The game is very small. Initally quite challenging, but becomes very easy on subsequent runs, basically allowing you to run to the boss and nuke it. It was fun getting there my first time though, which took about two hours. I wish the Classes had more than small stat variations. I was expecting my cleric to cast a heal spell, and my sage to do some magic, but that never happened. I also wish there were items to find in the rooms. As it is the rooms are just there to serve up mosters and that is a shame. Both means making new parties kind of pointless. I really like the presentation though. The graphics have a really cool style, and the music and sound effects gives the game a great atmosphere. I know there is a sequel which might be worth checking out. If they add skills to the classes and items you might be better off skipping this one and going straight for the sequel.
The game is incredibly bad. It is the laziest mobile port I've ever seen, and lacks basic PC features. The UI is horrendus and not at all intuitive for mouse and keyboard. The interact button is TAB for fucks sake! The gameplay and graphics are not worth mentioning. Now I could forgive all of this if the character deveopment system was really cool, but it's sub par. Few abilities and stats to choose from, and only the 4 bog standard classes. Save yourselves, and skip this shite.
THIS game is what I LOVE in an RPG. It has deep mechanics and harsh world to explore, one that really feels different from what you're used to. It also oozes atmosphere. The game WILL kick your ass though, especially in the beginning, so be prepared to save often. The game does rely heavily on combat, more so than most RPGs, so keep that in mind during character creation. You will probably re-roll your character once you get a handle on the mechanics of the game, but that said, the game caters to a wide variety of playstyles, and it will be hard to make a character that is completely useless. Don't be afraid to experiment, you have many tools at your disposal! The game also has a very deep crafting system, but I'll let you discover that for yourself. Suffice it to say that you don't want to skimp on intelligence. Underrail is a passion project, and it shows. BIG TIME! If you like Fallout 1 & 2, this game is your jam.
I just beat the game on standard difficulty. It took me about 7 hours, and I enjoyed my time with it. The good: - Great old-school fps gameplay with monsterclosets and secrets aplenty! - Each episode has it's own aesthetic, complete with new weapons, spells and enemies. This makes the game feel fresh thoughout the whole game. My favorite episode was episode 2! - Throughout the game you find upgrade points which you spend to modify your weapons and unlock new spells. Every weapon has 2 upgrades which are mutually exclusive. You will not find enough upgrade points to get everything, so spend your points wisely. I put all of my points into the weapons (at the expense of spells), so there is PLENTY of reason for me to go back for another runthrough. - As you kill stuff and find tresure you get experience. Get enough experience and you will level-up, getting a point to spend on one of 4 stats. I forget their names but they equate to: more melee damage, more health, more mana or more ammo. Every fifth level you unlock a perk. There are 10 different perks to choose from (I think), and they all require different attributes. There is little reason to pick anything other than health though, since you can get a nice perk at level 10 that will give you a random statpoint for free when you gain a level. This perk alone should be enough to make up for any shortcomings in the other stats. Since I relied exclusivly on guns I put some points into the 'more ammo' stat to start with. At the end of the game I had roughy 10 in every stat except for the health stat which was at 20+. With clever ammo management this made me into a TANK lategame. The bad: - Poor optimization. I have a solid mid-range computer (i5 Quad, GTX1070 and 32GB DDR3), but struggled to keep a solid 60fps. The game feels very choppy at times, and could definitly use some fine tuning under the hood. - Lack of keybinding options. More is better! All in all: The game rocks, and is well worth your bucks!
Blackguards is a turn-based, strategy rpg. As such, it focuses heavily on combat. The towns and world map is just screens with intractable objects like doors or npcs, so don't expect to roam around town. They do look good though! The combat system is great! It allows for some complex strategies that can fall apart at any second. This is due to the xx% to successfully cast a spell or hit your opponent. Some times you miss three 95% attacks in a row, and it's infuriating! I even missed on a 100% chance once during my play-through. The combat is very reminiscent of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, if you need a point of reference. Blackguards also has a solid character development system. The game is totally class-less and allow you to build exactly the kind of character you want. Throughout your adventure you gain AP (Adventure Points) that you use to level-up your characters stats, skills and spells. The Level-Up mechanics can be a bit confusing sometimes, especially if you're not familiar with The Dark Eye tabletop rpg, but you do have the option to simplify character creation, and make sure you have a balanced starting character. The story is nothing special, but the characters are great, and the game is full of witty dialog. One character in particular had me laughing out loud time and again through my 30-40 hours with this game. My favorite part of the game is it's soundtrack. It's very well made. In combat the music changes depending on how you're doing. If the battle turns in your favor the music becomes more uplifting, if your characters are almost dead, the music becomes darker. The game is not without faults though. These include clunky UI, Slow combat animations, and other minor annoyances. It looks like the developer is done patching the game, so unless someone makes a unofficial patch don't expect them to be solved anytime soon. All in all Blackguards is a great RPG if you like tactical combat and in-depth character customization. If not - Look elsewhere.
