Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest

The rundown: Graphics: 2.5/5 Sound/Music: 2.5/5 Gameplay: 3/5 Story: 2/5 Fun factor: 3/5 The gist: A turn based combat game ala FF Tactics/Shining Force / Disgaea. You start with three charcacters who have a pretty basic load out of equipment and abilities. As you progress, you can purchase (via a shop) or gain new abilities(by levelling up). The crux of the game is the turn based combat - presented as quest points on a world map. You select a quest you want to do - a textbox gives you the backdrop of the quest and a list of main and side objectives you'll need/want to complete. The quests are your standard fare of turn based combat. You pick a character, and then you move/attack/use an item in whatever order you choose and see the results. Rewards for these quests include xp, gold, and power gems and it's this last reward that is key to progress in the game. Each item/equipment/ability have upgrades that cost power gems and you can add/take away power gems from them at will before engaging with a quest. Initially, you can be pretty carefree about this but as the game progresses you will need to really put thought into what to upgrade for that particular quest. The problem with the game however, is that it doesn't do anything well. If the only real gameplay in a game is turn based combat then the turn based combat needs to be strong. Unfortunately, it's about as basic as it gets. Over time characters gain a list of abilities to use and eventually swap out to suit the quest but that's it. Nearly every srpg in the past has offered something much more not only in gameplay but in other parts of the game as well. Everything in this game feels phoned in - especially the music and story. And so I'm sad to say that I just can't recommend this game. If you want to play a SRPG then I advise picking up any other SRPG game in the past 30+ years (the titles I listed at the top are all good ones). It likely has much more to offer on that front than this game.

TL;DR Druidstone has good production values and offers an interesting combat challenge. It is no RPG and no strategy game, instead Druidstone is at its best if you love a dungeon run that throws challenging surprises at you, and if you manage to proceed without fail like a roguelike. However, if these surprises catch you off guard, replaying a mission feels more like a diminishing grind because the events play out the same on each retry. Playing on hard and trying to complete all objectives on your first attempt is a rewarding experience though. Given its flaws 4 stars would be appropriate, but I am giving it 5 stars because I enjoyed my entire playthrough, which is rare these days. Fully detailed review: Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest - turn-based isometric RPG from Grimrock devs

Druidstone meets all criteria for an excellent turn-based-strategy game. the characters are fun and comfortable to use, because of their ability loadouts and the smart ability selection that the game performs based on the characters location and remaining moves. the characters have re-spec-able gear and skill perks, which is very handy for indicisive players like myself. the handmade levels pose challenges that are not just feats of skill in combat, but also in timing and puzzle strategy. the graphics are lovely, and thoughtfully done; with a smart balance between stylization and realism. i am especially fond of the soundtrack. im going to have to look up the composer, but whoever wrote the score for the game, is a very talented individual! very moving stuff! the story is not just a slapped-together tie-in to the levels. the overarching narrative and dialogue have genuine intrigue, and would work on their own, as a fantasy novel. what really sold me on the game originally, was the fact that, as an independant, standalone title (so that i dont have to feel like im missing out on the rest of a series [bit of a quirk, i know]) the game includes a map modding tool- opening up the experience to endless possible scenarios this game was clearly made as a labour of love.

-5/5 loading time : 1st of all, in this modern age where every games takes longer to load, let's emphasize: this game loads instantly *even without SSD* -5/5 gameplay very nice tactics game with limited number of character, so no Disgaea micromanagement madness, which is a pro to me (i'm getting old...). Not too complex, but as you progress, you'll get a lot more option to unfold your strategy -4/5 graphically i find it very nice looking too, if not "AAA" but who cares -2.5/5 sound. Sound effect is servicable, music is ok. No voice at all. But well, we can focus on gameplay. -3/5 story. I can't say if it's great or bad. Servicable story lol so all in all, i find this game a very good enternaining tactics which will not take your whole lifetim, so you will be able to enjoy other games (Bloodstained :) ? )

I bought this game because it was created by the same guys as the Legend of Grimrock, so I was expecting quality, and that was indeed what I got. You could look at the game like huge puzzle but, unlike in Grimrock, there's multiple solutions to each level, with varying degrees of quality. Getting always "top marks" is very hard, in my opinion, especially if you try to beat these in your first try. There's often little room for mistakes, so every move has to be carefully laid out. Although, you can often replay the level in the same way, and get similar results, so there isn't much randomness. I played on normal, and had to often reset levels. It is worth it to complete the optional objectives, as you are rewarded with much required level ups, gems and new weapons for your characters. Interspersed, there are a few pure puzzle levels that are, in my opinion, quite easy in comparison, but are still fun to solve. In time you learn the more effective strategies and spells, but the game also ups the difficulty to match, especially when you want to achieve every optional objective on every level. There is a gradual increase in difficulty, but, IMO, there's quite a few spikes and dips in difficulty. Altough, there were levels that could be beaten, or made much easier, by employing non-traditional techniques. Sometimes you might be stuck in a level for tens of minutes, and the music can get a bit grating, but I found the soundtrack to be good, and a bit of an earworm. In this line of thought, the game tries to punish turtling by summoning extra monsters, or adding time limits, so you always have to be on your toes. I have seen several criticisms of the game's story. I'm not sure if I agree. I found it to be cute and charming. Not overly complicated, very straightforward, did not get in the way of the action. It also didn't leave a horrible cliffhanger to tease a sequel; it's self contained. In short, I had a phenomenal time playing it, and would recommend it.