First Dwarf
Last updated: 2025-05-08
- Engaging gameplay and world with unique co-op.
- Combines tower defense and base-building elements.
- Unstable, buggy, and generally unpolished experience.
- Lacks content, resulting in a very short game.
- Poor tower defense and base-building mechanics.
- Missing save features and unskippable cutscenes.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 65% · Negative 35%. Score: 35 / 100
Positives:
- The game is praised for its fun and engaging gameplay, beautiful graphics, and immersive world. Many reviewers highlight the addictive nature of the game, its relaxing qualities, and the rewarding exploration.
- Reviewers appreciate the unique combination of a dwarf protagonist, a versatile mech suit, and a dragon companion. The co-op mechanics, where players control different characters with unique abilities, are also well-received.
- The game offers a blend of tower defense, base building, and adventure elements, creating a cozy and strategic experience. Players enjoy the base building and defending aspects of the game.
- The game features an interesting story and lore that captivates players. The voice acting and character development contribute to an engaging narrative experience.
- Despite being in early access, the game shows promise and is enjoyable for what is currently available. Reviewers appreciate the potential and look forward to future development.
Negatives:
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, performance issues like frame rate drops and stuttering, and a general lack of polish. Many reviewers describe the game as feeling unfinished, unoptimized, and unstable, with some experiencing crashes and game-breaking bugs that prevent progression.
- Reviewers consistently report a severe lack of content, with the main story being very short and the overall playtime ranging from 2 to 6 hours. Many feel the game is more akin to an extended demo than a full release, especially considering the price point. This leads to a lack of replay value and a feeling of unfulfillment.
- The game's tower defense and base-building mechanics are criticized for being clunky, restrictive, and ineffective. Enemies often bypass defenses, and building placement is awkward. Some reviewers also noted that key tower defense elements present in the demo are missing from the full release.
- The game lacks essential quality-of-life features such as auto-saving, quick-save, and quick-load options. This can lead to significant progress loss due to crashes or bugs, as the game only supports manual saving. Additionally, cutscenes and dialogues are unskippable, further frustrating players.
- The game lacks clear notifications for character leveling, making it easy to miss the feature and its associated perks. This lack of feedback hinders player progression and understanding of the game's mechanics.
Gameplay:
- The game combines base building, resource management, exploration, and tower defense elements. Players gather resources, construct buildings, and defend their settlements against waves of enemies. The core gameplay loop involves expanding the base, attracting settlers, and progressing through quests on different islands.
- Players control a dwarf in a mech suit, accompanied by a dragon companion, and can switch between them. The mech is used for construction, combat, and resource gathering, while the dragon is useful for scouting, attacking, and accessing new areas. This character-switching mechanic adds variety to the gameplay.
- Combat is described as basic, often involving clicking on enemies with simple combos and timed blocks. While challenging early on, it becomes easier with better equipment. The game features a dwarven steampunk style, with the dwarf often wielding a warhammer in a mech suit.
- Buildings require mana to function, which is gathered from mana wells and delivered via pipes. Running out of mana halts all progress, making mana management a critical aspect of the game. The game does not always clearly indicate which resource is lacking when construction fails.
- The game features a skill tree that allows players to customize their play style and specialize in different areas. A research base or laboratory allows players to develop technology, upgrade their mech, and unlock new buildings and movement options, often triggering enemy attacks upon activation.
Performance:
- Many reviewers reported a variety of technical issues, including bugs, crashes, stuttering, and frame rate drops. These problems appear to be more prevalent during specific events like rain or sieges, and when numerous enemies are present. While some consider these issues typical for early access, they significantly impact the gameplay experience.
- Several reviews specifically mention that rain and particle effects cause significant performance degradation, leading to frame rate drops and stuttering. This suggests that these graphical elements are not well-optimized, impacting the overall gameplay experience, especially during visually intense moments.
- Some reviewers have reported good performance with specific settings or hardware configurations, including using XeSS or running the game on Linux. This suggests that the game's performance can vary depending on the system and settings used.
- Co-op and split-screen modes suffer from issues such as attack warning animations not displaying correctly for all players and general problems with registering in-game events. These issues can hinder effective teamwork and communication, diminishing the enjoyment of the cooperative experience.
- The game lacks proper resolution settings, with reviewers unable to select or specify their desired screen resolution. Additionally, the 'resolution quality' setting appears to have no effect, limiting players' ability to optimize the game's visuals for their hardware.
Recommendations:
- A common sentiment is that the game, while promising, is currently incomplete and not worth the full price in its early access state. Reviewers suggest waiting for further development, significant content additions, bug fixes, and balancing before purchasing. Some recommend wishlisting the game and checking back later or trying the demo first.
- Many reviewers are looking forward to future content updates, bug fixes, and optimizations, with some specifically mentioning anticipation for the 1.0 release and beyond. They express hope that the developers will continue to improve the game and fulfill its potential. Some reviewers plan to revisit the game after major updates to reassess its quality.
- Some reviewers express strong negative opinions, stating the game is not worth any money or that it is unlikely to improve. These points lack specific details and may be signs of review bombing, so the importance is reduced.
- Some reviewers strongly advise against purchasing the game for multiplayer, suggesting it's only worth playing in single-player mode. This indicates potential issues with the multiplayer experience.
- Several reviewers suggest trying the demo to form your own opinion about the game. This allows potential players to experience the game firsthand and determine if it aligns with their preferences before making a purchase.
Miscellaneous:
- The game is in early access, developed by a small team, and the developers are actively addressing issues and communicating through Discord. Expect changes and prioritize quality over speed, as feedback can influence development. The game is considered a raw gem with potential.
- Currently, the game features a limited number of islands to explore, with more planned for future updates. The initial island serves as a tutorial, and a larger one is in development. Exploring the islands is visually appealing but can be time-consuming.
- The story casts the player as Tru, a dwarf engineer explorer, accompanied by mechanical armor and a young dragon named Ragna. The player scouts locations for new colonies, finds resources, and removes danger before summoning other dwarves.
- The game features a dragon for flying around the world, and an airship for later travel. However, there are inconsistencies, such as a third island accessible by dragon but inaccessible to the dwarf or mech.
- The game could use more tips, as some mechanics are not immediately obvious. Leveling up and research are straightforward but lack visual or auditory feedback.
