NovaMundi

I love it. Highly recommended. A good point of comparison would probably be Wartales, but I've only played that a tiny bit. It's the same Mount & Blade style, recruit-a-party-and-move-around-an-overworld-getting-into-combat-scenarios type game, but with pausable real-time combat instead of turn-based. Consequently, the strategy comes more from planning, i.e., equipping your party to deal with different types of enemies and ordering them on the battlefield accordingly, than from using moves and abilities or anything like that. You also have to maintain supplies of food, medicine, etc., so it becomes more of an expedition sim with combat than a combat strategy game, and it has a setting and trading mechanics that complement that well. It isn't easy either; your party can get wiped quickly if you make bad decisions, and you only get one save per run. The game doesn't seem to autosave though, meaning that careful saving will always give you a viable point to retry from. The setting is definitely the selling point for me. I'd probably still like the game if it was a fantasy or medieval setting or something, but fighting conquistadors in the Andes is a game setting I've craved. This game seems to carry tremendous respect for history and culture, and it's completely filled with flavor of the setting. The dialogue, for example, is full of terms in the Muisca's language that are defined for you as you mouse over them, such that you start to learn them over time. The music and environmental sounds are also noticeably very good. The villages have little animated people building huts and doing various activities, seemingly reflecting the distinct character of each village, which is a nice little touch. The overall graphical style is kinda that retro-ish, pre-rendered look with saturated colors and high-contrast lighting that makes everything look like a miniature diorama or something. Its a matter of taste, but I really like it. There's also a lot of great 2d art, which I'm pretty certain is 100% handmade (as in, not AI). I think this was clearly made by talented people with a passion for the setting. There's also a handful of short stories tucked in the game's news/updates, which was a nice read and a good primer for the setting. Overall, it's a high-effort high-quality game, and I sincerely hope the people behind it get a good payout. The price point is probably underselling it. I'll definitely be interested in future releases from them. [strike] Only point of feedback so far is that damage from status effects like bleeding seem to precede healing from curatives like bandages, so a character that's low on health and bleeding badly enough to die within the hour is a lost cause even with bandages and other curatives. This may be intended for realism's sake, but it does kinda suck to have a party member survive a battle only to be doomed by status effects even though you have the means to treat them. I don't get the impression that the game is meant to be super forgiving though, so I could see this being deliberate. [/strike] Never mind, party members are definitely meant to die easily, and it isn't hard to replace them. If anything, I'd favor making injuries carry a risk of permanence. I wrote this review early on, so I may update it later if my opinion changes in any meaningful way. Update: Finished my first playthrough (playtime is definitely exaggerated since I tend to leave things running). Still love it. It's definitely more of an expedition sim than a strategy game. It's all about managing supplies and bartering for more while you explore the map doing quests for the Muisca settlements, clearing enemy encampments on the way and getting ambushed by pumas and that sort of thing. Once you've leveled your party a bit, combat becomes a lot more about being well-equipped and having the curatives to deal with the aftermath, rather than the combat itself, which barely required any intervention from me by the end. I figure this is more of a design direction than a gameplay problem, but it would be nice to run into longer combat encounters or more dangerous enemies in the late game. Watching my finely-tuned party sweep the battlefield keeps feeling oddly satisfying regardless. I didn't run into any guns or cavalry, but I think I united the Muisca too quickly for them to arrive (~14 in-game days). I would stick around and find out, but food was getting scarce, and the markets don't seem to restock (if not, that would be a nice change). I was also unable to attack the larger Panche camps due to what I assume was a bug in my playthrough, so maybe there are more challenging combat scenarios that I missed. Overall, this is a pretty unique and very memorable game, and it does a great job handling the setting. For the price, and maybe after a month or so of patches, it's a good 9/10.

As a gamer of Colombian heritage (with 50% Indigenous DNA, like many Colombians), I was deeply excited about NovaMundi and its celebration of Muisca culture. The authentic voice acting, cultural details, and rich messaging about the Muisca people were truly highlights, and I deeply appreciated that aspect of the game. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself fell short for me. The clunky UI, awkward overworld navigation, and frustratingly underwhelming battle mechanics made it difficult to stay engaged. While I admire the ambition behind this project, I can’t help but feel that a stronger focus on storytelling, rather than the half-baked game mechanics, could have made NovaMundi a much more impactful experience.

I appreciate the setting but the individual game elements are too janky and rough for me to enjoy them. I feel like the game would have been better in 2,5 D.

I'm loving this game because it very nicely mashes up some of my favorite pieces of strategy genre, with a roguelike part that works well. Insightful review by CricketWizard here so I won't repeat but some good tips in there that might have helped me avoid wiping a couple times. Despite the simple interface all the creative elements really draw you into the setting and culture. Very enjoyable, looking forward to playing some more, and to future games from this dev!

Feels like a janky Mount&Blade without the cool tactical battles. The UI is very bare-bones. Unit AI needs a lot of work. Could use gameplay balance. Yet, it is version 1.0. I was excited for the setting but the little I see is dripping with noble savage ideology, wich leaves very little hope for complex, nuanced characters or even a good story. I'ma go for a refund, wish me luck.

Great small game about an area and time of the world I knew absolutely nothing about. The procedural generation is awesome and always creating a nice new world for trying your luck.

UI is not the best, clicking on own units and enemies is hard because its pretty specific where you need to click in order to select someone. AI is not the smartest, i lost units because they just let the enemy hit them while not doing anything. Voice acting, music, lore etc. are on point. Its just too janky for now. Hopefully it improves over time

Me gustó la experiencia y lo que propone. Se nota el esfuerzo del equipo y es bueno ver proyectos así en la industria. ¡Vale la pena jugarlo y apoyarlo!

Very unique game, both setting-wise as well as gameplay wise. Thumbs up!

NovaMundi is a cool strategy RPG that does some interesting things. The world is procedurally generated, so every expedition plays out a bit differently and you actually have to adapt instead of repeating the same route. I also like the historical setting in the early colonial Andes. It gives the game a distinct vibe compared to typical fantasy RPGs. If you enjoy tactical combat and exploration and want something a little different, it is worth a try.