[code][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: IndieGems if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/code]
Fantasy Raiders is a casual rpg/adventure game that is still in very early access.
The idea of this being an RPG is really loose, because there is not much of a story. It is really just one treasure quest after another. Perhaps this will change with further developement.
You play as a young treasure hunter and your goal is to find treasure on the map and bring them to the people who asked for them. You are not the only one who got the job, so expect many competitors. In addition, every other living creature on the map are also automatically drawn to the treasure, so you have to be careful.
There is a lot of variety in this game in terms of overall goals and outcomes. You can decide to keep the treasure for yourself, you can talk to your competitors or attack them. You can defeat enemies and loot them, or you can befriend different monster factions, etc. Your actions further determine the attitudes and the actions of other creatures.
If you find the treasure from your assignment, you need to play your cards right because everyone and everything else will come after you. Each creature wants the treasure for themselves. So you are really holding onto a hot potato! But if you play smart, you can use this fact against your enemies as well.
Sometimes it is better not to attack any enemy, but try to sneak past them. If you befriend a faction, they will help you as well, to a certain extent. Of course, all bets are off when you are holding the treasure.
Besides the big treasure on the map, there is also a lot of loot to be found, they can be in chests, random dead bodies, etc.
You walk by clicking your character somewhere on the field with the left mouse button. To attack, speak, open, magic etc you have to click the right mouse button. From there you can select the action you wish to use. This works fairly well, and every action is accompanied by equal action by other creatures that take the same amount of time. So playing can feel smooth and in real-time, but if you stop to think, everything stops until you perform the next action. So it's simultaneous turn-based with passive stops and gos.
You character can level up if it has enough character points. You can choose what you want to update (your weapon, your magic, etc). There are several trees of skills/abilities to upgrade to improve your character in the way that you wish.
The game is not really linear. You can see on the map where your next treasure is. But you do not have to go there. Each part of the map has a new square. In some squares there are monsters or small treasures. In other squares you have to do some small puzzles to continue. You can take lengthy paths to try to gamble on your chances through more chance encounters and rooms, but you may also run into other obstacles that cause more problems than what you originally asked for.
If you die you will keep all your upgrades and items. So there is no permadeath. So far I cannot tell if there is any harm in dying, which you should expect to do. The game feels casual, and gives you plenty of time to think. But there is also a lot of times when you get cornered by huge mobs and your HP drains quickly, especially if you try to hold onto the treasure. So the difficulty seems to be quite high for me at times.
The graphics are super cute. There is almost no music in the game (maybe that will change with future updates.)
There is no price set for the EU or many other countries. It does have a listed price in North America. I dont know if that will change, my guess is that it will be activated in other regions. The game does not offer any kind of offensive material, or culturally controversial content for it to be forced off the market in most regions, in my opinion.
The game is definitely a work in progress, but is has a lot of gameplay. The game may change, it also warns you about it when you start the game.
If you like to play a cute rpg / adventure game and do not mind its incomplete nature, I can recommend it. It would be nice if the developer would make this game available in all countries/regions. If you are uncertain about the game but want to see some gameplay, the following is a Youtube recording of a first-look at the game:
https://youtu.be/5gUBzxIE9hE
In addition, if you look at the gameplay trailer, there is a 6+ minute narrated gameplay video done by the developer, which explains a lot of the mechanics. He clearly has enough experience to make the gameplay look smooth and appear in real-time, but you will certainly have time to take your actions when you start in the more turn-based fashion. Keep in mind that you will take some time getting used to this game before things become smoother.
Disclaimer: The copy of the game was provided by the publisher, however, it did not influence my opinion in any way.
