Info about Anvil Saga:

Official game description:
Turn a ramshackle blacksmith shop into a successful enterprise in a challenging and endlessly varied world! Deal with local bandits, merchants, priests, as well as French and English soldiers. Manage workers with various quirks, improve facilities and tools to create better merchandise, decorate your smithy to attract high-paying customers and most importantly – try not to get yourself beheaded!
Build the smithy of your dreams
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Construct new rooms and underground facilities in order to expand your smithy and take on the more challenging orders. From a simple kitchen to living quarters, to logging or woodcarving workshops – each room needs to be outfitted with the appropriate furniture and décor.
Make decisions and deal with the consequences
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Customers, relationships and decisions – they all matter! Maintain your reputation with conflicting factions, each one offering protection and bonuses for your budding enterprise. The orders which you decide to fulfil and the way you deal with each faction influences the game world and leads to a variety of tragic, fun or bewildering outcomes.
Become a renowned craftsman
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Manage orders and try to increase your prestige level to attract the rich and the famous. Look out for unique orders that pay a premium, such as a baron’s request to create the most beautiful ring for his daughter or a wandering knight demanding you forge a one-of-a-kind sword.
Forge a team of professionals
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Take charge of employees with different skill sets, salary levels, needs and personalities. Keep them happy by building special facilities, installing amenities and decorating their rooms. Equip your workers with special tools for faster work and help improve their craft by adding new books to your library.

Release date: 16 Nov, 2023

Categories: Management Simulation, Base Building, Worker Management, Resource Management, Single-player Story, Choice-based Narrative, Multiple Endings, Sandbox Creation


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable Core Gameplay (weight 0.65): The game offers a fun, engaging, and often addictive management simulation experience with interesting mechanics, character interactions, and a generally positive initial impression. Its core idea and minute-to-minute gameplay are widely enjoyed.
- Charming Pixel Art Style (weight 0.13): Players consistently praised the game's visual aesthetics, specifically highlighting its stylish, beautiful, cute, and adorable pixel art design.
- Active Developer Support (weight 0.11): Developers are highly responsive to feedback, actively fixing bugs, introducing updates, and showing continuous care for the product, indicating a solid foundation for future expansions.
- Humorous Pop Culture References (weight 0.11): The game features numerous enjoyable Easter eggs, cameos, and references to various pop culture, film, and other video game universes, often adding to the humor. Some reviewers noted these as potential copyright infringements.
- Strong Initial Engagement (weight 0.1): Reviewers found the game's beginning to be very promising and enjoyable, often providing several hours of engaging gameplay. This positive sentiment, however, sometimes tapered off later in the experience.
- Balanced Difficulty & Pacing (weight 0.07): The game offers a well-adjusted difficulty curve, with a relaxed story mode and challenging options, ensuring it caters to various player preferences without being too taxing.
- Enjoyable Faction System (weight 0.06): The game's faction rivalry system, including the "tug of war" dynamic and the rival "boss," is a well-built and highly appreciated feature.
- Engaging & Branching Story (weight 0.06): The game's plot is described as unpretentious yet interesting, offering variability and branching paths that make it enjoyable to follow without being overly text-heavy.
- Future Blacksmith Sim Potential (weight 0.05): Reviewers see significant potential for the game to evolve into a truly great smithy management simulator, especially with the full implementation of mechanics like hiring apprentices and creating a bustling smithy.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive Gameplay & Content (weight 1): Players frequently report that the gameplay loop becomes monotonous and boring after only a few hours, lacking depth and new content. The game feels stretched and repetitive, leading to burnout and a lack of engagement in later stages.
- Widespread Bugs & Unpolish (weight 0.97): The game is plagued by numerous bugs, ranging from minor visual glitches to game-breaking issues that force restarts or prevent progress. Many reviewers describe the game as unfinished, unpolished, and technically broken, indicating a significant lack of quality assurance.
- Developer Abandonment (weight 0.88): A significant concern is the perception that developers have abandoned the game, evidenced by a lack of recent updates, bug fixes, and new content. This leads to frustration, as many critical issues remain unaddressed.
- Poor Value for Price (weight 0.87): Many reviewers feel the game's asking price is too high given its limited content, numerous bugs, and overall lack of polish. They compare it unfavorably to other titles or even mobile games, suggesting it does not justify the cost.
- Poor Worker AI & Management (weight 0.14): Workers frequently become idle, forget tasks, or fail to return to workstations after eating/sleeping, requiring constant manual intervention. This micromanagement is tedious and frustrating, hindering efficient gameplay.
- Confusing Woodworking System (weight 0.13): The woodworking system is criticized for being clumsy, disjointed, and redundant, adding tedious micromanagement. Players also struggle with acquiring wood resources, as the game fails to communicate essential requirements like needing wood storage.
- Unintuitive UI & Controls (weight 0.08): The user interface is described as clunky, with issues like text overflow, placeholder names, and elements getting stuck on screen. Controls are unintuitive, often requiring manual equipment changes for simple tasks, contributing to a frustrating experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Blacksmith Business Simulation (weight 0.3): The game is primarily a blacksmith management simulator where players run a forge, craft items, gather materials, and accept customer orders. It immerses players in the daily life of managing a business in a medieval setting.
- Worker Management & AI (weight 0.27): Players can hire and manage multiple employees, controlling their tasks and upgrading their skills. However, workers frequently suffer from AI issues, such as not resuming work after eating/sleeping, idling, or refusing tasks, requiring constant manual re-assignment.
- Meaningful Player Choices (weight 0.25): The game features a robust choice system where player decisions, including accepting specific orders or supporting factions, genuinely influence the story's development. These choices lead to multiple endings and trigger various medieval events.
- Faction System Flaws (weight 0.17): The game features a faction system where choices impact reputation and provide bonuses/penalties. However, players found it easy to manipulate or exploit, and some felt the system lacked significant impact or was inconsistent, especially early on.
- Short Campaign Length (weight 0.14): While the story is generally well-received, many players noted that the campaign mode is very short. It often concludes within 2-5 hours or around 21-60 in-game days, just as the narrative begins to develop.
- QoL & System Issues (weight 0.13): Players reported several quality-of-life issues, including the inability to set action priorities for characters and a restrictive save system that overwrites previous saves. Additionally, story events were noted to progress too quickly without player readiness.
- Restrictive Room Design (weight 0.1): The game's room and furniture placement system is highly restrictive. It forces specific furniture types for each room and limits player creativity in workshop layout.
- Fame-Based Upgrades (weight 0.07): Game progression, including upgrading the forge, sales stand, and unlocking new tools or materials, is tied to accumulating 'Fame'. This fame also increases the overall fame cap.
- Sandbox Mode Lacks Content (weight 0.06): The game offers both a story mode and a sandbox mode. While sandbox provides freedom, players noted it lacks sufficient events or challenges to maintain long-term engagement.

