Above the Fold
Full Disclosure- I got my key at no cost, from the developer, to playtest the game, from Alpha 4 on.
This in no way affects my review of the game. If it sucked, I would be brutally honest about it. I call then like I see them.
Okay, that said, up there ^^^…
I don’t really tend to enjoy manangement sim games, I usually find them too simple, shallow, or just plain uninteresting.
This game is different. It may be because I have been inside, watching it evolve (and will continue to do so through Early Access, and beyond…), but this game has depth. The subject matter, a paper print newspaper from the 1980’s- (when I was a teen and young adult) is very relatable for me. The game is still in development, but it already very rich with details that hold your interest, tension that makes you hustle and make snap decisions, humor that pops up and relieves some of the tension, in a very silly way, and more challenge than I expected. I like challenge.
– Real player with 65.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Early Access Building Games.
Its very early and developed by one person with a budget smaller then my allowance during all 4 years of high school combined. That probably isn’t true though.
Anyway, this game is a gem, and will be a gem in the future.
Yes, turn your music off asap or adjust using your systems audio mixer, that is a bit of feedback that can be acted on.
At the core this game is charming, you have a deadline you need to meet, an owner that can get angry with you, but also praise you. I imagine it is as similar to managing a news paper in the late 90’s was, and a news website today is. This is after all a simulation.
– Real player with 47.8 hrs in game
Scarlet Hollow
Summary:
Scarlet Hollow plays like a richly illustrated choose-your-own-Southern-Gothic-misadventure in the lush, remote Appalachian Mountains. For some, that adventure will be to get someone or something to accept your re-gift of oozing boiled peanuts, family matters and mortal peril be d*mned.
Each episode takes about an hour for a single run. The game is being released episodically, with the 7th and final episode slated for late 2023.
Unprofessional Gushing Post- Ep 2:
I already loved Episode 1 (which is FREE TO PLAY on a separate Steam page), but Episode 2 has everything I loved from Episode 1 AND MORE. More story branching, more ART, more CHARACTERS…I finished the Ep with so many feelings, such as intrigue and despair and a desperate need to protect these characters from whatever awful fate is in store for their home. I’m constantly amazed at how quality this game is despite the small dev team on their first game, and it’s only gotten better since launching last year.
– Real player with 33.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Early Access Story Rich Games.
This is what I’ve been looking for for a really long time when it comes to visual novels. Something that is somehow both horrific and adorable at the same time that keeps me wanting more. At the time of writing this, there’s only 2 episodes out and I spent the good part of 2 days exploring all of the options and getting all of the achievements because I really couldn’t get enough of it.
Starting from the top, the artwork is beautiful. I was 100% not expecting the creature designs. It caught me off guard the same way I was caught off guard reading my first Junji Ito book. I knew it was tagged as Horror but I wasn’t expecting deer when it happened. I also wasn’t expecting some of the decisions I had to made. There’s so many branching paths, adding in the differences between traits and specific trait combos which is something unique I haven’t seen before, for me there’s so much replayability. There’s something new to learn each go and secrets behind every corner. On top of that, all of the characters and the writing is amazing. Everyone feels so real, like they’re all people I’ve met in my life. Comparing this to other visual novel games that are focused on getting certain characters to like you, this is different. Part of me thinks there’s no way to get every character to like you and I’m okay with that because it really does make it feel like they’re real people.
– Real player with 23.1 hrs in game
Baldur’s Gate 3
Recommended only if you are willing to accept that it is not complete and is still yet a while away from being done. Very similar to Larian’s previous two games but with just enough tweaks to make it feel fresh and closer to DnD ruleset. Some say it may as well have been called DOS3. While true, it’s also not a bad thing. Those games IMO are responsible for the resurgence of the old-school CRPG genre. Personally, this is my dream game. Huge fan of the originals and huge fans of the DOS games. Actually had the out-loud thought back in 2014…“what if Baldur’s Gate made a comeback and these Larian dudes were the ones to do it?” Wish granted. People will nitpick and complain, but I’m beyond impressed with what I’ve seen so far. The RTWP argument has been done to death and if you want to cry about it, go play Pillars of Eternity. It’s so close a copy to the old Infinity engine games that it honestly got stale and lost its nostalgia shine real fast. I would have been disappointed if a new game bearing the BG name turned out to be the same stuff I played to death 20 something years ago. The scope of what Larian is going for here is extremely ambitious and I’m 110% rooting for them to pull it off. With all of the possible dialogue options and minor little attentions to detail, its like a real tabletop in that everyone who plays will be working through the same “module” but everyone is going to experience that story differently depending on the player or groups decisions. Obviously, proper tabletop DnD cant be played solo, but just like the original Baldurs Gate games, this is/will be the best possible way for a solo player without and IRL group to play with to experience its universe.
– Real player with 198.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Early Access RPG Games.
