Info about The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard:

Official game description:
Tiber Septim has swept through Tamriel, uniting its squabbling lands by force. Even the mighty Redguards of Hammerfell have come under Imperial control. Cyrus, the legendary Redguard mercenary, leads a rebellion against the Empire. Along with a faction known as the Restless League, Cyrus defeats the occupying forces at Stros M’kai and forces Tiber Septim to make peace with the Redguards.

Release date: Apr 26, 2022

Categories: Action-adventure, Puzzle Solving, Exploration, Dialogue-driven Gameplay, Sword-based Combat, Linear Progression, Swashbuckling Combat, Story-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 5; verdict: Works Well; summary: No Linux/Proton-specific feedback was present in the provided reviews. All comments were generic (soundtrack complaints, general performance/crash issues without mention of Linux, Proton, SteamOS, or native Linux). Therefore, there is no evidence of Linux compatibility friction.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews indicate mixed sentiment. One reviewer acknowledges the game offers good content at a 'pretty low price point,' suggesting the current base price might already be low. However, multiple reviewers strongly advise waiting for a sale due to bugs, crashes, and outdated mechanics. This consensus implies the game is not worth its full current price; instead, a discounted sale price is considered fair. Given typical older game pricing on Steam, a fair range would be between $5 and $10, which aligns with common sale discounts on such titles.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 15.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Two reviews give explicit completion times: one finished after 15 hours, another describes a playthrough as a '10 hour endeavour'. These set game completion in the 10–15 hour range, with 15 hours being the most direct measurement. Session length is indicated by a recommendation to play for 'an hour or two at most' and the remark that even an enthusiast could not sit for 10 hours straight, suggesting typical sessions are 1–2 hours. Story/campaign completion is not separately reported (the game is mostly story-driven, so completion likely subsumes it), and no endgame content is mentioned. Confidence is moderate because the completion times vary and session length relies on a subjective suggestion rather than a measured average.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has substantial mechanical jank and high early friction (controls, platforming, bugs, repetition), but some players report it becomes enjoyable once they push through those issues.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: After getting past the jank
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: tank style controls; bad platforming; repetitive and simplistic combat; game-breaking bugs requiring tedious workarounds; slog-like dungeons; repetitive music
  - Unlock drivers: tolerating the jank (controls, bugs, repetition); possibly finding the sarcastic tone and lack of tutorial intriguing (niche appeal)
  - Conditions: accepting the game's mechanical shortcomings; preferring narrative and lore over smooth gameplay; playing with patience for bugs and archaic design
- Player Archetypes:
  - Lore-Seeking TES Historian (sale)
    - Motivation: To experience foundational TES lore and witness the evolution of the series
    - Playstyle: Tolerates technical issues, focuses on dialogue and story, explores dungeons for lore, saves frequently, uses workarounds for bugs
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: hardcore TES fan; lore enthusiast; series completionist
    - Reference games: Morrowind; Oblivion; Skyrim (not played)
  - Retro Adventure Purist (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a well-crafted, linear puzzle-adventure game with a unique late-90s aesthetic
    - Playstyle: Solves puzzles, explores dungeons, values voice acting and dialogue, may use emulation or alternate versions to get a stable experience
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: retro gamer; adventure game fan; classic enthusiast
    - Reference games: Tomb Raider; Prince of Persia; Monkey Island; PlayStation 1 / Sega Saturn adventure games
  - Bug-Burdened Lore Hunter (no buy)
    - Motivation: To experience the game's story and historical importance despite a broken technical state
    - Playstyle: Uses file explorer hacks, copies save files, employs console commands, saves obsessively, may switch to GOG or DOS emulator
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: patient gamer; Bethesda apologist; old-school TES fan
    - Reference games: GOG version; DOS emulator


