Umbra Fields

RPG Maker strikes again! Umbra Fields is one of hundreds of low effort retro-pixel RPG Maker asset/construction kit flips spamming the Steam catalog, made with the RPG Maker video game construction kit... in their own words, "Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child." Like all RPG Maker "games", this is essentially a bunch of low quality assets (notably most of the assets here seem to be custom instead of just copy + pasted RPG Maker stock assets... but they're still very low quality) coupled with a cringeworthy high school anime club fan fiction. As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer. The point can be made that the intention of RPG Maker is to make demos and small games to pass around friends, and shouldn't be used for "professional" game development. Like most RPG Maker shovelware, the game features extremely low quality 2D retro pixel art (original or not), looks awful, and has even worse gameplay. RPG Maker is an absolutely terrible construction kit, and never results in games of any reasonable quality or value to gamers. This is a painfully generic plot, part of the MO for this low quality shovelware pushing developer (he's got dozens of badly made/minimum viable product efforts on Steam). But at least he's trying to use RPG Maker's 3D engine instead of the 2D retro pixel one... it should be noted, of course, that the 3D engine is just as bad. The poor quality of this game is reflected by how many people spent time with it. At the time of this review, SteamDB shows the all-time peak player number was only 2 players. This is a remarkably low number, and now, the only player activity occurs once or twice a month, presumably someone loading it up to see what it is then quickly uninstalling it. Considering there's over 120 million gamers on Steam and well over 110,000 games for gamers to choose from, the overwhelming lack of interest in this low quality game is to be expected. So, should you buy this game? Is this one of the best of the 110,000+ games on Steam? Umbra Fields has the almost unethical price of $20 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, this is impossible to recommend. For comparison, the $20 asking price for this game could get you games like "Stray", "New World" or "Satisfactory". Quality, professionally made games like those are frequently on sale cheaper than this. [quote][b][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile]Profile Features Limited![/url][/b] Valve have marked this game as "Profile Features Limited" at the time of this review. This is usually caused by poor sales figures and low community acceptance for the game (to date). Until this status changes, this game will not give you +1 to your Game Collector badge count, appear in profile achievements or any other Steam meta-accomplishments, nor can it be displayed in some profile showcases. If these factors are important to you, it may be worth holding off before buying this game.[/quote]

