If I listened to every bad review on this page and didn't buy this game then I feel I would have done myself a disservice. I love pirate themed games, but have struggled in the past to find one that did what this game does: there's such a strong focus on the sailing! True, this isn't an Assassin's Creed game where you jump off your ship and go places. 90% of your time is spent on the ship, in the open sea. (Or you can quick travel via the world map if you don't enjoy taking your time!) There's a handful of times you exit your ship, but you can tell that's not the main focus of the game. It looks great, but the mechanics are simplistic: click and attack. But that's OK, because, again, it's NOT the main focus. The main focus is the SAILING! And they nailed it! Maybe the game used to be more buggy... which may explain previous bad reviews... but I haven't experienced ANY bugs personally. I've just really enjoyed sailing my ship out on the open sea. The battles are fun and easy to grasp as well. Play your cards right and you can board an enemy ship and fight the crew. (Again, it's click and attack, don't get too excited!) But it's still fun. The atmosphere and sound effects are fantastic. And, it isn't too difficult to balance resources with finances either. The different roles you could take on are pretty easily distinguishable. Either you fight a lot or you don't. If you don't, be prepared to spend more money on ale and such to keep your crew happy. Otherwise each victory improves morale. There are also multiple factions to balance between, and each one has it's own advantage or benefit to your ship. One has a bank, one gives you cannonballs, etc. Get on bad terms with one and face the consequences! (Helping one faction may upset another, so be careful which side you choose!) Graphically this game is beautiful. The sailing scenes are just what I need to relax some nights: Out on the open water, sun setting in the background... Get it on sale! Give it a chance!
This game took me off guard. I literally went into it because I saw retro graphics and read something about deck building in the description, so I figured it could be my type of game... and it was on sale. So... a no brainer, right? Dang. The music, the graphics... They're just the tip of the ice-burg. They're beautiful, and lend perfectly to the dark fantasy atmosphere that the story portrays. Then it goes and mixes genres in the best of ways... I'm still blown away at its execution: Story (No spoilers)- The world is destroyed, but you're not. Go find out why by exploring the world, which practically disappears every time you return to camp. Strategy- You have a "deck" of available cards for each run. These are your landmarks to place in the world for every new loop. Each landmark carries with it either an advantage to you're character, a hindrance to your character, or both. And there's usually consequences for placing too many of the "advantage only" landmarks. RPG- As you defeat monsters you get loot... either the cards i mentioned or equipment to suit up your character. With each loop you're character gets stronger with new equipment, and the monsters get more difficult. Rogue-Lite- You're character will either die or retreat back to camp after each run. Upgrade you're camp, if you can, to gain perks for you're future runs. The loop is randomized and you're back to square one. Board-Game feel- You're character runs around a loop automatically, though you can pause time when you want to place your landmarks or upgrade equipment. The fights are all automatic, and you're character depends on his equipment to improve his attack time, health, health-regeneration, vampirism, etc... The more you progress, the more you build your camp. The more you build your camp the more you can progress the story. (This includes unlocking new classes!) Be prepared for that "just one more run!" urge to grab you and never let you go. I love this game, it's money well spent.
But the game was made in 2012? Why say Old School? Because it LOOKS Old School! This game does everything I have wanted so many new games to do: skip the souped up graphics that my computer may or may not handle well... Skip super original mechanics that are sometimes frustrating and take away from the story I'm trying to enjoy... Skip all the crap. Just use a trusted, simple format and beef it up! Plug in a ton of content, keep the story line fun. Make it enjoyable! Things I love about this game- -Your character is a flat 2D image moving on a flat surface. No walking animations, but you DO see when your character puts on a cloak or hat, or equips a staff or a sword. -It's turn base... So you're enemies will wait until you move to move. Take you're time and plan ahead, if you can. -Lots of races and classes to choose from to perfect your preferred playing style. -Lots of items and spells to equip and play with. -Great, if not simple, storytelling that keeps you engaged. -Lots of different types of areas to explore. -OPTIONS! You don't like Perma-Death? Try Explore mode, where you have infinite lives! Beef up you're character as much as you want and decimate you're enemies! Too easy? Try Adventure Mode where you have limited lives. You LIKE punishing yourself? Try the Plus Mode where immediate Perma-Death is a thing and suffer all you want. -There's DLC available that add a ton of content. Now for the CON- -There's people out there who don't understand things. There's reviews about this game being a scam... What? Yes, the game asked me if I wanted to make an online account, and that there would be some perks... I don't have internet at my home computer, so I said "no" and passed that up... I STILL GET THE ENTIRE GAME THAT I PAID FOR AND LOVE IT. No reason to dock the game for stars because I didn't get connected to an online community. Geeze... If you know what you're buying it's a 5 star game. It does all that the description page says it does.
