Vagrus - The Riven Realms

Vagrus plays like a rich & literate single-player board game, where you hold together your caravan and try to thrive in a hostile environment full of interesting creatures and factions. It's very easy to become absorbed in the world-building. The writing and artwork meld together well. Normally I would say that I don't even enjoy crew maintenance mechanics, such as morale and feeding, but in Vagrus I somehow do. It feels like an earned part of exploring this world. At this point, I kind of want to hold off on continuing to play Vagrus until the game is finished, but I keep finding myself coming back to it anyway.

I've played this game with a friend for over 40 hours so far and I'm just starting my own campaign. :) As other reviews have mentioned, this is a reading-heavy game (although it balances out as you learn the mechanics and gradually start to manage more and more). Don't be discouraged by this as it is one of the game's absolute strengts - it allows you to sink into an atmosphere that is quite unmatched. You've got a truly astonishing lore that must have taken years to write and is a joy to read. You will feel the story pull you along, hungry to find out what's around the next corner, while the constant challenges and the pacing keeps you on your toes. The graphics are very nice for an independent game, the majority of the places you visit have stunning illustrations and they convey the rich but unforgiving nature of the world that is depicted in the story. There are loads to do and the challenge is there from the beginning, be prepared for that. :) It very much is like playing a tabletop RPG with your mates, you feel that your actions have consequences. Combat can be a bit clunky at times but it's not really an issue, and it sort of reminds me of the old Heroes of Might and Magic games, in a good way. (It's like pizza - when it's good, it's great; when it's bad, it's still pretty good.) :) Overall, the game is definitely recommended. It's a unique, engrossing one that will keep you entertained for a long-long time. I wish we got more of these types of games.

First, let say who should not try this game. You like Diablo-like cRPG, enjoy cool effects and prefer clicking combos ruther then reading? Nah, this is not for you. But..if you like old school RPG and speak with nostalgia obout time when you played with your friends, laughing yours ass out, you are in luck. This is a Game. Make yourself a cup of coffe, light your reefer and dive into rich lore of the Riven realms. Story driven campaign, beautifull sketches, vivid living world with interacting factions and rich Lore. Elements of strategy, tactics, politics... In basics, you are a vagrus, leader of traveling caravan and this is your story. You start with a small caravan, and goals can be choosed. Wealth, fame or knowledge. I played Wealth, and goal was to open my own mining post. Sort of pension fond :) You can get up to 8 companions, with their own story quest lines. You meet interesting NPCs, share or sell information and goods, do quests for them, learn about world and people and get xp rewards for that, Game has preaty steep learning curve, and is hursh and unforgiving as is the world you are in, so you will die here and there, usualy with vivid description. Especially if you dont listen what people are talking to you. Save often, save under different slots. And now, after i finished it, after few hundreds hours of play, with 39 Renown, 76 completed objectives and drunk a glass of wine on the porch of my own outpost, i can say - Really, really nice game, one of the best i ever played, Cant wait to install this new companion. Maybe even try new playtrough. Game is using only a small part of the continent map so i hope there will be another adventures, this game deserves to live. A great game, made by such little team. Another proof that for a great game, you dont need great studio. Just a great idea. Have fun people.

TL;DR:I think this game has a lot of potential, and I've put probably over 20h into it, so there's some decent content there, but there's so much more that isn't there. I'd wait to try this until it's had some more work done As others have said, this is more like a visual novel w/ some strategy aspects to it, or vice versa, a strategy game w/ visual novel aspects. It's a good mix and I enjoy playing it One of the issues I have with what's been developed is how imbalanced things can be. As of right now, it's trying to dodge a lot of the more unplayable mechanics to do what content is there. I feel like the game wants to be a sandbox, but at the moment it seems a bit more theme parky due to how it railroads you down certain paths for things. Maybe that will be changed later, but for now you are locked into certain things. Mechanically, many facets of the game still need adjusting. The group battles, taking passengers, food and water mechanic in general, workers vs slaves to name just a few. Many Quality of Life improvements also are needed. It is definitely a game still in development. Story wise, they have crafted a world with lots of lore and amazing depth. I'm sure there's more to come on this, and from what I have completed it seems like there will more interesting threads to follow in the future. This would be the main reason to play this game atm. The world is still sparse, and it has a huge map....of which you can only play in a small section. Most things are marked on the map so there's not a ton of incentive for exploring. It also becomes problematic to explore since you have to manage your supplies. I think this game could be great but at the moment it's more like an admission fee to play an alpha. If you are TOTALLY into what they're doing, then go for it, but for most people, I think you'd be better off waiting for a more polished and ready for consumption product. There's always the risk it never gets finished as well.