Very mindless hack n' slash ARPG. I could only play an hour and a half before quitting. It just doesn't grab me, which is sad given how absurdly rich the old Warhammer Fantasy lore is. I know story isn't a major focus for most ARPGs, but even in that aspect the game just feels like it's checking off boxes, trying to do the minimum and nothing more than that. It was, however, functional, so I cannot give it 1*. It gets points for working at launch, which I cannot say for some other games I've gotten from GOG. If you can get it dirt cheap, and REALLY want to play something mindless and simplistic, maybe? Otherwise, hard pass. There are so many better ARPGs out there. Hell, there are worse-playing ones that are at least interesting. I cannot say as much for Chaosbane.
As much as I like the premise of a 50's-styled pulp sci-fi adventure, the game plays so awkwardly its difficult to get into for very long. Because everyone acts at once, I've had situations where enemies will have been "killed" but continue fighting until the end of a round, whereupon they finally keel over. Additionally, sometimes logic breaks down; why can't I close a door before the enemies rush through it when I'm STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CONSOLE THAT CONTROLS SAID DOOR?!? Finally, enemy variety is virtually non-existent; expect to be fighting the same green lizard people from start to finish. I'm all for consistency, but you've got to have something that doesn't just bumrush you every single time. All in all, the setting keeps the game from being a complete flop, but everything behind it isn't that great. And yeah, the tutorial level sucks, but then the game tries to throw in an awkward stealth level and that's about where things went to hell for me. I got it on sale and still feel somewhat cheated, but it definitely doesn't play as expected.
I could go on about mechanics and other boring stuff, but the most important thing to know about this game is that you can get booped by a kitty slime. For 20$, it was a bit much when it launched in Early Access/In-Dev. Even now maybe 15 or so would've been more appropriate, but you definitely get a lot of slime for your dollar now -- especially when it goes on sale, which is frequently enough. There is a time investment involved if you want to grab everything, but the pace is super-casual (unless you're playing on Rush mode) and death is generally rare enough to be more of a nuisance than an obstacle, especially once you've got your upgrades nailed down. There's not much of a story, but there is a bit of backstory from the former owner, as well as blips into the PC's prior life. Its perfect for this style of game; what story it has is there, but doesn't interfere with the ranching life. You can even completely ignore the emails at your home and signposts in the world for the most part; it's that kind of game. As for the ranching part... what is there to say? Some of the slimes are annoying to keep around (not gonna spoil anything but one inparticular does NOT like to stay in its corral!), but they're so adorable you forget all about that when they're happily bouncing around. Just make sure not to cross TOO many or they'll go evil (if you're not on Casual mode, which I'd recommend for starters) and you'll either have to spray down the tar slime until it goes away or risk a full-on conversion in your pens. Overall, the game has a peaceful pace with moments of frantic action either as you scramble through a dangerous area or fight off tar slimes, spaced out far enough that they only become frustrating early on. Just keep at it, upgrade your gear, and don't lose your head when things start going crazy, and you should get through just fine.
