Far Away From Home

honestly I didn't have the heart to give this game a thumbs down since a lot of love was obviously put into it, but I don't think I'm going to play it for too long. Consider this a "meh." Pros: -I love the way level-ups are handled; you can put points into a few stats, and level up individual skills. -GREAT spritework, and I also like the aesthetic of the drawn art. -Tactics are solid. One of my pet peeves is when a TRPG boils down to "one-shot the enemy before they one-shot you", and this game doesn't do that. -I like the story. There isn't too much and you get right to the battles, but the characters are all written well. -Good soundtrack, which seems to take its inspiration from Final Fantasy Tactics. Cons: -Movement is weird, it is often unclear why you can or can't move to a certain square. Height info isn't displayed, but occasionally you just can't make a jump that looks completely doable and it throws your whole strategy off. Plus since you can't rotate the board, there's a lot of terrain behind trees and ledges that you just plain can't see. -Monsters just sit there until you get within the range of one of their attacks. This means that in battles where you are outnumbered, there's a whole lot of time spent each round cycling through the non-turns as each AI unit waits. -I really feel I've seen everything this game has to offer after only two hours. Each unit has like 8 skills and four passives, so there's not a lot of build variety at play here. To me, build variety is like THE THING for TRPG's. -I just plain do not like the whole "two types of damage" mechanic. FP acts as BOTH HP and MP for some characters and it contributes nothing fun to the strategy. -Some UI trifles, for instance how unclear it is to determine which unit you are targeting in regards to the turn order display, and that (playing on controller) the same buttons do different things in different menus so I accidentally ended a unit's turn too early a few times. Conclusion - If you love TRPGs and you're in the market for one, this will probably hit the spot. It isn't nearly as deep as Final Fantasy Tactics, or even some more modern takes like Fell Seal, but I'd suggest giving it a shot if you're curious.

So far, so good! This is a very cool turn-based combat game with an interesting story so far. I'm only three battles in, but the mechanics are well done and the skill variety is great. The game needs some quality of life stuff, as you can see in the Steam forums, but the developer seems very responsive so far, so I'm hopeful that Mr. Wong will polish up this game and make it something really special. It's already very enjoyable though. [Update 8/24/2022] The developer has already fixed all the quality of life issues I had with this game. VERY fast and excellent work by the developer! This game gets high marks from me. Lots of fun, and the developer is amazingly responsive.

[h1] !!! ABANDONWARE WITH GAME BREAKING BUG, DO NOT BUY !!! [/h1] DEVS, PLEASE REVIEW BUG REPORT IN DISCUSSION! THIS GAME BREAKING BUG HAS BEEN REPORTED SINCE APRIL 2023 ! The game is not bad, but there is this one bug that ruins the whole experience! I am playing on Steam Deck by the way. BUG REPORT It happens right in the beginning of the game. Once the boxing lady gives the gun to the scientist and they go inspect the body, right after the scientist inspects and say scavengers got to it, the story simply freezes and nothing happens. I took a screenshot of the exact moment and it is in the Discussion thread for bugs. After that, my only option is to skip the cut scene to continue and suddenly I'm fighting wolves and have no idea about what happened or what's happening. Another user called Steve reported this same bug in April 2023. It's the comment right before mine in the bug Discussion thread. According to Steve, this bugs happens 3 times overall throughout the game. It's everytime Simon does some sort of "different" animation. Steve says it's this time I reported, another one right after chapter 10, and then one more time later on. POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS • Fix bugs as soon as possible! • Allow to fast forward through story other than just skipping it. • Instead of having an option to skip the whole story, have skippable sections. By adding more breaks, it's easier to get back to where you were without skipping everything. CONCLUSION Since this bug happened right in the beginning and I will not continue the game without knowing the story, it ruined the whole experience. It's not that the game is bad, but this bug is destroying the experience. I will follow-up and give this game another try once the bug is fixed.

So I think I am near the end of this game. It is okay. It is a linear path to the end. No repeated battles, Every enemy is a poorly drawn werewolf. No class tree, no other characters aside from the first. The def has a very clear goal in what they want you to experience here and its fairly decently balanced. Game is worth a purchase if you've played every other SRPG out there, but there are much much better ones if not.

