Majestic Trials

[h1]IN A WORD: [b]MAYBE[/b][/h1] [h1]IN A NUTSHELL:[/h1] [quote=] [b]WHAT TO EXPECT:[/b] Indie made. Old school look and feel. Campaign of 13x trials or a single one. Table-top style adventure mixed with dungeon crawling gameplay. Fantasy setting. Lite rogue-like structure. Spellcasting main character. Customisation of 6x stats and a repertoire of spells. Party turn-based tactics with emphasis on magic and ally attacks. Lite RPG elements, with XP spent on stats and spell-casting capabilities. Collect loot to reverse-engineer into spells. Large bestiary of creatures to charm, summon or kill. Retro hand-drawn visuals and midi sound-effects. Lite dynamic elements add some replayability. Single-player only. [hr][/hr][b]ACHIEVEMENTS:[/b] Straightforward. Requires multiple replays. [b]STEAM SUPPORT:[/b] Trading Cards. [b]STATUS:[/b] Released but needs some QoL and more features. [b]FOR WHOM[/b] Fans of retro turn-based strategy games. [b]WHEN TO BUY:[/b] Overpriced. Get on a good sale.[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2767655645 [h1]THE LOWDOWN:[/h1] Majestic Trials (MT) is an old school, turn-based adventure with elements of RPG, strategy and combat. It is has a lite rogue-like structure, with a touch of dungeon crawling and is remindful of related games from the past. Delivers retro style visuals that are hand-crafted and midi-made sound-effects that highlight mostly spell-casting and combat actions. The overall goal is to complete favours for spell-casters known as the Majestic Few, across numerous trials, with the aim of eventually replacing one of these. [b]Character Customisation[/b] Players take on the role of a spell-caster. Character customisation involves defining a name and appearance. Points are allocated to a handful of core stats, while known spells are allocated to slots in the character's spell library. From these individual instances of each spell are assigned to slots in a spell-book, where only these can be cast during a trial. Spells can be assigned once or a multiple times. [b]Gameplay[/b] MT takes place as a single trial or a campaign of sequential ones. In campaign mode each trial can be played on a choice of maps. One or more quests from up to five are offered by the Majestic Few as the goal of the trial. The core part of gameplays requires charming or summoning a party of NPC allies that are represented as counters, to explore huge square-tiled maps viewed from the top-down. [b]Combat[/b] Spells are the caster's main form of tactical combat. Along with the number of ranged offensive spells such as fireball and lightning, they are able to charm or summon creatures to fight on their behalf. Some creatures and other NPCs possess their own tactical abilities, ranged and/or melee attacks that can apply special conditions on their targets. Such as knock-down, poison or disease. Enemy wizards have their own repertoire of spells to use against your party. In addition aspects of combat include line-of-sight for spell-casting or ranged attacks. RNG affects the to-hit chance of all attacks. Warding affects if a spell has any impact on its target. [b]Its a Kind of Magic[/b] ... [b]Levelling[/b] ... <Explore the full lowdown in the link below> https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2764983616 [h1]THE GOOD:[/h1] + REPLAYABLE CAMPAIGN: 13x trials with different maps for each to play and up to five selectable quests per trial. + DYNAMIC ELEMENTS: Some randomisation of map elements: Quests, NPCs, layout, loot containers and spawn locations. + SIZEABLE BESTIARY: Very good with a good variety of NPCs and creatures. Lots to charm and summon, and control. + MULTIPLE STRATEGIES: Can create and save multiple wizards. Adopt one of nine magic schools. Use at least two separate styles or various mixes of spells. [h1]THE BAD:[/h1] - UNBALANCED: Some unbalanced encounters. Can meet overpowered enemies. Which leads to quick death. - NEEDS QOL: GUI is in need of QoL and could do with adding more information such as unit capabilities, spell information etc. - BETTER PROGRESSION: No enhancements/progression for spells or ability to save some of the party from the previous trial. - FIDDLY CONTROLS. A few keyboard commands are not working or missing: cycle to next ally, end current turn. Navigating the map is a pain. Is done only by mouse. No arrow key shortcuts to move a hex at a time. Characters can also lose focus with the mouse and need reacquiring. Again no key, must be done with the mouse. - INVENTORY: Cumbersome, basic and overly fiddly when trying to transfer items between allies. Could have done with a global model instead. [h1]AND THE REST:[/h1] * CHARACTER CUSTOMISATION: Fair but needs to be expanded with a few more aspects to level. i.e. specific abilities to compliment the magic stuff * MECHANICS: Overall decent. Different attacks. Conditions inflicted on opponents. Locked doors. Line of Sight. Riding some animals. Could have done with more such as a shared inventory pool. Cant see if every container seen has been opened. Charmed or summoned NPCs cannot collect items. Picking up items takes too long. Spells are centred on summoning, charming NPCs and buffing them. A few attack spells. * SLOW PLAY: The use of action points provides greater tactical options but slows down the fluidity of gameplay. * LOW PRODUCTION VALUES: Retro graphics, no voice acting, midi sound-effects may be an issue for some gamers. Though the graphics actually appealed to me. * CHAOTIC LEARNING CURVE: Lacks the info to give it an easy learning curve. While not difficult mistakes can be made that are fatal. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2765033998 [h1]ANALYSIS:[/h1] Compared to other games in its genre, it is fair but does not possess much that would make it stand out. However a fair level of thought has gone into its design and if you are the type of gamer that enjoys a casual retro experience, it has a number of facets that could be appealing. [table] [tr] [td][b]Accessibility[/b][/td] [td]FAIR[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Ambience & Aesthetic[/b][/td] [td]GOOD[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Gameplay[/b][/td] [td]FAIR[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Complexity[/b][/td] [td]LACKING[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Replayability & Longevity[/b][/td] [td]FAIR[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Level of Enjoyment[/b][/td] [td]FAIR[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Quality[/b][/td] [td]FAIR[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]Value for money[/b][/td] [td]BAD[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [/table] <Explore the full analysis in the link below> [h1]VERDICT:[/h1] Majestic Trials has that nostalgic quality that may appeal to gamers interested in seeing how a game from the 80s would have played like. It retains a solid design and should be easy enough to get into. However it really needed additional features to increase the tactical aspect of the game and increase its depth, and its complexity. Some QoL to the GUI impart more information and controls to stop it from playing a little sluggishly. Those of you who are attracted to it should perhaps wait for a good sale because it does not have the depth of features it should have at the current price. That is why I believe this is a MAYBE purchase rather than an emphatic one. Only if you like what you see and read. [h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TheIrregularGamer/discussions/0/3184612692831225193/] Full Review[/url].[/h1] [quote=]Thank you for reading. | Follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] here[/url]. | Key provided by [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tbtactics]Turn-Based Tactics[/url][/quote]

