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1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum

72%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, grinding
72% User Score Based on 288 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
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About

"1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum" is a steam game where players assume the role of Sadie Keating, an aspiring archaeologist on a quest to save the world from a sinister mastermind and unlock 11 different endings. The game features over 100 hours of gameplay, 50+ story arcs, and the chance to seek romance, friendships, or rivalry with a cast of hundreds. It has been updated with 90+ achievements, UI improvements, and new character art.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot
1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum screenshot

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 288 reviews
story86 positive mentions
grinding52 negative mentions
  • The game features a rich and engaging storyline with over 50 storylines and multiple endings, providing high exploration value.
  • The main character, Scheherazade, is charming and adventurous, with a diverse cast of romanceable characters that enhance the gameplay experience.
  • The 1930s retro setting is unique and immersive, adding a historical and adventurous flair to the game.
  • The game interface and some art designs feel outdated compared to modern standards, which may detract from the overall experience.
  • While the content is extensive, some plot pacing can feel slow and drawn out, impacting the overall enjoyment.
  • The stat-raising mechanics can be overly complicated and unbalanced, making it frustrating for players to progress effectively.
  • story
    304 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum" is praised for its intricate and immersive narrative, featuring well-developed characters and multiple branching paths that enhance replayability. While the plot is rich and engaging, some players find it overly lengthy and convoluted, with gameplay mechanics that can detract from the storytelling experience. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate deep narratives and character-driven plots, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and gameplay integration.

    • “The strength of 1931: Scheherazade lies in its intricate storytelling.”
    • “The choices you make throughout the game have consequences, influencing the outcome of the story and allowing for replayability.”
    • “Overall, the story was well-written and interesting, with a myriad of mysteries and sub-plots to entangle.”
    • “On a first playthrough, the amount of new story content made it bearable, but my attempt at another playthrough after reloading a save from halfway through the game just felt like a chore and I had to call it quits.”
    • “The sheer size and breadth of the story is very ambitious, but I do think perhaps it's a little bloated.”
    • “But even without the gameplay, the story couldn't carry the game.”
  • gameplay
    130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum" is characterized by a complex stat management system that many players find tedious and poorly implemented, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While the game offers an immersive narrative and a variety of choices, the mechanics are often seen as unbalanced and lacking clarity, making it difficult for players to engage fully. Overall, those who prioritize storytelling may find value in the experience, but players seeking robust gameplay mechanics are likely to be disappointed.

    • “Exciting Indiana Jones-style stories, engaging characters, and uniquely challenging gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is a little more complex for a visual novel, but I found it wasn't hard for me, since I play a lot of RPGs.”
    • “To summarize, Scheherazade is a fun, extremely meaty visual novel game that oozes atmosphere and charm and even manages to incorporate a considerable degree of strategy in the form of stat-management mechanics.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game's shortcomings in pacing extended to its mechanics.”
    • “However, and this is a pretty big however, the gameplay itself is terrible.”
    • “All this makes the gameplay frustrating rather than merely just challenging and makes the game as is almost impossible to play without having the wiki open at all times while you are playing.”
  • music
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to capture the 1930s atmosphere and complement the setting, while others criticize it for being repetitive and monotonous. Some players found the soundtrack catchy and enjoyable, though they noted that transitions between songs could be abrupt. Overall, while the music enhances the game's ambiance, it could benefit from more variety and emotional depth.

    • “The musical score in 1931: Scheherazade complements the atmosphere and setting perfectly.”
    • “This game has an incredibly beautiful soundtrack, much higher quality than any other visual novel I have ever played.”
    • “The designers gave a lot of attention in capturing the mood of the period, both in the game's writing and its amazing soundtrack.”
    • “The background music is an exercise in monotony, looping the same few bars over and over until I found myself reaching for the mute button just to keep my sanity.”
    • “Overall, the music would benefit from some polishing, and I would have enjoyed some more emotion-filled tunes at some points of the story.”
    • “It seems out of all of the types of music from the 30s, they had to choose the most annoying, boring, and repetitive songs.”
  • grinding
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating due to the repetitive nature of leveling up and stat management. While some appreciate the depth of the story and characters that can make the grind feel worthwhile, others criticize the interface and lack of quality-of-life features that exacerbate the grind. Overall, the experience can vary significantly, with casual gamers likely to find the grinding more burdensome than engaging.

    • “Even on easy, the leveling up felt like grinding against an unyielding iceberg.”
    • “This is incredibly impractical and becomes extremely tedious to do since this is the core mechanic of the game.”
    • “And the skill system is ridiculous; it adds only mindless grinding to the game, nothing to benefit the story, just something to extend the torture.”
  • graphics
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the polished and aesthetically pleasing artwork that aligns well with the 1930s setting, while others criticize the overall visual presentation as mediocre and reminiscent of outdated styles. Key issues include a lack of resolution options, significant pixelation, and a bare-bones visual experience that detracts from immersion. Despite some unique artistic elements, many players feel the graphics could have been significantly improved with more attention to detail and polish.

