Info about Waven: Official game description: In a flooded world where only a few islands have survived the rising waters, you play a seafaring adventurer searching for answers to this great upheaval. Long ago, gods and dragons ruled the world. Today, magic remains but what of the mythical beings of yesteryear? At the dawn of a new era, choose your hero, equip your best spells and set sail for an incredible odyssey. Sail from island to island in a vast world full of colorful creatures, gain power, refine your strategy and uncover the secrets of a world adrift. WAVEN is a new roleplaying game experience that is accessible, fun and immersive. It combines adventure and turn-based strategy, inspired by the best tactical RPGs, with deckbuilding mechanics and valuable items to collect. It can be played for free online on PC, Mac, smartphone and tablet. Alone or with friends, face off against multitudes of burlesque monsters of increasing difficulty. Master the elements, cast powerful spells, summon mythical companions and battle your enemies in close combat or from a distance to defeat them and win tons of loot! Gain experience to upgrade your hero and prove your valor by entering the doors of the "Kolossium" to challenge other players and become a legend yourself! TACTICAL RPGs REVISITED ----------------------- WAVEN takes inspiration from the combat and progress systems of the best tactical RPGs while building on the strategic depth of turn-based combat and deck building. The result? An explosive and joyful combo! LIVELY TURN-BASED COMBAT ------------------------ Prepare your deck before each battle and use every ruse available to you to take home the victory! Play in your own style! Your options are practically unlimited when combining the many character archetypes, spells, equipment and companions available. ALL MODES ARE YOURS ------------------- PvE, PvP : take advantage of each game mode to express yourself! Fight monsters to harvest resources and win equipment, and challenge other players to climb to the top of the rankings! PLAY AS A GREAT HERO -------------------- Win battles, earn experience, spells and companions, customize your equipment and deck, and take your strategy to new heights. A CROSS-PLATFORM ADVENTURE -------------------------- Continue your adventure wherever you are! Enjoy WAVEN on PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet with the same account. AN ORIGINAL UNIVERSE WITH A UNIQUE GRAPHIC STYLE ------------------------------------------------ Explore a colorful heroic fantasy world inside a distinctive graphic universe, the "Krosmoz", a persistent world that has existed for years in video games, animated series and much more. Release date: 16 Aug, 2023 Categories: Tactical RPG, Turn-based Combat, Deckbuilding, Character Customization, Cooperative Multiplayer, Competitive Multiplayer, Resource Management, Monster Collecting - 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 & Addictive Gameplay (weight 0.79): Players consistently praise the game for its enjoyable, addictive, and relaxing gameplay. It's highlighted as a great casual experience, perfect for passing time, and offers a chill yet engaging pace that appeals to a wide audience. - Deep & Engaging Combat System (weight 0.55): The game's core combat system is frequently lauded for its strategic depth, engaging turn-based mechanics, and dynamic feel. Players appreciate the balance between simplicity and complexity, offering a thoughtful and constantly evolving challenge. - Strong Ankama Universe & Improvements (weight 0.29): Players appreciate the game's connection to the Ankama universe, particularly its improvements over previous titles like Dofus and Wakfu. It successfully captures the essence of these beloved franchises while offering a fresh, streamlined experience. - Fair Free-to-Play Model (weight 0.29): A significant positive is the game's true free-to-play model, with no pay-to-win elements or forced monetization. Players can progress fully and enjoy all content without spending money, with purchases limited to cosmetics. - Extensive Class & Build Variety (weight 0.29): The game offers extensive character customization through a wide variety of classes, subclasses, and build options. This diversity encourages experimentation and provides significant replayability, allowing players to tailor their gameplay experience. - High-Quality Visuals & Audio (weight 0.28): The game receives high marks for its overall presentation, including beautiful and charming graphics, fluid animations, and an exceptional soundtrack. The world, lore, and voice-acted NPCs also contribute to an immersive and pleasant atmosphere. - Solid Early Access Content (weight 0.12): Despite being in early access, the game offers a substantial amount of content, including engaging PvE and story elements. It's noted for avoiding common MMO time-wasters and providing a polished experience even at this stage. - Excellent Cross-Platform Multiplayer (weight 0.12): The game's robust multiplayer features, including seamless cross-play and cross-save functionality across platforms (especially mobile), are highly praised. This allows for flexible and enjoyable cooperative play with friends. Common complaints: - Repetitive Gameplay & Content Scarcity (weight 0.51): Players consistently report that the game lacks sufficient content, especially in the endgame, leading to extreme repetitiveness and boredom. The grind is perceived as excessive for the limited depth and rewards, making progression feel unfulfilling. - Balance Issues & Unpopular Nerfs (weight 0.35): The game suffers from significant balance issues, particularly in PvP, where certain classes dominate. Frequent and often