This is a pretty amazing game the best DnD based game I have ever played it is very good. There is still a lot of development needed would not recommend this game if you do not have a high performance PC with an SSD they definitely still need to do some work on the performance. When the game leaves early access it will be well worth it I can assure you. For right now once you get bored of the waiting for new content check out what the modding community has done there has been some really great player content.
– Real player with 114.3 hrs in game
Dreams Of Adventure
This is a game that’s still being worked on, that’s clear enough to see. There’s bugs and glitches galore, but that hasn’t taken away from my enjoyment of it! It’s a fun RPG with a surprisingly large map and I’ve already had hours and hours of gameplay. It’s a REALLY open world game with a lot to explore. I’m playing the free early access version, that’s likely affecting my opinion, but since it is free I think anyone should just give it a shot.
– Real player with 23.2 hrs in game
Good game dude just keep going with that :D
– Real player with 3.5 hrs in game
The Fermi Paradox
This game has amazing potential. The game has a plethora of interesting civilisations and outcomes. Although, I’d prefer if their were more ‘developments’ as it only seems to include 5 things: Extinction, massive de-population in some way, contact from space, the building of ships, and colonisation.
I’d like a bit more variety but for what the game is right now, it’s good. It just seems that nearly every other development is mass extinction or depopulation.
Another thing (Which is only a nitpick) when the systems are on the eastern side of the ‘map’ the text that pops up goes off screen. This could be fixed by pushing the planets in a bit more or making the text be on the left of those planets rather than the right.
– Real player with 267.4 hrs in game
Criminally underrated game I highly recommend with some caveats. The resource management is intriguing - you get “Synthesis” points to spend on guiding the races, which you earn by choosing options that are harmful, or “collect” instead of boosting certain stats between events (or even sacrificing certain racial stats to get even more synth).
The gameplay is all about mitigating losses, determining when you can make sacrifices. It’s an exercise in risk-benefit analysis. If you’re good at this, you’ll be good at the game. If you’re not, you might find it frustrating. If you pick it up, be SURE to make sacrifices as you go to earn Synthesis, or you’ll be in trouble, and make sure everything you spend Synthesis on is worth it to you!
– Real player with 38.7 hrs in game
Valley Knights
I highly recommend Valley Knights for several reasons - but I think the most important one is that over the past few weeks I have found the developer to be extremely passionate about the game, listens intently to player feedback & is quick with patches/updates. Through my interactions with them I have seen first hand how much they genuinely care about the player experience & how much they want the game to be loved & shaped by the community / for the community.
If you have ever played a turn-based roguelike game & enjoyed yourself but wish a few things were different - this is your opportunity to get in on the ground floor to help shape an incredible game with a passionate indie developer creating a piece of work that is clearly important to them. This is all about building a great game, something the developer can stand behind & be proud of and that has been obvious to me through the developers actions to date.
– Real player with 23.4 hrs in game
Game isnt done yet but has a lot of potential,
WHAT IT NEEDS:
more items, more quest, more classes, bigger maps and more bosses.
Maybe ultimate or “super ability” during combat sometimes?
Better terrain tactics on the battle grid?
More vision and a larger playfield on the battle grid?
Randomly generated traps or random events on the battle grid? |
What it doesn;t need:
your asshole opinion, game is not done yet.
– Real player with 7.1 hrs in game
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game
This is an Early Access review. The game contains bugs and is only feature complete for Chapter 1. I will not mention bugs in the review, because there aren’t any game-breaking ones and the ones that do exist are minor. Also, please download the combat demo before purchasing.
Background
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic post-Earth world revolving around a multi-century trip on a colony ship. You are just one person, who lives in an area of the ship, called the Pit. You are not a hero, nor are you anyone special – yet.
– Real player with 90.4 hrs in game
UPDATE:
I now have a good handle on the combat system. Here is what I was doing wrong:
- Character spec:
Decide how you intend to play and spec accordingly. For example: my tank maxed Con and Str this prevents his from being knocked down as I took the Juggernaut feat. It is critical that you also take the Armor Feat with this kind of build. My primary weapon is a shotgun, and he feels really strong. Go all in on your chosen spec, I cannot understate this!
- Easy Target
Pay close attention to what you are wearing. If you make yourself an iron brick you will get prioritized by the enemy AI and get more holes in you than a cheese grater.
– Real player with 60.7 hrs in game
Dev Inc
My Character is Zee, i have made it to 100mil + and love the game. I would like to see more upgrades past 2060 and a possibility of multiple teams that can make multiple games at once.
ScuffingtonYT
– Real player with 33.8 hrs in game
this game has a very good idea but there are too many bugs that make the game unplayable like when you get to around 2010 every time you try to make a new game engine literally thye last week the game will freeze and youll loss the money the engine and time and dont waste your time going to the discord because its dead the dev seamed really positive about the game but i wouldnt get it right now there are just too mant bugs
– Real player with 14.3 hrs in game
Farathan
Story line
Fifteen years ago, your Father conquered Elion province and saved it from the orcs. But he wanted more, pushed into orc territory and went missing. After all that time without a ruler, the empire is on the brink of civil war and the most trusted imperial advisor and your mentor decides it is time to crown you to save the empire from falling apart. He summons you to the capital city of Elion.
