Adventurer Manager
- December 4, 2014
- Vigilant Addiction Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Adventurer Manager" is a simulation role-playing game where you play as the sole heir to the throne, seeking to reclaim your kingdom from the evil Illusionist Miraj. You must recruit adventurers from various races and classes, send them on adventures, and engage in turn-based combat to level up and earn rewards. The game features a large world map, unique skills and spells, and a variety of ways to customize and organize your party.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic retro-style RPG experience with charming pixel graphics.
- There is a wide variety of classes and loot, allowing for extensive customization of characters.
- The humor and quirky quests add a fun element to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for fans of lighthearted RPGs.
- The game suffers from a tedious grind, requiring repetitive dungeon crawling and micromanagement of numerous characters.
- The user interface is clunky and not intuitive, making it difficult to manage a large roster of adventurers and their equipment.
- Combat can feel slow and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement during battles.
- story128 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as light and often silly, serving primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the humor and quirky dialogue, many find the narrative shallow and repetitive, with a lack of depth in character development and plot progression. Overall, the story is seen as a vehicle for questing and grinding rather than a compelling narrative experience.
“Just the idea that your beloved pixel people might die really bursts with intrinsic story; even while it tries to be as silly as possible, it can't help but create its own story as heroes rise, age as the seasons pass, and eventually fall.”
“There's a story filled with humor and over-the-top silliness, but more than that, there's some juicy gameplay.”
“The game's 'story' actually will take a while to complete, which makes this game even better.”
“The game is very light on story.”
“Very repetitive, dull and boring with literally no storyline to keep you playing.”
“The story is just an excuse plot to make you go kill random things in random dungeons and goes so far as to poke fun at the entire JRPG/fantasy genre.”
- grinding88 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. While some enjoy the grind as a nostalgic element reminiscent of classic RPGs, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making the game feel like a chore rather than a fun adventure. The need for constant micromanagement and the lack of engaging content during grinding sessions contribute to a sense of monotony that may deter players who prefer more dynamic gameplay.
“Grinding can be a rewarding experience when it contributes to character progression and enhances the overall gameplay.”
“The balance between grinding and engaging gameplay is crucial; it should feel rewarding rather than tedious.”
“Managing your inventory while grinding adds an extra layer of strategy, making the experience more engaging.”
“For some, the grinding for levels and loot will become tedious.”
“Ultimately, the game is boring, grindy, and repetitive.”
“The one downside is without a doubt the grinding.”
- graphics79 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are predominantly pixel art, which has received mixed reviews from players. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and find it charming, many criticize the bland and inconsistent art style, with characters often appearing indistinguishable from one another. Overall, the visuals are seen as simplistic and lacking polish, with some players expressing hope for future improvements.
“A hero-kingdom manager with stylized pixel-art graphics and turn-based combat.”
“The graphics are very nice, crisp and retro without being too full of themselves; they get the job done and provide this game with its atmosphere and flavor.”
“Retro-style graphics and the combo of RPG and simulation elements make the game quite enjoyable.”
“The art style has improved in the six odd years it's been active, but the characters all look like the same splodgy mess of pixels, to the point where I literally can't tell half my characters apart, even though they are meant to be different races.”
“The visuals are probably my biggest gripe with the game, and maybe it's even the only one but Jesus on a pogo stick flipping off my dad making burgers, this game sucks!”
“The graphics stand out for their mediocrity: it's presented in a 'retro' style, yet even in the era this game styles itself around, these would be considered bad graphics.”
- gameplay67 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplistic mechanics and a mix of dungeon crawling and management elements, but it suffers from significant presentation issues, bugs, and a lack of engaging content. Players often find the experience tedious and grindy, with repetitive dungeons and generic loot, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While there are some interesting mechanics and a unique sense of humor, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, making it hard to recommend for those seeking a fulfilling gameplay experience.
“The mechanics are simple enough to understand, and the rudimentary skill trees make it so you'll have a few different builds for different adventurers of the same class.”
“The layers of gameplay make it pretty fun.”
“There's a story filled with humor and over-the-top silliness, but more than that, there's some juicy gameplay.”
“My party averages out at level 11, and the game still tells me that 'it's suicide.' As a result, I've been stuck in a grindy gameplay loop of running old dungeons while I wait for a few of my mains to finish training at the university of actually being competent.”
“Completely unmanageable, boring, pointless gameplay.”
“The gameplay is generally very stale, and there's not enough side action in the game to make it interesting.”
- humor44 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its lighthearted and random comedic elements, while others find it simplistic and juvenile, often relying on pop culture references and nonsensical quests. While the game features amusing sound effects and quirky dialogue, many reviewers feel that the humor can be hit-or-miss, sometimes detracting from the overall experience. Overall, it appeals to those who appreciate a blend of retro RPG mechanics and offbeat humor, but may not resonate with everyone.
