The game uses the problematic Unreal 4 engine, badly configured and without editable ini files that would allow the players to remedy some of the problems - worst of them being audio stuttering and hiccups on some configurations that make the game unplayable even on powerful configurations if you are unlucky. Refunded.
The audio and graphics remind me amiga games at their best - garish colors, good pixelart animation, bold music. But why do developers have to mimic the limitations of the platform to the letter? Amiga joystick had just one button. This game forces you to memorize directional attacks while making precision jumps, which is just not fun. Why cannot I remap the shuriken throw to a separate button? It would make things so much enjoyable. The boss fights, beginning with the cyber dragon, are just frustrating.
Buyers beware! I own this game on Steam, and while it looks polished and has nice UI, no effort is done to finish the game. Every few months, a new class is added, while most skills do not work and campaign is postponed ad infinitum. Buy on your own peril!
Please don't believe the hype. There is very little really "Lovecraftian" - it's an immitation in form only, not in spirit. There is nothing even remotely resembling Lovecraft's inspired writing, no sense of mystery, no real dread, just endless fetch quests, simplistic minigames you will do over and over and over and over and over (it's more like a mobile game, really), no real danger and shallow NPCs that are little more than quest signs and paper-thin props. It really feels like a cardboard-cut "wannabe horror" toy for teenagers than something that could impart a memorable story. Which is a shame. BTW the art is quite badly drawn too, hiding behind the low polygon induced nostalgia. It's functional and on a very basic level "fine", just so bland and unambitious.
I still remember my disappointment when I bought this on Steam some time ago - but now I got it for free on GOG, so at least I can write a review. The biggest disappointment is diplomacy - there are no real relations, the other nations do not pursue a real agenda, it's all simplistic processes, repetitive gameplay, and the agents have no personalities to speak off. But hey - I made an agent in Steam Workshop for this game. Enjoy! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1969421794
+ Beautiful pixel art + Competent voice acting + Fantastic soundtrack well matching the time period + Historical characters - Like the American positivism, the storyline is shallow, straightforward and uninteresting - Virtually no problems, the brain rests, everything is obvious and easy - Zero ability to influence anything - no decision matters, there is no possibility to fail, and only one ending - The minigames are silly and simplistic
A fantasy themed (Dungeons and Dragons licencse) strategy game in which your heroes fight real time battles when the armies meet. A typical high quality SSI standard of visuals, top notch pixel art, but for some reason, the GOG release has all the domunetation (manual, reference card) in German. Why, I wonder?
Just returned to this game on Steam, and I must say that the overall design, the gameplay idea, the writing and the choreography of the individual little stories, the attention to detail, the humor, the implications and parallels with real life - everything is spot on. I would probably say this game belongs to the very best I have ever played - and I am almost 50 and I have been gaming for my whole life.Well done, developers!
Had a blast playing it with my daughter. Short, but imaginative and fresh. Superb art and atmosphere. Highly recommended!
I tried this game on Steam, refunded it. It's extremely clumsily designed, features a lot of very unnecessary complexity that bring mostly tedium and fatigue, and masks all its flaws by dice throws. Play Fights in Tight Places instead - that game does everything better, plus looks better too.
