Midautumn

So I don't like to leave negative reviews for games normally but I think this is important since what is displayed in the trailer doesn't really match what you get (my gameplay time bugged out, I played for about 30 mintues). This game raised $40k on Kickstarter and then launched here 2 years later for early access, this is a day 1 review. ESPECIALLY do not buy this game for the full price of $25. First and foremost, it currently doesn't have controller support really. It works vaguely but not enough and you need to use your mouse some times. The game also warns you on boot up that the save system is untested? I didn't actually have issues but launching a game that doesn't support controllers and may not save properly is unacceptable. Another big thing that may not seem big is that the font for the text is not what you see in the trailer: in game it's chunky and totally unfitting (size 14 Arial or something). The text bubbles and UI in general is just very out of place. Speaking of which, the music is very bland in comparison to what you hear in the trailer. The portrait character art is quite nice but a lot of the pixel art blends together and once combat starts everything is indistinguishable. It's hard to make out anything that is happening. So the combat is just very bland. You collect an orb which allows you to shoot your staff at enemies. Some times the enemies throw the orbs. If you collect too many orbs at once, it hurts you instead. Bottomline: it wasn't very fun since you're limited to how many times you can attack and you spend a lot of time waiting around. There were some small glimmers of hope when you see some upgrade systems (i.e. boons and shops) but it really wasn't enough. Overall the whole experience was bizarre and I am thoroughly confused as to how and why they would launch a game of this poor quality after a $40k Kickstarter and 2 years of development. And charge $25 for it no less.

Assuming save games have been updated to actually load, read on! https://youtu.be/VOgbEjkj-wE The storytelling of Midautumn is, for better and worst, the best part of the experience. If you can relate to being a first or second generation American, or if you love getting insight into other cultural experiences, Midautumn handles its themes well. Robin’s grandmother just drops the powers into her lap and expects her to figure it out. An early story beat features a young boy wanting to ask Robin’s grandmother for help, which Robin encourages, only for her grandmother to tell the boy that Robin can help. Yeah, the problems of the world are on your shoulders, and good luck getting any help with that! Combat has a fascinating premise. You absorb your enemies’ ranged attacks, which give you charges that can be used to attack enemies. But if you wait too long, attacking costs health. There’s a sweet spot to land criticals if you wait just long enough, but the window is probably too tight for a casual player. The adjustment to this type of combat is exasperated by the game’s first mini-boss and by the Debt Blow rooms, where you have to survive while your companion strikes enemies first. While you’re in a fairly small room. The close quarters combat of Midautumn does set it apart from other isometric roguelites. I just wish it felt better to play. Part of the problem with difficulty might be a balancing issue, and to Midautumn’s credit, there are settings to adjust both your and enemies’ health and damage. As with any early access title, there is hope for the future. And I hope Midautumn improves, because I’m curious to learn more about its plot. If you’re interested, wishlist it for now, but wait until updates before you consider buying it. In its current state it’s a pass.

Poorly written: not worth your time or money.

As of now, I wouldn't recommend this; it's rough. Combat and the visuals are my biggest complaints; waiting there until an enemy decides to use an attack that you can use back on them is annoying. If they were a little quicker with this, I'd maybe feel better about it but it just feels awkward running around an arena for 10 minutes doing little to no damage. Love the art style, but there's way too much going on visually in some of the areas and it all blends together. I feel bad not recommending it, but it's clear they've got a lot to do in Early Access before I'd change this. I backed this on Kickstarter and don't regret supporting an indie team, but think it needed more time before this release.

It's Day One for Midautumn and I had to jump on here and give my first thoughts! First of all, this is an early access game and the game devs have been clear about this on the Steam page and in the game, so I wasn't surprised to see some placeholders or buggy content. I'm not worried about that because I bought this game to be part of its evolution! There's a lot to love here! I'm a very story and character driven player. I was immediately drawn to Robin's character design and personality and the initial premise of working for your grandmother by cleaning out the spirit world works for me. I am charmed by the supporting characters as well. Will there be romance?! You know we have to ask... Gameplay wise, I usually play turn based roguelikes so I was nervous the game would be too hard. There are systems that I don't totally understand after an hour playing, but with the journal and loom progression I see how I can unlock improvements. I could also tell I was already getting better after several runs! Yes, it's a challenging game, but because I'm drawn into the story I'm compelled to keep at it! Would recommend for those who love Hades-like gameplay and want a different twist, or those willing to play a challenging rogue-like in an interesting world. Plus the music is chill, the art is great and you get to pet many pups.

