One of my fave games! A true labor of love, it has very unique and challenging gameplay. Its so obvious that the team love their game and put alot of attention into the lore and "side" content. Super excited for whats to come in the future as well!!

This is a remarkable game, unique in it's kind, where you play the role of a caravan leader (called a Vagrus). It's set in a harsh, arid world, that has seen some kind of extinction level event which it is barely recovering from.

Now, where the game really shines, is that it plays like a novel where you read detailed depiction of the world (there's a lot of reading to do), in which you decide where to go and what goals and quests to pursue, where to explore, and so on. You will find often find yourself sometimes browsing for a couple minutes through your notes, quests, available errands, looking at the map, market prices, your equipment, and so on, to decide what to do next. This "freedom of decision" is the coolest part of the game IMO. There's no "fixed goal" although there are tons of mysteries and quest lines to investigate, and what seems to be a main quest, but I'm not even sure yet, even after several hours. You could pretty much opt to toss all this and simply try to become rich by trading which is awesome in it's own.

The map is huge, amazingly rich and detailed. Some say the game is hard but I don't fully agree. One challenging aspect is managing your caravan without going "bankrupt" (dying of hunger in the desert sands). If you plan conservatively, using main roads in a known region, between main cities to trade popular goods, survival is fairly easy, with a small but steady profit. When you want to explore further is when it gets more challenging. You have to plan carefully, carry enough food while leaving some room for goods to recover your investment. Errors can be very costly, if not fatal. You may have to butcher your (very) expensive beasts of burden to avoid starvation, let go your men, and so on, just to survive.

There are two type of combat, some "small scale" where your heroes fight other heroes or monsters, and some kind of "strategic" skirmishes involving your whole caravan. It's usually doable as long as you don't push your luck too far.

The only thing I wish for would be for it to have more soundtracks, especially while traveling. While the music is very good and fits pretty well with the world, it ends up being repetitive and I find myself playing desert themed music on youtube after a while.

So all in all, if you enjoy reading, exploring, decision making and planing, this is a unique gem for you.

I've ventured forth in to the Riven Realms an many an occasion now and I can say I've not been disappointed. I'm here for the long haul. This is a great text/ turn driven adventure and it delivers exactly what I'm looking for in a game such as this. It fills a space in my collection that other games just can't do. Yes it can take awhile to get a foothold in the game, but "That's the challenge!". It is, in all reality, an 'unforgiving' environment. Vagrus - The Riven Realm is also well supported by it's creators Lost Pilgrim and its dedicated community of Vagrus. I constantly revisit this game time and again.

I like this game, but I find it very frustrating at times. Save often, and be prepared to reload. I suggest that you watch a couple You Tube tutorial videos before starting as well.