[h1] Magician's Adventures [/h1] Explore a strange world. [h1] STORY [/h1] Missing. [h1] GAMEPLAY [/h1] Gameplay is a turn-based game about exploring the world. Choose your magician and his skills. Let's start exploring the world. A distinctive feature of the game, which clearly caught my eye, was the high slowness and incomprehensibility of what was happening. Consider the pros and cons of the game, sum up. [h1] PROS: [/h1] + Simple but cute graphics. + Good music and sound accompaniment. + Many types of spells from the magician. [h1] WHAT CAN BE BOTH A PLUS AND A MINUS: [/h1] +- Very boring to play. It's all very slow and drawn out. Perhaps some fans of step-by-step games like to play so much, so I don’t write clean cons. [h1] CONS: [/h1] - Explicit technical not detected. Besides, it's boring to play. [h1] CONCLUSIONS [/h1] Maybe someone will like the game. I couldn’t really figure it out - it’s too boring, but there is a suspicion that the game is good and it’s about me, so I like it. [code] If you liked this review, then join the [b][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/da_way_games]group[/url][/b] and subscribe to the [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31771734/]curator[/url][/b]. [/code]

Majestic Trials is a darn good game. Yes, it looks to be in the "retro" genre but that is a good thing in this case. Normally I hate these, but when the actual gameplay can get me past the eye-strain I make an exception. And take bettter care of my eyes. The game does have a steep learning curve, and is not all that forgiving. It takes a bit to figure out what tactics work for you, what habits to adopt, and what spells to carry. Fortunately there are a number of ways to go about this, there is only a general "right" way to play. Which is to win. For me, this all adds up to a great feeling of satisfacton when I do win a map. The developers of the game appear committed to continuing updates and improvements, and AlphaAsh has a good track record in this area. Certainly they have been working on the game for a fair bit, and are continuing to do so.

There are very few men whose work I will buy sight unseen based on their earlier work. Ash is one of them. If this looks like something you might like, you almost certainly will. I'll revise this to be a more helpful review as I get a chance to play more, but already the nostalgia is hitting pretty hard.

The big draw to Majestic Trials, for me, is the retro-artisanal vibe. There is a lot of nostalgia in this game. And there’s a lot of hard work in this game. It conjures fond memories of demo CD-ROMs taped to gaming magazines and hours of exploration because this is the mid-90s and there’s no Internet. It’s an unforgiving game that does away with the trappings of modern corporate gaming and gets to the heart of the genre, opting for thought and imagination over flashy sales-inducing gimmicks.

