Hermitage: Strange Case Files
Hermitage: Strange Case Files is not your average visual novel, nor is it your average cosmic horror title. With relaxing-yet-energetic jazzy tunes that’ll have you sipping coffee and pondering the depths of the darkness that resides within the human mind, the game feels oddly comfortable and confusing at the same time. It’s not that I didn’t want Hermitage: Strange Case Files to end — it got to a point where I genuinely didn’t think it would, its unexplained mysteries consuming all that’s left of me (40 hours to complete, y’all). If you’re looking for an interactive visual novel to get absolutely lost in (in every possible sense of that phrase), Hermitage: Strange Case Files has a literal bookstore to delve into.
– Real player with 40.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Fantasy Mystery Games.
Playing status: 100% achievement
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (10 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Guide: Click here
Intro
Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a visual novel about mysterious beings. It tries to mix Lovecraftian lores and investigation elements with a heavy emphasis on the story. There are 6 chapters in total, each focusing on a certain case.
– Real player with 35.3 hrs in game
The Innsmouth Case
This game has rather much text to read. It’s OK the first time … but the second, and especially the third time you play a scene it’s annoying. Because you will probably play the scenes several times.
I find the idea of the game nice. The cartoonish style is fun. But it’s too difficult to survive, and you get stuck in loops trying the same scene several times selecting different options. Or you take a decision, and after 10 min reading text it’s obvious that you can’t survive regardless.
I have played the game about six times - four times ended up dead and two times I returned home on the edge of insanity. It’s just after 13-14 hour I managed to gain 2 achievements. The game is too slow, and how to reach progress isn’t that clear.
– Real player with 14.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Fantasy Visual Novel Games.
The Innsmouth Case
The Innsmouth case is a brilliant new visual novel with a strong taste of Lovecraftian mixed into it. Built as a simple visual novel with multiple endings and a ton of options, the game did it’s part just right.
Right from the get-go, it’s pretty obvious what to expect from a game like this. A strong well-scripted storyline with fantastic visuals and artistry. But the choices you have to make throughout the game and how that impacts your overall outcomes of the game threw me off guard, which I absolutely loved as it gives the game a stronger sense of mystery and unpredictability.
*– [Real player with 9.8 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198329404521)*
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## Heretic Operative
Updated review after the most recent patch. Most issues I had with the game have now been fixed, and I have changed back to a "recommended" review as promised. This is the longest review I've ever written, and the only one I've edited more than once. These facts alone should tell you something about the depth and investment this game offers! Most of the text below this line is no longer relevant, but I'm leaving it up as a history of sorts and a memory of what kind of long-winded criticisms the patient devs have dealt with! :D
*– [Real player with 39.0 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198042839176)*
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Read More:
Best Fantasy Turn-Based Games.
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Digital Boardgames are a bit of an odd genre. As a fan of both physical board games and digital strategy games I've struggled to grasp the hybrid. Why represent a complex strategy game with cards and dice rolls when you don't have to, especially if your game doesn't have a physical equivalency.
Enter Heretic Operative. The description reads "Inspired by games like Pandemic, Arkham Horror, and Talisman" and that was a big selling point for me. Having recently become an obssessive for the Arkham Horror card game, I knew what this meant for the game in general - action-point, narrative driven "built to probably kill you" by design. Great.
*– [Real player with 34.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197985904075)*
---
## Shadows Behind the Throne 2
Remember "That Which Sleeps" the kickstarter game that promised that you could play as Cthulhu and corrupt the world and a million other things, but then the dev took the money and ran and never delivered.
Implausibly Shadows is not only the game that was promised, but it delivers. The graphics are a little off and the interface is a little confusing, but goddamn is it fun to corrupt and dismantle several civilizations until eternal winter falls upon the land. There is a lot of room to grow, and here is hoping it keeps growing.
*– [Real player with 119.6 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198039733769)*
Great game. It's a bit like Ruinarch, if you've ever played that, except on a strategic level. Lots of variety in the ways you can take down a kingdom. Very replayable and it's right up my alley.
That said, it's EXTREMELY rough. As EA as you can get while still being playable.
- Kind of a crap, poorly thought out UI. For example, saves are placed in alphabetical order instead of chronological order where your most recent one is at the top. You might have 7 autosaves, and the one you're looking to load is save number 3, halfway down the screen and you have to look at the time to know that's the one you want. I called my manual save aaa, so it will be at the top of the list. That's a small thing, but there are a lot of poorly designed UI functions like that and it impacts the level of information you get from the game.
*– [Real player with 39.5 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198062265037)*
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## Source of Madness
I've finished all of the current content, so I think I'm in a good position to critique the game as it is currently. Overall, this game is a real gem. I'm a fan of Lovecraftian-styled games along with rogues and sidescrollers, so this game is perfect for me. The character movement and combat starts out sluggish, but once you unlock some more dashes the pace becomes faster. The developers have already addressed this in an update today that bumped up the character movement, among other improvements. However it's still a game that favors defense, and the bullet-sponge nature of the enemies is my biggest criticism. At times it can borderline on ridiculous. Also, the second level of Act 1 feels way too long, and in my opinion, doesn't earn its length.
