[h2]Balrum does what it needs to do, but it could be better developed and more polished.[/h2]
Balrum is an old-school open-world RPG from 2016 by Balcony Softworks, with clear crafting and survival elements layered on top of its traditional RPG structure. On Steam, the game has 42 achievements, but Steam lists no Trading Cards among its features. In terms of playtime, it’s often estimated at around 30 hours for the main story and roughly 40 hours if you include side content (based on HLTB data). That said, I won’t be getting anywhere near that. After 3.5 hours, I’ve decided I’ve had enough—it’s simply not really my kind of game.
[b]Story[/b]
Story-wise, it’s actually pretty decent. You start with a house that’s partially burned down and you’re tasked with rebuilding it, while also investigating an earlier family whose house also burned down and who then disappeared. I haven’t progressed far, but the setup and atmosphere are interesting. In the official description, the story takes place in Darkwood, years after your community fled into those woods, and revolves around “dark secrets” and a world that keeps getting more dangerous.
[b]Graphics and Audio[/b]
Visually, it’s 2D isometric and clearly pixel-art/retro. You can sharpen the image and scale up the UI in the settings, which definitely helps readability, but it remains a pixelated style. (Fun fact: according to the community wiki, the game runs on an in-house engine designed to perform well without demanding hardware.) The music and sound effects are fairly simple; don’t expect high production values, but they do their job for the atmosphere.
[b]Gameplay[/b]
At its core, you explore a large open world in real time, with tactical, turn-based combat whenever you enter fights. Along the way you’re constantly gathering resources (wood, stone, plants, etc.) to support the deeper crafting/survival layer: you can build, craft, farm (grow your own crops), and even tame an animal companion—and that companion is fully controllable, adding another layer to combat. There’s also solid RPG depth: you use learning points to build either a “pure” character or a hybrid build, and the game features dozens of side quests, dungeons, and even three different paths to reach the ending.
My biggest issue, however, is direction and objective clarity. There are barely any clear signposts/quest markers, so I felt like I had to keep the map open almost constantly to avoid getting lost. Fast travel via obelisks helps, but not enough to remove that feeling of “searching instead of playing.” There’s also very little handholding; there is a digital manual available through Steam (“View the manual”), but in-game you’re expected to figure out a lot on your own.
[b]Price[/b]
I got Balrum through a Fanatical Mystery Box and paid less than €1 for it—at that price it’s absolutely fine, especially with 3.5 hours played. The full price (around €14.99, depending on region) is something I personally wouldn’t pay, unless you really enjoy slow, open-ended RPGs—or you pick it up during a good sale.
[b]Conclusion[/b]
Balrum has some good ideas (especially the crafting/survival systems and character building), but the lack of clear direction and the slow “from point to point” flow made me drop it after 3.5 hours. This is more for players who enjoy minimal handholding, wandering, discovering, and digging into systems—less for anyone looking for a casual experience with clear objectives.