[Edit:2023 06] there seems the game having many changes since my last review. sadly i don't have time to check again. so readers, pls consider my review till year 2018 was based on early access state. [Edit 2018 01 20] after some discussion with devs, i decided re-purchase. and starting to check things more even with odd melee rule. the price increased by about 3 dollars according to update version 0.96-x <the current feature> 1. there is no long running campaign. 2. game/progress is limited to skirmish on a relatively huge fixed map. (enemies either) 3. default key bindings is kinda accustomed one. and can be changed easily in option. 4. music and sound are ok. (i don't care) but the graphic is hand-drawn with own style. its hormy and funny. i like it. 5. all in all, option covers everything needed. 6. you can make your avatar with a lot of choice. (parameters and spell choice) but this part is still on the way. (might be changed dramatically) <oddities> game could be played only with keyboard, its good thing in itself, but again in odd fashion and sometimes it becomes very cumbersome. for that reason, i can't play for enough long time to have a taste of this game yet. <conclusion> might become better for seeing dev's active effort. this impressed me a good hope. but when taken in practical way, if you had enough patience (or forgiveness), could wait for future updates, and were a lover of old-fashioned TBS IGO UGO game, then this game could be your thing. otherwise, i can't recommend this game for 15 dollars. its a bit too ambitious. [Edit 2018 01 14] it doesn't matter forced move of melee getting changed to have JUST a chance of automated defense from RNG or getting even terrain effect of enemy occupying grid. not changing my negative review yet. but dev is very responsive and the game seems to be getting update so often. i would re-purchase in near future. for those who want to know more detail, please go to forum thread from the link in the dev's post. [Edit 2018 01 01] devs talk about combat system. so there could be possible changes in the future. if the changes could evaluate downside of forced move, total experience of this game should change dramatically. but until then, my conclusion in original review never changes. [Original Review 2017 11 24] basically, moving and any action are separated. that is, every action needs AP. this means player needs to care for AP to get better position. but when killing mobs, player char moves to the grid of the mob with no AP use. if player had to enter into enemy's grid when combat like chess (and it has no AP), this makes sense. but player can do melee attack only from adjacent grid. while ranged attack works with keeping current position. this odd rule not only breaks tactical meaning of position, but also means forced suicidal advance in any condition. this made me feel so stupid.

Using a limited set of memorized spells your wizard is dropped into a hostile environment and must survive long enough to complete their objective and extract from the battlefield. Your wizard is your fragile mobile command center. Your only arsenal are the spells that you bring with you and the consumables that you loot in the arena. Do you bring thunder and lighting and attempt to smite your foes from a distance? Do you attempt to befriend your weaker-minded foes and get them to do your bidding? Or do you summon an army to scour the land before you? There's a real diamond hidden in the mechanics of this game and its action economy. Without investing experience into unlocking additional spell slots, you start with 16 available spells. Furthermore each summon spell has a maximum amount of copies you can bring with you. Most summons are more than physically capable of putting a hurt on an enemy wizard, but there are so many threats in the arena and you don't start off knowing where those enemy wizards are. Let's examine Summon Giant Bat, you get to memorize three of these to deploy. They behave like flying camera drones made of balsa wood with amazing line of sight and about 3 hp, but hey it's fine right? You can just perch them on the corners of buildings like the Larry, Curly, and Moe of gargoyles... Hey, wait a sec... Where's Moe going? You click on Moe to discover that Erik your target in this Trial has befriended Moe (that backstabbing [i]bat[/i]-stard). Well you'll show Erik! You've brought some befriend spells of your own, but is it worth spending one to keep Moe's loyalty? Alternatively, you could befriend that assassin that's hiding one alley over and use him to eliminate Moe once and for all. And back to looting every nook and crevice, it's hard to find time to do appropriate amounts of cardio in between eldritch rituals and magical bloodsport. Not to mention it really isn't worth threatening every peasant that didn't clear out when the Purge alarm went off with a Fireball just so you can get access to their valuables. So let me extol the virtues of the Goblin. These little bandits will strip a city block of everything shiny that isn't bolted to the ground. They don't fear peasants and [i]*slaps goblin's back*[/i] these babies can carry so many consumables. Just send 'em in there and have em --- there was an assassin in that house. F's in chat boys. But hey, at least you can befriend another assassin. (or as I like to call them goblins 2.0)

Knallhartes Oldschool-Roguelike in das man sich durchaus erst ein mal reinfuchsen muss und das seine Schätze erst nach und nach preisgibt. Man muss sich sehr viel selbst erarbeiten, da sämliche Ingame-Tutorials noch fehlen (hier auf Steam in der Guide-Sektion vorhanden, allerdings nur auf Englisch) aber dann wird man belohnt :) Wer möchte, kann sich hier gerne mal ein Bild machen: (Die Serie wird noch erweitert) https://youtu.be/BQm6Uhq4O8o gibt schon mal ´nen kleinen Überblick Grüßle

AlphaAsh is an absolute rock solid pillar of the Stellaris modding scene. The modding communities are the ones that keep the games alive for years after release. I picked this game up because I liked the modding work so much I knew that the mechanics would be deep and interesting. If the art style turns you off I implore you to try the game out anyways. The style actually helps give the game such a charming, cozy and nostalgic feel. It's hard to put my finger on it! I feel like there's a lot of good to come with this game in the time i've played it. But either way getting this game is supporting the modding titans that I feel are one of the most important parts of modern gaming.

A retro indie game with some nice features and familiar feel for those who have played older games. The maps have had some thought put into them and I've enjoyed playing it so far. Only complaints as such would be that it would be nice to have a difficulty setting and some of the sounds are a bit harsh. I've not played it for long so far but I'm sure I will play more.