Age of Reforging: Blackthorn

The gameplay of this title is characterized by a mix of deep RPG mechanics and sandbox elements, offering an immersive experience despite its unpolished and buggy state. Players appreciate the variety of mechanics, such as party management and exploration, but many express frustration with clunky controls, tedious leveling systems, and a lack of clear tutorials. Overall, while the game shows promise and has an addictive loop, it requires significant refinement to enhance the player experience.

The game is widely reported to be quite buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, UI, and quest progression. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these issues, many express frustration over the instability and unpolished aspects, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall stability. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, significant bugs and performance problems detract from the experience for a majority of players.

The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting frequent bugs, performance issues, and sluggish movement, particularly during combat. While some users with high-end rigs experience less severe problems, many still encounter stuttering and low frame rates, especially in towns. Despite these challenges, the game's engaging gameplay and content have led some to recommend it, albeit with the caveat of waiting for further updates to address optimization concerns.

The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that while they are not cutting-edge and often reminiscent of older titles, they are sufficient for gameplay enjoyment. Some players appreciate the environmental design and detail, particularly in natural settings, while others criticize the low-quality character models and poor optimization. Overall, the visuals may not impress, but they do not significantly detract from the game's core experience.

Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed bag; while it evokes a nostalgic old-school RPG feel, many criticize it for being tedious and punishing due to janky mechanics and an unforgiving difficulty curve. The grinding can feel purposeless, especially when compounded by frustrating health mechanics and enemy encounters that detract from the overall enjoyment. Embracing the grind can lead to an engaging experience, but the excessive demands for leveling and healing can make it feel more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.

The game offers decent replayability, with players noting that a single run can provide hundreds of hours of gameplay. However, concerns about bugs and midgame balance may hinder the overall experience, leading some to suggest waiting for improvements before fully engaging.

The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of engagement, with users describing the story as boring and unimpactful, leading to a diminished emotional connection with the characters and events.

Character development is praised for its organic gameplay, where repeated actions lead to genuine improvement, creating an engaging experience. The system offers rich detail and flexibility, allowing players to build diverse character combinations with minimal limitations.

The music in the game has been criticized for being poor, leading some players to turn it off in favor of the more immersive environmental sounds, such as the soothing sounds of water in caves. While the graphics and scenery are praised, the overall sound design does not meet expectations.

The monetization strategy is widely criticized as a cash grab, with users reporting significant issues and a lack of functionality across multiple titles.

The atmosphere of the game is significantly enhanced, contributing positively to the overall experience.

The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring both genuinely funny moments and instances of awkwardness or jank that detract from the overall experience.