Archmage Rises

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 293 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • stability
Archmage Rises Game Cover
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"Archmage Rises" is an Early Access open-world RPG set in a dynamic, simulated fantasy world, where your choices as a mage with innate magic shape the player-driven story. Inspired by Dragonlance, the game features kingdoms that rise and fall, and creatures that threaten the land based on your actions. With regular content updates, the game is committed to expanding its vast, immersive world.

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Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 293 reviews
story11 positive mentions
stability22 negative mentions
  • The game has a unique concept that combines elements of traditional RPGs with a focus on being a powerful mage, offering a rich world to explore.
  • The developers are actively engaged with the community, providing regular updates and responding to feedback, which shows their commitment to improving the game.
  • Despite its current state, the game offers a fun and challenging experience, especially for players who enjoy permadeath mechanics and strategic gameplay.
  • The game feels unfinished and lacks many promised features, leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of depth in quests and character interactions.
  • There are numerous bugs and technical issues that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and unresponsive mechanics, making it frustrating for players.
  • Combat can be slow and tedious, with long pauses between actions and a lack of meaningful tactical options, which detracts from the overall experience.
  • story83 mentions

    The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many quests feeling repetitive and generic, primarily revolving around fetch and kill tasks. Players express frustration over broken quest systems and a disconnect between gameplay and narrative, leading to a sense of detachment from the characters and world. While there are hints of potential in the game's foundation, the current execution leaves much to be desired, with many reviewers hoping for significant improvements in future updates.

    • “Enjoy the world building, enjoy the storyline, enjoy the feeling of progression through the realm and raising your fame.”
    • “Archmage Rises evokes a nostalgic ode to old school dungeon crawler RPGs like 'Bard's Tale,' mixed with old school D&D mechanics wedded to expansive story design and open world dynamics.”
    • “When I first started, the missions were much more complex; things like working for the mayor to spy on the conclave, the conclave wanting me to counterspy on the mayor; disputes between traders and local nobility; interesting scenarios and quests like this dried up the moment I left the two towns I started near.”
    • “There isn't enough meat in the story, the NPCs, the quests, the equipment, or the magic.”
    • “The quests start repeating immediately.”
    • “The main quest is currently very short, but you are not told when it has ended.”
  • gameplay58 mentions

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the nostalgic feel of old-school RPG mechanics and a satisfying core loop of fighting, gathering, and looting, while others criticize the lack of tactical depth, clunky mechanics, and repetitive interactions. Many reviewers note that the game has potential but is currently hindered by performance issues, a lack of variety in monsters and spells, and some essential mechanics being locked behind paywalls. Overall, while the game offers an interesting setting and some enjoyable elements, it requires significant improvements to fully engage players.

    • “The gameplay overall feels a lot like Battle Brothers or whatever that mercenary group game was - you travel a hex map between cities running errands and into the wilderness to find things to kill.”
    • “There's a satisfying gameplay loop of fighting, gathering, looting, and selling.”
    • “The mechanics are super easy to learn, and it plays like a tabletop RPG.”
    • “The core gameplay presented is just not fun at all - there is zero, and I mean zero, tactical or strategic thinking in the battles; the trading is empty, and the exploration is just frustratingly boring.”
    • “Every character says the same phrases to you, every action lags your PC for 6 seconds, and every mechanic is clunky and dull to enact.”
    • “Serious performance issues inside dungeons, minimalist tutorials on only a few basic mechanics, and many mechanics completely untouched lead to a mediocre and often frustrating experience.”
  • stability22 mentions

    The game is currently in early access and is widely reported to be very buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, including minor graphical issues and quest-related bugs. While many players acknowledge the development team's responsiveness to feedback and ongoing fixes, the overall stability is considered lacking, making the game feel unfinished and at times borderline unplayable. Despite these issues, some players still find value in the experience, suggesting that it may improve as development continues.

    • “What a ridiculously buggy, click-intensive game filled with repetition.”
    • “However, I just can't ignore the sheer quantity of bugs, glitches, and sheer weirdness going on in first and all subsequent playthroughs of the game.”
    • “It's really buggy, has been linked to big save file bloat, and really just isn't ready for players to be playing in a world long term for now.”
  • graphics14 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that while the artwork is appealing, it is limited and repetitive, leading to a lack of visual variety. Additionally, players have reported numerous minor graphical glitches and bugs, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered subpar, with some users suggesting that the game relies too heavily on menus and 2D combat rather than utilizing its 3D capabilities effectively.

