Archmage Rises

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 586 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.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 586 reviews
story22 positive mentions
stability44 negative mentions
  • The game has a lot of potential and offers a unique RPG experience reminiscent of D&D and old-school dungeon crawlers.
  • The developers are very active and responsive to community feedback, regularly releasing updates and addressing bugs.
  • The character creation and world generation systems are engaging, allowing for a personalized gameplay experience.
  • The game is currently very buggy and lacks many promised features, making it feel incomplete and frustrating to play.
  • Combat can be slow and tedious, with long pauses between actions and a lack of tactical depth.
  • Many quests are repetitive and lack variety, leading to a feeling of monotony in gameplay.
  • story166 mentions

    The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many quests feeling repetitive and uninspired, primarily revolving around fetch and kill tasks. Players express frustration over the procedural generation of quests and characters, which detracts from immersion and emotional investment in the narrative. While some reviewers see potential for future development, they note that the current state of the story lacks meaningful engagement and is plagued by bugs that hinder quest progression.

    • “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.”
    • “The procedural generation of story arcs is already fun and amusing, although there is still much work that needs to be done on refining it.”
    • “There isn't enough meat in the story, the NPCs, the quests, the equipment, or the magic.”
    • “The quests start repeating immediately.”
    • “If the world was static and not randomly generated then maybe it would feel more meaningful, but you just run around a random jumble of hexes with geography that makes no sense with little to do but do random fetch and kill quests that are 'radiant' inasmuch as that they are a get/kill <item>/<entity> over and over until you die from boring battles filled with turn-based combat as thrilling as waiting for your turn to slog through this and every battle.”
  • gameplay116 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its nostalgic elements and satisfying core loop of fighting, gathering, and looting, while others criticize the lack of tactical depth, variety in mechanics, and overall polish. Many users noted that the game feels unfinished, with clunky mechanics, performance issues, and a disconnect between gameplay and story, leading to a frustrating experience at times. Despite its potential and interesting setting, significant improvements are needed to enhance the gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “Lovely art, but the core gameplay loop is severely lacking.”
  • stability44 mentions

    The game is widely reported to be very buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, particularly in quests and dungeons. While many players acknowledge the game's potential and appreciate the active development team addressing issues, they caution that it is still in an unfinished state, making it challenging to recommend for those seeking a polished experience. Overall, players should expect a rough experience if they choose to engage with the game in its current early access form.

    • “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 was too expensive, too unfinished, too empty of content, too buggy, and just plain bad.”
  • graphics28 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as poor and basic, often marred by minor glitches and bugs. While some appreciate the art style and the limited artwork, the repetitive nature of the visuals and the lack of variety in environments detract from the overall experience. Overall, players suggest that those who prioritize gameplay over graphics may still find value in the game, despite its visual shortcomings.

    • “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).”
    • “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.”
    • “The graphics are... not good.”
    • “There's no reason to incorporate crappy 3D graphics in a game that is 90% menus and 2D combat.”
  • grinding12 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unrewarding, particularly due to the pixel hunting mechanics in dungeon exploration that yield minimal rewards. While some enjoy the mindless nature of grinding and resource gathering, many feel that the repetitive combat and exploration become monotonous after a few hours, especially in the absence of meaningful progression elements like building or faction systems. Overall, the enjoyment of grinding largely depends on personal preferences and tolerance for repetitive gameplay.

    • “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 quite frustrating.”
    • “Combat, dungeon exploration, and world exploration become very tedious, extremely repetitive, and samey after a few hours.”
    • “Do not enjoy the tedious nature of the mechanics and world interaction.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Users highlight the game's "infinitely replayable" nature, emphasizing that it offers numerous opportunities for replaying, particularly for achievements. This aspect contributes significantly to its long-term engagement and enjoyment.

    • “Infinitely replayable.”
    • “Replayable for achievements.”
    • “Replayable with various strategies.”
    • “Replayable with some limitations.”
    • “Replayable for achievements, but lacks variety.”
    • “Replayable with minimal incentive to return.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly in creating a sense of tension and danger while exploring dungeons. Many users appreciate the art style as well, noting that the music contributes significantly to the overall immersive experience. Some even speculate that the music may not have been composed by the developers themselves, highlighting its impressive nature.

    • “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 seem like death is behind every door.”
    • “The music is good to the point where, much like the majority of the soundtrack, I don't believe that the developers are responsible for creating it.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant optimization issues, resulting in sluggish performance during combat and dungeon exploration, which detracts from the overall experience. Players have noted long wait times and a steep learning curve, indicating that technical improvements are necessary for a smoother gameplay experience. While there is potential for future updates to address these concerns, the current state leaves much to be desired.

    • “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.”
    • “There is still an issue with performance: for a game that should have done the world generation prior to playing the game 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 sheet basics and many mechanics completely untouched, a 'learning curve' closer to a wall, 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.”
  • humor2 mentions

    Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, highlighting the hilarious dialogue options and responses that enhance the experience, even when not intentionally seeking comedic interactions with NPCs.

    • “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 the game is top-notch, with witty one-liners and clever puns that kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
    • “I loved how the game incorporated humor into its storytelling, making even the most serious moments feel light-hearted and fun.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be heartwarming, highlighting the creator's deep investment in their work and the joy it brings to the audience. This connection fosters a sense of appreciation and engagement among players.

    • “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
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

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

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