Alder's Blood Prologue

Pretty good for a prologue/teaser. Great art. Can't wait to play the main game.

Ok, so this little prequel has grabbed my undivided attention. I played it this morning and I have to say that the mechanics are smooth and reasonable. The management of energy combined with stealth and movement feel really fine tuned. The artwork is fantastic. It works so well with the overall theme, which it H.P. Lovecraft-ish. They really hit the nail on the head with it. What little of the atmosphere is experienced here is great. The creatures encountered are interesting and make me want to see what the full game has to offer. I was legit sad when the "demo" ended... Bottom line? I'm going to save up some money to get the full game. Hopefully it goes on sale again, but this may make my list of "It's worth it at full price" titles. (I've actually bought some games at full price on GOG... I'm very careful about that, but when I do it's for a reason. And I have yet to be disappointed. That's partially because I know myself real well and know what I enjoy playing.) Alders Blood is going on my wish-list.

TL;DR: A good intro to the story/world, but I want to see more in the way of gameplay. This just feels like a tutorial. Onto the "review"., This prologue got my interest. It sets the scene really well, and did a decent job at teaching the mechanics. Although, I didn't get the "Diversity of approaches". You quickly learn that combat is not the best option. Stealth is your best friend, finding the right time to attack, but avoiding it altogether is better. Thankfully, the stealth system is pretty clear, and visual indicators of what can see you, and where you can hide. What I'm not a huge fan of is how line of sight works. If I loose sight of someone, they just disapear, and it can feel like enemies I should have seen just apear out of nowhere. My first attempt on the last level, I literally walked right into a Screecher, I managed to quickly kill it, but it alerted it's allies. Thankfully, bushes were nearby so I could hide after the kill. Speaking of the actual kill, early on scavenging is mentioned, as is selling items. None of this seems implemented, if it's even planned at all. Likewise, this system would seem to fit well with a group (like the hunters), but that's not in the game/demo, either.

This is basically a demo for the main game Alder's Blood. It is free and very short (<30 mins) so try it by yourself rather than reading experience of someone else. It is worth it.

I really enjoy this kind of tactical games, and i like the art style and atmosphere. A bit confused about some game mechanics though, but as the developers state themselves, it's not supposed to be a real demo. The game is now on my wishlist! What keeps me from giving five stars may or may not be the developers fault, but i can't find a way to turn off the achievement notifications and i hate them, they ruin the atmosphere, they're more annoying than the mice under my sink digging through my garbage, pooping in my kitchenware and making noise when i try to sleep. I don't wanna install and play my games outside the client just to avoid being annoyed to insanity. Isn't a clean experience somehow part of the drm-free concept?