Godlike
Pointless wouldn’t play if it was free
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Choices Matter RPG Games.
The game makes little sense , most of the time i die after a couple of clicks on random events
i once raided another settelment , got ripped in two
it took me a few minutes of gameplay to even understand that i can click on different houses in the settelment to make changes and hire men
its just not fun for me , it doesn’t cost much so if you want , give it a shoot , i did (still not for me)
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
Saṃsāra
Overview
SAMSARA® is a next-gen action-adventure RPG that fuses elements of Buddhism with souls-like gameplay — challenging players to meditate on their philosophy, life and death to help them find meaning through discourse, conflict and exploration.
Description:
Saṃsāra is a souls-like that challenges players to meditate on overcoming loss, failure and death through a core mechanic of reincarnation as 9 different avatars. The game is a 3D, third-person, action role-playing game (RPG) in the vein of the ‘Soulsborne’ (FromSoftware, 2009-2019) genre/series, taking cues from the older, shorter but still epic action-adventure game, Shadow of the Colossus (Team Ico, 2006-2018).
In Buddhism, Saṃsāra is the cycle of death and rebirth to which all life is bound. The players goal is to find a way to escape this cyclic existence, to escape Samsara. They will achieve this through discourse, conflict and exploration within the beautiful, deadly and dynamic Desire Realm (Kāmadhātu).
Gameplay Pillars
Core gameplay pillars include:
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Conflict - physical, ranged and magical combat encounters with NPC’s who become enemies depending on which avatar form the player assumes.
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Discourse - impactful, choice-based narratives delivered by cryptic, resolute and wandering NPC’s who are partially based on historical characters and represent Buddhist, Stoic and Daoist worldviews.
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Exploration - uncovering ancient secrets and witnessing spectacular vistas, the player will traverse the Desire Realm: from the isolated circular edge of the Cakravāḍa mountains that encompass the world; across the Four Great Continents of scorching sand, glistening ice, dense tropics and serene lakes, to their penultimate destination; ascending the sacred five-peaked heights of Mt. Meru to reach the Gods domain, or descending beneath to the fiery, dark, gold-laden root of the world where demons reign.
Read More: Best Choices Matter Multiple Endings Games.
Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind
It’s an excellent game. Surprisingly engrossing graphics, quite a lot of fun to manage your clan, etc. The negatives are… Difficult to cover without some spoilers though. So I’m giving it a thumbs up because as a stand alone it’s a masterpiece. As a successor to KoDP it has definitely gone a bit off the rails. Spoilers to follow so stop reading now.
Yes it’s an amazing game. A couple things to be aware of though, which made KoDP a standout for it’s time but which Six Ages has given up on: unlike KoDP where you were expected to follow the path your ancestors set or you were punished severely, in this one you’re supposed to be “good” using today’s moral compass instead. Seriously. You can’t kill off other tribes, they’re super easy to ally with, it’s almost impossible to lose heros (compared to the original,) you’re supposed to jump on board with everything that’d be attractive to modern sensibilities (slavery is bad, yeah help enemies consistently, etc.) That’s a pretty big departure from the original where if you spit on your clans history you’d consistently be wrecked for it, so yeah. Important to know: Your ancestors were all idiots and the gods actually support going full hippy rather than doing whatever backwards crap those apes cared about. I tried KoDP like that the first time and was shocked how punishing the game was towards applying modern morality to the game. I was dissappointed that all I had to do to be this game on its hardest difficulty was to just disregard literally everything I’d learned about the lore and the world from the original. As long as you’ve never played the original, this is a nonissue; it’s only if you’ve gotten to experience the alternative, where you’re having to make judgements based on how their culture would likely interpret and react to events, that you realize how much actual depth that removes from gameplay.
– Real player with 152.9 hrs in game
A number of your clan’s children have gone missing while foraging. Your people are anxious for their return. What do you do?
** consult the clan’s spirits
consult a god
immediately send out a search party **
King of Dragon Pass 1.9
Six Ages is a great game. It is basically a streamlined version of King of Dragon Pass with various new systems and all new stories and events. You have to manage your clan, make sure people are fed and happy, please the gods, explore lands close and distant, negotiate with other clans, practice magic, fight, etc. etc. I have heard people compare it to the Banner Saga, which I have not played yet, but I think the gameplay is fairly different. In Six Ages, you do all of the actions above by picking options in the various screens and events, not by e.g. positioning armies or walking around places. There are many, many events, which are beautifully painted scenes with text, where you have to make interesting choices that will effect the management of your clan and the world. There is really no other game quite like it; the genre is unique.
