Stone Story RPG Review Summary

ASCII art and animation shine in this unique idle coding RPG with satisfying music and crafting, but excessive grinding, a short story, and repetitive gameplay make the high price hard to justify.

ASCII art praised: Players consistently praise the ASCII art style, describing it as beautiful, well-implemented, and vivid. The aesthetic is considered a standout feature that scales well and is uniquely recognizable.

ASCII animation excellent: The ASCII animations are highly regarded as smooth, rich, and nostalgic, especially for those familiar with BBS styles. Players note the quality despite the limitations of ASCII graphics.

General enjoyment: Players find the game fun, interesting, and content-rich, with many recommending it after thorough enjoyment.

Music and soundtrack good: The music and soundtrack receive positive feedback for being beautiful, fitting, and impressive. This enhances the overall experience for players.

Unique idle RPG blend: The game is seen as a unique and interesting take on the idle game genre, blending RPG elements with idle mechanics. This sets it apart from other idle games.

High price not justified: The game is widely criticized for being overpriced at $30, with many reviewers noting that the cost does not match the content, especially when compared to the free mobile version.

Excessive grinding required: Players consistently report that the game demands heavy grinding, especially in the endgame, with low drop rates and exponential resource requirements making progression tedious.

Short and thin story: The story is considered too short and lacking depth, with reviewers noting that the main campaign can be completed quickly and the narrative feels incomplete for the price.

Poor programming language StoneScript: StoneScript is criticized as a terrible programming language with awful documentation, confusing syntax, and bugs, making it frustrating for players trying to learn or use it.

Idle and automation issues: The game is still essentially an idle game where players have little control over combat, and automation through coding is only available near the end, leading to boredom and frustration.

Unique programming and automation: The game centers on a programming mechanic using the custom StoneScript language, allowing players to write scripts for automation and optimization. This core feature is highlighted across multiple clusters, emphasizing its significance in gameplay.

Idle game with AI control: Players do not directly control their character; instead, an AI controls movement, combat, and gathering. The player's role is to equip gear and use items, creating an idle/incremental gameplay loop.

Crafting and equipment system: The game features a crafting system for weapons and shields (sword, crossbow, staff, etc.) with upgrading and synthesis mechanics. Players can optimize equipment using elemental stones.

ASCII art visual style: The game uses ASCII art and text-based graphics, with praise for good animation. This aesthetic is a distinctive and frequently mentioned characteristic.

Elemental weaknesses and resistances: Combat relies on elemental weaknesses and resistances (e.g., poison, physical), requiring strategic equipment choices.

Wait for sale, not worth full price: Multiple players strongly advise waiting for a significant discount before purchasing the game, with some specifically saying to avoid it at full price.

Recommended for idle RPG fans: The game is strongly recommended for enthusiasts of idle games and RPG progression, indicating it appeals to a specific niche.

Requires programming and automation interest: The game is heavily focused on programming and automation, so it is not recommended for players who dislike coding or find it repetitive.

Free mobile version available instead: Multiple players suggest not buying the PC version and instead playing the free mobile version, noting it may offer similar content.

Recommended for programming enthusiasts: Conversely, players interested in programming and automation find the game deeply rewarding and engaging.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 103.0h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

The game offers immediate enjoyment through its visual charm, early progression, and relaxed combat, but fun diminishes sharply after a few hours due to repetitive content, limited depth, and grinding, leading to a 'fun then drops' profile.

Friction: lack of choices, items, and skills after initial hours; repetitive dungeons and gameplay; tedious crafting and chest opening animations; cumbersome equipment re-forging for elemental weaknesses; grind-heavy late game.

Unlock drivers: novelty of visual style and character progression; early story and new area discovery; relaxing and chill early game pacing.

Automation Programmer: Writes scripts to automate level runs, gears up for efficiency, and leaves the game running for extended periods to gather resources. Motivation: Programming challenge and optimization of automated grind. Stance: buy.

Chill Aesthetic Explorer: Plays at a leisurely pace, enjoys reading lore, experimenting with gear casually, and may stop playing once the grind becomes heavy. Motivation: Exploration of a charming world and appreciation of its unique visual style. Stance: sale.

Idle Game Enthusiast: Selects weapons and armor, then lets the character auto-run levels; optimizes gear for efficiency without writing scripts; often leaves the game running to gather materials. Motivation: Steady passive progression and strategic loadout planning. Stance: buy.

Kickstarter sequel backer question: A user mentioned backing a Kickstarter campaign, likely for a sequel or related game, expressing interest or expectation regarding the project.

Stone Story Ascension DLC inquiry: A question was raised about whether 'Stone Story Ascension' is a DLC, indicating confusion or need for clarification about the game's content or release structure.