LOST SPHEAR
I’ve done a lot of thinking about this, and having played through the entire story I can safely give my judgement: This is not a good game. It’s adequate, at best.
Sure there is some stuff to like in here, but overall I found it severely lacking. Here’s my nearly free/ only minor spoiler review:
First of all, the writing and characters are absolutely atrocious. If I’m playing any sort of RPG, I want to be invested in who I’m controlling. In this game, every character hits an archetype from the moment you meet them and doesn’t grow at all through the course of the game. This doesn’t hold true for two of the characters: Locke and Van. But even in their cases, we all saw their individual plot-lines coming, right? (If I were doing spoilers in this review, there would be an earful here about how increadibly stupid and plothole filled a character Locke is here)
– Real player with 85.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Party-Based RPG JRPG Games.
A retro-esque JRPG that brings me back to the days when I had to do all my homework before my parents would let me play my videogame… In fact, Lost Sphear is exactly that, as it refuses to let you enjoy its mechanics until you’ve sat through 30-40 hours of uninspired plot first.
It’s narrowly a “no” from me.
If you like mechanics-heavy ATB-based JRPG combat, there’s a lot to love here. Global modifiers in the form of Artifacts allow you to change the battle mechanics, allowing you to warp them to favor your playstyle and character builds. Your characters start out as fairly cookie-cutter JRPG roles, but Momentum and Sublimation, though poorly-explained, allow you to permanently imprint your characters' skills with unique mechanics-abusing effects. Weapons and armor are modifiable, too, making almost every piece of gear technically viable* in its niche.
– Real player with 74.3 hrs in game
Mini Healer
Most of the early and middle of this game plays out like a puzzle game with grinding combined with an ARPG skill tree.
You’ll probably enjoy this enough for the price if you like the idea of a Diablo II skill tree and item style combined with bosses that each have unique mechanics.
I have seen a few streamers pick it up and hate it immediately because there are at least 2-3 hours of grinding before you actually get access to the interesting content of the game, and that’s if you recognize which builds are way better than the others and make fast progress. Even after that, there are a couple mostly-required grind walls.
– Real player with 112.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Party-Based RPG Loot Games.
Amazing. Better than you think.
So much better than it has any right to be. One of my favorite games in recent memory, and I still can’t quite believe it. I’m not much of an indie game / single dev game person. I like AAA titles and graphics. I don’t love MMOs, which are the obvious inspiration, here. I definitely wouldn’t have picked it up but for the reviews and the price tag.
Seriously, though, you should buy it. Even if you don’t like playing a healer in MMOs, it has the addictive theory-crafting and building of ARPGs like Grim Dawn or Path of Exile, but without any of the headaches of those or the MMOs. No quests, no fetching, and no penalties for build-testing. You can even save multiple builds and swap between them at will. It’s just boss after boss at your leisure. You can farm whatever boss you want and even have a different build and party setup for each boss.
– Real player with 73.0 hrs in game
All the King’s Men
The King is kidnapped from his bed in the middle of the night without a struggle. The royal militia specifically seeks out Topher’s father for his help, citing suspicious indiscretions in his past. Leaving him with many more questions than answers, and no remaining ties to his home, Topher decides to make his way across the nation on foot to meet up with his father in the capital city and put the pieces of his life together into a full image that makes sense. Along the way, meet allies and enemies alongside Topher on his journey across the land to save his family and, in turn, the Kingdom.
On-Screen Enemy Encounters / Battle System
Never feel like you’re leaving the action of the game with a random encounter! All enemies are on-screen and battles take place right where you found the enemy on the map. The active-battle system keeps fighting dynamic and allows the you to follow the action in real time in order to best strategize your next move.
Complete Control over Stat-Growth
Instead of gaining random, arbitrary stats based on some RNG behind-the-scenes, control your own destiny and customize each play-through with your own personalized leveling board. Every play-through can be different, based on the path you take to improve your party.
Fully Original Soundtrack
A truly dynamic, original soundtrack to fully immerse you within this open world adventure. Every track in the game was created specifically, and exclusively, for All the King’s Men by idea composer, Andrew LiVecchi.
