A Bavarian Tale: Totgeschwiegen
- February 1, 2023
- Active Fungus Studios
Get on Steam"A Bavarian Tale: Totgeschwiegen" is a historical crime RPG set in 1866 Upper Bavaria. With a 3rd-person perspective, players uncover dark secrets and social tensions in a picturesque village. Skills can be freely improved, and decisions impact the story's outcome. The game boasts complete voice output in Bavarian and English, with 11 different endings and a playtime of approximately 10 hours.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a charming atmosphere and engaging storytelling, immersing players in the Bavarian village life.
- There are multiple paths and endings based on player choices, adding replayability and depth to the narrative.
- The Bavarian dialect and cultural references enhance the authenticity of the experience, making it unique and enjoyable.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including frequent frame rate drops and glitches that can hinder gameplay.
- The dice-based skill check system can be frustrating, as it introduces an element of luck that may prevent players from progressing in critical moments.
- The English translation is often poor, with mismatched voice acting and text, making it difficult for non-German speakers to fully enjoy the game.
- story66 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale" is engaging and rich, blending dark themes with humor and folklore, while offering multiple endings based on player choices. Despite some narrative elements feeling disconnected and occasional translation issues, the character development and historical context are well-executed, making for a captivating experience. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive storytelling and charming atmosphere, appealing to fans of detective and RPG genres.
“Despite its flaws, Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale is a charming game with a good atmosphere and an interesting enough story that I didn’t mind the negative points too much.”
“The detective and the RPG part of the gameplay is quite interesting; you have different options to engage in your interrogations and the outcomes all lead up to the different endings in which the story unfolds.”
“But after discovering some secrets about the village, you realize this game has a deep story, with many possible outcomes and turns.”
“However, some story elements mentioned by different characters don’t have any significant impact on the overall narrative, which felt weird and out of place.”
“I had an awkward feeling of missing out on major parts of the story by following the 'wrong' plotline.”
“I've finished this in German, and can safely say I understood at least 20% of the story.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "A Bavarian Tale" features a mix of RPG and detective mechanics, allowing players to gather information, engage in conversations, and make choices that affect the story's outcome. While the game offers an engaging experience with its pen-and-paper style and immersive storytelling, players have reported issues with clunky mechanics, frequent loading screens, and the potential for missed opportunities due to luck-based skill checks. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable but marred by technical problems and some underdeveloped mechanics.
“The gameplay revolves around getting information, conversing with the different characters, and gathering items and recipes that can be used to enhance your stat rolls temporarily.”
“The detective and the RPG part of the gameplay is quite interesting; you have different options to engage in your interrogations, and the outcomes all lead up to the different endings in which the story unfolds.”
“"A Bavarian Tale" delivers a captivating journey through folklore with stunning visuals, immersive storytelling, and engaging gameplay.”
“I found the sneaking mechanic to be a bit problematic.”
“The only mechanic of the game I'm not sure about is the 'skill check' / dice game - you could miss important evidence just because of bad luck with the dice.”
“Many mechanics are clunky but never to the point they make it hard to pass a quest in the game, maybe except that bowling game, which is just terrible.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed environments and beautiful artwork, while also noting issues such as character model proportions, framerate drops, and various graphical glitches. Some players appreciate the unique faded aesthetic reminiscent of colorized black-and-white photographs, which helps to offset the technical shortcomings. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, performance issues detract from the experience, indicating that the game may not be fully polished for release.
“The environments are nicely detailed and have solid graphics overall, though the character models sometimes have weird proportions.”
“Graphics and music are beautiful.”
“"A Bavarian Tale" delivers a captivating journey through folklore with stunning visuals, immersive storytelling, and engaging gameplay.”
“The game graphics after this were not great; for example, an NPC fell from the sky into place.”
“The framerate is bad compared to the graphics. NPCs drift around, you can walk through objects, some boxes get permanently locked upon respawning, and I loaded a save and some NPCs that were supposed to have left had respawned with no dialogue.”
