Alder Forge

About

Alder Forge is a single player role playing game with a anime theme. It was developed by Zine FALOUTI and was released on September 15, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Play as the Five Members of the Fourth Squadron and battle your foes using the game Adaptive Turn-Based Combat System, shape your own path in a story-driven game with a handcrafted world and unique characters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 14 reviews

character development3 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game has a solid foundation with enjoyable gameplay mechanics and character designs, especially considering it's developed by a solo developer.
The soundtrack is decent, with consistent musical themes that enhance the atmosphere of different areas.
There is potential for the game to improve significantly with further development and polish, making it a promising title.

The game suffers from significant technical issues, including poor performance, crashes, and awkward controls, such as the inability to rebind the 'Confirm' action.
Mission design is repetitive and uninspired, often requiring players to kill or collect a specific number of enemies, which detracts from the overall experience.
The story lacks clarity and coherence, with confusing dialogue and character motivations that can leave players feeling disconnected from the narrative.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players feeling confused by the narrative and character motivations, particularly regarding the character Gilbert, who seems unnecessary to the plot. While the overall plot is considered serviceable, many believe it could have benefited from more development and clarity, as well as better integration with gameplay mechanics. Overall, the story appears to be a secondary concern compared to gameplay and technical issues.
- “30 hours to complete on easy mode, I wanted to focus more on the story.”
- “A few technical hiccups but overall: gameplay fine, story/plot serviceable, environment alright, music/soundtrack decent.”
- “Honestly, I feel like this game could have spent a bit more time in early access so you guys could tweak a few things like maybe having a button to switch through your characters other than having to go into the menu or being able to take on multiple quests at once instead of one monster killing quest at a time.”
- “I have already felt artificially held hostage for playtime by the huge areas, and that mission design was just an insult on top of that.”
- “Prolapsis had me very confused with the story, and the character outright says, 'I don't care who invades whom,' to the first encountered NPC asking for help with invasion, which confused me even more.”
- “Story-wise, I felt [spoiler]Gilbert[/spoiler] was unnecessary to the plot and doesn’t feel like he’s part of the team by the end.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as amazing and consistent, particularly in encounter areas, while others find it repetitive and not fitting for a JRPG setting. Overall, the music is described as decent and tolerable, effectively setting the tone without being intrusive, though it lacks standout moments.
- “The soundtrack is amazing.”
- “The musical themes are consistent, especially for encounter areas and intrigue sections.”
- “Also, being able to do a side-by-side comparison so you can see which gear you're equipping is better or not should be in every RPG, just saying. Lastly, the music sounds like it should be in a western RPG, not a JRPG. I'm not saying it's bad; it just doesn't fit.”
- “The peaceful area music is nothing to go nuts for, but it's tolerable and sets the tone for those areas without being intrusive or odd.”
- “The music is meh.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The graphics feature a cell-shaded style that, while not high-budget, are generally well-executed and visually appealing.
- “The cell-shaded graphics are impressive and add a unique style to the game.”
- “The visuals alone create a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The visuals alone... it is definitely not high budget, I'll say that.”
- “The graphics look outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
- “Character models are poorly designed and animations are stiff, which detracts from the overall experience.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The gameplay is generally well-received, with users noting it as fine despite some technical hiccups; the story and environment are considered serviceable, while the music and soundtrack are described as decent.
- “The gameplay is engaging and keeps you on your toes, with a good balance of challenge and fun.”
- “I love how the mechanics are intuitive yet offer depth, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “The controls are responsive, and the pacing of the gameplay keeps you invested in the story.”
- “A few technical hiccups, but overall the gameplay is fine.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks depth.”
- “There are significant balance issues that make the gameplay frustrating.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a smooth experience with no lag or stuttering, indicating strong optimization for an early access title.
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- “Even on high-end hardware, the frame rates drop significantly during intense scenes, indicating poor optimization.”
- “The loading times are excessively long, which detracts from the overall experience and suggests a lack of proper optimization.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is generally well-received, with designs that effectively reflect each character's role, though the main protagonist draws noticeable inspiration from Kirito from Sword Art Online.
- “The character designs are impressive, and each character truly embodies their role, whether it's mage, rogue, or otherwise.”
- “The depth of character development is remarkable, allowing players to form a strong connection with each character's journey.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their growth feel authentic and engaging.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the cumbersome item equipping process that forces them to exit to the topmost default selection each time.
- “Equipping items is a bit tedious as it exits the character to the topmost default selection.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “Leveling up requires an excessive amount of time and effort, which can be frustrating.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally find the humor in the game to be unexpectedly hilarious, suggesting that it effectively delivers comedic moments that resonate well with players.
- “For some reason, I found this hilarious.”