unnecessary nerfs to characters and builds frustrate players, making the game feel unpolished and less strategic compared to previous titles like Dofus and Wakfu. - Persistent Login & Connection Issues (weight 0.19): A major barrier to entry and continued play is the persistent login and connection issues. Players frequently report problems with email verification, account creation, and server disconnections, making the game difficult or impossible to access. - Excessive Monetization & Costly Cosmetics (weight 0.1): Players are critical of the game's monetization strategy, citing expensive cosmetic items, a lack of free-to-play customization options, and the necessity of premium currency for basic features like character slots. This excessive monetization detracts from the overall enjoyment. - Limited Language Support & Marketing (weight 0.08): The game lacks support for several major languages, notably Russian and Asian languages, limiting its potential audience. Additionally, poor marketing and region locks further hinder its reach and visibility. - Low Player Count & Lack of Updates (weight 0.07): The game has a low player count and feels largely abandoned, with very few major updates since its Early Access release. This lack of new content and a small community contribute to a lonely and unengaging experience. - Steep Learning Curve for New Players (weight 0.07): New players face a steep learning curve due to the game's initial complexity and lack of clear explanations for mechanics. This can be off-putting for those unfamiliar with turn-based RPGs or Ankama's style. - Ankama's Development & Business Practices (weight 0.05): Players express frustration with being forced into Ankama's ecosystem, including mandatory account registration and a perceived focus on monetization over player experience. There's also a concern that Ankama might abandon the game if it doesn't meet financial expectations. - Missing Combat Animations (weight 0.05): The game suffers from a lack of visual polish, specifically missing or delayed character animations during combat. This detracts from immersion and makes spell casting feel unresponsive and unrealistic. Gameplay feedback: - Deep deck-building & customization (weight 0.22): The core gameplay revolves around deep deck-building and character customization. Players can create diverse builds by combining spells, equipment, companions, and class-specific abilities, leading to rich strategic possibilities and synergies. This allows for varied playstyles and significant player expression. - Fair monetization, not P2W (weight 0.2): The game features a free-to-play model with a battle pass and a cash shop. Monetization is primarily for cosmetics, with minimal 'pay-to-fast' elements that do not provide significant gameplay advantages. PvP is explicitly designed to be fair and not pay-to-win, with all essential elements unlocked for all players. - Easy to learn, hard to master (weight 0.19): The game is easy to pick up for new players due to good tutorials and intuitive initial gameplay. However, it offers significant depth and complexity, requiring time and practice to master, especially in competitive modes. It's designed for casual play sessions but involves a grind for progression. - Engaging turn-based combat focus (weight 0.16): The game is heavily focused on its turn-based combat system, which is described as well-organized, fair, and engaging. Battles are short, strategic, and designed to be the central gameplay loop, with various modes including PvE and PvP. The combat system is considered a strong point. - Extensive class & subclass variety (weight 0.15): The game offers extensive character variety through its class and subclass system. There are 5 main classes, each with 5 subclasses, providing 25 unique archetypes. Each subclass has distinct passive effects, talents, and spells, allowing for diverse playstyles and strategic choices. - Tactical RPG with deck-building (weight 0.13): The game is a turn-based tactical RPG with strong deck-building elements, drawing comparisons to games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Tactics, and Diablo for its progression. It integrates MMO mechanics but is primarily a combat-focused, card-based TRPG set in the Ankama universe. - Strategic companion system (weight 0.11): Companions are a key gameplay element, allowing players to summon unique non-player characters with distinct abilities to aid in combat. They can be equipped, upgraded, and strategically summoned using elemental gauges, adding another layer of tactical depth to battles. - Multiplayer & cross-platform support (weight 0.1): The game supports both solo and multiplayer gameplay, allowing up to 3 players to group for fights and dungeons. It also features cross-platform compatibility, enabling players on different devices to play together. A dedicated PvP mode is available for competitive play. - Weak story & repetitive content (weight 0.1): The game's story and lore are generally considered weak or non-existent, serving mostly as background. Content outside of combat, such as exploration and life skills, is minimal or repetitive, leading to a perception of a lack of engaging narrative or diverse activities. - Island-based world progression (weight 0.07): The game's world is structured as multiple small islands, each with unique monsters, ambiance, and resources. These islands serve as farming locations, combat quests, and dungeons, with NPCs offering battles that progress through difficulty tiers. - Successor to Dofus & Wakfu (weight 0.06): Waven is positioned as a successor and continuation of Ankama's popular MMOs, Dofus and Wakfu. It aims to offer a more casual, competitive, and