Performance notes:
- Poor Performance & Stuttering (weight 0.06): A significant number of players experience poor frame rates and stuttering, even on high-end hardware. This issue can be particularly noticeable on higher settings or towards the end of the game.
- Slow Loading Times (weight 0.02): Players have reported experiencing noticeable slowness when loading the game. This can impact the overall user experience.
- Restarting Fixes Issues (weight 0.02): Some players have found that restarting the game can resolve problematic situations or temporary glitches. This suggests a workaround for certain issues, though not a permanent fix.

Recommendations:
- Mixed Recommendation & Value (weight 0.18): Many players recommend the game, often with reservations about its full price or current state. Some suggest it's only worth it at a significant discount, indicating a mixed reception regarding its overall value.
- Wait for Updates/Full Release (weight 0.15): Many players suggest holding off on purchasing until more updates are released, the game is out of early access, or specific features like localization are added. There is also a concern among some players about the game being abandoned.
- Buy Only On Sale (weight 0.13): Players consistently advise against purchasing the game at full price, recommending to wait for a significant sale or bundle. They feel the current content and polish do not justify the asking price.
- Appeals to Niche Genres (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for players who enjoy specific genres such as resource management, pixel art games, smithy simulations, or store-sims. It is seen as having potential as an indie title for this particular audience.
- Passive Background Experience (weight 0.02): Some players found the game suitable for casual, background play, or for 'chilling.' However, one reviewer noted they had more fun watching gameplay than actually playing the game.

