Recent reviews by Khranos 𓆏

As somebody who loved the original back on Kongregate over a decade ago, I could not be more disappointed in the dev's lack of personal growth. I have never before had my outlook on a game transition from extremely excited to immensely depressed this quickly.

The general gameplay seems very similar to Fantasy Online 1, which is rather simple but pleasant. As somebody who can be fueled by nostalgia, I may be biased here but this aspect is still enjoyable. Mindlessly grind mobs, find some rare upgrades, get new skills, explore; it's a simple but effective loop. That one positive aside though, by current game standards, it feels like a soulless cash grab.

The energy system has been done away with luckily, but in its place is a battlepass system, and a steam market setup that puts NFTs to shame. You can directly purchase in-game items for real money, which shamefully does not solely include cosmetics despite what other reviewers state. It is P2W in its purest form and absolutely disgusting for the current year, especially considering this is not a free-to-play game. All of this on top of a premium currency shop that still works through FOMO tactics on limited time items like the original.

In the end, it comes down to this: for returning players, get a nostalgia hit and get out before the greed locks you in. For new players, unfortunately, there's probably nothing worthwhile for you here unless you want to feel pressured into spending money at every turn.

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In response to the dev response:

1 and 4: P2W may be a bit harsh as it doesn't appear that you're competing in any way except for the leaderboards, but it doesn't excuse the fact that a player with a lot of expendable real money can purchase crafting materials, equipment, and inventory slots on the steam market directly to progress faster. This is also not even addressing in-game gem exclusive purchases (which I assume includes multiple items, I know I saw lockpicks being one of them), I didn't get far enough in to know how extensive this is.

2: I'll concede due to the fact that the rotation aspect isn't well communicated. I was basing my initial response on the fact that some cosmetics in the steam market state "Next Available: Never", but this may just be for alpha items? If that's the case then I'll consider this point moot.

3: Once again, there's so little info about battlepasses in-game that it's hard to understand. As a casual player, all I see is that I can purchase a battlepass, then I have a timelimit on a real money purchase that I assume will have a substantial time investment (that I can also pay real money for XP potions to expedite). This feels like a system directly out of a cashgrab F2P game, and doesn't seem to respect the player's time and/or money.

My complaints mostly boil down to the fact that this isn't a F2P game, and even though it's a 1 time payment on steam I see you're advertising a monthly pseudo-membership as well. If this game was F2P I would be a lot less harsh, but this truly is unacceptable (and honestly seems like a bad business decision for playercount) in its current form.

Summed up, an alternate title could be "build diversity: the game". Or ToME-lite.

As somebody who loves roguelites, ToME is about the only other (debatably) proper roguelike that I've enjoyed. This game is essentially a distillation that utilizes most of the fun parts and removes much of the tedium.

Sometimes interactions between abilities aren't always clear without testing, but most things are concisely worded if you pay attention. Knowing exactly how your build is functioning can also require what is basically debugging code by looking through the log. Lastly, I think the unlocks are a bit too fast, but that's entirely personal preference.

Considering those are my only complaints, this game is an absolute bargain even at full price. If you're looking for a game that truly rewards deliberate and intelligent character building then this is in the top tier.

I normally write detailed reviews, but I don't think there's much that I can say that hasn't been said already.

I'll leave it at this: this game alone has convinced me that RPG maker actually has the potential to create unique gameplay that isn't just a bunch of copy-pasted systems. I think it could have been better in another engine, but with how good it is that really doesn't matter so kudos to the dev!

As somebody that's either played or is familiar with most roguelite deckbuilders, this one is clearly going to be one of the greats alongside the likes of Slay the Spire or Monster Train.

So far, my complaints are extremely minimal; basically, I'd just like more options for destroying cards. Luckily this game does a great job at utilizing "transmutation" over destruction, so every great run isn't just chasing the smallest hand.

It is also extremely polished and balanced for releasing without a proper early access (I won't really count the demo for this, though I'm sure it helped).

In summation: if you've enjoyed any deckbuilding roguelike before, this one is absolutely a must buy.

Let me preface this review by stating that this game isn't bad. It's well made, well priced, decently balanced, and has a lot of artistic charm. However, compared to the vast amount of other survivor-likes on the market, it doesn't do anything new and is ultimately a bit boring because of that. That being said, If you're new(ish) to the genre you'll probably have a good time.

I don't think this game should be "overwhelmingly positive", hence the negative review. It's just not really worth the time you'll spend when compared to other games in the genre doing exceedingly unique things in comparison.

