Geneforge 1 - Mutagen
To say I’ve been waiting a long time for this one is an understatement. And I haven’t even been waiting as long as some other people; from what I remember seeing on the forums, I’m pretty sure this remake has been teased to some extent since the original release of Geneforge 5. But it’s here now, and even if it isn’t everything it could have been, it’s a very worthy remake that, for all but the most nostalgic players, pretty much entirely replaces the original.
For anyone who isn’t familiar with Geneforge, I’d best describe it as if Shin Megami Tensei was a CRPG in a traditional fantasy setting. You build up your character with skill points gained by leveling up and expand your party by creating monsters with different abilities. As you explore the world and uncover more of the plot, you will eventually have to make a decision on which faction you want to support, which ones you want to oppose, and decide the fate of the world. There’s never a right answer and rarely a wrong one, these games don’t just settle for a “good or evil” alignment system; who you side with is entirely down to your own roleplaying or moral principles.
– Real player with 82.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeon Crawler 2D Games.
It’s difficult to put in words just how good this is. I’ve been a long time fan of Vogel’s games, since purchasing Avernum 6 soon after getting a Steam account. I’ve played all the series: Avernum, Geneforge, Avadon, and the newer Queen’s Wish. All of the series have some things in common (you can side with different factions, around four different character builds to choose from, and a lot of recycled graphics and sounds) but the Geneforge series overall is the one I’ve made the least progress with. I’ve touched at least the 3rd, 4th, and 5th games of the series and manage to get “stuck” about half way through. I didn’t have this issue with the Avernum and Avadon series. I was hoping a remake of a game in the series would address the difficulty spike apparent in the older titles, and it seems to have at this point. I’ve sunk some decent time in to this (on normal difficulty) and have had to rethink some spots but haven’t come across any game breaking difficulty. Of course, you can make the game as hard as you want with the difficulty controls. So far, the updated graphics and sounds along with a friendlier UI make this Vogel’s best effort to date. It’s a relief, too, as I thought The Queen’s Wish was a step back in quality (some really questionable decisions regarding how clearing dungeons are concerned, awkward art assets that don’t all fit together). My only MINOR gripe with the game is how the inventory works. You have your main pack then a junk bag. If you put something in the junk bag, you can’t take it out until you get to town. What?? Not sure the rationale behind it, but it’s not a deal breaker. Overall, I’d put this on par, if not better, than the remake of Avernum: Ruined World. I’m looking forward to any other remasters that come, but my true hope is that Jeff will take this inspiration to make another classic in the vein of Avernum 6. Excellent job to Jeff on this perfect remake!
– Real player with 67.7 hrs in game
Vaporum
I’ve just finished the game at 15 hours, and it was an enjoyable experience (mostly) throughout! I have a few gripes, but let’s start with a list of Pro’s and Con’s and go into more detail a little later.
PROS:
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Dungeon crawling is fun!
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Nice enemy variety!
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Difficulty is mostly fine, with hiccups.
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Price-to-playtime ratio is pretty good.
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Definitely replayable! Especially for secrets.
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Three unique ‘classes’ that are very distinct.
CONS:
- Some riddles are a little obtuse…
– Real player with 38.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeon Crawler Dark Fantasy Games.
TL:DR - If you are looking for another dungeon Crawler of the Dungeon Master Variety, then I can recommend this product without hesitation. If you are wondering what separates this title from the rest of the options that are on the market now, then you will want to read a little further.
Bottom line, I can definitely recommend this title, as I have enjoyed the 6+ hours I have been entertained by, by the time of this review. I may have more to add to this review, when I finally complete the game. This review is entirely based around a 6 hour preview of the game title, and I am not sure how much longer I have to complete the game.
– Real player with 27.3 hrs in game
Monsters' Den: Godfall
Monster’s Den: Godfall is a tactical turn-based dungeon-crawler and an all-around improvement of the previous games in the series.
Unlike the previous games, Godfall offers an open-world conquest with lots of places to explore and dungeons to delve in. Dungeons can have special properties like “lost,” preventing you from seeing how many enemies you face before battle, or “ancient,” increasing the quality of loot. There are various prizes for completing the given dungeon objective, such as special class ability manuals to unique pieces of equipment.
– Real player with 253.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dungeon Crawler Dark Fantasy Games.
