Fire in the Beastlands

Great game, I echo the other reviews that say it reminds them of the first Dark Souls. It's original, tough as nails at some points, and has a decently steep learning curve to get into. The graphics took a bit for me to get used to but then I ended up loving the art style. Combat is tough but fair, lot of different choices on build / weapon / armor styles. Great mysterious story that can hang w/ the best of the genre. Large sprawling map with metroidvania style progession as you pick up more skills and gear. If you are stuck on a tough boss it's grindable. Lastly the developer is super responsive and involved in the community, you can post on the board if you have a question. Overall this was a hidden gem that I got hooked on and glad I didn't miss. 9/10 looking fwd to second playthru

This will be the 20th review for this game near 4 years after release, stuck on 'positive' for review aggregates because it doesn't have the numbers to even hit 'mostly positive'. Per steamDB, it has had a maximum concurrent player count of *four*, around the time of first release. Fire in the Beastlands is easily the most obscure game I have in my library. As of this review, it is also my favourite. In brief, Beastlands is a soulslike metroidvania with a Conan the Caveman setting. It works hard to capture two things: the melancholy of the first Dark Souls game, and the sweeping breadth of a grand metroidvania. Somewhere in the execution of these two goals, Beastlands carves an identity of its own. Often vague, verbose, perhaps slightly lopsided, but also lush, engrossing, and brimming with a love for the craft that you feel from that first hit of the main menu music. This is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for that Salt and Sanctuary hit of a 2D soulslike, for any one into the more retro style of metroidvania, and especially for anyone into prehistoric inspired settings. There are simply not enough caveman games of this calibre out there. But critically, this is a recommendation for anyone looking for something raw, passionate, and true to a creative vision. Figuring out and experiencing this game's hidden ending, unable to look up guides because it is just that obscure, has been a pleasure.

This kind of game makes me sad. The passion in this is palpable. Is a Metroidvania/Soulslike with good level design and world. This game has 14 reviews (15 with mine now) and is probably like this, because it has a "newgroud" look. If you like metroidvanias and/or soulslike, play this. Is really well done and ambitious.

awesome game. The graphics are very cool and gives that old school feel to me like when i played 20 years ago. Hard to believe one person developed this game from start to finish. I look forward to getting some more game time in and i will repost.

Вкратце: соулс-метроидвания не хуже Salt and Sanctuary. Настоящий hidden gem! Интересный и продуманный сеттинг, самобытный графический стиль, превосходный игровой процесс, множество секретов и лута! Из недостатков можно отметить разве что неудобный платформинг и некоторые чрезмерно темные пещеры. Очень рекомендую к покупке!

I love Metroidsoulsvanias, and this is one one of the better ones. Challenging fights, lots of build decisions, and the vibes are extremely on point. Unfortunately I had to stop playing when I got to the pitch black underwater section because it was too scary. Great game though.

Este juego es la verdadera secuela de salt and sanctuary , no esa basura de salt and sacrifice. This game is the real sequel of salt & sanctuary, no that salt and crapifice... RECOMENDADO. RECOMMENDED.

This is a top-tier indie offering, and I enjoyed every minute of my playthrough. I'm genuinely sad to see it has so few reviews. IMO it deserves the success of something like Salt and Sanctuary. The game does includes some adult themes / images. The game is a Soulslike / Metroidvania hybrid, and it excels at both combat and exploration. The art and animation might seem a bit odd in the store pics, but I found it quite appealing (even beautiful) in-game. The combat is tight. Health and damage balancing feels perfectly tuned throughout the game. Movesets are varied, enemy attacks are well choreographed, and dodging i-frames are fairly generous. (I didn't mess with blocking too much, so I can't comment on that.) Sometimes enemy attacks can feel overbearing, and some bosses may seem impossible first try, but I always felt like there was a way to overcome the challenges the game offered. All the armor, weapons, spells, consumables, key items, and world traversal abilities feel unique and rewarding to find / use. Character build really matters, but the game does allow for stat point respecs. (Not for the consumable upgrade skulls, however. I think you're stuck with your choices on those.) Platforming is genuinely enjoyable. Wall jumping (an unlock from an early game boss) feels great, and lets you reach all kinds of secret areas. Secret paths in general are very prevalent, both as shortcuts between areas, and leading to entirely new areas you could easily miss. (*cough* Slime Falls *cough*) The game uses darkness to great effect. It's doesn't overdo it, but limited visibility levels were highlights. There's also a legitimately labyrinthine level late game that felt really rewarding to overcome. There's so little info on the game online, you're almost forced to play through blind. Which was a nice change of pace, as I usually spoil everything for myself before I play a game. There is a secret ending, but it's *fairly* well telegraphed what you have to do to unlock it. There is a late game item you need which can also be used to create a weapon. I believe if you create the weapon, it locks you out of the secret ending. I focused on Witchcraft spells and they might be a bit op, but they felt satisfying to use. There's good damage spells mixed in with cool utility spells. (Waterbreathing for underwater areas, applying poison from a distance, etc.) The game uses the Dark Souls 1 limited casts per attuned spell mechanic, which I personally prefer over mana bars. The game also includes a mechanic where you can choose to either Burn or Drift collected enemy remains, each giving different rewards. (Some remains are also used for quests.) Burning unlocks stat point breakdowns and lore entries on the enemy whose remains you're burning. Drifting increases item find and xp gain, and increases a stat that is necessary for certain endings. One early-game enemy's lore entry gives a clue to the location of a secret area, which I thought was cool. A few rare remains can be burned to impart your character with special knowledge. I highly recommend giving this a try. My first playthrough blind was one of the best experiences I've had with a game.

Great game. The gameplay is exactly as advertised, precise souls-like combat and good platforming. Story is more engaging than you'd expect from this. A great one man work-of-art. Worth it.

Unga Bunga Souls que no para de darte patadas en los cojones pero entonces desarrollas un kink de CBT.