Recent reviews by Gui

It is a decent game, definitely original with very good tabletop feelings, but there is no in-game journal to help with the meta game. For instance knowing weaknesses of bosses already encountered is key to planning and runs are roughly 3h
So after picking up the game after a while and forgetting the details I had the feeling it did not respect my time and will probably leave it at 20h.
No proper Wiki either.

So it is a yes, but beware of this shortcoming.

Wartales is a bloated alpha:
- Complex systems and no tutorial
- AI is hopelessly stupid
- UI is really really janky, almost Kenshi level of janky
- There is a big world but no lore (after 11h). Feels way too sandboxy with super generic quests and soulless NPCs

The fights and the game loops are fairly good but this is no way a polished product in a position to sell 2 DLCs. The devs do work on the game but seem fairly distant.
Guys, there are so many BETTER teams out there...

This game is better than Xcom2, Jagged Alliance 3 and Fell Seal, pretty much on all aspects.
On top of it the slightly clumsy English translation gives it a poetic atmosphere.

TL;DR: A very good tactical RPG set in an original world. Very talented solo dev that I add to my watchlist. A few rough edges but nothing major.

Pros:

• The world of Kingsvein is truly unique, we're talking hybrids of men and stone living in the underground
  
• The gameplay is equally unique, I played quite a few combat RPGs and I felt like a newbie with this game, it mixes elegantly different systems and creates its own rhythm. It worked very well for me
  
• Optional grind to fine-tune builds, thanks !
  
• Excellent balance between story railroading and player freedom. So many nooks and crannies to explore and story fights one can try at any point in the game.

Cons

• Skill descriptions are often obscure, I failed to understand how to use several of them
  
• Clunky inventory management
  
• Limited replay value, so the unlocks after beating the game could be initial choices
  
• Not a real con for me, but the art assets very pink and dark, double check the screen shots

Sometimes I break my rule of only letting a review for games I finished because a hidden gem deserves more visibility.
This is one of these cases, the game is better and deeper than what the store suggests, go buy it!

I am too old to be good at this, seriously.

TL;DR: A very well executed turn by turn strategic RPG that feels pretty sandboxy. I am going to petition for a Kickstarter for Urtuk 2 !

Pros:

• A ton of player agency to create and customize the most formidable rag tag gang roaming the wastelands. Weapons, mutators, skills to discover and level... Urtuk has them all
  
• Everything you encounter has a chance to be recruited. Werewolf fighting alongside an Elder Vampire under the cover of a human sniper ? It is called a Tuesday around here
  
• No RNG, fights are games of chess. You can blame only yourself when you lose
  
• Difficulty for all tastes
  
• Theoretical replay value (see below)

Cons:

• We need MOOOAARRR, Urtuk is a never ending sandbox with a stat check for final boss. The dev did flesh out the lore, but... not in the game. There should be so much more to do, rather than playing the same 10ish missions
  
• The above prevented me and I guess others to replay the game with another faction in another difficulty. Over 45h was enough for me. That is a real shame because there are many factions and some unlocks
  
• Clunky inventory and team management, seriously

TL;DR: This is a well-done RPG Maker game with some original twists compared to classics of the genre. While one can feel the solo dev was still cutting its teeth, the low price point more than makes it up for it. I have added Wolf Moon Studios to the list of indie dev I follow closely.

Pros:

• The whole system works, I like the leveling and the skills getting stronger as you use them etc...
  
• Lots of playable characters, lots of combinations and synergies to tinker with, this is simply cool
  
• Lots of shiny loot early, at 6h in the game I have already a sword called Soul Stealer
  
• The story seems to unfold in an original way, we barely know who the PC is, and why monsters are after him. Then the curtain rises slowly. I am still too early to have a strong opinion on the story, so I might edit later

Cons:

• Age marks like benched characters not leveling, poor equipment comparison when buying in shops and this kind of stuff
  
• Crafting is optional, but crafting weapons and armor is verfy powerful. And leveling mining could not be more tedious: clicking repeatedly on a rock block with enough pick axes in the inventory

I haven't played much yet but I know a good old RPG with DnD vibes when I see one.
And the Trese brothers update their games relentlessly, even this one after 10yrs. That alone deserves a blue thumb.

My minions settled first in the big kingdom of Jongshi, at the crossroad of several other nations, and proceeded to corrupt slowly and methodically the countryside. Within a few short years my cult spread across the simple folks so quickly that a kind of warrior-prophet emerged and warned southern kings of my return. Surprisingly they believed this Chosen One, as he liked to call himself, and shielded themselves from my Shadow with pathetic wards.
To divert their attention my orc warlord pawn took control of local orc tribes and led raids on their farms. At the same time my cultists made a deal with a powerful coven of witches to further taint the land. The unruly and poorly equipped orcs were ultimately defeated, however the kingdom of Jongshi was visibly yielding to shadow and its western part became mine.
By now my main servants were known vilains and more and more heroes came hunting them, trying to make a name for themselves despite a plague epidemic that was taking a toll on several major cities. This is when I decided to call back to life my dear Baronness who, from a defiled church lured and killed or terrified many of these feeble humans. Eventually the kings sent their most formidable heroes, assisted with elite troops and the vampire was destroyed.
Nonetheless her mission was fulfilled and my infiltrators got the control of the capital of Jongshi, killed the queen that resisted me too much to replace her with a ruler more... understanding.
The world today bears little resemblence with what it was 30 years ago, the humanity that is not enshadowed is increasingly aware of my existence and an Alliance among nations is now openly discussed in the eastern half the world.
But now that Jongshi is almost entirely under my influence, I am also very close to have my own Dark Empire and be able to intervene in the world affairs even more brazenly.
Another sign of the doom of humanity manifested unexpectedly when my very first pawn had to flee in the desert. In a remote settlement he met a troubled First Daughter cultist claiming to be able to summon an entity that would lay waste on humanity on my behalf.
Last, I am, She Who Will Feast, getting free of these celestial seals and will soon possess an avatar able to raze entire cities....
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All that, Ladies and Gentlemen, in two sittings!