“The tone's deliberately lighthearted and funny, so it worked great for me as a follow-up to having just finished playing something much more serious.”
“This is a great little game that can be played in small chunks that quickly ramp up if you have a taste for roguelikes, old school JRPG dungeon fighting, and outrageous humor.”
“There's a story filled with humor and over-the-top silliness, but more than that, there's some juicy gameplay.”
“Starting a fantasy game with a Star Wars-like intro of yellow scrolling text entitled 'Episode 1: A New Pope' is not funny, not witty.”
“Now I could talk more in-depth about the game itself since honestly there is a legitimate complaint in just how overly simplistic and horrifically unfunny the game attempts to be (YouTube the opening intro, trust me!).”
“There is so much loot it's not funny.”
- music35 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, uninspired, and at times grating. While some appreciate the nostalgic 8-bit style and certain tracks, like the battle music, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to a desire to mute the soundtrack. Overall, the music seems to be a significant point of contention, with a notable divide between those who enjoy it and those who find it annoying.
“The music is actually good (especially the invasion one).”
“The art style and music is very reminiscent of old 8-bit games and brings nostalgia for me.”
“It's not that much on the management side, but it combines random loot, Darkest Dungeon-like dungeon crawling (only it doesn't hate you), and great music for an experience you won't want to put down.”
“First of all, the music is bad.”
“The music is impossibly grating, and it takes forever of the same repetitive motion over and over to get through a level.”
“The soundtrack is probably the most annoying soundtrack I have ever heard.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, a poorly functioning save system, and an unskippable, lengthy tutorial that detracts from the experience. While the core gameplay has potential, many feel it is currently unpolished and requires significant improvements to reach its full potential. Overall, players express frustration with the game's instability, often feeling like they are beta-testing rather than enjoying a finished product.
“It's buggy, it's unpolished (finished, but needs so much extra work to be a great game) and even while it manages to scratch several itches at the same time - dungeoneering and management - it does those things poorly in the current setup.”
“There is a manual save button but it is entirely pointless as the game autosaves constantly, and if you run into a problem where your save glitches (this happened to me and I had to completely start over) or gets corrupted you're just out of luck.”
“I bought this game to have fun, not to beta-test for the devs. I am on the fence for how to recommend this game, it is fun, but buggy enough that it is just depressing.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it infinitely replayable due to features like auto-adventure and character creation, others feel that it loses its appeal after completing the main storyline. Overall, many enjoy the experience enough to revisit it, indicating a balance between initial enjoyment and long-term engagement.
“The game is infinitely replayable, offering endless fun and new experiences with each playthrough.”
“I enjoy the ability to auto-adventure and create new characters, leveling them through replayable quests and levels.”
“All in all, the game is enjoyable and replayable; I spent ten hours as my party of four became legends across the world!”
“Low replayability once you beat it, but worth the time put in.”
“The ability to auto-adventure and create new characters is enjoyable, but the replayable quests and levels feel more like a chore than a fun experience.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its attention to detail and thorough play-testing, resulting in consistently optimized brown items with fixed stats. However, the red stats often lack cohesion, indicating some inconsistency in item optimization.
“The developer has made a game with great attention to detail - you can tell it's been play-tested and optimized.”
“The brown items are pre-generated loot with fixed stats that are always optimized.”
“And while the red stats rarely align into a fully cohesive item, the brown items are pre-generated loot with fixed stats that are always optimized.”
“The optimization in this game feels lacking, as many elements seem unbalanced and poorly thought out.”
“Despite the game's potential, the optimization issues lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game features an engaging premise, humor, and appealing pixel art and character design, the character development is overshadowed by tedious gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its crisp, retro graphics, which effectively contribute to its overall flavor without being overly flashy.
“The graphics are very nice, crisp, and retro without being too full of themselves; they get the job done and provide this game with its atmosphere and flavor.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players often express a deep emotional investment in their characters and teams, particularly in role-playing and management games. This attachment can lead to feelings of heartbreak and betrayal when characters face challenges or reveal personal struggles, enhancing the overall emotional experience of the game.
“When you play a role-playing game, you become deeply invested in your team. In management games, like Football Manager, you develop favorites that you spoil a little, making it even more heartbreaking when something happens, like an injury or a personal revelation. It feels like a final betrayal.”
“The emotional connection you build with your characters is profound. Their struggles and triumphs resonate with you, making every victory feel earned and every loss feel personal.”
“Experiencing the highs and lows of the characters' journeys creates a powerful emotional experience that stays with you long after the game is over.”