– Real player with 132.1 hrs in game
Autonima
A steampunk adventure game set in a world of robots and myth.
You play as Ohm, one of the robotic lifeforms known as Autons, during the slow decline of their civilization. Explore the world of Autonima through dialog, found objects, environmental story-telling, and puzzle-solving, as you make your way up the mountain.
The future of their civilization is uncertain. Faced with extinction, the Autons search for powers beyond their own. Your quest is to find answers to the disappearance of Makers, and try to saving all life. Choose wisely. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Pendragon
_### Quick Overview
Imagine a game of chess where each of your pieces has its own little story and agenda. Each piece would also like to see its story to the end, but you, as the player, know that will not always be possible. Sacrifices have to be made. And stories will change and adapt because of them. Some will be cut short, some will be epic, but most of them will have to face tragedy sooner or later.
For those needing comparisons, think more Into the Breach than Banner Saga._
– Real player with 35.1 hrs in game
Pendragon has captured my attention in a way that very few games manage.
I describe this game as a chess-like narrative roguelike.
The roguelike aspect is straightforward, with each run following the same general structure : choose a hero and make your way to Camlann to aid King Arthur in the fight against the evil Mordred, dispatching enemies and recruiting allies along the way.
Mechanically, it is not a game of chess, but it is a very good analogy to get oneself into the mindset required to play Pendragon effectively - in order to be successful at the higher difficulties, one must be thoughtful in the moves they pick, their potential consequences, and how the enemies may react to them.
– Real player with 22.0 hrs in game
Ethos 2: Fall Of Empires
Carve Your Own Path
Ethos 2: Fall Of Empires is a Historical RPG where every single decision you make affects your journey. Abilities, upgrades, weapons, interactions, quests, the atmosphere, and much more, are all affected by the actions and moral decisions you make within the game.
Become a tyrant, a hero, a lone wolf, or many other archetypes, the choice is yours!
The Story
The game takes place in the year 1453. You play as Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Your once great city of Constantinople has fallen into the hands of the Ottomans and your goal is to take it back.
You can do this by gathering troops/equipment/allies from leaders of other nearby nations in Egypt, the Balkans, The Middle East, and more! OR you can also choose to overthrow the leaders of other nations, and take their nations by force!
You may also attempt to take back Constantinople by making yourself an extremely powerful one-man-army, and attempt to take the city by yourself whenever you are ready. This can be through many means such as assassination of Mehmed the Conqueror, or by facing the entire Ottoman army by yourself.
Style
The game is very non-linear. Meaning that you can technically attempt to finish the final quest very early on in the game. Its an open-world game that doesn’t place a limit on exploration.
Consequences
Want to murder a main character that you need to complete a quest? Go for it. But expect there to be consequences. Want to become a pacifist and try to not harm anyone ever? Go for it. But expect there to be consequences.
Why This Game Is Being Made
As a massive RPG-fan, I was very tired of many AAA games giving you the illusion of ‘your decisions matter’. Because at the end of the day, choices in many AAA games pretty much only affected how much of a discount you could get at a merchants shop, or how some NPC’s react to you when you walk by.
I really want choices to matter in games. And that’s why this game is being made.
Saying that, this is a passion project for myself, and no one should expect this to be a AAA title. But hopefully it could be a really fun indie game that people can replay and have fun with :)
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Better than most modern movies!
At first, the story seems cliche but will intrigue you the more you learn.
Choices shape your journey and allow for multiple play-throughs in return.
Exciting, scary and silly, all in one.
It’ll take you at least 5 hours before you’re done.
Off to find more secrets, I go.
There is much more of the plot, I need to know.
But there is one final note, for me to leave.
A grade of 7/10, this piece of art will receive.
And a word of advice, as you choose who will live or die.
– Real player with 49.0 hrs in game
Good:
Very fun with friends. Your choices can affect each other’s characters and you can mess around a lot.