Alright. First impressions of [i]Umbra Fields[/i]. [b]Some updates addressing the concerns I've had have already been added to the game. I've made some adjustments to my review to reflect the changes so far and will be looking forward to seeing what else is adjusted. As of now though, the game is definitely playable and I'm able to switch my former negative rating to a positive review instead, with caveats listed and adjusted as necessary.[/b] [h1]Pros[/h1] The actual combat feels true to classic first person viewpoint turn based JRPG style combat, where you are staring down your opponents. The boost system is nice. Combat options change based on your character class, which is neat. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3181267245 The NPC interactions are quick and to the point. Merchant stalls are pretty standard JRPG fare. The actual dungeon design and sprites are really cool looking. The contrast of white and black is effective. In fact, it can be outright stunning at times. The music, what I've heard so far, is catchy. The class selection during character generation has been updated to provide descriptions of the classes and gifts rather than just selecting images and hoping for the best. That's appreciated. Nation selection happens at the end of the training dungeons. The leveling system is intuitive if a bit underwhelming. I am curious if there is a level cap and what your expected/anticipated level is at the endgame. A couple suggestions regarding starting loadouts and cash were implemented. That was appreciated. The map has been improved for better tracking and overall clarity, which is also appreciated. However, there is still a negative I'll list in the Cons section. And, you can also enlarge the map when you want to get a better look. The encounter clock has also been scaled back, which makes exploration possible. Also, the fluidity of movement seems to have been fixed. There are no more awkward moments at intersections where the game fights you when attempting to switch paths. I didn't see this mentioned in patch notes, but movement is functioning properly now. There is now the option to choose k/m or Controller/Steam Deck controls at the beginning. However, after a quick controller tutorial, the game defaults back to k/m prompts. [h1]Cons[/h1] [i]So, as mentioned, much has been addressed by the developer since I first posted my review. There are still a few things to improve on that I have noticed through the training dungeons.[/i] There is no journal, but there are quests you need to keep track of. The simple implementation of a journal would be advantageous. There are many, many spelling and syntax errors. For example, look through the class descriptions to see quite a few. Not a particularly big issue, but for the sake of being thorough, it would be good to go back through the script. The shield counter never changes. If it starts at 3, it stays at 3. In the Angelic Constabulary, the map is vast and highly confusing. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3184143127 [h1]Early impressions synopsis and general notes[/h1] [i]I received this license via our IndieGems Curator program.[/i] I haven't traveled extensively in the game yet, but the developer's responsiveness and ability to quickly address issues with patches is noteworthy to me, and it makes me comfortable with giving this game a positive review. It's gone from being borderline unplayable to being a pretty fun game in a relatively short time. There are still issues, but the developer has given me confidence in his ability to fix issues promptly and efficiently as they come up. I note that the game's price is set at $19.99. I don't particularly mind this price point. The OST however is set at $29.99. I have a hard time believing anybody will buy it at that price point regardless of its quality. You can definitely play with a gamepad or Steam Deck (my own preferred venue), although as mentioned previously, the game only gives you k/m prompts presently. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3184142922 I'll continue to follow the game's updates and see what changes. There is definitely a quality experience to be had here, although I am also certain that due to a presumed lack of playtesters, you will find issues as you progress that will need to be reported to the dev. I personally consider this to be more of an early access title despite it having a full release. As I said earlier though, the developer is responsive and as long as you don't mind reporting issues and waiting a day or two for a fix, I think you'll find this to be an enjoyable game. I will continue updating this review for the next couple weeks at the least to reflect the current state of the game along with my own progress through it, so if you're not sure about something, you're welcome to check back here or reach out to me directly and I'll share my most recent experiences in this game with you. [code]If you found this review helpful and would be interested in supporting my Curator group, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32549618/]Robilar's Reviews[/url], it would be appreciated. Cheers.[/code] [code]Also follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/code]

Okay, the two positive reviews... and the trailer on this page now are obviously BS. There is absolutely NO WAY that anyone would play this broken turd of an RPG maker game for 10+ hours as shown in the current two positive reviews. This game is absolutely broken and this shows how little this developer cares about the quality of his game and also how little he cares about his own reputation. Charging $20 for what I just witnessed would be like charging someone $20 for a slap of their face. https://youtu.be/E7yRZaPbTTQ There is no character creation, there is no introduction or start or story explaining anything at all. The game just immediately puts you hovering over some labyrinth and you can slide around and clicking random spots will eventually bring up some random enemy. You can't choose magic or special attacks or items as you have none. You can hit the enemy 700 times, but he never takes any damage and eventually you just get killed. Yeah, epic game you made here Mr Dev. I see that I also gave a negative review to a very forgettable title he made back in 2022 called 'Via Mortis" which what also completely broken crap. I seriously wonder if this "developer" is just a big TROLL at this point. Why would be continue to throw up completely BROKEN RPG Maker trash on Steam at these kinda prices? ..Does he get some kinda sick & twisted thrill from this? ..That certainly seems more likely than the thought that he is actually trying to make good quality games for sure. NOT RECOMMENDED. ..I recently played 'Necroslayer" and it offers 100x better indie RPG game goodness at only $6. I'd recommend that over this for sure and you can thank me later as you save a cool $14 over getting shafted by purchasing this low effort shovelware here.

this game has so much potential it's a damn shame how good it already is and i'm super excited what it will eventually become

i thought it was interesting the little bit i played of it. extremely unique and such an interesting spin on a RPG maker game. honestly i think its worth a shot

A fever dream of creative world design, wildly clashing art styles, and abominable spelling. What I assumed was the complete game turned out to be a tutorial. Edit: my original thumbs-down was criticism of the hub area. The hub has been revised to make it less frustrating, so I'll tentatively make this a thumbs-up.

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