Diese Review basiert auf der Steam-Version (April 2023). Um erstmal zum Positiven zu kommen: Grafisch ist das Spiel durchaus ansehnlich. Der mit Sicherheit positivste Aspekt des Spiels ist jedoch das Voice Acting - wenn man ihr nur vernünftige Texte gegeben hätte. Man ist kaum im Spiel, schon geht es mit ärgerlichen Fehlern los. Die Figur bleibt an unsichtbaren Kanten hängen und lässt sich nicht mehr befreien, fällt nach einem Sprung ins Bodenlose, oder das Spiel friert ein und muss hart beendet werden. Dazu kommt eine Map, die nur sporadisch funktioniert. Dass ein Unternehmen einen DLC rausbringt, ohne zunächst zumindest die gröbsten Fehler behoben zu haben, ist mir ein Rätsel. Das wäre mit viel gutem Willen noch zu verschmerzen, aber da das Spiel kein Autosave kennt darf man sich mit etwas Pech wieder und wieder durch unspektakuläre, teils verwirrend entworfene Levelbereiche quälen. Während man in den ersten Minuten noch glaubt, dass da eine interessante Story auf den Spieler wartet, fragt man sich bald, wann diese denn endlich erzählt wird. Ich habe - zugegeben - das Spiel nach vermutlich 80% beendet und habe daher die große Auflösung (?) nicht gesehen, aber bis dahin ist tatsächlich nichts passiert, was interessant hätte sein können. Dass das Spiel einer Ideologie folgt wurde öfter kritisiert, ich persönlich habe damit kein Problem, schließlich sind Ansichten oft die Grundlage interessanter Geschichten...zumindest dann, wenn die Autoren fachlich dazu in der Lage sind. Hier hat man leider den Eindruck, ein in seiner Twitterblase gefangenes, wütendes Kind durfte sich als Schreiber versuchen. So beobachtet man sich dann leider öfter beim Fremdschämen, als es einem lieb ist. Leider kann ich dem Spiel kein gutes Zeugnis ausstellen. Ich schätze Indie-Entwickler und kann mit Ecken und Kanten, die aufgrund eines kleinen Teams zu erwarten sind, sehr gut leben, wenn diese Schwächen mit viel Herzblut ausgeglichen werden. Das ist hier nicht der Fall.
Another great one from the creators of "Stories". Gameplay is fun, gets a bit repetitive in the end though. Nonetheless, a great way to tell their story. I had a great time!
Fun way to explore the background story of one of the characters. Already looking forward to the next one!
A woman stops me, she tells me her neighbors stole her cat, and there are strange sounds coming from their house. I agree to take a look. But how to enter the house? I could check if there is a place where I can shoot a rope arrow to climb the balcony? I could check if i could pick the lock of their main entrance? Or maybe the house has a backdoor where i could try to sneak in through the basement? Winter Ember is a pure stealth game, as you might have noticed from this description. You can fight if things go south, but if enemies outnumber you, it's over. During the game you unlock several maps that you can roam (mostly) freely, following the main story or take care of plenty of side quests, some of them deep and complex. What i loved: - great revenge story with interesting lore, drawn cinematics and a satisfying ending - plenty of ways to proceed in your quests - great atmosphere - easy accessible quick save/load - many things to explore and discover - main story around 10 hours, i played over 30 with many (but not all) side quests completed - fully voiced It includes upgradeable skills by finding skill coins during quests and exploration that you can spend in a skill tree. The game received average ratings when it was released, i played the fully patched version and can only assume that the initially released version had bugs and/or features missing, but that's only my guess. The current version is stable and feels complete with some minor nuisances, like having to use the gamepad START button to close the menu instead of B. The first tutorial mission was not ideal, it felt a bit clunky. Players should be aware that the game opens up after that mission and becomes an amazing stealth experience. Highly recommended to any stealth fans! The developers did a FANTASTIC job and I'm looking forward to their next project!
Just finished this game, and I loved it! Even though it's considered a horror game, i did not find it too creepy, but with a deep atmosphere, interesting locations and incredibly good soundtrack. The game options allow you to customize the difficulty in a way that you have an easy "story focused" or a more stealth based experience. It allows you to explore the locations without being hunted permanently - something i don't like in many other games of this genre - while holding the atmosphere tense. The story is interesting, too. What i liked: - not being hunted permanently, focus on exploring and stealth - there are puzzles, but they are not very difficult and won't kill the atmosphere - fantastic soundtrack, very atmospheric graphic art - duration was about 7-8 hours, if you take your time exploring Not sure what the reviewer complaint about not getting updates, the game is in version 1.4.4, i had no problems at all except for a short freezing of my gamepad input 2 or 3 times. Highly recommended!
A bit of a platformer, a bit of a walking simulator, but in no way difficult or challenging...and that is how a game like this should be. You follow the journey of a fox that symbolizes the story of the narrator, in some way. Thus, I'd describe it less as a game but more like an emotional, relaxing and in the end touching experience. It can easily be completed in 2-3 hours. It lacks a bit on the technical side: Graphics could be better, though it didn't disturb me in enjoying the game. Ambient sounds and music are fantastic. Voice acting was well done. It's not a game for everyone. If you're looking for challenging puzzles or action, it's not for you. But if you looking for a relaxing and emotional journey that can be played and completed in one evening, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.
Glad this game finally arrived here on gog, essential part of my collection now. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys rpgs and/or tactical games. Hopefully gog takes care of those rassist reviews from these very simple minded persons. The game does not deserve this.
Skabma was one of the games I discovered here on gog and bought right on release day. On the one hand I was impressed by the story, on the other hand by the experience of Nordic myths and cultures. Specifically, this is about the Sámi people. About the story I would like to lose only a few words: Something strange threatens the valley. Disease afflicts the inhabitants. A boy is now given the task of finding four animal spirits and fighting the evil with them. Hints are given by a mysterious (extremely sympathetic) person who he meets again and again. I must say that the story captivated me from the beginning and was told very beautifully. If you like mythology, and Norse mythology at that, this is the book for you! Also, the world is very pretty to look at. As for the game, it can be said that it is a very relaxing (action) adventure game set in an open world that expands bit by bit as you learn new skills. However, you shouldn't expect role-playing and demanding battles. It is a relatively stress-free experience that can be played through in about 6 hours. The dialogues (all spoken in "native language", which I find very refreshing) are excellent and made me smile quite often. The gameplay is composed of exploring the world (finding the collectibles/side quests) and platforming elements. Battles play a very minor role. The credits suggest that a sequel is already being worked on and that the world of Skabma has more stories to offer. Which makes me very happy, because I will definitely buy the second part again on Day One. I can hightly recommend this game to everyone - especially to those who love mythical stories.