Voice acting was well done.
The graphics look pretty.
There is a lot of action.
Bad:
The game isn’t scary.
Quick time events don’t do anything most of the time, and failing them doesn’t affect the outcome of the scene. When this is noticed you are unimmersed.
Some dialogue choices aren’t well enough presented so you pick what initially sounds good, but then the character says something completely different than you intended.
– Real player with 25.6 hrs in game
Heart & Soul
The first rule of Ancient Greece is to not tick off any of the gods or goddesses, though that’s already been broken. Heralded for her supernatural beauty, the attention Psyche garners worldwide causes Aphrodite to become jealous and curse her to a terrible fate: a marriage to the most monstrous being alive.
Much to Psyche’s surprise, her husband seems human, even gentle. What once seemed an inconceivably terrible fate now seems like a dream come true, though trouble isn’t far and Aphrodite hasn’t forgiven or forgotten.
Fallen Gods
Once, the world was better, the gods greater, the wars over, the end farther. You were born in the Cloudlands during those bright days, one of the Ormfolk, forever young and strong, worshipped by those below for your forefathers’ deeds. But all has gone wrong. Wolves and worse haunt the night, the law holds no sway, and men’s hearts grow hard toward their gods. Fearful of their dwindling shares of souls, your kin turned against each other … and against you. And so you were cast down from the heavens, a fallen god broken upon the bitter earth. Now, you rise, free from death and ready to carve a bloody road back to your rightful home.
Features
Fallen Gods is a narrative “rogue-lite” RPG. You control the titular fallen god, who starts each game with different might, wits, health, and divine powers, and one of several animal familiars and magical artifacts. He has 90 days to win his way back to the Cloudlands, or he will lose his godhood forever. During that time, he must gather and manage a warband of up to five followers, find additional artifacts, and gain soul-strength by performing godly deeds (some kindly, some cruel). The world is full of barrows, caverns, swamps, towns, shrines, villages, castles, and other locations of interest. What you find in these places—what foes you will face in battle, what friends you can make, what dilemmas you must resolve, and what rewards you might win—changes every game. As your understanding of the world and its inhabitants grows, you will discover new strategies and develop new paths to victory, but the way will never be easy.
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Decisions fit for a (fallen) god. Fallen Gods is about hard choices with fateful consequences. Where should you explore, what should you seek, and who should you trust? The answers are never easy, but the outcomes are always interesting.
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Never the same story twice. Every game of Fallen Gods casts a different god into a different world, filled with different events, battles, dungeons, towns, and denizens. Even familiar encounters will change depending on your skills, followers, items, resources, and choices.
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A rich setting inspired by sagas, myths, history, and folklore. The world of Fallen Gods is drawn from the old sources of classic fantasy with modern glosses stripped away, restoring the wonder, terror, and otherworldliness that have been lost. The themes and even language of the game are those of the great sagas.
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A game of game-changers. The divine skills, animal familiars, human followers, and magical artifacts that you get in Fallen Gods meaningfully expand your options, rather than merely modifying some statistic.
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Ups and downs. The protagonist of Fallen Gods starts out powerful, and while he can grow mightier, he also faces the danger of losing the strength and assets he’s gained. Weathering setbacks and taking calculated risks is the key to victory. For a fallen god, even death can be endured.
The Fold: Ingression
Developed solely by one of the devs on Through the Woods - introducing a first person thriller adventure with worlds inspired by the Norse people, old Norwegian legends and horror elements from the Lovecraft universe. Follow the dark story of Amund Vreim as he explores worlds, old and new.
Norwegian Amund Vreim is a part time exterminator and has received his first assignment at Eikherad stave church in Telemark, Norway. Through curious exploration and mysterious obstacles he finds himself in increasingly strange situations and quickly learns that he’s not alone, nor is the job as relaxed as first expected. The massive structure dates back to the end of the viking age and both church and surrounding areas hold many secrets.
It’s a relatively linear game, following a main story, but with several outcomes and variations to the story and environments. The story is based on old Norwegian stories, Norse mythology and traditions with horror elements inspired by the Lovecraft universe. ‘Ingression’ is the first installment in the ‘The Fold’ universe and will take the player on an introduction to those they call ‘The Fold’ and their mysterious ancient worlds.