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:
- Game is charming and enjoyable overall. (weight 0.53): Many describe the game as charming, enjoyable, a swashbuckling delight, and a masterpiece, with a fun concept and a sense of adventure that holds up despite its age.
- Valuable for Elder Scrolls lore fans. (weight 0.39): The game is seen as seminal for Elder Scrolls lore, introducing many world-building elements like the Dwemer, second era, and Hammerfell, and is recommended for fans who want to explore the series' history.
- Story and lore are engaging. (weight 0.37): Many players find the lore and story surprisingly interesting, particularly the focus on Hammerfell and Redguard lore, with a focused narrative and personal stakes that stand out from other Elder Scrolls games.
- Characters are memorable and unique. (weight 0.34): Reviews frequently mention the unique, memorable characters with great personality, especially the protagonist Cyrus, who has motivation and a sarcastic tone, and the thespian talent in the observatory.
- Atmosphere and setting are praised. (weight 0.3): Players enjoy the pirate/swashbuckling aesthetic, the lively city of Port Hunding, and the beautiful atmosphere of Hammerfell, with many noting it is comfy, charming, and visually appealing despite its age.
- Voice acting is charming and fits setting. (weight 0.29): Multiple reviews highlight the voice acting as humorous, charming, and fitting a Saturday morning cartoon style, with unique performances per character and surprisingly good quality for its time.
- Dialogue and writing are praised. (weight 0.29): The dialogue is consistently praised as fun, entertaining, well-written, and full of character, with clever writing and meaningful interactions that draw players into the world.
- Puzzles and exploration are well-received. (weight 0.25): Players appreciate the well-designed puzzles, the surprising amount of locations to explore, and the classic 90s adventure puzzle solving style, comparing it to Zelda, Tomb Raider, and Sierra/LucasArts games.
- Music adds to the experience. (weight 0.24): The soundtrack is frequently called fantastic, superb, or some of the best swashbuckling pirate MIDI, with music that swells with each new area and enhances the atmosphere.
- Gameplay is unique and refreshing. (weight 0.19): Reviews note the refreshing break from modern RPG norms, with no RPG mechanics, a linear but flexible mission order, parkour, and a focus on exploration and dialogue, making it a unique deviation in the series.
- Cinematics and presentation are good. (weight 0.18): The cinematic presentation, cutscenes, and narrative cohesion are praised, with impressive setpieces and good art direction for a game from 1998.
- Cyrus is a standout protagonist. (weight 0.16): Multiple reviews highlight the protagonist, Cyrus, as a great character with personality, motivation, and a sarcastic tone, who talks back and stutters convincingly, adding to the game's charm.
- Nostalgic experience for older fans. (weight 0.12): Players mention enjoying the nostalgic trip, with a 5-10 hour campaign that is fun and worth experiencing for Elder Scrolls fans.
- Available on PC and moddable. (weight 0.11): The game is available on Steam, runs on Windows 10 with DOSBox, has a console for bug bypassing, and even has a French patch, making it accessible.
- Quirky and humorous elements appreciated. (weight 0.09): Reviews highlight quirky details like talking to a cow, adorable quirks, and fever dream moments that add to the game's unique charm.
- Linear but flexible quest structure. (weight 0.08): Some reviews note the game is linear but allows freedom in the order of main quests, and quests can be completed in different orders, adding replayability.
- Positive representation and diversity. (weight 0.07): A few reviews appreciate the inclusion of a high melanin level protagonist and the representation of a non-gingerbread character among elves and fantasy tropes.

Common complaints:
- Frequent crashes and bugs (weight 0.61): Players report frequent crashes, often during specific actions like looting bodies or interacting with objects, with some occurring every few hours or even constantly. This is accompanied by general bugginess and game-breaking glitches.
- Poor combat system (weight 0.3): The combat system is criticized as clunky, outdated, sluggish, and unenjoyable, with awkward mechanics and a lack of responsiveness. Some players find it random or without incentive due to no stats or experience points.
- Clunky and dated controls (weight 0.29): Controls are described as clunky, finicky, and dated, with issues including delayed responses, imprecise platforming, and a buggy double jump. This affects both general movement and platforming sections.
- No character progression (weight 0.12): The game lacks a leveling system, character advancement, magic, or upgrades, which reduces long-term engagement and makes combat feel like a formality.

