AntharioN

About

"AntharioN is a single-player historical role playing game set in a sprawling, open-world continent with turn-based combat. Create a party of four from seven races, nine classes, and 15 skills, and experience an epic storyline with ultimate freedom and customization. With exceptional music and a vast world to explore, AntharioN offers outstanding gameplay."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 148 reviews

story12 positive mentions

emotional3 negative mentions

Offers a nostalgic old-school RPG experience reminiscent of classic titles like Ultima and Baldur's Gate.
Features a deep character creation system with a variety of races and talents, allowing for diverse party compositions.
The game encourages exploration with a large open world and numerous hidden secrets, providing a sense of adventure.

The user interface is clunky and lacks essential features like key rebinding and a scrollable minimap, making navigation frustrating.
Combat can feel repetitive and simplistic, with a heavy reliance on RNG leading to frustrating encounters.
The story and quests are often generic and lack depth, with many fetch quests that can become tedious over time.

story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
71%
13%
The story in "Antharion" is generally perceived as weak and generic, relying heavily on tired RPG tropes such as starting as prisoners and facing a vague evil. Many players find the quests dull, often consisting of typical fetch and kill tasks, and the dialogue fails to engage, leading to a lack of motivation to follow the plot. While the game offers a plethora of quests and exploration opportunities, the narrative itself is considered lightweight and uninspired, making it less appealing for those seeking a compelling story.
- “The story feels like a fairly generic D&D story, but that is okay by me.”
- “The storyline is light, but enough to set a tone.”
- “I'm several hours in and I've barely touched anything related to the main story because the other quests and exploration is simply fun.”
- “The story is very lightweight and even in the first moments relies on a lot of tired concepts - your party are prisoners, there is a kingdom at peace until your village is attacked, there is a vague evil besetting the land, and so on.”
- “Overall though, there is barely any plot or story, and what there is is very pulpy and light-hearted, but this is really not the sort of game you play for dialogue and character interaction.”
- “The story itself is pretty weak and thin; don't expect some phenomenal plot with twists or good writing.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
62%
14%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and nostalgic, with a charming retro aesthetic reminiscent of old-school RPGs, though they lack sophistication and detail. While some players appreciate the pixelated charm and find the art style cute, others criticize the minimal animations and basic character models, leading to a mixed reception overall. Those seeking modern graphics may be disappointed, but fans of classic RPG visuals might find the style appealing.
- “I also dig the charming 2D art style with bobblehead-like characters.”
- “There are tons of locations (caves, mines, wells, etc.) to explore off the beaten path of the main quest line, and the graphics are the best kind of pixelated charm.”
- “The graphics can look a bit awkward at first glance, but I personally think they suit it really well once I started playing.”
- “If its art style/graphics do not appeal to you, I cannot recommend it.”
- “However, do not expect graphics sophistication here; it looks like a cross between something Spiderweb Software makes and the Ultima series, but isometric: the graphics have a charming Windows 3.1 feel about them, so don't expect anything groundbreaking like Neverwinter Nights.”
- “The graphics are dated and might be a turnoff for some people.”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
The gameplay of Antharion is a mixed bag, appealing primarily to fans of old-school CRPGs with its simplistic mechanics and turn-based combat, but criticized for being unbalanced and lacking depth. While some players appreciate the nostalgic feel and the exploration aspects, others find the gameplay repetitive and archaic, with insufficient explanations of mechanics and a reliance on outdated systems. Overall, it offers a challenging experience for those who enjoy classic RPG elements, but may disappoint players seeking modern gameplay dynamics and complexity.
- “If you are looking for a sleek modern game with smooth mechanics, high resolution graphics, and the latest and greatest features in gaming, this title is not for you; however, if you are looking for a fun and challenging nostalgia trip with hours of entertaining gameplay, you might want to give Antharion a try!”
- “Almost everything feels useful and rewarding, and having to balance the combat and non-combat skills across characters makes for very involving gameplay.”
- “But seriously - the music is nice, gameplay is intuitive, the UI is easy to work with, I've smirked quite a bit at the dialogue, and I can see myself playing this for quite some time!”
- “I felt like I've been repeating the first 2 hours of gameplay over and over.”
- “Disappointing gameplay dynamics that sort of punish you for leveling up, and force you into certain skills just to stay alive.”
- “All of the gameplay is awfully archaic.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
13%
13%