Multiple Difficulties
Choose your fate before the game begins, based on the level of challenge you desire. Standard mode still offers challenging gameplay, but you’ll have access to saving whenever you desire, simply by accessing your menu, inn and item prices will be much more easily accessible, and enemies of all types will present less of a challenge. Professional mode is not for the faint of heart. Your save access will be restricted to the save crystals throughout the map, inn and item prices will be more of a stress on your wallet, and enemy battles will require careful strategy and consideration to win.
Both modes will offer the same access to the main plot of the game and the quests related to that, though some side quests will only be found in Professional Mode.
Flexible Controls
More detailed information about controls still being confirmed.
Read More: Best Party-Based RPG Open World Games.
The Outbound Ghost
────────────────── Press Kit | Discord | Twitter ─────────────────── ⠀
⠀
The Outbound Ghost is an adventure RPG about a ghost figuring out the cause of their own death, and helping others come to terms with the afterlife. You’ll play as an amnesiac ghost who wakes up in the outskirts of the town of Outbound. It just happens that it was the site of a serial killing a few weeks before you came into the picture.
Meet ghosts and engage with a variety of gameplay systems that are intertwined with the story in order to free them to the afterlife.⠀
-
Meet a colourful cast of characters each with a troubled life before their death.
-
Engage in word battles inspired by Undertale’s combat.
-
Take in the beautiful vistas of the Paper Mario-inspired world.
-
Experience a one of a kind story about the meaning of life (and death).
⠀
In the world of The Outbound Ghost, ghosts are the embodiment of regret. Most people go to the afterlife after dying, yet those who were unhappy with their previous lives become ghosts and are forced to haunt the Earth until they right their wrongs. Of course, this is not always possible since doing this as a ghost is orders of magnitude harder than when you are a human. However, some manage to do this and are able to spend the rest of their deaths in the afterlife. In The Outbound Ghost, your task is to help others fix or come to terms with their past lives so that they can enjoy the pleasures of eternal bliss. You must achieve that for yourself too, but it’s not so easy to mend the mistakes of your past life when you don’t even remember them.
Venaitura
Very solid NES style JRPG, with more strategic depth than many of the classics. Most enemies (I think it might be all) are weak to a certain weapon type, but most characters can only equip a few of the weapon types. There’s a also a slew of very useful status effects when brute force isn’t working.
And to round it out, the writing here is pretty good. It’s not going to win any awards, but important characters are fleshed out enough to be interesting, and some of the dialogue is genuinely funny. The random NPCs are plentiful and build the world quite well, but don’t waste your time with pointless dialogue.
– Real player with 37.1 hrs in game
Venaitura is a short, fun, charming and sometimes serious game with a good balance of ease and difficulty. With twelve character classes and an absolutely huge variety of options for party balance, my first play through might just be a little biased since I chose Wiseman, Savior, Druid and Companion.
I am one of the early playtesters of this game and although I have not found any bugs, I’ve heard from a few other players there are some, BUT the game dev, Ephiam is very active and I haven’t heard of any game breaking bugs.
– Real player with 31.8 hrs in game
Drakensang
A party based RPG with great potential but quite unfinished and unpolished. Some people compare it to DA:O, NWN, BG, etc…(that being the reason I bought it) but that’s a big overstatement.
The bad:
1. The story/main quest - linear, blurry and uninteresting - does little to motivate the player to save the world.
2. The side quests are scarce, petty, uncomplicated and unrewarding.
3. The companions are plain, stereotyped and boring. They have no personal quests (except one), don’t develop with the progress in the game, rarely have something to say about quests/environment. Puppets with no personality, no conflicts, no banters, no life. The majority of them can be recruited too late in the game, so, for the first half, you will probably be stuck with the barking amazon and the cliché dwarf.
– Real player with 178.9 hrs in game
Ah, so this is where Dragon age origins stole all their ideas.. Of course that most likely isnt true. Judging by the release dates, the guys and gals over at Bioware were almost certainly unaware of the osbcure German title Drakensang, even tho Drakensang did come out first.
After beating Drakensang and enjoying it greatly, I couldnt help but notice similarities. Four member party- check. Pause and play tactical combat- check. Mages have magical skills and fighters get erm, fightery skills. Your archers stand back and sling arrows, you’ll need a rogue to open locks, disable traps and even smooth talk out of a situation or two. Its all done well, and made with obvious care, so if your into that sort of thing, your gonna like this.