Just when you think this game isn’t deep… it opens a whole new dimension to you. Give it time, it’ll grow on you. I initially thought it was grindy but after upgrading my keep and unlocking a few classes, the “customization” depth started to open up. There are a lot of quality of life items/upgrades you’ll want to take. After that, you can just jump right into the action. Dollar for dollar, definitely a good time passer if you’re waiting for the next release or have a loot itch you can’t quite scratch.
– Real player with 189.0 hrs in game
ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)
Ancient Domains of Mystery… what a name. Truth be told, of all games I have played on my PC in the last 15 years, ADOM has surely been the one I keep returning to most often. And if there’s anything that hasn’t changed since the first time is that, whenever I do start up a new character, I can hardly keep myself off the game until the character dies… or until I win. Today the game is officially released on Steam, and the least I can do to repay ADOM and its team for hundreds upon hundreds of hours of fun is to review it.
– Real player with 1030.1 hrs in game
There’s a lot I could say about ADOM but I’ll try to keep this brief:
Positives
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The fact that the base ASCII game is, and always will be, free (it’s included in the Steam version, but you can download it stand-alone from the official website)
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The new graphics update makes it much easier to see what’s going on and control your movements compared to the base game (i.e. if a monster is hostile to you, health bars, dots above sprites denoting status effects, the ability to click on things is especially helpful in your inventory,
– Real player with 660.7 hrs in game
Amborettio
Amborettio is an interesting game with a unique story behind it. I was impressed with the details in the backstory and I enjoyed collecting materials to build the required tools for the game. For the price, I would recommend this game to everybody who is interested. The solo developer has completed impressive work with this game at a fair price. I look forward to seeing the future games that this developer publishes.
– Real player with 0.5 hrs in game
The Fellowship Saga
Unlikely Heros
In the kingdom of Falone, you control a party of adventurers who suddenly find themselves in an epic struggle for control of the crown.
Key Features
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Turn-Based Combat: Accessible, Familiar, Tense, and full of choices by using the system from the 5th edition of the world’s most popular RPG.
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Party-based: Teamwork and synergies necessary by creating and managing a party of 5 adventurers.
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First-person: Accessible first-person gameplay provides up-close action and full controller support.
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Tailor to your playstyle: 12 Classes and nine races provide a wide range of customization and flexibility - and extended by one level of subclassing.
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Exploration: The world of Falone has a wide range of areas to explore, including vast wildernesses, towns, and dungeons.
The Hopebringer
The Hopebringer is a storyline driven survival action RPG featuring procedurally generated content. You awaken buried in rubble, in the wake of an apparent cataclysm to discover a world that is unrecognizable. Even more troubling the signs seem to indicate that this was no accident.
Each day our numbers dwindle and add to undead army. Work together with other survivors to restore order to the world… Or take advantage of the situation to look out for yourself. The Hopebringer provides players with the opportunity to save the world, or to simply survive.
Key Features
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Action based combat in an fantasy survival RPG setting.
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Survival oriented gameplay that occurs within the context of a storyline interwoven with generated content.
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Single player or co-op multiplayer.
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Recruit allies who can aid you in your quest.
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Defeat enemy bosses to steal their special powers.
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Powered by Unreal Engine 5. The Hopebringer will push your hardware.
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Craft, Quest, Build, or Fight your way to your destiny.
Zoria: Age of Shattering
STORY
Zoria. Home. Mother of all her inhabitants. She provides her children with food to grow, shelter to rest in and also, the harsh lessons of life, so her offspring may learn to fight and protect her gifts to them.
But men, men wanted more.
Zoria’s finest sons and daughters: intelligent, resourceful… violent. Men turned her ores into sword and daggers, and her roots into vile concoctions of poison.
Men wanted more. They craved more land and more food. So they built their homes of stone and wood, driving out the wildlife of its woods and caves. And in those caves they found their instrument of defiance: zerrium.
GAMEPLAY
Zoria’s Gameplay is a unique mix of action-adventure RPG and tactical management. Explore the beautiful lands of Zoria, from mountains to the ocean, towns and dungeons, follow the story or discover its secrets.
Your outpost is your base, by expanding it you get access to better facilities and the ability to influence more of the world around you while leveling your followers gives you the ability to explore deeper, further into the unknown.