“I turned the graphics all the way down and it still couldn't hit 30 fps, let alone 60.”
- humor22 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, particularly for its hilarious Bavarian voiceovers and comedic music, especially during combat scenarios. Players appreciate the blend of funny moments with more serious storytelling, although some note that translation issues can detract from the experience. Overall, the game is seen as a unique and entertaining detective adventure that successfully incorporates humor into its narrative.
“The original German (Bavarian!) cast also performs the English voiceovers, with hilariously funny outcomes (without any detriment to the atmosphere, I might add).”
“There are also a number of funny moments in the game, which don't just play with the typical Bavarian clichés.”
“The area is very well done (I really enjoyed exploring the map), and the music is crazy good - extra props for the combat music that constantly made me laugh when it started playing.”
- music18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is predominantly Bavarian-themed, reminiscent of beer halls and Oktoberfest, which many players found enjoyable and fitting for the setting. While the combat music is often described as hilarious and adds a humorous touch, some players experienced issues with it playing at inappropriate times, leading to frustration during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack and voice acting received positive remarks for their quality and contribution to the game's atmosphere.
“The area is very well done (I really enjoyed exploring the map), and the music is crazy good - extra props for the combat music that constantly made me laugh when it started playing.”
“I love the Bavarian voice acting and soundtrack.”
“There were a few instances where the music started even though nobody was chasing me, and since you can’t save while in combat, reloading was my only option.”
“One time I could not rest because the game thought I was in combat, and it was playing their hilarious combat music all the time.”
“The music was mainly Bavarian-based music that you would hear in beer halls or at events like Oktoberfest.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale" is widely praised for its charm and attention to detail, effectively capturing the essence of 19th century Bavaria. The village setting is populated with interesting characters, and the unique voiceovers add a humorous touch without detracting from the overall ambiance. Despite minor flaws, the game's immersive and quirky atmosphere provides an enjoyable backdrop for mystery-solving.
“Where the game excels is in the atmosphere, the attention to detail and the well-crafted characters.”
“The game is really well done overall and creates a believable atmosphere of what 19th century Bavaria would be like.”
“There might be little bugs but they get forgotten in the whole intense, peaceful but thrilling atmosphere this game creates.”
“Pure bliss of atmosphere, quirkiness and some history thrown in for good measure!”
“The atmosphere of the game is charming, and the village, while not overly large, is decently sized and filled with interesting villagers.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting poor performance, stuttering, and clunky gameplay that can make it unplayable at times. While some players have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, the overall consensus is that it requires substantial optimization to enhance the experience.
“The game’s performance could use some optimization.”
“Very poorly optimized.”
“It looked interesting and I liked the funny sounding Bavarian voice over, but the performance is simply unacceptable.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is described as charming and comical, but plagued by numerous bugs and graphical glitches that can detract from the experience. While some issues, like AI pathfinding difficulties, are seen as more humorous than frustrating, the overall stability is considered a significant drawback, potentially linked to the transition to Unreal Engine 5. Despite these flaws, the game is still recommended for its engaging storyline and enjoyable detective gameplay.
“Unfortunately, a buggy mess.”
“But to be honest: the bugs and glitches were nearly too much, maybe coming from the change to Unreal 5?”
“Charming and comical but buggy at times, so a bit annoying to play.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious due to the inability to move while engaging in it, which complicates the process of locating items and completing tasks.
“As you can't move while using it, it makes finding things very tedious.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highly praised for its brilliant implementation, with reviewers highlighting the depth of background stories and the intriguing secrets of the characters, both large and small.
“The character development and background story, including their small and big secrets, are simply brilliantly implemented.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances humor with poignant storytelling, creating a deeply emotional experience that highlights the underlying tragedies within its narratives.
“There is a lot of humor in the game, but the tragedy behind the stories is all the more touching.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the game offers a degree of replayability, suggesting that players may find value in revisiting it despite any limitations.
“But well, it's a game, and at least there's some replayability.”