[h1][u]Quick Overview[/u][/h1] Far Away From Home tells the tale of a motley crew and their involuntary trip into a strange realm after a science experiment gone awry. In a similar spirit as Final Fantasy Tactics, I highly recommend it to fans of the TRPG genre, and if you’re a newcomer, the tutorial provides an adequate enough explanation of the basics. As a whole, it’s a great experience all around, filled with an awesome cast, and engaging combat. [table][tr][td][h1]Pros 👍[/h1] [list][*]Engaging storyline [*] Quirky and amusing main characters[*]Fun turn-based gameplay[*]Colorful, pixel graphics [*]Default difficulty provides a decent challenge [*]Stable performance[/list][/td][td][h1]Cons 👎[/h1][list][*]Fixed camera angle can be annoying at times[*]Overly linear campaign and no side-quests[/list][/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr][td][b]PC Specs: RTX 2070 Super |i7 4790S |12 GB RAM |1440p resolution[/b][/td][td][b]Average Playtime: 15-20 hours[/b][/td][td]✅M&K,✅Controller, ✅ Steam Deck[/td][/tr][/table][quote]Check out our Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41449676/] Summit Reviews[/url], to read more high-quality reviews.[/quote] [h1][u] Gist of the Story[/u][/h1] During the meeting of the minds, a much anticipated scientific project known as the IHC, or International Hadron Collider, is unveiled for the first time to the public. However, a glitch in the system occurs, causing five unlikely heroes to be teleported into a strange place with hostile bipedal wolves and no human life in sight. Given no choice, they set forth on a journey to discover a way back home, all the while, uncovering the mystery surrounding this unusual world. [b][u]My thoughts[/u][/b] From start to finish, the story is entertaining, wild, and sometimes heartwarming. There is plenty of hilarious dialogue between the cast, and I always find myself laughing at how ridiculous their bantering can be. Every character, from the redheaded one-woman army named Crim, to Gabriel, the stoic swordswoman who plays the voice of reason, has their own distinctive personality that plays out in the story relatively well. It has just the right amount of wit and earnestness rolled into one incredible package. [h1][u]Gameplay[/u][/h1] [b][u]Final Fantasy Tactics Inspired Goodness[/u][/b] Similar to other tactical RPGs, you start out in a grid-like field, surrounded by enemy hostiles. The combat relies on a turn-based system, and each unit’s speed will govern the order of all the players in the turn list. For instance, our medic, Simon, has the highest speed initially, thus he will most likely go first. Another determinant like the “AT” bar provides a boost to a character’s turn order, and skills like “Energize” fill it to a certain degree, ensuring a character can jump to the front of the line, and go before an enemy to attack or retreat if need be. I find the game’s explanation of the “AT” bar lacking, and I had to experiment to determine its actual use. You take control of five characters and can recruit other friendly wolves later with food if they're in critical health. As you level up, you can put points into stats like strength, increasing base damage, or agility, which determines speed and dodge chance. Ranged units like Graff, the sharpshooter, will need high dexterity, which manages hit chance. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2853867216 Skills and traits provide exclusive roles for every unit, and while the selection isn’t varied, they can synergize well with other characters. For example, Crim is useful for tanking hits and pulling enemies off of her teammates with her talent for taunting, but her “Fastball Special” skill helps with positioning her allies like Gabriel, who is the main damage dealer in the party, inflict pain at enemies in a straight line, slicing through several at once. Fastball is one of my favorites since it can also reposition friendlies into a better vantage point because attacks towards the side or behind an enemy have increased damage and hit chance. I notice the combat is somewhat challenging at the standard difficulty with each chapter upping the ante, flooding the arena with Elites who can demolish your units quickly, but you can always save mid-combat if you’re unsure about your decisions like me. If only life is as simple as reloading a previous save file. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2853851883 [b][u]Focus and Endurance units[/u][/b] Endurance and focus are stats that are in charge of HP and FP (comparable to mana points), respectively, but they also determine the type of damage someone can take. Wounding one’s HP is typically the standard practice, and if Crim or Claster’s health is depleted to zero, they are incapacitated for the rest of the battle. However, focus units like Simon, Graff, and Gabriel, will instead take damage to their FP bar when injured. At first, I thought it was a bit unfair because they not only use their FP to activate skills, but it also acts as their health pool. Fortunately, if it does reach 0, they don’t die right away allowing Claster, your wonderful emotional support dog, to mend their FP, or they can give him a pet on the head, replenishing some HP/FP to fight another turn. [b][u]Camping out[/u][/b] These are your checkpoints between chapters where you can level up, arrange battle formations, or even catch up on interesting commentary made by teammates. You can also complete tasks that add extra supplies, the in-game currency, to your pocket or eke out a level-up if you’re on the border. Another important work is crafting ring drives, a handy accessory that grants the crew special passives that can complement their skills and strengths. Movement range ones, for example, have their common application and don't cost much to create, but higher tiered rings that enhance base damage like the “Negotiator” can be expensive early on. I love how the rings add another layer of variety to the gameplay because you can mix and match them, depending on a character’s preferred build. You can get them after finishing a chapter as a loot drop, but I realized that it’s more cost-effective if you recruit an enemy wolf to your side because they will join you with whatever rings they have on. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2853853257 [h1][u]Graphics and Technical Issues[/u][/h1] The adorable mini sprites and pixelated environment might not be the most beautiful, but they induce a certain charm and are very reminiscent of FFT. In terms of technical issues, the fixed camera angle can be frustrating during particular chapters where it’s difficult to tell the different types of elevation, especially around corners. In some cases, enemies can also hide behind the scenery, causing me to yell at Crim to throw them in viewing range. Luckily, this isn’t a frequent occurrence, and the developer has mentioned that he is working on free camera movement. There aren’t plenty of graphical settings to choose from, but I never had it crash, and performance has been stable, even on the Steam Deck. [h1][u]Wrap Up[/u][/h1] It took me about 15 hours to finish, making it a respectable adventure for its price point. I do wish we can explore more of the overworld, discover new points of interest and maybe even meet new people, but because of its linear campaign mode, meaning no side-quests or branching paths, there’s not much to see, and it is a shame. I love its world-building, and I have to admit, the ending is bittersweet, making me tear up a little, or that might have been my allergies. I am hoping that we see more of this game in the future with additional content, and I would love to see an expansion of the post-game content. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is definitely worth a look-see.