ADVENTURES
All the adventures in the game are hand-crafted, with multiple paths and various options for exploration, depending on the setup of your party and their environment abilities. You can always revisit a dungeon with another party to see previously inaccessible places and finish all the side quests.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Adventures need to be planned out carefully, and supplies stocked accordingly. Without supplies, the team cannot restore their vital resources, making any dungeon that much more dangerous. Bringing enough supplies for the journey or upgrading your cooking skills to make better use of all the land has to offer, that’s a choice for everyone to make.
TURN-BASED COMBAT
Zoria’s combat is a Tactical, Turn-based confrontation, designed around the special characteristics of each class, abilities, resistances, deadly ranged attacks or strong AOE defenses, healing and much more. But turn based doesn’t mean static, so choose your battlegrounds wisely, as any wandering creature or enemy that gets too close, might join in and ruin your best laid plans.
CHARACTERS
You can choose your party from eight different classes, each with a unique skill set both in combat and exploring the world. Magic, ranged attacks, shear power, blocks and stuns, bleed and poisons, magic resistances - all there to explore, use and upgrade.
FEATURES:
• Explore a rich, immersive and diverse world: beautifully crafted environments, featuring dense forests, haunting dungeons, golden deserts and many more.
• An epic story driving your experience, with rich and expansive lore. Discover the hidden tales and stories that live on through the people of Zoria and your own companions;
• Plan your moves or just enjoy the ride - a game experience suited both for players eager to just explore and adventure, as well as for those who want a challenging combat with a strong emphasis on strategic thinking and planning.
• Easy to learn crafting system with dozens of unique potions, epic weapons and other curious recipes that can be found throughout the world.
• Elaborate character management: class and character upgrade system, unique skills both in combat, and during exploration. A wide array of character builds for each class will allow you to approach an encounter in your own way.
• Complex base management: build new facilities, upgrade buildings, manage resources and expand your base;
E.X.P.L.O.R.™: A New World
Really cool and fun dungeon crawler.
The visuals and interfaces are clean and easy to understand. Gamepad support is great and many details like targetting, minimap edge markers and item comparison are just done so well, you really get a sense fort he dev’s passion for this project.
I hope to see more from this dev and I relly hope that this game gets the attention it deserves.
– Real player with 16.4 hrs in game
An interesting little blobber.
“E.X.P.L.O.R…” is a true labor of love from developer Beem media. If you’ve played any other classic blobbers (EOB, Might and Magic, Grimrock, etc) you’ll get the picture pretty quickly. Some things that set E.X.P.L.O.R…apart are that it is a much faster playing type game. No grinding, no heavy stat management, no 100+ NPC’s to keep track of. It’s a fairly light playing game, but a good choice if you are in between epic RPG’s and want something a bit quicker to play in between. The gameplay and graphics are much nicer looking in the actual game then what the trailer video depicts. Visually, it’s a hybrid of a cartoony-comic style and traced looking caricatures. I’d say the closest comparison would be to “Sword and Sorcery”, but much simpler gameplay. Progression seems to be fairly quick in the game and will keep you playing a while without getting bored. As I’ve gotten older, incessant grinding has been a turn-off for me in games. “E.X.P.L.O.R…” does a good job of mitigating that problem.
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Monsters' Den: Book of Dread
I absolutely love this game. Back in highschool when this was a web browser game, I would sign up for computer classes just to play this game secretly in a corner.
What I love most about the remastered version of the game is that not a single thing changed. There is so much loot to be had, so many boss fights, and bad ass legendary monsters to hunt. To my knowledge, the game has no end. You can beat the campaign, but it lets you keep playing anyway for the sake of things.
It’s simple enough to play casually, but challenging enough to make you think. The most fun part is its Diablo 2 skill tree mechanics that you try some really unique parties.
– Real player with 142.7 hrs in game
This game simple mechanics are solid, with no apparent bugs or fails. It works and is fairly entertaining at first. UNFORTUNATELY, it has no story worth telling about. It has this weakest of story lines that repeats itself over and over again at each level, which becomes old very, very fast. You are going down in the dungeon at each level defeating the same opponent types at each turn. You collect gear, and become stronger because of it, but the monsters also get stronger in proportion to your dungeon level, which means, well, you get the same dynamics in combat also.
– Real player with 123.8 hrs in game