*– [Real player with 17.4 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198402752994)*
Right now, I’m coming off of a sugar rush like feeling after playing 5 hours of this game. In its current state the game is fantastic.
The game checks off all the boxes for a wide variety of gamers.
SoulsLike - Check
Metroidvania - Check
Action / RPG - Check
Platformer - Check
Gorgeous Game - Check
Horror - Check
True Lovecraft Monsters - Check
Just a geek that needs to collect a game with very unique design mechanics - Check
I could go on. I’m a huge fan of SoulsLike and Metroidvania games. Throw in the Roguelite concept where both the environment and your enemies are never the same is fantastic. The use of neural network AI to create the enemies is mind bendingly genius.
*– [Real player with 16.4 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198045604263)*
---
## SKALD: Against the Black Priory
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1609100/Skald_Against_the_Black_Priory__the_Prologue](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1609100/Skald_Against_the_Black_Priory__the_Prologue)
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1712620/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory_Original_Soundtrack_Vol_I/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1712620/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory_Original_Soundtrack_Vol_I/)
_You drag yourself from the black tides, across the corpses of drowned men, and onto the unwelcoming, craggy shoreline. Gulls cry overhead and the stink of seaweed fills your nose. By some miracle you have made it to Idra. It will take all your skill to survive and unravel the eldritch mysteries of the Black Priory. Pray your sanity holds._
#### About the Game
‘Skald: Against the Black Priory’ is an old-school roleplaying game that combines modern design and a fully realised narrative with authentic 8-bit looks and charms.
Delve into a dark fantasy world, full of tragic heroes, violent deaths and Lovecraftian, cosmic horror. Explore an engaging, branching story mixed with rich exploration and crunchy, tactical, turn-based combat that will seem familiar yet innovative to RPG fans, old and new.
Do you have what it takes to lead a company of broken heroes from the tainted shores of Idra to the gates of the Black Priory - and beyond?
#### Features
**Lovingly crafted retro-style art:**
* Experience a richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art using thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images
* A palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer.
* Optional CRT filter for that authentic old-school experience.
**Deep character creation:**
* Build your main character and recruit a party from among a dozen diverse characters, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality.
* Choose from a dozen classes and backgrounds as well as heaps of feats, spells and equipment as you take your party from level 1 to 20\.
**Crunchy tactical combat:**
* Engage in challenging, fast-paced, turn- and grid-based combat.
* Play it _your_ way, with fully customizable difficulty and feedback settings. Or hit ‘auto-resolve’, lean back, and (hopefully) watch your party cleave a bloody path through their foes.
**A richly detailed, living world:**
* Explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles and watch your actions spell doom or salvation for the region.
* Focus on the rich, branching narrative… Or live the life of a mercenary and explore varied sidequests and encounters - the plot will wait for you.
* Manage your party as you make camp, recruit hirelings, travel by land and sea, and interact with powerful factions and their visions for the world.
**Become part of a fantastic community:**
* Skald was made possible by crowdfunding and already has a large, passionate and welcoming community that can’t wait to meet you.
* By joining Skald’s Early Access you’ll have a direct line to the developer, get sneak peaks and give feedback on forthcoming plans and help shape the game into a modern classic.
* We will publish the powerful tools used to create the game in an effort to support and encourage modding and content creation once the game has fully launched.
#### The Story of Skald: A Dream Come True
Skald is the dream-project of a lone Norwegian developer, AL.
AL missed the thrill of delving into grand, immersive games such as ‘Ultima’, ‘Magic Candle’, ‘Wasteland’ and the Gold Box series. When he noticed the lack of newer roleplaying games that combined the classic (early 90s) charm with more modern game design he decided to take matters into his own hands.
AL set to work crafting the game of his dreams.
A highly successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaign with 700 backers, and a fast-growing community of passionate fans proves he made the right call.
#### Collaborators
Despite being a one-man company, Scape-IT has been able to collaborate with some amazingly talented people in creating SKALD:
**Danny Salfield Wadeson** is a UK-based writer & narrative designer who has worked on BAFTA and TGA nominated narrative games such as Roki, Backbone and Duelyst
Twitter: @MadQuills
**John Henderson** is an experienced fine artist and illustrator and is also a teacher of Art. Whether using dip pen, oil paint or pixels, John’s work is easily recognizable as being highly atmospheric as well as lovingly created. Having worked on many publications and indie gaming projects he is also currently busy with his own project, Wild Wood for the C64.
Twitter: @JohnHen65953721
**Scott Hartill** UK based artist and game designer. More interested in pixels than anything else. Currently busy developing a PS1 style survival horror in his spare time.
Twitter : @_cluly_
**Torgeir Fjereide** is a Norwegian artist and illustrator. He loves painting mythological and medieval scenes and he'll take any excuse to paint a bearded man.
Twitter: @TheBrushOfThor
**Post Horn Public Relations** is a pro-bono initiative created to support talented developers.
Twitter: @horn_pr
**Rachael A Edwards** hails from England and spends most of her days writing fantasy novels about morally grey characters in worlds filled with mythology, corruption and magic. An avid gamer, Rachael’s love for storytelling began at a young age. She is currently working on a YA fantasy novel and is represented by Rena Rossner of The Deborah Harris Agency.
