Playing as an adventurer against a force beyond mortal comprehension is the best simple way I can put this stellar indie CRPG. The dialogue and descriptions of enemies, events, and battle situations are very on point and leave quite the impression. Building your character is easy to understand and gives you simple answers as to what stats do and how they affect you. Music was on point whether it was from simply catchy as the victory battle tune or building the horror and suspense. I will say the battle and maps are quite small and can make it difficult at times to move your character to the exact spot you want. Other than that I can't really see any true negative with the game. If you would like a CRPG that is smaller than many others but has just as much thought and heart then SKALD is the game for you.
Review Date: 2/18/20 Now due to issues, I haven't been able to complete the game in full so keep that in mind while reading this. Now first the positives Atmosphere: The worldbuilding and environments go hand in hand very well. Pulls off a ruined world in the areas you explore to even the characters you interact with. The maps aren't too complex or large so getting lost was not an issue for me. Combat: This was the second-best feature for me. Shots and melee do TONS of damage to not just you but nearly EVERYONE. Reloading takes time and materials need to consistently be repaired. Bullets and Explosion can do environmental damages. Healing from damages is slow are leaves you vulnerable. It's tense and takes quick thinking when fighting in tight areas. Leveling: Honestly this was simple to use and it's upfront of the stats that will improve and by how much. Allows your companions to level up as well. Now let's get into why its a 3/5 for me: Bugs: This reason this is an in-progress review is a bug that breaks the main quest and as of this review I can't move past it. Hoping that 1.7 will have the fix I need. Quest issues: some quests is straight forward and easy to understand but some are either not fully translated or are poorly explained on what the quest giver wants. Honestly, I needed to ask online for some of the quests. Unexplained mechanics: Now unlike some, I don't have too much of an issue with keeping up stats like hunger or thirst when it's done well. Here you have to keep those up as well a different stat: Somina. Somina is an instant game over when you reach the limit. That fine but there are no gauges to read, only icon warnings. It makes it hard to know which relief items to use. Final Thought: It's is a Kickstarter project with heart and good gameplay elements but some of the issues are game-breaking and poorly implemented. I will revise my review as soon as can.
