Flames of Freedom: 1821

I requested a refund because this does not feel like an Early Access game. It feels like early experimentation in game dev. I will set aside my personal dislike of the fantasy elements, AI-looking promotional material, and the way the historical setting is used as a selling hook, and focus on the game itself. 1. UI The UI is basic and unhelpful. There are no clear button prompts, so you are expected to memorize controls or reopen menus to check them. Some menu behavior is also broken. Once inside certain menus, such as options or save slots, I could not simply back out and had to select something, while at the same time the main menu could still be navigated in the background. 2.MOVEMENT / ANIMATIONS Movement and animation feel extremely rough. The character snaps forward and turns instantly with no sense of weight or intention. Animations are stiff, lifeless, and often buggy. At times the character is rigid in midair one moment and then suddenly transitions into a ledge grab in a way that looks broken rather than responsive. 3. COMBAT Combat is barely there. You can mostly spam attack and roll. There are only a few repeated attack animations, hits have no impact, and hit detection is unreliable. I repeatedly saw my sword pass through enemies without registering damage. Since enemies can be interrupted so easily, combat quickly becomes “hit first, spam, win.” 4. ENEMY AI Enemy AI is almost nonexistent. Enemies have very short awareness, barely pursue, do not apply group pressure, and can be trivialized by rolling through or behind them and mashing attack. Their behavior is repetitive, passive, and easy to exploit. On top of that, the same few enemy models are reused again and again with almost no meaningful variation. 5. ART DIRECTION The art direction is incoherent. One moment the game presents itself as tied to the Greek Revolution, the next it throws you into caverns, fantasy-like dungeons, magical effects, and other elements that feel disconnected from the setting being used to market the game. Even putting historical accuracy aside, the project lacks a coherent identity. It feels visually stitched together rather than designed with a clear direction. Chest items look AI generated and cause further disconnection in the already disconnected art style. 6. GAMEPLAY LOOP / CONTENT There is also no content at this stage. Most things feel unfinished or “to be added.” Beyond running, attacking, opening a chest, and dying, there is nothing else to do. Runs also do not meaningfully change. The same level, same obstacles, same enemy types, same enemy placements, and same patrol behavior repeat over and over, which kills any sense of progression or discovery very quickly. 7. PURPOSE The game also gives very little sense of purpose. It does not communicate clearly who you are, what your goal is, why you are progressing, or what makes one run meaningfully different from the next. Items and bonuses are poorly communicated, inventory access is unclear, and even basic information about what is equipped or changed is not presented well. 8. PERFORMANCE Performance was rough as well on a modern system. I experienced stutters and freezes when approaching new parts of the level as the assets loaded in, which made the whole project feel even more unpolished. 9. AI GENERATED CONTENT The writing and presentation do not help. Item lore, narration, and promotional text often read like AI-generated filler: overblown, vague, and disconnected from the actual experience of playing the game. Instead of strengthening the world, they make it feel more artificial. The same goes for some of the visual presentation and marketing assets, which come across as inconsistent and synthetic rather than cohesive. 10. CONCLUSION Any one of these issues by itself could have been forgiven in a first project. All of them together make this feel far below Early Access level. What is being sold right now is not a rough but promising game. It is an extremely early experiment being presented with much grander language than the build can support. It feels more like a student project than an actual game in it's early stages. I will not be supporting this until some actual effort has gone into it. Relying on the theme alone to sell this isn't enough and "greek game by greek devs" doesn't mean anything when there are games like Crimson Capes that have effort and polish put into them. With that said, this might one day be worth the purchase and support, but it doesn't right now. It should have stayed in the oven for a few months instead of trying to capitalize on a symbolic date to generate sales and buzz. *Edit* Buyers should also be aware that the store page presents systems more fully than they currently appear in the release build and the early access info does not mention the core features missing from the build. For example, an inventory screen was added to the store page screenshots on March 21st according to SteamDB, but that inventory is not currently available in-game according to the developer.

ΞΥΠΝΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΑ! ΟΣΟ ΔΙΑΒΑΖΕΙΣ ΚΡΙΤΙΚΕΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΤΗΜ, ΟΙ ΤΟΥΡΚΟΙ ΣΕ ΚΑΝΟΥΝ ΣΤΑΝΛΟΚ! ΚΑΝΕ ΤΟΥΜΠΑ ΜΕ ΤΟ Β ΓΙΑ ΝΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΠΟΦΥΓΕΙΣ!

As a Greek gamer, I was genuinely excited to support a local studio, especially for a game centered around such an important part of our history—the Greek Revolution. Unfortunately, my excitement quickly turned into disappointment. I am not requesting a refund for the money—it’s only $5—but as a statement of frustration and refusal to support a product released in this state. This game feels less like a celebration of Greek history and more like an attempt to capitalize on a key date to generate revenue, despite being far from ready for public access. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the issues I encountered: 1. Unclear Rewards and Progression The developer has added the button to open chests in the key settings, but it should still be visible when near chests. As it stands, this makes progression confusing and frustrating, especially since chests are one of the few “rewards” in the gameplay loop. 2. Lack of Basic UI Options There is no settings menu for sound, graphics, or controls. Even the most basic quality-of-life features are missing, which makes the game feel unfinished and unpolished. 3. Buggy Enemies and Combat Some enemies can kill you without actively attacking, with sword-swing sounds triggering damage inexplicably. The combat system is shallow: either you hit first and win, or you get hit first and die. There is no real skill or strategy involved, only frustration and randomness. 4. Incomplete Core Features While the game advertises roguelite mechanics, the actual gameplay loop is minimal. The “hideout,” which appears to be a central feature, isn’t functional yet and is marked as “coming soon.” Releasing a core gameplay element after launch is particularly disappointing given that the release is tied to a significant national holiday. 5. Performance Issues The game freezes frequently, even on a top-tier PC. This makes playing the game a frustrating experience and further highlights its lack of polish and testing. 6. Misleading Store Page Some screenshots on the store page show gameplay systems and UI elements—such as an inventory screen and ability interface—that are not present in the current version of the game. The actual gameplay experience does not match what is being visually advertised, which is misleading for players trying to understand what they are buying. 7. Exploitative Timing Beyond bugs and missing features, the timing of the release feels opportunistic. Leveraging the Greek Revolution as a hook to generate revenue from an incomplete game is unfair and disappointing, especially for players who genuinely want to support a local studio. 8. Poor Release Strategy Given the current state of the game, the obvious and fair move would have been a beta release first. This would allow the developers to test, polish, and fix the numerous issues before launching a proper Early Access version. Rushing a flawed release to coincide with a historical event feels opportunistic and disrespectful. Overall This game feels rushed, incomplete, and poorly executed. I genuinely wanted to support a Greek studio, but I cannot recommend or endorse a product that prioritizes timing and marketing over delivering a functional experience. I hope the developers take this feedback seriously, focus on polishing the game, and properly implement the promised core features before asking for further support.

Έχει ελληνική γλώσσα και διαδραματίζεται στην Ελλάδα, μόνο για αυτό 10 στα 10. Αυτά να βλέπουν τα άλλα παιχνίδια να μαθαίνουν.

"Press R for trunk rewards" FoF 1821 is a side scroller, old style. It´s hard (spent almost two hours and was nowhere near ending the first chapter), simple, and unpredictable. The same type of opponent might bleed you dry, or it might be a piece of cake. It all depends on timing. If you think you´ll slice and hack your way out of it, you´ll have a hard time. You need to use timing and strategy. The trunk rewards are gradual upgrades, which they seem imperceptable but slowly add up. When you are next to a trunk just press "R". The aesthetics of the game are amazing! It is set up in revolutionary Greece, 1821, and gives you the feeling of the time. Probably I am not very objective because anything that has to do with killing Ottomans and the Balkan reconquista is exciting to me. The intro music and the background music are based on traditional tunes, it is discreet and you end up humming it. There´s a lot of good work done on this aspect of the game and I think it´s flawless. From the respawn screen inside a ruined church (which reminds me a bit of Diablo II), to the smallest details, like the broken ancient statue of Athena in the midst of a cemetery is very well studied and presented. The last videogame to have been released with the same revolutionary theme was 25 years ago. I think it was long due. In general, it´s well worth the 4,99 price. There´s still a bit of work to be done. A small guide, or even a tutorial of a few seconds would be excellent. Adding the R botton description on the keys you need to press. Sound volume, and difficulty levels could be added in the menu.