Twitter: @RachaelAWrites
**MementoMoree** (formerly known as Paolo Pomes) has been creating art since his late teenage years. Proficient in most types of art, from pencil & paper to highly detailed 4k textures, he's found solace and pleasure in the retro pixel art!
Twitter: @MementoMoree
**Marco Pedrana** is a digital and traditional art vagrant. He started as draftsman in advertising and comics, went on in illustration, then painting, then conceptual art. He doubled back on videogame design with Aeon of Sands, creating its graphic, story, and sfx. Lately he freelances as a 3D generalist for indie game and cinema productions.
He focuses on narrative art, regardless of the medium or scope.
Twitter: @marcopedrana
**Romanus Surt** is the main guy at Graverobber Foundation, the developer behind Das Geisterschiff and Der Geisterturm. He does music for SKALD.
Twitter: @surt_r
**Edwin Montgomery** is a composer and sound designer for games, films and performance. A long-time RPG obsessive, he wrote the soundtrack for inXile's remastered 30th anniversary version of "Wasteland". He has created music and sounds for a variety of fantasy game worlds, including Warhammer 40,000, Game of Thrones and Neverwinter. Edwin does sound design for SKALD.
Twitter: @edwinmyshkin
---
## Appetite for Detestation
Great Game, Loved how much fun i had!
*– [Real player with 130.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199180125111)*
https://youtu.be/jaP9H9kh1JM
So you've read the description and now you're down here in the comments trying to figure out what's it all about. Click the video above to see some of the gameplay, mechanic and hear my thoughts on the game.
Appetite for Detestation is a 3D beat'em up set in the Victorian era where you get to play as the monster reeking havoc on the citizens in order to satiate your blood thirst. After reading that description I am sure you are, like I was, hype to jump into the game and get to slaying. Well, let's talk about the positives of the game first. The music is probably the best part of the game. It's eerie, inviting and sets the mood for a monster of the time. The environments are also well designed; plenty of destructive pieces and platforming to be had in each level.
*– [Real player with 0.4 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198076949298)*
---
## Archons of Doom
This can be a fast paced game, but if you are very crafty you can slow it down and make it yours, but you will have to have worked on your skill with your spells and any objects you may find.
You can think you are winning and then BAM you are lost! Very good challenging game play by the enemy Archons, they'll trick you and surprise you with their antics!
A very very addictive game. You lose so you want to try again, you win so you want to better your score. Very repeat playable. I Beta tested this but there were times I loaded this up just to play it anyway as it is that good!
*– [Real player with 306.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198169341348)*
This is in the top 10 games of any turn-based game on the market. I is in my top 20 of all turn-based game I've played, ever. It takes a while to hone one's skills, but that is the fun of the game. I was fortunate to beta-test the game and subsequently I learned a bunch about the mechanics. However, the finished and polished game is even more challenging, despite me knowing several of the maps.
We can also create our own Archons! Having played around 175 hours when this specific feature was added, I thought, "oh, I'll mop up with my hand-designed Archon along with a hand-picked team. Nah. Wrong. This game is challenging. There is always another Archon with minions that counter your advantages.
*– [Real player with 187.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198424448160)*
---
## Cthulhu Saves Christmas
At first I was really into it. It was funny, combat was fun and showed promise, music was great, the writing and scenes kept me interested. But it quickly died down. This is not a bad game. But not only does it not improve from previous games, which would've been important, it's even a step down from previous games overall, especially coming from Cosmic Star Heroine.
First, minor tech issues: the game has an overlay glitch at 1440p, possibly appears at other resolutions too, that doesn't happen at 1080p. It's not major, but it's a blemish. There is also an issue with characters following you going out of-sync above 60FPS. Doesn't pose any problem otherwise though.
*– [Real player with 13.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198056173804)*
I picked this up back around Christmas, and took only a little over 12 hours to finish it. Its only now I am getting around to reviewing it, so lets begin. I do recommend this game, but barely. It didn't click with me totally like some of Zeboyds previous titles.
The concept is simple. Cthulu wakes up and is told Santa has been kidnapped. Why should he care? Because Santa helps everyone get what they want for Christmas, even dark gods. If Santa isn't rescued, Cthulu can never conquer the world. Oh no! And so you set off to battle the League of Christmas Evil and save the holidays.
*– [Real player with 13.2 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198009316076)*
---
## In the House of Silence
Instructions unclear, shoved antlers in my eye sockets. 10/10
*– [Real player with 16.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197997417459)*
https://tinyletter.com/Avatar-of-Chaos/letters/in-the-house-of-silence-not-a-re-doubt
@Review:
In the House of Silence is a simple yet challenging Rogue-Like, with hours of content, featuring a tormenting plot of the House of Silence, the most dangerous location in The Night Land. An effort to find its dark secrets.
However, In the House of Silence, its silence feels more lonely. It is the only known video game to be inspired by Hodgson's famed story. Hopefully, over time, we'll see more, just like In the House of Silence.
*– [Real player with 12.1 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198057024340)*
---