streamlined experience compared to its predecessors, while retaining familiar mechanics and lore. - Fair & level PvP (weight 0.06): PvP is designed to be completely fair and level, with all abilities and companions unlocked for every player from the start. There is no gear progression in PvP, ensuring that skill and deck-building strategy are the sole determinants of victory. - PvE & skill-based PvP (weight 0.06): The game features both PvE and PvP modes. PvE offers varied combat situations and is the main mode, while PvP is skill-based and relies on player placement and deck-building rather than gear. Some players desire more diverse PvP modes. - Significant farming required (weight 0.05): The game involves a significant amount of farming, requiring players to repeatedly engage in battles on the same maps to level up characters, equipment, and acquire resources. This grind is central to progression and power-up through theorycrafting. - Fun spell combos & elements (weight 0.05): Spells are a core component of combat, allowing for fun combos and strategic elemental interactions. They are acquired through gameplay (chests, drops) and are crucial for building effective decks and transforming hero capabilities. - RNG-based progression & loot (weight 0.05): Character and equipment progression heavily rely on random drops and acquiring duplicates to level up gear. While loot improves with level, the reliance on RNG for progression can make finding and improving gear a challenge. Performance notes: - Mixed server stability reports (weight 0.06): Player feedback on server stability and latency is mixed. While some users report significant lag and connection issues, others state that recent patches have resolved these problems, leading to a smooth experience. - Good multi-platform optimization (weight 0.04): The game appears to be well-optimized across various platforms, including PC and mobile devices. Players report that it runs smoothly even on older hardware and tablets, indicating good performance. - Critical game-breaking bugs (weight 0.02): Specific critical bugs have been reported, including game crashes at particular points (e.g., Book 1, Quest 7) and issues that can lock players out of the game, preventing further progress. - Linux compatibility issues (weight 0.01): A user reported an inability to run the game on the Linux operating system, indicating potential compatibility issues for that platform. - Small game file size (weight 0.01): One user commented on the game's small file size, comparing it to a floppy disk, which suggests it does not consume much storage space. Recommendations: - Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.36): Many players highly recommend the game, especially to fans of turn-based tactical RPGs, deck-building, and the Ankama universe. They find it enjoyable, fun, and a good way to pass the time, often highlighting its free-to-play nature and lack of pay-to-win elements. - Cautious Recommendation (weight 0.12): Some players offer a more cautious recommendation, suggesting that while the game is worth trying, it might not appeal to everyone, especially novices or those who dislike grinding. They advise researching the game or trying it with friends. - For Ankama Franchise Fans (weight 0.09): The game's relationship to the Dofus/Wakfu franchise is a significant point of discussion. Some recommend it specifically to fans of these games, while others warn that it's not a direct replacement or might not appeal to all long-time fans. - Not Recommended Currently (weight 0.05): Several players do not recommend the game in its current state due to various issues, such as server disconnections. They suggest waiting for these problems to be fixed before trying it. - Optimism for Future Development (weight 0.05): Players express hope for future improvements and content additions, looking forward to the full release. There's a desire for the community to grow and for the developers to continue enhancing the game. - Endgame Progression Concerns (weight 0.02): One specific piece of advice suggests that players might not enjoy the game if their goal is to rush to the endgame, or that it's not recommended to go over level 30, implying a potential issue with endgame content or progression pacing. - Avoid Spending Money (weight 0.01): A small number of players advise against spending money on the game, with some expressing concern about its long-term viability or potential closure. This could be part of a review-bombing sentiment. Other player notes: - Free-to-play & Cross-Platform (weight 0.11): The game is free-to-play and offers cross-platform compatibility between PC and mobile devices, allowing players to sync their progress across platforms. This accessibility makes it easy for a wide audience to try the game. - Flexible Play & Future Potential (weight 0.09): Players appreciate the game's flexibility for short or long sessions and are generally optimistic about its future development. Many are excited to see how the game evolves and hope for continued content support. - Long Development & Early Access (weight 0.07): The game has been in early access for over 1.5 years, with a long development history. Players acknowledge it's still a work in progress and prefer a delayed, polished release over a rushed one. - Part of Ankama Universe (weight 0.06): The game is deeply integrated into the Ankama universe, sharing lore and connections with popular titles like Dofus and Wakfu. This appeals to fans of the developer's previous works. - Launcher & Download Issues (weight 0.05): Some players experienced issues with the Steam version, including email verification problems, and found it necessary to download the game