Somewhat challenging, but in the entire game you fight only vs wolves, gets repetitive really fast, you cant capture the good ones either, so you are almost forced to pick one of the 2 buff wolves. The game has gamebreaking bugs, one of the most important ones is at the last chapter where I had to skip the last scene of the game, since every sprite on the screen changed to the samurai sprite, and after the dialogue plays for a while, the scene just gets stuck, forcing you to skip it.

I was lucky enough to play test this game, and am currently grinding through a hard ironman mode run and absolutely addicted to it. FAFH carries obvious touchstones to the Tactics Ogre series and FF: Tactics, but stands out from these and other tactics games by approaching the genre in new and refreshing ways that made me want to keep playing the game well after its touching epilogue. FAFH emphasizes team building. Many tactics games (Fire Emblem, the two series listed above) can be broken open by creating a hyper carry character who you dump all your experience points and stat boosting items into. FAFH doesn't allow you to do this because experience is shared between the team, meaning everyone levels at the same pace, and the enemies scale with your level. So rather than bulk up, say Gabriel to solo levels with dodge tanking, you have to consider your party as a whole. The game also allows you to view all of the skills and traits after you complete the first stage, so right from the jump you can start theory crafting and building your team. In some runs, I made Gabriel and Claster tanks, in others Crim, sometimes Simon can be a monster who shreds armor and does major damage, others he's a fantastic support. Every character not only comes with a starting kit to fill different roles, but also can be played in multiple ways, so replayability is deeply rewarding for those who want to try different combinations of team building. FAFH also innovates with the addition of Agile/Endurance units. Endurance units work in classic SRPG fashion. They have a standard HP pool and a TP (mana) pool. Agile units, meanwhile, have a MUCH larger TP pool, and their TP acts as not only how they use skills, but also as their health. This forces you to play around balancing big swinging attacks or support moves that can drain Simon, Gabriel, and Graff's effective HP. Tanking, pulling enemy aggro all becomes much more important. This system emphasizes control, rather than simply trying to DPS down everything. It can be difficult to wrap your head around right away, but trust me when I say it's more intuitive than it sounds and is one of the features that drew me really deeply into this game in the first place. Finally, this game is story and character driven in ways that are very refreshing. By keeping the cast small, FAFH is able to give some really deep exploration of its characters while also telling a story that is engaging, but doesn't hold its player's hand. It leaves room for players to draw their own conclusions about the world, while giving a satisfying and engaging ending to the core narrative of the story. I loved loved loved this game! It's been a busy year for me, so I've not had the chance to play much stuff, but this game scratched an itch I'd not been able to scratch since Into the Breach released. Highly recommend for fans of challenging Tactics RPG games and for more casual folks who enjoy sci-fi/fantasy stories. I'd say the main story can be completed in 10 to 20 hours, while if you rush you can get done in 6. Considering the 30 I've put into the playtest and 5 so far on the official release, I fully expect this to be worth the price <3

Ok I'm going to be completely honest here and get the cons out of the way first: Is the game kinda linear? sure. is it kind of short? yeah. Does the art style take some getting used to? that depends entire on your point of view but I can see it going either way. Is the in battle map slightly frustrating at times? definitely Was I a bit disappointed that the wolves were the main antagonist for 90% of the game? a little bit But that's literally all of the issues I have with this game, they're mostly a nit pick. The fights are challenging the maps are interesting the characters are just pure gold level progression and customisation is done in a really interesting and satisfying way (although this does teeter out a bit in the late game) I'd recommend this to anyone who likes the sound of Final Fantasy tactics lite but with a lot more humour. I do not mean that as anything but a compliment, I love and adore FFT and this is a great way to stcatch that itch, I really don't understand why the game doesn't have more people interested in it. I'm incredibly excited to see where this game goes in terms of updates and/or DLC so I can play more of this game

It's a good game! Offers a different sort of challenge than that of Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics. Customization is interesting up-front but tends to fall off mid-to-late game, especially since the customization of the party as a whole is basically nothing. The system is easily broken with some blatantly unbalanced skills if you choose to go all-in on them. Fights are mostly fun and breezy. Story and dialogue are good, though it caters to a much different audience than standard grid-based tactics games. Do wish enemy variety was bigger. The wolves have a lot of different portraits but they all tend to blend in together since their physical features are largely the same. Even a completely human cast tends to have greater visual variety than the enemies presented here

I enjoyed playing this game. It's direct (no branching paths) which I didn't mind. The customisation is primarily in character stats and then ring drives, which allowed for some fun builds. I think the solo dev did a great job with their first game. It took me ~14 hours to finish. Definitely recommend!