Forsworn Review Summary

Rich build synergy, deep turn-based combat, and excellent co-op with metaprogression and replayability, but unfair bosses and tedious grinding frustrate.

Rich Build and Synergy Options: Players highlight tons of builds, synergies, upgrades, trinkets, rings, and perks. Abilities synergize well and allow for game-changing combos and powerful builds.

Strong Positive Reception: Many reviewers describe the game as excellent, awesome, epic, and fun. It is praised overall for being very enjoyable and rewarding.

Deep and Enjoyable Turn-Based Combat: The turn-based combat is enjoyable, similar to Baldur's Gate 3, and keeps things fresh with unexpected curveball conditions. Boss fights offer great surprises and entertaining challenges.

Excellent Co-op Multiplayer: The game supports cooperative play for two to four players, and reviewers find it great to play with friends or family. Simultaneous turn-based co-op is specifically called out as awesome design.

High Replayability and Metaprogression: The game offers great replay value with soul points for meta upgrades and rewarding progression across runs. Reviewers note it still feels great after 10+ playthroughs and can be played endlessly.

Unfair boss mechanics: Surprise hidden boss phases and enemy skills feel unfair, with bosses like the final boss summoning many additional enemies and splitting. Enemies that resurrect or start new phases force repeated kills.

Progression requires grinding: Progress is gated behind repeated dying and frustration to meet DPS and HP checks. Permanent character upgrades are slow, and experience gains like 577/600 seem artificially low.

Poor visual quality: Multiple reviewers comment that the game's visuals are mediocre and resemble stock assets. The UI, fonts, and character models lack originality and polish.

Brutal difficulty and failure: The game can be brutally hard, with a tutorial boss taking over an hour to reach and being doomed to fail. Progression requires failing to learn paths and secret instant boss phases.

Tutorial softlock bug: A bug where the second text tutorial window won't close prevents progress, specifically when the game is set to German. This blocks players from continuing.

Roguelike Structure: The game is a turn-based tactical roguelike with run-based progression and unlockable content. Multiple reviewers highlight its roguelike format with permanent upgrades and metaprogression.

Co-op Gameplay: Supports cooperative play for up to 3 players, including simultaneous turn-based co-op. Reviewers emphasize playing with friends as a key feature.

Turn-Based Combat: Combat is turn-based and tactical, drawing comparisons to Baldur's Gate 3. It includes party-based mechanics and strategic elements like curve ball conditions.

Progression and Upgrades: The game features extensive progression systems, including upgrades, experience-based leveling, and soul point meta-progression. Reviewers note build choices expand as you play.

Build Crafting and Synergies: Players can create builds with synergies, multiple options per character, and respec anytime before a run. Abilities and items contribute to build diversity.

Great for roguelike fans: Many reviewers recommend the game for players who enjoy roguelikes, roguelites, and turn-based tactical combat. It is suggested for fans of games like Baldur's Gate 3 and challenging grinds.

Better with friends: The game is highly recommended for playing with friends, especially if you enjoy similar cooperative games like Inkbound or Hellcard. It is suggested to grab a couple of buddies and dive in.

Try the free demo first: Several reviewers suggest trying the free demo to see if the game suits your preferences, even if you dislike the graphical style. This helps avoid purchasing a game that may not be for you.

Not recommended: One reviewer advises against playing the game, indicating some negative experiences. This contrasts with the overall positive sentiment.

Session length: 2.0h.

Most reports describe the game as immediately fun, especially in co-op, though some players face brutal difficulty and slow permanent progression. One report was blocked by a tutorial UI bug at 30 seconds, a conflicting experience.

Friction: Slow pacing for permanent character upgrades; Progression requires dying, losing, and frustration to level characters and skills; DPS/HP checks gate progress; Brutally hard difficulty; Tutorial UI window cannot be closed at 30 seconds.

Unlock drivers: Leveling characters and skills to pass DPS/HP checks.

Tactical Roguelike Veteran: Plays turn-based tactical runs, grinds roguelike difficulty, and experiments with character builds. Motivation: Challenging turn-based tactical combat and roguelike progression. Stance: buy.

Co-op Squad Player: Coordinates multiplayer co-op sessions, often with two or three players. Motivation: Playing tactical roguelike runs with friends or family. Stance: buy.

Demo-Curious Genre Newcomer: Tries the demo, explores early runs, and learns the systems gradually. Motivation: Discovering a new tactical roguelike through the demo and early runs. Stance: buy.

Compared to similar games: Reviewers frequently compare the game to titles like Stolen Realm, Inkbound, Hellcard, Slay the Spire, Baldurs Gate 3, and Across The Obelisk. These comparisons highlight its place within the tactical RPG and roguelike genres.

Great value for price: Players feel the game exceeds its asking price and has a low barrier to entry. This makes it an attractive purchase for genre fans.

Demo available with progress carryover: A free demo is available, and progress from the demo carries over to the full version. This encourages players to try before buying.

Developer support ensures future quality: Developer support is seen as a factor for future quality, and the reviewer is excited about the development roadmap. This bodes well for ongoing improvements.

Great entry point for genre: The game is considered a great entry point into the tactical RPG genre. It helps newcomers get into the genre without overwhelming complexity.