- Strong concept and potential
- Rich procedural world and RPG depth
- Game is unfinished and shallow
- Poor value for money
- Prevalent game-breaking bugs
- Development feels abandoned
Emotions
Players expressed disappointment due to the game's unfinished state, including missing advertised features, game-breaking bugs, and a general lack of content and polish despite its price and development time. This was compounded by a perceived lack of developer communication and slow updates, leading to feelings of the game being abandoned or 'undercooked'.
Frustration stemmed primarily from numerous bugs, crashes, and UI issues that hindered gameplay and progression. Players also cited slow, repetitive combat, tedious mechanics, and a lack of meaningful updates, leading to the perception of the game as an 'expensive tech demo' or 'concept demonstrator'.
Satisfaction was derived from the game's core concept, its value for money, and its adherence to old-school D&D principles. Players appreciated responsive developer support, quick bug fixes, and the game's replayability, finding the basic mechanics and procedural generation enjoyable.
Hope was consistently tied to the game's perceived massive potential and the belief in ongoing or resumed development. Players expressed optimism for future fixes and updates, seeing a solid foundation despite current shortcomings and appreciating the developers' efforts.
Excitement was generated by the game's engaging nature, its concept, and its development roadmap, particularly after combat updates. Players were thrilled by the immersive world, player choices, and the game's ability to fulfill a 'wizard fantasy' or 'D&D-like' experience.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 52% · Negative 48%. Score: 48 / 100
Positives:
- Players generally find the game's core concept, design, and current gameplay to be promising and enjoyable, even in its Early Access state. Many believe it offers good value for its current price and has significant potential for future development.
- The game excels in its procedural world generation, creating unique histories, characters, and events for each playthrough. This, combined with its classic D&D and old-school RPG influences, provides a deep and engaging simulation experience that appeals to fans of the genre.
- The developers are highly praised for their clear roadmap, consistent updates, and exceptional responsiveness to player feedback and bug reports. Their dedication and transparency foster trust and confidence in the game's future.
- The game offers a high degree of player freedom, allowing for diverse character builds and meaningful choices in quests and interactions. The well-written quests and engaging persuasion mechanics enhance this freedom.
- A significant appeal of the game is its focus on the wizard fantasy, allowing players to embody a powerful mage, build their own tower, and rise in fame and power within the game world.
Negatives:
- Players consistently report that the game is in a very unfinished and unpolished state, feeling more like a prototype or tech demo than a proper Early Access title. Many core mechanics are missing or underdeveloped, leading to a shallow and incomplete experience.
- Many players feel the game is overpriced for its current state, offering very little content or polished gameplay for the asking price. Concerns are also raised about future price increases and additional DLCs when the base game is so incomplete.
- A significant number of players encounter numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes, many of which are game-breaking and prevent progression. These issues severely impact playability and lead to frustration, often forcing restarts or making the game unplayable.
- There is a strong sentiment that the game's development has stalled or been abandoned, with long periods of no updates and a lack of communication from the developers. This leads to concerns that the game may never leave Early Access or fulfill its promises.
- Combat is frequently described as slow, simplistic, and lacking depth, especially for spellcasters. Players find it easy and repetitive, with limited spell options and issues like insufficient stamina or unrecoverable HP.
Gameplay:
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, errors, and glitches, including game-breaking issues and problems with character creation and NPC dialogue. This significantly impacts the player experience and indicates a need for more polish.
- Players report a significant lack of content, including missing features, limited loot/gear, and a general feeling of the game being barebones. This is often attributed to the game being in early development, with only a few hours of playable content currently available.
- Magic is a core concept with multiple schools and a system for learning and specializing. However, players note a limited number of spells, difficulty in understanding spell progression, and a perceived downgrade in spell power from earlier versions.
- Combat is turn-based and occurs on a grid, but player feedback is mixed, ranging from simple and boring to unbalanced and frustrating. Some find it basic and repetitive, while others note its changing nature and potential for strategic depth.
- World exploration is primarily conducted on a hex-grid map, while dungeon exploration is a room-by-room process. This dual approach to movement defines the game's exploration mechanics.
Performance:
- Players report that the game feels generally sluggish, with noticeable delays between combat turns, enemy moves, and UI interactions. This contributes to a slow overall pace.
- While higher resolution support has been added, some UI elements do not scale properly, impacting the visual experience for players using 1440p or 4K displays.
- Players have noted that the game is relatively stable, with few crashes or game-breaking bugs reported during early access.
Recommendations:
- Many players recommend waiting to purchase the game until it is more developed, has more content, or leaves Early Access. Some suggest checking back in 6-12 months, while others advise against buying it at its current price or state unless one is comfortable with an unfinished product.
- Some players express optimism about the game's future potential, hoping it will evolve into a great title. They see promise despite current shortcomings and are willing to give it a chance, even if it's not fully polished yet.
- The game is recommended for players who enjoy specific genres or experiences, such as solo D&D-like campaigns, turn-based chill games, text-based adventures, or RPGs with character freedom and a focus on gameplay over graphics.
- The game has been compared to titles like Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress, suggesting it might appeal to players who enjoy the deep simulation and world-building aspects found in those games.
Miscellaneous:
- Players consistently highlight that the game, despite its potential and engaging concept, was released in a very early, incomplete state. Many feel it's more akin to a tech demo or alpha than a typical Early Access title, lacking advertised features and content for its price point. This has led to concerns about the definition of 'Early Access' itself.
- Despite its early state, the development team is highly active, transparent, and responsive to community feedback. They are consistently releasing updates, engaging on forums, and sharing their progress, which instills confidence in players about the game's future development and potential.
- The core concept and underlying idea of the game are widely praised and seen as highly promising. Players are excited by the game's potential and express a strong desire for it to succeed and reach its full vision, indicating a solid foundation for future development.
- The development of the game has been a long and challenging process, spanning many years, with the team facing funding issues and other difficulties. This context helps explain the game's current early state.
- Players recommend frequent saving to mitigate the impact of bugs, suggesting that minor issues can accumulate and worsen over time. This indicates a need for improved stability and bug fixing.
