Alright. Im going to start this off by saying i dont do reviews. Never have, but i may start more with these indie titles. Im going to run thru everything that ive seen good, bad, and needs work, in hopes that the dev may see this and take some notes.
First and foremost. This is a FREE GAME. The dev has NO obligation to do anything else with it if they so choose. The game is NOT listed as an early access game, which means everyone should take it as a completed project. So, anyone who sees this game should go into it with absolutely no expectation or bar. You will be disappointed otherwise. Ive only put a little under 3 hours into the game because unfortunately that is ALL there is to offer at the moment. So lets get into the good, bad and ugly of the game.
Good:
-Graphics are surprisingly crisp for a free game. Movement can be a bit sluggish at times because of quick spinning, but otherwise, spot on for free.
-Sound is moderate. Its interesting at the first few minutes, but gets to be boring and otherwise useless after.
-Music is generic. Soothing backdrop melody when roaming around, and only a bit more agitated when in a fight. So not bad, again, for a free game.
-Monsters and other actions such as attacks and skills, are flushed out to a basic aspect, but still better than some other games ive played in the past.
Bad:
-Quests. Severely lacking in just about every aspect that makes a quest fun to take on. There is no line to follow, and the rewards are very basic for many of the quests, even at the higher levels.
-Repeat monsters. Many quests and chests have monsters that are already part of your collection, so instead of the monsters combining into your already owned one, you simply lose that monster. So in essence, you waste the time and effort getting the reward or chest for an empty slot. You also cant accumulate more than one of each monster. So again, a waste.
-Repeat equipment. Your equipment can stack, but its unfortunate that you cant upgrade or combine equipment to make more powerful leveled items. you also run into the lack of need for all the equipment dropped as you will have most if not all your party equipped to the teeth within an hour of gameplay.
-Lack of original items. Being a creature collection game of sorts, there will always be that curiosity of "Do certain creatures drop certain items??" To which i answer this with, no. Every creature in the game currently will undoubtedly drop the same equipment and items. If at all. There is also some certain items that are required for you to upgrade what little you can, that dont drop normally from creatures. They are special finds that are severely lacking.
-Dwindling population. What i mean by this is that certain areas will not repopulate the creatures, making it difficult to level at a moderate rate. This also pertains to the end area bosses. Without the repopulation, some areas will become dead spots with nothing to do, and since bosses are the only real means of getting special find items, without their respawn, the games crafting comes to a screeching halt.
The Ugly:
-Bugs and glitches can be easily found and some even show their head within an hour of play.
1. The "E" to use button will dwindle in use as you progress thru the game, and by the time youve made it to the fourth area of play, you are incapable of "Using" anything. You cant heal, save, communicate, or even open doors.
2. Several creature skills are completely unusable and will "flub" or miss even when the description says they "never miss"
3. The lockpicking skill is a death trap. Literally. When you find the ONE chest you use this skill on, as soon as you use it, the game over-stresses itself and crashes back to the main menu. No. Matter. What.
4. Some monster stats are broken. First example being the Giant Ent. Its stats are comparable to a level 3 warrior at level 1. But when used, its damage output is 1 to 5. Where the warrior damage is 50 to 75. That doesnt add up. Second example. The Ent(Fire) will become invinsible after a few levels. Its dodge stat will skyrocket and become impossible to touch. But it cant use a single skill, as they will "Flub" 100% of the time.
-No elemental advantages. To put different variations in WITHOUT the advantages and disadvantages that accompany them is pointless. One could simply use a fire based ent, and destroy ALL the creatures without any care. Even water based ones. Makes the tactical aspect null and void.
-No story to speak of. I understand the want to have a free sand box experience without the hassle of dealing with an over arcing story. But even then, you need to have SOMETHING that gives the game life. There is no backstory. There is no end game. There is no reason to participate in anything. So with no story comes no replayability.
-Lacking Monsters. All in all, there are only 5 creatures. Not including variations to element or area bosses. Once youve seen the second area, youve seen pretty much every creature aside from the one that is held till the fourth.
-No increase in item shops or quality. You have 1 shop. Thats it. Out of 4 areas, all of which could sport their own variation of items and item shops, your limited to 1 shop in the starting area. And this shop doesnt even increase the quality of items and equipment you can purchase as you proceed.
All in all. I have to go back to the beginning when i say. "This is a free game." Your not paying a single dime to play this. It was made without the thought of monetary gain. It has potential to grow and become a rather interesting game to play if the time and effort is put forth to do so. But whether that happens or not will fall solely on the dev. I hope this gets to the devs and they do something, but i wont hold my breath.
Would i suggest this game to people? As it stands right now, No. The shear lack of content and any real direction makes this essentially a waste of 3 hours. Would i suggest it if i saw more progression with the game and the devs? Sure. I would love to support something like this and bring it out there. But unless i see that, this is a pass.