    • “Was on the email newsletter and was drooling over the artwork and ideas.”
    • “On the plus side, I like the art style and music, and their pricing mechanic is a bit more realistic (price increases with features).”
    • “Most bugs I've encountered are very minor graphical glitches.”
    • “The one redeeming feature is the artwork, but as they couldn't afford for more than 10 pieces to be created, you're going to see the same goblin/wolf/spider again and again and again.”
    • “The graphics are... not good.”
    • “There's no reason to incorporate crappy 3D graphics in a game that is 90% menus and 2D combat.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unrewarding, particularly due to the pixel hunting required in dungeon exploration, which can lead to repetitive and monotonous gameplay. While some appreciate the mindless nature of grinding for resources and skills, many feel that the lack of meaningful progression and engaging mechanics diminishes the overall enjoyment, especially as combat and exploration become increasingly repetitive over time.

    • “The 3D dungeon view with the hotspot hunting is tedious and barely rewarding, mostly giving you a few gold or a mug of beer. The dungeons themselves would be fine in a low mental processing overhead kind of way, but the pixel hunting needs to go; taking 30 seconds on a library scene mousing over every bookcase only to find a mug of beer is kind of frustrating.”
    • “Combat, dungeon exploration, and world exploration become very tedious, extremely repetitive, and samey after a few hours.”
    • “How much enjoyment you get after this is up to you and your personal preferences. I enjoy the currently mindless dungeon diving, map exploration, and skill grinding, but these things serve little purpose at the moment with no tower to build or factions to join. It can give you a good feel for how the game will play, but it's not an action RPG where your reactions and skills as a player are king; it has far more in common with isometric CRPGs and TTRPGs where your character skills are the deciding factor in your success or failure.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Users highlight the game's "infinitely replayable" nature, emphasizing that it offers numerous opportunities for replay through achievements and varied gameplay experiences.

    • “Infinitely replayable.”
    • “Replayable with various strategies.”
    • “Replayable for achievements.”
    • “Replayable with some limitations.”
    • “Replayable with minimal variation.”
    • “Replayable mainly for achievements.”
  • music4 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and atmospheric depth, enhancing the overall experience by creating a sense of tension and immersion, particularly in dungeon settings. Many users appreciate the soundtrack's ability to evoke strong emotions, suggesting it may not be entirely original to the developers.

    • “The art is mostly quite nice, the music is great, and the world is deep.”
    • “The music as you're going about the dungeon makes it seem like death is behind every door.”
    • “Good to the point where, much like the majority of the music, I don't believe that the developers are responsible for creating them.”
    • “The music while you're exploring the dungeon makes it feel like death is lurking behind every door.”
    • “The music is good, but it feels like the developers may not have been responsible for creating it, much like the majority of the soundtrack.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant optimization issues, resulting in sluggish performance during gameplay, particularly in dungeon environments. Players have noted long wait times between actions and a lack of comprehensive tutorials, contributing to a frustrating experience. While there is hope for improvements in future updates, the technical performance remains a major concern.

    • “From a technical standpoint, I think the game still needs a lot of optimization.”
    • “There is still an issue with performance: for a game that should have done the world generation prior to playing, there sure is a lot of wait between combat turns and moves in the dungeon, making everything feel sluggishly slow.”
    • “Serious performance issues inside dungeons and a variety of small but banal aspects lead to a mediocre and often frustrating experience.”
    • “But my excitement for the content aside, the only real problem I see is a lack of diversity in the NPC faces for now (which I have no doubt will be expanded through future updates), and from a technical standpoint, I think the game still needs a lot of optimization.”
    • “There is still an issue with performance: for a game that should have done the world generation prior to playing and simulating per time step, there sure is a lot of wait between combat turns, moves in the dungeon, and everything feels sluggishly slow.”
    • “Serious performance issues inside dungeons, minimalist tutorials on only a few basic mechanics, and a variety of small but banal aspects lead to a mediocre and often frustrating experience.”
  • humor1 mentions

    Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, highlighting the hilarious dialogue options and responses that can arise even during non-mischievous interactions with NPCs. This aspect adds a layer of fun and engagement to the overall experience.

    • “Some of my greatest enjoyment with the game came from the hilarious dialogue options and responses, even when I wasn't trying to cause mischief with NPCs.”
    • “The humor in this game is top-notch, with witty one-liners and clever puns that had me laughing out loud.”
    • “I love how the game incorporates humor into its storytelling, making even the most serious moments feel light-hearted and fun.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the heartfelt dedication of its creator, which resonates with players and fosters a sense of joy and connection.

    • “It's genuinely heartwarming to see someone so deeply invested in their creation and the happiness of their players.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Play time

20hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
6-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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