Gameplay feedback:
- Action-adventure with platforming (weight 0.3): The game is primarily an action-adventure title that includes platforming and puzzle-solving elements, distinguishing it from traditional RPGs.
- Swordplay and exploration focus (weight 0.22): The gameplay emphasizes real-time sword combat with parrying and exploration of diverse environments like towns and caves.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.21): The game has several technical problems, including crashes when jumping or picking up items, save limit issues, and rough graphics.
- Classic game style (weight 0.2): As a spin-off title with a classic feel, it offers a compact, linear experience with some non-linear quest options.
- Play as Redguard Cyrus (weight 0.19): Players control a fixed protagonist, Cyrus, a Redguard mercenary searching for his sister, which makes the story linear.
- No RPG leveling system (weight 0.17): The game lacks leveling or character advancement systems, focusing instead on action and exploration, which is a departure from typical Elder Scrolls titles.
- Set on Stros M'Kai (weight 0.16): The main setting is the island of Stros M'Kai, which is central to the story involving Tiber Septim's conquest.
- Dialogue-driven interactions (weight 0.16): The game features keyword-based dialogue systems that affect story progression, with unique voice acting per character.
- Puzzle-based gameplay (weight 0.16): The game relies heavily on puzzles and information gathering, similar to graphic adventure games, with scattered puzzles in dungeons.
- Hardcore difficulty (weight 0.14): The game is noted for its hardcore difficulty, clunky controls, and cumbersome combat mechanics, which may frustrate some players.
- Non-linear quest structure (weight 0.13): While generally linear, the game allows for some non-linear quest orders and exploration, though all tasks must eventually be completed.
- Inspired by Tomb Raider (weight 0.11): The game's style and mechanics are heavily inspired by Tomb Raider and Monkey Island, blending action-adventure with puzzle elements.
- Linear story and protagonist (weight 0.11): The story follows Cyrus linearly, focusing on searching for his sister and leading a rebellion, with limited player agency.
- Limited accessibility (weight 0.07): The game is only available in English and has a 20-30 hour playtime, which may limit its audience.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes on actions (weight 0.62): The game crashes frequently, especially on the Steam version, during specific actions like picking up items, looting, examining, or interacting with objects. Many users report hard crashes that require tedious solutions or compatibility tweaks.
- Modern PC compatibility issues (weight 0.28): The game has severe compatibility issues on modern PCs, often requiring DOSBox emulation, file fixes, or compatibility mode (Windows 95, admin, disable fullscreen optimizations). The GOG version runs slowly or inconsistently, while some users report smooth performance via DOSBox.
- Game-breaking bugs (weight 0.22): Game-breaking bugs appear unexpectedly, requiring frequent saving and tedious workarounds. Some users describe the game as completely broken or heavily bugged, with issues that corrupt saves or force restarts.
- Low FPS and stutters (weight 0.2): Players experience low frame rates, often dropping to 8-18 FPS, with stutters during reloading or menu navigation. The performance is described as infuriatingly bad, making the game nearly unplayable on modern systems.
- Minor UI and settings bugs (weight 0.07): Minor bugs include issues with skipping the intro cutscene and volume settings not working properly. These are less critical but affect user experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended only for Elder Scrolls fans (weight 0.49): A significant number of reviews suggest this game is only for dedicated Elder Scrolls enthusiasts who are interested in lore, story, or the series' history. Non-fans are advised to skip it.
- Mixed conditional recommendations (weight 0.43): Many reviews give recommendations with caveats, such as 'only on sale', 'with patience', 'for hardcore fans', or 'for lore enthusiasts'. The recommendation often depends on the player's tolerance for jank.
- Technical issues and crashes (weight 0.27): Many reviews mention bugs, keyboard issues, crashes, and general jankiness. Players advise saving frequently, using console commands, or reading crash guides.
- Strongly not recommended by many (weight 0.25): Several reviews advise against playing this game, calling it a waste of time, trash, or not worth even for free. Negative sentiment is high among some players.
- Lore and story are highlights (weight 0.19): Several reviews praise the game's narrative, lore, and story, recommending it for players interested in Elder Scrolls lore. Some say it's worth playing just for the story.
- Wait for sale or Unity port (weight 0.17): Some reviewers recommend waiting for a sale or a potential Unity port due to technical issues. Buying at full price is not advised.
- GOG version recommended over Steam (weight 0.17): Multiple players recommend buying the GOG version instead of the Steam version due to better stability. The Steam version is associated with crashes and technical issues.