Εξαιρετικό παιχνίδι μπράβο στους δημιουργούς ,έχει κάποια buggs στο steamdeck

Αρχικά, ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΕΘΝΟΣ! Έπειτα δεν εχω ξαναχαρεί τόσο πολύ με κάποιο game. Ωστόσο, θα 'θελα να κάνω ορισμένες παρατηρήσεις! 1) Λατρεύω soundtrack, όποιος έχει μουσικό αυτί πιάνει αμέσως το 40 παλληκάρια. Χαχαχα, θα ήθελα και κανα ετσι που να φέρνει Θούριο ας πούμε. Αγαπώ, συγχαρητήρια! 2) Το Ευζωνάκι απο την Σαμαρίνα, θεϊκό πατουρίνι δυνατουρίνι με τέλεια χρώματα. Ε λίγη χαίτη θα του πήγαινε να ανεμίζει. Κρατήστε τον ως έχει παρόλα αυτά. 3) Κάνα easter egg ετσι για την τσαχπίνια καλό θα ήταν, τύπου talisman που παραπέμπει σε αληθινούς θρύλους, "Σπασμένο γιαταγάνι Διάκου'' επι παραδείγματι! Στα πιο πρακτικά, για ενα πράγμα εκλιπαρώ τα δυο αδελφια, αν επιθυμούν και κείνα να μας "χαρίσουν" - Σας παρακαλώ, αγχώνομαι λες και ειμαι γεννημένη καρδιακή. Βάλτε να κανουμε save ή κάποιο checkpoint στο progress, παθαίνω σύγχυση με το ξανά απο την αρχή, εδικά όταν γίνεται ολοκληρωτικό reset οταν το ξανανοίξω την επόμενη, χάνονται και φλόγες. Η Φλοξ της Επαναστάσεως, ουδέποτε πρέπει να χάνεται! Το save, θα το έσωζε όλο κατα πολύ, ειδικά σε όσους είναι γιωτόμπαλα στα παιχνίδια, όπως εγώ. Σας ευχαριστώ, απο τα βάθη της καρδιάς μου για κάτι τόσο ωραίο, με τέλεια ατμόσφαιρα, αισθητική του δέοντος (διπλής σημασίας: το δέος και το δέον). Πάνω απ' όλα, σας ευχαριστώ που τιμάτε την πατρίδα μας με τον δικό σας ιδιαίτερο τρόπο. Εύχομαι ο,τι καλύτερο στην σταδιοδρομία σας!

Good job!!! i hope for more games like this!! ps4 and ps5 pads didnt work .just fix it plz with update

Ό,τι χειρότερο. Ως ορθόδοξος έλληνας νιώθω ντροπή. Οι τούρκοι είναι overpowered, σε βαράνε πριν καν κάνεις animation για attack. Το παιχνίδι είναι ένα μείγμα αρχαιοελληνικού παγανισμού και ορθοδοξίας με μοντέρνα σημαία της ελλάδος που δεν αντιπροσωπεύει την ιστορικότητα των γεγονότων. Γραφικά που γκλιτσάρουν παντου. Οι οθωμανοί θέλουν nerf. Το game είναι ΚΛΕΨΙΑ. Δώστε μου τα 5 ευρώ πίσω να πάω μοναστηράκι να αγοράσω κράνος σπαρτιάτη.

Needs A LOT of effort to make this enjoyable. Feels like an experimental project, not an early access. Movement didnt felt smooth. Combat wasnt responsive. Background Music was too repetitive and ennoying after a while. I was expecting a better Greek menu tbh. Felt like it was rushed and translated/written by AI. Animations needs improving. Stun locked by the first enemy ever??? Intro cinematic was FIRE though. I wish you make this game revolutionary!!!