Black Forest
- September 23, 2021
- Lemuria
- 105h median play time
Get on Steam"Black Forest" is a survival/building game where you manage a village surrounded by a dark forest filled with dangerous creatures. Assign peasants to tasks, manage resources, and build defenses to protect your village from the increasing threats. Every decision is final and permanent, making each mistake potentially disastrous. The gameplay is similar to real-time-strategy or city-building games.
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Reviews
- The game has a unique focus on defense and survival, creating an intense and immersive experience.
- The graphics are visually appealing, and the game offers a charming atmosphere.
- There is a certain satisfaction in surviving until the clock runs out, and the leaderboard feature adds a competitive element.
- The game is riddled with bugs and lacks essential features, making it feel unfinished and frustrating to play.
- The gameplay can become tedious due to the constant need to manage tasks manually, and the day/night cycle limits player actions at night.
- There is a lack of effective defensive mechanics, making it difficult to protect the village from relentless monster attacks.
- gameplay41 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some players enjoying the mechanics and potential for strategy, while others find them clunky and lacking depth. Key issues include a cumbersome UI, repetitive manual tasks, and a lack of meaningful building placement strategies. Despite these criticisms, many players appreciate the game's promise and are eager for future updates to enhance combat and overall mechanics.
“Love how constantly it is being worked on and the gameplay is awesome!”
“Overall, the gameplay is fantastic, I love the work that has been put into each building and how some buildings go hand in hand with others!”
“Right now the game concept is pretty simple, but they've mastered the balance and mechanics to the degree that it's very enjoyable.”
“Game mechanics aren't there.”
“There's not much to show in terms of gameplay and it doesn't really bring anything new that would resonate with the genre's gamers, to a table that is heavy with similar game types.”
“Some of the gameplay is clunky and unresponsive.”
- story30 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with players noting significant bugs and performance issues that hinder progression, particularly in story mode. While some appreciate the mechanics and the potential for engaging narratives, many find the dialogue tedious and the overall storyline lacking depth. Overall, the story aspect is seen as a rough start that could benefit from more thoughtful development and stability.
“I have a gripe, but it's minor... in a sense... as you will learn in story mode that there are consequences for your choices.”
“I enjoyed the mechanics for the most part as well as the little story.”
“I have only played the first story mode so far and I am hooked!”
“The story is kind of dull and the dialogue drags on too long, but the gameplay is interesting, and I will be looking forward to the improvements.”
“Just be warned, there's a lot of useless text that didn't need to be in the tutorial and the storyline itself.”
“Promising, but something is very wrong with the second story level.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as simple yet appealing, with a beautiful art style that some players appreciate, especially considering it is an indie title. However, there are notable performance issues, particularly with frame rates dropping significantly in higher resolutions, and the UI design has been criticized for being oversized and reminiscent of mobile games. Overall, while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they are considered adequate for the game's early access status and contribute to its engaging gameplay experience.
“Graphics are quite beautiful.”
“The graphics are simple 3D (Unity), the UI design is very well done, reminds me of mobile games visually (in a good way) and the gameplay is fun yet challenging.”
“On the downside there are obvious performance issues as the village increases and more is on the go but the graphics are lovely and it's got that addictive 'one more turn/day' effect.”
“The graphics are primitive, and the game goes through day and night cycles. At night, it gets dark (obviously), and there isn't much you can do because your peasants are asleep.”
“In most of the other maps, the frame rate dropped down into the 40s in 4K resolution with an RTX 3080 and i9 processor, even when setting the only graphic setting to medium.”
“What is funny is that the game has pretty bad graphics, worse than many games I play, but the GPU runs on max.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, user reviews indicate mixed experiences with optimization in the game. While some players report significant performance issues, particularly with higher populations and certain maps, others experience smooth gameplay with high frame rates on their setups. The game's optimization appears inconsistent, with some users enjoying solid performance while others encounter noticeable slowdowns and AI issues.
“I've seen some say they've had performance issues but I have not noticed any yet; I get over 144 fps with my setup and frame rates seem steady.”
“The concept is really good, it's free and the performance is top notch, not a single hiccup on my 1700x + 1660 Super, so it at least seems like it's well optimized.”
“On the downside, there are obvious performance issues as the village increases and more is on the go, but the graphics are lovely and it's got that addictive 'one more turn/day' effect.”
“Seems to not be optimized as my 2070 RTX was maxed out playing this, which honestly shouldn't be the case, seeing as Ark: Evolved doesn't max out my GPU and that game is in desperate need of optimizing.”
“Another issue I had with this game is the lack of optimization.”
“On the downside, there are obvious performance issues as the village increases and more is going on, but the graphics are lovely and it has that addictive 'one more turn/day' effect.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lack of graphical representation for status updates and the constant need for wall repairs. Many feel that the rewards for grinding are insufficient to sustain the population and resources, leading to a desire for more control over monster spawns and a more engaging experience. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from enjoyment.
“The status of the peasants is provided via long text lists of names and status and data without any graphical representation, which is tedious at best.”
“I think it'd be a good idea to have some options on what kinds of monsters can spawn, how many, etc. I don't think there are enough rewards for how much you're grinding to keep the population alive and having extra resources for repairs and new buildings.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been a significant concern, with users noting persistent bugs even after three years since its release. However, recent updates have improved the situation, leading some players to report that many issues have been resolved, making the game more playable. Overall, while stability has improved, it still shows signs of being a work in progress.
“A game that has been out for three years should not be this buggy.”
“The game is weird and buggy.”
“The game is still a bit buggy and it is still in development.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its self-aware absurdity, with players finding amusement in its poor graphics and the expectation of making comical mistakes. The blend of realism and humor creates a lighthearted experience that resonates well with players. Overall, it is described as a funny and entertaining game despite its technical shortcomings.
“It's realistic, humorous, and you are expected to screw things up big time.”
“Funny little game xd”
- music3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and easy to listen to, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users note that the current version lacks a variety of sound effects and music, indicating that it feels underdeveloped and unpolished.
“The music is very relaxing and easy to listen to.”
“I enjoy how the actions are organized, the music, and the flashlight you are given at night.”
“It has only a part of the features the final game will have, only one test level. It is not polished or balanced, and there are very few sound effects and little music.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as simple, relaxing, and immersive, significantly enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate how the atmospheric elements contribute to the game's strategic gameplay.
“It's a simple, relaxing, immersive, atmospheric strategy game.”
“It really adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