My wife and I have been playing on and off since launch day, and I can say that it is one of those games that we keep coming back to when we're in the mood for a comforting rogue-like. The story is incredible, the music is cozy, and the gameplay is engaging. I will mention that getting a hang of the fighting in the game was a steeper learning curve than I've experienced in other similar games, but once you get the hang of it it's incredibly satisfying to move from room to room of the dungeon. Being in early access, there is some room for improvement for the UI and accessibility of the game, but overall I am very excited to see further updates from this dev team! +5 points for being able to pet dogs/cats in game

The game crashed on me half an hour in ... can't access my save game anymore since it won't load at all and sent me back into the main menu. Tried to create another save game, where I then got locked in the starting screen of the game. Every startup resets your audio settings, even if it gives you a saving prompt after changing them. ... Overlays won't be shown at times and the options have such a buggy UI. Controller support is basically non existent. This is known and it gives you a warning ... but if you can't even dash, which is one of the main mechanics, then I would just leave the "controller support" out of it for now. Especially if you disconnect your controller and it then leaves you in a state where it always opens up the menu every 2 seconds. As for the game... I didn't really get far but here's a bit The bosses I encountered so far look way too tanky, but maybe it's designed, that you shouldn't beat the first bosses? You can get locked into states that leave you to being unable to beat the game anymore. I think the game does have potential, but it isn't worth the time or money at this point. For example I love the graphics and general game mechanics so far... but the bugs and glitches ... yeah I usually like to support indie devs but this game currently feels unplayable to me. For now the price is totally outrageous... and you shouldn't put a game into early access that just crashes and then makes you start over ... if it even let's you start over

NOTE: This review was written on v0.5.4 with the May 13th patch. I will update my review for future major updates. I will say up front that while I previously experienced the save loading bug mentioned in earlier reviews, said issues were fixed for me with the aforementioned patch, so do not be dissuaded! In a typical roguelike, you want to avoid danger as much as you can. Dodge, hit when you can, and play it safe. Midautumn turns that convention on its head, creating a fast and frantic game where you want to get into and out of danger as much as you want to avoid it. The core mechanic comes in the form of Lunar Blood. This is ammo that is either floating around chambers or shot by enemies. You need Lunar Blood to damage foes and power up your stronger attacks, but if you hold onto it for too long or you are damaged while holding it, the blood rots, and it will damage you when you use it for an attack. This creates an interesting risk vs reward system. Enemies can't do much to you if they are far away, but you need to get up close to damage them with your short range projectiles or to collect the Lunar Blood they shoot. You need to use your blood to make sure it does not rot, but rotted blood DOES stay in your ammo until it is purged, and if you use it in conjunction with fresh blood, it won't damage you. Perhaps a little Lunar Rot is fine to give you quicker access to your stronger moves, then...but overload your ammo and all of your blood rots. And even though being up close makes it easier for enemies to hit you, using a Debt Blow on a foe lets you deal more damage the next time you hit them or collect Lunar Blood. It's an engaging loop that encourages you to play fast and loose, staying on the move and attacking at a regular rhythm. Even in Early Access, this core has been nailed. Supporting the basic combat is a plentiful amount of upgrades, both permanent and temporary. Health increases come regularly, Gold Sycee can be spent to upgrade latent abilities, and gifts from ancestors can tweak your attacks or affect your foes. Some of these can get pretty nutty in a good way, like a shield that protects you when you attack with full ammo or having enemies drop healing or damage buffing items. The latter in particular carried me in my first successful run through the Early Access biomes. If the difficulty is too much or too easy for you, though, there are lots of settings that you can tweak, though I didn't tweak any of the numbers when playing. It's very similar to Hades in that regard, with enough spins to still stand on its own. The same can be said for the storytelling, which evolves across multiple runs and with characters back in Nambo Quay between runs. I am currently pretty early in the story, but I am liking where it is going. The bonds Robin forms with the cast, the existing interpersonal relationships and mysteries of the Spirit World that are uncovered, and the plight of a quiet town facing gentrification all combine to form an interesting world that I want to learn more about. So cool to have an all-Asian . My current favorite characters are Jing and Nadim, with Robin being a solid lead to carry the story, and I am looking forward to meeting Vivian outside of the third biome boss fight! Don't expect the same storytelling complexity as Hades and its several branches, but what you do find is great on its own. Add on an excellent soundtrack (a must buy if it is ever sold) and some nice pixel graphics paired with gorgeous character portraits, and we have the makings of a winner. Now, this IS an Early Access game, so keep in mind that there are bugs and unfinished features. Runs can be finished and the story progresses, but I did run into issues here and there. Many I had to deliberately trigger, but others cropped up as I played, ranging from minor dialogue issues to troubles with item drops. That being said, Team Midautumn has already patched a few major issues found in early reviews (such as the save loading bug), and their reception to bug reports has been positive and appreciative with lots of open communication. It gives me confidence that the game will grow and become more polished as time goes on, which is one of the best things that you can say about an Early Access release. While some Early Access jank causes some issues, Midautumn has set up a solid foundation for itself this early on. Its unique take on roguelike mechanics leads to fast paced action that balances risk and reward strongly. Add in an interesting story across the physical and spirit worlds and a pleasant presentation backed up by a killer soundtrack, and all the ingredients are here for a great game. This early taste is a promising one, and I recommend you give it a shot. I'm rooting for you, Team Midautumn!

if hades is boards of canada (as in the elusive hip hop duo, not the, uh, national boards of canada*), then midautumn is black moth super rainbow; something scrappier and lighter on its feet, with a super weird wrinkle (the core mechanic of this thing is wild. you're basically like playing a nuclear game of hot potato at all times) and lots of potential for where it can go from here. *and hades isn't really that, but please work with me for the conceit of this review

Great Hades-like game! I've played more off of Steam, so my playtime here is a bit lower than I've actually played. I'm enjoying watching the game grow, and can't wait to see it finished.