directly from the official Ankama launcher or mobile stores. There are mixed opinions on Ankama's launcher practices. - Transparent Developer Communication (weight 0.04): Developers are praised for their communication with the community, openly discussing game flaws, imbalances, and ongoing efforts to fix them. This transparency is well-received by players. - Marketing & Developer Investment (weight 0.03): Players express concern about the game's visibility and hope for more aggressive marketing and continued investment from the developers to ensure its longevity. - New Player Advice Provided (weight 0.03): New player advice includes testing classes in the arena, avoiding random power picks, not spending money on early item upgrades, learning independently, and not getting frustrated by early mission failures. - Upcoming Account Reset & Overhaul (weight 0.03): Players are aware of an upcoming account reset and a global overhaul planned for the game, indicating significant changes are on the horizon. - Low Player Count & Solo Play (weight 0.03): The game currently has a low player count, and while it's an online game, it doesn't always foster a strong social experience with strangers, often being played solo. - Cosmetic Shop & Battle Pass (weight 0.02): The game features a cosmetic shop and a battle pass, but players note that paying is mostly for cosmetics or a quick start, not essential for progression. - Linux & Steam Deck Compatibility (weight 0.02): The game reportedly works well on Linux and Steam Deck, which is a positive for players on those platforms, though some wish for better Steam integration. - Pleasing Graphics & Audio (weight 0.02): The game features pleasant, colorful, fairytale-like graphics and includes voice acting throughout, with specific praise for the Tofu Island combat music. - Dofus Redesign & Wakfu Comparison (weight 0.02): The game is seen as a redesign of Dofus for a new generation, with some players reminiscing about the early days of Wakfu, a tactical MMORPG known for its combat and art. - French Development & Studio (weight 0.02): The game is developed in France by Ankama, which is also recognized as an excellent French animation studio. - Polarizing Player Reception (weight 0.02): Player sentiment ranges from high praise, calling it the 'best game released in the last few years,' to a 'rollercoaster' of experiences, indicating a polarizing reception. - Language Barrier Issues (weight 0.01): Language barriers can make the game twice as long to understand, with a suggestion to use Google Translate. - VPN/Acceleration Tools Needed (weight 0.01): Some players reported needing a VPN or acceleration tools to alleviate network problems. - Desire for More Content/Classes (weight 0.01): Players are always open to more content and new classes, specifically mentioning Sacrieur and Osamodas. - Europe Server Recommended (weight 0.01): Europe is the recommended server region for optimal play. - Quick Fix Timeline Expected (weight 0.01): A quick timeline for fixes is expected, around 5 months or so, later in 2025. - Ankama Account Deletion History (weight 0.01): A concern was raised about Ankama's past practice of deleting accounts in Wakfu, which might cause apprehension among some players. - NPCs Laugh at Player Failure (weight 0.01): Some players find it frustrating when NPCs emote laughing after they fail challenges. - One-Dimensional Gear Progression (weight 0.01): Gear progression is described as one-dimensional, similar to leveling up a card. - Intended as Service Game (weight 0.01): The game is intended to be a service game, implying ongoing content and updates. - Suggests Companion Health Buff (weight 0.01): A suggestion was made to significantly increase companion health in PvE, especially for solo play. - Suggests PvP Item Access (weight 0.01): A suggestion was made to allow access to items in PvP at level 1, retaining their passive and upgrades for build diversity. - Mobile-First Design Limits Potential (weight 0.01): One reviewer believes the game would have more potential if it wasn't primarily catered to being a mobile game. - Compared to Monopoly System (weight 0.01): The game's system has been compared to Monopoly. - Temporary Game for Player (weight 0.01): One reviewer downloaded the game to pass time until another anticipated game's early access release. - Seeking Magic-like Game (weight 0.01): A reviewer was looking for a game similar to the now-closed Magic. - Players May Specialize Modes (weight 0.01): It's anticipated that players will likely stick to one game mode once more options become available. - Suggests Kolizeum Score Tracking (weight 0.01): A suggestion was made to add score tracking for repeat opponents in Kolizeum. - Suitable for Younger Audience (weight 0.01): The game is considered suitable for kids and teens. - Average Story Aspect (weight 0.01): The story aspect of the game is described as average. - Nine Islands with Dungeons (weight 0.01): The game features 9 islands, each with a different dungeon. - Fast Max Level Progression (weight 0.01): Reaching the maximum level (50) is relatively fast. - Grouping Not Yet Explored (weight 0.01): One reviewer had not yet tried grouping with other players. - Beta Player Noticed Evolution (weight 0.01): A reviewer played the beta and observed the game's evolution. - Alpha Phase Radio Silence (weight 0.01): There was a 6-month period of radio silence between Alpha phases, which might concern some players. Emotions: - Satisfaction (weight 0.4): Players are highly satisfied with the game's engaging and strategic turn-based combat, diverse character builds, and fair free-to-play monetization model. The game's overall quality, including its art