Played a little bit of this so far and I'm loving the simplicity of it all. Simple, re-mappable controls, great music, fun graphics and story. I couldn't ask for more in a game... Much less would I dare to ask for it for FREE! Thank you Developer! This is an awesome gift of generosity to the public! And it's a great way to share myths and legends of other countries. I have never heard of Janosik before, but will certainly be searching out literature on him! Thanks again!
First, the apparent elephant in the room... I don't know what system captaincofresi or planefreak1001 are playing on, but I was not prompted to download or install a "Kalypso Launcher." I'm playing on Windows 7 and the game installed and plays just fine, and I have no internet connection at my house. A quick download from GOG on my phone, a file transfer, and the startup file did it's magic... I can play it on my interne-less computer... So it obviously IS DRM Free, or I would not be able to play it... But again, that's on Windows 7 at least. Now, for the actual game... I like to judge a game based on it's description page. If it doesn't match, then it looses stars... If it matches, then there's no reason for me to take any away, right? Well, from what I've played (and I'm about half way through at this point) the game matches it's description. So, 5 stars! Now, specifics... Here goes: Music and atmosphere- 100% stereotypical 70's music and decor about in this game. The atmosphere was nailed spot on. I feel like I'm leading a team of bandits through heists that took place in that time-period, so well done Dev's! Mechanics- I was thinking this would be more like a turn based strategy game, as many of this genre are, but this is actually RTS. More like Shadow Tactics than Hard West. However, it works and I really appreciate this approach. It makes your decisions that much more important. Don't walk into your enemies line of sight, which is constantly shifting, and try not to set off any alarms, or the guards come running. Also, each character has his or her own specialties. Good variety. Characters- Are they a little shallow? Probably. But the game doesn't try to make some deep statement with an epic story... It tries to stick to it's theme, and it does so greatly. You're a team of bandits trying to pull off jobs. There is some story, but I won't spoil it. It's fun. For a $10 game it delivers so much for the money. Nothing to complain about here!
Ok, so I grew up with the Where's Waldo books, and also loved other Hidden Picture puzzle books I was able to get my hands on... This is such a simple concept for a computer game, but it's so awesome! This is a clean, fun, family friendly game that I can enjoy with my kids, and it scratches my Hidden Picture itch as well. The levels start off small, but end up being quite large. The difficulty is not too overwhelming, but is still enough to be thankful for the hints that appear as you scroll over the hidden items on the bottom of the screen. The mechanics are pretty simple as well... Click on anything. There are a number of interactive elements to keep the fun going even when you're stuck and can't find the hidden items. Torches will light up, trees will rustle, creatures and people will make sounds. Even inanimate objects have unique sounds... Like eggs. They sound like eggshells cracking when you click on them. It's these types of subtle attentions to detail that always makes me smile while playing this with my six year old. She loves clicking on the dinosaurs and other animals. The music is relaxing, if not repetitive. But, hey, this isn't meant to be played for hours on end. Just like you wouldn't want to ride an elevator over and over again. The music would drive you crazy... But from floor to floor it's enjoyable. The graphics are cute and cartoony, very similar to the Where's Waldo books. And that's it. It's a hidden picture game with interactive elements, and they don't ask an outrageous price for it. It's a small price to pay for many evenings of fun. AND... There's a MAP DESIGNER! So, you can design your own maps once you've gone through the pre-made ones. Even write your own hints for the items you hide. And it's super easy to use, so my kids and I can take turns making maps for each other and seeing how long it takes for each other to find everything. I am so glad this game exists. Really, it's a gem.