    • “The visual presentation of 1931: Scheherazade is polished and aesthetically pleasing.”
    • “The artwork felt in harmony with the game's 1930s setting, creating an immersive atmosphere that had the potential to thaw the most frigid gamer.”
    • “An intriguing story which is well crafted with nice stylized graphics.”
    • “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
    • “While the artwork itself is mediocre and might be considered passable, the visual presentation here is negligible; it might as well be a slideshow or a YouTube video.”
    • “I expected to feel visually transported back to the 1930s, but the graphics were often more reminiscent of the early 2000s.”
  • humor
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever and witty dialogue, with many players finding it cute, funny, and engaging. While the protagonist's charm and humor are highlighted, some players also note her annoying traits, which may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game offers a rich blend of humor and adventure, making it a fun experience for those who appreciate lighthearted storytelling.

    • “This part-visual novel, part-stats management game is cute, funny, and well-written.”
    • “Honestly, I don't think I've seen dialogue that this smart, smooth, and hilarious since the show 'Lucifer'.”
    • “15 seconds in, I was chuckling and didn't stop until 3 AM when I made myself go to bed.”
  • replayability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts high replayability, with players noting the impact of choices on story outcomes and the presence of multiple endings, encouraging exploration of different paths. While many reviews highlight the game's intricate design and character development as factors enhancing replay value, some mention that repeated playthroughs can become slightly repetitive, particularly for those focused on romance. Overall, it offers a rich experience that invites players to return for new adventures and outcomes.

    • “Amazing, clever, intricate, endlessly replayable game.”
    • “High replay value with 110 different endings.”
    • “There's decent replay value, since you won't be able to do all the quests or achieve all the relationships in a single playthrough (though replays back-to-back get slightly repetitive).”
    • “A third caveat: this has very little replay value, at least if you're interested in the romances.”
    • “The choices you make throughout the game have consequences, influencing the outcome of the story and allowing for replayability.”
  • character development
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features beautifully illustrated character designs that vividly convey distinct personalities, enhancing the immersive experience. Extensive character development and relationship-building are central to the narrative, offering players a unique system that encourages thoughtful character progression and strategic challenge management. Overall, the combination of emotive designs, engaging storytelling, and replayability contributes to a rich character development experience.

    • “Otherwise, it has some great character development, the music is great, and it has a ton of replayability to try to get everything.”
    • “The game chose to immerse itself in extensive character development and relationship-building that transformed the narrative experience into a test of endurance.”
    • “About the system, it's quite original as it makes you think about how you want to develop the character and what kind of challenges you can overcome, but character development is not everything, as the inspiration system allows you to overcome obstacles that would be impossible otherwise.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "1931: Scheherazade" is richly immersive, enhanced by a fitting musical score and artwork that captures the essence of the 1930s. Players experience a sense of adventure and exploration, particularly when solving intricate puzzles, although some historical references may challenge those less familiar with the themes. Overall, the game is praised for its charming and atmospheric qualities, making it a captivating visual novel experience.

    • “The musical score in 1931: Scheherazade complements the atmosphere and setting perfectly.”
    • “The artwork felt in harmony with the game's 1930s setting, creating an immersive atmosphere that had the potential to thaw the most frigid gamer.”
    • “Sometimes the writing might go over your head if you aren't a buff on history or old religions and their gods, but there's this atmosphere of adventure and exploration that comes with helping the protagonist figure out, say, the puzzle of the mechanical statues that control hidden panels of the tomb.”
    • “To summarize, Scheherazade is a fun, extremely meaty visual novel game that oozes atmosphere and charm and even manages to incorporate a considerable degree of strategy in the form of stat-management mechanics.”
  • emotional
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by its melodic tunes and ambient sounds, which create a fitting backdrop for the story's scenes and dialogues. However, the absence of voice acting is noted as a missed opportunity that could have further enriched the storytelling experience. Overall, the writing is praised for being witty and emotionally engaging, with a particularly touching epilogue.

    • “The melodic tunes and ambient sounds enhance the emotional impact of the story, providing a fitting backdrop for the various scenes and dialogues.”
    • “Witty, emotionally engaging, and very well written.”
    • “The epilogue is pretty detailed and, dare I say, touching.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its stability, with users noting that bugs and glitches are rare and performance is smooth. However, the unclear requirements for stat mechanics and the tedious leveling grind can lead to player frustration.

    • “Bugs and glitches were as rare as a snowflake in summer, and the game ran smoothly, but the lack of clear requirements for stat mechanics and the agonizing grind of leveling up left me, a frost-bitten wanderer, lost in a blizzard of confusion.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being exploitative, with users expressing frustration over poorly executed games marketed towards girls that feel like cash grabs rather than genuine efforts. This has led to a perception that the developers are not committed to quality or improvement.

    • “I am tired of games marketed to girls being second-rate, badly coded cash grabs.”
    • “They are free to prove me wrong by owning their mistake and looking up how to patch their game to fix it, which, if it is a labor of love, they would be eager to do.”

Buy 1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum

2h Median play time
8h Average play time
2-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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