style, music, and accessibility, contributes significantly to player enjoyment, often exceeding expectations for both casual and hardcore players. - Disappointment (weight 0.15): Disappointment stems primarily from a perceived lack of new content, especially in the endgame, leading to repetitive gameplay. Players also express dissatisfaction with limited character customization, class balance issues, and the absence of expected features like crafting or robust multiplayer interaction. Some feel the game has declined after updates or failed to deliver on initial hype. - Frustration (weight 0.13): Frustration is largely caused by technical issues such as server disconnections, login problems, and game crashes, which prevent players from accessing or enjoying the game. Other sources include excessive grinding, repetitive combat, balance issues (especially class nerfs), and a lack of clear communication from developers regarding updates and game mechanics. - Joy (weight 0.06): Players experience joy from the game's fun and addictive gameplay, often highlighting the engaging combat system, build customization, and the overall aesthetic including music and animations. The game's free-to-play model and cross-platform support also contribute to a positive and enjoyable experience, sometimes evoking nostalgia for previous titles. - Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement is driven by the game's addictive gameplay, strategic depth, and the potential for future content and new classes. Players are enthusiastic about the game's overall quality, engaging combat, and diverse class options, often finding it surpasses expectations and offers a fresh, fun experience. - Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Enjoyment is derived from the game's engaging tactical combat, quick play sessions, and unique art style and soundtrack. The overall gameplay experience is consistently highlighted as a source of pleasure for players. - Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is centered on the game's future potential, with players expressing a desire for more endgame content, new classes, and expanded equipment and card options. There is optimism for continued developer efforts and future updates to improve and grow the game, especially given its early access state. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the developer's consistent effort, responsiveness to the community, and the game's fair free-to-play model. The design that encourages strategic thinking, shared item progression, and respects player time and investment is also highly valued. - Anger (weight 0.01): Anger primarily stems from significant barriers to entry, such as difficulty starting the game, problematic account systems (e.g., ID card photo requirements, pointless email confirmations), and the game's broken state on certain platforms. This indicates a severe lack of accessibility and functionality for some users. - Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom is caused by a perceived lack of endgame content, leading to monotonous and repetitive grinding. Players also cite a lack of purpose in the gameplay loop, repetitive enemies, and insufficient challenge as reasons for losing interest. - Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation is focused on the game's future, with players looking forward to new content, improvements, and the full release. There is a strong desire for more PvP modes, classes, and farming methods to enhance the long-term experience. - Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from inconsistencies in game mechanics, such as attacking friendly units or unclear ranged/melee logic. Players also report initial difficulty understanding the game and its narrative, including the identity of the player character. - Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's unexpected depth and overall positive experience, often exceeding initial low expectations. This includes finding enjoyment despite the genre or previous concerns about graphics from related titles. - Desire (weight 0): Players express a desire for specific missing features, including more map interactions, additional character types, and the reintroduction of a 2v2 mode. There is also a clear demand for Russian language support. - Amusement (weight 0): Amusement is found in humorous aspects of the game, such as NPC behavior and a generous gacha system. Some players also find humor in the game's performance quirks or use sarcasm to express their experience. - Concern (weight 0): Concern relates to the game's future, including potential future difficulty spikes, combat repetition, and monetization practices. Issues with email verification and unknown class release dates also contribute to player apprehension. - Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia is triggered by the game's connection to Ankama's past titles, particularly Dofus and Wakfu. Players appreciate the familiar universe and elements that evoke fond memories of these predecessors. - Admiration (weight 0): Admiration is directed towards Ankama, the developer, for their expertise, art, and concept design. Players appreciate the overall quality of their products, including the lore and artistic direction. - Love (weight 0): Love for the game is expressed through appreciation for its overall design, captivating soundtrack, and appealing aesthetics. The universe, gameplay, and graphics are consistently highlighted as sources of deep affection. - Addiction (weight 0): Players describe the game as addictive due to its high quality, engaging gameplay loop, and satisfying mechanics. The core gameplay experience is compelling enough to keep players consistently engaged.}