Other player notes:
- Varied Language Support (weight 0.07): The game has implemented Japanese and Korean language support, though Chinese localization is notably absent. Some players resort to using AutoTranslator, indicating a desire for broader official language options.
- Unclear Release Status (weight 0.07): There is confusion among players regarding the game's release status, with some reviews stating it's out of Early Access while others indicate it's still in development (e.g., version 0.5). This ambiguity can affect player expectations regarding content and polish.
- Repetitive Background Music (weight 0.06): The game's background music is generally described as pleasant and ambient, but players note its limited variety. There is often only one song for gameplay, leading to repetition.
- Engaging Medieval Setting (weight 0.06): The game is praised for its immersive medieval European setting, specifically during the 100 Years' War. This historical backdrop, combined with the blacksmith SLG elements, creates a unique world view.
- Engaging Protagonist Premise (weight 0.04): The game features Arthur, a protagonist who inherits his father's blacksmith shop, quickly becoming entangled in the Hundred Years' War and local power struggles. This setup provides a compelling narrative hook for players.
- Unfulfilled Potential (weight 0.04): While the game has a solid foundation and potential, players feel it hasn't fully utilized it, suggesting a need for more Quality of Life (QoL) improvements. Some QoL issues are noted, though not universally seen as severe.
- Minor Translation Issues (weight 0.03): While generally understandable, the game's Japanese translation shows signs of being machine-translated, despite some corrections. Players note minor mistranslations, but no major issues that hinder understanding.
- Multiple Endings Encourage Replay (weight 0.03): The presence of multiple endings encourages players to replay the game. Reviewers mention completing one ending and planning to play again to experience others, adding to the game's replay value.
- Community Translation Workaround (weight 0.03): Some players have resorted to using AutoTranslator for unofficial language support, even providing instructions on how to configure it. This highlights a community effort to address localization gaps.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players experience frustration primarily due to numerous game-breaking bugs that prevent progression, corrupt saves, or render the game unplayable. This is compounded by poor user interface and experience, excessive micromanagement, and unclear game mechanics or tutorials, leading to a tedious and confusing gameplay loop. The lack of quality-of-life features and unresponsive AI further exacerbates these issues.
- Disappointment (weight 0.27): Disappointment stems from the game feeling unfinished and unpolished, often perceived as abandoned by developers who fail to address critical bugs or add promised content. Players feel the game falls short of its potential, offering a repetitive and monotonous experience, particularly in the endgame, which diminishes its value for money. The lack of essential quality-of-life updates and localization further contributes to this sentiment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.17): Players express satisfaction when the game offers an engaging and addictive gameplay loop, particularly in its management aspects, coupled with a charming atmosphere, compelling story, and meaningful player choices. The overall quality of graphics, music, and the developers' responsiveness to bug fixes and ongoing updates significantly contribute to a positive and rewarding experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment is derived from the game's addictive and fun gameplay, often described as relaxing, combined with a pleasant visual style, engaging story, and humorous elements. Players appreciate the depth of management mechanics and the overall charming atmosphere that makes the experience captivating.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom arises from monotonous and repetitive gameplay loops, often characterized by excessive grinding and superficial mechanics that lack depth. Players find the game becomes unengaging after a few hours due to a perceived lack of new content or meaningful progression.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Annoyance is frequently caused by the necessity for excessive manual clicking and micromanagement for routine tasks, coupled with a general lack of quality-of-life features. Players are also bothered by unclear game mechanics, frequent interruptions from events or NPCs, and issues with the user interface or monotonous sound design.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is primarily triggered by critical game-breaking bugs, such as save file corruption or the game failing to function, which directly impede playability. This frustration is intensified by perceived unfair game mechanics, like RNG-based penalties or difficulty spikes, and a lack of responsiveness from developers regarding these severe issues.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy is experienced through the game's fun and engaging gameplay, often highlighted by humorous situations, witty story elements, and enjoyable character interactions. The presence of unique or "special" customers also contributes to this positive emotion.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement is generated by the game's addictive gameplay loop and the discovery of engaging elements like easter eggs. Players also express excitement for the game's future potential, including anticipated expansions and the full release, indicating a positive outlook on its development.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from unexplained game mechanics and counter-intuitive design choices, such as unclear requirements for furniture placement or room functions. Players also express bewilderment regarding character progression and the illogical nature of the faction relationship system, sometimes compounded by language discrepancies.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Players find the game to be a relaxing and "chill" experience, providing a calm and enjoyable pastime that helps them unwind.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is expressed when players feel a game with significant potential has been ruined or rendered unplayable, often due to persistent issues. This leads to a reluctant but necessary negative review, highlighting the disappointment of what could have been.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is felt upon completing the game, particularly when it follows a period of struggle. It is also strongly associated with the resolution of game-breaking bugs that previously prevented progression, allowing players to finally enjoy the game as intended.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is primarily linked to the feeling of wasted money due to the game's unfulfilled potential. Players lament that the game could have been much better but failed to deliver, leading to a sense of disappointment over their investment.
- Concern (weight 0): Players express concern over critical issues like save file bugs, which threaten their progress and investment in the game. There is also apprehension regarding the game's long-term replayability, particularly if content, like plot and references, is recycled.
- Surprise (weight 0): Surprise is experienced when players discover unexpected depth and complexity in the game's mechanics or systems. It can also arise from reaching the endgame more quickly than anticipated.
- Stress (weight 0): Stress in the game is primarily caused by the constant and overwhelming demands from quests and employees, particularly as players progress into the later stages of the game. This leads to a feeling of being overwhelmed by tasks and responsibilities.
- Neutral (weight 0): A neutral sentiment is expressed when players acknowledge the game's unique features and find it generally interesting, without strong positive or negative emotional attachment.
- Engagement (weight 0): Engagement is driven by the game's detailed and evolving gameplay loop, which becomes increasingly busy and complex, drawing players deeper into its mechanics and challenges.
- Desire (weight 0): Players express a strong desire for additional game content to extend their experience and for specific language support, such as Spanish translation, to improve accessibility.}