– Real player with 138.8 hrs in game
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
This game is awesome! I am replaying it after a few months playing other games right now and giving the turn based system a try. it is great. the combat is different if you play turn based or real time with pause so you can experience two different game styles. i think that it would be a lot better if you had both in one play-through but then again by not having it they make different stats more important for different modes. like dex is more important in RTWP and is absolutely useless in turn based mode, unless you just want to go first every round.
– Real player with 460.1 hrs in game
One of my all time favorite games. A true modern rpg masterpiece.
– Real player with 233.6 hrs in game
Ruinverse
Game is a fun classic JRPG. Story isn’t overly complex but the characters give it a lot of charm. Lot of customizability to the characters. A good 30-40 hour romp.
– Real player with 99.3 hrs in game
Ok so since I am the only one in my language who has actually played the game lets review so far.
-
Don’t listen to negative reviews if any especially on Web pages they have not played it much.
-
I also am playing on the most difficult play setting with all the DLC enabled cant speak for other difficulties etc.
Pros - Lots to do tons of content though I am not sure how far into the game I am so far I cant put it down.
Great graphics considering and wonderful play concepts like auto battles, planting bushes etc.
– Real player with 87.9 hrs in game
Asdivine Saga
Overview
In a world facing a sudden war, a mercenary by the name of Vyse finds himself seeking to uncover the evil machinations operating behind the scenes. Joined by a pair of royal princesses and shinobi, does success lie in the cards for this unlikely band of adventurers when danger seems to lurk at every turn…?!
Master the art of throwing and level monsters to the dust! Get powerful support from spirits that can be equipped to enhance magic, and upgrade weapons and synthesize rings to power up in battle. You can even get special endings by building up trust with other characters, and take on the strongest at the battle arena to enjoy this fantasy RPG in its entirety.
Story
What will Vyse and his trio of lovely companions discover as they seek to uncover the evil machinations operating behind the scenes of this sudden war that is slowly engulfing the world? Come join them in what is sure to be a wild ride full of comical heroics and crazy antics that you will not soon forget!
Master the “Throw” Attack!
As a shinobi, Akane has the ability to combine items, and unleash a variety of special attacks in battle!
Get Powerful Support from Spirits & Create Rare Rings!
By equipping spirits, sub-elementals can be leveled up, and magic can be learned based on their elementals. Spirits also make it possible for powerful skills called “Trust Charges” that can turn the tide of battlefield to be used. In addition, rings that can be equipped as accessories are also able to be synthesized and upgraded.
Increase Trust with Companions and…!
Depending on how he responds to his female counterparts, Vyse can build relationships of trust with them. Moreover, by growing closer to them, who knows what the future will hold…?
The Whole Kit and Caboodle!
Packed with all the usual content fans of the series have come to expectーthe battle arena where Maidame Curie runs the show, a weapon upgrade system used to enhance the party’s weapons of choice, and levels that go all the way up to 999ーplayers can enjoy the world of Asdivine to their heart’s content!
Avalom: Ancestral Heroes
Giving a final review update after extensive time and hours playing the game..the old original first earlier impressions will be listed below the latest updated info (this will be long but should help give extensive information to people)..
Latest update after many hours playing through the game and starting more than one character as well (this should help people wondering if the game has longevity and replayability).. - So after much more time with the game I can say without a doubt this game is definitely worth the money and is very cool. The amount of game play here for less than $20 is insane and I have personally not seen any other steam indie game in this genre that is less than $20 with this much content in it. At first the full possibilities are not clear and the game may seem a little sparse because it does not have a triple A budget, but as you play the game more you will see many interesting things open up and see the uniqueness of the game world and variety and depth to the combat and character skills/builds.
– Real player with 95.5 hrs in game
As an indie game developer myself, I believe this game shows a lot of promise. It could use quite a bit of polish in regards to UI and localization but I do enjoy playing the game. As the developer keeps adding new free content I feel it is worth the price being charged for it. The animations could be as little smoother and fluid in some cases.
This is not a AAA game and they are not charging the $60 for a AAA game, so one shouldn’t expect it.
– Real player with 16.7 hrs in game