Few people know about your travel and the route you will take. Mainly your family, your mentor and the Sartorian captain that has to escort you, your dear friend Elrys.
You did not reach Elion, ambushed by orcs, that never before occurred so deep into Elion province. During the ambush, you were “lucky” enough to fall of a bridge into a river. You crashed your head on a rock, but an old fisherman managed to save you. You are weak,do not remember how to fight and no one belives you are Eristan - the rest of the story is yours to tell.
Farathan Indie Rpg
Indie means with an extrymly low budget. We want you to know - what you buy, so we have enabled a demo (from 20 november). So you know which level of quality we were able to achieve and if it is fun for you. The demo reflects the quality of the whole game, it is about 3% of the game.
If you want
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A game that lets you explore
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That does not hold your hand and tell you where to go
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That has many monsters and locations (from the beautiful meadows of Velden, across the forests of Calden to the Iceland’s and Sulfur fields in barons Verdons realm)
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That you have to listen to the dialogues and beware of the environment to figure out a quest
Then. Welcome adventurer on the journey you will go with Eristan the presumed that heir to the throne. That has lost everything probably betrayed by his own family.
Main heroes - no spoilers
Eristan - Main character, the oldest son of the emperor. Prepared by teachers and war masters to take over the throne from the day he was born. Everyone considers him the only hope of the empire to endure. But after his presumed death he is weak, and the world has fast forgotten about him. You have to guide him through this dark times.
Elurfion - Eristans brother. After Eristans death, he fast took over the northern part of the empire. After all he was next in line. But he is the opposite of Eristan. He always spent time on games and loving woman. He fast became a puppet ruler.
Ewain - Eristans cousin - He took over the southern part of the empire, which can show some Ill will on his side. A great Sartorian general, the army listens to him. Some say he just wanted to save the empire from a ruler like Elurfion - did not plan on taking over the throne.
Elrys - An orphan, brought up by the imperial army. Your dear friend. He is something between an uncle and a brother for you. Very experienced fighter, but he did not manage to save you.
Nistreth - The most trusted advisor of the emperor, your mentor and in fact the man who raised you as your father never came back from the war he rode out on when you were a little boy. He is behind the plan of your coronation and summoning you to Elion.
Grand Master Amon - the leader of the Velden Monastery, the only baron that held his ground against the imperial army (now paying tribute to the empire for peace), one of the 12 heroes that saved the world from the old gods many years back.
Wengo - the leader of the Drangheir hunters. An army of mercenaries created from the survivors of Barons Stalgard army and bounty hunters from Hejstos a province overrun by orcs. He dreams of announcing his independents from the empire, but for now he has to serve.
Elerin - A great battle mage that serves the empire. One of the 12 heroes that saved the world from the old gods many years back. It is said he has ambitions to become a god himself.
Elrim - The emperor himself. Not seen for 15 years.
Ergon - Your uncle. A peacemaker. Dedicated his live to help the common folk. Living in the woods, far from the noise of the court.
World
The action is taking place in Elion province. But it has few parts.
Elion - Around the capital city that is also called Elion
Velden - Terrains around the monastery.
Fronta - Forests and a village far to the southeast
Stalgardia - former realm of baron Stalgard. Beautiful place.
Calden - The place of fierce battles with the orcs that are trying to conquer Elion as they did with the rest of the north.
IceLands - A very cold uninhabited land with lots of secret to discover.
Dead Forest - Former realm of Baron Verdon. A dark lord, he gave a lot of trouble to the empire, and he was the spark that made the empire conquer the whole province.
Numbers
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151 NPC’s you can talk to. 300 NPCs total.
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44 monsters + many bosses
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143 quests.
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7 hours of recorded by actors dialogues.
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Open world(11km2) with 1 loading screen. And 7 dungeon levels.
Shaype
Shaype is a fantasy role-playing game with an emphasis on player dictated character creation, combat playstyles, dialogue, and story outcomes. The ability for the player to create and develop their own character and world is at the heart of Shaype’s design, presenting diverse role-playing and alignment options.
With Shaype, we wish to create a true role-playing game. Our focus in development is for the player to feel as though they exist in an engaging world where their decisions matter.
World
- A major goal for Shaype is to provide an engaging setting and atmosphere. Despite the friendly artstyle, Shaype will explore dark/adult themes, allow for diverse character alignment options and pose morally grey situations in a violent land.
Player Choice
- Gameplay will be multifaceted and reflective of the player, with significant world-changing options in dialogue, playstyle, and quests that are driven by the skillset and choices of your character.
Combat System
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For combat, we are developing varied weapons and divisions of Magic which will each possess their own skill trees and abilities.
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We want to provide a challenging experience that rewards the skill level of the player. Combat mechanics are designed to be easy to learn but hard to master, testing the ability of the player to find openings to strike.
Visit us on our website and join our Discord to learn more.
