers frequently mention a lack of variety in enemy types, dungeon layouts, and overall environments. Dungeons are described as small, linear, and repetitive, contributing to a sense of monotony and a lack of exploration opportunities. This issue is compounded by a thin storyline and repetitive quests.
- Many reviewers feel the game is overpriced for the amount and quality of content offered, especially considering its early access status. Some also point out the use of undisclosed AI voice acting as a negative aspect. This sentiment is consistent across multiple reviews.
Gameplay:
- The core gameplay loop revolves around dungeon crawling, looting, and quest completion. Players explore procedurally generated dungeons, fight enemies, and gather loot to improve their gear and progress. The game focuses on action and straightforward dungeon delving.
- The game offers a limited selection of combat styles, including melee (one-handed and two-handed weapons) and ranged (bow and arrow). Players can allocate skill points to level up skills across different classes, such as bow skills alongside melee weapon skills. Archery is a viable combat option.
- The game features randomly generated dungeons with puzzles and Easter eggs. Dungeons are well-sized, avoiding being too short or too long. There are a limited number of maps available in the game.
- The game includes towns and fortresses where players can interact with NPCs, acquire quests, and buy/sell items. These locations serve as hubs for progression and provide opportunities to gear up before venturing into dungeons.
- The game features multiple classes, such as Barbarian, Defender, Knight, and Rogue, each with different perks and traits. Players can mix and match classes to create their own playstyle. The class system is interesting.
Performance:
- The game generally runs smoothly on a variety of hardware, including the Steam Deck. Players report stable performance at various resolutions and settings, even on modest hardware. The simple graphics contribute to the game's ability to maintain stable performance.
- Players have experienced bugs related to instance loading, particularly in the late game. These bugs can lead to soft locks, requiring players to force the game to shut down.
- After being picked up by the player, loot sometimes does not despawn. This is a minor visual bug that does not seem to impact gameplay significantly.
- Players report that resources sometimes do not display correctly when the amount exceeds 99 on the crafting bench. This is likely a UI bug.
Recommendations:
- A common sentiment is that the game has significant potential but needs further development. Reviewers are hopeful for future updates, content additions, and improvements to core mechanics, with many looking forward to seeing the game evolve.
- Many reviewers suggest the game is worth buying on sale, with some specifying a 50% discount or a price point around $10-$17 USD. The full price is considered too high for the current state of the game, especially given its Early Access status and perceived lack of polish.
- Many reviewers find the combat enjoyable, but note a lack of variety and potential for grind. Some suggest focusing on improving the core combat loop and reducing unnecessary mechanics to enhance the overall experience.
- The game is recommended for players who enjoy dungeon crawling, grinding for loot, and supporting indie developers. The voxel graphic style is also a plus for some players.
- Reviewers often praise the developer's dedication and community engagement, especially considering the game is primarily the work of a single person. This inspires confidence in the game's future and encourages support for the developer.
Miscellaneous:
- The game is in early access and feels unfinished, with limited content and a narrative that is not yet fully developed. While it shows potential, reviewers suggest waiting for future updates to see if it improves before investing in it.
- The game features a low-poly art style, but some reviewers find the assets to be basic and uninspired. This affects the overall visual appeal and immersion.
- Opening mystery cubes often leads to disappointing results, making them less valuable than selling them directly. This suggests an imbalance in the risk-reward system associated with these items.
- The game requires players to keep duplicates of alchemy and forge hammer to craft materials. This may be unintuitive or cumbersome for players.
- The game's story is present but serves primarily as a simple justification for the gameplay loop of adventuring and combat. It lacks depth and fails to be particularly engaging or memorable.
