BatMUD

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 123 reviews
  • story
  • grinding
  • gameplay
BatMUD Game Cover
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BatMUD is a massively multiplayer, open-world fantasy game that is entirely text-based, offering a unique experience akin to interacting with a book. Players can forge powerful artifacts, sail to distant lands, and build their legacy by completing various tasks and quests. With a focus on player-to-player commerce, players can hone their craft and empower themselves or others for a price.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews
humor2 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • BatMUD offers a vast amount of content and a complex gameplay experience that can keep players engaged for years.
  • The community is generally friendly and supportive, providing help to new players and fostering a collaborative environment.
  • The reincarnation system allows players to reset their characters while retaining experience, encouraging experimentation with different builds.
  • The game has a steep learning curve, which can be daunting for new players, and the tutorial may feel overwhelming.
  • The client has significant usability issues, particularly with font size and screen resolution, making it difficult to navigate for some users.
  • There are concerns about a pay-to-win aspect due to in-game purchases that can enhance character power and progression.
  • story15 mentions

    The game's story is described as reminiscent of classic tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, with a focus on quests and character dialogue that some players find engaging. However, many reviewers criticize the steep learning curve, outdated text command controls, and restrictive character choices, which detract from the overall enjoyment and accessibility of the narrative experience. While there are interesting story elements, the execution often leads to frustration, making it difficult for players to fully immerse themselves in the plot.

    • “There are absolutely weird aspects, but the interesting story text and character dialogue keep you engaged.”
    • “I suggest anyone wanting to play this game to look for quests and the story plot more than anything.”
    • “Come back to the days where community, story, and imagination drove role-playing games without the mess of needing a telnet or ssh client.”
    • “I would never have wasted 6 hours of my life on this unpleasant experience, and thus become no longer eligible for a refund, trapping me with this cruel, joyless thing. There's nothing 'fun' about spending hours trying to receive a story from an NPC or having the game insult you by saying 'oh! you talk to imaginary people too?' when I'm deliberately trying to ask an innkeeper NPC who's right in front of me for directions.”
    • “There are absolutely weird aspects, like you cannot solve the holy grail quest as a female character; you have to get a sex change to do it. Additionally, some areas and quests require you to know the source material the author plagiarized, making it frustrating for players unfamiliar with it.”
    • “You will be hard pressed to find relevant walkthroughs with detailed quest or mechanical information, which makes navigating the story and quests even more challenging.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Grinding is a significant aspect of the game, offering both structured and casual experiences that encourage exploration and interaction with the player community. While it can be enjoyable and rewarding, some players find that excessive grinding in the same areas can lead to monotony, and the game's difficulty curve may pose challenges for newcomers. Overall, the balance between grinding and other activities, such as quests and exploration, is crucial to maintaining player engagement.

    • “Grinding is an important part of the game, but the tune system means you can't just mindlessly grind the same enemies again and again. This encourages you to explore (which also gives experience) and you find new and better areas in the world and fun little secrets.”
    • “Grinding experience points and cash is fun, but if you do it alone and always in the same places, the game starts to feel like work, or even worse.”
    • “If 'getting to the top' is your only goal, you can pretty much forget about it, unless you are well connected, a super-active individual, and willing to spend a couple of years of constant grinding and exploring.”
  • gameplay6 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a core loop of exploration, combat, and quest-solving, which is generally well-received despite some legacy issues and mechanical flaws in certain guilds. While the game requires players to engage with text-based mechanics, it benefits from a supportive community that offers tutorials and story modes to help newcomers acclimate. Overall, the strategic elements and community-driven features enhance the experience, overshadowing some antiquated aspects.

    • “With any gaming community, there are flaws and growing pains, but the features and functions of the game and client, along with balanced strategic gameplay, outweigh the few legacy issues.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is to explore, fight, and solve quests to gain experience points.”
    • “Very active group of old players, welcoming to newer players with in-depth tutorials and story modes to get people introduced to the mechanics of the game.”
    • “If you want to play with others, you should re-roll your character. Some guilds, like Civilized Mages, are mechanically awful and literally have better alternatives (Runemages are also in the same guild line).”
    • “No matter the angle, we're looking at antiquated gameplay that requires you to both input and comprehend text.”
    • “You will be hard pressed to find relevant walkthroughs with detailed quest or mechanical information.”
  • graphics6 mentions

    The game's graphics rely heavily on text and imagination, offering no traditional visual elements or advanced graphical engines. While it lacks shiny 3D graphics, players appreciate the depth and sophistication of the gameplay, making it accessible for those who value narrative over visuals.

    • “This game uses the most advanced graphical engine out there: your imagination!”
    • “While not providing users with fancy graphics, these textual real-time games are often more sophisticated and developed on the inside.”
    • “No graphics at all.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including failure to launch and various UI bugs that lead to visual glitches, rendering it unplayable for some users. These problems raise concerns about the game's performance as it becomes more complex over time.

    • “I bought this game, and no matter how much troubleshooting I did, it did not start.”
    • “However, it's also a bit buggy at the time of writing this.”
    • “Having the buttons at the top of the client causes major visual glitches that make the game unplayable if I ever click on them (or sometimes hover the mouse over them); I had to turn those buttons off in the settings in order to make the client usable.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The game includes in-game purchases that enhance character power and accelerate experience and gold acquisition, which is not clearly disclosed on the store page, raising concerns about transparency in its monetization practices.

    • “This game features in-game purchases that directly increase the power of your character, as well as the rate at which they gain experience and gold.”
    • “More of a warning than a review, since the store page doesn't seem to mention that this game features in-game purchases that directly increase the power of your character, as well as the rate at which they gain experience and gold.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game appears to be polarizing, with some players finding the dark themes and character interactions questionable, while others highlight the absurdity of the in-game economy and player behavior as unintentionally comedic. Overall, the humor may not resonate with everyone, as it often intertwines with frustrating gameplay elements.

    • “The humor in this game is often dark and cryptic, making you question whether the author finds certain situations funny or if it's just a glitch in the system.”
    • “It's hilarious how old players try to sell the same items to each other at outrageous prices, even when they have multiple copies in their stash. It's a funny little economy where money doesn't always mean you can buy what you need!”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers high replayability due to its extensive power level growth and the ability to transfer most of your progress to new character builds, encouraging players to experiment with different playstyles.

    • “What sets this game apart is the sheer scope of power level growth available, and the replayability introduced by allowing you to take the vast majority of your progress and apply it to an entirely new character build.”
    • “The game lacks meaningful choices that would encourage me to replay it; once you've seen the story, there's little incentive to go back.”
    • “While the initial playthrough was enjoyable, I found that there was not enough variety in gameplay mechanics to warrant multiple runs.”
    • “After completing the game, I realized that the lack of different endings or significant changes in subsequent playthroughs made it feel repetitive.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music aspect of the game has been criticized for the absence of audio effects and music, leaving players feeling that the auditory experience is lacking.

    • “There are no audio effects or music in the game.”
    • “The lack of any musical score really detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “The game feels empty without any background music or sound effects.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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