This game is truly original in its mechanic . Easy to understand, hard to master, with very little in game guidance. Yet once you've solved some of the puzzles about what to do next / how to achieve a specific goal, the answer almost always makes sense (at least in the occult world) The game purpose : to run an occult cult while trying to achieve enlightenment. All the actions are done through tarot-like cards, and 5 actions (work, dream, study, talk, explore) . You cannot run an action multiple time at once (so no "working" 2 jobs at once for example), and they all take time to complete : time management is critical in the game ! So time is the essence, but the game don't require any fast reflexes : you can pause at will I am well aware that this game is a niche one : you will probably love it or hate it. Beware, the look of it may make you think it's a casual game you can play for 30 min now and then to relax (like you would a game of Solitaire or other cards), but it is definitely not. You need to put your mind to it, remember what you learn as you progress, and if you're hooked to it, it's completely addictive, because of the timers. So you're always waiting for one more action to finish, one more card to be revealed, one more book to be read... I actually won't play the game on week days now, because i had too many instance of starting it after dinner "just for an hour" and only managing to drag myself away from it at 2 AM (and having a hard time getting to work on time the next morning...) so now it only eats my week-end time. But hey, with the current pandemic, i have an excuse to dodge social invitations, other than "sorry, can't come over this evening, have a Cult to run ! " A last note about the DLCS : Exile is the largest and change the game a lot . So it's really nice to renew your interest once you have beaten the base game, but save it until then , cause you have to relearn everything. The others just add new path to enlightenment.
The gameplay and the low fantasy medieval setting has all the qualities that made me love Legends of Eisenwald But this stand-alone spin off is also an absolutely hilarious rewriting of the recent american elections. Here it's the Duc that died heirless, and the barons have to elect his successor. The 2 main contestant are a man named.. Dieter Horn , and a woman, Hanna Eisig , and you have to pick a side and help it win. The extravagant rumors about both candidates are offen medieval views of the actual campain events , and it's amasing how medieval it does feel indeed ! The game is still great even if you don't want to pay attention to that double entendre, but much funnier this way
in this game, the pixelised rendering is less a tribute to older games than a way to stimulate the imagination. And the effect is amplified by one of the best soundtrack i've seen on an indie game. Carlos Viola's music and sound effects will carry you into the game, help build a sens of impending doom, and make the whole experience really memorable.