Other player notes:
- GOG version stable (weight 0.04): The GOG version of the game is reported to be stable, indicating a reliable experience for players on that platform.
- Ukrainian localization added (weight 0.04): A Ukrainian localization has been recently created by a community member, expanding accessibility for Ukrainian-speaking players.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.34): Players express extreme frustration due to pervasive technical issues such as constant crashes, poor performance (e.g., 15 FPS, FPS drops), and janky controls. Game-breaking bugs, including crashes upon basic actions like picking items, along with platforming requiring perfection amid clunky inertia, force tedious workarounds and frequent reloads, ruining the experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.15): Players are disappointed by the game's unplayability due to bad controls, outdated graphics, and lack of character advancement, which makes combat unrewarding. Technical issues and poor design choices, like the map system and no compass, further diminish the potential, leading many to see it as a weak transitional title.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Despite technical flaws, many players enjoy the game for its amazing story, charming dialogue, and fun gameplay mechanics like exploration and puzzle-solving. The engaging narrative, cool setting, and charismatic protagonist provide an enjoyable experience that offsets some jankiness.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Appreciation stems from the game's deep lore integration, rich worldbuilding, and interesting narrative, with well-written characters and a unique pirate ambiance. The connection to the broader Elder Scrolls universe, including Hammerfell, and even a relatable protagonist design, contribute to a positive emotional response.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger arises from the game's bad controls, low resolution, and unforgiving platforming combined with game-breaking bugs. Players are also frustrated by Bethesda's failure to patch the game, perceiving a rushed release with no fixes for critical issues like crashes and volume settings.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Annoyance is caused by technical frustrations such as the need for DOSBox configuration and missing OpenGL support, along with dated gameplay and janky controls. Repetitive music loops also grate on players, adding to the overall irritation.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Satisfaction comes from the game delivering a fantastic experience overall, with a good story and interesting premise making it worth playing despite bugs. Interesting combat and puzzles further enhance the feeling of accomplishment and enjoyment.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is evoked by childhood memories of playing the game, with its clunky controls and getting stuck reminiscent of 1990s gaming. Players appreciate it as a collectible for the Elder Scrolls series and would welcome a remaster to relive the experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise results from discovering interesting lore and having a better experience than expected despite the game's negative reputation. Some find it played fairly well, defying low expectations and leading to a sense of pleasant disbelief.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love is expressed for the game's memorable characters, engaging plot, and overall experience, with a sarcastic tone that lands well. Completing the game leads some to consider it a masterpiece, overcoming technical hurdles to appreciate its core strengths.
- Pleasant surprise (weight 0.01): Pleasant surprise occurs when players enjoy the game more than expected, finding decent writing and worldbuilding that outweigh the jankiness. This emotional shift from low expectations to genuine enjoyment is a key takeaway.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Awe is evoked by experiencing Stros M'Kai and its lore connections to Skyrim, particularly viewing original versions of these locations. The sense of wonder and depth in the worldbuilding creates a profound emotional impact.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration stems from the game's beautiful atmosphere and interesting lore, making it a charming adventure despite its flaws. Players appreciate the effort put into worldbuilding and narrative, which shine through the technical issues.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is derived from funny bugs, such as a double jump glitch, and the absurd comedic nature of technical issues. This lighthearted view turns frustration into entertainment for some players.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement comes from having fun and experiencing badass adventure with cool moments in the game. The sense of engaging in epic quests and memorable actions fuels this positive emotion.
- Exasperation (weight 0.01): Exasperation arises from the need for guides to complete the game, as confusing puzzles and design make progress unreasonably difficult. This weariness highlights the game's poor design choices.
- Hatred (weight 0.01): Hatred is directed at everything about the game, especially the pervasive crashes and control issues that make it unplayable. This strong negative emotion reflects total rejection of the game's quality.
- Positive (weight 0.01): Positive emotion is due to the game being good with an interesting premise, despite technical problems. This overall favorable view suggests core elements still resonate.
- Caution (weight 0.01): Caution is prompted by crashes that require frequent saving, making players wary of progression without constant manual saves. This practical advice arises from necessity due to game instability.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire focuses on wanting a remastered version of the game to address technical issues and modernize the experience. Players hope for an improved version that retains the game's charm and lore.}