Like Mac said, this is basically a mobile version of a perfect send off to Euro CRPG's from the PC gaming golden age, which is where the likes of The Witcher came from. Look up Gothic, Arx Fatalis, Sacred, etc. It's a damn solid piece of craftsmanship and another fine addition to the indie hall of fame on iOS alongside the likes of Lost Portal, Dungeons of Chaos, and anything by Michael Brough or TouchMint.
Yup, that sounds like me! I primarily played PC games starting around 2nd grade, but I played all those systems and more. Gotta add Tuborgrafx 16, Atari Jaguar and the 3DO to the list too.
Thanks for the recommendation guys. My only concern is, as has often happened in the world of indie gaming, you pay for a game that is effectively 'in development' and for one reason or another, is never finished and the dev moves on or dissapears in to the digital ether. That said, I'm loving the mechanics and the 90's throwback rpg vibe - and it's the price of a coffee. No brainier really. Edit: is it just me or are these 'BumpyGame Reviews' less of a review and more of 'gameplay' video? I don't mind just having gameplay video and I appreciate the effort but it just irks me that the intro screen tells of a review - I expect to hear/read others impressions when I see that? Not being negative, just saying.
It's not really that kind of game. There are some cool items and you need manage gear, particularly to min/max resistances in the right circumstances, but the focus is more on getting strong and smart enough to survive in the world, building reputation and wealth, and figuring out what relationships you want to have with the various factions while advancing the story. It's an RPG in the same 'style' as Diablo, but it's not a pure havk n slash with a focus on action and constantly swapping looted gear for insane stat numbers.
Yeah, there's plenty of unique loot, and, being that enemies level with you, the loot gets better and better as well. However, this game is VERY story driven, so, like iOSgamer1980 said, it's not purely about getting uber loot. I love the way the world feels like it's REALLY alive. You may walk to a neighboring town only to run into bandit "tax collectors" on your way back. This is all completely random too! I've also ran into a friendly group of soldiers that buy wolf pelts from me at a higher price than in town as well. They don't just stay in one place either. These kinds of touches make the game world feel really organic.
Guys, just a quick question. I searched this on App Store and it's for free. How can I play this (with payment)?
Thanks! I would like to ask if this game has a story? I mean is it like "Dragon Age" in some ways that has a one-story focus. I would like to purchase this one because of the reviews. Hope I can hear reviews from you guys,
I see the thread has been very active, thanks everyone for posting and for playing. I'll reply to some of the things asked above, if I miss any questions just let me know. More animations, including 2H attacks, and tinted armor: the game is 2D, which means every graphic is pre-rendered into a "spritesheet", which is stored into RAM memory. In 3D games, adding animations and models is easy; in 2D, it is extremely hard and consumes resources. That's why in games like the Baldur's Gate series or older, sprites were very limited compared to the 3D sucessors like NWN, etc. Also, they are costly both in time and money, given this is a one-man self-funded project. However, there is probably room for more sprites, but I won't add them until the game is in version 1.0 and I see the final memory footprint. Story: there is a very long main quest, composed of 4 different "chapter" quests. Currently the first 2 are completable, the third will be completable in the next update. Game completion, indie risks, etc: EK will be completed, and it will happen in few months. The game engine is nearly finished, and content is around 75% of what it will be on version 1.0. The usual problems with indie projects are problems between teammates, lack of funding, or developers focusing on something else. None of those can happen to EK, as I'm just a guy working at home on what I love, which incidentally happens to pay my bills well enough. Unless a meteorite falls on me, EK will be complete this spring and I'll be working on a sequel from summer and onwards.
Thanks for taking the game. I've bought the game, but probably am going to play only when it is finished. Congratulations for working on what you love! Few have the privilege.
Fair enough. If you can add these things I think it would make my enjoyment go up as the things I talk about would increase immersion, but I'm going to beat the game and enjoy the ride on the way there regardless. When you wrap up the game I promise to do the less expensive tip IAP. If you add more spritesheets as per the above, I'll do the other more expensive one. That said, I wanted to commend you on how you've portrayed Mercia. I thoroughly hate them and have been a thorn in their side the few times I've found myself in their lands. Did you model them after the worst of America, Rome, or both? Personally I call them "Murica" in my head and imagine they all sound like trailer-park hardarses in medieval outfits fetishistically fondling their weapon pommels.
I have been playing the game for some hours now and am really liking it. I am finding it quite brutal at times and I am only playing on normal. But it is hard in a good way. It is my fault that I need to go that extra bit further in a dungeon and then die when all reason suggests that I should just back track and save my progress at the beginning of the dungeon and then go back in. In essence the difficulty curve is so far very good. But I digress. What I really wanted to comment on was what I think is a very limited loot system. This game would be a whole lot better if the loot was more rewarding. I seem to get countless copies of armour and weapons that I already have. I guess being a one man band, you can only put so much resources into certain aspects. But for me it is the one glaring omission on an otherwise great old school rpg.
Bought this game to show my support. I find it enjoying but it's quite confusing at the same time. The quests can't be differentiate from the main one to side quests one. This game is a bit "grinding" also.
Glad to hear you're enjoying the game! I absolutely LOVE it! As for your issues, I'd highly recommend playing on easy mode. It provides you with the same level of difficulty that normal does, but it allows you to use quicksave inside dungeons. This one little difference made this game SO much more enjoyable to me because I really hate having to play all the way through an area I'd just spent time clearing. As for rewarding loot, being that the NPCs and monsters level along with your character, the loot progressively gets better too. As for lack of inventory space, the Dev does plan to add in some more options, but it's not at the top of his list. It's actually like it currently is to make the game more challenging, so any adjustments need to be done so with great thought as to not break the game and make it too easy. Here's a link to a tread about it. The EK forum is also a great place to find out information and ask questions too. http://www.exiledkingdoms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8665