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating its orchestral RPG style and atmospheric qualities. While some found it enjoyable and fitting, others felt it didn't always match the game's setting, leading them to prefer listening to their own music. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, enhancing the overall experience despite some minor criticisms.
- “Wonderful game music sounds so good; the way you level up and the quests are good. It's like Diablo and Oblivion combined.”
- “There are many things to love about this game: smooth graphics, good retro look, interactivity, the setting, UI/interface works well, different ways/strategies to do things, kill whatever NPCs you want, the blood/gore, great music.”
- “The music is enjoyable, and one shouldn't rush into combat because even the crabs can whoop you.”
- “There are no options available to set for the game such as resolution, windowing mode, music volume, or animation speed.”
- “Music does not really fit the setting.”
- “As for the music, it's some orchestral RPG type of stuff.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique charm, engaging music, and immersive world design reminiscent of classic titles like Ultima. Players appreciate the fulfilling exploration and the dynamic NPC schedules that enhance the overall experience.
- “It is a very well put together tribute, that has its own unique charm and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is great, the exploration is fun and fulfilling.”
- “The whole world reminds me of Ultima games, with NPCs that have a day and night schedule.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often viewed as tedious and boring, with some players comparing it unfavorably to classic grinding experiences in other games like World of Warcraft. However, others appreciate the lack of grinding mechanics, noting that finite resources enhance the exploration and challenge of the gameplay.
- “I find it challenging, fun to explore, and above all, no grinding!”
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is balanced perfectly, making each level-up feel like a real achievement.”
- “While the game isn't really bad, I can't really recommend this one due to the sheer boredom and tediousness of the gameplay.”
- “I'm back in vanilla World of Warcraft grinding boars.”
- “Money, enemies, and other resources are finite, which makes grinding or money/food-gathering impossible.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Character development in the game is perceived as limited and somewhat monotonous, with players feeling that there are only a few viable skills to invest in for each archetype. While there are options for noncombat skills like persuasion, the overall lack of depth in character progression can lead to boredom.
- “Character development is fairly limited; for each character archetype, there are usually only one or two combat skills that are worth putting points into. However, there are some non-combat skills like persuasion that you can invest in as well.”
- “Long, slow burns can work great, but I need to have the allure of a nice story, awesome strategy and combat encounters, or fun character development, or well... anything else.”
- “Character development quickly becomes boring, because there are only enough points to invest in one or two categories.”
- “Character development is fairly limited; for each character archetype, there are usually only one or two combat skills that are worth investing points into, although there are some non-combat skills like persuasion that you can also invest in.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game performs reliably without crashes, offering a smooth experience that, despite its lack of polish, remains engaging and enjoyable for players. Its old-school RPG charm contributes to its appeal, making it surprisingly fun to play.
- “The game runs smoothly and is weirdly enjoyable despite its relative lack of polish, in a sort of 'why the hell am I still playing' way... the answer is... because it's fun old-school RPG goodness!”
- “[*][b]Game performance:[/b] The game didn't crash one time while I was playing it.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The humor in the game is characterized by its witty and engaging dialogue, complemented by a mix of dark and intense adventures that replace the typical fetch quests, creating a unique and entertaining experience.
- “Not many fetch quests; instead, there are funny, dark, intense, and awesome adventures.”
- “The game is filled with hilarious dialogues that keep you entertained.”
- “The humor is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making every moment enjoyable.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lackluster story and dialogues, leading players to lose interest and fail to engage with the narrative.
- “The story and dialogues became so boring that I lost interest in reading them altogether.”
- “The emotional depth was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no emotional investment in the plot, which made the experience feel flat.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the high replayability due to the diverse selection of races and skills, allowing for extensive experimentation and varied gameplay experiences.
- “There are a lot of races and skills to choose from, so there is a lot of room for experimentation and replay value.”
- “Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse character builds and branching storylines.”
- “The game encourages multiple runs with its varied quests and dynamic world events that change every time you play.”