It's a video game rendition of a board game/card game... What's not to love? The graphics are reminiscent of the artwork on the cards and board game. I would have been offended if they had not taken that route, because that would have disconnected me from the main brand. As it is, it FEELS like I'm playing the card game, and I love it. The story is great so far. Only played the first few scenarios, but the atmosphere/voice acting/ambient sounds/music... It's all fantastic. Mechanics may take some getting used to. I honestly wasn't expecting to be able to control the camera at all, but you can! (360 degrees, and zooming in and out a bit) Most games like this stick you with a single view and make you deal with it. So thankful for the immersion that the camera movement brings. The fighting is turn based with action points and such. Nothing surprising, just the added touch and feel of the board game and card game. They even have similar symbols for health and sanity. Looks and feels solid. The pace is designed to be slow. This isn't a run and gun game. It's not a beat the clock game. It's an investigation into the horrors of HP Lovecraft. So, I'm taking my time and exploring as I'm meant to do. It's what the level designs encourage. No rush. Just enjoy the atmosphere as the story unfolds. There's consequences for making wrong choices, and rewards for making the right ones, so expect to be losing your sanity and facing the consequences... This is a Lovecraft Game after all! This gives me the same feel of reading a good book. I'm going to savor this. I'm so glad that they decided to make this game. Too often games that were board games that get turned into video games don't seem to work out very well... This one, however, is defying that stereotype so far. If you're not a fan of the board game or card game then you may not appreciate this. But, if you like the board game or card game, then chances are you will really enjoy this! That seems to be the target audience.
So, I love the base game. Naturally I was curious when I saw more characters. Well, this is not a meaningless add on like "horse armor"... cough. These characters each bring more unique game-play and fun to the table! I won't spoil all of them...... But the Alien can use mind control on people, but can't use weapons or talk. Perfect balance and an incredible experience honestly. Not to mention, if character creation is your thing, these all add more abilities for you to play with in your own character designs. I grabbed it on sale and I'm glad I did. Not on sale it's like paying roughly a dollar a character... So it just depends on if you think it's worth it. I gave it 5 stars because all the characters are amazing and fun to play with.
So, this game is NOT a shooter. That certainly is one of the many elements, and they capitalized on that element in the trailer... Which is unfortunate. However, this game is jam packed with tactical puzzle solving. Multiple classes means different ways to approach similar puzzles: retrieve an item from a chest/ take a designated person or persons out/ destroy something/ shut something down. How you accomplish these goals is determined by your chosen class and what you find in the field. Maybe your character is good at one thing. Well, that one thing comes with a balanced cost to something else. And the variety is astounding. You've got hackers, vampires, bod-changers, cops, thieves, doctors... The list goes on. Not to mention you can create your very own character using any stat/item you've unlocked in the game! You can make a game-breaking character that won't unlock anything because of it's stats, but if you want to fly through and see the ending it's the way to go! Or, challenge yourself by making an extremely difficult character to play as... Don't know why you would, but hey, YOU CAN! Also, the level generator is strong enough to make it feel like a different place every run-through. Similar qualities, but different set-up. Replay is what this game is all about, and they make it effortless and enticing. Maybe you want to go on a rampage? Maybe you want to be stealthy? Maybe you want to blow stuff up and ask questions later? All these options and more are here, in the Streets of Rogue. I'm having a blast learning new ways to solve puzzles as I am still unlocking new characters. You do so by either buying the Character Pack (which I did) or unlocking new characters by completing in-game challenges. This game is wonderful. Seriously. Can't recommend it enough. Get it! (On sale especially if you can!)