As somebody that's generally overly elaborate on reviews:

If you liked Forager, you'll guaranteed like this.

It's really that simple. It's basically forager with less focus on exploration and more focus on automation. While it's already great (~10 hours of content, another 10-15 if you're a completionist), there's so much potential for the future of the game if development continues.

This is the best idle game on the market without anything else even coming close. The amount of unique content is unmatched, even when you start comparing it to other genres. There is, however, one fatal flaw:


I've been playing since release on mobile, and most of the updates have been great. It's been exciting to see the game grow piece-by-piece, but one piece that's been concerning me since day 1: a growing reliance on P2W methods. Now, I'm not a whale, but I'm also happy to throw $10-20 his way every month or two because I appreciate the game he has created. I'm not afraid of a bit of monetization, but over the past couple years he's been quietly ramping up its aggressiveness and as of today it's just too much.

Now, he'll probably make claims about how he "added in so much stuff he could have monetized for free" recently, which is true, but it doesn't excuse how predatory his newest system is. Whether this was mind-games or coincidental is anybody's guess, but it's not a good look. He already has a rough history with deep-level community engagement that I won't go into here, and I feel like the newest monetization strategy will be the beginning of the end depending on how he handles the backlash.

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I want the game to succeed, I truly do. I want lava to be able to make a profit vs just treading water. I also want to be able to play this game without spending 5x more than I do just to feel like I'm participating in the content he's releasing. Even packs used to be less than half of what they cost now, which truly feels like it comes from a place of greed before anything else.

There are plenty of other games out there, and while they may not be IdleOn, they will cost me multitudes less to enjoy to a similar level. So if you're reading this lava, understand that we complain from a good place and only want to not lose this wonderful thing that you've created -- do the right thing and keep monetization levels at a fairly justified place.

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Edit: Also, the new pet bonuses (even if made easier/cheaper to achieve) need to be tuned down heavily. 2 of the bonuses outright remove the need for strategic choice (the sheep and doot), while 100% exp/droprate would ruin a lot of the experience for newer players. Pretty much every pet produces a ridiculous amount of powercreep, especially for a strictly P2W feature.

This game hooked me in a way that most games usually can't early on. It checks all my boxes, including: lots of things to collect, substantial and unique upgrades (both tied to story and sandbox elements), a mysterious atmosphere, and lots to explore.

It gets a bit uneasy at times, and gives off similar vibes to Sunless Sea (also very highly recommended). Maybe a bit expensive for what you get, but there aren't many other similar games to spend the money on.

Slight spoiler ahead (something I wish I'd have known when I started as a completionist player): If you find somebody in a colored robe, do their quests as soon as possible. They're time-gated and provide unique rewards, but their mission can easily be failed if you wait to complete it.

It's... decent. In the ~3 hours that I've played, I feel like I've seen just about all the content that's available at this time. Unlocks are currently very sparse (just a handful of characters, no items), and there aren't many "major in-game upgrades" to see. The basic upgrades are extremely basic, and aside from pierce and bounce (which work against each other for some reason) there's nothing too exciting.

I still don't know if I like the stop to shoot mechanic. It's unique for the genre, but I feel like that may be for a reason. I'd like to see more done with the upgrades in regards to this.

I'm only rating this positively due to the low price, the fact that it's a "hot genre", and the rarity of multiplayer within said genre. I think the game can grow into something great, but it will certainly take some time -- if you're on the fence, I suggest waiting for it to release out of early access.

Now that I have your attention, I will teach you how.

1. Click this text to download the mod manager (using manual) [rounds.thunderstore.io]
   
2. Select rounds, make a new profile, select profile
   
3. Search for "RoundsWithFriends", download it and all included dependencies
   
4. Run the game from within the mod manager at the top left ("Start modded")
   
5. Enjoy FFA or team deathmatch with up to 16 players

Many thanks to the modder(s) that made this feat possible.

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This is a great game at a great price. It's obviously similar to stick fight, but made into a roguelite in which you only have a gun and a shield. The upgrades (known as cards) vary from basic stat upgrades to completely different ways to play the game, and the vanilla game boasts a very decent selection. In my currently 3 hours, I still haven't seen all the cards available. The maps are a bit sparse, but they get the job done.

Combined with modding (through the aforementioned manager), you can add more levels, cards, and features for a more fleshed out experience. You really just can't go wrong with this game if the genre(s) interest you in the slightest.